It's been 9 days and the scale won't move!!! Ive been eating around 1300 calories and it won't move!!

Here's my typical menu:

1/2 cup grape nuts w/ 1/2 cup skim milk
string cheese snack
South beach wraps for lunch (230 calories)
string cheese snack
Piece of grilled chicken or fish
1/2 cup of beans or veggies
maybe a small salad with south beach dressing

I usually walk a mile per day (my allergies have been really bad lately so I haven't walked since Tuesday. I haven't had any energy)

Please help me I'm starting to freak!!! I'm so scared to increase my calories. Why won't the scale move?

Honestly Liz, I hear you... but maybe you need to shake up the calories a little - 1300 at your weight is VERY low... I often drop to 1300-1400, but the scale won't move if I stay there for more than a couple of days. Pump them up to 1500/day for a couple of days and see if that shakes things up enough to move the scale.

I could suggest more exercise, but on 1300 calories a day, I think you'd be exhausted!

Good luck, and let us know what you decide to do!

Heather

Yeah, shake it up.. I was a bit stuck and I added another 200-300 calories a day and the scale seems to be moving a bit now.

Thanks girls. I will take it upto 1500 calories and see what happens. I've become so paranoid about food. I feel like I'm going crazy. I'm just so sick of being fat and I will do anything to keep it off. I know if we don't eat enough, we put our bodies in starvation mode. Logically I know this, but I'm so scared to eat more...

When you add more calories you may want to add more veggies and some fruit to your food intake. Those two food groups seem to be a bit lacking at the moment. I'm not sure what grape nuts are, but I'm pretty sure they aren't to do with grapes, so that means you aren't having any fruit at all. I am pretty sure you are allowed fruit if you are on South Beach, but I could be wrong. If so, please forgive me for my 'nagging'. I just find that it is the fruit and veg that keep me going as I can eat quite a lot of it (especially the vegetables) and it takes longer to eat and keeps me fuller for fewer calories.

Good luck.

Zelma

I agree that at your size you need more calories, even to lose weight. And also, because you are exercising you have some leeway.

Also, you need more variety! Say, some BabyBel or Laughing Cow cheeses instead of always string cheese. Definitely more fruits are possible.

How are you tracking your calories? Because when I enter your foods into FitDay, I don't get that many calories.

I'd think you could go up to 1500 without gaining, no prob. But you won't know unless you try it and see.

Another idea is to increase your exercise. It's great that you're walking! But maybe increase your distance, or look into some other options for different exercise--like the YMCA, or a Curves or other such program, or maybe some exercise videos you could do at home.

Also, I think it's a good idea to take a multivitamin and a calcium/magnesium supplement when dieting.

Good luck!
Jay

I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, so I don't eat much fruit because I'm afraid of the sugar. DH and I are about to start ttc #2 next month, so I'm afraid to eat any sugar.

I got lazy and stopped entering my food into fitday, so I'm going to do that again, and I'm going to try to get up to 1500 calories and see how that does.

Thanks for listening and for all the great advice.

Surely there are lots of other options though! How about fresh cut up veggies or baked tortilla chips with low cal salsa (or low fat ranch), 1/2 a pita w/ fresh veggie slices and some lean turkey for a snack, or one low carb tortilla folded in half with some grilled chicken and low-fat cheese, melted on a panini grill or in the oven or on the stove for a small quesadilla? Nuts and protein shakes are other options, or perhaps scrambled egg whites or a hard boiled egg here or there. I know nothing about South Beach, so forgive me if some of these things aren't allowed!

Water, water and more water! That always helps me. Also, I agree with the others, you probably need more calories and more veggies (since fruit is not an option for you). Just change up your routine/foods and it'll come off, don't get discouraged!

hi Liz!
Some fruits are actually pretty low GI..and they are so great esp if you've been avoiding them, I know for me personally they really add so much enjoyment to my snacks..some of the lower GI fruits are:
apples
oranges
pears
peaches
plums
berries

I have a sliced orange almost every day..also core and slice an apple and sprinkle some splenda and cinnamon on it..I keep peaches and pears canned in grape juice in the cupboard so i always have fruit on hand, these are very handy mixed with cottage cheese in the morning..
another yummy one is a pear, cut into quarters lengthwise with some sugar free caramel coffee syrup on it..yum!!
And after supper if I am hungry I thaw about 1/2 cup raspberries and just a stitch of sugar free yogurt, splenda to cut the tart berries, yum!!!
really, sneak in some fruit, girl! (I used to think it was my enemy too and i was so wrong)