Please help!
 

I am frustrated nearly to tears! I have been restricting my diet for over a month. Lean Cuisine meals to practice portion control, protein shakes for snacks, salads thrown in for good measure at lunch (vinegar or lemon juice to dress), and my calories are at or below 1200 each day, fat intake is low, fiber intake is higher than it had been, and I have lost less than two pounds. And that was two weeks ago! Since then, nothing. I feel like I am eating healthier for nothing. I am at 154 and can't budge. I'm only 35, so why would I just stall? I don't work out, but I do a lot of lifting and moving throughout the day, and try to work in 20 on a stationary bike 3 or 4 days a week. What's going on? I am to the point where the thought of feeling hungry makes me feel ashamed and disgusted. I just want to starve myself. :(

I'm sorry your so frustrated that your almost in tears. Well you have come to the right place for help. There are alot of people here that can help you. I am no expert but I think maybe your eating to little. try to add 100 calories in a day to see if that help.. I am the opposite of you I am trying to lower my calories to lose but am having a hard time.. Well hope it help.. Just keep going and never give up.

calories
 

You say you only eat 1200 or less calories and I really dont think thats enough. They say when you dont eat enough your body goes into starvation mode. I would boost your cals to 1400 and see whats happens...

Good Luck!

First of all, :hug: we are here for you! I am sorry to hear about your frustration and I know we've all been there at one point.

From your post, you are saying that you eat 1200 or less cals a day. I agree with the other posters that you should up your caloric intake. 1200 is the absolute lowest you should ever take your calories to. From what I understand from reading your post, your body sounds like it is in starvation mode and is holding on to all the fat it can because it thinks there is a shortage of food. This is why you never want to drop below 1200/day.

Try eating 5-6 small meals spaced about 3-4 hours apart throughout the day. Make sure to include lean protein (chicken, turkey, fish etc) vegetables/fruits, and complex carbs. These things will help you feel fuller for a longer amount of time and it will give your body the fuel it needs. I would also recommend doing a bit more in the exercise department. Try going for a walk every day or buying an exercise dvd. I personally like the biggest loser dvd series but you need to find something that you enjoy to do so it won't always feel like a chore.

Hang in there and stay strong! Post here often, we are all here for you! Hope this helps. :)

Hold on there! It will be ok...

I agree...COMPLETELY. Eve is right on the money! I eat 5 - 6 times per day and if I don't eat enough calories, I stall my weight loss...I didn't believe it at first and sure enough...my trainer pointed it out in my journal. The next week I up my calories to where they needed to be and we were losing weight again.

It will be ok...hold on and keep working!!

Thank you for the encouragement everyone.

I have always had a love hate relationship with food, and I am terrified of eating more. I am so afraid that if I eat more calories again, I will gain again. I had been a steady 146 - 151 for years. While I wanted to lose weight, I was also somewhat okay with my weight, as long as it didn't go higher. In the warmer months, I hike 2 - 5 miles a day, 3 or 4 days a week. My legs are strong, and I feel good doing that, but never lose anything. Once January hit, I hadn't been hiking in two months, dealt with the holidays, and was at about 156. That was not acceptable to me. I'm sick of the fat jokes from my husband, and even my son has asked if I'm pregnant because I have a belly. I am just so disgusted with myself.

I had successfully lost over 50 pounds on the SBD, but even cutting my carbs doesn't do much for me these days.

Hi WhiteRabbit ... would you mind telling me how you track you calories etc? Thanks.

I use this site:

http://caloriecount.about.com/

At first I cheated by not entering little sneaks through the day, but then I got honest, and was surprised with how few calories and fat grams I could get away with, while not starving - after the first week that is. I thought I was doing really well, and even confidently passed up fast food while out with my family, waiting to get home to my protein shakes.

This site is good, and I like that I can keep a thorough record of things. I measure out my portions, etc. Also, I entered all my info, and the 1200 was the caloric intake recommended for weight loss.

So how long is it "for certain" that your daily average is 1200 cals?

I should google to get an exact quote but Tom Venuto talks about trying something for two weeks ....

Fat jokes coming from anyone are hurtful! I know what it's like to have self esteem issues and be disgusted with ourselves but that is something we need to overcome in order to fully heal. Let your husband and son know that the jokes are hurtful and that they can help you in a different way. Maybe volunteering to exercise with you? Or cook you a nice healthy meal? I'm sure they don't mean to hurt your feelings and are just trying to help, but sometimes men need shown a better way of helping;)

Congrats on losing 50 pounds! Use that as proof that you CAN lose weight and that you are worth it. Every journey has setbacks and stumbles etc. but you can jump back up and keep going! Learn from every setback, and do just a little better each time. You can do this!

