Dieting and Exercising at least 6 days, no weight loss
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Nimbus5000 wrote: »Please don't become disheartened - there are still loads of tools to add to your arsenal!
Without wanting to repeat what others have said, be sure that you are actually eating what you think you are - it doesn't take much to eat an extra 400-500 calories without realizing. This means religiously weighing all of your food intake with a digital food scale, might seem tedious at first but personally I like the sense of control it gives me.
Chances are your exercise increases have resulted in increased muscle which can make it seem like you aren't losing weight, when in reality you have lost fat and put on muscle, making you smaller and firmer despite the scales not changing. Measure yourself with a tape measure each week and don't bother with the scales any more than every 3-4 weeks.
Maybe also check your macro-nutrient intake. Some people find it helpful to reduce the proportion of calories coming from carbohydrates and getting these from fats and proteins instead as they make you feel fuller for longer and thus easier to get by on lower calorie intakes without sacrificing nutrition.
OP, before we go down that road can you explain what exercise you have been doing?
Recomping, as explained above, is extremely difficult to do.......when you're trying to recomp. It's even harder to recomp accidentally.
If I read this correctly (the OP), the gym membership started in Februrary which is around 5 months or so working out the min of 5 days a week OP stated above. It is possible with no weight loss, hense eating a maintenance for quite a while has resulted in recomp. The muscle gaining phase of the recomp has surely tapered off by now (or slowed a great deal) resulting in only maintaining muscle at this point hense no more gainz can be made unless getting off the recomp and moving into a surplus caloric intake to grow more muscle.
OP, If recomp is not the goal, reassess the calorie in take and hopefully will buy a food scale. Weighing and logging all foods consumed will assure that the deficit is adhered to each day ruling out "eating more than you think".
There is no need to do low carb, as a matter of fact probably I would not do low carb while doing strength training. But if you are not adequate on protein, might want to ensure you get enough.
Water/glycogen is huge in weight loss and strength training. Water weight is affected by, hydration or lack there of, excess sodium in the diet, female time of the month (if female, did not look), carbs, muscle, etc.
But the true indicator of no scale weight loss to me means that there are more calories being consumed (eating maintenance) therefore derailing the deficit number each day/week and has water retention.
Measurements can be an additional indicator of true fat loss.
Possible yes, but OP did not tell us anything about what they were doing in the gym to give them a progressive overload to help maintain the muscle on top of not being sure of how much they were eating.
Possible yes, but a long shot IMHO. There were too many variables to jump to the recomp card. OP also didn't say anything (that I saw) about clothes fitting better either.
In general terms of logic it is possible. Just because I do not have exact facts on this, does not mean it not probable or impossible.
Yep, pretty sure I said it's possible just not probable. Especially with the information we had, and are continually getting (no progressive overload for one).0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »OP no need to eat things you deem as only 'right things'.. If you are eating maintenance calories (which you are if you are not loosing weight) time to get the food scale.
Follow the flow chart above. It is 100% fool proof if you follow the flow chart (i.e get a food scale, etc.)
The flow chart makes my head swim.
Compare it to the simplicity of Phase I of South Beach to get started for the first two weeks. And following the flow chart does not allow you to lose the water weight you will lose on South Beach.
I'm not saying it's a day at the beach for everyone to follow Phase I of South Beach. But if you can, it's a great start to your journey.
I don't think South Beach does calorie counting. So if you do Phase 1 AND calorie count, great!
Phase 1 of the South Beach diet made my head swim. What a pain that was.
"Phase one is designed to reset your body, and reduce cravings for sugar and refined starches. The first 14 days are lower in carbohydrates and focused on nutrient-dense foods like lean protein, healthy fats and veggies to fill you up, satisfy your appetite—and deliver rapid weight loss you can see and feel.
During the first two weeks, you’ll avoid carbohydrates like fruits, beans, legumes and starchy vegetables, and fill up on plenty of proteins, good fats, the lowest glycemic index carbs (think non-starchy veggies) to help keep you satisfied and keep your blood sugar stable."
