I really am at a loss of what to do!
vilenski193
Posts: 49 Member
Hi. So I have written before took everyone's advices adjusted my diet and still not real success. I have about twenty pounds to loose. I am doing a 1200 calorie per day( some times get closer to 800 just cause I'm not hungry) 20 carbs or less, and have started working out. I have high stress In my life ( kids with issues). People are saying it's because my cortisol levels are high that the weight isn't dropping and that working out( almost every day cardio45-hr and some weights) can make it worse. So what am I suppose to do. The stress isn't going away and I use working out as a distresser. I can't really afford to start taking yoga etc. It is hard for me to just add on the fat in the diet when it is not coming off. I have been strict and haven't cheated. I took a break from recording for a couple days because I wanted to see what I was eating without recording. It's the same. 4-6 protein three times a day, 2 cups leafy greens, 1 cup veggies , chicken broth, and then cheese in small amonts, half an avacado etx . I even learned to eat eggs. I was really hoping this would work. Maybe I should just give up !! It was nice feeling in control about it though but with no results I don't know if it is worth it!! Please give me any thougts you have. High cortisol what to do !!! This whole thing is making me sad which I'm sure is increasing my levels higher
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I don't know enough to comment about cortisol, but when I stopped losing I put in a 36hr fast once a week and that got things moving again. But I wasn't on 1200 cals a day, I was about 1600-1800 cals. I couldn't do 1200 a day - I'd rather be hungry once a week than all the time! I admire your willpower.0
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First of all -- reset your goals in MFP so that they're in line with your actual goals. Choose the "custom" option and you can adjust your macros. Track for at least a week and see where you're at.
Second -- eat more. If you're chronically under-eating, you're not doing your body any favors. Eat more calorie-dense foods. Trade the almond milk for coconut. Trade the chicken breast for thighs (with skin) and/or quick grilling/broiling and fry them in butter or bacon grease, and trade the London broil for ribeye. Add nuts, seeds, and cheese to your salads, and top them with an oil or cream based dressing. Give bulletproof (or primal) coffee a try.
Third -- drop the cardio to 20 minutes and work sprints/intervals in. Make sure the weights are heavy enough that you struggle (without breaking form) in the last couple of reps after doing 3-5 sets of about 5-8 reps. Also, do compound lifts -- trade the machines and curls for squats and presses with dumbbells or barbells. These things increase the intensity and decrease the time required for your workouts. Cool down with some yoga and moving stretches to keep limber and loose. That should give you the de-stressing effects you're looking for, without being counterproductive.
Fourth -- start measuring yourself, and take pictures. The scale is only a fraction of the picture. Many people will lose inches upon inches without changing weight (or even go up in weight!), depending on what they're doing. Put the scale away for a month and only go by pictures and measurements.
Fifth -- consider whether you're experiencing other symptoms of high cortisol -- inability to deal with stress, low level anxiety, poor sleep, fatigue, etc. If you are, check out a supplement called Phosphatidyl Serine, or check out Primal Calm, a supplement that includes PS and a blend of other supplements and herbs to help calm you down. PS is a cortisol reducing supplement, which should help if cortisol is your problem.
Give this a try for a month and re-evaluate.0 -
It would be helpful if you would open your diary so we can see what you are doing.0
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It seems harder when you have less to lose. And 20lbs really isn't that much. At least from where I am sitting! And we all seem to have a different level of carbs that we can eat and still lose weight. I know mine is much lower than I would like it to be, I stall at 30 net. I am still working on the Christmas additions.
So, I would say, watch the carb creep. If I log a food for the first time, that doesn't have a green check mark, and no carbs are listed, I check that it really does have no carbs. Also, this is really an all or nothing proposition. If you eat too many carbs for you, say with a sandwich or putting regular milk in your coffee or latte, it will stop your weight loss for more than that day, or so I have found. In calorie counting, it sort of averages out for me, and I will lose weight that week. With this WOE, if I up my carbs for a day, it will take more than a day to get to weight loss again and I am sometimes stalled for a week.
I hope you figure out what works for you.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »
Hmm..now that's interesting. When I went to go look at it, it wasn't...but perhaps that not too strange since I've noticed that MFP has been rather inconsistent (i.e. glitchy) the last couple of days. Thanks @Dragonwolf!0 -
I love all of @Dragonwolf 's suggestions, but I would also drop the cheese. Cheese or dairy (orther than butter) in any amount will prevent me from losing no matter what I do. It was hard to let go, but it worked.
