Sbridge7 steps up the plans and to maintenance :) I'm below goal!!!

[sbridge7]

Thanks everyone!

Laura, I'm planning to do a week of 1600 and then gradually add 100 calories until I'm at my maintenance level. According to some sites it says I'm around 1850-1900, but I'm not sure how accurate they are. Looking forward

I did another 5 miles on the bike yesterday, I'm doing it every other day so I get used to it. I want to keep at it rather than giving up so I think it's best to introduce it slowly. My lovely mum bought me a box of chocolates for Valentine's day; she felt bad but completely forgot as she always gets me a little gift for V day. I'm grateful though because it's a trigger food for me and I'm educating myself. Since Sunday I've allowed myself 2 small chocolates a day (50 kcals each) and haven't felt deprived. I'm going to have to learn to cope with these things in future.

Hope everyone is well x

 

[Laura Croft]

Good plan there. Keep up the great work, and it's great you are introducing chocolate in moderation. Go Chantel go!!

 

[sbridge7]

Thank you. I love chocolate so I'm happy about just having two chocolates and putting the rest back. Would have eaten a whole box before.

So as of today I've finished CD, it's so exciting but scary at the same time. I am aiming to have 1600 calories and will gradually move up to maintenance calories.

Breakfast
- 50g Muesli - 178kcals
- 180 ml skimmed milk - 63 kcals

Snack
- Pineapple slices - 50kcals
- 1 macademia nut - 18 kcals
* courtesy of Graze.com- signed up for a free trial and they send you a box of healthy snacks

Lunch
Cheese and mushroom omlette made with:
- 20g cheese - 82kcals
- 100g mushrooms - 13kcals
- 50g cherry tomatos - 9 kcals
- 2 eggs - 186kcal
- 2 dutch crispbkes - 58 kcals
- Frylight - 10 kcals
- 1 fat free activia peach yoghurt - 93 kcals.

Snack
- Cadbury Highlights hot chocolate - 40 kcals
- Satsuma - 30 kcals
- 25g nuts - 142 kcals

Dinner
- 65g wholewheat pasta - 216kcals
- 2 quorn sausages - 102 kcals
- 100g pasta sauce - 33 kcals
- Tomato ketchup - 30 kcals
- Carrots and green beans ~60 kcals

Snacks
- 2 chocolates from diary box - 100kcals
- Sugar free jelly - 10kcals
- Natural yoghurt - 38kcals
- 40g Strawberries - 13kcals
- 1 clementine - 32 kcals

Drinks
- 3 litres of water
- 1 glass squash
- Cup of tea
Total: 1612 calories


Exercises: 20 minutes bike, 10 minutes skipping, walking.

Feel like I'm eating too much but I'm calculating everything and weighing everything out. Maybe it's more of the types of food I'm eating, so it seems like a lot.

Bess, interval training is bouts of high intensity training followed by low intensity training. So on the bike, I'll try to do around 20 seconds at high intensity followed by 30 seconds normal for 20 minutues

Hope you're all well.

 

[sbridge7]

For some reason, I seem to have gained a little every day this week and then after eating 1600 yesterday my weight jumped up by a 1lb. Still under goal weight, but can't understand when I've counted everything out and have measured everything. I know I should try not to worry, but I don't understand especially as I've been trying to exercise more. I'm meant to be able to maintain around 1900 but the scales already do not like 1600. I know it's water but was just still quite a shock.

 

[curlywurly1234]

Hey Shantel
Well done you your doing fab... and look at all the food you can eat...
5 miles on the bike is great too.. You should be so proud of yourself hon you have done fantasically well x

 

[Porgeous]

For some reason, I seem to have gained a little every day this week and then after eating 1600 yesterday my weight jumped up by a 1lb. Still under goal weight, but can't understand when I've counted everything out and have measured everything. I know I should try not to worry, but I don't understand especially as I've been trying to exercise more. I'm meant to be able to maintain around 1900 but the scales already do not like 1600. I know it's water but was just still quite a shock.

