Sigh... I just need to whine!

RagtimeLady

This is discouraging. Set my calorie goal at 1000. Doing at least 1 hour of cardio every day (formerly entirely sedentary). I eat back some, but not all, exercise calories because of low goal. I've been below my calorie goal every day except for yesterday, when I was 25 over. Every muscle in my body is sore, sore, sore, and I have shin splints from the treadmill. Today I did my weekly weigh-in. I haven't lost an OUNCE. My neck and waist measure the same and I gained an inch in the hips. Sigh...

:sad: :sad:

I should add that menopause and arthritis SUCKS.

Lovesparklesandcupcakes

I don't know if I read that right, but your calorie goal per day is only 1000 calories? and you don'y eat back your exercise calories? I am certainly no expert here but all the literature I have read says you should NEVER go below 1200 calories per day and you have to eat back your exercise calories in order to prevent the dreaded starvation mode which leads to stagnated weight loss. My advice - up your calories to at least 1200 and eat back all your exercise cals!! Your body needs the fuel so eat to lose!! Eat to Lose!!

brendalyne

1000 calories is not enough fuel for your body. Try upping your cals (I know it sounds counter-intuitive). Here's a good thread for you to read through if you haven't done so already:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/196502-for-the-people-who-work-out-like-crazy-and-are-not-losing

LaPistolaSexola

you're at 1000 cals and are often under?
that's your problem.

Fochizzy

It's hard to stall and I feel you. 1000 calories though wow it must of been a hard miserable week. In addition, as everyone else said it is not enought. Your body thinks you are starving and is holding onto the weight to survive. It takes time, it sucks but fewer calories won't actually lead to faster weight loss. You need to reduce but give your body enough fuel to survive.

ClarkMer

You definatly need to eat more, I know that sounds like it wouldn't help, but it really does. Go to at least 1200 calories and see what happens

Good luck!

fbmandy55

1000 calories is too low. Your body is just clinging on to what you eat just to function rather than burning it off.

Qarol

hmm, I've lost count how many times I've said this to someone...

The idea is NOT to go below 1200 NET calories. If you're eating 1300 calories but burning 300, that's a net of 1000 calories a day. Looks like that's what you're eating BEFORE you exercise, so you're getting even lower. That's just too low for a body to function in a healthy way. You're doing bad things to your body by not eating enough. I know it sounds scary, but I bet if you made sure to at LEAST net 1200 calories a day, after a little while, you'd start seeing results. You may notice a "gain" on the scale initially (because I bet your metabolism is at a snail's pace), but your body will readjust. The body is brilliant like that. Good luck! And stop starving yourself! :-)

odusgolp

1000 calories is too low. Your body is just clinging on to what you eat just to function rather than burning it off.

You're bordering on the anorexia obsession by going from sedentary to one hour every single day and not eating even 1000 calories. That's not dieting. That's flat out absurdly unhealthy.

You didn't gain it overnight. Stop expecting to lose it overnight.

Hearts_2015

This is discouraging. Set my calorie goal at 1000. Doing at least 1 hour of cardio every day (formerly entirely sedentary). I eat back some, but not all, exercise calories because of low goal. I've been below my calorie goal every day except for yesterday, when I was 25 over. Every muscle in my body is sore, sore, sore, and I have shin splints from the treadmill. Today I did my weekly weigh-in. I haven't lost an OUNCE. My neck and waist measure the same and I gained an inch in the hips. Sigh...

:sad: :sad:

I should add that menopause and arthritis SUCKS.

Not enough food can do that as well as keeping your body fueled in a healthy manner so your body recovers!

Might consider your main goal, is it simply dropping lbs. and not being healthy & fit, being in pain and getting stuck on the scale could be the results of that.:flowerforyou:

Nothing wrong with experimenting to see what works better for your body. I agree 1000 calories a day and not fuel being added back could have detrimental effects in the short run & the long run.

fbmandy55

Also, it looks like you are consuming 200-400 calories a day in wine. Maybe to to cut it back to a small glass a day or something with less calories, such as a vodka soda. With your calories being low your body could really use something nutritious in place of those empty calories.

Hope our advice is helpful!

jillica

True! When I complete my food diary if I'm under 1200 calories for the day, MFP gives me a warning that my body could go into STARVATION MODE which is COUNTERPRODUCTIVE to losing weight. Plus, you said that you weighed in with lots of sore muscles. Sore muscles contain built-up fluid that would cause you to weigh higher as well.

