Hello everyone! I am new again to 3FC. I started my diet on December 29th, 07. My starting weight was 227 lbs. I am a calorie counter of 1200 calories a day. I also exercise 1 hour everyday. I am now down to 215 lbs. However, the past 4-5 days I have not went to teh gym to exercise because I am suffering a bout of insomnia. Within those 4-5 days I have not lost 1 single ounce! Is it because I am not exercising daily? Before I started my diet my calorie intake daily was around 1800 - 2200. I have dropped my calorie inatke by 600 to 900! Shouldn't just my calorie intake dropping alone be enough to still be able to lose just a tiny bit with skipping the gym a few days?

It seems I will never see any number below 215/214! I was doing really well until now! Will I ever start losing the weight again? Do you think I am stuck at 215/214 and will never go down anymore!!!! It is making me very discouraged.

Somedays I don't even hit 1200 calories yet still am at a stand still! I wanted so bad to not only hit my Valentines Day goal of 210 but break thourgh it and be under 210! Now I am even wondering if I will be under 215/214.

Please, tell me why you think this is happening and what you think I should do if I don't lose anything more. I plan on starting back at the gym just as soon as this insomnia goes away. I may go walk the indoor track today to get somee xercise in at least.

Thank you for your replys! I'm just so discouraged and upset!!

Hey there!

First of all, a few days with no loss is nothing to worry about! Everyone's body goes through ups and downs, starts and stops...your body may just be going through an adjustment period! So please give this 2 weeks, at least, before you start worrying. It could be hormonal fluctuation, or sodium, or any number of things!

Second, when I'm dealing with insomnia, I never lose weight. Getting enough sleep is important to continuing weight loss. Have you talked to your doctor? A short course of sleep medication (it took me 7 days) can get your sleep schedule back on track faster than just waiting it out. Your doctor may have other suggestions as well.

Don't worry so much!

I get discouraged every single day, and every single day I end up failing at least once. You are probably going through bouts of insomnia due to your diet change and such. I have done that before, and I am going through that now, is there some stressful changes going on?

When I can't sleep, sometimes I sit in a quiet room, and read a book, and if that don't help, you should try doing some yoga steps (both rewarding in many ways) It'll help with stress,insonmia,and excerise.

Also, as the poster above me suggested, try a few sleep meds, they might help some. And even if you're too tired, you should go for a walk or something that away you wear yourself out and you'll want the sleep sooner or later.

I hope I helped.

At your height, weight, and activity level, 1200 or less a day is likely not enough food. 1200 is the absolute bare minimum recommended for adult women. It's possible that your metabolism has stalled. Here's a tool to help you estimate your calorie requirements.

Sure, it takes time to adjust to a new way of eating - but if you can't sleep or exercise, maybe your plan needs to be modified!

Good work getting started!

I agree with the previous poster... Generally it's said that you should not go below 1200 calories for any extended period unless you are under a doctor's supervision (meaning usually, medical weight loss program with weekly checks).

You may find that your sleep problems clear up if you eat more. The link that the previous poster gave does seem to give a good rough guideline, but experience is the best guide.

Hang in there!

Jay

Hey Dawn - look at my stats - I started at 227 and am only an inch taller than you. I started my weight loss on Sept. 23rd. I have lost 44lbs....I have also learned my cycles. I'm one of those people who steps on the scale every single morning (gasp!)...but the good news is that I do know when I am going to lose weight each month, when and how long I will stall (about 10 days before and during my TOM), and what effects different foods and exercise have on me. Also, I'm with everyone else, you need to eat more. Eating less will stall your weightloss (crazy, I Know!) but I consume between 1200-1400 calories per day and usually I am at the higher end. I eat lots for that amount of calories....but I eat healthier choices for my calories.

As far as the insomnia goes...I have tracked mine as well to know that it follows the moon cycle (ever hear of a lunatic..yup, I'm one of those! haha!) I can't sleep until the New Moon has passed (my mother has trouble with the full moon)...so it varies from person to person...but I usually make sure I have a good book at hand (or Sudoku puzzles) and read myself to sleep...if I am still having trouble, I take a Tylenol PM (or just a Benadryl because I usually don't need the Tylenol portion of that product and Benadryl is the part that puts you to sleep)....however, I have found that I am sleeping better over the past 2 months of my lifestyle change than I have in a LONG time....

