Quote:
Originally Posted by lisa32989
Okay. I'm at my computer now.
I thought some other IP long-timers (or John) would have jumped in before now!
First: I think you are stressing yourself out comparing yourself to others. We all lose at different rates. Our metabolisms are all different. My goodness, halfagain has lost OVER TWICE the amount of weight I've lost in a similar amount of time! We all are different ages and heights, have different hormonal balances (or imbalances) and have different lives! And, stress increases the hormone cortisol, which interferes with weight loss.
Second: Weight loss is not linear. You will not lose x amount per day or per week. AND what we are trying to lose is FAT. The scale measures overall weight. So it measures heavier if we are retaining water (for whatever reason) or if we are constipated or WHATEVER. These things are completely separate from actually losing fat. You complained about losing in waves but that is precisely what happens to most of us. It is not bizarre at all.
Third: It seems like you are complaining about an average weight loss of OVER 2.5 lbs/week. You are averaging an average amount for IP. If you are still hanging on to the bigger claims they used to make, know IP revised those claims. What other diet has given you results like this???
Fourth: If you are stressing over the scale, then STAY OFF OF IT. A watched pot doesn't boil and sometimes watched scales don't move (the stress increases cortisol). Follow the protocol (including your restricteds) and trust the process. You can't game the IP protocol to speed things up. This is ALREADY a quick weight loss program (most other plans average .5-1/week).
Yes, there are some people who are so extremely carb sensitive that they can't use the restricteds, or must severely limit them. From your description, you are not one of them. You are steadily losing weight (not daily, but steadily, in whooshes, the way it happens).
You will probably have at least one week of a zero loss. Most of us have. This is just the way long-term weight loss works. John has some great articles you need to read & he'll link to them if he jumps in here. But if you stick with it, you'll get the results you want. It may not be in the timeframe you want but you know what? Tough. Life isn't always fair. I've been dealt MANY blows while I've been on this plan and I'm still working it and still headed toward my goal (thyroid problems, a course of steroids & injuries to name a few). If I had averaged 2.5 lbs/week every week, I'd be at my goal right now. I'm not. Oh well. I'm still moving forward and headed in the right direction.
We can do it together as long as we stay positive and leave the stress out of it and stop comparing our results to the results of others. We aren't living their lives. We are only living our own.
So, my question to you is this: What can you do today to reduce the stress and relax and enjoy it while this weight comes off and you change sizes and gain back your healthy life? I predict Onderland will appear when the stress dissipates.
Thanks, Lisa. Your points are valid and you certainly know far more about IP than I do. I didn't mean to complain about my results. Like I said, 16 pounds is 16 pounds. And I KNOW every body is different but I just feel like I want to do everything I can to keep myself on this journey. Seeing results on a regular basis is a huge motivator for me. Personally, that's what I need most. If 2.5 lbs a week average is what my body can do, then so be it. But I'm a very driven (and rather competitive) person. Similar to my business life, I'm always looking for ways to improve on what I'm doing. When I put my mind to something, I give it 110%. My point in experimenting with no restricteds was just that -- to see if it makes a difference. I'm not waving the white flag or feeling like I'm going to give up, but if I can do MORE, then why not? Just like I don't cheat. Not even a little. And when I don't think I can drink any more water, I refill that 24 oz water bottle and drink more.
I didn't have the big week 1 losses like everyone else. My weeks have gone like this: 2.5, 4, 1, 2, skipped, 6.4. (The 6.4 obviously was a 2 week weigh in.). My results aren't bad, but could they be better? I don't know. I take a lot of ideas away from 3FC and just thought if there was more I could be doing, I might as well try.
All that being said, I really appreciate your thoughts and comments. Everything you said is right and this may just be where I'm supposed to be. But if I don't try to achieve greater results like some have had on here, I feel like I'm not giving it my greatest effort and, in the end, am only short changing myself.
