Before I get too far into this post, please let me say that I have researched, done tons of reading as well as talked with others about this and I STILL don't know what to do, so ANY help, suggestions, feedback, and support are greatly appreciated.
I'll try to keep this short and sweet. I started this journey shortly after my son was born, so it's been about 15 months. After I had him I was 200 pounds, which is my highest non-pregnant weight ever. Like many postpartum moms I lost a decent amount of weight in a relatively short time, which put me at 180. A victory no less, but I have basically stayed the same since then (about a year, maybe a little longer).
I know HOW to lose weight. I've done it before. Before my kids a few years ago, I was in fantastic shape and a svelte 136 pounds! A very simplified breakdown -- burn more calories than you eat. Got it. I'm doing that. I eat roughly 1200-1600 calories a day, exercise (mostly low intensity due knee issues, like walking or Pilates). I eat pretty dang clean. Lean protein, plenty of fruit and veggies (mostly organic too). I watch portion sizes, sugar and salt intake. I have severely restricted my intake of processed foods (even those wonderful 90 calorie Fiber One bars that I loved so much). If I eat it, it's raw or I'm preparing it. I have been especially strict about the "no processed food" and organic aspect in the last 3 months. And still, very, very little progress. I'll lose a few pounds and think "Yay!!!" only to find that a few days later I have gained back all or nearly all of what I've lost. Right now, as of this morning I'm at 176. So in a year, 4 pounds....... I feel like I'm doing everything right. I think. That's where you come in -- maybe I'm missing something???? During this time I have tweaked my calories thinking maybe I'm eating too much, not enough, maybe I need to do lower carb, maybe not enough, drink more water, you name it.
My last resort at this point is going to talk to my primary care doc. The only thing I can think of (and like I said, maybe I'm missing something) is that I'm doing it right, maybe I have a hormonal imbalance or low thyroid or something else that could be the cause of my lack of success.
Here is a typical day for me:
B - 1 organic egg, handful of organic spinach, feta omelet with strawberries or a banana, 1 c. organic milk
S - raw organic apple, almond butter or PB
L - usually a salad of some sort (I do not add cheese, and use very little dressing)
D - grilled bruschetta chicken (basil, tomato, garlic), grilled asparagus
+ 80-120 oz water
Any help or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I feel like with what I've been eating in 12 months I should have easily been able to lose 30-40 pounds, which would put me in a much healthier weight range. Another reason I am concerned about this is because I carry the majority of this additional weight in my tummy area, which we all know is just not healthy, and puts me at risk for all kinds of junk I just don't want.
I wish I had great advice for you. I am really struggling also. I think going to see your doctor is a great idea. Take a diary of what your daily meals look like in a week or more so you can prove to them you are doing what you can to loose the weight. Maybe you do have a hormone or thyroid problem that only a blood test will find.
Good luck and keep up the healthy lifestyle even when your scale is not cooperating.
Seeing the Dr is a great idea. It could also be a vitamin d deficiency. Before I was diagnosed with the deficiency my weight loss was a sloooow crawl. After I started a high dosage supplement my losses were bigger and more often. I hope he can help you out!! Best wishes!
Easier said than done but try to eliminate stress. I need to work on that one myself.
If you're doing low intensity exercise then lower your calories to closer to 1,200-1,400 a day and track them, don't estimate.. 1,600 would put me in maintenance if I wasn't running all the time.
Looking at your menu, I'd say not enough protein. I am for 100 grams a day and eat as you do. I keep my carbs to 75. Add another egg at breakfast, put some cheese, eggs, chicken, tuna etc. on that lunch salad, and have 4-6 ounces at dinner. You also need about a tablespoon of good oil a day because a lot of vitamins in veggies and salad are fat soluable and without the oil you don't get the nutrition.
It sounds like you're doing everything right, so I can only imagine how frustrated you are! I think you should see a doctor no matter what, but in the meantime, it may be helpful to track your food with something like MyFitnessPal, maybe just for a week. Weigh and track everything you eat, and then take a look at what you're actually eating...calories, nutrition, etc. Your portions may be bigger (or smaller!) than you think or maybe you are eating too many carbs, not enough protein, fat, etc.
I know tracking isn't a long-term solution for everyone, but it can be very eye-opening to track for a week and see the reality of what you're eating. I track for a few days each month just to make sure I've still got a handle on portion sizes. Good luck!
Wow, it sounds like you should be losing a ton of weight based on that one list of meals. I agree with the idea of analyzing your food more - tracking everything you eat, maybe using a scale to measure your food? Also, I don't see how it could hurt to speak with a doctor.
Going to your doctor should not be a last resort! You should definitely get your thyroid tested. Lots of new mothers find that their thyroid has konked out, and the symptoms of low thyroid are a lot like the "symptoms" of new motherhood -- tired all the time, stubborn weight, etc.
If that's not the case, I'd just be super sure you're measuring your food and not taking bites of the kids leftovers, etc. A few bites of mac n cheese can make a day's calorie deficit disappear in an instant!
Before I get too far into this post, please let me say that I have researched, done tons of reading as well as talked with others about this and I STILL don't know what to do, so ANY help, suggestions, feedback, and support are greatly appreciated.
I'll try to keep this short and sweet. I started this journey shortly after my son was born, so it's been about 15 months. After I had him I was 200 pounds, which is my highest non-pregnant weight ever. Like many postpartum moms I lost a decent amount of weight in a relatively short time, which put me at 180. A victory no less, but I have basically stayed the same since then (about a year, maybe a little longer).