Good Luck! Hope this helps!

I agree with a few of the posters also. if I don't get sleep the scale either doesn't move or if it does, it goes up! But I now know it is just water retention from lack of sleep. The other thing is I would also suggest you up your calories some. If you did say, 1400 calories you would still lose at a good rate, 1600 would be a really good start! I know it is hard, but you need a good calorie intake to lose weight effectively. We all were taught for so long that only super low (1200 cals and under) was the only way to lose weight at a good rate. But it is not true. You have to feed your body to lose weight. Especially if you are exercising. There is so much trial and error to find out what will work best for you. But you are off to a great start! Sometimes even with our best effort the scale just does not move at the rate we want it to! Just keep up the new healthy habbits and it will show on the scale and the measuring tape! Good luck! Jelly

Keep up the good work and don't give up! I easily get discouraged, and that's something i see we all go through, we just have to make it pass in order to move on. Everyone has great ideas! One thing I like to do ( kinda silly) buy weight watchers, fitness, shape, muscle fitness hers magazines, cut out pics, sayings resipes,tips weightloss success, and i paste them on blank white paper put them in those shiny sheet protectors with holes so i can put them in a nice binder. i work on it a little each day! And when i get the urge to spurge , i go to my trusty binder, see other women goals met, read possitive quote, it helps me! There is a animated pic i have in there that has a pair of fat jeans, then skinny jeans right beside them , and it says:
NO mo mom jeans! its hilarious! I know sound goofy but it helps me a lot. My binder is now 2 inches thick!!

First off congrats on the great weight loss you have already succeeded at!!! As far as the insomnia it may have something to do with your body adjusting to all this new activity and routine. Have you tried any sleeping aids? When I get like that I pop 1/2 of a tylenol pm which helps with my muscle soreness too! As far as the no weight loss I totally understand your frustration. I have cut almost all fat and calories are around 1200, I work out 6 days a week and I'm at a stand still. Every little cheat is effecting my weight loss. I have 3 kids under 7 and I think that it is the taste of cheese, the bite of a pb&j as I make one for my son, etc. that are killing me. Your calories sound kind of low for where you are. The fat intake and are you taking in the right calories would be the 2 questions that I would ask myself. when I did WW I was eating my points, but they were coming from the wrong types of cereal, snack bars, ice cream etc. Sometimes just taking one thing out will help jump start your weight loss again. Now that I've preached to you I need to do the same with myself...I just made pb&js and licked my fingers and had a bite! I haven't lost in 4 or 5 days and I've been working out!!!

Hang in there, you'll make goal...get some sleep and then hit the gym! You CAN do it!

Awwww don't feel bad, look if it makes you feel any better, I gained 4 lbs last week I was really freaked, but yea i've learned to just laugh it off, or shake it off and just keep pressing on,Hey you might make up for that next week, who knows?

It seems like you've already received a lot of great advice here. I just wanted to add that exercise has been shown to help with insomnia. I know, being tired from insomnia in the first place makes it a lot harder to get moving initially. When I've been in your position I've found that simply trudging through some low impact exercise early in the day (like walking) does help me sleep better at night.

Conversely, doing high impact exercise late in the day can exacerbate insomnia due to the release of adrenaline and endorphins within a couple of hours of your ideal bed time. Some people are more sensitive to that than others.

I recommend working out early at whatever intensity feels right to you. After a few days if things haven't improved with your insomnia then I would see a doctor about temporary medications.

Good luck, and sweet dreams.

You've lost a good deal in a short period of time already. Congrats! You didn't gain the weight overnight, and you shouldn't expect to lose it immediately either. A week or two or even three weeks without a loss is no big deal, and is in fact, typical.

You are doing fine. I agree though, try to up the calories a bit. See what happens then. Good luck hun. Hang in there.

Thank you all so very much for your advice, thoughts and luck. It REALLY helps so much! ~hugs~ I am still at 215. I went to the gym today! My insomnia seems to be leaving! I guess I will just wait it out and hope that the weight will soon come off...

Thank you all again!