New from Alabama
 

Hi, my name is Paige, i'm 42 and I live in Alabama. I have been overwieght for over 20 years. Have had a lot of loss and gain. Well I was back into the losing but now nothing. I lost 18 pounds over the last month and I weighed today and it was the same as last Monday. Very frustrating. I have still been eating the same...which is almost nothing and still exercising everyday. So now i'm disgusted and dont know what to do. I feel like I am torturing myself for nothing. So i'm looking for some help anywhere. I can't afford to go to weight watchers or anything like that right now. I just need any kind of support, guidelines, advice etc. I am still very motivated just need to know something to do because obviously what I'm doing is NOT working. My diet has been consisting of 2 meals a day, with salad being the biggest part of each meal. Drinking water. My exercise consist of riding a stationary bike. I have built up my tolerance time on it also. I started at 320 and as of last Monday it was 303, which is the exact same this morning. So any suggestions?
Paige

Congrats for losing 17 pounds, that is super! I've been on this site for a little over a month and have found incredible information along with a genuine support.

Maybe start journaling or blogging your journey, sometimes that is a great way to release frustrations and share incredible moments.

My cable system (Comcast) has a channel called FitTv. It's loaded with a lot of variety of exercise programs. You may want to check out the library for free exercise DVD's to rent.

Check out all the sub-groups and wish you the best.

:wel3fc:

Congrats on those pounds that you've lost already. That's amazing :)

I already see a few things that could be improved in your routine.

You say you eat "almost nothing" and exercise everyday. This is not good. In fact, you may actually be setting yourself up for failure with this practice. Our bodies need food in order to live. If we aren't getting enough food, our bodies may not want to shed the pounds we have. It's great to exercise, keep doing it. But exercising without proper nutrition can also cause problems.

2 meals a day? Why torture yourself? It may be more beneficial to break up the day into many smaller meals so your energy doesn't crash. So your body realizes it is getting plenty of food.

Are you calorie counting? Keeping a journal of how much and when you eat? What kinds of foods? Would you be willing to give a daily example?

Salads. The number one diet food. Don't get me wrong, I love :love: salads! But, what kind of salads? What are you putting on them? Are we talking Taco Salads, or Garden Vegetable... but with Ranch dressing?

Our bodies crave variety in order to make sure we have what we need to survive.

It's not just about shedding unwanted pounds. It's about ending up at our goal weight healthier for it, and not just weighing less.

In short:
Keep exercising.
Keep drinking water.

Start journeling your food. Eating more kinds of foods in the right portions. Spacing your food out during the day to let your body understand it is getting enough. Making sure you're getting enough.

Take your time to look around the site. There may already be more suggestions out there!

Best of success!!!!

Welcome to 3FC
 

Congrats on losing the weight!

It sounds like you have been on very low calories. If so, your body can go to "starvation mode" in which it lowers your metabolic rate to strive for survival. Weight loss can come to a dead halt. Sometimes you have to add back calories for the body to think it is OK to lose again. You might try adding back 200-400 cals a day, depending on how restricted you have been. Sounds crazy, doesn't it?

I would recommend finding a plan that works for the long haul. There are many boards that can address this.

I frequent the Beck board which addresses how we think about food in order to change long term behavior. You would be welcome there if it is of interest to you.

In any case, good luck as you work to find what works for you! :D

I 2nd that you should start journaling your food intake. This helps a lot! Sometimes we don't realize how much or how little we are eating. If you are eating too little your body will want to hold on to weight because it thinks it's starving.

Also, if you truly are at a plateau you may want to change your caloric intake a little. Mix it up some.

For example if your normal daily goal is 1600 try having a day at 2000 calories and then another day at 1200. Sometimes mixing things up can get your body moving again in the right direction.

Good luck!