| Author | Post |
|---|
TinkerBell3
New Member
|
Posted: 12 October 2005 02:42 am |
|
I've got a bit of a story to tell so please bare with me:)
I've just found out that i'm beginning to gain weight rather than lose it after all my efforts and i'm very close to quitting! I don't know what i'll do by tomorrow!:( 
I'm 18 years old, 5' 3" tall, and i'm female. At the begining of September i weighed 160lbs. I decided to set a goal weight of 135. I know i'm never going to be a model, but i just want to reach a healthy weight for my height and leave myself a little wiggle room.
So i've been attending the gym six days a week every week since September.
Gradually i've worked my way from biking for 30 minutes (220 calories) a day to:
1) 20 minutes of lifting weights- three sets of fifteen for each machine. I also alternate between working out the upper body and lower body so as to give my mucles days to rest and repair.
2) Elliptical Machine for 45-60 minutes (600- 800 calories)
My Diet (on Average)
9:00 Breakfast - Large apple (110 calories)
12:00 Lunch- Soup (100 calories)
2:30/3:00 Snack- Granola Bar (160 calories)
5:30 Dinner- (700- 900 calories)- this is when i splurge during the day. And i know this is a problem, but its hard to get low calorie dinner foods because i live on a college campus. I also heard that it doesn't matter what time of day you consume the calories as long as you burn more than you consume.
7:30/8:00- Snack- Large apple (110 calories)
~ I have completely cut all cookies, jams, peanutbutter products, cakes, chips, and sweets out of my diet.
~I always take the stairs rather than the elevator
~I attend a large college and most of my classes are 10- 15 minute walks away up and down hills.
~I keep a daily record of my calorie intake (though i occasionally slip up a bit i've only ever eaten up to 2000 calories and never due to having cake or sweets but just too much chicken or pasta, etc)
*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*
I gotten down to 150 with this schedule.
HOWEVER--I've been stuck at 150lbs for the past THREE WEEKS. I don't know why. And the other day i had gotten down to 148lbs and was so motivated that i cut my calorie intake to 700-900 calories a day and worked out up to 70 minutes on the elliptical machine for a few days. When i returned to the scale i went back up to 150!!
Could it be that i pushed my body into starvation mode? And if so, how can i get out of it without gaining more weight?
Could i be exercising too much?
Could by body have gotten use to the level of exercise i've been doing? (i'm not sure if that could be the case since it takes me SO much effort to complete the 60 minutes. Though i admit i'm not as out of breath as i was before).
Should i vary my exercises more?
I doubt the weight could be added muscle as i haven't increased the amount of weight i've been lifting. I've only been maintaining the muscle i've made.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I'm just so frustrated and depressed. Everyday for the past three weeks i've passed up the cakes and pies in the dining hall, eaten healthy, and have had nothing to show for it!
I need guidance because i know if i quit now i'll never forgive myself and i'll probably revert back to my old eating habits.
THANK you for listening
|
fantasia31
Senior Member
|
Posted: 12 October 2005 05:46 am |
|
Well, I am no expert, but if you have been eating 700 to 900 calories every day for three weeks and exercising at that pace, you may be in starvation mode. My understanding is that you need to slowly increase your calories to about 1200. Now.. you will gain weight in the beginning, but I would think after a month or so at 1200 calories you should see some losses.
Also, keep in mind that plateaus like this are a normal part of dieting. For myself, I have a guideline that if I go for an entire month and see *NO* progress, I will talk to my doctor. That might not be a bad idea for you. If you talk to a doctor, perhaps they can review your plan, and let you know what is likely going on. They can make suggestions about what you need to do and/or refer you to a nutritionist.
Please do not give up. Remember that this is about being *healthy* not about how much weight you lose. You are well on your way to a healthy lifestyle, and that has benefits even if your weight is not as low as you'd like.
Some other suggestions I have heard are to measure yourself, and judge by how you measure as well as how your clothes fit, not the scale. You could also get a scale that measures body fat percentage, and watch that along with your weight. See if the number changes over time.
Again, I'm not an expert, just relating alot of the advice I have heard both on and off this forum.
Hang in there! You can do it and the weight will come off! It's just a matter of finding the right solution. Pat yourself on the back for having made it this far.
There is also a great newsletter about this subject. I suggest you take a look (Peter would be so proud of me for putting this in here LOL!)
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/news_050420.html
Take care, good luck and keep us updated!
|
TinkerBell3
New Member
|
Posted: 14 October 2005 02:34 am |
|
I think you're right. I may have entered into starvation mode. And my clothes do fit loosely (though they've been feeling loose ever since i got reached 150lbs).
