somewhat discouraged

rm7161

It's also known that Vit-C helps the body absorb iron better.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/top-10-iron-rich-foods

truth, especially for non heme iron sources from vegetables.

There is nothing wrong with being vegetarian btw. But it would be better to not claim junk science for what is actually an ethical decision. I can respect it on ethical grounds even if this is not my personal choice.

sujenwujen

If you're anemic, I'm not sure why you've given up red meat. That seems counterintuitive.

Everyone plateaus. I've hit one myself. But I've also had bronchitis, which stopped me going to the gym, and Thanksgiving, and now holiday parties, yada yada. I've given myself somewhat of a holiday reprieve. Now, I'm not saying I'm being lazy & eating everything in the house! But I have decided that my goal for the holidays may be to just maintain, and I've decided I'm not going to beat myself up about slip-ups.

Because of my success, I KNOW that I can do this. I KNOW that I will reach my goal. I KNOW that I need to be careful during this season. But I'm NOT going to beat myself up & be negative.

It may be time to change things up with your exercise routine, though. Give it a try!

ivonya

I've eaten a more blood type specific diet, and I was vegan on and off for 6 years, and I'm also an A type. Since adding fish and poultry back into my diet I've felt so much better/stronger.

LinkousSara

THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH!

After reading all your comments, I did have a little beef with dinner
I also think that I may try out a new class at the gym.
I also went to the tanning bed.... i think tan fat looks better that white fat! and it makes be feel better.

LinkousSara

thanks so much! i also have a crazy sleep schedule and i am sure that does not help. I have to be up at 4am for work.

jaceface87

I am not going to get into why cutting out meat is a bad bad BAD idea, but it certainly is. Especially, since you are probably overdosing on carbs. Watch your carb intake (not more than 100g/day) and strive to get them from fruits and veggies and not complex carb rich foods like grains (yes, this includes whole wheat) Grains and legumes can have VERY high caloric values (most more than meat) You can cut your calories, but if your body is not getting the nutrition it needs from poor food choices, your fat will not budge, even if eating 1000 cals/day. Also, not getting enough protein and getting too many carbs can cause insulin resistance, which is a very bad thing for weight loss as well as total body health. You're hormones and nutrition play just as much of a role in your successful fat loss (if not more) as calorie counting and going to the gym. On a side note: plateaus are extremely common and not necessarily a bad thing. Your body has to adapt to your new eating habits and lifestyle. It knows what is best for it and might just need some time to "reboot" Changing your body composition is hard work! I really hope this helps! and hang in there! If diet and exercise were easy, everyone would look good! You just gotta figure out how important your health and self-esteem are to you. Best of luck!

wswilliams67

If you are at a plateau you may want to calculate out your new BMR/TDEE numbers and adjust your caloric intake to get going again. I had to do the same thing at 40 pounds lost. Now I've hit another plateau at 50 pounds lost. You have to recalculate every 10 pounds or so.

http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

Use the one on the right if you know your body fat %

tnloser1970

But for the past 2 months, i have been at a standstill.

I had the same thing happen to me. The only thing that helped me was to reduce my carbs significantly and increase my protein intake. To determine how many grams of protein you need, take your body weight and multiply it by .4. This will give you an idea of about how many protein grams you should be eating.

I am not saying this will work for you. Good luck

onematch

Type A blood so avoiding red meat and poultry?

What on earth? Who the hell told you this rubbish? Beatings should be in swift order...

Anemic too? Really? While avoiding red meats? You don't say?

Red meat = best source for iron.

Iron supplements do not get absorbed nearly as well as from food sources sadly. More than half the supplement simply gets wasted.

So yeah... eat meat. Animals are delicious. Sad but true. Just don't eat your pets. Cuz favoritism rules in the animal kingdom. Cuteness = alive. Smelly+ugly = dinner. DO NOT apply this formula to humans... please...

HAHAHAHA! Love this.

DropOfSweat

I maintain the weight, give it a week or two then pick up again.

kaypee65

It's easy to get discouraged when we're working hard and not making the progress we're wanting. The only thing I can add to what others have said is that it might me worth consulting a physician just to rule out thyroid problems or any other imbalances that might be making it hard for you.

