Eating healthy, working out, but not seeing results?

Options
1356789

Replies

  • BRA_S
    BRA_S Posts: 111 Member
    Options
    5-6 hours of sleep? Try to get more, its important,
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    Options
    First off, calorie dense foods. Nuts, avocados, creamy sauces, pate, coconut milk, dried fruit, etc-small amounts can bulk out your calories. Secondly, have you thought about switching out your cardio for something like yoga? You can get your me time without stressing your body while it's getting so little fuel.
  • kelsielecrone
    kelsielecrone Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    5-6 hours of sleep? Try to get more, its important,

    It's nearly impossible for me to get more than that.
    I just automatically wake up, and can't get back to sleep.
    If I do manage to get more than that, I'm flat out exhausted all day.

    Most people require 8-9 hours/night... but not all.
    My family doctor told me that as long as I feel rested on 5-6 hours, I'm getting enough sleep.
    And when you sleep too much, you get more tired... which is why a lot of people still feel so exhausted after sleeping 8-9 hours. It's not that they still need more sleep, it's that they're getting too much sleep.
  • kelsielecrone
    kelsielecrone Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    First off, calorie dense foods. Nuts, avocados, creamy sauces, pate, coconut milk, dried fruit, etc-small amounts can bulk out your calories. Secondly, have you thought about switching out your cardio for something like yoga? You can get your me time without stressing your body while it's getting so little fuel.

    I've actually thought about doing yoga, yes... but there aren't any places where I live that teach it... so I'd have to figure out how to do it myself, and ultimately end up probably severely hurting myself, and getting stuck in some weird position. lol
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
    Options
    First off, calorie dense foods. Nuts, avocados, creamy sauces, pate, coconut milk, dried fruit, etc-small amounts can bulk out your calories. Secondly, have you thought about switching out your cardio for something like yoga? You can get your me time without stressing your body while it's getting so little fuel.

    I've actually thought about doing yoga, yes... but there aren't any places where I live that teach it... so I'd have to figure out how to do it myself, and ultimately end up probably severely hurting myself, and getting stuck in some weird position. lol

    If you're looking to get started, http://www.doyouyoga.com/challenge.

    The videos are short, but they're a great intro into yoga, and there are a ton more on youtube. I've never been to a proper class, I just use videos :)
  • kelsielecrone
    kelsielecrone Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    First off, calorie dense foods. Nuts, avocados, creamy sauces, pate, coconut milk, dried fruit, etc-small amounts can bulk out your calories. Secondly, have you thought about switching out your cardio for something like yoga? You can get your me time without stressing your body while it's getting so little fuel.

    I've actually thought about doing yoga, yes... but there aren't any places where I live that teach it... so I'd have to figure out how to do it myself, and ultimately end up probably severely hurting myself, and getting stuck in some weird position. lol

    If you're looking to get started, http://www.doyouyoga.com/challenge.

    The videos are short, but they're a great intro into yoga, and there are a ton more on youtube. I've never been to a proper class, I just use videos :)

    Thanks!

    I know that my grandmothers neighbor used to do yoga, and she continued to do it clear into her late 80s before she passed.
    She was more flexible than most children! lol
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    Options
    I meant the average human stomach not just mine. If your stomach can only hold 200-400mls then you have a problem and need to seek advice from a specialist doctor (unless you have had surgery to make it smaller, of course).
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
    Options
    #GoSeeADoctor ...
  • marvybells
    marvybells Posts: 1,984 Member
    Options
    I nearly forgot because the past few years it has not been bothering me, but about 10 years ago i started feeling sick after large meals & would not get hungry again for a very long time. I went to see a gastroenterologist & he diagnosed me with GERD/reflux. He also ordered an upper endoscopy and they found a hiatal hernia which was causing slow stomach emptying & digestion. I took medicine he prescribed for the GERD and avoided foods that are likely to aggravate the reflux. I also started eating several smaller meals & snacks throughout the day because of the hernia, and this seems to help a great deal. i'm glad that i went to the doc because after i was diagnosed i found ways to help manage my condition & alleviate some of my discomfort.

    Now, I am not trying to suggest that this is your problem or diagnose you in any way. You could have a similar issue or it could be something entirely different. There is no way for us to know. The point is that it definitely seems as though something might be wrong and you need to find out for certain. So please see a Medical professional to get a proper diagnosis.
  • arenad
    arenad Posts: 142 Member
    Options
    If all is correct in this post you are burning more calories than you are consuming. Not eating enough and exercising too much for starters.....
  • kelsielecrone
    kelsielecrone Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    I nearly forgot because the past few years it has not been bothering me, but about 10 years ago i started feeling sick after large meals & would not get hungry again for a very long time. I went to see a gastroenterologist & he diagnosed me with GERD/reflux. He also ordered an upper endoscopy and they found a hiatal hernia which was causing slow stomach emptying & digestion. I took medicine he prescribed for the GERD and avoided foods that are likely to aggravate the reflux. I also started eating several smaller meals & snacks throughout the day because of the hernia, and this seems to help a great deal. i'm glad that i went to the doc because after i was diagnosed i found ways to help manage my condition & alleviate some of my discomfort.