Originally Posted by SusanB:
So how long is it "for certain" that your daily average is 1200 cals?

I should google to get an exact quote but Tom Venuto talks about trying something for two weeks ....

All told, I have about 3 weeks where I hit 1200 as an average, and a week of days where I actually ended up below (like 700), because I was sick, and simply not hungry. I have not been over 1275 for a month though (I had a couple days where I overdid it to the tune of 1275).

I've had two bouts of gastro in the last three weeks and my weight is totally messed up ... has swung up and down almost 5 lbs all told. Which is quite a large percentage for someone our size.

If I have any advice to give, it'd be to add in some nice protein rich snack and drink lots of nice clean water. I think it's just taking us a bit of time to fully recover.

Do you think the protein of turkey, etc., is a better trade off for the protein shakes? Should I up my fiber?

I had a nasty sinus infection. Couldn't taste anything, and just didn't want to eat. I was sick for a week before I hit the doc. Thankfully, the antibiotics worked quickly.

I know one problem I have is I am addicted to diet soda. I was drinking a lot of water, but then fell off the wagon for my diet soda again. Now I *try* to alternate, but maybe I'm simply not getting enough water...?

I drink diet coke. Always have. I know it's controversial but it makes no difference to me.

I don't want to derail your thread but ... I'm kind of experimenting with some paleo type diet things. So I haven't had a shake in a few weeks. I dunno ... You'd think a nice chunk of turkey would be better for you than processed shake stuff ... so, maybe?

I'm going to have a half can of salmon and a bunch of crunchy veggies fro supper. How does that sound to you?

OOh BTW ... are you still on antibiotics? That has to be having some kind of effect on your body.

In my humble opinion fat jokes from a husband are emotional abuse.

I realize that you were sick, but 700 calories is way, way too low; your body will react to that and put you in a stall. It will take some time for things to balance out again. I agree with all the others, that you could very easily stand to add in some healthy protein for a while; 100 calories worth would be a good start, but this means on top of what you are eating, not instead of your shakes.

I think you definitely need to talk to your family as you need more support at home. You have to trust those who have been there and know from experience that you have to trick your body into letting go of the lbs, esp when you were sick recently. Your body will protect itself first and foremost; so you need some time to recover ... :hug:

I just wanted to add that the frozen meals (which I eat too) are filled with LOTS of sodium and can make you retain water, which may make it seem like you're losing a lot less. Are you drinking enough water? I find also that the more natural foods I use (less frozen meals and less shakes or bars), the fuller I feel and the faster I lose. For dinner, instead of having a frozen pizza, I am always better off eating shredded broccoli cole slaw (just the veggies without any mayo or anything) and some chicken breast and salsa on top. It ends up being VERY filling and healthy. For snacks, I would try to change it away from the protein shakes and maybe try an apple with a small yogurt or some celery with portion controlled peanut butter. Maybe your body would appreciate whole foods instead of processed. Some people just do better on that.

Finally, I would also suggest getting a serious workout 5 to 6 days a week. Maybe you could get a dvd at the library if price is an issue. A lot of people like Jillian Micahel's 30 day shred...there's a whole thread on it under the exercise forum here.

I hope you figure this out. This can be SUCH a tough and frustrating journey, but try to figure out what is going on. Have you had your thyroid checked? That can also make things more difficult.

Best of luck to you.

Wow. Good info and food for thought, everyone.

My husband, well that is a bag of other issues. My son is 6, so he learns by his father's example. He is very sensitive though, and when I told him things like that hurt mommy's feelings, I thought he might cry. Too bad my husband isn't sensitive to my feelings. Anyway....the task at hand.

I know I am probably not getting enough water, and I think you gals have something with the 'natural' foods. At the beginning, I was loading up well with veggies, etc., but I get a monthly budget, which unfortunately does not last. Two weeks in I ran out of everything (fresh produce wise) but iceberg lettuce, which isn't the most nutritious of lettuces, and that's about when I saw nothing come off.

I know frozen meals are not the best, but they have helped me understand my portions. I have gotten better at portioning my dinners (which are home cooked), and realizing that I don't need two + cups of cooked spaghetti to feel full.

I have panic fits about sugar too, and tend to avoid fruit JUST BECAUSE it has sugar. I know, it isn't refined but ever since I did SBD in 2004, I am paranoid abut my grains and sugars. :o

WhiteRabbit can I suggest stocking some canned veggies? I like fresh alot better but at the end of the day if you don't have fresh and can't go to the market atleast you will have some veggies in the house.

Maybe get your thyroid checked, too. Even if it's a little bit off, it makes a BIG difference.