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hi everyone,

i've been on LAWL for about 4 weeks now. the problem i'm having is that my weight is see sawing... i'm up and down by pounds at a time. COD said it could be because of the fact that i work a lot of night shifts and my body just isn't metabolizing. i've done everything they every said.. i've been POP since i started. i even joined curves. anybody have any idea as to how i can break this up and down cycle and finally reach at least the 10lb mark??

Michelle - assuming you don't have any unknown illnesses or medical problems, I'm sort of surprised you are not losing, especially since you are POP.

Are you drinking enough water?

Quote:

Overweight people tend to need more water, because fat cells hold more water than other fat cells in the body. To determine the number of ounces of water you need per day, divide your weight by two. For example, a person who weighs 140 pounds should consume 70 ounces, or about 9 cups. Of course, this is an estimate. The best way to gauge whether you are getting enough water is to monitor the color of your urine. If you're drinking enough, it should be the color of pale straw. If it is a deeper yellow, you're not getting enough fluids

Are you getting enough rest? are you measuring your portions? Avoiding BLTs? I have to say that I don't really agree that "working a night shift" messes with ones metabolism. Seems like there has to be something else slowing you down.

Some tips in the past have been:
-Try to split her meals into 5-6 mini meals each day, and plan each meal to contain some protein or dairy in each. Eating frequently can help to keep metabolism active and burning through out the day.
- Make sure you are getting a variety of all foods, and not eating the same type of foods at the same times, everyday. The body gets use to burning the same types of foods, so mixing it up can help to jump start metabolism. Try including a Carb craver menu items or some new recipes from the cookbook-to add variety and introduce new foods.

You said you've been on the program only 4 weeks and have lost almost 8 lbs (according to your ticker) which is almost at the 2 lbs/week mark, which is good and healthy, but I understand your frustration.

Another good article I have on this subject:

Quote:

A Positive Spin On Those Frustrating Weight Loss Plateaus ediet newsletter - April 13, 2000 by Cyndi Thomas, N.D.

We live in a society that wants instant gratification. We want our health and weight loss... and we want it now! True health and permanent weight loss takes time. I have so many clients that have the attitude, "Well, I've followed your advice for a month now, why don't I feel better yet?" I have to remind them, "You didn't get sick overnight and it will take time to see the desired results." Now, onto weight loss...Just as the body was formed and operates on a priority basis, so it heals on a priority basis. This means that the most important parts of the body get the healing attention before the less vital tissues. We can't force the body to place its healing priority on weight loss when in fact the liver is about to die, for example. The liver is more important to your body than the extra pounds. So all the energies of the body go to heal the liver and weight loss will stop. The body will not compromise what health and vitality it does have in one part of the body to bring about healing in another. In other words, the body will not "rob Peter to pay Paul." So you may be eating nutritionally and exercising and you start out losing some weight. But then all of a sudden, you become stuck at a certain weight -- the needle on the scale won't budge anymore. The body is rejoicing on the inside and saying things like, "You know, we have all this extra energy now because Mr. Doughnut here has decided to start eating right and exercising -- let's take some of our new available energy and start the healing process on his congested liver!" So the body will take all the available energy and channel it into the liver. As a result the weight loss stops. The body will NOT take away any energy needed for daily activities and maintenance. It will only take what is left over to start the healing process. It's my belief that the body does not completely heal one part before moving on to the next item on its priority list. Rather, it heals a part to the degree that it is no longer a priority. At that point the healing attention is shifted to the part of the body that is now in most need of repair. In the above example, once the liver has been cleansed somewhat, the body will refocus its attention on other areas... perhaps back to weight loss. During my weight loss period, I would hit plateaus where it seemed like I'd never lose another pound. I lost 10 pounds and then nothing for 3 weeks. During that time I woke up one morning and my arthritis was gone and my blood sugar had stabilized somewhat. If you keep on your diet and exercise program, you will eventually lose all the weight you want. A healthy body is not overweight. Remember, "Always strive for health and the weight loss will happen!"

Hang in there. You will lose weight, just give your body some time to adjust to it.

thank you for your reply. i drink 3L of water a day.. i have broken my food down to six smaller meals every day. i know my ticker says that i've lost almost 8 pounds... but what it doesn't say is that 5.6 of that was lost on the first two days of take off. i have done everything they have suggested. i weigh and measure my food. they said that my metabolism is slowed because of the night shifts ( i work 12 hour shifts) so i was eating my meals during the day and just having water at night when working. they said that because i was moving around (staying awake) and not eating.. it was hampering my metabolism. it does make sense to me.. so i'm gonna try holding some food to eat through out my shifts and see if that helps. it is frustrating because i'm trying so hard.. but yet i understand that my body is adjusting and it will take time. i'm just looking for some other ways to break this cycle.

Michelle, i also work night shift...and like you, i have lost most of my weight in the first week or so...i, on the other hand, do save some of my food for night, but i still am not losing like others are....i have, however, had a bite of this and that in between, things that were not on plan....but i highly doubt that would keep the weight on...i was moved down to the gold plan today..and i am going to follow it to the letter...absolutely no cheating...we will see how it goes...if you would like to join me, feel free....
I usually cut up my LA lites into bite size pieces and nibble those throughout the night...and i usually bring handy food...like string cheese..yogurt, grapes, etc....and i drink at least 32oz of water through the night......hope that helps...hope to see you around....:wave:

Wow, Joni, what a great article! Thanks for posting that. :)

I'll second Linda's suggestion for cutting your lites into smaller pieces. If you cut each one up into 8 pieces, and then stick all 16 pieces into a baggie, and allow yourself one piece every hour on the hour, you'll find that you have pieces left at the end of the day, that you never were really hungry, and that eating all the rest almost seems like a forbidden treat...only it's ALLOWED! :D That's the way I get through my TO phases with any semblance of sanity left. ;)

Actually, Megan, it was Joni who posted the great article. She finds all the good stuff!

Joni - Your article was exactly what I needed right now, plateauing and all. Thanks!!!

Oops...my bad! I'll go fix it!

That article said it all Joni! :D

I know even though the scale hasn't moved, I'm seeing improvement. I do the happy dance every 4 weeks when the COD measures my inches. :jig: :dancer: :jig: The way the tape measure keeps getting tighter and those numbers shrinking mean so much more than a 2 pound loss ever will! :carrot: :dance: :carrot:

Also, in the time that I've been OP, I've cut back my caffiene from needed to function to ocassional pick me up! I have more energy, I feel lighter, I feel healthier. I really now am starting to believe that the body knows what's best for it and it will do what's best for itself.

Joni.......I could just kiss you :)

wow! ditto Joni, great article, I guess we should make lists of improvements, ie, Weight loss, clearer, skin, more energy, healthier hair and nails, less aches and pains, smaller clothes, better sleep, less cravings, clearer thinking, stronger muscles, more confidence, etc. Then when we look back at our list, we can see that maybe Weight loss has slowed but there is so much more on the list that wasn't there before we started.