Stick with it hun. Even now I have weeks where my weight goes up steadily each day and then suddenly just drops back down again.

x

 

[Bess]

That'll be a normal bike ride for me then, with hills and everything? Wow, thanks.

Stick with it hun. Even now I have weeks where my weight goes up steadily each day and then suddenly just drops back down again.

x

This is so good to know. Keep them coming Georgie! x

 

[sbridge7]

Thanks Porgeous, it's reassuring to know

I've been logging everything and my calories are coming out around 1600-1630 but seem to have gained 3.5lbs this week. I know it's not fat as I'm not eating over what I'm supposed to and my maintenance level is meant to be at least around 1900 based on my age/height. It's just so frustrating, but I'm hanging in and hoping that it will just come off eventually. I'm still exercising; doing 5 miles on the bike every other day. Really worried about gaining weight. I'm trying so hard and I know I shouldn't let the scales dictate my mood but it's hard. I wouldn't mind if I was eating junk but I'm not. I'm trying to deal with my food demons.. never did I think I'd be able to stop at a small (100kcal) portion of chocolate and not want more and I have succeeded in that sense. But I should be able to lose something at least on 1600 and not gain, because of the difference. Sorry for the ramble but I feel as though I'm trying so hard and getting nothing back.

 

[sbridge7]

Must stop being negative; I went back and read that post and realised I'm being too hard on myself. Am I sticking to 1600? Yes. Are you logging everything you eat? Yes. Then it won't be fat, it's only water. I really need not to focus on the scales; it's only a number. I'm eating healthily and not overindulging, surely that should be a form of progress for me.

Breakfast
-30g muesli with strawberries - 111 calories
-100g natural yoghurt - 48 calories
-Clementine - 30 calories

Mid morning snack
- Black coffee
- 70g pineapple - 31 calories

Lunch
- Pitta Bread - 142
- 50g BGTY Houmous - 87
- Salad with vinegrette - 34
- Activia fat free yoghurt - 101
- Clementine - 35

Snack
- 2 dutch crispsbakes - 58

Drinks
- 2 litres of water

 

[Greeneyes11]

Well done and keep going, if you are doing everything right then you cannot be putting on fat weight, it is only water weight and you will probably lose it soon as quickly as you put it on.... dont worry about it and keep going, I find some weeks that I put on but it always comes back off again.... you have done so well, dont get so downhearted.

 

[sbridge7]

Thanks so much Linda I'm persevering and looking on the positive side. Ate around 1620 calories yesterday.

Food so far today

Breakfast
- 100g yoghurt - 50kcal
- 30g muesli - 107
- Clementine - 37

Snack
- Ryvita Crunch- 57

Lunch
- Crumpet - 86
- 100g beans - 87
- Scrambled egg - 93
- Clementine - 37
- Toffee Muller light 97

Snack
- Pitta bread - 126
- 40g houmous - 77

Dinner
- 65g Pasta - 215
- Fish in butter sauce - 130
- Green Beans - 15

Desert
- 150g natural yoghurt - 72
- Meringue Nest - 52
- Strawberries - 25
- Breakaway - 99


That's all I've had so far today, will have some pasta later and fruit so it will total up to 1600. I did 25 minutes on exercise bike earlier; trying to use it every other day. Scales are down a bit. I prefer to eat every few hours rather than have big meals; I find that it works for me better.

 

[Laura Croft]

You are doing great. Well done.

 

[sbridge7]

Thanks Laura

I'm feeling more positive; I'm trying to limit myself to 1 chocolate snack a day and that's all. So far so good. I saw my snack for the evening and that way I don't feel deprived. I don't know why, but I feel guilty about it. I shouldn't but for some reason I do.

I've been reading about leptin levels and weight loss and it feels so scary. I'm trying my hardest but it's just scary to think that these when you're overweight and lose weight, it's harder to maintain because of these levels. I was on a website and was reading that once your obese, you'll always need less calories to maintain than if you were never obese. It's quite scary because according to websites I should be able to maintain at 1900 based on height/age/weight/activity and so it's really got me thinking. I really don't want to spend my life eating at 1500 calories but then I get worried I might have to. Just hope these scales shift.