Good luck! I know it is a tricky formula. Think of food as fuel! Fuel to lose weight! Don't put the crappy gas in your tank, put the good stuff so you'll have a smoother ride. And you won't go anywhere if you are running on empty.

beccarockslife

Booze + not eating enough + exercising in the heat = water retention.

Drink loads of water. Eat more. Drink less booze.

RagtimeLady

Just a note - I did say that I do eat back most of the exercise calories but I also try to stay under my calorie goal *adjusted for exercise*. One thing I did not realize, though, is that there is a calorie adjustment for weight training - I do that every other day.

Not trying to make excuses, but I do enjoy wine with dinner. I write about wine... I have a collection! And since it is a carb, I make allowances for it in my diet. Wine instead of bread or potatoes... it's a trade-off.

If you look at my profile, you will see that I had previously lost more than 100 pounds - some bad meds and quitting smoking tanked my metabolism, as I'm eating pretty much the same way as I was when I lost all that weight a couple years ago. I went to a doctor who specializes in weight loss, and he was the one who put me on 1,000 calories to adjust for slow metabolism and sedentary lifestyle. I couldn't stick with that!

I do appreciate the comments and suggestions! I'm going to make some adjustments and pray that next week doesn't feel as futile.

RagtimeLady

You're bordering on the anorexia obsession by going from sedentary to one hour every single day and not eating even 1000 calories. That's not dieting. That's flat out absurdly unhealthy.

You didn't gain it overnight. Stop expecting to lose it overnight.

Look at my diary - I'm eating back the exercise calories. My diet is very healthy - I live with and cook for a diabetic. And having previously lost more than 100 pounds, I do know I won't lose it overnight. I was really hoping that hitting the aerobics hard would jump start my metabolism which has been insulted of late. I was hoping to see maybe a half pound loss after a week of shock therapy, tho... That's what is discouraging.

voluptas63

You're bordering on the anorexia obsession by going from sedentary to one hour every single day and not eating even 1000 calories. That's not dieting. That's flat out absurdly unhealthy.

You didn't gain it overnight. Stop expecting to lose it overnight.

Look at my diary - I'm eating back the exercise calories. My diet is very healthy - I live with and cook for a diabetic. And having previously lost more than 100 pounds, I do know I won't lose it overnight. I was really hoping that hitting the aerobics hard would jump start my metabolism which has been insulted of late. I was hoping to see maybe a half pound loss after a week of shock therapy, tho... That's what is discouraging.

Why come here and ask for advice and then get defensive? If you ask for advice, take all of it in. We're not here to hold your hand and pat your head and tell you it's okay to work out like a mad woman and eat 1k in calories. Sorry. I'm out of rainbows to shoot.

Barneystinson

Booze + not eating enough + exercising in the heat = water retention.

Drink loads of water. Eat more. Drink less booze.

Very sound advice.

I mean, I know booze is good. I like craft beer. But heat, too much beer, and not enough water is definitely a recipe for water retention.

Melanie12081

Wow. Some of these responses are rude.

Your calories are too low. Your doctor may have set you at 1,000 before, but you are a different size and have a different lifestyle now. You need to be at a minimum of 1200 - choose healthy foods to get you there. For example, a banana is about 200 calories, but it's packed full of great things for your body. It's a really good something to eat before a workout.

I don't count my weight training as calories burned, I consider it toning what I've got and if I go over my calorie goal that day, I dont worry about it. Besides, I track the calories burned and it's probably not as many as you think unless you start the weight training with cardio.

Drink more water, up your calories, and keep working out. I know how hard it is to up yoru calories, trust me I'm having to do it right now and it's a struggle...but trust your body to take care of it. You've got to feed it if you're going to work it!! Also, I love wine too...I was advised to drink 2 glasses of water more a day for every glass of wine. Alcohol dehydrates your body, which is almost as bad, if not worse, as the empty calories.

Keep your chin up!

Fochizzy

Why come here and ask for advice and then get defensive? If you ask for advice, take all of it in. We're not here to hold your hand and pat your head and tell you it's okay to work out like a mad woman and eat 1k in calories. Sorry. I'm out of rainbows to shoot.