LinkousSara

More protein.

Walking damages cells. Breathing damages cells. Exercising REALLY damages cells.

Cells do not magically get repaired. They require new supplies (proteins) and energy (calories) to do this. Much like when a house has a car drive through it, you usually need to buy new wood, plaster, insulation, etc. to make the repairs.

If you do not supply enough protein, then the body will not use the energy it would have for the repairs. Why work when there is nothing to be done?

Additionally, protein is more difficult for the body to process. Significantly so. Fats and carbohydrates are easier, with fats being super easy and carbs being easy. Protein is difficult. So, you burn more calories from processing protein than you do from fat or carbs. This is the thermogenesis effect of food.

So, you've got a double wammy of reduce caloric expenditures. Sure, your calorie intake is down, but your caloric expenditure is way down too.

TL;DR = Eat protein.

*To clarify. I have been anemic for over 10 years, it did not simply happen because i cut back on red meat for 3 weeks. I do appreciate the concern. I am back to eating meat.

AnitaS71

I am right there with you. I think the scale is finally starting to move again, thankfully, but I sat parked for so long even while eating under my calories and exercising hard. I was getting so discouraged, but I just had to keep reminding myself that even if I never lose another pound (which I don't really think will happen...I'll lose it eventually), I am so much healthier than I was 46 pounds ago. If I stop eating carefully and exercising, I will just balloon right back up there (and then some, most likely), and I really don't want THAT to happen. I am not "on a diet". I have changed my eating/lifestyle for good, so it's not like I was going to go right back to old tricks as soon as I got to goal anyway. Therefore, I just need to press on through. I need to keep eating right and exercising to maintain the loss I've seen and to continue toward my ultimate goal: 46 down...44 to go!

GettingFitToLIVE

Eating enough food with balanced macros and lots of protein. (Like maybe some meat and fish.)

^^^ This

Yogi_Carl

Iron from most animal sources (heme iron) usually is more readily absorbed than iron from plant sources of food (non-heme iron). Include a source of vitamin C or heme iron to improve the absorption of non-heme iron.

Sources of Predominantly Heme Iron FOOD IRON (MILLIGRAMS)
Beef liver, braised (3 oz) 5.8
Lean sirloin, broiled (3 oz) 2.9
Lean ground beef, broiled (3 oz) 1.8
Skinless chicken breast, roasted dark meat (3 oz) 1.1
Skinless chicken breast, roasted white meat (3 oz) 0.9
Pork, lean, roasted (3 oz) 0.9
Salmon, canned with bone (3 oz) 0.7

Sources of Non-Heme Iron FOOD IRON (MILLIGRAMS)
Fortified breakfast cereal (1 cup)* 4.5 – 18
Pumpkin seeds (1 oz) 4.2
Blackstrap molasses (1 Tablespoon) 3.5
Soybean nuts (1/2 cup) 3.5
Bran (1/2 cup) 3.0
Spinach, boiled (1/2 cup) 3.2
Red kidney beans, cooked (1/2 cup) 2.6
Prune juice (3/4 cup) 2.3
Lima beans, cooked (1/2 cup) 2.2
Tofu, firm (1/2 cup) 2.0
Enriched rice, cooked (1/2 cup) 1.4
Pretzels (1 oz) 1.2
Whole-wheat bread (1 slice) 0.9
Green beans, cooked (1/2 cup) 0.8
White bread, made with enriched flour (1 slice) 0.8
Egg yolk, large (1) 0.6
Peanut butter, chunky (2 tablespoons) 0.6
Apricots, dried (3) 0.6

Just so you can choose for yourself. Yes, animal iron is more easily assimilated but it is possible to eat just veggies and be just fine. Your choice.

fit4lifeUcan2

i meant all meat, except fish. I am A blood type, and that type is discouaged from eating red meat and poultry. I am only trying it out for one month, it will be over at Christmas. i have been eating a lot of beans.
I am also anemic, i have been for about 10 years. I take iron daily, but sometimes i am just too tired to go to the gym, i could sleep all day.

