Originally Posted by Serbrider (Post 3315409)

Thanks. I had one waffle this morning (like I said... all there was), but for lunch (just finished it), I had a salad and a chicken thigh (just the meat, a little bit of the skin). Didn't finish the whole chicken... or the whole salad. Just wasn't hungry.

So yeah... getting back on track... and my stomach is thanking me.


And I reweighed myself. 217.8

Little better... but even still... 3lbs... hoping it's primarily water weight.

Originally Posted by MissKelly (Post 3315488)

Hi, it sounds like you are definitely retaining water...and in part a gain as well. I don't want to tell you how to do anything and I'm somewhat reluctant to speak my thoughts here on this, but since you are having a difficult time, I feel I need to offer some input since I can really feel your pain and frustration...and I really do care and I am concerned. By no means am I wagging my finger at you because I have been there myself, obviously. Sometimes, we just need a strong nudge. I know I do and some people here have given it to me! ;) I have been following your posts.

It seems that a modification in what you're eating needs to come into play, as you know. Have you considered buying some Whey Protein at Target ($20) and dumping the carbs a bit (i.e. waffle, white flour products...waffles are high in carbs and low in protein)? Whatever healthy carbs you do eat, put them into your meals early in the day so your body burns them off throughout the rest of the day. The carb indulgences here and there, by what you have typed up in your posts, are what's setting you back.

This weekend has been a nightmare for me on this. But I can't relaly do much about what my grandparents feed me. You can say all you want how I need to go out and buy my food... but my family is very much "you don't eat it you're being rude". Which makes my life difficult because I'm still underage and not technically able to "make my own decisions" yet. I don't eat that many carbs on a regular basis though. I eat them in the morning... and then the most I have in carbs later in the day is whole grain bread on my ham sandwhich. Other than that it's salads, lean meats, etc. The "carb indulgences" as you call them, like the ONE waffle, the milkshakes, two muffins (I had to grab something fast on my way out the door, and they were all I had on hand) and the burger... that's ALL I've had with those. And no... they weren't good decisions... but that's not what I normally eat... and with most of them... I didn't even WANT to eat them in the first place. Like I said... my stomach was really mad at me... and I paid dearly for my little "indulgences" as you call them. My normal meals are FAR more in the category of fruits and veggies. Not breads, pastas, etc.

I'm sorry to say, but you will have to put your foot down on what your family puts in front of you to eat by explaining to them how very important fat loss is to you..or...make a decision on how much of it you are going to eat. I am taking into consideration how young you are, but remember, it's your body, your life and no one can force feed you. Eat 4-6 small meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism going. You burn calories through digestion, keep it on the go. Make a set time in the early evening (6-7pm) where you stop eating and only drink water after that.

With my immidiate family I'm fine. When I'm with my grandparents... I'm not. My mom understands. My Grandma... ehh... she'll make a salad... but the salad is FAR undermined by the meat and breaded/fried stuff, and then I get in trouble because I'm not leaving enough for other people. Which is why I did offer this afternoon to make more... and I did, and had it for lunch.

What you put on a salad can and will hold you back (the dressing), as opposed to say...squeezing a lemon/lime over it. Salads can be very deceptive little items. Calories per teaspoon of salad dressing are insane.

The dressing I had on the salad, and the only dressing I like so far (and even then, too much if it is sickening to me) is blue cheese lite... that you can get at walmart. 100 calories a tablespoon... and I eat more like half a tablespoon of it. I can't stand most dressings because they're so sour. Makes me not want to eat my salad.

Whey Protein shakes will help you with cravings and will keep you feeling FULL. We need protein also to repair and build our muscles. If you have a lack in this, you will be at great risk of your body eating away at your muscle to get the protein. (Trying to explain it in the most general terms possible here without getting "way out there.")