To be fair she did not ask for advice really she just wanted to whine :-p

evilbanks

Dude 1000 calories??? Why??

odusgolp

This is discouraging. Set my calorie goal at 1000. Doing at least 1 hour of cardio every day (formerly entirely sedentary). I eat back some, but not all, exercise calories because of low goal. I've been below my calorie goal every day except for yesterday, when I was 25 over. Every muscle in my body is sore, sore, sore, and I have shin splints from the treadmill. Today I did my weekly weigh-in. I haven't lost an OUNCE. My neck and waist measure the same and I gained an inch in the hips. Sigh...

Not everyone is sunshine and roses and hand holding ;-) Whine all you want. Honest, have at it. But I don't support whining when I see someone say what you said here, I can't support it as "healthy."

This is a public message bored and posting means you will get responses of all kinds. You don't need to like them, or even consider them if you don't want to. But I can't imagine any reasonable person saying "It's OK, You're doing great! Just keep at it." BASED on your post. Would you think that was healthy based on what you wrote here? You didn't say you eat "MOST" exercise cals back. That's not at all what you said.

So, take it with a grain of salt. Or, ask a medical professional if they find your less than 1000 cal diet and exercise plan to be a healthy target. If so, then by all means...

kapeluza

"I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.

Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people suceed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is dissapointment. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new commers and vetrans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.

Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.

Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crutial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permenant yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tryies to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.

Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistant (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becomming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!

Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already suceeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!

Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficite, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficites you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficite (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.

Conclusion:

this is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from.

Best health to you all!

-Banks "

kapeluza

And:

"Living With Obesity At 700 Calories Per Day!
By: David Greenwalt

I want you to consider a common female client. She's a woman about 5'5" and 185 pounds. A combination of a mostly sedentary lifestyle, quick-fix, processed foods and consistent excessively low calories has resulted in an incredibly stubborn fat loss scenario. Not only has it created a stubborn fat loss scenario but her ability to add body fat is remarkably strong.

Most would believe there is simply no possible way she could be 185 pounds eating mostly low calories. While it's true the average obese American created their own obesity by being a huge over consumer, a sedentary glutton if you will, many are able to maintain their level of obesity with the following formula in very precise ratios: starvation + binges + sedentary lifestyle.

An initial review of this woman's calories indicates she is just above starvation level in the 400-700 per day range. The food choices are mostly protein in this case (low-carb is all the rage you know) and there are virtually no vegetables or fruits to speak of.

Five or six days per week the calories remain low in this range, however, there are nighttime binges from time to time and weekend binges where carbs loaded with fat (doughnuts, rolls, cookies, pizza etc.) are consumed.

So while the calories are very low the majority of the time, there are one to two days per week where this isn't always the case. Even so, the nighttime binges and weekend slack offs don't amount to what you might presume would be thousands of extra calories, thus explaining the 185-pound body weight.

Very few foods are prepared from home. There are lots of fast foods being consumed. Convenience and taste rule.

I must say. Early on in my coaching and teaching career this woman was a real head scratcher for me. Isn't it calories in and calories out? Even if she's not active she's starving!

How in the heck does she stay at 185 eating an average, including all binges, of maybe 750 calories per day? She's frustrated beyond belief. She sees her friends and coworkers eating more and weighing less. Is she simply unlucky? Is everyone else blessed? And what in the world is she supposed to do to fix this, if it can be fixed?


Why Is She Not Losing Weight?


First, let me tell you why she's not losing weight. Then I'll tell you what she has to do to fix the situation. With a chronic (months and months) intake of less than 1000 calories per day and a 185-pound body weight her metabolism is suffering greatly. It's running cool, not hot. It's basically running at a snail's pace.

Think of it this way. Her metabolism has matched itself to her intake. She could, indeed, lose body fat but she's in that gray area where she is eating too few calories but not quite at the concentration-camp level yet.

If she were to consume 100-300 calories per day her body would have virtually no choice but to begin liberating stored body fat. This is NOT the solution. It's unhealthy and, in fact, quite stupid.


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Not only has her metabolism matched her intake, her body has maximized production of enzymes that are designed to help store any additional calories as fat. Anytime additional, immediately-unnecessary calories are consumed the enzymes are there and waiting to store the additional calories as fat. Her body is starved nutritionally and it has one thing on its mind - survival.

