Low carb - advice?

[gailrmv]

hi!
you might remember my thread about how hard a time I have been having losing weight. The normal stuff, i.e. exercise more and count calories, is just not working. Got checked out for any health problems and got a clean bill of health. Yay! But I still have about 30 pounds I NEED to lose.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/weight-loss-advice-encouragement.42594/=

Several people gave the helpful advice that maybe I should try low carb. The nutritionist I saw last fall suggested it too, and it seems as good a time as any to give it a try. I''m not going to do atkins per se, because I don''t like how they make you give up or limit fruit and vegetables which in my opinion are healthy and good foods! I also do not plan on eating high fat foods like you are allowed on Atkins because it just doesn''t seem healthy. So I''m going to focus my diet around lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables, and low fat dairy, and then eventually have some whole grain carbs in small servings. I have tried just about everything else and nothing has worked - hopefully this will!! I''ll give it a few weeks and see if I see any results. Oh, and no more than one meal a week I will indulge in something like Mexican food or pasta. Do you think one meal a week will mess up my plan? I think it would motivate me to keep on plan the rest of the time, and I would still eat only a moderate portion.

So, anyone else doing something similar? Moral support?

Oh yeah, and I also exercise a TON and as a result I feel hungry a lot of the time. (That''s why the low calorie approach has been so frustrating, I''m not losing weight and I am hungry all the time!) Anyone have any recipes or suggestions for meals/snacks that are healthy, low carb and really help you feel full??!! I love fruits and vegetables but they only seem to keep me full for an hour or so!

By the way, I heard something on the radio the other day about how the food industry has started sneaking corn syrup into a lot of things to make it taste better, and that this is fueling the obesity epidemic (people getting addicted to sugar). How disgusting!

 

[maddie80]

Hi Gail! I saw your post about my puppy - thanks so much for your kind words! We are ring twins, how funny!

I had to write back - I have similar trouble dropping pounds with low-cal, etc., and the only thing that seems to work for me is following a very loose "zone diet" and watching my workout schedule. This is also low-carb, but much more balanced than Atkins. It basically cuts out most processed carbs (you can have those, but in much smaller amounts.) Might be worth looking into! Anytime I feel I need to drop pounds, I switch over to this, start doing bikram yoga (the hot yoga - it''s awesome) 2-3 times a week, and make sure to get out for long walks/shorter jogs (I am not a huge cardio fan) and it helps me!

Hope this helps a little!

 

[gailrmv]

Hi Madeleine! Thanks for writing!! The Zone is one I actually know very little about. Is that the 30/30/30 protein/carbs/fat split? (I know that only adds up to 90, so I must be forgetting something.) I see people eating those Zone bars a lot. I will check that out! Thanks for the tip, I really appreciate it.

I never have trouble getting motivated to exercise, but sometimes I get fed up with the same old gym routine. One thing that has really helped me this year is to sign up for 5Ks and 10Ks. I''m not fast, so I don''t worry about the times too much, but signing up (especially with a friend) is a good motivation to train and get to the race!! I highly recommend it, especially if you can sign up with a buddy and even if you plan on walking it, it is still fun and good cardio

 

[Small]

Well I had gestational diabetes and am now a borderline diabetic (which means if I don''t change anything within 10 years I''ll be a diabetic

) so I can kind of tell you what was suggested to me in my visit with the dietician. Basically a diabetic diet is low carb and exercise. It''s watching labels and counting carbs per meal. For me, I would be allowed 30 g of carbs in the morning, 40 g carbs for lunch, and 40 g carbs for dinner with a snack or two in between with 15-20g of carbs for the snacks. My dietician told me that a weight watchers diet is ok but going with Adkins or something that cuts carbs completely is not a healthy lifestyle for a diabetic or anyone trying to lose weight.
Right now I''m just drinking lots of water and exercising 2x per day. I''ve noticed a significant change in my body just from doing these two things. I havne''t gotten to the point where I''m not drinking Coke or eating chocolate if I want to as I''m hoping by doing my exercise and losing a few lbs around the midsection is going to help me stave off diabetes as long as possible. Type 2 has been on both sides of my family and now my mom was just diagnosed so I feel somewhat like it''s inevitable. However to keep it under control I''m doing what I can without sacrificing the things I like to eat just yet.
Carb counting sucks but I can tell you it does wonders for weight loss. By eating the right type of carbs and not too many you can lose weight fairly quickly and keep it off easily.
Good luck!

