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thistle
New Member
| Joined: | 13 June 2005 |
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| Posts: | 6 |
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Posted: 13 June 2005 10:02 pm |
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Good day everyone
I've been doing really well on a lot of dietary and lifestyle changes the past year. Back in September, among other changes, I made the decision to eat differently. And boy did it pay off. At almost 300 pounds I started to see the difference very quickly. By February I was 220-225 pounds and I was close to finally being able to go shopping with friends for clothing. I was so proud of myself--I still am. but since February, i seemed to have stagnated. I am now around 218-220. I don't diet per se, but i do watch what i eat and for the past 2 months I've stepped up my exercise routine and now swim 5x a week for 40 - 90 minutes, plus still walking and gardening, etc. But nothing is shifting, and for 4 months i've pretty much stagnated no matter what i do. I've hit a plateau. what i wonder is, could this be it? could this be the smallest I will be? I know about muscle and i went down a size back around march but i've not seen any other changes since then.
As I said, I'm happy with what i've done. But my goal is to hopefully be able to fit into a size 14...a size which most stores carry. I guess I want to feel 'normal' (whatever that means). I'm frustrated and I don't know what else to do? I don't want to get too strict on myself as I do believe that you can't diet--they always fail--and that it is all about lifestyle changes. And yes, it is great in that my heart rate has dropped, etc. but i guess i was hoping for more. I am happy with everything except for the stomach/abdomen area--and i really had thought that maybe all this exercise and eating,etc would finally have an affect on this area. but, instead, nothing is moving.
Any suggestions? Is this a normal part of the process? Is age a factor now because I'm 30 and have been fat/struggling since I was 15 or so?
Thanks
Thistle
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Dave Brown
Senior Member
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Posted: 17 June 2005 06:43 am |
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Hi thistle,
I suggest you investigate high-fat diets. If you're thinking that limiting fat is the best way to lose weight (and protect yourself from heart disease) and are acting accordingly, that could be PART of your problem. Here are some books that might help:
Eat Fat, Lose Weight by Barry Groves, PhD. Dr. Groves and his wife had your same problem 40 years ago. He has a good website at Barry Groves, UK.
Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary G. Enig, PhD and Sally Fallon, MS. Sally has a website also that can be accessed at westonaprice.org.
The Schwarzbein Principle II by Diana Schwarzbein, MD. Dr. Swarzbein might be the best choice to start with because she provides different options tailored to fit differences in metabolic response.
It is important to understand which fats promote weight loss and which promote weight gain. The above mentioned resources can help you learn to choose your fats wisely.
Dave Brown
Last edited on 17 June 2005 09:29 am by Dave Brown
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thistle
New Member
| Joined: | 13 June 2005 |
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| Posts: | 6 |
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Posted: 17 June 2005 04:32 pm |
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Hi Dave
Actually, i haven't eliminated fats. As someone involved in alternative health therapies, my approach to all of this is not to eliminate anything, i just make better lifestyle choices (ie. i use organic hamburgers and use ezekial bread instead of the cheap white bread, brown rice instead of white, etc). and that was very successful for me until now. i don't want to diet, i don't believe in dieting but i feel like i'm stuck the past few months.
I guess in the end all i can do is wait it out. i didn't get here overnight and it won't go overnight. i'm feeling a bit less desperate this week now that i've put it all into perspective. i'm so much healthier and happier and in those low moments, i just have to remember that.
to cheer myself up i ended up ditching all of my size 20 and up clothing and that actually felt wonderful.
thanks for the suggestion
adrienne
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Benjee
Member
| Joined: | 3 June 2005 |
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| Posts: | 26 |
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Posted: 17 June 2005 05:54 pm |
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First of all. CONGRADS! I feel kind of stupid wanting to give you advice because you seem to really know how to lose weight. You have taken the step to change your life and done it in a slow and controlled way through good old fashoned D&E.
I think one of the things you could do to really take you to the next level is to start a weight training program. Some people (esp women) are reluctant to start weight training because they think they will "bulk up". Having a few extra pounds (i know you dont want to gain any more weight but hear me out) will help you to burn calories even when you are at rest. It will also help make you look better and eliminate some of that unsightly weight loss flab.
For your needs I suggest to start out with low weights and high reps ask a trainer for some help (most are very happy to share their knowledge).
