Lose 5 pounds a month SEPTEMBER 2010 CHALLENGE

Good morning all!

Well the good news is the lump on my leg below my knee is not a tumor. The bad news it was a fluid filled cyst and the fluid was probably joint fluid. I had it drained yesterday and hopefully it does not come back...if it does I may need surgery to repair the joint that is leaking. So the bad news, I am out of my first 5k on Sunday and the even worse news no running, biking...or exercise that puts a lot of stress on the leg for 1 week. Heres hoping I can do that and not gain any weight. Toes and fingers are crossed.

I came across an article about why you are not losing weight so I will try to post some of the ideas over the next week.

“When people embark on an exercise and food program to lose weight, they automatically think that ‘magic’ will happen,” explains Susan Kraus, MS, RD, a registered dietitian at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. “In theory it sounds great, but it takes much longer to lose weight and more effort than this simple combination, even when all good intentions are there.” It’s easy to trip yourself up along the way with common diet mistakes or by not being vigilant in your efforts. Here are 12 reasons your weight loss could be stuck.

YOU ARE NOT EXERCISING ENOUGH
“Many people overestimate how much they are burning when exercising. Many factors determine calories burned, including duration and intensity of exercise, whether the intensity is varied, and the type of exercise. Weight-bearing exercise, like running, walking, and aerobics, leads to burning more calories since gravity requires the body to work harder. With non-weight-bearing exercise, like cycling and swimming, there isn’t as much gravitational stress on the muscles, which means fewer calories are expended,” explains Kraus. “The best way to truly monitor your exercise would be via a journal and heart monitor to see the actual duration and intensity, and how they could be increased.

YOU ARE NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP

There are many regulatory hormones secreted at night and during periods of sleep,” says Kraus. “The lack of sleep could possibly affect the proper sequence of hormone release.” Staying up late may lead to extra calories if you snack when you watch late-night TV or party with friends.

YOU ARE TOO STRESSED

A study done at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh found that stress can lead to weight gain in women, particularly in middle-aged women. “There seems to be a link between having altered sleep patterns and fat conservation — both possibly hormonally related — but also many women simply manage their feelings with food, eating mindlessly, because food is a very accessible and quick soothing resource,” says Kraus. And unfortunately, an easy way for the calories to add up.

I will share more tomorrow.

Have a healthy Friday!

Terri