Help! My weight loss is at a STANDSTILL!
 

I have heard about the dreaded plateau, and now I think I am in one. Only, I hate the weight that I am stuck at! I can't seem to shake the 175lb mark. I have tried increasing my exercise, decreasing my calories, decreasing my carbs and increasing the protein, decreasing the protein and increasing the fat, decreasing the fat and increasing the carbs, not exercising, drinking tons of water, drinking tons of water with lemon in it...The diet program (a commercial one) that I attend seems to want to blame me for this turn of events. I have been told by their staff that I am retaining water and have been put on a diuretic (minimal effect seen -- ie 0.8 lbs over 5 days). I have been told by their staff that if I put MORE lemon in my water, all my fat would magically disappear. I have been told that my "body won't RELEASE", whatever THAT means. I have been told that I have to switch brands of tuna, because even though the type of tuna (flaked, light, packed in water) is the same, some brands of tuna have MORE CARBS than other brands. I have now been reduced by this diet centre to a total of 425 calories A DAY (I added it up!), and cannot eat tomatoes (too much sugar), beans (too many carbs), any Splenda products, any Aspartame products, any caffeine drinks, beef (too hard to digest), any processed foods, dairy (except for egg whites), rice, grains, potatoes, and I cannot eat after 5pm and can't have any fruit after 2pm.
I think that I am not eating enough calories, and my body has gone into starvation mode, but they insist that the number of calories that I am permitted is MORE than adequate.
I am totally demoralized, discouraged, and depressed. I am ready to give up. Where do I go from here?

Uh, 425 calories a day? That is what is wrong.

Eat more, please.

Every individual is different, but I lost a ton of weight eating beans and tomatoes, that sounds like hooey to me. I also ate tons of fruit all day long (especially baked apples for dessert) and often ate at 10:00 at night.

Quite frankly, your doctor sounds completely full of ****. Find a new doctor, one that isn't STARVING you to death.

OMG! You have to have AT LEAST 1200 a day to live! And you only getting like 1/3 of that! Not wonder your not losing any weight - your not eating enough!

Just wanted to add, of course your body "won't release" it thinks you are in a famine and it is desperately holding onto fat reserves to KEEP YOU ALIVE. Eat more and your body will "release" fat reserves because it won't need to store them!

You know how much they feed coma patients that just lay there all day? More than 500 calories a day, definitely!

I just read that again and I was just as shocked the first time. Glory is right they are STARVING you to death! I mean what can you eat? Just Tuna and Water?

What can I eat? Well, try 2 portions of 3 oz (raw weight) protein a day (chicken breast -- boneless, skinless OR fish OR 6 egg whites), two servings of lettuce, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, onions or mushrooms (each serving to be 6 oz or less), 1 orange or one apple, and 1 piece of toast. That's it, that's all. My doctor claims this is 900 calories, but I did the math.
Since I am not losing fast enough, he has just removed seasonings, chicken broth, soya sauce, and salt from my diet. So, my typical day is:
1 cup coffee, 1 piece of dry toast, 3 egg whites (boiled)
1 orange, 3 oz tuna, 1 salad (no dressing allowed)
3 oz chicken (poached), 2 oz of cauliflower, 2 oz of green beans.
He just told me that my "problem" is that I have to "mix it up!" as my body is now used to this food, so "just switch it up!". He didn't have any answers when I asked HOW exactly to switch up the big bowl of NOTHING that I am allowed to have. He said I was being "difficult". ARGHH!
Thanks for all the responses! I'll keep everyone posted.

I bet you that if you started eating at least 1200 calories a day you would start dropping.

I wasnt losing so I started eating less and less. Probably less then 1200. I bumped in up to like 1500 or so and lost 5 pounds almost imediatly. I just wasnt eating enough! You have to eat to lose or so the saying goes.

?!?! What kind of place is this!? That isn't even enough to feed my CAT!?!!! Seriously hun, you need to find a new center or something.. Weight Watchers or something.. I mean really in my opinion that is going to kill you.

My husband, after I showed all of your great comments, said, "SEE, I TOLD you so!". So the plan is this -- I will bump up my calories for the next week and see what happens. I am absolutely sure that I am in starvation mode, which can't be healthy...
Thanks everyone, and I'll keep you updated.

WOW!!! You need to eat more girl!!! You are starving yourself. No wonder you arent losing weight. Your doctor is a moron! Please eat more food....1200 calories at least. Then you can go back to your doctor and tell him off.

Even if you just took the foods he told you about and just ate more of them. Maybe see if you can crank it up to 900 like he said.

What about this programme? Are you locked in for a while? Do they have any help for you after you're at goal?

Also, we might be able to help you switch it up as far as finding suitable substitutions for those simple foods.

I also wanted to add that there are successful women here at 3fc who started their weightloss with Doctor supervised very low calorie diets.

Your body needs time to adjust. So I would give it a try for a couple weeks.

How the :censored: does one brand of tuna have more carbs then another? Tuna shouldn't have any carbs period - it is meat. From that statement alone I wouldn't think this guy has a clue what he is talking about.

Get out of the program NOW!!!

Any weight loss program that wants you to be anorexic to lose weight is just in it for a quick buck. You may lose out on some money if you decide to drop this program but that is better than seeing it through and having an eating disorder when your done. Check on the credentials of those running the program, chances are you will find that they are not qualified in any sort of nutrition or training. As it was pointed out meat does not contain carbs... if we on the board know that you would think anyone qualified to run a weight loss clinic should know that (they probably don't know how to count calories either). I would also be tempted to find out who to report this program to, it could save someones life.

Oh for God's sake. And people are buying this crap?

Get out of there, they're going to ruin your health.

You're starving.

Literally.

Some manufacturers add sugars or other types of crap to meat, so it would have carbs and sugars if they did this.

I think that we are referring only to the flaked light tuna packed in water, as opposed to the flavored tunas (i.e. tuna packed in mustard-garlic sauce, etc.)

I am aware of that, but if you look on most any canned meat, you will see "modified food starch" as a food additive (which is usually wheat-based) and on some meats (not usually tuna, but SOME meats) you will see dextrose and other related "additives".

My point was that there are additives in canned foods - it is not just meat and water or the meat would rot - there have to be preservatives so it is best to look at the ingredients and make sure of what you are eating.

I am aware of that, but if you look on most any canned meat, you will see "modified food starch" as a food additive (which is usually wheat-based) and on some meats (not usually tuna, but SOME meats) you will see dextrose and other related "additives".

My point was that there are additives in canned foods - it is not just meat and water or the meat would rot (yum yum) - there have to be preservatives, which can vary by manufacturer, so it is best to look at the ingredients and make sure of what you are eating.

The nutritional data on the packaging should say how many carbs there are, if any. There shouldn't be any!

I've been running on 1300 net calories per day for 4 months, now, and I am monitoring myself with a computer program that tracks nutrients. It is almost IMPOSSIBLE to get enough of everything I need without taking handfuls of supplements every day.

One of the ingredients that I have the most trouble getting naturally at 1300 calories is potassium. You might find it interesting to know that Terri Shiavo's original heart attack that left her a vegetable was caused by potassium deficiency.... and there is NO WAY you are getting near enough potassium on 400 some odd calories per day. This "clinic" is dangerous. Save yourself!!! You can lose weight just fine with three times the calorie level.

Hi there!
That's a really good point, so I checked the ingredients of the tuna that I eat (Ocean's brand), and it reads: Yellowfin tuna, water, salt. That's it, that's all!

Ocean's brand - Hmm, I will have to try to find that. I haven't seen it in our stores (I like to try different brands to see what I'm missing). I usually use albacore tuna from either Starkist or Chicken of the Sea.

A friend of mine with a wheat allergy ate some canned chicken, once (I think it was Sweet Sue) and had a reaction. The doctor determined that it was from the modified food starch. :eek: That was what really raised my awareness about what all kinds of weirdness can be in our food that we don't really think about. ;)

Absolutely bang-on!! Being aware of what you eat is really, really important, especially when reading labels. As for the potassium issue, I am on potassium supplements as prescribed by my (loser?) doctor...

I would definitely find a different weight loss program. They don't know what they're doing and will make you sick. I would definitely be starving if I was on your meal plan. Believe me, you can have a lot more food than that and lose weight consistently.

Lillybelle, and all of you who have been successful, are very inspiring to me. I have been struggling with the negative thought that I am DOOMED to be this weight (i.e. 40 lbs over my goal weight) forever, as if I can't lose on 454 calories a day at 175lbs, how can I possibly maintain a weight between 135 and 138 lbs? Will I be eating NOTHING? Or do I accept the fact that I am "supposed" to be this weight? Your photos and input give me hope that I CAN change, and I don't need this current diet plan to do so! Thanks again!

that is crazy!425 cals a day! what he heck!that staff at that clinic is on crack or something!

Hi all!
Well, I had a Drs appointment today, but before the clinic lets you see the Dr., you have to see the nurses. Of COURSE they crapped all over me, as I was being "difficult". The nurse also disputed the fact that according to my calorie count, I am below 450 per day. She claimed that the calorie count of the injections and vitamins I take make up the rest of the calories (!). She got really angry when I pointed out that, to make up 250 calories a day (or 500 over two days, as I get them every second day), I would need to have the equivalent of 5 tablespoons of oil injected into me, and I was certain that the few mL of solution certainly didn't contain that! So, then she read me a letter, allegedly from the head of the program in Toronto, that I was receiving "more than enough calories" and that my weight loss was normal, and if I didn't like it, I could leave.
SO I LEFT!!!! HA!!!!
I have now (re)joined Weight Watchers and am looking to EATING SOME NORMAL FOOD AGAIN!!!
Thanks for all your support!
Later...

They sound like a bunch of ghouls - they also sound very arrogant! Anyone who gives injections for weight loss sets off alarm bells. I'm glad you beat feet away from that place.

WW will be heaven compared to that quack clinic!

Good luck in your weight loss efforts :goodluck:

Ok that is Crap!!! Your body needs ATLEAT 1200 cals a day, and that is only if you do nothing (I mean NOTHING) at all!--you are working out and not sitting 24/7-- UP THOSE CLAORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You need to get out now, this program is starving you!!! PLus what healthy program tells you to avoid fruit "after 2 pm" and tomatoes having too much surgar ? that is BS-- you are missing out on some vital nutrients! with that comes major health problems, beside the effects straving brings...

GET OUT NOW!!!!!

Errrrr, Fitgal2, she got out!

Good for you, freiamaya!

Sounds to me like you're going to Dr. Bernsteins. I really hope not. That "plan" replaces nutrition via food with supplements via injections.

I know a guy who was on that, lost mega amounts of weight then went off the program because it ws too expensive. Of course, guess what happened? He gained it ALL back plus more. He should have just taken his thousands of dollars and ate at fancy resturants with it because the end result is all the same. He's heavier now then he was when he started. :(

Good for you for getting out! That clinic is crap!!!! I cant believe people out there risk lives to make some extra cash!!!

:o oops my bad didn't see that post! :( sorry! YAY for getting out!:carrot: hope that you find something that you like and that keeps you calories at a healthy range ;)

Goodluck!

If you already have a handle on 425 cals per day, you probably have a good knowledge of calories over all and will easily be able to manage a more reasonable count.
So while you may have had a harrowing experience ... something good has come of it. yes?

Hi there!
Yes, something good has come of this, and I believe that something good can be found in everything. What I learned is that there is alot of junk science out there, and that the clinic employees really aren't capable of critical thinking. It was amazing that I could say to a nurse: "here is my diet record and here is my calorie count", and I would get the response "yes, it is a record of your food and your calorie count is right, but you are eating 800 calories, regardless of the calories that you have recorded" without her being able to show me where those extra calories came from! It was also scary to hear her say that "this diet isn't about the calories".:?: ALL diets are about calories!!! Too many calories are stored as fat. To lose fat, you need to expend more calories than you take in. It was like trying to convince a member of a cult that their reasoning is distorted. Scary. Also, I learned that there is no quick answer, and what most of the "lose 20 lbs in 20 days without exercise!" type programs are really selling HOPE to a vulnerable group of people who are really, really motivated to see results. And, I found that the small print is still suspect. This particular plan puts stars under each "success story" and claims that "these results ARE typical" and that their weight loss is guaranteed. However, they only "guarantee" 10 lbs in a calendar month (not 30 consecutive days) and their "guarantee" means that they will "treat you for free until your 10 lbs are lost". Hardly a guarantee of their "typical" weight loss of "4-5 lbs each and every week". :mad: It is all set up for maximum exploitation of a vulnerable population for maximum profits, and I really should have known better. That being said, I am sure that for some, the program is effective. All I know is that each pound I lost cost me $80. That's right, $80, based on a weekly cost of $160 and a weekly loss of 2 lbs on 425 calories, which, according to the program director, is absolutely acceptable results for their program. I could have done that with Weight Watchers for $15, been able to eat real food, and I would have had enough left over for a gym membership and had the energy to start an exercise program. Sigh. Lesson learned and pocketbook lightened -- dieting is hard work, and there are no easy answers, at least, not for me.
Thanks for listening!

Well good for you for getting out of that place.. sounded like **** to me. I can't stand people like that, I wonder where that doctor and nurses got brainwashed to accept that kind of diet plan and treat people with it.
It could have caused you lots of damage if you had kept going there. I'm very happy you left.. I would have given anything to see the look on their face when you left.
Keep us posted on how the new plan is working out for you ^_^