I need some input to restart the loss. My scale has been stuck on the same series of numbers for almost 3 weeks. In the last two days, I have dropped my calories down to 1450 in hopes that maybe that will help. I did go up a pound early in the week and then drop back down to the 249.2 this morning. It gets disheartening to see the same 4 numbers every morning. Small inches have moved off, not the weight, unless of course I am just a bloaty sort of gal and that accounts for the inch factor.
What are things that help you out to start moving the weight off again?
I have been working out 3-5 times a week for an hour (recumbent bike or cross trainer 45 mins and then weights 15 mins). I aim to buy a food scale this weekend thinking it might be of help as well.
Thanks for your ideas! Help me slay these numbers!
What are you typically eating? Can you list food diary for a day or two? How old are you? If you don't have a food scale how are you weighing out proper portions for calories? Like for chicken, do you cut it up and have 1 cup and log the calories for that? Or are you eyeballing anything?
What was your previous calorie amount before lowering it?
What are you drinking? Water? How much?
Looking at the scale daily has driven many of us mad. I made my husband hide the scale, it's only allowed out on the first of every month IF I ask for it. Now I focus on what's important, living my life rather than waiting for results... The results will come as long as I stay connected to my journey.
Glam: Let me see if I can try and answer some of your questions.
Water: 48-64 oz - hopping back on that wagon fell off in the last year and trying to get back up to my 64 oz. or a bit more daily. Right now it's been a bit of a struggle.
Age: 44 I can't tell you what I was eating before I started a few weeks ago - it was a lot because I had just had a miscarriage in July and was comforting w/sweets or drinking regular coke (1 can a day if that) and found myself snacking w/my kids more than I should and eating out a lot because I had no interest in cooking due to sadness. Prior to that about 1500-1600 calories a day but that wasn't constant.
measuring: I measure out when I serve my meal, if it says 1 cup, I put it in my dry measure and then onto my plate. I know how much my ladle holds so that I eyeball. I am looking for a food scale this weekend thinking that might be better in the measuring dept. But I am trying to follow the serving size indicated in the recipes I use except for those ambiguous ones that just say 4 portions, then it's a bit of a guess.
Diet plan: I originally was going to go w/just lower carb (had luck w/it during my last pregnancy due to gestational diabetes). My endo had said carb limits per meal/snack would be: 30g Breakfast/30g morn snack /45 lunch/15 afternoon snack/45g dinner for me and eliminate the evening snack, she reduced the carb limits on the last two meals, I had been at 60g for lunch/dinner each. I was finding that if I was just trying to reach the carb limit, my calories were expanding. I am modifying w/calorie limit and watching what I am doing carb wise and keeping that as simple as I can, sometimes not hitting what I should be.
Exercise: 3-5 days a week for an hour at a time 45 mins riding a recumbent bike or cross trainer and then weights (albeit light) for 15 mins
I am guessing it's in my portion size and maybe I am not being as strict with such. I know something isn't working! Oh and I am thyroid dependent on synthroid (no thyroid), but I have been able to lose weight in the past on my own.
Palestrina: I think that might be wise! My mom said only weigh every 2 weeks, but I don't know if I could do that of late as I want to see something change. I think if I work w/it longer I will be able to get away from such and let my clothes do the talking in between or looking in the mirror. This can be a hard journey I am finding! Its good to see you have the willpower to look once a month. I strive for something like this.
Palestrina: I think that might be wise! My mom said only weigh every 2 weeks, but I don't know if I could do that of late as I want to see something change. I think if I work w/it longer I will be able to get away from such and let my clothes do the talking in between or looking in the mirror. This can be a hard journey I am finding! Its good to see you have the willpower to look once a month. I strive for something like this.
Willpower has nothing to do with it. There is a plan I place. Willpower is useless. Willpower is a muscle that gets fatigued the more you use it. And then it disappears on days of true stress and anxiety. Willpower has nothing to do with it, I actually make my husband hide the scale because it's easier than trying to summon willpower on a daily basis.
I'm going to reply with 2 posts, this one because I want to say it and I might not have a chance to type the second half of my reply.
I am so sorry for your loss. I had 2 pregnancy losses as well before my 3rd baby and it is a very heartbreaking experience. I put on about 25 pounds after both losses before my 3rd pregnancy. Also your body just had a miscarriage in July. I don't know how far along you were, but it will need some time to heal, both emotionally and hormonally.
It is understandable that you might still be struggling, so try to give yourself a break and some love. I'm not dismissing your want to lose weight, but I just don't want you to feel any negative feelings related to your weight loss when you have already endured a very negative experience so recently.
