Help...Hit the Wall

[DisneyDad413]

Today marks three weeks. Two weeks in I was estatic. I have spent the whole time cheat FREE. Hardest of all-I have not had any soft drinks or chicken wings. And I have lost 21 lbs.
While I am sure most would be happy. I have actullay gained back 1 lb over the last 5 days. I have hit that wall. Any ideas for changes??
I have limited myself to around 1000 calories a day.
One unbuttered bagel before work
Bowl of cereal(Total) or yogurt(90) for lunch
1 Lean Cuisine Meal for dinner-not to exceed 350 calories + 1 yogurt.
Drinks-water and no calorie-low sugar pink lemonade

Foods that I also used:
-No butter popcorn
-Pickles
-Low-fat pretzels
-WW ice cream sandwich(100 calories)

Any foods to add??
Is my caloric intake too low??

Thanks

 

[jenanderson]

I am not an expert on calorie intake (I follow WW and actually have no clue on counting calories).

What about exercising? I noticed that I really needed to up my exercise a bit more to keep losing. Since I did not really have big chunks of time and not a lot of endurance to start with , I exercise in small chunks throughout the day. I have been trying to get at least 2-30 minute blocks of exercising in, sometimes 3 blocks of 30 minutes. Maybe you need to add exercise or increase it a bit?

Hopefully someone else will have some ideas on your calorie intake. Good luck!

Jen

 

[lmhall2000]

First 21 pounds in a couple of weeks is ALOT to lose!! That's great- but also a big shock to your body. In my opinion eating less than 1000 calories a day can trick your body into thinking it's starving and your body will start reserving energy- meaning you won't lose and maybe gain.

Some changes I would make.....
It seems like your breakfast and lunch is loaded in carbs- especially carbs that don't do alot for your weight loss- how about adding some fresh fruit or protein in there? Mix it up a bit- have an egg and bacon or add some raspberries (all berries are the lowest carb fruits you can choose).

Instead of Total cereal for lunch (which I love because you're getting the vitamins), how about some deli turkey with an ounce of cheese and some celery? You need variety in there. Dinner sounds fine- but check on the sodium count- sometimes those meals can be fairly high in sodium and cause water retention.

And it's a good idea to have a snack in between meals to keep your metabolism going at a higher rate. Some good choices for snacks are....
nuts (pistachios are a favorite of mine- it takes some energy to crack those puppies open and you feel like you're eating more than you are!
Cheese and crackers- I like the wheatstone cracker- just two of them with a slice of cheese on each-
fruit- about a quarter cup of anything
veggies- celery and carrot sticks
boiled eggs


I think if you add about 500 calories and make them natural foods, avoid the popcorn and pretzels- and stick to veggies, fruits, deli meats you'll see the weight loss coming off- I wouldn't go below 1200 calories.

And any exercise?? That can really help kick you off a plateau. Just find something you like and start small but consistent and build up.

You're doing GREAT- let your body recover and maybe adjust your diet a little to reflect more fruits/veggies and protein- the fresher the better! And reserve your high carb meal for breakfast will make it easier to burn it off during the day- keep us posted!!! I hope this helps- these are just ideas that I"ve had to play with in my weight loss and they've seemed to help.

Tara

 

[DisneyDad413]

Jen & Tara-thanks very meuch for your replies.
I do alot of walking during the day(I have 2 full time jobs) and I swim everyday. Not too mention I have 2 DS 1 &4 that keep me chasing. Every hard to find time to go to a gym-which I would like-but I am very active.
This sounds funny-but I find it hard to add more calories and I am very stubborn and feel like I am cheating. Starting Weds-I am going to rotate and try some of the foods you suggested and up to 1200 calories.
Fruit will be the key as I reall don't like veggies. And you mentioned Bacon-what kind and how much(sounds yummy).
I am very excited about the ideas-if others have anymore PLEASE add.