Being mostly sedentary, her metabolism (hormones play a large role here) can do a pretty good job of keeping things slow enough so that the pathetically low calories she's consuming are just enough to maintain.

But since certain enzymes are elevated, waiting for more calories so more bodyfat can be stored, every nighttime binge or weekend mini-feast will contribute to fat stores.

So on the days she's not bingeing her body does not lose fat, or if it does, it's very little. And on the few days or times she does binge a bit her body is quite efficient at storing fat. So, while she may lose a smidge of fat from starving it is quickly replaced with every binge.

Remember, these binges aren't a gluttonous 4000-calorie feast. Oh no, a binge might be 4-5 cookies worth about 500-700 calories. Nevertheless, since the binge foods are mostly carbs and fat it's very easy for the enzymes to shuttle the dietary fat into stored body fat. It's what they were designed to do.


So, What's The Solution?


Well then, now that we presumably know some valid reasons why she's not seeing a scale change and definitely no body fat change how do we fix her? We have to do something she's going to freak out over.

We have to get her eating more. Not only do we have to get her eating more but more of the right, whole foods need to be eaten. Foods lower in fat that aren't as easily STORED as body fat have to be consumed. And we have to warn her.

A Discouraging Start


We have to warn her that since she's been sedentarily living on protein with binges of carbs and fats she is likely to see a weight gain right away. It's true.
Once we begin really feeding her body with nutritious carbohydrates so she can become more active, her glycogen-depleted body will hang on to some of those carbohydrates (in skeletal muscle and liver) so she has stored energy for activity.

When her body hangs on to those carbohydrates it has no choice but to hang on to more water too. For every gram of glycogen (stored carbs) she stores she'll hang on to three grams of water.

This is not a negative response by the body but it will be interpreted by her as quite negative when she steps on the scale.

It's quite likely she'll see a five to seven pound weight gain when she really starts eating properly again. This weight gain will remain for one to three weeks before it starts moving in the other direction.

For argument's sake let's assume my Calorie Calculator and Goal Setter at Club Lifestyle suggests a 1500-calorie per day average in week one for a one-pound loss per week. First, she is going to freak out about this many calories.

For months she's been eating less than 1000 and usually around 400-700 in one to three feedings total per day. To her 1500 calories is a ton of food. And if she even begins to eat less fast and packaged-foods it will be a ton of food.

There is no doubt whatsoever that she will resist the increase. This resistance may take one to three weeks to overcome. During this period no weight loss will occur. She is too fat already in her mind and believes it will only hurt her to increase her food intake.

I mean, after all, isn't that how she got fat to begin with? In her early stages of fat gain this was probably true. She overconsumed. But as I've said already, that's not why she's staying heavy.

In addition to a freaked-out mindset about adding more food to her already overfat body she will simply find that it's all but impossible to eat four or more times per day.

She's just not hungry at first. Makes sense when you think about it. Why would she be hungry three hours after eating a 300-calorie, balanced breakfast? Her body is used to 400-700 calories per day!

So, even though she gets a plan and begins using my nutrition analyzer to log foods and meals she finds after having a balanced breakfast of 250 calories she couldn't force herself to eat meal number two on time.

It'll take several more days of realizing what is going on and being one-hundred percent honest and diligent with her logging and planning before she begins to eat her meals as planned no matter what - even if she's not hungry.

By now two to four weeks have passed and the only thing she's seen on the scale is it going up--not very encouraging if I say so myself.

Raising The Grade


After the first two to four weeks have passed she's probably beginning to consume her meals as planned although not quite like an "A" student yet. That is coming. She feels better because she's working out and is more active.
And she feels like she has more energy throughout the day because she's feeding her body more calories and the right kinds of calories.

She has finally begun eating the right kinds of fast foods (low in fat, moderate in protein) and less packaged food overall. She is making more meals from home and taking them to work for lunch rather than always grabbing something quick from a vending machine or the break room that always has some treat another employee brought in.

After another two weeks or so she's moved from a "B" grade to more consistent "A"s. She's planning her days one day ahead in the Nutrition Analyzer; she's consuming fresh veggies and fruits on a daily basis.

Her calories are almost ALWAYS in line with what is recommended by my Lean Account and she has seen her first signs of the scale moving in the right direction.

She is now dropping from 190 pounds (her high after reintroducing food and carbohydrates again) to 189.3! "Progress at last!" she says. In actuality, the entire process was progress. But that's not how she saw it in the beginning.