How hard is that? This is not for life. And I like the rapid weight loss. Nothing worse than dieting for a month, losing four pounds, and then gaining it back because you had a "food and drink bender" over a weekend. It also has the benefit of stabilizing and reducing blood sugar if that is a problem.
Some people do better with a more stringent program to follow. They like being told what they can and can't eat. Many others, myself included, do much better with a more flexible program in which I can literally eat anything and as long as I'm within my calorie goals, I will lose weight.
I'm not sure why you are so enthusiastically touting water weight loss. Water weight comes and goes. Steady fat loss while preserving lean muscle was my goal, when I lost 30 lbs in the course of a year and have kept it off since. No food and drink benders because I didn't cut anything out of my diet, other than excess calories. I focused on adding things like 'ore vegetables, more protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep - while continuing to enjoy things like chocolate, pizza and wine the entire time.
That's great! But everyone is different. All I'm saying is that if one can lose 10 lbs. in two weeks by giving up sugar and grains, you are jump-starting your weigh loss goal. And that's a good thing because many people start dieting, lose weight very slowly, gain it back on a "bender," and quit.
Can everyone virtually stop eating grains and sugar for two weeks? Absolutely not. But if you can, it is a good way to start. It really worked for me.0 -
I plateau all the time for various reasons. My weight will be stagnant and then all of a sudden I will lose 2 lbs one morning. Is it possible you are more hydrated than normal? Do you eat a lot of salt before you weigh in? Are you sure you are at a calorie deficit?0
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gonetothedogs19 wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »OP no need to eat things you deem as only 'right things'.. If you are eating maintenance calories (which you are if you are not loosing weight) time to get the food scale.
Follow the flow chart above. It is 100% fool proof if you follow the flow chart (i.e get a food scale, etc.)
The flow chart makes my head swim.
Compare it to the simplicity of Phase I of South Beach to get started for the first two weeks. And following the flow chart does not allow you to lose the water weight you will lose on South Beach.
I'm not saying it's a day at the beach for everyone to follow Phase I of South Beach. But if you can, it's a great start to your journey.
I don't think South Beach does calorie counting. So if you do Phase 1 AND calorie count, great!
Phase 1 of the South Beach diet made my head swim. What a pain that was.
"Phase one is designed to reset your body, and reduce cravings for sugar and refined starches. The first 14 days are lower in carbohydrates and focused on nutrient-dense foods like lean protein, healthy fats and veggies to fill you up, satisfy your appetite—and deliver rapid weight loss you can see and feel.
During the first two weeks, you’ll avoid carbohydrates like fruits, beans, legumes and starchy vegetables, and fill up on plenty of proteins, good fats, the lowest glycemic index carbs (think non-starchy veggies) to help keep you satisfied and keep your blood sugar stable."
How hard is that? This is not for life. And I like the rapid weight loss. Nothing worse than dieting for a month, losing four pounds, and then gaining it back because you had a "food and drink bender" over a weekend. It also has the benefit of stabilizing and reducing blood sugar if that is a problem.
Some people do better with a more stringent program to follow. They like being told what they can and can't eat. Many others, myself included, do much better with a more flexible program in which I can literally eat anything and as long as I'm within my calorie goals, I will lose weight.
I'm not sure why you are so enthusiastically touting water weight loss. Water weight comes and goes. Steady fat loss while preserving lean muscle was my goal, when I lost 30 lbs in the course of a year and have kept it off since. No food and drink benders because I didn't cut anything out of my diet, other than excess calories. I focused on adding things like 'ore vegetables, more protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep - while continuing to enjoy things like chocolate, pizza and wine the entire time.
That's great! But everyone is different. All I'm saying is that if one can lose 10 lbs. in two weeks by giving up sugar and grains, you are jump-starting your weigh loss goal. And that's a good thing because many people start dieting, lose weight very slowly, gain it back on a "bender," and quit.
