[LauraNS]

I've tweaked my foods as much as i can think of sofar, don't eat starchy carbs in the evening and rarely eat bread, pasta or other things like potatoes.
I should read "The South Beach diet" as i would no doubt find some new ideas. I did Atkins once and decided it wasn't for me. But tried again recently out of desperation and it didn't work this time so wasn't on it for long again. I'm open to any new ideas though.

My only problem with exercise is finding more time to do it. If you already do about an hour a day.......hard to find more time when you work and have to do all the other stuff in the run of a day to keep up. However......if it worked ... it would be worth it.....no denying that. I get up and exercise in the morning. When i go to the gym after work i'm not home before 7 pm and i have to get to bed by 9 because i dont sleep well and get up at 5. That gives me 2 hours to cook dinner, eat, visit with my family, do house stuff and try find a bit of time to do something fun......difficult. Any suggestions?

Laura

[LauraNS]

In fact.......it would even help me a lot if i could figure out WHY exactly i can't lose weight. I don't know for sure it's Insulin Resistance.

I'm hypothyroid ( although technically at a good level), could have insulin resistance ( body shape ), i'm peri menopause, stressed to the gills and don't sleep well at all. Trying to work on all these things because i haven't got a clue. I saw my doctor recently and she didn't offer any blood tests for hormonal indicators.

I don't know.......just lost....floundering and trying to keep at it......

[grneyedmustang]

An hour a day should be sufficient for exercise; have you thought about increasing the intensity of what you do? Even if you do "intervals" of high intensity exercise, that will help change it up a bit and "shock" your body out of its comfort zone. Weight training might also help.

South Beach is supposed to be good for those who are insulin resistant or have PCOS. Have you had a glucose test done to see if you might be insulin resistant or prediabetic? That, along with your body shape, are good indicators -- and if you have any other "comorbidity" factors (high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol) -- then you probably are insulin resistant.

[LauraNS]

Yes, an hour should be enough. I've read that if you do much more than an hour at a time your body protests like when you eat too little and the benefits are minimal. Yes....had forgotten that my bp is up and i have to fight to keep my cholesterol down.......i watch my husband eat french fries, hamburger, nacho with cheese etc etc all the time and his cholesterol is normal. I don't eat cheese any more, i don't use butter ... and guess what??? have to watch the cholesterol.

I do weight train and do cardio. I must try the high intensity some more. Thanks for that reminder

[AJ113]

There is no need to increase your exercise. The reason you are not losing weight is because you are eating more than you burn. By eliminating carbs you compensate in other areas of your food intake.

Your body needs carbs, it was designed to run on carbs - especially your brain! Don't deprive your body of what it needs; even if you were successful in the short term you'd never be able to maintain it permanently. Start eating carbs again, especially wholemeal carbs. You will feel more satiated and therefore less likely to eat other foods by way of compensation, and your body will be eternally grateful!

[LauraNS]

Thanks for the thought.....but i know about burning more than you consume.....i've lost about 45 pounds in the past. I'm eating between 1200 and 1400 a day and exercise everyday.....then my metabolism must be pretty darned low! lol And i've also tried eating more calories every day and exercising because i know a person's body can go into starvation mode......that didn't work either. I have worked my way up and down the calorie scale with exercise and can't lose. What would be awesome is to have a way to measure my individual metabolism.....but we don't have any devices like that around here.

[LauraNS]

I also eat a small amount of oatmeal in the morning ....no sugar , nothing on it. It'a relatively good/slow release carb......and then i get my carbs from veggies and fruit the rest of the day. I do eat carbs......i'm just careful which ones i eat and when. x

[winning the war]

Might the problem be your stress levels? I know that when I'm stressed out, my weight comes off more slowly, if at all. I don't know for sure if this is related to cortisol, but maybe try to work in some relaxation? I really believe that stress weighs us down, in more ways than one! How about substituting a day of high intensity w/ yoga or some other more relaxed method of exercise and stretching? Just a thought. Good luck!!

[LauraNS]

I think you might be right.......but it's sure hard to prove and most people would think i'm making it up as an excuse. I've sure been wondering about it because the last time i lost weight easily was when i was on holiday. I should try some yoga - try fit that in too. Good idea.....thanks.