[calmeida5018]

Hi everyone,

I had posted something similar two weeks ago but can't remember where. The problem still continues and it is VERY frustrating.

I have been on Weight Watchers online for 4 weeks, doing it religiously, not to mention doing Bikram hot yoga for the past 20 days straight, which is 90 minutes of intense work out sweating like crazy. I wore my heart monitor and burn over 500 calories each time, so doing it 7 days a week should be doing SOMETHING...

I started at 178.8, lost .8, then gained .8, the lost 3.4 and this week gained 2.6!!!

I am going crazy and am very upset. I don't want to throw in the towel, but this is just too much!!!

My diet is healthy, vegetables fruits, lean meats. The past two weeks I hate dark chocolate but all within program, week before last had points left, this week used all my points, but as I said, I stayed within the guidelines.

Am drinking water and coconut water to replenish electrolytes from Bikram but again I am putting it on the log.

Please Please! Send some help my way!!!

Claudia

[Katydid77]

Obviously you are weighing/measuring everything since you are doing such diligent tracking.

How are your measurements? Are they tracking smaller?

How is your appetite? Do you go to bed hungry? Eating enough to stay relatively satisfied?


Also, I remember your post, but don't remember if you have any other contributing factors like some sort of thyroid or PCOS?

[calmeida5018]

Hi,

No I have not been measure, I suppose I should...forgot about that.

I am not going to bed hungry. Sometimes I wake up very pretty hungry. No thyroid issues, but I am 47 and my weight has fluctuated since a kid, so am sure my metabolism is not the best. What's PCOS?

I was walking downtown yesterday with my husband and noticed my legs feel a lot stronger (very hilly in Asheville and I used to get winded) so that is some progress, but you know how it is, we really want the scale to show the effort.

I had major foot surgery end of August, was in a wheel chair then a walker, so have not started doing weights and can't do a lot of cardio, but as I said, Bikram burns over 500 calories and it is very aerobic, 90 minutes of dripping with sweat in a room that is 100F is hard work. There is a lot of backbending, stretching sitting, standing on one leg, sit ups... my heart rate gets up there, so it's basically interval training.

I really just don't want to get so upset I start eating again. I am not working right now still bc of my foot. I'm an ER nurse and the doctor said I am not ready to go back even though I am getting better, so spend a lot of time alone. Money is tight, so I don't go out much since usually we end up buying something even if it's 20$ here and there, it adds up. Plus I'm trying to save gas.

Ok, sorry for the whining. But I'm really upset today...

Thank you for the support.

Claudia

[Katydid77]

well, I may have used the wrong letters, but it's a female system problem, that one of the conditions is weight gain, and very difficult weight loss.

Anyway, take your measurements and stop using scale weight as your only measure of sucess.

Also, just double/triple check that you are eating at the deficit you think you are AND if you are, it's time to schedule a doctor's appt to see what is going on.

Either way you are seeing some positive movement, but I now ultimately you want the scale to cooperate too.

Want to give an idea of your daily menu?

[WL Epiphany]

Agree with the above about weighing, I just wrote a blog post abuot it today on my personal blog. Weighing yourself all the time is one of the worst things you can do. Measurements and skin folds are a lot better

[linJber]

PCOS - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Google it. It is difficult to lose weight if you have this. you'd probably know because there are tons of symptoms.

I weighed every day while I was losing. I don't think it's a bad thing because it allows you to recognize patterns. As long as the trend is downward, you're doing well. As long as you don't stress over every fluctuation, it keeps you informed and can help keep you on plan. Your trend is downward. I'm not sure at what point we come to accept that this is a slow process, but it is slow - very slow. Make a graph and just plot weekly or monthly trends. A visual aid might help you see that it really is working.

Lin

[pnkrckpixikat]

hmmm given the birkam yoga id guess a combination muscle building and water retention. You are putting your body in a position of dehydrating itself on a daily basis, i can see that making it try to retian as much water as possible at any given time. And what better use for newly emptied fat cells but as handy water recepticles.

At the same time muscles that are healing also store water during the healing process. You ARE losing, the body does some weird things. When i had a trainer i stayed within the same 5lb weight but lost like 8 inches. Start measuring and if you arent seeing changes there after a few weeks then contact a dr to see if there may be a medical cause.

[rosemarie0007]

I was having a lot of 3, 4 pound fluctuations, and before I had my knee surgery
I was doing a lot of cardio, and not losing. I would bet that the fluctuations are water weight. How much sodium are you taking in a day? I looked at a low sodium diet and I think its suppose to be under 2000 a day. I know its bad but a few weeks back I ate a plate of cheese fries, and I gained 7 pounds, talk about crazy, I'm sure it was the combination of fat/car/sodium that did it more than the calories. What was wrong with your foot? I have a foot problem too. Are you using your Weight Watchers activity points?

[calmeida5018]

Hi!

Thank you for the input!

I know I have no medical issues, had a physical not too long ago, and I am an RN going to nurse practitioner school so I try to stay on top of medical things.

As far as getting dehydrated, I drink a ton of water and sweat like crazy in Bikram - (and also pee like crazy : )


I am going to take a look at sodium - low sodium diet is 2 grams and generally people take in a lot more than that so I'll check what I have been eating which may be the culprit.

