My name is Angi, I count calories like someone is paying me to do so! I've been using the Fat Smash Diet, although I don't consider it a diet, it's my way of life now. I love all the fruits and veggies I eat. However, I am at a stall, I've been searching the forums and came across the "zig-Zag" suggestion. Could someone help me with this? I'm not looking for a quick, yet ultimately unsuccessful road to permanent weight loss. I mean, I'm sure most of us have lost weight over and over, usually the same pounds, and the buddies they brought back to the party. I'm interested in the long haul, I'm only 31, frankly, I don't want to be worried about my weight when I'm 50. I just want to be in a mental space where I know what to eat and how to eat without completely denying myself everything I like.
Anyway, here are some of my questions. I try and walk 5 days a week, 3 miles. I do some light weight training, starting last week 3 days a week. I stay between 1400-1600 calories a day. Honestly, due to the sheer volume of the veggies and fruits I eat, mainly grilled or lightly steamed, usually raw, I find it hard to even get over 1300 most days. So, I've started eating a bit more lean meats, poultry etc and that's helped pushed my calories back into the 1400-1600 range. When goggling the zig zag calculators, all of them seem to say my calories should zig and zag between 1816-2043. Could it be that my calorie's in have been to low and hence my extremely slow weight loss lately? The last 6 weeks, nothing is really changing. My inches are, thankfully, but, doesn't that seem like a large amount of calories for weight loss? I know we should change our intake as we lose weight but the 1800 and over range, just seems like ALOT of food. Does anyone have any experience with this? Am I to low? I don't feel hungry, not physically, although I still struggle with bored/emotional eating and am coming to grips with it, I know when my "times" are for these, right now, 2235 is one, as I'm about to sit down and watch Avatar with my fiancee, this is normally ice cream time, now its nonfat yogurt with fresh fruits blended in. Any comments, suggestions are welcome. Thanks
Can you give some specifics as to when you started fat smash, how long you've been doing it, and the weight loss that you were seeing before you plateaud?
For your weight 1400-1600 sounds low, but it's hard to tell -- everyone is different. At your weight I did eat 1900 or so calories/day on average and did lose weight, but again, everyone is different.
One question, are you really sure of your intake now?? Do you write down everything you eat and drink?
Second, are you saying you've lost inches even though you haven't lost weight?? That's great and something is working!
SmartButt - I've unknowinly been doing fat smash since October. Weight loss has been slow, but steady, averaging 8 pounds a month or so. Now, nothing, I'm bouncing between 225-230. I think partially, it's my body taking time to adjust to the smaller weight and attempting to settle here, since it's comfortable.
wyllen- I input my daily menu every night for the next day into fitday. I find it's easier to have the next day's plan in writing before I go to bed, to avoid that "what to have for breakfast" issue. I weigh everything carefully, measuring fruits for length as well as diameter in order to match it as closely as possible. I'm going to try and up my calories for a few days and see if it helps. I don't feel hungry or as if I'm craving anything. Well, except for tonight, I was craving something sweet and crunchy so I ate some lentils and tofu to see if the protien intake would help. I do adjust fitday according to things like that, but in general, until this evening, for the last 6 weeks I've had no cravings, binges and I havent gone off plan in way of eating or excersize. In fact I've upped my excersize.
Angihas -- Sounds like you have things under control and are eating healthy food. We often plateau at this weight loss thing -- weight loss is just not linear, no matter how much we want it to be.
Remember we want to lose FAT, but scales measure fat, muscle, water, bone, skin, etc. So it's not a great tool to measure what we WANT to measure and LOTS of things affect our weight day to day.
You've lost 44 pounds already, which is fantastic!!! I would just advise to keep doing what you're doing and hold fast. Losing inches is a GREAT NSV and I would suggest finding others to help keep you going. Shopping (or even window shopping) for smaller sizes is HIGHLY motivating!
It certainly seems to me like at your weight it might well be worth trying upping your intake a few days a week, not too far, maybe just another hundred or two. Try a handful of nuts, still healthy and won't fill you up too much.
Hi!