Thanks

 

[raidermatt]

Individual caloric needs vary, and I'm sure somebody else will be able to provide more detailed advice, but YES, 1000 calories per day is too low.

Congrats on losing 21 pounds in three weeks, but really, that's probably not a realisitic pace. You probably need to be somewhere in the 1800-2200 per day range, with some excercise added in.

Imhall is right that your body is probably going into "starvation mode" and reserving calories by slowing your metabolism. You need to eat a little more to keep your body from thinking its starving, and add some excercise (if you haven't already) to help with your metabolism.

My suggestion would be to bump up the calories to around 2200, while making sure you are doing some excercise. I wouldn't worry too much about what happens the first week, because your body will need to adjust from the 1000 cal/day diet you have been on. But after that, evaluate your progress over the next week or so and see if you lose or gain. If you lose, great, you're on your way. If you find you don't lose or gain a small amount, cut back by a small amount and check your progress over the next week or two.

This way you'll be able to figure out what YOU need to do in order to lose weight at a reasonable pace that can be maintained over the long haul.

 

[LuvTigger]

Congratulations on your success so far!

I think I know what may be happening...I hope I can explain it in an understandable way. I have a book that came with the program I'm on, and it explains that your body gets used to the way you are doing things if you're doing them regularly, and that you will need some kind of added boost or change to get your body going again.

For example, in the beginning, you changed the way you ate and you lost a lot of weight, but because you've been doing that for a while, your body has been accustomed to it and feels that that's what's "normal." So basically, you may either need to change what you're eating, or add more exercise to boost your metabolism and to kick-start the weight loss again. You will probably need to find something that works for you, but I think that's what's happening to your body. (I think it's happening to me too, I lost 10 pounds over about 7 weeks, and now I seem to have hit a plateau!)

Good luck, please let us know what you are going to do and keep us posted!

 

[mowsie dreamer]

Wow!! 21 pounds in three weeks is great, but I too think your body is trying to adjust to the radical changes you have been going through.

I found this link to a site that will calculate your daily calorie needs. You could then adjust that downward a bit to find the right amount of calories for you that will help you lose, but not throw your body into starvation mode.

http://www.changingshape.com/resources/calculators/dailycalorierequirements.asp

Hope it helps!!

 

[ohMom]

silly question - are you male or female?

Either way 1000 cal a day is NOT enough! you will see immediate results which you did, but then the starvation mode hits (as mentioned) and your metabolism plummets to accomodate for the low caloric intake. Please please please rethink how many calories per day you are eating! It is sooooo much harder and longer to restart a dead metabolism.

My Mom (AlreadyexcitedGrammy) had a problem with this same thinking of "I must eat very little to lose weight" and I know it's hard to grasp that you may need to eat more to lose. Adding low fat/high nutrition foods will do wonders for how you feel too I'm sure.

How about:
egg whites (scrambled or hard boiled)
cottage cheese (great amino acids used to build muscle which improves metabolism - top with sugar free jam if you'd like)
Budding lunch meat packs
Fish (salmon, tuna, mahi mahi...)
Pria bars
Reduced fat peanut butter with celery
Light-n-fit smoothies
Sugar free pudding made with skim or soy milk
Boca cheeseburgers (top with mustard, pickles, tomato)

is this helpful? i agree to watch your carbs and increase your low-fat protein intake.

Fruit is good too, I'd stay away from bananas though, or just eat half. How about blueberries? Try a mix of fruit with just enough Light-N-Fit vanilla yogurt to coat and sprinkle coconut on top - even my kids eat that! (I used fresh blueberries, canned pineapple chunks and canned mandarin oranges)

Now really, congratulations on your loss! that is awesome for such a very short time frame! Now that you have dropped a good chunk of weight and feel better, maybe it's ok to accept that losing slower really is OK too and maybe even better health-wise. I know it's hard to be patient, I'm a very slow loser, but if you mess up your metabolism you'll be more likely to regain and that would be too sad after all your hard work!!