    Now, I am not trying to suggest that this is your problem or diagnose you in any way. You could have a similar issue or it could be something entirely different. There is no way for us to know. The point is that it definitely seems as though something might be wrong and you need to find out for certain. So please see a Medical professional to get a proper diagnosis.

    I was actually diagnosed with reflux when I was about 15(?)... somewhere around there, but I haven't really had heartburn in years, so I figured eating healthier foods fixed it... or at least, had it under control.
    I had a few different things done around that time to figure out why I couldn't eat much, and if I did, I got sick, but that's all they could find.

    I do still get the occasional bout of heartburn, but it's usually only after I eat something really spicy, like chilly or spicy pizza... which isn't very often, but I keep my prevacid nearby, just in case.
  • kelsielecrone
    kelsielecrone Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    I meant the average human stomach not just mine. If your stomach can only hold 200-400mls then you have a problem and need to seek advice from a specialist doctor (unless you have had surgery to make it smaller, of course).

    I'm sure if it was anything to worry about, my family doctor would have been more worried about it YEARS ago, when she was told about it.
    She just told me that some people have smaller stomachs than others, and can't eat as much.

    And if anyone says I need to get another doctor... I can't.
    I don't have insurance (can't afford it), and she sees me at a discounted price, since she's my family doctor.
  • Xaudelle
    Xaudelle Posts: 122 Member
    Options
    Agreed with everyone. Eat more, exercise a little less, add more protein and essential fats to your diet. Don't focus on quantity. A table spoon of olive oil to your food can add a calorie boost. Peanut butter. Hummus. Cheese. All calorie sense things that don't require a lot to give you a little extra in calories.

    There's a difference between a nutritionist and a dietician. I have serious doubts a nutritionist put you on the amount of calories you eat.
  • kelsielecrone
    kelsielecrone Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    Agreed with everyone. Eat more, exercise a little less, add more protein and essential fats to your diet. Don't focus on quantity. A table spoon of olive oil to your food can add a calorie boost. Peanut butter. Hummus. Cheese. All calorie sense things that don't require a lot to give you a little extra in calories.

    There's a difference between a nutritionist and a dietician. I have serious doubts a nutritionist put you on the amount of calories you eat.

    I corrected myself a few posts back.
    It was a dietician, not a nutritionist that had me adjust my diet that way.

    She ignored everything I told her about my eating habits, gave me a paper with my new "diet", and told me to follow it. She explained to me how 'important' it is that I stick with it, because I won't see weight loss otherwise. She told me that eliminating all unhealthy foods from my diet, is the best route to take... and that carbs are a big no-no.
    I told her that I can't eat very much, so the fact that she had me on a low calorie diet is a bit confusing, I guess.

    Looks like I should have found a 2nd opinion, then.
    Because, she obviously cared more about making me skinny, than healthy.
  • pennyllayne
    pennyllayne Posts: 265
    Options
    I average between 700-800 calories/day.
    I was told by my nutritionist to stay below 1200 calories, but above 650... so I'm exactly where I need to be.

    She was "very concerned" with my weight being where it was, at my age... so she told me to stay in that range, and do as much cardio as possible.

    Also, to stick with vegetables, fruits, and protein... and to only drink water, or 100% fruit juice.

    And I take multivitamins every morning to keep my vitamin levels where they need to be.

    Bear in mind that nutritionists don't have to be licensed the way physicians or registered dieticians do... I don't know your nutritionist's background, but it sounds to me like she doesn't really have one. Anyone on a VLCD (less than 1200) should be closely monitored by a well-certified healthcare professional, and VLCDs are generally reserved for people who have BMIs that are very high. Like sufficiently high to disqualify them for bariatric surgery.

    From your profile, I've no idea what your weight is, so I don't know if your nutritionist's concern is warranted, but judging from your picture I would say it isn't.

    There's a lot of other advice on logging that I'm sure others will be happy to give you, but this is my input.

    ETA: If you want to find a different nutrition professional (I highly recommend it!), find a registered dietician. Or someone who studied nutrition and human health sciences at a reputable institution.

    Dietitian. That's what I meant.
    Not nutritionist, but I couldn't think of if.

    My starting weight was 238 at 5'4.
    My lowest weight was 160.
    After gaining some weight back, my current weight is 201.
    Which gives me a BMI of 34.78, which is considered Obese.

    I'm definitely going to look into finding someone else, because it doesn't seem like she knows what she's doing... either that, or she doesn't care... and she just wants me to do whatever I have to do to lose the weight, regardless if it's healthy or not.