I know HOW to lose weight. I've done it before. Before my kids a few years ago, I was in fantastic shape and a svelte 136 pounds! A very simplified breakdown -- burn more calories than you eat. Got it. I'm doing that. I eat roughly 1200-1600 calories a day, exercise (mostly low intensity due knee issues, like walking or Pilates). I eat pretty dang clean. Lean protein, plenty of fruit and veggies (mostly organic too). I watch portion sizes, sugar and salt intake. I have severely restricted my intake of processed foods (even those wonderful 90 calorie Fiber One bars that I loved so much). If I eat it, it's raw or I'm preparing it. I have been especially strict about the "no processed food" and organic aspect in the last 3 months. And still, very, very little progress. I'll lose a few pounds and think "Yay!!!" only to find that a few days later I have gained back all or nearly all of what I've lost. Right now, as of this morning I'm at 176. So in a year, 4 pounds....... I feel like I'm doing everything right. I think. That's where you come in -- maybe I'm missing something???? During this time I have tweaked my calories thinking maybe I'm eating too much, not enough, maybe I need to do lower carb, maybe not enough, drink more water, you name it.
My last resort at this point is going to talk to my primary care doc. The only thing I can think of (and like I said, maybe I'm missing something) is that I'm doing it right, maybe I have a hormonal imbalance or low thyroid or something else that could be the cause of my lack of success.
Here is a typical day for me:
B - 1 organic egg, handful of organic spinach, feta omelet with strawberries or a banana, 1 c. organic milk
S - raw organic apple, almond butter or PB
L - usually a salad of some sort (I do not add cheese, and use very little dressing)
D - grilled bruschetta chicken (basil, tomato, garlic), grilled asparagus
+ 80-120 oz water
Any help or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I feel like with what I've been eating in 12 months I should have easily been able to lose 30-40 pounds, which would put me in a much healthier weight range. Another reason I am concerned about this is because I carry the majority of this additional weight in my tummy area, which we all know is just not healthy, and puts me at risk for all kinds of junk I just don't want.
Thanks for reading.
Well, you're where I've been at for about 4 months....at a complete stall and standstill. I've been doing the same kind of research, trying to figure out what in the world is going on. You've received some really good advice about checking with your doctor. It's quite possible low thyroid and that thing is stubborn as a mule. I've been doing Paleo for 9 months. I noticed hair going down the drain like crazy. I knew it was probably low thyroid but all my tests reveal nothing. I hear that's quite common.
It's possible that you need to switch everything up. Exercise routines and food intake. Your intake is not high at all. It's on the low side like mine was.
On Paleo you eliminate all carbs and dairy. I've been reading that womens bodies rebel with low cal eating by stopping weight loss. Too low and the body releases more cortisol to provide glucose to keep us going.
Elevated cortisol causes more metabolic problems. So the antidote is to increase more real food carbs like sweet and white potatoes, parsnips and fruits in moderation. No more than 2 fruits aday as the fruit sugars can spike insulin levels and so forth. Oh, it's very disheartening when the metabolism doesn't work properly. Add more cooked vegetables - 2 or 3 cups for 2 meals aday. Two fruits, protein at every meal and fats. Add in a good carb at breakfast like whole grains, lentils, legumes, wild rice. Add cottage cheese and greek yogurt back in if you don't eat dairy. Cottage Cheese, according to the Journal of Nutrition, can break a plateau. Eat one cup aday. "Since muscle burns calories, losing too much can stall the scale. Cottage cheese is rich in whey protein, which stops muscle loss." "Also include lentils and chicken which are leucine rich foods." So try cottage cheese and I hope this helps. I'm trying it.
Oh i just detest plateaus in weight loss. It's like a nylon with a run in it ; you don't even realize it until it's all the way up your leg and then the entire world can see the run in the nylon, ughhhhh. I just increase the exercise and add some carbs for more energy to exercise and drink tons of water, and that might help. I hear some women can get pregnant right away after their last pregnancy. I would double check for that too???
Easier said than done but try to eliminate stress. I need to work on that one myself.
If you're doing low intensity exercise then lower your calories to closer to 1,200-1,400 a day and track them, don't estimate.. 1,600 would put me in maintenance if I wasn't running all the time.
Good luck.
My dietician wanted me to intake 2000 Cals a day. The thought of that just made me feel bloated and all chunked up. Now unfortunately I have gained some weight so I am definately NOT taking her bad advice and am way upping my exercise and limiting the Cals to about 1400 a day.
One thing I found when I was doing a very strict plan, it is just as much about upping the protein in as cutting the calories back. I had hit a big plateau when following the plan and two things made a huge difference.
first was not to keep eating the same protein all the time. For me it was skinless chicken breast, You have a very good basic plan, but add protein to your lunch salad, fish would be good. Also mix up the dinner protein if you always have chicken try lean beef or perhaps pork once or twice a week
But here was the shocker for me. Your body needs fat to burn fat. Your pdiet is very low fat, so the body is holding on to what it has. You need to add good fats. For me olive oil made all the difference. Add at least a tablespoon to your salad at lunch. Also use olive oil or coconut oil to cook your omelet in the morning.
Absolutely, positively stuck. Help!
I feel like I'm doing everything right. I think. That's where you come in -- maybe I'm missing something????
During this time I have tweaked my calories thinking maybe I'm eating too much, not enough, maybe I need to do lower carb, maybe not enough, drink more water, you name it.
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There is a special place in **** for all the spammers of this world, "Kate!"