With a total of two to four weeks of increased caloric intake behind her and eating more consistently the right kinds of foods her metabolism has truly begun to rebound.

She didn't kill it as she thought. She only wounded it. And since our metabolisms are like kids (they are quite resilient) and she doesn't have thyroid issues or diabetes or any known wrench that could be thrown into the spokes of fat loss, she will begin, for the first time in months or years, to see results that make sense and that one would expect of someone who is active (30-60 minutes five or more days per week) and consuming a caloric intake of 1300-1500 calories per day.


Butterfly Effect: The Basics Of The Thyroid - Part 1.
Avoiding Sabotage


This process is in no way easy. I think you can see a plethora of ways it could be screwed up, sabotaged, given up on too early and so forth.
A key to success for this very common woman (men too) is not giving up too soon, having faith in the fix, and moving sooner rather than later to the increased, quality food intake.

It's going to take effort to overcome the mental hurdles of eating more food as well as the increase in scale weight that is going to occur in weeks one to three or so. It's disheartening, however, to charge hard down the weight-loss field only to get to the one-yard line and decide it's time to quit.



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Many don't realize they only had one more yard to go and they'd have had a touchdown. You gotta hang in there with this plan. It's going to take some time for the glycogen levels to be replenished and level out. It's going to take some time for mental adjustments to occur.
It's going to take some time before hunger signals are restored to anything close to normal. It's going to take time for the metabolism to rebound and not be in its protective mode.

Giving A Stubborn Body The Message


In certain, very stubborn cases, it may be necessary to eat at a eucaloric (maintenance) or hypercaloric (over maintenance) level for a few weeks to ensure the metabolism does get the signal that everything is alright and you aren't going to kill the body.
Remember, your body could care less about your desire for fat loss. It just wants to survive.


Some Take-Home Points



The most common cause of obesity is Americans are sedentary overeaters/drinkers. Nothing in this article should be construed as to say that under eating is the root cause of obesity. It's not.

It IS common for many men and women to be under eating with sporadic binges as I described here. This creates a perfect environment for continued obesity even if total caloric intake is quite low on average.

Low-carb followers or "starvers" WILL see the scale go up when calories are consumed at reasonable levels again and carbohydrates are reintroduced. Live with it. Deal with it. It's going to happen. 98% of the gain will be water.

The time it takes for mental acceptance and other adjustments to occur will vary but one should expect a two to four week window for these things to take place. Being forewarned with an article like this may speed this process up some.

Once the right types of foods are consumed and the right caloric intake is consumed and the right ratios of carbohydrates, proteins and fats are consumed on a consistent basis, then, and only then, will metabolism begin to be restored and the key to fat loss be inserted into the lock with a noticeable drop in the scale resulting.
This may take an additional two to four weeks to occur. Your metabolism is never dead or broken for good. But it may take several weeks of proper eating and activity for it to be restored.


From day one, until the first, noticeable drop in the scale occurs may be four to six weeks--maybe one to two weeks longer. Those who give up on the one-yard line will never see the scale drop as will occur when intelligent persistence and consistency over time are adhered to.
David Greenwalt
"

I hope it helps!

Rhea81

Wow. Some of these responses are rude.

Your calories are too low. Your doctor may have set you at 1,000 before, but you are a different size and have a different lifestyle now. You need to be at a minimum of 1200 - choose healthy foods to get you there. For example, a banana is about 200 calories, but it's packed full of great things for your body. It's a really good something to eat before a workout.

I don't count my weight training as calories burned, I consider it toning what I've got and if I go over my calorie goal that day, I dont worry about it. Besides, I track the calories burned and it's probably not as many as you think unless you start the weight training with cardio.

Drink more water, up your calories, and keep working out. I know how hard it is to up yoru calories, trust me I'm having to do it right now and it's a struggle...but trust your body to take care of it. You've got to feed it if you're going to work it!! Also, I love wine too...I was advised to drink 2 glasses of water more a day for every glass of wine. Alcohol dehydrates your body, which is almost as bad, if not worse, as the empty calories.

Keep your chin up!

I 100% agree here!!

You aren't losing anything even with the ultra low calarie intake because your body is storing EVERYthing because it knows you aren't going to feed yourself enough later so it holds onto it now.

