3 months on DASH...verdict is in.
 

My husband and I mutually agreed to do DASH diet for weight loss. We did the 2 week "pancreas rest" phase and moved on to the regular weight loss phase. I decided against weighing myself along the way because At my current weight I knew I'd get discouraged. Hubby has been weighing himself the whole time.

This morning I finally stepped on the scales. He has lost 40 lbs. I knew I wasn't that far but I figured I lost some because I felt like my midsection was smaller and my stomach had receeded to where my boobs stuck out more.

NO WEIGHT WAS LOST!

I am so frustrated. I begged the doctor to check my hromones b/c I gained about 40 lbs RAPIDLY, even when using a diet that had previously worked for me I couldn't lose weight. This was the same time I discovered I had an ovarian cyst. They did check my thyroid and it's fine.

I just feel like something is wrong. I have been so dedicated to my diet. I have exercised a little but not a lot ...I really hate cold weather and now that it's warming back up I wll get back to walking my dog 2-3 miles a day.

Any advice for me or experiences on this plan?

I"m so depressed right now. I have been doing so well and I really thought I was on the right track. Obviously not.

Now my hubby is within 25 lbs of my current weight and getting closer by the day. What if he gets smaller than me? I've already noticed women getting friendlier to him. He's a good guy and I'm not worried about him straying, but it doesn't help my feelings when a women obviously doesn't view me as any kind of threat, ya know!

I am so sorry to hear this! I do not have any medical advice but all I can say is preserve! You can do this!!

What does your typical day look like on your current plan?

Total calories consumed is what will determine whether or not most people lose weight. Perhaps you are not creating a calorie deficit but your husband is.

This might be a good example of why it can be a good idea to weigh yourself (everyone - I'm not singling you out) every week or two. You can assess whether or not what you're doing is working the way you want it to.

Lin

I am not familiar with the DASH diet other than it is low fat. You need to check your calorie deficit assuming you counted calories. If you had a deficit and did not loose accordingly, I would try low carb. Depending on your age, hormones other than thyroid hormones can still play a role. I gained almost 50 lbs in 4 months due to inflammation and hormone imbalance and could not loose significantly even with a large calorie deficit until I lowered carbs.

If your have cysts, have you been checked for PCOS?

Also, men lose weight differently then women, don't compare your journey to your husbands.

Good luck!

I am so sorry! That sounds really frustrating.

Is it a low fat diet? I have never been able to lose weight doing low fat, at least since I was like 20. Some people just need fat in their diets I think. The more fat I eat, the better I lose and the better I feel. I'm a little astounded that people even still recommend low fat, it's so... 80's or something. I guess it is working for your hubby though.

Plenty of people lose on a low fat diet. From my understanding of the DASH diet, I didn't think it was a weight loss diet. Have you been counting calories as well? If not, I'd plug your typical day into a calorie counter and see how many calories that you are consuming.

My experience with the DASH diet was a learning experience - it wasn't an unpleasant way to eat, but *for me*, it sent all of my bloodwork completely in the wrong direction. Triglycerides, LDL, fasting glucose - all way up. I just didn't feel good after a few weeks; I was sleeping poorly, foggy, with really dry skin and shattering fingernails. It took a few more tries to figure out that I do best with a lot more fat; I eventually found Mark Hyman's program called Ultrametabolism. That's the one that reversed the slide on my bloodwork and is the pattern for how I still eat today.

This is feedback! That whatever you were doing wasn't working for you. Now you know and make changes.

If you weren't counting calories to make sure you had a deficit, you can start. Measure and weigh your food.

Weigh weekly or every few days as a checkin. Don't freak out the first couple if nothing happens, but if more and more weeks go by with no loss, that's feedback.

Take measurements. You said you feel like you are smaller, if you use a tape measure you'll know for sure.

I think part of the problem with the DASH diet which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension is there might be some misconceptions about it when it comes to weight loss... which is not what it was originally designed for... Now of course there is a DASH Diet for Weight Loss version, but it's just a slightly more calorie restricted version of the original diet that should hopefully produce weight loss... But I think as most of us are aware here when it comes to calorie restriction and weight loss... Well, that takes some trial and error finding what works for you... but perhaps more difficult is finding a plan that you can live with...

Are you following the DASH plan?
 

Originally Posted by stella1609:
What does your typical day look like on your current plan?

Originally Posted by Lolo70:
I am not familiar with the DASH diet other than it is low fat. You need to check your calorie deficit assuming you counted calories. If you had a deficit and did not loose accordingly, I would try low carb. Depending on your age, hormones other than thyroid hormones can still play a role. I gained almost 50 lbs in 4 months due to inflammation and hormone imbalance and could not loose significantly even with a large calorie deficit until I lowered carbs.

The DASH plan isn't odd in any way - what I think of as common health eating: protein, veggies, whole grain, .... Fats are limited, but not ruled out completely because our systems need that too. One mistake I made (and continue to make) is that DASH (and all others) do not supplant the need to monitor calorie intake. Since the goal is heart health, to use the same plan for weight loss as well means that servings need to be reduced proportionately for your daily calorie plan. So no funky planning, but weighing food servings accurately should help. This plan is the most highly recommended by the American Heart Association. While there are excellent (and some not-so) books that have spun off from the plan, you can find enough info here (https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-top...sh-eating-plan) to make a plan. One drastic difference I found is that meat protein IS not an all-you-can-eat part of the plan, which may frustrate pure carnivores.