Can everyone virtually stop eating grains and sugar for two weeks? Absolutely not. But if you can, it is a good way to start. It really worked for me.
Your statements seem contradictory to me. You seem to be very concerned about people who lose weight and then gain it back, yet you are promoting a rapid temporary water weight loss which is likely to induce exactly what you've described...
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If your diet is working it will work straight away i.e. in one week consistent dieting you will lose. Personally I am a big fan of weighing every morning just to keep on top of it.
Personally I tend to fail in the weekends so do really well losing weight during the week and then slip up in the weekend with alcohol or something (in a generally self congratulatory manner) and gain some or all of the weight I lost during the week.
So what is happening on the scales (they don't lie and it doesn't take 3 weeks for your body to figure out a calorie deficit). Are you losing and then gaining (depending on how consistent you were) or are you just not losing at all?
If you are losing during the week and gaining during the weekend your focus needs to be on that - either just by changing your behaviour during the weekend or maybe you are depriving yourself too much during the week making you crack after a few days and need to eat a bit more over all.
If you are not losing at all you need to either increase exercise or decrease food over all.
Strongly suggest you check over your diary and make sure you are logging EVERYTHING, likewise try to look at the patterns and find the short fall.
Yes it is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise an hours exercise only burns 300-500 calories which is pretty easy to eat up so if you don't get your nutrition right your gym time is wasted.1 -
I never count exercise calories against my daily calorie limit. It leads to a false sense of security. I would say weight loss is 95% diet. Exercise makes you healthier though.1
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gonetothedogs19 wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »OP no need to eat things you deem as only 'right things'.. If you are eating maintenance calories (which you are if you are not loosing weight) time to get the food scale.
Follow the flow chart above. It is 100% fool proof if you follow the flow chart (i.e get a food scale, etc.)
The flow chart makes my head swim.
Compare it to the simplicity of Phase I of South Beach to get started for the first two weeks. And following the flow chart does not allow you to lose the water weight you will lose on South Beach.
I'm not saying it's a day at the beach for everyone to follow Phase I of South Beach. But if you can, it's a great start to your journey.
I don't think South Beach does calorie counting. So if you do Phase 1 AND calorie count, great!
Phase 1 of the South Beach diet made my head swim. What a pain that was.
"Phase one is designed to reset your body, and reduce cravings for sugar and refined starches. The first 14 days are lower in carbohydrates and focused on nutrient-dense foods like lean protein, healthy fats and veggies to fill you up, satisfy your appetite—and deliver rapid weight loss you can see and feel.
During the first two weeks, you’ll avoid carbohydrates like fruits, beans, legumes and starchy vegetables, and fill up on plenty of proteins, good fats, the lowest glycemic index carbs (think non-starchy veggies) to help keep you satisfied and keep your blood sugar stable."
How hard is that? This is not for life. And I like the rapid weight loss. Nothing worse than dieting for a month, losing four pounds, and then gaining it back because you had a "food and drink bender" over a weekend. It also has the benefit of stabilizing and reducing blood sugar if that is a problem.
Some people do better with a more stringent program to follow. They like being told what they can and can't eat. Many others, myself included, do much better with a more flexible program in which I can literally eat anything and as long as I'm within my calorie goals, I will lose weight.
I'm not sure why you are so enthusiastically touting water weight loss. Water weight comes and goes. Steady fat loss while preserving lean muscle was my goal, when I lost 30 lbs in the course of a year and have kept it off since. No food and drink benders because I didn't cut anything out of my diet, other than excess calories. I focused on adding things like 'ore vegetables, more protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep - while continuing to enjoy things like chocolate, pizza and wine the entire time.
That's great! But everyone is different. All I'm saying is that if one can lose 10 lbs. in two weeks by giving up sugar and grains, you are jump-starting your weigh loss goal. And that's a good thing because many people start dieting, lose weight very slowly, gain it back on a "bender," and quit.
