Terra some are just slower losers.
Have you been weighing and measuring your portion sizes? Are you tracking your calories? Sometimes we think we are doing things right when there needs to be improvements.
I know I am not alone in wishing I had lost only 24 pounds since January. Of course I have not been working hard and consistently at it.
I think you have great dedication and will get there.
Terra, losing even 5 pounds since January is much better than gaining any. But, that's not what you asked. All the science says that to lose weight, one has to reduce calorie intake. I use one of the dieting apps -- My Fitness Pal -- to track what I eat. I like it because I can enter recipes to get calorie counts, it has a bar code scanner if you have a smart phone for packaged items (or you can just enter them yourself) and their database is huge. I enter my food every morning, and there are many days when I have to eliminate something because it would push me over my calorie limit. The important thing for me is to enter it in the morning and PLAN what I'm going to eat rather than at the end of the day and track what I ate.
My suggestion would be to do this for several days to even a couple of weeks to see how many calories you're consuming each day. Going along with the tracking your food is making sure that your portions match up with what you've entered. I realized that what I thought was a 4 oz serving of meat was closer to 8! Once you've done this for a couple of weeks, then you can figure out if yoou need to reduce the number of calories that you consume.
It might be that you're carb sensitive, too. I know I am. Most of the diet trackers include the number of carbs consumed as part of the calculations. You might aim for a set calorie point and a maximum carb count.
Sorry for this being so long -- hope some of it helps.
When i was at your weight the recommended calories a day to lose weight i think was around 1600... I didn't lose weight at this. I had to do 1350 for the weight to come off and i went for daily walks (working out was way to hard on my knees and feet, i waited until i was at 240 before i did any serious working out). also if i cheated on my diet just once it would take me a whole week to get back to where i was before.
Could you maybe post a sample of your day's food intake? Maybe some of us can offer suggestions for how to tweak it? Keep in mind, everyone is different. My mother, for example, loses weight with higher protein foods, lower carb foods. She is a "fast oxidizer". I, however, am not. The more NATURAL carbs, the better- fruits, veggies, etc. (not starchy carbs, no white sugar, etc). And I keep a general idea of how many calories a day trying to keep it between 1600 and 2000. When I keep it there, the weight tends to fall off. But, I am a slow oxidizer. Everyone's body is different and you have to find out what works for you. You can always take a couple of days and "cleanse" too- only fruits and veggies for two to three days and let your body reset itself.
My suggestion would be to maybe try cutting back on the "starch"…. Maybe the ham and swiss from your breakfast sandwich cut up and scramled with an egg or two instead and just one piece of wheat toast? Swap the pudding cups for maybe one yogurt and some nuts, the popcorn is probably fine- although experiment with adding some spice to it- cinnamon or cayanne are good for general health and weight loss and can vary the flavor enough to hold off cravings for other things. Try the Shrimp with brown rice and like lemon, garlic and olive oil instead of alfredo sauce? Swap some things out and see if it makes a difference.
Terra I put your daily meals into My Fitness Pal and it came to:
2170 calories
261 carbs
84 fat
101 protein
5.993 sodium
92 sugar
Just my humble opinion, but I think you may have more success if you have a piece of fresh fruit instead of the pudding.
A salad with chicken, ham. shrimp, or some other protein for lunch. Maybe for supper some roasted veggies and some more meat.
Your breakfast has a lot of carbs that that don't give you much bang for your buck. Do you like eggs? How about some steel cut oatmeal?
The foods you are eating are very processed and have lot of empty calories. For example a baked potato with some sour cream will be healthier and more satisfying the pasta. Steel cut oatmeal is healthier then the stuff in little packages.
I hope others will jump in here and help you out because I don't feel like I am doing the best job.
I see Anticake cross posted with some good advice.
Let's keep those ideas coming!
I'm probably the slowest loser in this forum. I started my weight loss journey in 2010 and lost 68 lbs thus far. That is an average of 17 lbs a year. Don't stress about how slow you are losing. If something doesn't work for you, modify it. I recently found if I tweak my calorie consumption between 1200-1300 calories per day and limit net carbs to no more than 60 a day, i can lose 2 lbs per week. Though i try to walk for exercise, i do have lower back problems whic prevent me from doing it consistently. So I go with a lower calorie consumption instead. Don't stress because you are losing slowly. It is good to revisit what you are doing and regrouping.
I am a fast loser. I averaged 4lbs loss a week from 281lbs down to 180lbs then things stalled out....for over a year.
I agree entirely with Ubee (who has a nicer way with words than I do, so apologies).
You need to start attacking that diet if you want to pick things up along the lines she/he suggests.
You can eat more, just of healthier stuff than you are eating, and still lose weight.
Get the carbs and sugar down. And maintain the protein. A good start would be to ditch the pasta and the sub rolls (and just eat the shrimp, ham and swiss).
And get some salads in there.
With your diet, I am guessing you will plateau soon without further changes.
Use that 26lb loss to take things to the next level.
Hi Terra, I went through that as well. I began in February at 301.6, and had only lost 9.2 lbs. by May (stuck in the 290's), the top 4 lessons I learned were -
You're in it for your health, take care of your body and eventually the weight loss will follow.
Patience is a virtue, regardless of how long it takes us, the important thing is that we keep moving. Never give up on you goal because of the time it takes to achieve it, the time will pass anyway (stole that from a fitness meme lol).
Don't think of what you're doing as a diet, look in terms of a permanent way to be, a lifestyle. Also foods swaps of the same calories can make a huge difference, I learned if a sweet food doesn't have fiber I will probably gain weight or not lose any vs. Vitamuffins (I love these WeightWatchergirl1 on Youtube got me hooked on them) it is a a dessert food but has fiber.
I began losing more quickly when I swapped out my chocolate bars (100-calories w/little to no fiber) for my Vitamuffins (also 100 calories but about 7 or more grams of fiber per serving).
You've been working hard, and it will pay off, just stay strong and switch things up, if what you're doing isn't working. Look at what you have been eating consistently in your food diary and see what may be holding you back.
I have also had good success w/drinking 2 capfuls of apple cider vinegar mixed w/about 8 oz. or less of water, it is hard to swallow at first, but the research says it lowers blood sugar about as well as diabetes medications, and when you lower your blood sugar it is generally easier to lose weight.
Best of results to you girl, keep up the good work!
24 Pounds Since Jan. THAT'S IT???? GRRRR......