Oddly, after my last post i was feeling down and over-ate a bit. I didn't have cake or anything (though i came SOO close. haha), i just had a LOT of pasta. I think the meal added up to around 1000 calories . The next day though when i went to the gym, the scale said i had lost weight! It said i had dropped to 148.4lbs!
Heartened, i resolved to keep going with my diet and such. The only thing i've changed is the distribution of my calories throughout the day. However, my results haven't been ideal.
My past two days:
Wednesday
Breakfast- 1.5 cup of cereal (150 calories)
1 cup of skim milk (100 calories)
TOTAL: 250
(went to the gym)
Lunch- 1 slice of bread (100 calories)
1 piece of lettuce (10 calories)
Pepperoni (estimated at about 100 calories)
1.5 cup of veggie soup (90 calories)
TOTAL: 300
Snack- Large apple (110 calories)
TOTAL: 110
Dinner- Piece of Cajun Turkey (200 calories)
Broccoli (80 calories)
Salad (30 calories)
Cucumber (20 calories)
Pepper (5 calories)
TOTAL: 335
Snack- Large apple (110 calories)
TOTAL: 110
Wednesday's Total: 1105 calories
Wednesday's Weight: 148.6 (weighted before dinner)
Thursday
Brunch- 1 slice of bread (100 calories)
1 piece of lettuce (10 calories)
Pepperoni (estimated at 100 calories)
1 cup Chicken Noodle Soup (85 calories)
TOTAL: 295
(i had classes from 12:00- 3:15)
(i went to the gym from 3:30- 5:00)
Dinner- 1.5 cups of corn (150 calories)
Zucchini (35 calories)
Salad with green and red peppers, cucumber, and black pepper (50 calories)
Celery (20 calories)
Raw Carrots (35 calories)
1 piece of Chicken (300 calories)
1 large apple (110 calories)
TOTAL: 700
Snack- 1 cup of dry cereal (110 calories)
TOTAL: 110
Thursday's Total: 1105 calories
Thursday's Weight: 149.4lbs. (weighted before dinner)
How could it be that my weight went down so much and then went up so much?
I know i shouldn't weigh myself everyday but it's so tempting. The scale is right behind my favorite machine at the gym.
Besides, i've been the same weight for SOOOO long i'm desperate for results!
Is there anything else i could do?
My friends said something about a "plateau". That your body just gets use to what you're doing and sticks in one place. Is this an actual thing? And if so, how do i get past it?
|
fantasia31
Senior Member
|
Posted: 14 October 2005 03:02 am |
|
My personal experience with plateaus is that if you stick with your plan long enough you will get past it. I can't say if that is for sure what is happening with you. I would suggest that if you want to weigh yourself, get a home scale. The reason for this is that you really should weigh yourself in the morning first thing, and you should not be wearing clothing. Your results might shift because of the clothes you wear for all I know (they add weight -- so do shoes). You can also shift due to water retention (or release thereof). If one day you ate more salt than other, you retain more water and next thing you know you're up two pounds.
Your calories may still be a bit low. I know it might seem like it takes longer if you go up to say 1200 calories, but if your body is starving you won't lose weight at all. You might be able to tell by how you feel. Are you weak and tired? Do you feel hungry all the time? Your body may be telling you something.
Again, you may need to talk to a doctor. I would do that before you decide to give up on this. They can tell you better than I can what is the right amount of calories and exercise per day.
Last edited on 14 October 2005 03:04 am by fantasia31
|
TinkerBell3
New Member
|
Posted: 17 October 2005 06:55 am |
|
frantasia31,
I just wanted to thank you for all your help. Your responses to my questions were a direct motivator for me to continue with my diet. Your help came at a time when i was really panicked and has really meant a lot to me.
Thank you :)
TinkerBell
|
Sunglow
Member
|
Posted: 17 October 2005 07:26 am |
|
The plateau and then the weight loss after eating more reminds me of when I was on weight watchers and heard about the wendi plan..Supposedly, someone named Wendi came out with the idea that if you broke away from your limit of points(calories) and went up by 10 on one day then went back down to the bottom limit of points(calories), then that would take you out of a plateau. Somehow, you have to confuse the body in order to get it to give up the fat it so desperately wants to hold on to.
I once asked my doctor why I didn't drop weight. I was exercising like a fiend. She said someone as small as me 5' 3" needed to eat about 1000 calories to lose weight and that even if I walked to infinity and beyond, unless I cut my intake back to that, nothing would happen. I tried 1000 calories and felt starved all the time. I feel okay at the 1200 to 1500 I have set for myself. I'm only a week into this, so no plateaus as yet this time around. I'm in no hurry and I'll be happy if I lose at least half a pound a week if it is consistent and relatively painless.
|
fantasia31
Senior Member
|
Posted: 17 October 2005 09:23 pm |
|
That is rather interesting Sunglow. It just so happens that one day while I was in a plateau I went a bit over my usual total. Lo and behold, the next day I lost weight!