Can everyone virtually stop eating grains and sugar for two weeks? Absolutely not. But if you can, it is a good way to start. It really worked for me.
Water weight is gained back once you start eating carbs again. Seeing the scale go up again after an initial loss is very discouraging.
The bolded part sounds like a personal problem, the voice of experience even. In such a case, my advice would be to find strategies to prevent benders/binging, because no diet is an automatic fix for that.
I'm glad you like the South Beach diet. You've made your arguments in favor of it. OP can weigh your input and decide for herself now. Respectfully, it's time for you to let it go and leave OP's thread open for other input.4 -
RoakSchmiee wrote: »I never count exercise calories against my daily calorie limit. It leads to a false sense of security. I would say weight loss is 95% diet. Exercise makes you healthier though.
Weight loss is actually 100% diet. Saying not to eat back exercise calories is a slippery slope, and one I wouldn't advise on a site designed to eat back at lest some of your exercise cals.4 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »OP no need to eat things you deem as only 'right things'.. If you are eating maintenance calories (which you are if you are not loosing weight) time to get the food scale.
Follow the flow chart above. It is 100% fool proof if you follow the flow chart (i.e get a food scale, etc.)
The flow chart makes my head swim.
Compare it to the simplicity of Phase I of South Beach to get started for the first two weeks. And following the flow chart does not allow you to lose the water weight you will lose on South Beach.
I'm not saying it's a day at the beach for everyone to follow Phase I of South Beach. But if you can, it's a great start to your journey.
I don't think South Beach does calorie counting. So if you do Phase 1 AND calorie count, great!
Phase 1 of the South Beach diet made my head swim. What a pain that was.
"Phase one is designed to reset your body, and reduce cravings for sugar and refined starches. The first 14 days are lower in carbohydrates and focused on nutrient-dense foods like lean protein, healthy fats and veggies to fill you up, satisfy your appetite—and deliver rapid weight loss you can see and feel.
During the first two weeks, you’ll avoid carbohydrates like fruits, beans, legumes and starchy vegetables, and fill up on plenty of proteins, good fats, the lowest glycemic index carbs (think non-starchy veggies) to help keep you satisfied and keep your blood sugar stable."
How hard is that? This is not for life. And I like the rapid weight loss. Nothing worse than dieting for a month, losing four pounds, and then gaining it back because you had a "food and drink bender" over a weekend. It also has the benefit of stabilizing and reducing blood sugar if that is a problem.
Some people do better with a more stringent program to follow. They like being told what they can and can't eat. Many others, myself included, do much better with a more flexible program in which I can literally eat anything and as long as I'm within my calorie goals, I will lose weight.
I'm not sure why you are so enthusiastically touting water weight loss. Water weight comes and goes. Steady fat loss while preserving lean muscle was my goal, when I lost 30 lbs in the course of a year and have kept it off since. No food and drink benders because I didn't cut anything out of my diet, other than excess calories. I focused on adding things like 'ore vegetables, more protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep - while continuing to enjoy things like chocolate, pizza and wine the entire time.
That's great! But everyone is different. All I'm saying is that if one can lose 10 lbs. in two weeks by giving up sugar and grains, you are jump-starting your weigh loss goal. And that's a good thing because many people start dieting, lose weight very slowly, gain it back on a "bender," and quit.
Can everyone virtually stop eating grains and sugar for two weeks? Absolutely not. But if you can, it is a good way to start. It really worked for me.
So... what happens when you lose the 10 pounds and then start eating sugar and grains again?0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »OP sorry if I missed this in the thread I keep getting distracted. Have you shared your stats:
Height
Weight
Goal Weight
Target Calories provided by MFP
Also, are you logging all your food consistently and accurately, using a food scale? Are you eating back exercise calories?