Reminder to self: 3500 = 1lb of fat
You haven't eaten 10,500 over your maintenance levels so it can't be fat.

 

[KD]

I've been reading about leptin levels and weight loss and it feels so scary. I'm trying my hardest but it's just scary to think that these when you're overweight and lose weight, it's harder to maintain because of these levels. I was on a website and was reading that once your obese, you'll always need less calories to maintain than if you were never obese.

It doesn't make a great amount of difference to your maintenance calories. I do think that overeating can cause a quicker fat storage though, but there again, overeating helps restore the leptin levels to their former glory. Can't win really.

I've noticed other things that I can put down to low leptin levels more than the metabolism lowering.

It's quite scary because according to websites I should be able to maintain at 1900 based on height/age/weight/activity and so it's really got me thinking. I really don't want to spend my life eating at 1500 calories but then I get worried I might have to. Just hope these scales shift.

It's still early days for you. I think it took me about 6 months after the plan to get a maintenance calorie level that worked for me...and even then, that calorie level fluctuates, just as the metabolism fluctuates.

 

[sbridge7]

Thanks KD, it's reassuring to know that leptin levels don't have that big an impact on maintenance calories. I'm still in the early days so I'm learning a lot. I guess it is all trial and error. I wish there was a magic formula to know though :sigh:

 

[Laura Croft]

Leptin is still a PITA though

 

[sbridge7]

So frustrated at the moment. I've upped my calories to 1600 and in the last week and a half have gained 4.5lbs. Totm is on it's way so I'm hoping that's a contributing factor. I'm measuring everything and weighing everything out and making sure everything is falling within my 1600 and exercisings for 20 minutes every other day. Not sure what else I can do. I know it isn't fat because I'd have to eat 3500 calories over my maintenance calories, but it's so frustrating. Everyday I go on the scales they seem to move up; I know it will be totm too, but it's making me so stressed. I never want to go back to the way I was again and so scared. I feel as though maybe I'm not meant to be fat. It's such a destructive thought but I can't help it. I know I'll have to weight until totm comes, but I feel so helpless. Feel really bloated and moody. I'd understand if I was overeating but I'm not. I'm still below maintenance calories and should still lose (v. slowly) on the calories I'm on. I've been looking on the net and wondering if I should up to 1700, as my net intake of calories after exercise is around 1450. Not sure what to do.

 

[Laura Croft]

((Shantel)) I know this is tough but stick with what you are doing. The weight will balance out again. Just let TOTM pass, as hard as it is. Do you know how much you normally gain before TOTM? Also, have you been having a lot of salty foods because there could be some water retention. Are you drinking enough water on that note?

If I was you, I'd probably stay put on the same number of calories to give your body a bit of a chance to catch up. Try to see the scales just a guide (albeit now a misfunctioning one). You are eating well, you are exercising. It's not possible for you to keep gaining weight and you won't go back to your pre CD size. xx

Ps. You are right - you are not meant to be fat. See your post

 

[sbridge7]

Last time I had totm I gained around 2lbs but around 4lbs came off as soon as it started. I know some of it has to be totm but 4.5lbs seems quite high, but I have been I've felt symptoms of pms for the last few weeks. So maybe the gain reflects that. I don't really add salt to my dishes apart from meat but use buillon. Maybe I need to watch that more carefully. I am drinking 2-3l of water a day and 1l of squash usually.

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it It's just so frustrating sometimes. Sorry for the rant and thank you again xxx

 

[Laura Croft]

I normally again around 3-3.5lbs but that varies as well. Was it your thread Georgie wrote on saying she finds sometimes her weight goes up and then drops again? Maybe it's time to try and make scales a bit less powerful. What would happen if you didn't weigh for a week and just calorie counted? Can you think of any other reason for the gain? Btw, are you weighing in the same spot in the house? Are the batteries working properly in the scales?

1 litre of squash does sound like quite a bit(?), not that I think that would cause your gain though.

Oh something else - are you eating really heavy fibrous foods? Any chance it's all going in but not all coming back out ie constipation? I find more dense foods will show up on the scales too.