Actually if your anemic you need more red meat. I've never ever heard of blood type A being discouraged from eating red meat and poultry. Thats nuts. You need the red meat and poultry for iron. When my husband was told he was anemic and yes he is type A blood and so am I, he was told to eat more red meat. If a doctor told you that then fire him and get a new doctor. Switch up your diet plan and change your exercise routine and you should start to see results. When I hit a stand still with my weight loss thats what I do and it works for me.

Aleph13

Hey... weight loss is fast and furious at first but then evens out and slows down altogether sometimes. Keep up your cardio, maybe increase it a little? But cutting out your protein in the form of meat and fish in my opnion is not a good idea. Fish in particular is high in protein and essential fats that your body needs. I don't agree with diets that cut out whole food groups at all. I think they deprive your body of nutrients and in the long run ruin your weight loss and health goals. Eat a varied balanced diet and keep on with the exercise. Your weight will come down, maybe not as fast as you want but the slower it comes off now, the more likely it is to stay off long term :-)

sunsnstatheart

I may be reaching here but it doesn't sounds like you need to change the fundamentals of what you WERE doing so stop playing with that. You lost quite a bit of weight and quite a few inches. Stand back for minute, look in the mirror and say - d*mn good job me! I'm serious - go do that NOW! Motivation is internal and you gotta be proud when you do the right things. Make sure that your internal conversation is positive. STOP beating yourself up and stop running after alternatives out of frustration.

Now, look back at what you've changed, you're not eating the way you were when the weight was coming off, right? Okay that's normal. I went through "plateaus" also - most everyone does. You get to a certain point and think you've done enough. But you haven't hit your goal yet, right? Right? So, change what you do TODAY. Focus on the here and now and make that change. Now, come back tomorrow and do the same thing. YOU have done this before. YOU lost the weight. Just keep that up.

felice03

"eating for your bloodtype" is complete rubbish...Let me guess? Dr. Oz?

boozysmurf

Hey there!

Fellow anemiac here (B12 for me, rather than iron), and the whole not wanting to do anything/want to sleep all the time, that says something is deficient.

I'd say drop the blood type diet and even out with a more conventional diet. That will hopefully get your iron, B12, and folic acid back in line (if that's the issue: get a yearly blood test specifically for the anemia. I've had to do that. For me, if I stop with sublingual B12 supplements, my B12 crashes, takes the folic acid with it, and my iron goes through the roof. Also, you may be getting too much iron (if you have aching joints along with the general lethargy, this may be something to consider). Basically, if you think the issue MIGHT be anemia related, get a blood test, and repeat it at least semi-regularly, and basically monitor your blood make up.

Beyond that, my gut reaction is "dump the Blood Type diet". I know a few other people have echoed the same sentiment.

The "Blood type diet" is a thing put together by a guy who has a] no apparent published science on the matter (ie. no clinical research) b] no background in blood work (he's a neuro guy, not a hematologist) c] makes the talkshow circuit and sells books based on his "research" but (again) doesn't do clinical studies and/or actual research. If you read a couple of the websites that propose this diet format, they all say "Doctor believes that.." "implying that their research supports", "According to the doctor, " etc. the phrasing is very specific to give the impression that this is legitimate science, where it's really just conjecture and, honestly, another fad diet.

Seriously, if you're noticing that you're still having issues, a few people are right. Again, protien/proper diet. And, a proper diet is a balanced diet, not an exclusionary one.

It sounds like you've got the determination for the weight loss, but, the blood-type diet is probably not it. Good folks here have suggested a change in exercise regime, and a balanced diet. I'll give that an additional thumbs-up. You've been doing all the right things, keep doing them. The weight loss DOES slow down over time. Pretty much has to, there's less of you to lose!

But, from experience, get your blood checked. That's first thing, in my (extremely) humble opinion.

thrld

Sometimes the journey to getting fit is like walking a roller coaster. You go, go go go and whooosh -- off comes the weight. Other times it feels like you are struggling to get up a hill and you begin to wonder why you try, not realizing that you are coming up on a drop off point -- just be patient!