The flow chart is a great place to start to diagnose potential issues but people may have some additional helpful suggestions if you provide additional information.
Thank you for your feedback and comment. My stats are as follows:
Height: 5.4
Weight: 245
Goal Weight: 220 (as a start)
Target Calories by MFP: 1700-1900
Thanks for your help and suggestions!0 -
empressjasmin wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »OP sorry if I missed this in the thread I keep getting distracted. Have you shared your stats:
Height
Weight
Goal Weight
Target Calories provided by MFP
Also, are you logging all your food consistently and accurately, using a food scale? Are you eating back exercise calories?
The flow chart is a great place to start to diagnose potential issues but people may have some additional helpful suggestions if you provide additional information.
Thank you for your feedback and comment. My stats are as follows:
Height: 5.4
Weight: 245
Goal Weight: 220 (as a start)
Target Calories by MFP: 1700-1900
Thanks for your help and suggestions!
The data helps. I set short term goals too, but understanding what your long term goal weight would be helpful because it would determine whether a goal of losing 1 lb/week is appropriate or if it should be more (generally if you are aiming to lose more than 50 lbs you can support a larger deficit).
Are you weighing your food with a food scale and logging everything accurately and consistently?
Are you logging the exercise you are doing and eating back a portion of those calories?
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WinoGelato wrote: »empressjasmin wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »OP sorry if I missed this in the thread I keep getting distracted. Have you shared your stats:
Height
Weight
Goal Weight
Target Calories provided by MFP
Also, are you logging all your food consistently and accurately, using a food scale? Are you eating back exercise calories?
The flow chart is a great place to start to diagnose potential issues but people may have some additional helpful suggestions if you provide additional information.
Thank you for your feedback and comment. My stats are as follows:
Height: 5.4
Weight: 245
Goal Weight: 220 (as a start)
Target Calories by MFP: 1700-1900
Thanks for your help and suggestions!
The data helps. I set short term goals too, but understanding what your long term goal weight would be helpful because it would determine whether a goal of losing 1 lb/week is appropriate or if it should be more (generally if you are aiming to lose more than 50 lbs you can support a larger deficit).
Are you weighing your food with a food scale and logging everything accurately and consistently?
Are you logging the exercise you are doing and eating back a portion of those calories?
Ultimately, I have set a weight loss goal of 50 lbs. I want to get to at least 199. I got a food scale as of yesterday and have began weighing my food. I do log everything. In the past weeks, I have not eaten back half of my exercise calories. I was not aware until recently that I should be doing this.0 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »OP no need to eat things you deem as only 'right things'.. If you are eating maintenance calories (which you are if you are not loosing weight) time to get the food scale.
Follow the flow chart above. It is 100% fool proof if you follow the flow chart (i.e get a food scale, etc.)
The flow chart makes my head swim.
Compare it to the simplicity of Phase I of South Beach to get started for the first two weeks. And following the flow chart does not allow you to lose the water weight you will lose on South Beach.
I'm not saying it's a day at the beach for everyone to follow Phase I of South Beach. But if you can, it's a great start to your journey.
I don't think South Beach does calorie counting. So if you do Phase 1 AND calorie count, great!
Phase 1 of the South Beach diet made my head swim. What a pain that was.
"Phase one is designed to reset your body, and reduce cravings for sugar and refined starches. The first 14 days are lower in carbohydrates and focused on nutrient-dense foods like lean protein, healthy fats and veggies to fill you up, satisfy your appetite—and deliver rapid weight loss you can see and feel.
During the first two weeks, you’ll avoid carbohydrates like fruits, beans, legumes and starchy vegetables, and fill up on plenty of proteins, good fats, the lowest glycemic index carbs (think non-starchy veggies) to help keep you satisfied and keep your blood sugar stable."
How hard is that? This is not for life. And I like the rapid weight loss. Nothing worse than dieting for a month, losing four pounds, and then gaining it back because you had a "food and drink bender" over a weekend. It also has the benefit of stabilizing and reducing blood sugar if that is a problem.