 

[Mara]

gail have you thought about visiting a nutritionist or something? maybe getting some professional advice re: what could work for your body?

for me personally it takes some time to see some results...i don''t know if just giving it a week or two is really going to make that much of a difference. sometimes your body takes a while to get going. i typically see changes a few weeks after i start doing something new.

also you mention always being hungry and fruit not cutting it. what about eating higher fiber snacks? handful of nuts, or some peanut butter or some go lean cereal or something? fiber fills you up, it''s good for you and yes it''s carbs but it''s healthy carbs and carbs give you energy. if fruit isn''t cutting it''d i''d go a little more filling.

i do lowish carb too but nothing really structured. just trying to eat healthy and natural carbs, lots of fiber, snacking on fruits or similar (i like cheese too..hee hee) and then we eat protein for dinner typically, try to have fish 2-3 times a week. i also have been totally addicted to snacking on roasted turkey breast from whole foods...SO GOOD and something like 5 slices cuts it for lunch for me on days when i am not that hungry. i just eat when i feel hungry and don''t eat alot.

also did you know that many people advocate eating small snacky things every few hours? you say that fruit doesn''t keep you full for more than a few hours. that''s pretty good for fruit IMO. i typically eat breakfast at 9, then lunch around 1pm, a fruit snack at about 4pm or 5pm and then dinner at 7 or 8pm. that seems to keep my body pretty happy.

lastly, could it be that you are working out too much or doing too much and not fueling your body enough? our bodies are meant to hold onto fat in famine types and so if your body feels like it''s not getting enough nutrition and you are burning alot of calories then it may be going backwards and trying to hang onto every bit of fat that it has. you have to feed it enough to be happy and let go of some of the fat.

also random, but i found this webpage today and found it fairly interesting...take a read:
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~fat-burning-foods/normal-fat-burning-foods.htm

 

[laney]

Hi,

How motivated are you? How dedicated are you? If you really want to make a change and loose those 30 lbs you need to be fully committed to you goal. Once you have reached your goal, then you can make changes in your diet that will allow you to maintain you weight level.

These hints/advice are only from me - so I''m only telling you what''s really worked.

#1 - No, you may not have a "cheat" meal while you are trying to loose this amount of weight.

Ok? People may say, oh it''s easier, or yes, you still can loose weight. Both are TRUE, and if you find it acceptable to take 6 months to loose the weight - then go ahead.

One of my biggest personal battles before I lost 30lbs (over 10years ago) - was that I didn''t take diets seriously. I''d be like "oh, I''ve been good today, I can have this bread/butter combo". Or, one candy bar is *not* going to send me over the edge.

But the sad reality was - that attitude was preventing me from really loosing the weight all together. I ran 5 MILES A DAY - and was 30 lbs over weight. Later I iceskated 2 hours a day 5 days a week - same thing. Until I got real with myself and honestly addressed eating habits.

When you have lost the weight then and only then can you have your "cheat meals". It is as simple as that.

#2 Don''t eat like a normal person

Funny, but true. Don''t eat like your husband, children or friends. You are different now. If you are on a diet - you will need to make different choices. You need to investigate your choices. You need to make NOT JUST HEALTHY choices -but DIET choices.

You won''t be on a diet the rest of your life. You need to cut back for a period of time to loose those pounds. Once you''ve reached the other side, you can start making HEALTHY choices that count. Healthy and diet are not mutually exclusive of course. But you are trying to loose weight right now, not trying to only be "healthy" right now. It''s a different goal. Short term, different goal.

So, here''s the thing. If you want to make a salad for dinner -then you use the WHOLE BAG of salad mix (60 calories), you measure out your salad dressing (2 tablespoons) and whatever fixings you want. You family may think you are WHACKO because you are eating out of a mixing bowl - but that salad is going to fill you up so that you don''t have snacks later - while keeping your calorie input low.

Buy a scale. USE IT. Measure out an ounce of cheese. How much chicken is that. It will OPEN YOUR EYES to portion sizes.


#3 Do not eat the following

Rice, potatoes, bread, pasta. None. zip zero
You can live with out them. I promise. Really

Any caloric soft drink/drink
No coke, sprite, etc. Diets are fine.

Add sugar to coffee.
Use splenda please

NO LOW FAT FOODS
You will quickly notice that low fat -= High carbs.. (fruit juice used to sweeten).

