At a standstill and need suggestions!

mandijo

I've been on this journey for almost a year and a half. In my first 9 months, I was very up and down but managed to lose 11 pounds and gain 7 of them back. Fast forward to October, when I finally had a change. I started doing things right, but not without some trials. First let me say, that back in October, I was 53% body fat. I was checked again at the end of last week and I'm down to 41%. I'm not losing weight hardly at all, and I'm just curious as to what I'm doing wrong. I know that for the first little bit, I was probably converting fat to muscle, but now I just feel like I should be going somewhere and I'm not.

I've only lost a total of 5 pounds since I jumped on this train in October where I pretty much logged everything I ate and continue to exercise 4-6 times a week. I feel like on average, I'm eating my calories the way I'm supposed to. Even if I don't lose 2 pounds a week, I feel like I should be losing SOMETHING. I've checked symptoms for my thyroid and PCOS, and nothing really seems to be ringing a bell.

Anyone else seem to be having issues with this or have any suggestions they'd like to throw my way. I'm very surprised I haven't given up, but I'm feeling less than motivated lately, and I know it's because I'm not seeing a loss anyways. I'd appreciate any thoughts you may have on what I could be doing to get me going again. Thanks in advance! You all rock!

laursey

It's very frustrating when you're stuck in a rut. Whenever this happens to me I do a one week vegetable, chicken and fruit brown rice cleanse. I hate the word "cleanse," but this really works for me. You can eat as many vegetables and fruit as you would like except for mushrooms, bananas and corn. Also you can eat chicken and fish (but no bottom feeders like shrimp, lobster, clams, etc.) You can use olive oil for cooking, and can have plain rice cakes as well as low salt hummus as well as brown rice. This is a cleanse from a natureopath, and the idea is to get rid of the toxins in your body, so you don't have caffeine, salt, sugar, etc. There is also no dairy or bread. I drink calcium fortified orange juice to get my calcium. I have done this a few times. You should lose from 5-10 pounds in a week.

This cleanse is suggested to be done one week on and three weeks off, but another option is four days on and three days off continuously. I have never done the latter, though. I weighed myself every morning before eating anything. That way on the days when I was frustrated because I wanted yogurt, I could see the difference it was making on the scale and this kept me going for the full 7 days.

Some food suggestion ideas, fruit and mango salsa works really great as a salad dress. Just chop up fruit and mangos and squeeze a little orange juice on top. So yummy, especially with grilled salmon or home roasted chicken. To change things up a bit I use no salt seasonings like tandoori, taco or just stuff my roast chicken with orange slices and no salt spices. And my go to vegetable is sweet potatoe baked with a little bit of olive oil. Also, spice up your brown rice with jalapeno peppers and bell peppers.
Hope this helps!

22 pounds lost, 12 more to go!

jb_2011

After reviewing your food diary I think I can make a few suggestions. In order to lose weight you have to stay under your calorie goal every day, and get rid of those red numbers at the bottom. It looks like way too much sodium and often too much fat. I know you like cookies, cakes, chips and pancakes, but you'll have to learn to cut those out. They're mostly processed white flour products and will do nothing but hurt you in the long run, seriously. Substitute with lots more veggies and fresh fruit. Also, limit your cheese, sour cream and mayo intake so that your fats will be less. It's all a balancing act. Make a commitment to change your eating habits. Start researching. Here's a great book: "Eating Well for Optimum Health" by Andrew Weil, M.D.
Wishing you well! :drinker:

callipygianchronicle

Well, I scanned through the past couple of weeks in your diary, and I see some of the usual culprits that stall weight-loss efforts and that you may want to adjust to help your body process more efficiently:

1) Your sodium is frequently over 2500. High sodium diets not only force your body to retain water, but that retained water is damaging to your blood vessels. If your blood vessels are not efficiently moving nutrients to the cells in your body, your body is not going to operate as well as you need it to, including burning calories for weight-loss.

2) Your diet is high in processed and restaurant foods (which is also causing your higher sodium levels). You do not have to eat 100% clean in order to lose weight, but if your weight-loss is stalling, cleaning up your diet will work wonders. That means cooking, that means eating fresh produce, and that means eliminating boxed and frozen meals. Here is a fantastic example of what changing the diet can do from an MFP user: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/stephanielynn76/view/diary-of-a-pudgy-gym-rat-97772

3) You're a bit irregular with the times you eat and the kind of nutrition you feed your body at each meal. Some days you skip breakfast or eat snack foods in place of meal times. Some days your eating seems to stop early or start late. some days are very low calorie intake.

Life is filled with curve balls, but think of your body as learning computer. It is trying to learn when it can expect to be fueled and how many nutrients it will receive. But the data you are giving it is completely unpredictable. Help your body learn to expect good food regularly, so that it can make the best decision for processing nutrients and storing energy as muscle versus fat. Eating regular, nourishing meals is the key.

And finally, water, water water. Drink lots. And if you have a higher sodium day, drink even more.

mandijo

All great suggestions! Thank you! Keep them coming!

pattitricia85

Hey girl,
I peeked at your diary too... I know you're a busy working mom but I really think the culprit for you is processed foods!! I know moving to all whole foods, all the time isnt realistic for you, but I would try to make a commitment to doing one meal right every day! For me, that is breakfast. It's easy for me to eat healthy at breakfast. I eat old fashioned oatmeal almost everyday. I add a couple teaspoons of brown sugar, some fresh fruit (blueberries are my favorite), and sometimes chopped walnuts (just a little bit though). I like to pair it w/ string cheese or a hard boiled egg for protein. Make sure you get the OLD FASHIONED oats though. You can even prepare it ahead for the whole week in little sandwich bags for each day by measuring the oatmeal and adding the sugars and nuts. Then adding the fruit before you microwave it. I hope this helps!! I know you can do it!!

cmriverside

Right. (Except for the cleanse...IMO a waste of your time, energy, money, and potentially dangerous.)

It is not necessarily harder or more expensive to eat healthy foods. We don't need to be eating that much anyway, so to add oatmeal, plain lowfat yogurt, beans, more veggies, whole grains and lean meat is not a burden. It is the right thing to do and will benefit your entire family.

It may be tough at first, but like anything, becomes easier with time.

laursey

Oops, from that last post, I guess I wasn't clear. There's no pills, lotions or potions, so no money involved.
Just good nutritious food. Google it for more info.

mandijo

Thanks again everyone! I will be looking at my things and adjusting accordingly!