I believe that on WW you are not to go below 22 points minimum, regardless of the calculation. You may want to check over in the 3FC WW forums about that.

Jay

Stardog, those that have read my posts know that I drink a glass of red wine most evenings, so I'm very understanding of enjoying a glass of wine. However I am concerned that you are using wine and medication regularly to be able to sleep.

Have you tried relaxation techniques? Yoga? Music therapy? A warm bath? Chamomile tea? I'm sure others will chime in with other effective ideas.

Stardog, have you tried using a more simple medication such as Tylenol PM? When I'm feeling anxious or something at night and I'm usually passed out in a half hour and get a full nights sleep. Wine should be saved to have during special occasions, not to be used as a sleep-aid.. its too good!

Try over the counter medications, TPM or even benedryl and see if it helps at all with that issue.

Stay positive and good luck!

Yeah I have tried Tylenol PM and most of the others out there but they just don't seem strong enough. Nyquil (the cough one) works, but a couple of years ago I developed a tolerance to it over the course of 3 weeks and needed to double the dose then I started to experience sleep paralysis which was the WORST feeling in the world.. on top of that, I'd wake up groggy and tired. Genac seems to be the only thing... so far that is all I can find strong enough to stop me from wanting to just go 24-7 aside from alcohol plus, NO CALORIES :p

Stardog,

What's your caffeine intake look like? I too had lots of problems sleeping until I cut back on my caffeine. An inability to sleep without help from pills or alcohol isn't healthy. In my case, I think it was related to working graveyard. This could be worth discussing with your doctor, if you haven't already.

Stardog, like CountingDown, I'm also concerned about your use of over-the-counter drugs to sleep. It's not good to self-medicate this way. Nyquil is a cold medicine, not a sleep aid. What you're doing is drug abuse with over-the-counter drugs.

I suggest that you see your doctor about this.

Also, you haven't said how much you weigh now and what your goal weight is, so we don't know what range you're in. Regardless, it's likely that given how much exercise you're doing, 1200 calories is too low, as I said before.

Are you taking any other over-the-counter medicines, like weight loss pills, drinks, etc.?

Jay

First about the caffeine. I have 1 diet coke with dinner and lately, yeah, I have been drinking more green tea but that is something new. This sleep problem just happens to me maybe for a month period at a time about 3 times per year and I really haven't found the trigger for it.

As for the weight. I am around 5'7" and weigh 159 currently. I'm trying to get down to 140. Also, I'm not sure I would call it drug abuse, I mean many OTC drugs have other benefits and reasons to use that are not indicated on the label... right? I don't want to go to the MD and get a sleep aid because some of them I fear developing a tolerance to. Not only do I develop tolerance to things fast, but as you can probably see through my other posts about this matter and the alcohol...I tend to have a rather obsessive personality. :(

Thanks everyone!

Are you taking a really good multi-vitamin? I think you need to if you have such low calories. Have ya tried adjusting your carb intake?

Your weight loss is probably going to be very slow. At your current weight, you don't quite even fall into the overweight category of BMI. I would concentrate more on doing strength training and conditioning to improve your physique and let the scale fall where it lies. :)

stardog (and perhaps others). Nyquil has acetametaphin in it. That's what tylenol is. There are people who react to acetemetaphin kinda like it is no-doze or speed. If I take a couple of tylenols for a headache I'll be up till tomorrow no problem. Numerous OTC meds contain acetametaphin.

I work the graveyard shift and sleep is a precious commodity to me. I do use caffiene (usually diet soda or coffee) in as limited amounts as I can. Even without drugs sleep patterns are easily messed up and can take a while to get back to "normal". But it's possible that something other than caffiene is disrupting your sleep.

Have patience. After the initial water loss of about 3 lbs, I generally stay the same for 2 weeks or so... happened to me this time too within a pound. In the past week, I have lost 2 lbs. I LOVE fitday.com too!

I'd have to agree with the person who said that it's very likely that you don't need to lose weight, but you need to build muscle and tighten up what you have to achieve the look you want.

I also agree with Jay when she says that what you're doing is borderline OTC drug and alcohol abuse. When you find you *need* drugs or alcohol to achieve a certain state (sleep, happiness, whatever) then there's a problem.

If you truly don't feel that you're abusing these things or have a problem, I'd encourage you to stop completely - go cold turkey - and see where that gets you after a week or so of stabilization.

Honestly, from what you describe all along, I'd think getting in some solid exercise - a good combination of cardio and weight lifting and resistance exercises - would help you firm up, see a huge difference in your body shape, as well as sleep soooooo much better at night.

.