Ok...so i did vlc for a week and lost a good amount, then decided to switch to low carb for the next week to see which one would give better results. Today would be day 3, and the scale has stopped moving, so i'm going back to low calorie tomorrow because it worked. My af is due this week, so maybe that's part of the problem, but either way i'm frustrated at not seeing the numbers drop even an ounce.
Personally, I'm a fan of low calorie lifestyle. That way, I can incorporate my carbs (which I love, btw) and satify my carb needs without having to binge and gain weight. Although, low carb and very low carb has worked for people, I seriously doubt if I'd be able to maintain either of those lifestyles forever...
I went vlc a few weeks ago...not because I wanted to but because of some personal issues and even though now I am back to eating my 1200 calories a day, I have been having problems with not being able to get past 30 minutes of my cardio class because i feel like I am going to be sick and when i stand up, I start feeling faint. Are you sure that vlc is the best way to go?? I can't imagine it would be very good for your body. I know I want to get to my goal, but i don't like the fact that I can't even make it thru my cardio class or stand up without starting to feel like I might faint. Matter of fact, I am trying to up my calories to make up for that two weeks that my calories were too low. My weight is not going down but at least I will feel better.
I don't know about the whole low carb thing. I like my carbs. There is no way I could go without carbs. I do try to keep them down most days, but not eliminated. This has really got to be something that I can do forever so that my weight doesn't come back.
ehh I feel lethargic if I didn't have carbs. I'm with sunni on the low carb. Personally, it works best for me. 2 servings of fruit for breakfast with any sort of high fiber carb, 2 servings of fruit and one serving of veggies with some high fiber carb and protein for lunch, and then high fiber veggies with protein for dinner. Yay for fruits and veggies!
Honestly, not losing in 3 days is not unusual. The first week of any diet is usually the biggest loss and even on VLC diets, you will level off after the first couple weeks.
It really depends on what you would like to do for yourself but eating right is a lifetime commitment, not a 3 day one. I've had periods where I haven't lost a lb for over a week and then my body will drop. In the past 6 weeks, I've lost an average of 3 lbs per week but that weight loss wasn't linear. One day I'd drop a lb, the next day I'd drop a lb and then I wouldn't see a drop for quite a few days. It doesn't worry me because I'm in it for the long term, not the short term.
Wouldn't it be great if all it took were 3 days to lose weight? We are all pretty impatient that way.
I agree with nelie--it's about changing the way we eat, not about quick weight loss.
The most successful people find an approach that they can stay with, and then they stay with it. Not for just a few days, but for weeks.
It's not so good to switch back and forth from one plan to another every week, just because one isn't seeing a drop. That's not a fair test, and the switch will throw everything off.
Perhaps a less drastic plan would be better for you--do some research here on 3FC into the different programs. There are dozens, of course--but only you know whether you need a structured program, like WW, or a lower carb program like Atkins, or a meal-delivery program, or just calorie counting.
i know for a fact that doing vlc works well for me. As long as i count calories and am careful, i can eat a large variety of things and not feel deprived. It's the impatience that gets me. i want to see results, and i want them to be consistant. i lost 120 lbs doing vlc before ( years ago ), but i'd seen people do low carb and lose massive amounts so i thought i'd test it out and see. It's not for me, though, and i know it. If i deprive myself of all the carbs, it's all i think about nonstop, and that's no way to live. It's not a setback or even a failure to me...i'll just begin again tomorrow with what i know works best for me.
Besides...considering i used to be 250, 157 is really nothing to sneeze at. i may not be at my goal yet, but eventually i will be and it's motivation enough to keep going.
Last edited by thinnythighs; 06-19-2007 at 10:06 AM.
Reason: add on
Well I think we are all impatient for results, I'd love to drop a lb every day or notice scale movement every day but our bodies aren't just fat. They are water, tissue, muscle, etc. Finding something sustainable for you is key but so is knowing that the scale doesn't always cooperate how we would like it to. I personally hate to see people get frustrated when the scale doesn't move but the scale measures a lot more than fat.
Frustrated