It is "rapid weight loss" because of the water weight. The "jump start" is only psychological; it feels good to see the scale go down. But those ten pounds are only truly meaningful if/when they are ten pounds of fat.
As others have said, it could lead to discouragement as water weight can return and the person believes they have gained when they haven't gained any fat.
For some of us, the fact that it is "not for life" makes it suspect. It was very helpful to follow a sustainable program that helped lead to long term habits. The first two weeks on South Beach do not help teach that.3 -
michelleepotter wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »OP no need to eat things you deem as only 'right things'.. If you are eating maintenance calories (which you are if you are not loosing weight) time to get the food scale.
Follow the flow chart above. It is 100% fool proof if you follow the flow chart (i.e get a food scale, etc.)
The flow chart makes my head swim.
Compare it to the simplicity of Phase I of South Beach to get started for the first two weeks. And following the flow chart does not allow you to lose the water weight you will lose on South Beach.
I'm not saying it's a day at the beach for everyone to follow Phase I of South Beach. But if you can, it's a great start to your journey.
I don't think South Beach does calorie counting. So if you do Phase 1 AND calorie count, great!
Phase 1 of the South Beach diet made my head swim. What a pain that was.
"Phase one is designed to reset your body, and reduce cravings for sugar and refined starches. The first 14 days are lower in carbohydrates and focused on nutrient-dense foods like lean protein, healthy fats and veggies to fill you up, satisfy your appetite—and deliver rapid weight loss you can see and feel.
During the first two weeks, you’ll avoid carbohydrates like fruits, beans, legumes and starchy vegetables, and fill up on plenty of proteins, good fats, the lowest glycemic index carbs (think non-starchy veggies) to help keep you satisfied and keep your blood sugar stable."
How hard is that? This is not for life. And I like the rapid weight loss. Nothing worse than dieting for a month, losing four pounds, and then gaining it back because you had a "food and drink bender" over a weekend. It also has the benefit of stabilizing and reducing blood sugar if that is a problem.
Some people do better with a more stringent program to follow. They like being told what they can and can't eat. Many others, myself included, do much better with a more flexible program in which I can literally eat anything and as long as I'm within my calorie goals, I will lose weight.
I'm not sure why you are so enthusiastically touting water weight loss. Water weight comes and goes. Steady fat loss while preserving lean muscle was my goal, when I lost 30 lbs in the course of a year and have kept it off since. No food and drink benders because I didn't cut anything out of my diet, other than excess calories. I focused on adding things like 'ore vegetables, more protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep - while continuing to enjoy things like chocolate, pizza and wine the entire time.
That's great! But everyone is different. All I'm saying is that if one can lose 10 lbs. in two weeks by giving up sugar and grains, you are jump-starting your weigh loss goal. And that's a good thing because many people start dieting, lose weight very slowly, gain it back on a "bender," and quit.
Can everyone virtually stop eating grains and sugar for two weeks? Absolutely not. But if you can, it is a good way to start. It really worked for me.
So... what happens when you lose the 10 pounds and then start eating sugar and grains again?
You eat less than you ate before, hopefully.
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gonetothedogs19 wrote: »michelleepotter wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »OP no need to eat things you deem as only 'right things'.. If you are eating maintenance calories (which you are if you are not loosing weight) time to get the food scale.
Follow the flow chart above. It is 100% fool proof if you follow the flow chart (i.e get a food scale, etc.)
The flow chart makes my head swim.
Compare it to the simplicity of Phase I of South Beach to get started for the first two weeks. And following the flow chart does not allow you to lose the water weight you will lose on South Beach.
I'm not saying it's a day at the beach for everyone to follow Phase I of South Beach. But if you can, it's a great start to your journey.
I don't think South Beach does calorie counting. So if you do Phase 1 AND calorie count, great!
Phase 1 of the South Beach diet made my head swim. What a pain that was.
