need help before vacation

aclockworkblonde

Okay I am seriously all over the place and need advice fast. I am not heavy but I hate how I look and have issues with my weight- I obsess over it and get very upset all the time that I don't look how I want. Because of this I tend to latch on to whatever seems like it will help me lose weight because I was working hard doing weight training and some cardio and pilates but saw absolutely zero change in my weight or measurements and my clothes didn't fit any better.

I know I've made bad choices in the past. I try to calorie count but always let some slip by and what I was eating wasn't especially healthy- a lot of carbs from cereals and oatmeals and processed foods like lean pockets interspersed with occasional salads and eggs. I have a vacation coming up in mid-February that I really want to lose weight for- and when I say lose weight I mean feel comfortable and look good for. I understand more now that scale weight isn't the best indicator especially if you're weight training.

The last week I have been doing atkins (loosely- I don't use their products or meal plans) because I'm me and like to try to find a quick fix- please note I am not ragging on the diet or anyone who uses it but for me I think it was the wrong choice because I don't see it being sustainable in any long-term sense especially with a vacation coming up. I have gone one week on 20-30 net carbs and a relatively high fat diet with a decent amount of protein as is suggested to reach ketosis.

I have seen some slight changes in myself- thinner face, slightly less fat in the midsection and thighs, and a couple of pounds lost that I assume are water weight- I don't think I gained any muscle weight because I haven't been strength training since I started the diet and just do mild exercise such as pilates and very low-weight reps in my house. I am female, 5'3, 120 pounds but i really want to lose a few more or at least lose some fat before I have to parade around Florida in a bathing suit. I am scared now to change up my diet AGAIN and integrate carbs back in- so here is where I need the advice.

I read the forums from time to time and posted once over the summer and you all seem to be very knowledgable and straightforward about these issues. Should I keep going for the second week of atkins and just stick and out and see what happens? Should i give it up altogether and if so should I take any measures to prevent weight gain when I start eating carbs? And if I do finish out the second induction week, do I put myself at more risk for ballooning up and regaining all my weight when I go away and inevitably eat a good amount of carbs?

I am confused and need help please! Thank you and feel free to ask me any questions if I left out details.

wheird

Considering you are just wanting to lose a few pounds and already doing a low carb type diet, try switching to a ketogenic diet. You'll lose some water weight quickly. But in terms of fat, you're going to lose a pound or two max.


Another option is to try an It Works! body wrap to give you the appearance of being smaller for a very short period of time.

cafeaulait7

Are you going to eat or drink carbs on vacation? If not, no problem, imho.

I don't know much about how the diet goes, but I'd hate to get all puffy on vacation, though. Maybe keep a nice calorie deficit, definitely lift weights to get the newbie pump and firmness (and keep that up), but slowly increase the carbs? I don't know, but try not to balloon up while you are wearing all the cute stuff, lol. If that happens at all when you go off Atkins. (????)

aclockworkblonde

thanks for the quick replies! I almost wrote quick recipes…that's how bad my obsession is getting. I am definitely going to be eating carbs on vacation. I could try to limit them but it will be very hard for me not to especially since I will be eating out a lot and won't have as much access to my usual food or ability to cook it.

cafeaulait7: That's why I'm worried about continuing with this! Maybe just the one week won't effect me too badly if I start slowly integrating carbs back in now. I definitely don't want to balloon up on vacation and everything I've read has said that when you go low carb and then eat them again you gain a lot of water weight.

Reality_Is_Ha: keto was actually what I was hoping to achieve when starting this. I had read that aside from losing water weight by cutting out carbs that if you eat high fat and not too much protein that your body goes in ketosis and starts burning fat as a fuel source instead of carbs. But unfortunately I don't think this is something I could do long term, although I could definitely give it a shot. I do worry about the amount of fat though- maybe it's just because I've grown up hearing it but it seems so unhealthy.

I will probably stick this out until after my time of the month which is Tuesday (sorry if TMI) and see if I lose more after my bloating decreases and then resume my regular routine but count super carefully with much healthier meals, a deficit, and weight training.

Any other thoughts would be appreciated! Oh also I'm 25 by the way (turn 26 on Friday!!)