And personally if you think it's stress (I know I had just moderate stress helping a friend with a wedding and that caused a 3 month stall) I would drop the cardio in favor of meditation.
Just my own opinion of what I would do in my shoes.
HTH 0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »First of all -- reset your goals in MFP so that they're in line with your actual goals. Choose the "custom" option and you can adjust your macros. Track for at least a week and see where you're at.
Second -- eat more. If you're chronically under-eating, you're not doing your body any favors. Eat more calorie-dense foods. Trade the almond milk for coconut. Trade the chicken breast for thighs (with skin) and/or quick grilling/broiling and fry them in butter or bacon grease, and trade the London broil for ribeye. Add nuts, seeds, and cheese to your salads, and top them with an oil or cream based dressing. Give bulletproof (or primal) coffee a try.
Third -- drop the cardio to 20 minutes and work sprints/intervals in. Make sure the weights are heavy enough that you struggle (without breaking form) in the last couple of reps after doing 3-5 sets of about 5-8 reps. Also, do compound lifts -- trade the machines and curls for squats and presses with dumbbells or barbells. These things increase the intensity and decrease the time required for your workouts. Cool down with some yoga and moving stretches to keep limber and loose. That should give you the de-stressing effects you're looking for, without being counterproductive.
Fourth -- start measuring yourself, and take pictures. The scale is only a fraction of the picture. Many people will lose inches upon inches without changing weight (or even go up in weight!), depending on what they're doing. Put the scale away for a month and only go by pictures and measurements.
Fifth -- consider whether you're experiencing other symptoms of high cortisol -- inability to deal with stress, low level anxiety, poor sleep, fatigue, etc. If you are, check out a supplement called Phosphatidyl Serine, or check out Primal Calm, a supplement that includes PS and a blend of other supplements and herbs to help calm you down. PS is a cortisol reducing supplement, which should help if cortisol is your problem.
Give this a try for a month and re-evaluate.
So I have a question. What should I reset my goals too. I am eating under 20 carbs a day. Please advise0 -
vilenski193 wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »First of all -- reset your goals in MFP so that they're in line with your actual goals. Choose the "custom" option and you can adjust your macros. Track for at least a week and see where you're at.
Second -- eat more. If you're chronically under-eating, you're not doing your body any favors. Eat more calorie-dense foods. Trade the almond milk for coconut. Trade the chicken breast for thighs (with skin) and/or quick grilling/broiling and fry them in butter or bacon grease, and trade the London broil for ribeye. Add nuts, seeds, and cheese to your salads, and top them with an oil or cream based dressing. Give bulletproof (or primal) coffee a try.
Third -- drop the cardio to 20 minutes and work sprints/intervals in. Make sure the weights are heavy enough that you struggle (without breaking form) in the last couple of reps after doing 3-5 sets of about 5-8 reps. Also, do compound lifts -- trade the machines and curls for squats and presses with dumbbells or barbells. These things increase the intensity and decrease the time required for your workouts. Cool down with some yoga and moving stretches to keep limber and loose. That should give you the de-stressing effects you're looking for, without being counterproductive.
Fourth -- start measuring yourself, and take pictures. The scale is only a fraction of the picture. Many people will lose inches upon inches without changing weight (or even go up in weight!), depending on what they're doing. Put the scale away for a month and only go by pictures and measurements.
Fifth -- consider whether you're experiencing other symptoms of high cortisol -- inability to deal with stress, low level anxiety, poor sleep, fatigue, etc. If you are, check out a supplement called Phosphatidyl Serine, or check out Primal Calm, a supplement that includes PS and a blend of other supplements and herbs to help calm you down. PS is a cortisol reducing supplement, which should help if cortisol is your problem.
Give this a try for a month and re-evaluate.
So I have a question. What should I reset my goals too. I am eating under 20 carbs a day. Please advise
http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
Fill out your stats, set a reasonable deficit, and that will give you a good starting point.0 -
I have been trying to recently learn more about adrenal fatigue and higher cortisol levels because I had previously had an extremely stressful job and I know it affected my metabolism and adrenal function. I'm still doing a lot of searches but a few of the suggestions I've gathered are: decrease caffeine intake, get better sleep, get more sun (!) and of course, reduce stress.0
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if you cannot get more sun, Vit D is usually what they want up.0
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