The thing is... I DON'T HAVE CRAVINGS. I'm not one of the typical people on here. I don't crave sugar. I don't want it. After two bites I"m already sick of it and my stomach protests as well. In the past, I would push through that nausia and keep eating it because I've been told all my life "it's good, it tastes good, you'll like it". But I don't crave sugars, or any foods... except for corn. And I have no earthly idea why I crave that. I'm not hungry either. Which is why my portions lately have been so small... because one chicken thigh fills me up. When in the past it would take me three or four... PLUS other stuff in order to "fill" me... at least mentally. Now... I've removed the mental part of it from me... and I"m just not hungry anymore. As for protein in general... I should have more of it... so I might go for protein shakes... but for more protein... not to fill me up... since I'm not hungry or craving anything.

The sugar you are eating....it's got to GO. :( Weaning off of sugar is very hard. I went batty-dingo during the process of it. Took me about 1 month'ish to stop the cravings completely. Please consider this for your own benefit.

I don't get why you're saying this. I haven't had sugar until the day before yesterday and yesterday. It's not something I'm stuffing my face with. I had that one shake... because I thought I remembered it tasted good. Tasted horrible. And then I was SO hot in the car ride... and I just HAD to cool myself down. So I got an ice cream, because everything else I tried wouldn't cool me down. It worked... but like I said... I paid dearly for it. Running to the bathroom five times in one hour with nearly explosive diahhrea... enough to make ANYONE stay away from what caused that. ;)

Cutting back to 1200-1400 cals will help you see an improvement. My scale won't budge when I go over 1400 cals and will usually only go upward to 1400 cals when I need to trick my body into resetting itself, making it believe it's not on a diet (adding these cals and increasing carbs), then when it shows it realizes this, I jump back down to 1200 (cutting the carbs, back on high proteins) and continue on. The daily calories that you are eating right now may be your maintenance calories, not the calories you need for fat loss (speaking outside of the cheat days).

Every since Sunday I've been eating around 1200 calories. A little less actually. It was ONLY friday and saturday that "set me off" of that. I'm not regularly downing 2000 or more calories a day.

I don't care what charts or calculators tell you, me or anyone....charts for the most part are bullhonky and in my opinion, are practically for entertainment purposes, it seems. You're going to need to do the same thing with exercise, our bodies adapt to exercise and you will need to switch it up. All I can say is water, water, water! ~and cardio, cardio, cardio 4 to 6x a week! You *must* get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes a day on the days that you exercise....results! Lifting some weights/strength training (with bands or weights) 2-3 days a week for 30 minutes each time will help greatly. You will not bulk up like a man, have no fear of this at all, you're not going to be doing weights like someone who is going into competition. Muscle burns fat and it will increase your metabolism, even when sitting on the couch. Riding horses is nice exercise but it's not getting your heart rate up enough to where you need it to be to burn fat. Remember, this is about fat loss, not "weight loss."

I'm doing the C25K program (still waiting another hour to do todays'), and I've been doing horseback riding. I've been working out for at least 45 minutes sweating buckets with both of those every day... except for yesterday. I'm not just sitting on the couch doing nothing, thinking 'Oh... my fat'll go away". And don't tell me that "riding horses is nice exercise but won't get your heart rate up". Have you ever ridden a horse? I doubt it... if that's what you're telling me. Trust me. You're sweating BUCKETS by the end, out of breath, etc. This isn't a little "plod in a circle" type of pony ride. No... this is jumping, cantering, trotting for 10-20 minutes strait... HARD workouts, plus the 30 minutes I spend running around trying to catch the horse, then brush it down. It's more of a workout than you realize. I'm more out of breath after than than I am after my 45 minutes of walk/jog spent with the C25K, or after doing a set of weights. Try what you're talking about before you condemn it.

You have the desire, I see it in you. Remember that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. You are such a bright and intelligent young woman, I'm so impressed with many of the things that you post here....I only think you need a wee bit of fine tuning as you discover how your body works, as all of us go through. I cannot wait to see you punch the rut you're in square in the nose. You can do it! Incorporate some modifications, but....increase in baby steps, do not take too much on yourself all at once, do not overwhelm yourself. Be friends with your body and listen to it. It talks to you, just hear it. :hug: