Pink, first thing that rings out to me is "Most days when I try".
This stuck out to me too.
When you're closer to a healthy weight to begin with, you *have* to be much stricter with yourself than someone who has a lot to loose. I know that when I was at my highest weight, I could "cheat" a little or go off plan and as long as I was under 2000 calories average for the week, I would still lose.
Now that I'm only 30 lbs from my goal, it's MUCH harder for me to lose if I go overboard one day. Overall I eat very healthily and allow myself a treat meals once a week, but I guarantee that I"ll put on some water weight after that treat meal and I know that if I were to eliminate those and be much more strict about my eating, I'd be at goal by now. But I'm willing to accept a much slower rate of loss, in order to accommodate those things.
It's all in what is most important to you - losing fast or being more flexible in your eating plan.
.
Last edited by PhotoChick; 11-24-2008 at 09:53 AM.
I have to agree, the "when I try" is a red flag. But, if this is what you are eating, it also sounds really low, maybe too low. Many of us have found that we lose more weight on a few more calories. (Odd but true, it is as though it gives our bodies reassurance that we are not starving.)
Also, I didn't notice any dairy and there is some research that those who eat some the number of calories with some milk or yogurt as part lose more.
Finally, breastfeeding actually burns about 500 calories a day. So, if you are thinking that stopping breastfeeding will make it easier to lose, well, you have to cut the calories that were previously going into milk production and that you were "giving away."
I've learned, painfully, that the only thing that works is consistency over the long run. Every time I give up I find myself gaining. Now I work at being pleased at even small changes.
OK, so I am probably not going to say anything that has not already been said, but here is what I see --
Perhaps you are not quite eating enough calories on a day you are "being good". I didn't run them through Fitday or anything, but eyeballing them, it looks pretty low. Have you run your BMR and then figured out a calorie deficit that you can live with? it looks to me from that example diet that after a couple days, I would be SO hungry, I would go off plan. You want to try to make sure you are getting at least 1200 GOOD calories...and maybe a bit more. It is more important to eat well everyday, not too low some days and then go off plan and then too low again and then off plan, etc.
Up, up, up the protein...it will keep you feeling full longer and it is good for building lean muscle mass, etc.
Strength training -- While the cardio is good, and I do about 45 minutes of it everyday, strength training is equally important. If you build up that lean muscle mass, you will change shape, everything will look longer, leaner, etc. Also, lean muscle mass burns more calories 24/7 -- even when you are sleeping. This does not have to be joining a gym. I work out at home with resistance bands I bought at Target, and a couple of "stronger ones" I bought at a fitness store (If you buy them, make sure you get a door attachment with at least one of the ones you buy...very useful). I also do some other exercises like crunches, push ups, leg lifts, squats, etc.
Thank You yes I wish I was consistent with my eating.There is heart problems in my family and it scares me to have such a big belly.My arms and legs are very skinny all my weight is in my bum, tummy 38in around to be exact and hips and boobs.Even my face is small.I go to buy levis and all I can find is a size 12 fits my waist but is way to big in the legs length and with.I am used to being tiny even after my first child I was super tiny and I got up to 200lbs with my first.My second I gained 40lbs and have not even lost a lb.Even my dr said it was weird that I coulnt lose while breastfeeding.I just feel really depressed and not like the mom I should be,I am to tired to even play with them.My weight consumes me.I would be happy at 120lbs.I just have a bad back and kness and all my weight up front has caused me to hunch forward.My hair falls out all the time.I am just unhealthy.Sorry turned into a vent
When you say you're losing hair ... that's slightly concerning. Has your doctor tested you for nutritional deficiencies? Also ... hair loss can be a symptom of a super-low-fat diet. I know you said you did Herbalife for a while and some other diets. Are you getting a really balanced diet with a proper amount of healthy fats?
I know you posted a rough idea of what you eat, but can you post a more detailed couple of days (as best you remember them) and let us take a look?
>
Last edited by PhotoChick; 11-24-2008 at 10:47 PM.
WARNING: Some tough love ahead. Read at your own risk.
Okay. So you're tired. Losing hair. Your weight consumes you. Your back and knees bother you. I am just unhealthy. I would be happy at 120 lbs.
Quote:
yes I wish I was consistent with my eating.
Don't wish for it. Work for it. MAKE IT HAPPEN.
You simply MUST accept that you can't have it both ways. There's just no way around it. I'm sorry, but that's the brutal reality of it. Weight loss simply can not occur without sticking to a plan. You have to want to be that thin, trim, healthy, energetic person badly enough in order to make it work. There's no reason at all why you should be feeling so lousy. You don't have to feel this way. Care about yourself enough to find a way to make this work. You need to set yourself up for success by finding the right plan. Your food choices will evolve and get better as you go along, mine sure did - and they still are. It IS a learning process. And there's always more stuff to learn. The good news is, is that anybody CAN learn it AND live it.
Just wondering. Many health insurance policies cover a nutritionist. I think it would be a very good thing for you to look into. Someone to guide you and hold you accountable.
I'd still like to see what you eat in a typical day when you are "eating right." It could be that you have a skewed idea of what that is, since you said in your first post that you could "starve yourself" and lose 5 pounds (which, by the way, would just be water weight).
Weight loss does not require starving. Just the opposite--the best results come from eating a good nutritional balance of foods, just somewhat less than needed for the daily calorie burn. That's my view, anyway.
Your body shape is much like mine, with more fat on the midsection and not so much on arms and legs. One thing I'd recommend is that you be careful with eating carbohydrates. I'm not saying cut them out completely--no extreme steps are needed.
But first, post your "eating right" plan--maybe we can offer suggestions.
"starve yourself" and lose 5 pounds (which, by the way, would just be water weight).
That was a few years back and yeah I dont think I could do that now ....I dont know if my weight issues are beacuse I used to be so skinny I was a scary 80lbs before kids after the first 100lbs after the second 140lbs that wont budge.I have my mother telling me I am fat and need to nip it in the butt before I end up like her.Its a concern with her my weightPlus being a single mom and the stress of high energy kids really just makes me want to binge
B-warm water with a lemon sometimes no food other times 6 egg whites.
snack a apple
L-a salad with chicken on it no dressing.
s-1/2 can tuna fish
d-chiken with mushrooms in olive oil and some stemed broccle
Other days its a binge and the foods going in and I cant tell you what I am eatting on thoughs days....
I seriously feel so depressed its taken my spark of getting up in the am I just want to lay in bed all day.I am mean,bitter.I feel like my body got screwed up by breastfeeding so long.I look menopausal.I didnt have a period for 2 years.And I stopped bfing in juily,And my periods are still a good 45-50 day cycle.My water retention is bad I drink like a fish.I look pregnant.About a month ago I went to the er thinking I was dying I had hyperventilated and had a panic attack.
I dont know what to do I just dont feel like me anymore,And I know being skinny I should say healthy wont make the stress go away but I know it will help my energy,and make me feel pretty again.
I felt happy doing herbalife and I was faithful to it for 2 months but didnt lose anything or inches and walked with lesile sanson daily.It was a pricy weight loss plan.
TIA.And thank you to the poster I need some tough love and a hug
Your posted day simply does not sound like enough food. You REALLY need a happy medium. Go out onto the web, enter "calorie calculator" or something similar and FIND OUT how many calories you need a day, and then figure out a REASONABLE deficit each day from that amount -- I am guessing that because you are so small, to stay at 1200 calories a day or better, you are going to need to set your goals pretty reasonably. You probably will not be able to lose 2 lbs. a week and still get enough nutrition -- but you will probably be able to lose a pound or so a week -- and it WILL add up. Regular exercise, especially strength training, will begin to make you feel better, stronger, more energetic -- much sooner, even, than the weight loss will start to show much. However, they will help with the weight loss because you will feel mentally stronger and you will feel better about yourself for doing something FOR yourself.
Oh, and by the way, I don't care that your doctor was surprised that you couldn't lose while breast feeding -- I always put on my weight AFTER my babies were born WHILE I was breast feeding. That is how I ended up with 30 of the 45 pounds I have lost after baby #3. Each of my kids, same pattern...I lost between pregnancies, but not until I finished nursing. I just couldn't seem to control my portions when the little parasites were sucking me dry! Also, I found that I was more lazy and had less energy while nursing and during early mothering...I call it brood cow syndrome.
Your hair loss thing made me a little worried, so I would make sure you are taking a supplement, that you are getting plenty of protein and that you are getting some healthy fats -- like olive oil, nuts, some dairy, avocados, etc. However, that said, I am not sure you told us how long ago your baby was born and it is normal to lose quite a bit of hair after pregnancy -- sometimes it seems like it is by the fistful. It does come back. My sister had this happen to an amazing degree, and about six months after her second baby was born, she had this fuzzy halo coming up through her regular jaw length hair -- all over her head. She looked kind of like a baby bird for a while...