That is also why you need to eat smaller healhy meal more often. Ideally you should be eating something every 4 hours or so, even if it is just a handful of wheat thins or an apple.

odusgolp

Insert name calling... *sigh* Nice.

Rather than getting defensive, I offer up a theory...

The OP in my humble opinion, is not following a healthy plan. And thusly whining about it. I think we can all agree that when someone whines or complains it is because they are unhappy about something - would love to fix it, and are bringing it up in a public setting because they'd like advice.

The OP previously blamed antidepressants for a 30lb weight gain. While (trust me) I understand that antidepressants can completely mess with your appetite, perhaps metabolism, etc. there must also be some responsibility.

The OP blamed quitting smoking for weight gain. And thusly started again.

I am offering my opinion - as that is what the point of a message board is - that this is not a healthy approach. Smoking to control metabolism, eating below minimum requirements or exercising in any obsessive manner, or not managing mental health because of weight gain. To each their own, but sometimes I think pointing such things out and being honest rather than sugar coating can actually be more healthy.

Seanb_us

About wine ... I've read conflicting information about it, but generally there is consensus that alcohol slows your metabolism. I had two glasses of wine last night (malbec), as it happens, but why not try giving up all wine and all other alcohol for a fortnight and seeing if that helps.

Cheers and keep at it. Eating few calories plus exercise WILL start paying off. Hang in there.

Sean

odusgolp

About wine ... I've read conflicting information about it, but generally there is consensus that alcohol slows your metabolism. I had two glasses of wine last night (malbec), as it happens, but why not try giving up all wine and all other alcohol for a fortnight and seeing if that helps.

Cheers and keep at it. Eating few calories plus exercise WILL start paying off. Hang in there.

Sean

Now, in her defense, I don't know that I could give up wine for a fortnight either *LOL* I could probably give up taters much easier! But seriously? I never heard that it slows metabolism. That may make me cry in my pissed in cheerios....

Seanb_us

Thank you. This is great! I'm in my second month. Appreciate the heads up.

Cheers,

Sean

"I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.

Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people suceed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is dissapointment. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new commers and vetrans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.

Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.

Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crutial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permenant yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tryies to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.

Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistant (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becomming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!

Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already suceeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!

Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficite, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficites you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficite (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.

Conclusion:

this is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from.

Best health to you all!

-Banks "

Barneystinson

About wine ... I've read conflicting information about it, but generally there is consensus that alcohol slows your metabolism. I had two glasses of wine last night (malbec), as it happens, but why not try giving up all wine and all other alcohol for a fortnight and seeing if that helps.

Cheers and keep at it. Eating few calories plus exercise WILL start paying off. Hang in there.

Sean

Now, in her defense, I don't know that I could give up wine for a fortnight either *LOL* I could probably give up taters much easier! But seriously? I never heard that it slows metabolism. That may make me cry in my pissed in cheerios....

I cut it back to a 4 or 5 ounce serving instead of an entire bottle serving

Leaves much more room in the calorie budget for protein and more filling things.

odusgolp

Now, in her defense, I don't know that I could give up wine for a fortnight either *LOL* I could probably give up taters much easier! But seriously? I never heard that it slows metabolism. That may make me cry in my pissed in cheerios....

I cut it back to a 4 or 5 ounce serving instead of an entire bottle serving

Leaves much more room in the calorie budget for protein and more filling things.

*sigh* that probably is much more logical ;-) But they come in the convenient wine bottle which I'd like to think is the perfect serving so you don't need to re-cork *LOL*

Seanb_us

About wine ... I've read conflicting information about it, but generally there is consensus that alcohol slows your metabolism. I had two glasses of wine last night (malbec), as it happens, but why not try giving up all wine and all other alcohol for a fortnight and seeing if that helps.

Cheers and keep at it. Eating few calories plus exercise WILL start paying off. Hang in there.

Sean

Now, in her defense, I don't know that I could give up wine for a fortnight either *LOL* I could probably give up taters much easier! But seriously? I never heard that it slows metabolism. That may make me cry in my pissed in cheerios....

<g> As I said, two glasses of red last night for me (after working out). ;-) But, I have read in a few places that alcohol actually does slow your metabolism, so it's not just the calories of the alcohol you have to worry about. Still, this is "broscience," right, so your own research might be called for. And, giving up the alcohol for a couple of weeks is doable and might support the thought?

Cheers,

Sean