Do I need to mention desserts?
They are off-limits. Really. You can have them later when you reach your goal. If you can''t make a simple comittment to pass on dessert - maybe you are not ready to diet. No chocolate or desert will not kill you.

Some people say "oh, well you have to have SOMETHING". Really? Do you? that is what got me to 30lbs overweight in the first place. Complacency and listening to others.. and my own cravings. PASS on it. For now

#4 Know EXACTLY what you put in your mouth

I''m serious. Down to the calorie. Go to www.fitday.com Be honest with yourself and add everything you eat. DO IT FOR A WHOLE WEEK.

You are worth the 10 minutes a day to add your food to this program. It''s a little work at first. But do it. You will have a HUGE revelation on how much you eat a day. A hand written "journal" doesn''t do it. You must add it all up. Use the charts - montior your Carb/Protien/Fat ratio.

Portion sizes are too screwy to even know whats in there (i.e. get a scale).


Ok - must go back to work now.

Loosing 30lbs is a committment. And you owe it to yourself to put yourself first -and be strict. Talk to anyone who has lost a lot of weight and they will tell you that they really did have to diet. To do this. They had to be strict.


You said "Oh, and no more than one meal a week I will indulge in something like Mexican food or pasta.[...] I think it would motivate me to keep on plan the rest of the time, and I would still eat only a moderate portion. "

Do you see what is wrong with that picture? You can''t motivate yourself with FOOD while you are on DIET

That''s like saying - I need to pay down my credit card, but I have to charge something once a week -- or I won''t be motiviated to pay it off.

This whole process has to be a mindset that you will diet, then get to your weight. Then maintain you weight. YOU DONT WANT TO DIET THE REST OF YOUR LIFE - nor will you.

Ok - need to get back to work. I hope I don''t sound harsh. But if you don''t want to fail, you need to be honest about your choices.

Good Luck!!!!


Your moti

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Laney, that''s all excellent advice!!!

Two more things I would add, in the same spirit: try to avoid eating same portion sizes as your husband. At least in my own case, I have stop and think before I pile on the same amount of food my 6''1", 185lb hubby eats. I''m 5''3", and we don''t have similar body types. Also, whenever your office has cake or cookies or whatever, don''t give in to temptation and eat them! Unless your office celebrates once a year! My old office would constantly have something special for various occasions, and my rule was to just not eat anything. It''s too easy to go down a slippery slope of "just this once."

 

[Mara]

Laney makes a good point re: something like portion...

But if you eat larger portions now it''s very hard to cut down on that right away....

So if you have to do a larger portion, do it with something really healthy. aka more salad than the dressing. more fish than anything else. more fruit than chips.

Sometimes when i am super hungry and i know my regular portion won''t cut it, i don''t feel bad eating a double salad or something because it''s better than gorging on cookies.

 

[Small]

Date: 4/13/2006 2:54:59 PM
Author: Mara
Laney makes a good point re: something like portion...

But if you eat larger portions now it''s very hard to cut down on that right away....

So if you have to do a larger portion, do it with something really healthy. aka more salad than the dressing. more fish than anything else. more fruit than chips.

Sometimes when i am super hungry and i know my regular portion won''t cut it, i don''t feel bad eating a double salad or something because it''s better than gorging on cookies.

That''s very good advice. My dietician told me to eat more green veggies when I''m hungry at dinner or more salad. You can always have carbs at meals but fill up on other things aside from those and keep your portion sizes smaller. I eat about 6 times per day but small meals. I don''t always watch my carb limits but from doing it forever I kind of know what to eat and what not to eat. It can take your body some time to adjust and show results as Mara said in her first post. Not everyone metabolizes the same no matter what diet/exercise program you are on. I know the first few days when I started cutting down and eating smaller portions I was super hungry but I tried to fill that hunger with water and I got through it. Now I eat when I''m hungry and try to eat small healthy meals however I don''t deprive myself...if I want a coke or something chocolate I have it but in moderation. My dietician told me not to deprive yourself of those cravings as when you do you''ll end up binging later on and that''ll be worse for you long term.
Good luck!

 

[emiliana]

Gailrmv,

I decided to chime in because my job deals with issues similar to yours. I have clients that have a very difficult time loosing weight before I start working with them. By the time they come to me, they have tried many different approaches to loosing the extra pounds.

I think every one here has posted good ideas and suggestions. On that note, I like to share some of the things that have worked for my clients.