"Phase one is designed to reset your body, and reduce cravings for sugar and refined starches. The first 14 days are lower in carbohydrates and focused on nutrient-dense foods like lean protein, healthy fats and veggies to fill you up, satisfy your appetite—and deliver rapid weight loss you can see and feel.
During the first two weeks, you’ll avoid carbohydrates like fruits, beans, legumes and starchy vegetables, and fill up on plenty of proteins, good fats, the lowest glycemic index carbs (think non-starchy veggies) to help keep you satisfied and keep your blood sugar stable."
How hard is that? This is not for life. And I like the rapid weight loss. Nothing worse than dieting for a month, losing four pounds, and then gaining it back because you had a "food and drink bender" over a weekend. It also has the benefit of stabilizing and reducing blood sugar if that is a problem.
Some people do better with a more stringent program to follow. They like being told what they can and can't eat. Many others, myself included, do much better with a more flexible program in which I can literally eat anything and as long as I'm within my calorie goals, I will lose weight.
I'm not sure why you are so enthusiastically touting water weight loss. Water weight comes and goes. Steady fat loss while preserving lean muscle was my goal, when I lost 30 lbs in the course of a year and have kept it off since. No food and drink benders because I didn't cut anything out of my diet, other than excess calories. I focused on adding things like 'ore vegetables, more protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep - while continuing to enjoy things like chocolate, pizza and wine the entire time.
That's great! But everyone is different. All I'm saying is that if one can lose 10 lbs. in two weeks by giving up sugar and grains, you are jump-starting your weigh loss goal. And that's a good thing because many people start dieting, lose weight very slowly, gain it back on a "bender," and quit.
Can everyone virtually stop eating grains and sugar for two weeks? Absolutely not. But if you can, it is a good way to start. It really worked for me.
So... what happens when you lose the 10 pounds and then start eating sugar and grains again?
You eat less than you ate before, hopefully.
But if it was just water weight, and you haven't actually started losing any actual fat, what's to stop the water weight coming right back and making it seem like you gained back the weight you lost?1 -
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »OP no need to eat things you deem as only 'right things'.. If you are eating maintenance calories (which you are if you are not loosing weight) time to get the food scale.
Follow the flow chart above. It is 100% fool proof if you follow the flow chart (i.e get a food scale, etc.)
The flow chart makes my head swim.
Compare it to the simplicity of Phase I of South Beach to get started for the first two weeks. And following the flow chart does not allow you to lose the water weight you will lose on South Beach.
I'm not saying it's a day at the beach for everyone to follow Phase I of South Beach. But if you can, it's a great start to your journey.
I don't think South Beach does calorie counting. So if you do Phase 1 AND calorie count, great!
There is no need to restrict certain foods to lose weight...none. I had a huge loss if 20lbs at the beginning of my weight loss journey without restricting foods. Most people do.
I'd rather just calorie count without the extra "oh, I can/cannot have this".gonetothedogs19 wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »gonetothedogs19 wrote: »OP no need to eat things you deem as only 'right things'.. If you are eating maintenance calories (which you are if you are not loosing weight) time to get the food scale.
Follow the flow chart above. It is 100% fool proof if you follow the flow chart (i.e get a food scale, etc.)
The flow chart makes my head swim.
Compare it to the simplicity of Phase I of South Beach to get started for the first two weeks. And following the flow chart does not allow you to lose the water weight you will lose on South Beach.
I'm not saying it's a day at the beach for everyone to follow Phase I of South Beach. But if you can, it's a great start to your journey.
I don't think South Beach does calorie counting. So if you do Phase 1 AND calorie count, great!
Phase 1 of the South Beach diet made my head swim. What a pain that was.
"Phase one is designed to reset your body, and reduce cravings for sugar and refined starches. The first 14 days are lower in carbohydrates and focused on nutrient-dense foods like lean protein, healthy fats and veggies to fill you up, satisfy your appetite—and deliver rapid weight loss you can see and feel.
