12 lbs to lose in 3 weeks! Please help!

veronicanizama · February 2013

Hi,

I've been looking for a good exercise to burn fat. My birthday is 3 weeks away, and I had a personal goal to be under 200 by then, so I have 12 pounds more to lose to reach 199. I have a bad habit where I'll go to the gym 3-5 times a week for like a month then not go for a month and then motivate myself to start up again. It's a vicious cycle lol. It's not that I'm lazy, but I work 2 full time jobs to help take care of my family and pay huge medical bills. I don't have health insurance, so...

Anywho, even though I had already very little time, I convinced myself that I could somehow make time for the gym, at least 30 minutes a day Monday through Friday. I've been managing, averaging out around 4 times a week, even though I had to cut out some sleep. I'm obviously very overworked and tired, and last week I just crashed. I want to lose faster and it's just not working for me. I just went to the gym once last week, and I was so disappointed in myself...

When I was heavier I used to do the bike, and now that I've lost a considerable amount of weight I've switched to the elliptical. I just worry that I'm not doing everything I can be doing to help lose faster. Should I try a different machine? Try different stretches before hand? I keep a lot of weight on my legs. I haven't seen a doctor in a long while, but when I was around 240~250, she told me to stick to diets that didn't put a lot of strain on my knees. I still worry about that...and no there is no pool at my local gym

My diet, I think is not too bad.... This is my normal everyday:

Breakfast:
- Cup of coffee with a portioned creamer (10cal) and some splenda and maybe a dab of skim milk
- Aria Women's protein with skim milk

Lunch:
Healthy Choice / Lean Cuisine / Smart One - 300 calories or less, 14g protein or more
I know it's not the best...but I don't have a lot of free time

Dinner:
Usually meat or another type of protein with an avocado or yogurt

Snacks (throughout the day, 2 total):
String cheese, apple, peanut butter, etc.

My daily intake is around 1,000~1,200.

On the weekends I'm a little bit more flexible, but I still abstain from certain foods all together (bread, french fries, etc), and I eat rice and pasta sparingly. It's not that I'm being a carb nazi, I still like to eat sweets now and then on the weekend, I just don't have big urges for foods like that.

So this is what I have to work with. Anywhere that I can improve so I can reach my goal?

diannethegeek · February 2013

Healthy weight loss is about 1-2 pounds per week. It might be best to set a more realistic goal. I know we all want to lose the weight as fast as possible, but it's important to be healthy along the way and work to build better habits so that we keep it off once we reach our goal weight.

You say you're feeling tired and unable to find the energy to go to the gym and that can be a good indicator that you're undereating. 1200 calories is really the minimum a woman should eat, and I would recommend eating back at least part of your workout calories when you go to the gym.

veronicanizama · February 2013

I know most people would lose 1-2 a week, but I thought because I'm much heavier, I though could lose that a little easier while still being healthy? I don't know, not a doctor :P I would need to lose 3-4lbs a week to reach my goal.

And as far as being tired, I don't think it's due to my diet. I just work like a horse, and I also suffer from insomnia. My work weeks, including commute are like MON-FRI 8AM-10:30PM and weekends I just work all day...literally all day because I work from home, just wake up, sit at my desk until 3-4 am, wake up at 10 am the next day and repeat. Unfortunately both of my jobs have me tied to a desk, so it really sucks. I try and get up for a few minutes every hour for a short walk, even if it's just to go to the bathroom. The worst is when I just get to work after the gym and I feel like a ball of energy that's chained to a desk.

I do worry about calorie intake and my body going into starvation mode. Is there anything you can recommend for me to do? Sometimes I get to dinner and realize that I'm way under my calorie goal for the day, but I'm scared to just force food down my throat. I know it's not very good to have a super heavy dinner, and I feel terrible forcing myself to eat when I'm not hungry

diannethegeek · February 2013

There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating a large dinner or snacking at night as long as you don't go over your calorie goal or cause you sleep problems. I eat about 900-1000 calories after I get home from work every day and it hasn't hindered my loss.

veronicanizama · February 2013

Thanks! Great to know!

I was also wondering... I'm not usually hungry in the morning, so I get ready for the gym as soon as I get up. Normally right after my workout I would have my protein shake, but my office recently moved to a location further away a few months ago so I'm not having that shake as soon as I used to. I'm not starving or anything like that by the time I actually have my shake, but it's a good 2 hours after my workout and 3 hours since I woke up that I actually have my breakfast. Is that bad?

diannethegeek · February 2013

Thanks! Great to know!

I was also wondering... I'm not usually hungry in the morning, so I get ready for the gym as soon as I get up. Normally right after my workout I would have my protein shake, but my office recently moved to a location further away a few months ago so I'm not having that shake as soon as I used to. I'm not starving or anything like that by the time I actually have my shake, but it's a good 2 hours after my workout and 3 hours since I woke up that I actually have my breakfast. Is that bad?

Personally, I always try to eat within an hour of my workout, but I don't think it's necessary. If you're worried about it, though, you could pack a quick snack to take with you to the gym. Something as simple as some almonds or string cheese to munch on between the gym and work.

12 lbs to lose in 3 weeks! Please help!

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