My name is Emma and I have been on this site for a couple of weeks now. My weight loss is going well but the last week there has been NO MOVEMENT on the scale! lol. Looking forward to meeting everyone and chatting
Hi Emma, and welcome aboard. What kind of diet are you on? I know that in the low carb world, we encounter plateaus every now and then. Keep at it and don't get discouraged!
I just joined today. How long have you been trying to lose weight, Emma? Looking forward to chatting with everyone too! Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday.
Rob, I was going to wait a bit to talk about what I am doing, but I suppose now is as good a time as any...
I would say about 2 years ago around this time, I decided that I was in need of a life change. I was never heavy by any means, but I just wanted to feel better about myself. I did not have the best eating habits, but had always relied on my “fast metabolism.” I ate whatever I really wanted, in whatever quantity I wanted…even if it made me unbearably full. I was about 23 years old at 5’8” and think my max weight reached about 150 lbs. At that time, I was working out every here and there at the school gym, but nothing too serious.
Anyways, I started eating healthier and started a more regular workout routine. I began to eat the same thing every day, because I didn’t really get sick of the food I was eating and it also helped make grocery shopping fast and easy. I started working out about 5 days a week, cardio for 35 minutes and some free-weight lifting and a bit of ab work. I lost about 20 lbs from March to September and was able to stay around 123 to 128 pretty consistently for a year a half. I would eat my normal meals during the week and then indulge a bit on the weekends. If my weight fluctuated a bit after a weekend of eating different and more food, I was able to pretty much be down to my normal weight by mid/end of the week by returning to my normal eating habits.
Over the recent holidays, I think I indulged a bit TOO much and managed to gain 10 lbs from the end of November until now. I am now at 136 and nothing is coming off. After graduation, I had a lot of things going on (i.e. friends coming to visit, Christmas, New Years, etc.) and I’m afraid I kept up the bad eating habits a bit too long. I have returned to my normal eating habits and have not begun to feel any better about myself. I have also returned to my normal workout routine, 35 minutes of cardio, free-weights, ab work and have still have seen no progress. I have tried to continue my healthy eating habits on the weekends, but have fallen off the wagon a few times, but still have ALWAYS returned to my healthy foods during the week. I just feel like I should be STARTING to feel like I am on the right track again, but have felt no such relief. I have even tried working out in the morning as well as at night to get a double workout in and am just at a standstill, feeling heavy and bloated.
Are your workouts daily? I think you have to define what your diet should be vs. what normal is. Maybe what you think is normal has too many calories/carbs? Just guessing. I know that low carb works quickly for me, and that's what I've chosen to follow. Have you decided which path you'll take?
Rob, I workout Monday - Friday. Each day, I consume under 1,200 calories (during the week). I can go into detail and tell you what I eat if that will help... For breakfast, I typically have one serving of oatmeal (1/2 c. mixed with 3/4 c. skim milk and a small apple on top), for lunch I have a piece of fruit and a piece of string cheese, for a mid-day snack, I have a Yoplait yogurt, and for dinner I typically have 2 slices of toast (Healthy Life 35 cal a piece slices) and soup (2 cups, never with more than 120 cal. per serving and usually I put some spinach and red pepper in with the soup) as well as a glass of milk...and then I'll have a bag of 94% fat free popcorn at night.
Like I said, this is what I have been eating for 2 years...I never get sick of it and it always seems to have kept my weight low.
I also drink about 240 fl. oz. of water a day and maybe two cups of coffee in the morning.
I think that if I ate what you ate, I'd be at goal right now! lol Could it be muscle weight that you've added? Are your clothes sizes the same at they were at optimal weight?
My clothes fit...although, definitely not as comfortably as when I was down in the 125 range. I just don't feel like myself lately. Like I said, I feel heavy and puffy and usually this goes away after working out/returning to my healthy eating habits. Maybe I pushed eating unhealthy too far in the past month? I don't know. I just feel slightly bigger all around...arms, legs, face...etc. I know that I am not overweight, but do have very unhealthy eating habits when I am NOT eating healthy. When I let myself splurge...I SPLURGE. Fish fries are big in Wisconsin and although I typically get baked on a Friday night, I can eat 4 pieces easily with the rest of my meal (baked potato, bread, coleslaw, and beans). I need to learn portion control when I do let myself splurge a bit... During the week, I am very strict about it, so I never have a problem. It's when I let myself have more fattening food, it's hard to stop.
For me, the older that I got, the more carbs had an impact on me. Pasta, potatoes, breads, et al. I had a size 28 when I was in my early twenties to now, where I'm closing in on a size 38. I'm partial to a lc diet, so I tend to suggest it.
Yeah, I would say that low carbs works well for many people. I don't think that my diet has many carbs? I know it is lacking in the protein department, but that has never been an issue for me. I have no clue what it is, I wish the lbs would drop like they usually do!
Hi everyone!