In short I would just keep doing what you are doing because you know what you are doing. Remember YOU are the expert on your body. You have already made it very far. You know exactly what to do to get past this little bump in the road. Every morning I want you to take five minutes to reflect on how much better you feel today than you did when you were 300 plus. You have made major life changes that most people fail at. KEEP up the good work!
Benjee
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Dave Brown
Senior Member
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Posted: 18 June 2005 09:28 am |
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Hi Adrianne,
The plateau you've reached may be temporary while your body makes further adjustments. Or it could be that everything is in the sort of balance that will keep you at that weight indefinately. My brother-in-law has been at the same weight for at least 20 years. He tells me he eats about the same as he did back when he was much more active but it makes no difference in his weight.
Sometimes it's some little thing (like a small key that opens a large door) that needs to be added or subtracted from your dietary intake. Could be a mineral that's not being absorbed efficiently. Perhaps there's too much carbohydrate in your diet. Or maybe you are getting the wrong sorts of fats as ingredients in the food you eat.
Since you garden, do you eat a lot of green leafy vegetables? I'm impressed with what they can do in terms of healing tissue. I had knee problems for nearly a decade but have seen considerable improvement of late. I intitiated the healing process by eating spinach, lettuce, beet greens, and swiss chard. for a couple of months I cooked beet greens, spinach, and swiss chard for part of breakfast, loaded my sandwich with an inch or two of lettuce and spinach, and made a salad with spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cucumber, tomato, etc., as part of my evening meal.
Now I'm not an expert on weight loss. I've just read several hundred books about the subject and a bunch of research papers with a eye to developing a grasp of the basic problems involved. The most I've ever weighed was 180 pounds when I was 22. I'm 6 feet tall and now weigh about 155. Neither activity level nor caloric intake affect my weight except for when I eat above a certain amount of carbohydrate. Then, a little fat will appear on either side of my waist but it disappears within a day or so.
As a final suggestion, you might visit Mercola.com and ask Dr. Mercola about your plateau problem. He'll definately have some ideas. Barry Groves also is good about responding to questions. "Garry Groves, Uk" will get you to his website.
Dave Brown
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thistle
New Member
| Joined: | 13 June 2005 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 6 |
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Posted: 18 June 2005 05:39 pm |
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Hi Dave
Thanks for the suggestion and I agree with you, it probably is just a little thing that needs to be triggered. I do eat a lot of leafy greens, etc and i actually juice fast once a month (it works for me cause i know what i'm doing but it isn't something i recommend to everyone--you really have to be diligent when you do it so you don't get into starvation).
I eat good protein as well and all the right fats, totally agree with you there. everything in moderation. that's the one thing about doing homeopathy, we spend a lot of time on nutrition as well and we look at it very differently than some of the 'food guides' out there--like you, big fan of eggs, butter, etc (although i prefer to use soy products for cheese and milk substituions than dairy). and it bothers me the way heart assoc., etc make it sound like they are the culprits for high cholesterol, when they're not. anyway, i digress.
I've sat down and looked at a few things and i think what i'm going to do for now is actually do a bit of weight training over the summer, just because i concentrate on cardio so much. i also use homeopathy to help wiht my metabolism (again, you've got to know what you're doing) and that will tweak it a bit.
other than that, regardless of whether i lose anymore or not, i just want to be healthy and i am. and a lot of it is genetics--i'm the 5th generation woman with weight issues and i'm actually the healthiest of all the women from taht side of the family. we all put on weight the same places and have the same low metabolisms. so, i rationalised that i can either whine and get upset about it or, isntead, focus on all the positive things i've done and be grateful for the body i have--cause it serves me well even with its bulges, lumps and curves:)
have a great day and thanks for responding in my moment of crisis. i guess we all have them, sometimes it isn't easy to see the big picture.
take care
thistle
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Dave Brown
Senior Member
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Posted: 19 June 2005 05:16 pm |
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Hi again Adrianne,
You are definately doing a lot of things right and have done a considerable amount of research to boot. However, having learned that you are using soy products instead of dairy, I want to take this opportunity to urge you to take a closer look at that aspect of what you are doing. Mercola.com and westonaprice.org have information about some of the hazards associated with consuming unfermented soy products. We used to use them ourselves but have decided it is too risky.
If you want to e-mail me directly, you can access my profile and obtain my e-mail address.
Dave
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