Breastfeeding didn't mess you up. It's your past bad eating habits that have done this. I'd like to encourage you to look into counseling for your relationship with food. Also, don't listen to your mom--she's not steering you in the right direction by telling you you're fat.
On your "eating-right" day as you listed it, you are not getting enough food. I mean, you are REALLY NOT getting enough food. I added it all up in my FitDay calculator (www.fitday.com) and it's less than 500 calories.
You should not eat less than 1200 calories in a day for any extended period. You are starving yourself on the days you think you're "eating right," and then it's no wonder you binge. You must stop doing this to yourself.
It's no wonder your periods have stopped and you feel awful.
So, I'd suggest you click on this link to go to the FAQs about calorie counting to get some basic information:
In the meantime, eat oatmeal along with two whole eggs for breakfast. Have snacks of an apple plus two dozen almonds. Put some light dressing on your salad, up to 2 TBSP. Have a piece of bread as well. Make sure you are eating 3 ounces of chicken per serving, weighed on a food scale. Likewise, for dinner, have more than just chicken and brocolli. You can plan it out how you like, but you really need to eat MORE, not less!
Do not freak out if the scale goes up at first. Your body is so starved that it probably needs to make muscle and bone before it loses fat.
Lots of other posters are going to echo what I've just said--we don't mean to jump on you--it's just that we get scared when we see someone not eating enough.
You also might want to check in with the Chicks in Control:
And thank you to the poster I need some tough love and a hug
I wish I could give you more, but I can't. This is the internet afterall.
I think though you may benefit from some professional counseling. To help you with the feelings that you are having, which very well may be clinical depression. There is help out there for you and I hope you will consider it.
In the meantime, young lady. Start taking care of yourself now. Right this minute. Ya hear? Start eating! Some good healthy foods. That egg white breakfast just doesn't sound too delicious to me. Try some oatmeal with cinnamon, chopped walnuts and some sugar free maple syrup along with a 2 or 3 egg white omlette. YUMM!
Some almonds with that apple would be good.
Make that lunch salad huge. Lots of romaine hearts, baby spinach, grape tomatoes, bell peppers, red onions, cukes, etc.... Dress it with some balsamic vinegar.
Try partially freezing some non-fat/sugar free yogurt for a delicious snack. Toss in some Fiber One cereal to up the filling power and give it a nice crunch. Or how's about a veggie platter with some chumus or salsa for a snack. Or both?
Make yourself a yummy stir fry for dinner with that chicken. Mushrooms, onions, peppers, broccoli with soy sauce and ginger and garlic.
Really, you need to EAT and take care of yourself. No one else can do that for you , but you.
What the last three people said! All of them know what they're talking about.
And your diet confirmed my suspicions - combined with the no periods and the hair loss and the feeling exhausted and the panic attacks and everything else - you're NOT getting enough nutrition.
Also keep this in mind: Do not freak out if the scale goes up at first. Your body is so starved that it probably needs to make muscle and bone before it loses fat.
It's very important that you let that happen. You NEED to start rebuilding muscle and bone before you lose fat. Your body is literally starving and you need to reverse that cycle soon!
Like Jay said - please don't take this as jumping on you. We all just hate to see anyone who is starving themselves. We want to help you be healthy as well as skinny!
.
Last edited by PhotoChick; 11-25-2008 at 03:05 PM.
I have thought about Thyroid. Thyroid does run in my family aswell.And even though I am tired all the time I dont think my tiredness is extreme but I might just be used to the feeling now.No insurance and the thyroid screen is quite pricey.I will give it a go at really sticking to eating healthy and exercise if in a month I have not lost a inch or lb I will get checked out.I am sure as the others said there is no way I am going to lose weight not sticking to it 100%....I am just so tired of consuming myself and family with food and weight and fat talk.It really has taken over I am almost obsessive about it......
Pink? Join a daily thread or two. Start each morning by sipping something warm and reading here at 3FC. You'll get good ideas here to help plan your day.
Be gentle with yourself. Take one day at a time but fill your head with good and healthy information first.
We'll help ease you through a period of time during which you will notice a difference.
....I dont know if my weight issues are beacuse I used to be so skinny I was a scary 80lbs before kids after the first 100lbs after the second 140lbs that wont budge.I have my mother telling me I am fat and need to nip it in the butt before I end up like her.Its a concern with her my weight
Plus being a single mom and the stress of high energy kids really just makes me want to binge