I always thought that was a bit odd, but if it works I won't question it. I might try that next time I hit the wall. Just increase by 100 to 200 calories for one day and see if that changes anything.
Everyone is different, and there is no "magic bullet". But hopefully I will learn about my body as I go. :)
Tinkerbell, it's no problem! I was there once too. I think most of us have considered falling off the bandwagon. Just hang in there! I am sure I will need your help when I am stuck in a rut!
|
Sunglow
Member
|
Posted: 19 October 2005 07:28 am |
|
I checked out the web site about the Wendie plan. It is rather interesting. I didn't note the address, but I googled Wendie Plan and then the site came out and I read about 5 pages on how this works. I think it really helps explaining why we plateau and it makes a lot of sense and how we can work with our bodies to let go of the fat. Our bodies are very good at adjusting to the number of calories we feed it. She advocates alternating the number of calories you eat daily during the week. You give your body one big calorie day, mid-week. For example: I eat 1200 to 1500 calores. My week would look like this:
Day 1 - 1200
Day 2 - 1400
Day 3 - 1300
Day 4 - 2200 to 2500
Day 5 - 1200
Day 6 - 1500
Day 7 - 1300
If I try this, I will let Day 4 be my Saturday. My weigh in day can be on Friday, before the heavy calorie day. It's worth a try to prevent plateaus. But since this is just my second week, I think I'll wait and try it if I see a stall. Read her web page and let me know what you think.
|
TinkerBell3
New Member
|
Posted: 20 October 2005 04:50 am |
|
This is all so interesting. I wonder if it works. My calorie intake is never exact and i tend to have one to many apples now and again, bringing me over my usual amount.
As it is however, i've resolved not to weigh myself for two weeks. So right now i don't know how much progress i've made, if any. I'm going to weigh in on the 28th, so we'll see how that goes. i just hope i'm not setting myself up for massive dissapointment.
Thank you all so much for your info ;) i let you know what happens
TinkerBell
|
Sunglow
Member
|
Posted: 20 October 2005 08:11 am |
|
| I don't think apples will hurt at all if that is what puts you over. Like, I said I would not try this unless I have been on a plateau for maybe a month. It is too scary for me to venture away from establishing my calorie range and my body is starting to feel good not over eating. Good luck and maybe you will be surprised when you do weigh.
|
serberus
Senior Member
|
Posted: 20 October 2005 09:55 pm |
|
| sounds like your body isn't getting enough fuel so it's storing it for use later. It also sounds like your not getting enough protien throughout the day. Protien helps to make you feel full. If I'm not real hungry in the morning, I mix a little protien powder in my yogurt. Your diet also seems high in carbs. Carbs turn into fat stores if not used immediately. Carbs are Fruits, Vegies, Breads, & Pastas. If you eat a protien with your carbs you will probably see the weight to start to come off again. Also, when your excercising, your body gets use to the same repetitive actions. Every month I change. One month I do the treadmill. The next month I do the bike. Ect. Ect. I hope this helps. Once I started implementing this into my own life, I was able to get over the plateau. I also make sure I eat more than 1200 and less than 1300 calories every day. Also don't forget to give your muscles 2 days recovery time when you strength train. Very important. So if you strength train on monday don't again until thursday. Cardio is fine in between. Just what I've been told by doctors, nutritionists and my own personal trainer.
|
Sunglow
Member
|
Posted: 20 October 2005 10:24 pm |
|
| I saw on the goals forum that you had lost an huge amount of weight. 210 to 147, I think. So all your suggestions to Tinkerbell made sense. Now, tell me, did you have to use a trainer to get those results, or were you able to just stick to it on your own?
|
serberus
Senior Member
|
Posted: 25 October 2005 06:36 pm |
|
| I lost the majority of the weight on my own. I went from 210 to 154 by myself. Then I decided to start going to the gym because I hit a plateau. I was thrilled with my weight loss, but wanted to firm everything up. That sagging extra hang was very bothersome to me. I also wanted the rest of the weight to come off. After my first child I did the same thing. Went from 210 to 130. 10 yrs later it's been a little more difficult getting that stubborn been there forever fat to leave. But I know it will come off. I decided to get a trainer to help firm things up. My ultimate goal is to be ripped. Not body builder, but just cut and thin. Guess I want that 20 yr old body back. If it doesn't happen, thats ok too.
|
Current time is 08:50 am | |
|