The food Part:
Eat 4-6 small meals throught the day. I say about every 2-3 hours. So you never get too hungry and en up over eating.
Each meal should include protein and fiber because those two will keep you full. And, don''t forget the veggies
For snack, try include a small ammount of protein. For example, a fruit and yogurt or a vegetable and low-fat cheese.
Try and eat foods with a lot of volume to keep satisfied longer.
Vegetables and fruit have a lot of volume (because they have a lot of water) for less calories.
Limit intake of Simple carbohydrates because they are loaded with empty calories. Meaning that don''t get benefit of nutrients.
Have your last meal no later than 6 PM.
The last meal should not be the biggest meal of the day.
If you get hungry before bed, try and have one or two egg whites. Each egg white has a bout 16 calories and about 4gr. of protein.


The Exercise part:
Cardio about 5-6 days per week.
I cannot tell you what the intensity should be because I don''t have the information that would determine how intense the workload should be for you.
Most people neglet weight training. You need to add muscle to raise your metabolism and burn calories 24/7.
Cardio burns calories during the activity and (depending on the intensity) about an hour after the bout of exercise.
You need create a caloric deficit either through exercise, cutting calories or both.
It takes 3500 calories to gain or loose 1 pound of body fat.

I almost forgot, drink plenty of water and NEVER cut calories to less than 1200 per day. Also, don''t loose more than 1-2 punds of body weight per week.

Also, I always tell my clients they should not deprive themselves of foods they love. Once per week they can have a small portion of their favorite cheat foods. Once per month they can have a full portion.

A nutritionist is very helpfull. Also, a good REPUTABLE personal trainer will be good to have.

My English is not very good, so if you have trouble with what I said please ask me.

 

[gailrmv]

Thanks everyone for the advice.
Emiliana, your English is perfect!
Laney, ya know, your post does sound a little harsh, but thanks for the wake up call. I have been thinking of this as a healthy eating plan that would eventually get me to the right weight. But maybe I just need to do a DIET to get there, then healthy eating to maintain. I already have very healthy eating habits most of the time (just an example, I almost never eat dessert, and I never eat fast food or drink any caloric beverages, and I exercise for at least an hour 5-6 times a week) and I am still overweight. So clearly it is not working. I cannot give up carbs, including Mex food or pasta, forever, but I can give them up for a couple months. (And I DID think that 6 months of time would be how long it would take, by the way - and at 1-2 pounds a week, it probably will). So, lots to think of.

Thanks again everyone.

 

[Mara]

gail, i think you just have to continue what you are doing but eat even healthier...not necessarily a diet but rather the life change plan kinda thing.

i can tell when i am slipping up and eating more of what i should not be and need to tighten the belt back down a bit. i think as you continue to work on this you will find out what makes you feel good or bad etc. the funny thing is that i love mexican and we have it about once a week but now after i eat it, i feel so heavy and gross and weighed down, it''s nasty! but it tastes so good!! this weekend when we go i am going to ask them for smaller portions because that is my problem, i want to eat it all cuz it''s yummy but the portions are huge! who needs a trough of rice and beans? hehee.

anyway, i think if you just listen to your body, and continue to do more of what feels good, over time you will see positive changes and it can be slow going. it''s taken me almost a year to get off the 10-15 lbs i gained after the wedding, sure i didn''t take some drastic diet measure where i only drank orange juice for 2 weeks or anything, and i have been happier long-term with what is going on and feel better.

emiliana''s advice is very good too, i may save that for myself!! good luck and hang in there! also you may want to join the LIW daily workout threads, they are not all LIW''s....a bunch of married gals are in there too and it''s cool to share tips and this and that.

 

[emiliana]

Gail,

My heart goes out to you. I want to help because that is what I do for a living.

There are so many crazy diets out there. I can honestly tell you that the only one that TRULLY works is the healthy one. Diet, what a bad word that has become! I no longer use that word with my clients because if I say it, they think they will have to starve themselves.

You do not have to give up carbohydrates completely. You do not have to give up all the foods you love either. You can replace regular pasta with the whole-wheat low carbohydrate version. White flour tortillas with whole wheat. You need to eat foods that have some value to them. You will feel more satisfied…I promise. Carbs will crave carbs. The more you eat them the more your body wants them. Just remember, whole foods.

Are you keeping a food diary? It is important to have one-even if you do not count calories- because it makes you aware of how much of what you are consuming.

One hour of exercise, what type? What intensity? Do you cross-train? Interval training? How old are you? For your cardiovascular work do this, 220 minus your age times the exercise intensity equals your estimated working heart rate.

Do you lift weights? How often? Your weight training should target all your major muscles groups. Choose at least one exercise, two would be better, per body part. You need to do this at least two times per week with one day of rest in between. You can still do your cardio everyday.

Also, Mara made a good point about listening to your body. Maybe you have reached a plateau?

There is so much I can say to you, but without having personal information it is very difficult…sorry I really do not know how much more you want to share with us. Just know that we will NOT judge. We are all here willing and hoping to be able to help.

Emiliana

 

[laney]

Hi Gail,

I did not mean to sound harsh, but honest.

The thing is that when I was 30 lbs overweight - I was way beyond just tighting the belt and adjusting my eating. I do that now, when I maintain.

I too got tons of advice on how to "take it easy" and "ease into" a lifestyle. And for me that advice was wrong. I needed to really wake up and diet (not crazy) to get to where I needed to be.

Then - and only then, I could "make my lifestyle" changes. I could see I was eating bad and adjust. I could "substite whole wheat pasta" for regular. I could "have my cheat day".

But, for me personally, the catch phrases "forget about diet, change your lifestyle".. mean to me "eat a little better and you''ll be healthy and that''s fine". Guess what. It wasn''t fine for me. I wanted to loose weight, not maintain my current one.

So, for me, cutting through all of that - and working hard and focusing at loosing weight was my primary goal.

And, here''s the next thing.. people say "well if you go on a diet, you''ll just gain it all back". Also NOT TRUE. It''s been 10 years. No, I have not "gained it all back".

You sound like me-- working out a lot, eating generally healthy - and not haveing the scale budge. I *was* you.

If you goal is just to eat healthy and maintain - then I guess my comments aren''t appropriate. If you goal is to truely loose those pounds, you need to be firm, comitted and strict. THEN, once you are on the other side, you can be healthy, lifestyle oriented.

Sorry for the directness

 

[pearcrazy]

It''s going to be VERY difficult to eat fruit of any quantity and stay on a low carb diet. The Atkins and South Beach diet books go over which fruits have the least carbs and are OK to eat in small amounts.

 

[Mara]

the thing about fruit is that it is natural carbs and natural sugar....so you burn it faster than processed carbs or processed sugar. aka you will want to have a fruit before working out rather than chips or something like that because the natural fruit is processed and burned more quickly by your body.

my kboxing trainer does low-carb but he still eats fruits and veggies, i personally don''t think it''s healthy long-term to totally cut entire food groups out of your diet!!

 

[pearcrazy]

Natural carbs and natural sugar (fructose) still have the effect of raising insulin levels. Not to the degree of glucose but still will affect insulin levels Unless one is VERY physically active, fruits should be cut to a minimum. Not eliminated, but kept to a minimum. Non-starchy veggies will still pack a nutritional punch without raising insulin levels too much and adding much needed fiber. If she's planning on low carb she has to severely limit fruits on the weight loss stage. It's fine to add more in once she at her maintanance phase. If she can't limit fruits, there's no point in calling it "low carb". I was on Atkins but still sneaking in an apple or pear a few times a week. I was wondering why the weight wasn't coming off. Just by cutting out the fruit I was able to finally drop the 20 lbs. I was aiming for. It was as simple as that. Atkins is very strict on the reduction phase and it's certainly not for everyone. The nice thing about this time of year is that the locally grown strawberries are coming into season. Strawberries are relatively low carb and are fantastic sprinkled with Splenda.

 

[Mara]

I think she mentioned in her first post she doesn't want to do Atkins...but maybe that has changed...

I definitely believe that if you cut out many of the bad carbs but still eat healthily you CAN drop the weight even with fruits and veggies, it may not work for everyone, but it has for me and I have been able to still eat fruits and veggies along with my protein and fiber. Then again I was happy with it being very slow and gradual and a process rather than a 'within 2 weeks' kinda effect.

On a random note, Splenda TOTALLY makes me sick..I can't have anything with it in there...it gives me the worst stomach ache and (TMI) gas and other bad things.

Oh and re: eating fruits etc, our trainer told us on his lower carb diet that if you want the fruit to eat it right before working out.

 

[gailrmv]

hi!
Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions.

Emiliana, thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement. I really appreciate it. Can you explain more about how eating carbs makes you crave more carbs? I would certainly believe it.

Laney, thank you again for your insights from someone who has been there and done it. Although I am not sure if your approach is the one for me, I will definitely keep it in mind as I move forward. It is great to know that it worked for you.

Mara, I agree with you on the Splenda. YEUCH! I'd rather just go without any sweetener most of the time!!

It's so confusing; there are so many approaches out there and clearly the same thing does not work for everyone or nobody would struggle, right?

To address a couple questions that were in asked, in no particular order:

- My story in a nutshell: Until age 23, I never ever had to worry about my weight. I wasn't skinny, but very normal weight, and could eat pretty much whatever quantity, although I almost always chose healthy foods. After getting married and moving, around age 23 I suddenly put on about 40 pounds! I didn't do anything dramatically different, but looking back I think my metabolism slowed, and I was also eating out more and snacking when people brought things to the office. Some of the weight was muscle, from starting a weight lifting routine, but a lot was fat! I had always been size 8 and now I am about size 12 / 14. (I am 5'9). I gained the weight over about 2 years. I have been at the same weight for the following 2 years, and I am 27 now. I just can't seem to lose the weight! I have tried a lot of things! I don't look grossly fat or anything, but definitely bigger than I should be.

- I'm not planning on doing Atkins. I don;t like how they allow you to eat so much fat yet cut out entire food groups and even limit veggies. I know it works for some people, but its not for me and that's not what I'm doing.

- I worked with a very qualified nutritionist all fall. When we started out, I had been food journaling on myfooddiary.com for a while. I showed her what I had been doing and she said I was doing great and she could not tell why I had gained weight (and now not able to lose it) on what I had been doing. I was eating about 1800 cals of balanced food, and exercising a lot. She said that should be perfect since I am so tall and exercise so much. But we worked together to lower my cals to 1400 and then 1300 and reduce my carbs. Eventually we both got frustrated because it didn't work, and so I stopped seeing her.

- Luckily, I am in great health (besides the weight)! I just got a thorough check out at the endocrinologist because I was suspected for PCOS or low thyroid. But I don't have them, and my cholesterol is fantastic and so is my blood pressure! So I am really glad that all the exercise and healthy eating is helping my HEALTH although I would still like to have a thinner appearance.

- As for exercise, I work out 5-6 times a week. I run long distances, swim laps, and ride my bike or do spin class. i also go to a vigorous total body weight lifting class twice a week for an hour each. I love exercise and it has always been part of my life. I am training for a triathlon and recently did my first 10K run and am thinking of a half marathon soon. In terms of working out things have never been better.


- As for food, it is so confusing! I really believe in changing my eating habits for life, rather than for a diet. I believe in being sensible and enjoying life (and food) within the context of a healthy plan. I have already made a lot of changes over the past few years. It is hard to say that I will never have dessert again, or never eat at a mexican restaurant again, etc. It is easier for me to have dessert once in a blue moon, and then split it with someone. Or, I will go to the restaurant once in a while, but skip the chips, and eat half of my quesadilla and save the rest for the next day. Oh, and within the last year I switched to whole grain pasta and bread. My husband (bless him) and I also limit meals out to once a week. Those are the kind of changes that I have been making and I really thought it would help. They seem to work for others, and they are the good habits that my nutritionist encouraged.


- So after getting frustrated with previous attempts not working, I'm thinking maybe cutting back on carbs is the way to go so I can finally lose the weight. But I was hoping not to give them up all together; rather to limit the amount, and then get my carbs from fruit and whole grains instead of from processed things. I think that avoiding processed foods will be the way to go. Will eating fruit really impede my chances at success? I don't even LIKE fruit all that much, but I know it is a good source of vitamins, other nutrients and fiber!

- I got kind of slammed for the idea of the "cheat meal" (which is not what I called it actually) but I got the idea from Body For Life. On that plan you do the plan 6 days a week and on day 7 you eat whatever you want. It keeps you on plan the rest of the week. I wasnt' even suggesting a whole day but just a meal to eat carbs or whatever else.

- One thing really discouraging, a lot of the people I am around are able to eat whatever they want and be very thin! I know we are all different, but it's hard to be the large person eating a boring and small yogurt (which now I will probably have to switch to cottage cheese b/c of the carbs) while all the thin people are eating yummy burritos!

So thanks again everyone and I welcome further suggestions and moral support!

 

[Mara]

gosh gail it sounds like you should have lost the weight already with all the great stuff you do!!

anyway, i have had good luck cutting back carbs but not totally cutting them out. i don''t know if it will work for you but it has for me. i carry weight in my stomach area and i can see the difference when i eat some carbs vs when i don''t. so i can definitely say that carbs make a difference when you cut them back vs cut them totally out. for me anyway.

lastly, i would say that your body just changes as you get older. i used to be smaller than i am now, i was younger! things were easier then too. now it takes me longer to get to where i want to be, much less maintain. it makes it even more important to me to stay in shape so that i don''t have to struggle in the future.

when you met with the nutritionist..did she agree that you should be losing weight? you sound so healthy, maybe this is just where your body is at for now? just some thoughts.

 

[gailrmv]

Hi Mara,
Thanks for your kind words!

yeah, when I met with the nutritionist she could not understand why I was not losing weight! She kept asking me if I was writing down EVERYTHING and measuring EVERYTHING and I was!! Eventually she suggested I try fasting one day a week which I tried once and it was miserable so I stopped seeing her!

I agree - things do change as we get older - it sucks! Well, my skin is a lot better now - but everything else is more of a struggle! I can only imagine what is to come... but I'm definitely trying to be realistic. I'm just really concerned b/c especially if I got pregnant my weight could get really out of control...

But, maybe this is where I am going to be... I have really improved my attitude about it in the past few months! Doing the 10K race and getting the good cholesterol tests gave me more confidence that at least I am in good health!

Even though I know I make good choices and all, when people meet me, they probably just think "fat chick." And there are a lot of stereotypes about being lazy, eating too much, couch potato, etc. And it's not as if I can go up and say to people, "really I should be thin - you wouldn't believe how well I eat and how much I exercise!" So I hate that people probably have all these bad stereotypes about me when they are not even true. For example at work it was someone's birthday and one lady was cutting the cake and I said "please cut me a tiny slice", and the lady tried to cut me a huge slice, much larger than she had given anyone else - and it's like no, just because I'm a little larger, does not mean I want to eat half the cake myself. And that instance itself was no big deal, but just symbolic of how people can treat people who are overweight. I know I shouldn't care what people think of me, but it's hard! Other problems that people might have, it can be easier for people to keep them private and share them if they want. A problem with weight, people see it the first time they see you and probably keep it in the back of their mind the whole time they are with you. I think people in general are really hung up on appearances.

The only good thing to come out of this is that I have become really aware of stereotypes in general, and try hard to avoid making them. They are really rampant!

Gail

 

[pearcrazy]

ANY low carb diet limits fruit intake, not just Atkins. I''ll agree, Atkins isn''t for everyone and I can only manage to stay on it for about 6 weeks at a time. South Beach is much more do-able but there are several versions out there. My SIL likes the Sugar Busters diet but it too limits fruit on the reduction phase. Gail, here''s a good link http://www.carbohydrate-counter.org/low-carb-diet/

 

[emiliana]

Gail,

I am am glad you dumped your nutritionist. Telling someone to not eat would create an entirely different problem.

You sound like a very strong woman. I am glad that you have not giving up on yourself.

You seem very active when it comes to you cardiovascular training. Your muscular conditioning classes promote muscular endurance which is great, but muscular strength will promote muscle growth. You want this in order to raise your metabolism even more. I am sorry that I kee p getting back to this, but I have honestly seen BIG differences in my clients ability to burn fat with this kind of approach.

I would like to explain what I meant about eating carbohydrates. When I wrote that, I was only thinking of simple, nutrition deficient carbohydates.

I found a website that has some very good information on the subject. Here are a couple of paragraphs.
"carbohydrate craving" or "carbohydrate addiction" are used in a theory about the relationship between carbohydrate, insulin and appetite. We know that eating carbohydrate raises insulin, which then lowers blood sugar. This causes a desire (or craving) for more food and, for some people, carbohydrates in particular.
High-sugar, refined starch, convenience and comfort foods feed the addiction like a drug. They produce correspondingly high blood sugar and insulin levels, which lead to even more cravings. They also produce higher levels of the brain chemical serotonin. In sensitive people, particularly those who may have low serotonin levels to begin with, a carbohydrate binge is the equivalent of self-medication - getting a sugar "high." You can find all of this information and more here: http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C240808.html#G834

Gail, there is medical condition that a few people have which prevents them from lossing weight. Have looked into something like that? I am not talking about the thyroid. Something important, not mentioned, are your genes. What about your family? Any one experiencing your similar situation?

I hope that I am not making things more confusing for you.

I will not worry about what you think others are thnking. People who judge other people simply because they do not fit their idea of a body type are not worth knowing. I am sure you are a beautiful person inside and out and you will be fine as long as you stay positve.

Em

 

[gailrmv]

Emiliana,
Thank you so much for your very helpful and encouraging post! I really appreciate you taking the time to write to me, especially helpful since this is what you do professionally. Many, many thanks for your kind words.

That makes very good sense about the simple carbs causing people to crave more. I can totally believe that.

That is a very interesting idea about genetically being unable to lose weight! I wish I could blame my problems on genetics, but truly, I don''t think it is the issue for me. Most people in my family are thin or normal weight, although they do have to constantly watch their diet and exercise to stay that way (I guess we are not a family of naturally thin people.) Several people in my extended family are overweight, but not in my immediate family. In fact, my brother is a picky eater and is actually too thin.

Thank you for the advice about working on muscle strength rather than endurance. I think the class I take may focus more on endurance. To work on strength, should focus on doing heavier weights, fewer reps? The class I take seems to focus on medium weights, but a lot of reps. I guess it is always good to mix up the routiine.

Couple of questions for you if you don''t mind - I dont want to take up too much of your time.

Do you know when it is best to eat around a workout? I usually do not have a snack before I work out (it seems like I would just be burning off what I just ate) but then I do eat dinner pretty soon after I get home. Sometimes I feel absolutely starved after an intense workout. Is it important to eat a certain mix of protein/carbs/fat following a workout? Should I have a snack beforehand?

Also, is it important to do some cardio workouts in the "fat burning" range and some in the "cardio" range? I have heard differing opinions about this from knowledgeable people so I guess maybe there are different schools of thought. I have heard that it is fine to usually work out in the cardio range because that burns more calories overall. That''s what I usually do, but I hope I am not preventing my body from burning fat.

Two other things about me, not sure if this is relevant at all: My heartrate gets very high when I work out. I was checked out by a cardiologist and he said that 220 minus your age is a guideline, and my heart''s natural capacity is higher. It''s been this way my whole life. When I run at a good clip it gets over 180 beats per minute and if I do any interval training I easily get it over 200. (I have a heart rate monitor).

Also, my whole life, I have had trouble getting tired at night and then a LOT of trouble getting out of bed in the morning - almost regardless of the time. It seems like my body''s clock is shifted to want me to stay up very late and sleep very late. I have never been a morning person. I hear there is some very interesting early research being done about circadian rhythms and metabolism.

Again, thanks Emiliana and everyone else who has written and been following this thread - admittedly not a very interesting one!
Gail

 

[meepcat]

It seems to me that weight, weddings, love, and fashion all go hand-in-hand. Of course, some people only embrace a few of these, but most of the female population in any Western civilized country will have issues with at least 2 of them..

I have one of those endomorphic bodies. I build muscle fast, but I build fat even faster. If I dehydrate myself, I bloat, and everything gets out of sorts. I feel like a tub of goo.

When I lived abroad, I walked everywhere, and in turn, dwindled to a very thin size with. But when I lived in Germany, I ate tons of meat and drank beer every night. So my body was like before -- bloated and out of sorts.

Now, I dance 4-5 days a week, and drink a lot of water, while scarcely touching alcohol. I also get sleep. I ate a lot (probably about 2000 calories/day), but mostly veggies, bread, and other CARB-RICH things. I try to get protein in my day, so my body can rebuild itself. It works for me, since in my adulthood, I''ve seen my body range between 114-142.

Anyway, my suggestions for dieting:

1. drink lots of water
2. eat oatmeal or granola in the morning with milk, bananas, fruit
3. have heaviest carbs/meats/etc. for lunch -- eat until you feel full, but make sure to drink water a lot in there
4. drink at least 2 liters of water a day
5. snack on things that overall, have less than 200 per snacking period
6. don''t eat a heavy dinner; exercise at night

Hope this helps.

 

[jacki0]

The best advice I got when I started dieting was from Weight Watchers.....always have 0 point foods on hand (veggies, broths) and high protein treats (cheese sticks, peanut butter), so you can "graze" all day...Yoou should never feel "stuffed" or "starving"...the key is to be able to eat when the hunger starts (like you feel an hour after eating veggies!) Also include flavored water to help with the cravings...and I keep a few pieces of dark chocolate on my desk as a Special Treat...plus they are good for your heart! Simple changes and excersise should guarante 1-2 pound weight loss per week. Good Luck!