 

[TigH]

Congrats on your weight loss to date! I know you don't want to hear this, but you do have to up your caloric intake! Don't be afraid to either! You need to stop that thinking NOW while you can, it's really unhealthy to be afraid to eat more calories!

You are in control, you can do this! And you don't have to starve yourself to lose weight, you need to feed your body!

Here is an example of what my husband is eating every day. He also lifts weights 3 times a week at the gym. The other 2 days he's at the gym he will walk or run on the treadmill, use the stairstepper or play racquetball. My sister and I will drag him out to power walk with us a few nights a week as well.

Breakfast:

omelette made with 6 egg whites, one strip of turkey bacon, 1/2 cup each of mushrooms and red pepper sauteed in Pam, one piece of lowfat swiss cheese. He will also have either half a whole grain bagel with 1 tbsp peanut butter or 1 tbsp low fat cream cheese OR 1 cup of cooked multi grain cereal with 1 tbsp brown sugar and 2 tbsp raisins. Good balance of protein and carbs and a little fat.

Snack mid morning is 1 serving of a chocolate whey protein shake (110 calories, 23g(?) protein, low fat, low carb)

Lunch: 3/4 cup brown rice, 5 oz grilled chicken breast, 1 cup cooked broccoli, 2 tbps sesame ginger sauce for flavor, 1 apple, 1 banana, 20 baby carrots (sometimes he eats the banana w/ the morning shake)

Snack mid afternoon 1 serving chocolate whey protein shake

Dinner: 5 ounces grilled chicken or 6 ounces grilled tuna or 6 ounces grilled tilapia or 5 ounce grilled buffalo burger. Sauteed asparagus or steamed cauliflower for a side. Generous salad made with organic greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and 2 tbsp light done right dressing (Kraft).

Dessert: Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich or sugar free fat free pudding made with skim milk and a dollop of light cool whip.

His calories vary from 1800-2000 a day. Some weeks he doesn't loose (according to the scale) but we also do some eating on the weekend that isn't in this plan! Some weeks the scale shows a loss. That isn't what we are really focusing on though, his whole body is completely reshaping. His arms are more cut and muscular, his chest is growing and getting more defined, his gut is SHRINKING and I am starting to see his ribs! He's in a size 34 for the first time that he can remember (from a snug 38).

Hang in there! You can do it! I hope I don't sound preachy like my way is the only way, there are plenty of great programs out there. Check into WW! I lost my weight using WW and now I try to eat more to encourage muscle growth and fat loss. Just please don't starve yourself!

Hugs, TigH. xo

 

[PartyofSix]

Congradulations on the 21 lb loss. You must have been very determined girl! That's amazing loss for just a few short weeks. But as everyone has stated your body is rebelling against you. To jump start it your gonna HAVE to eat. I usually try to stay around 1200 calories a day and i eat great!!!! Also get your snacks in everyday don't skip those right now cause you need to boost your body every few hours to keep it burning calories for you. Here's a day for me and i'm just eating sensibly:

1 scrambled egg (veggie spray on the pan)

creamed corn, cabbage, field peas and snaps and 1/2 buscuit ( i can buy this at a buffett resturant and i vary the veggies daily)

1/2 cup chocolate frozen yogurt in an ice cream cone

salad with mixed greens and 1 oz shredded cheese and ff zesty itlain dressing w/ crutons
1/2 cup red beans and rice (zatterani's) i don't add the margrine the box calls for -- brocolli and 4 oz of boneless skinless meat (pork,chicken, filet mignon, salmon fitet) or shrimp as meats are my suggestions.

Portion control is key when eating sensibley in my opinon. And not to go nuts with carbs. Snack suggestions are toostie pops, frozen (like ice cream) yogurt, serbert, pretelz & salsa, lowfat blueberry muffins, ff pringles, fruit, toostie rolls I wish you all the best i know how fustrating times like these are.