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Old 01-19-2013, 04:29 PM   #1  
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Hi everyone

This is my second journey, back in 2003 I reached my goal weight having lost 217lbs, I lost it stupidly, by starving myself, so it's no surprise to hear that it cost me my health which saw me not only sick for a long time but also back to my starting weight in round about 8 months.

In 2010, I regrouped and started again, this time I took a weight management and food nutrition degree at college and I have been losing the weight properly this time.
My starting weight in 2010 was 355lbs and today I am down to 220lbs. I have set an initial goal of 159lbs and once I reach this I will reassess depending on how I look and feel.

My problem is that I do now seem to be struggling. I know it des get harder towards the end, but over the past few months I seem to have lost and regained the same 14lbs over and over again...I have 2 good weeks weight losses and then the week my period starts and the week after it, I have a gain or stay the same. I am 50 years old now and my doctor says the menopause may be starting and that could be affecting the weight.

I exercise daily....I have just recently taken up Tang Soo Do which is a martial art, this is a great workout every day and I burn on average 500 - 600 calories. I am eating 1600 calories a day. I have tried increasing my calories, in case I am under eating, I have decreased them too, but still I follow the same pattern.

Has anyone else hit the same problem, and if so how are you getting through it?
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Old 01-19-2013, 04:33 PM   #2  
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No advice, but congrats on your loss so far.
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Old 01-19-2013, 04:45 PM   #3  
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I'm a bit confused. You say you are losing the same 14 pounds, but then ask if it's normal to lose for two weeks and then stay the same for 2 weeks.

Question is - are you gaining 14 and then losing 14 and then gaining 14 in those 2 week cycles. Or, what?

If it's that you have 2 weeks of losses followed by 2 weeks of stalls - following a menstrual cycle, then yes. This is common. Many of us experience that - some of us more than others and for some people which weeks are the stall out weeks are different than what it is for others.

I am that way - For a 28 day cycle (which I rarely have any more as I'm in per-menopause) I will have a week after my period where I might drop a pound or two (maybe) and then for a week preceding ovulation I will steadily gain with a spike the day of ovulation. I will hold that weight for 4 days or so and then WHOOSH in about 7 days I lose all the weight I gained gearing up for ovulation (usually 3--5 pounds) and then all the weight that I will lose for doing well all month long, so up to 7-8 more pounds. And then the last few days before my period starts it will just be at a stand still again. Repeat again for next month.

For me that means for close to 3 weeks of the month I don't lose and my gain. Then for a bit more than a week I lose all the gained weight for the month AND the "earned" weight loss for the month. If I'm not good with eating and exercise, I won't see a big WHOOSH, just the pounds of water I was holding prepping for ovulation and that's it.

Is that what you are experiencing?
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Old 01-19-2013, 05:03 PM   #4  
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Good luck and congrats on your loss so far.
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Old 01-19-2013, 05:07 PM   #5  
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No not quite Melissa..I had a really bad TOM that lasted 3 weeks and in those 3 weeks I gained the 14lbs going up from 208lbs back to 222lbs I now seem to have 2 weeks where I lose weight and 2 weeks where I am either staying the same or gaining a little. I am currently at 220lbs, I should keep quiet as this week is usually one of the weeks where I either stay the same or gain and I have lost 2lbs.
I can cope with gaining and staying the same on some weeks so long as there is a general trend of the weight coming down, but its now been 10 weeks since I was 208lbs and its starting to get me down a little.
maybe I just need to have a little more patience

Last edited by Posy; 01-19-2013 at 05:07 PM.
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Old 01-20-2013, 09:10 AM   #6  
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But WHY are you gaining? Are you gaining water weight associated with TOM, or are you overeating due to TOM cravings?

A - If the fluctuations are entirely water weight, it just means that on average you aren't creating a large enough deficit to lose any FAT with your current diet/workouts. -- Essentially you are moving water weight around but really staying the same in terms of fat loss.

B - If you are overeating due to TOM you just need to white knuckle through those cravings and be patient that when its over you'll start to see it on the scale.

Perhaps this is an over simplified way to look at it, but from your post it seems that either A or B is the culprit.