During the first two weeks, you’ll avoid carbohydrates like fruits, beans, legumes and starchy vegetables, and fill up on plenty of proteins, good fats, the lowest glycemic index carbs (think non-starchy veggies) to help keep you satisfied and keep your blood sugar stable."
How hard is that? This is not for life. And I like the rapid weight loss. Nothing worse than dieting for a month, losing four pounds, and then gaining it back because you had a "food and drink bender" over a weekend. It also has the benefit of stabilizing and reducing blood sugar if that is a problem.
Our bodies don't need to be reset. We cannot simply ctrl+alt+del x3 like computers.0 -
empressjasmin wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »empressjasmin wrote: »Nimbus5000 wrote: »Please don't become disheartened - there are still loads of tools to add to your arsenal!
Without wanting to repeat what others have said, be sure that you are actually eating what you think you are - it doesn't take much to eat an extra 400-500 calories without realizing. This means religiously weighing all of your food intake with a digital food scale, might seem tedious at first but personally I like the sense of control it gives me.
Chances are your exercise increases have resulted in increased muscle which can make it seem like you aren't losing weight, when in reality you have lost fat and put on muscle, making you smaller and firmer despite the scales not changing. Measure yourself with a tape measure each week and don't bother with the scales any more than every 3-4 weeks.
Maybe also check your macro-nutrient intake. Some people find it helpful to reduce the proportion of calories coming from carbohydrates and getting these from fats and proteins instead as they make you feel fuller for longer and thus easier to get by on lower calorie intakes without sacrificing nutrition.
OP, before we go down that road can you explain what exercise you have been doing?
Recomping, as explained above, is extremely difficult to do.......when you're trying to recomp. It's even harder to recomp accidentally.
I have had a trainer design a fitness/exercise program for me. At a minimum of 5 days a week, I do cardio for 20 mins then strengthening exercises for the remainder 30-40 mins. This includes weights. Sorry if this is not helpful.
@empressjasmin re your strengthening exercises - have you been using progressively heavier weights?
No, I have used the same weights the entire time. Should I gradually increase?
If your goal is to increase muscle, yes.
Because you haven't been progressively overloading your muscles we can rule out muscle gain masking weight loss.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »empressjasmin wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »empressjasmin wrote: »Nimbus5000 wrote: »Please don't become disheartened - there are still loads of tools to add to your arsenal!
Without wanting to repeat what others have said, be sure that you are actually eating what you think you are - it doesn't take much to eat an extra 400-500 calories without realizing. This means religiously weighing all of your food intake with a digital food scale, might seem tedious at first but personally I like the sense of control it gives me.
Chances are your exercise increases have resulted in increased muscle which can make it seem like you aren't losing weight, when in reality you have lost fat and put on muscle, making you smaller and firmer despite the scales not changing. Measure yourself with a tape measure each week and don't bother with the scales any more than every 3-4 weeks.
Maybe also check your macro-nutrient intake. Some people find it helpful to reduce the proportion of calories coming from carbohydrates and getting these from fats and proteins instead as they make you feel fuller for longer and thus easier to get by on lower calorie intakes without sacrificing nutrition.
OP, before we go down that road can you explain what exercise you have been doing?
Recomping, as explained above, is extremely difficult to do.......when you're trying to recomp. It's even harder to recomp accidentally.
I have had a trainer design a fitness/exercise program for me. At a minimum of 5 days a week, I do cardio for 20 mins then strengthening exercises for the remainder 30-40 mins. This includes weights. Sorry if this is not helpful.
@empressjasmin re your strengthening exercises - have you been using progressively heavier weights?
No, I have used the same weights the entire time. Should I gradually increase?
If your goal is to increase muscle, yes.
Because you haven't been progressively overloading your muscles we can rule out muscle gain masking weight loss.
Good to know. Thank you!!!0
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