Pregnancy 2010 - Week 10

I am back too, although, I was never totally gone. I am very frustrated, as I haven't lost a single pound in 3 weeks. I have heard about hitting a point where you just stop loosing, but I really didn't think it would happen after 1 month!! The other reality is that I am just 3-4 months away from possibly being pregnant, and I am not anywhere close to where I wanted to be. Very very discouraging. I plan to try to kick up the exercise this week, and see if some higher intensity will help. If anyone has some suggustions on how to break this, PLEASE let me know

Wt stayed the same this week, better than losing I suppose. I'm not sure if i've checked in since my OB appt but I lost 3 pounds and they weren't happy about it. :-( My appetite is much better now though so I'm feeling like I"m back on track.

SW: 163
PW: 157

PS. I don't know if I want to see what others see in those pictures. :-( *sigh I'll be happier when my belly is big enough to be able to tell I'm pregnant.

I took a third month pregnancy pic, but we can't find the cord for our camera, so I can't upload it! *sigh, hopefully we'll buy it this weekend after payday!

Amanda:

I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss. Sounds like you mind be in Phase 2?

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

I think I am getting too many calories but not enough protein. Any suggestions of good protein sources that won't break the bank?

My hubby is Canadian, but we live in the US right now

Good to hear from you guys! Congrats on Tahmed on your progress! So looking forward to the big news to come! Baby and I are still doing good, hoping to gain a pound this week, we shall see.

Vinibelle good job at getting to the gym I can only handle doing 30 minutes on the treadmill but I love the elliptical. I am looking into getting some prenatal vitamins any thoughts on a decent over the counter one that can be easily found. I am doing my best on cutting back on coffee and fish well sushi and maybe that will help the weight loss too. : )

Vinibelle good job at getting to the gym I can only handle doing 30 minutes on the treadmill but I love the elliptical. I am looking into getting some prenatal vitamins any thoughts on a decent over the counter one that can be easily found. I am doing my best on cutting back on coffee and fish well sushi and maybe that will help the weight loss too. : )

My doctor, and several friends all recommended the Target Brand vitamins. I think the brand name is Up and Up, or somthing like that. I got the ones that have the DHA in them. I have been taking them every day, and cut out my old regular ones. I personally think my body is more accepting of these ones, as I don't get a tummy ache after taking them.