Last edited by JossFit; 01-20-2013 at 09:11 AM.
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Old 01-20-2013, 09:38 AM   #7  
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Thanks Jossfit, definitely not over eating, i'm actually one of those lucky people that don't seem to get TOM cravings...the only thing I have done differently and I think you could be right with A being the culprit...for the past year I have been training to do a 16 hour gymathon,,,,,in September I completed it...16 hours of non stop exercise, and I do mean non stop I was constantly moving for the full 16 hours. for that year I went to the gym every day for 3 - 4 hours and each month I would have one day where I added an extra hour until I had built up enough to do the gymathon. so after I had done it , i reduced he amount of exercise I was doing. I still generally exercise every day, but now it is probably only for an hour 2 at most so I will definitely not be burning as much as I was but I am still eating the same 1600 calories a day that I was eating when I was doing more exercise.
I don't want to be exercising as much as I was I have a nice balance now so if it is this that is causing it, is it likely to settle down or should I be looking to reduce my calorie intake?

Just had a quick look at your links. you look amazing

Last edited by Posy; 01-20-2013 at 09:39 AM.
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Old 01-20-2013, 04:33 PM   #8  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Posy View Post
I still generally exercise every day, but now it is probably only for an hour 2 at most so I will definitely not be burning as much as I was but I am still eating the same 1600 calories a day that I was eating when I was doing more exercise.
I don't want to be exercising as much as I was I have a nice balance now so if it is this that is causing it, is it likely to settle down or should I be looking to reduce my calorie intake?
1-2 hours of exercise per day is generally MORE than enough time, and 1600 calories per day at your current weight is also just fine for losing, especially combined with that much exercise...

Can you tell us a bit more about what type of exercise you are doing? Do you wear a heart rate monitor or Fitbit during your workouts?
Can you post up a sample of what you eat in a day? How do you track your calories?

I agree that with 1-2 hours of exercise and 1600 calories you SHOULD be losing some weight. How long have you been stalled for? A few months?
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Old 01-20-2013, 05:30 PM   #9  
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Hi Jossfit

Yes I wear a polar HRM during exercise. 5 days a weeks I do Tang Soo Do a martial art usually consists of 40 minutes cardio and 20 minutes forms ( basic moves) 3 times a week I add 60 minutes gym circuit training including 30 minutes of weights and twice a week I do 30 minutes of callanetics.
I track my calories on myfitnesspal.com

I do normally have a good breakfast but today I was lazy ( had a very late night last night ) and didn't get out of bed until later so combined lunch with breakfast

Here is todays food diary
DAILY ALLOWANCES
Milk - My Daily Skimmed Milk Allowance, 0.74 pint 140 cals

Total for Daily Alloiwances 140 Cals

BREAKFAST
Tesco - Small Pears, 1 pear 56 cals

Total for Breakfast 56 cals

LUNCH
Generic - Low Fat Butter, 10 gms 54 cals
Tesco - Wafer Thin Smoked Ham (by Slice), 2 slice 20 cals
Home made veg soup - Home made veg soup, 1 bowl 50 cals
Kingsmill Wholemeal Bread - Whole Meal Bread, 2 slice 192 cals
Tesco Light Choices - Cassava Crackers Thai Green Curry, 20 g 80 cals
Total for Lunch 396 cals

DINNER
Gravy, 0.25 pint 50 cals
Generic - Free Vegetables, 1 mixed portion 0 ( I don't count calories in vegetables)
Home made - Calzone style chicken with garlic herb and bacon, 1 portion 350 cals
Aerosol Cream - Aerosol Cream, 16 gms 31 cals
Tesco - Blackberries, 50 g 16 cals
Blueberries - Raw, 50 g 29 cals
Tesco Light Choices - Natural Normandy Fromage Frais, 100 g 46cals
Sugar Free Jelly - Sugar Free Jelly, 1/4 pint 8 cals

Total for Dinner 580 cals

SUPPER
Aero - 99 Calorie Biscuit Bar, 1 bar 99 cals
Cadbury - Highlights Hot Chocolate Sachet, 1 cup (11g) 40 cals

Total for supper 139 cals

SNACKS
Tesco - Small Pears, 2 pear 112 cals
Tesco - Gala Apple, 2 Apple 142 cals

Total for Snacks 254 cals

Totals 1,565 calories
Your Daily Goal 1,600 calories
Remaining 35 calories

The week after the gymathon I gained 4lbs going from 208lbs to 212lbs then I stayed the same for 2 weeks. I then gained 12lbs in one week ( granted TOM was 4 weeks late) so booked an appointment to see my doctor, she asked me to change my diet for a month to see if it made any difference so I joined slimming world and gave that a try, the first week of that I gained 2lbs the week after I gained 5lbs I was now back to 231lbs and devastated. so I stopped and went back to my calorie counting.
first week back to calorie counting I lost 6lbs the following week a further 4lbs then the next week I gained 1lb and last week I lost 2lbs.

It does seem to have started to come off more now, maybe the change to the slimming world diet has kick started my metabolism again??? TOM was a week late again this month but has now arrived actually on weigh in day, I generally gain that week but this week I lost so maybe I just need to be patient keep doing what I am doing and see what happens ?

I think I may just be getting aggitated because it came on so fats and is taking longer to go again

Thanks for your help and advice it is greatly appreciated

Last edited by Posy; 01-20-2013 at 05:32 PM.
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Old 01-20-2013, 05:47 PM   #10  
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You eat quite a bit of fruit = fructose. Have you tried to lower carbs? For me that has been the one defining change in my diet. I have been struggling resetting my hormones and eliminating fruit from my diet along with most other carbs has helped me to finally lose weight.
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Old 01-20-2013, 06:01 PM   #11  
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I actually don't normally eat so much fruit, I have just been particularly hungry for fruit today
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Old 01-20-2013, 06:26 PM   #12  
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Honestly your diet isn't 'PERFECT' -- whatever that means, but it looks like you're doing everything right; your workouts are vigorous enough and your calories are in a great range.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Posy View Post
The week after the gymathon I gained 4lbs going from 208lbs to 212lbs then I stayed the same for 2 weeks. I then gained 12lbs in one week ( granted TOM was 4 weeks late) so booked an appointment to see my doctor, she asked me to change my diet for a month to see if it made any difference...
So your doctor didn't have any explaination for a 12 pound gain? It sounds to me like your doctor just assumed you WEREN'T dieting and was telling you to cut down on your food consumption.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Posy View Post
so I joined slimming world and gave that a try, the first week of that I gained 2lbs the week after I gained 5lbs I was now back to 231lbs and devastated. so I stopped and went back to my calorie counting.
first week back to calorie counting I lost 6lbs the following week a further 4lbs then the next week I gained 1lb and last week I lost 2lbs.
Again, I'm sorry if I see this really simply, but it looks like you might have had a rebound after that huge gym-a-thon coupled with TOM weight and then tried a diet that just didn't work for you. From what I understand, since you have gone back to using MFP in the past 4 weeks you've lost 11 pounds? Thats great!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Posy View Post
It does seem to have started to come off more now, maybe the change to the slimming world diet has kick started my metabolism again??? TOM was a week late again this month but has now arrived actually on weigh in day, I generally gain that week but this week I lost so maybe I just need to be patient keep doing what I am doing and see what happens ?

I think I may just be getting aggitated because it came on so fats and is taking longer to go again

Thanks for your help and advice it is greatly appreciated
I think you hit the nail on the head; your TOM is irregular and you put your body through a lot by doing that gym-a-thon and then changing your diet (though I'm not sure what the protocols of Slimming World are admittedly). Since you've gone back to calorie counting you've lost 11 pounds in a month... that is a fantastic rate of loss, really.

I do think you just had a tough run of it and need to be patient because IT IS coming off, and it IS coming off fairly quickly. It might not be 5 pounds a week but even 1-2 pounds is great, and you're well ahead of that as an average. Just keep it up! Your workouts and diet ARE working!
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Old 01-20-2013, 06:37 PM   #13  
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Thanks so much for your advice Joss I do appreciate it...my doctor didn't really give me an explanation I got the distinct impression it was pretty much a do something different because I don't know....I have since changed doctors, there have been many reasons to do so over the past few months, this wasn't just the reason.

I agree now that I have written it in black and white it really doesn't seem as bad as I have made it feel...16 hours of non stop exercise was tough I can't blame my body for rebelling a little
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