    You definitely need to get rid of her! That a registered dietician would give such damaging advice is dispicable. For starters, such a low calorie diet should NOT be taken lightly and needs close monitoring by a doctor. Secondly, if you're eating that many calories you should not be doing all that working out as it has shown to do FAR more harm than good and your body compensates for all the extra calories burned by slowing your metabolic rate. So while you think you might be burning a ton of extra calories from all that exercise, you're most likely not and also putting a lot of stress on your body. You cannot be building muscle on such a low amounts of calories and you will certainly be eating that muscle AWAY with all that exercise, especially if you're not eating sufficient protein.

    Carbs CAN be a problem for some people and people who are very overweight or sedentary. With all that exercise you'd NEED carbs though. I'd always put preferences on good carbs such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, fruits and veg though and you gotta make sure you're getting all the essentials too (right amount of protein, omega 3s, nutrients). A mutlivitamin is always a good idea on any diet, but very low cal diets are also deficient in important electrolytes that you don't find in a mutlivitamin. If you're not taking enough of these in and also sweating them out through exercise you're going to cause your body and your heart some serious damage if you carry on like that.

    I'm more than happy to offer you some advice if you want it. Send me a PM and I'll do my best to help :) Good luck!
  • dianaco123
    dianaco123 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    Agreed
  • kelsielecrone
    kelsielecrone Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    UPDATE:

    Okay, so I'm going to 'try' to take everyone's opinion, and eat more.
    It might take a little while to find the right foods, but I'm going to try.

    And instead of eating JUST green beans, I'll add a baked potato or something.

    And I'm going to add some pop back into my diet, because I just felt so much better when I was drinking it.
    And it's obviously a myth that eliminating pop will help you lose weight... because it didn't. lol
  • joan23_us
    joan23_us Posts: 263 Member
    Options
    I'm doing exactly as my nutritionist says.
    Stay under 1200 calories, and above 600.
    Do as much cardio as possible... which I enjoy doing. 10 miles/day, a dance video, and jump roping really isn't that much.
    Stay within certain food groups.

    If it's really as unhealthy as everyone says it is, then I'm probably going to have to find another nutritionist.

    FIRSTLY FIRE YOUR DIETITIAN.... period!

    SECOND A MUST WATCH VIDEO ABOUT METABOLIC DAMAGE/ADAPTATION AS EXPLAINED BY DR. LAYNE NORTON

    part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHzie6XRGk

    part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY1DsZMNfNw

    part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw3kfRkqVWU

    part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5C3uqA1yRI

    PLEASE WATCH THEM TO FULLY UNDERSTAND your situation.... goodluck!
  • cazattack2
    cazattack2 Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    You will probably benefit from having your rmr tested. After years of low food intake your metabolism is probably very low. You may need to do some intense eating for a few weeks to get it back up so you can lose again. (Look this concept up on the forums to understand).

    I think it would be helpful to know exactly what you're eating. Can you post a typical days food intake? We may have some good suggestions for increasing your intake without feeling overfull, which may also boost your metabolism.

    Also I totally understand loving veggies and lean protein. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I like eating that way too. I just try to increase my healthy fat intake, by adding peanut butter or cream cheese to something or getting protein from salmon or chicken with skin.
  • kelsielecrone
    kelsielecrone Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    You will probably benefit from having your rmr tested. After years of low food intake your metabolism is probably very low. You may need to do some intense eating for a few weeks to get it back up so you can lose again. (Look this concept up on the forums to understand).

    I think it would be helpful to know exactly what you're eating. Can you post a typical days food intake? We may have some good suggestions for increasing your intake without feeling overfull, which may also boost your metabolism.

    Also I totally understand loving veggies and lean protein. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I like eating that way too. I just try to increase my healthy fat intake, by adding peanut butter or cream cheese to something or getting protein from salmon or chicken with skin.

    Breakfast:
    I usually will eat 2 servings of applesauce... which is a total of 1 cup.
    I'll usually have a glass of water.

    Calories: roughly 220-250.

    Snack:
    1 can of green beans. (3 servings)

    Calories: 60-65

    Lunch:
    1 box of Mac N' Cheese. (2 servings), and a glass or 2 of water.

    Calories: 550-575

    Dinner:
    I don't usually eat dinner, honestly.
    If I do eat, it's either more applesauce, or if we have the money for actual food... it'll be a decent meal... which isn't very often, because I honestly can't afford it.
    But in that case, it's usually something along the lines of baked chicken wings, green beans, corn, applesauce, and a baked potato. Calories vary, depending on how much I actually eat... but usually hover around the 650 - 700 mark.... which is extremely high for 1 meal... and that's another reason I don't get it very often.

    Total Calories: 890

    Total Calories w/ big dinner: roughly 1540
    That's just the average.

Categories