I am on synthriod too, for hypothyroidism. My endo highly recommends switching to amour but I can't till I wean. I don't believe its safe during pregnancy either.
Honestly, between your age and thyroid, while weightloss is possible it going to be a lot harder. I'm 34 and I can feel the difference from 10 years ago. And since being on thyroid medicine, its much harder if I'm not careful with my carbs. I have been carb cycling which has worked so far. But even when I'm calorie counting, I have to stay low carb-ish. My blood sugar was 2 points under GD with my 3rd baby and my doc never told me! Grrr. I found out after it was only 86 with baby #4 because I exercised that whole pregnancy, and I ASKED for the exact result from previous baby.
One calorie amounts, I would normally never advocate for 1200 cals a day, its so low. But I was trying to lose at 1500-1600 too and nothing. I'm carb cycling but also eating about 1200 cals a day, and now the weight is coming off nicely. I am exercising regularly too.
I'd start making sure all you food is 100% measured out, if nothing, maybe try lowering carbs without lowering calories, see if that works.
Yes if you are not being exact with your portions, that can make a huge difference.
After my miscarriage it took months for my body to want to lose any weight. I don't know if it's because your body goes through a trauma and it wants to hold on to the weight, if it messes with your hormones, or if it does something to your thyroid but nonetheless I had the same problem with the scale bouncing around the same numbers. I did finally find a way to get the scale moving again. I ate low carb, only vegetables and lean organic meats. I almost doubled the amount of daily steps on myfitbit from 12k to 20k. And I changed up my workouts. Before I did a lot of Turbo Fire and Zumba, so I took a break from those and did other HIIT training - mostly youtube videos from fitness blender.
Give yourself time to heal. The best thing you can do is stick to what you're doing and not go off plan. The weight will eventually come off even if it doesn't come off as fast as we want it to.
lemonthyme, I am so sorry for your miscarriage. I had had two and I remember the sadness. TBH, the last thing I was thinking about was my weight at the time.
Instead of counting calories, dieting, etc. why don't you find a gentle exercise you love (yoga, swimming) and eat simple, unprocessed nourishing foods you love? Like, choose several of your favorite fruits. Have one for breakfast. Rotate through the list. Then make a list of healthy light lunches. Rotate through that list. Same with a snack and dinners. This way you won't have to "think" and your body can heal.
Thank you all for your well wishes and your help! Part of my reasoning for trying to loose my weight right now is to focus on something different, but mainly because I have been having a lot of joint pain of my hips and ankles and both of those have got to carry me to old age, so I thought now might be a good time. I did have good news yesterday, my scale did move 2 lbs. I have decided to view it only when my app asks me to weigh in. I think a large part of the frustration is trying your best w/diet and exercise and not seeing any changes as I think we get accustomed to immediate results w/lots of things in life. This weight did not go on overnight and I know it won't come off that way either.
Thank you again for your support and suggestions - I have already upped my water intake and I appreciate you all reminding me of that as well. I will continue to heal the mind and body, it can be a hard hump to get over but I have done it before.
Last edited by lemonthyme; 09-14-2015 at 09:07 AM.
Have you tried switching up your exercise with intervals? I use a treadmill and recumbent bike and find it easy to fall into the rut of steady state cardio. Intervals of higher intensity sprinkled in are said to be much more effective than steady state. Or instead of doing your weights after your cardio, hop off the bike every few minutes and do some weights, then go back to the bike.
My other suggestion, which I find much more difficult, is try re-framing your thoughts so success is tied to things like sticking to your plan instead of the number on the scale.
Intervals of higher intensity sprinkled in are said to be much more effective than steady state.
I would second the high intensity route! My gym does half hour high intensity classes which, I'm not gonna lie, are REALLY challenging but because they are only half an hour you can push yourself through. If I do a couple of those a week I always see results on the scale
i refuse to stand on a scale... all it ever does is trigger my depression... then i go on a eating frenzy...
Hello. I am just popping in. I haven't been on in a long time, but I am lurking reading the boards and thought I would chime in. I did not weigh myself for the first 8 months of my weight loss. I just took note of dropping sizes, stuck to calories and trusted the process. I had bad days and said "oh well, bad day." Then I dropped it and moved on. I started to weigh when I reached my maintenance size because at this point, I have to have a baseline and be more aware. 3lbs makes a huge difference in how my clothes fit! I have been maintaining for a year and a half. I couldn't weigh prior to this point because I was so obsessed that I would get mad with no number change and give up. Now, I weigh once a week, some times less. I lost 50lbs and it took me around 1 year.
Struggling w/the scale not moving