I am going to weight myself everyday this week to see the fluctuations and see if I can figure out if it's a retention issue.

Today for example, I weighed 176.2 rather than 177.4 yesterday... my official "weight in" day with WW is Friday so by then I'll have an idea. Once I do that I will do the measuring (actually starting that as soon as I find my tape measure : ) to see if that gives me a moral boost.

Read my Bikram book and there is a part where he says that it is very normal to actually gain weight in the beginning and he does say to mainly watch how the clothes fit and is emphatic in saying that eventually the scale catches up. I'm on my 22nd straight day and am going for 30, then going to go 10 days at a time until I reach 60, it's easier that way than think another 30 straight, same as trying to focus on the small losses than in "i have to lose 45 lbs!" that's a lot to think of.

I appreciate your help and attention!
Claudia

[calmeida5018]

Hi all,

So continuing my daily weight experiment this week, today I am 174.2 from the 177.4 on weigh in day last Friday...

I am going to average the weight this coming Friday and see what I truly lost (and hopefully not gained since I am working so hard)

This is VERY interesting, and depending on how it plays out I will keep on doing this because I think it is more realistic and takes the "what did I do wrong this week" out of your head if there is weight loss even if a lb..

I don't want to become a slave to the scale, but being that I have at least 40 lbs to lose it may be helpful - what do you think?

After doing Bikram today I will be 7 days from my 30 day goal! I am so excited!!!!

[tricon7]

Originally Posted by linJber

I weighed every day while I was losing. I don't think it's a bad thing because it allows you to recognize patterns.

The way I do it is to weigh one day, three days later I measure. Then three days later I weigh again, and so on. This way I'm getting regular feedback but I'm not weighing or measuring too often.

[QuilterInVA]

I see 2 glaring omissions from your foods list - healthy oils and dairy. You can be eating too many fruits. You really need to post a day's typical menu for us to help you.

And doing the same exercise day after day is not good. The body becomes very efficient at doing it and burns fewer calories. Strength training is what contributes to weight loss the most and we should all be doing ti at least 3 times a week in addition to cardio.

[calmeida5018]

Hi,

Typical day:

Coffee with 1 tsp of turbinado sugar and 1/3 cup of Almond Milk
1/2 cup of Greek Fat Free Yogurt
1/4 cup of blueberries (or GoLean Crunch ceral)

Snack: 1 fruit (apple/banana) with a tespoon of Almond Butter

Lunch: 2 slices of Alvarado bread/Hormel natural Turkey (3 slices/60 cals), 1 slice of cheddar - 21gm, 80 cals, mustard - 1 tsp Hellman's Canola mayo - Spinach in the sandwich/tomatos - one pickle or sliced red pepers on the side

Other snack might be another 1/2 cup of yogurt, or 2 slices of Ryvita or Wasa crackers with 2 tsp Almond butter each or raspberries/blueberries

Dinner: grilled chicken, 3/4 brown rice, side of vegetables cooked with a teaspoon of olive oil

Occasionally I have a small piece of dark chocolate (maybe 3 times a week)

I drink a lot of water bc of Bikram but do go to the bathroom a lot and do not have water retention (no swollen ankles and don't feel bloated)

I do Bikram every day which has a lot of weight bearing - it is 90 minutes and burns over 500 calories - I wear my heart monitor. Once I finish my 30 days (on day 24) I am going to start to switch between the weight and cardio DVDs every other day (I use about 8-10 lb weights) and Bikram (that is part of my lifestyle and I will always do it at least 4 times a week) Each DVD is about 50-60 minutes.

As you see I am active and do not eat poorly with not a ton of high glycemic fruits or foods.

I do not drink regular milk, I drink Almond milk, but I eat cheese and greek yogurt, only plain no sugary ones.

I appreciate your input!

[calmeida5018]

Hi,

So here I am again - toward the end of the week and weight fluctuating like crazy. I wish I had started weighing myself a month ago before I started my Bikram challenge, which ends in 3 days.

I can see changes in the mirror, but not on the scale. And regardless of what most of us say, we still want to see the numbers go down even when losing inches.

I did a double Bikram yesterday 180 minutes to make up for the one day I didn't do it in order to stay within my 30 day plan. I weighed myself today and am a 1.2 lbs heavier than 2 days ago.

This week I have been eating less than the regular points and have not eaten any of my extra points, not really because I'm forcing myself, just because I have not been that hungry - Bikram works on your thyroid gland and your digestive system, so I think my body is regulating itself.

Weigh in day is tomorrow. I am going to do my "off day" today, not going to pig out but am going to make sure I eat all my points, don't know if it's a good idea the day before, but at this point I am so frustrated I don't know what to do. I am going to measure myself tomorrow and start a log since as I said I didn't start one when I started my challenge.

Planning on another one, just not sure if everyday while incorporating other exercises. I am going to take a few days off after I'm done with the challenge just to let my body rest some. This is VERY hard work, and I am literally pushing myself these last 3 days. I can't believe I was able to pull off two back to back yesterday.

Anyway, sorry for the vent but am really in need of encouragement and ideas.

Thank you

C

[calmeida5018]

I meant I wish I'd started MEASURING not weighing myself at the beginning of the post : ) sorry