Scrumbles' diary...life after losing a third of me...
- Thread starter Scrumbles
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Scrumbles
Dancing Queen
Thanks...I will keep at it!
I'm going to do some core work this evening - I used to be able to hold a "plank" for 2 minutes or more, but I suspect I'll collapse in about 2 seconds at the moment, lol. I also used to walk 6 miles a day a few years back before the weight gain started chipping away at my health - how I wish now that I hadn't spent so long in denial
Anyhoo, food today:
B - guess!
L - curried shallots and kale with tuna
S - 10g 85% chocolate melted with 1 tblspn peanut butter (odd, but quite nice!), tea
D - 3 x Sainsbury's Toulouse sausages with steamed cabbage and carrots
Really looking forward to those sausages - they're so tasty!
I'm going to do some core work this evening - I used to be able to hold a "plank" for 2 minutes or more, but I suspect I'll collapse in about 2 seconds at the moment, lol. I also used to walk 6 miles a day a few years back before the weight gain started chipping away at my health - how I wish now that I hadn't spent so long in denial Anyhoo, food today:
B - guess!
L - curried shallots and kale with tuna
S - 10g 85% chocolate melted with 1 tblspn peanut butter (odd, but quite nice!), tea
D - 3 x Sainsbury's Toulouse sausages with steamed cabbage and carrots
Really looking forward to those sausages - they're so tasty!
Scrumbles
Dancing Queen
Sooooo, that pound I thought I'd lost to take me into the 13's didn't stick - I am back to 14 stone and holding
I'm really beginning to wonder if I'm now stalling. I lost weight consistently for over 4 months, so I guess I'm probably due for it, but it's frustrating nonetheless. Thing is, I have somewhat muddied the waters over the last month and a half by continuing to up my calories to get to where I feel I should be (1500 - 1600), so maybe I need to let this play out for a while? I was losing when I was eating about 1300 calories per day, but I felt I ought to be eating more for my height and weight, so that's what I did.
But who knows? Maybe my metabolism is so damaged that I can't lose on that many calories? I'm 45 now and have dieted many, many times, so this process won't be getting any easier. I don't really think I can do much with my carb count because that has been very stable all this time at 20-25 net per day, but maybe I could try lowering it to 15 for a week or so just to shake things up?
I don't know. I'd really appreciate some thoughts. Anyone who's been on this plan for a long time and lost twice the weight I have must have been through this at some point? If so, what did you do? Keep plugging away on the same course or mix things up a bit?
I'm really beginning to wonder if I'm now stalling. I lost weight consistently for over 4 months, so I guess I'm probably due for it, but it's frustrating nonetheless. Thing is, I have somewhat muddied the waters over the last month and a half by continuing to up my calories to get to where I feel I should be (1500 - 1600), so maybe I need to let this play out for a while? I was losing when I was eating about 1300 calories per day, but I felt I ought to be eating more for my height and weight, so that's what I did.
But who knows? Maybe my metabolism is so damaged that I can't lose on that many calories? I'm 45 now and have dieted many, many times, so this process won't be getting any easier. I don't really think I can do much with my carb count because that has been very stable all this time at 20-25 net per day, but maybe I could try lowering it to 15 for a week or so just to shake things up?
I don't know. I'd really appreciate some thoughts. Anyone who's been on this plan for a long time and lost twice the weight I have must have been through this at some point? If so, what did you do? Keep plugging away on the same course or mix things up a bit?
Scrumbles
Dancing Queen
Okay...I've decided it's time to shake things up. I firmly believe that our bodies adapt over time, and I think mine is just too damn comfortable with what I'm doing at the moment.
So, today I'm fasting. I last ate at 7.30pm last night and I won't be eating again until 7.30pm tonight. Effectively I'll only be missing 2 meals which isn't at all drastic as they are my lighter meals of the day. Fasting is something I believe in doing periodically anyway in order to give the digestive system a break, so I'm killing two birds with one stone.
I think I'll try cutting down on dairy too - not that it's been a known problem for me, but it will be a change, and I think change would be good right now. I won't cut calories or carbs just yet - don't want to change too much at once.
So today's food diary is going to be quite sparse(!):
B - nothing
L - nothing
D - Atkins meat loaf with kale and carrots, greek yoghurt with strawberries
LOTS of water.
So, today I'm fasting. I last ate at 7.30pm last night and I won't be eating again until 7.30pm tonight. Effectively I'll only be missing 2 meals which isn't at all drastic as they are my lighter meals of the day. Fasting is something I believe in doing periodically anyway in order to give the digestive system a break, so I'm killing two birds with one stone.
I think I'll try cutting down on dairy too - not that it's been a known problem for me, but it will be a change, and I think change would be good right now. I won't cut calories or carbs just yet - don't want to change too much at once.
So today's food diary is going to be quite sparse(!):
B - nothing
L - nothing
D - Atkins meat loaf with kale and carrots, greek yoghurt with strawberries
LOTS of water.
TahjmansMum
Full Member
It is a pain when things grind to a halt isnt it but it seems to happen to all of us. Hope the fast works, dont forget your vitamins and water. Dont want your hair falling out!
Scrumbles
Dancing Queen
Yeah, I think adaptation is inevitable at some point, especially if you have a lot to lose over a long period. I absolutely refuse to get stuck in a 6 month stall like I've read can happen - I may be committed to low-carb for life, BUT not at 14 flipping stone! I have a certain amount of patience but I also need results or I lose motivation.
We'll see how it goes.
I have a certain amount of patience but I also need results or I lose motivation.We'll see how it goes.
moonlights
Gold Member
As another option, try googling the Atkins fat fast - it's recommended by him to break a long stall. How long have you been stalled for?
Scrumbles
Dancing Queen
Thanks, Karen! At the very least I've saved on washing-up, lol
Hi moonlights,
I suppose technically about 3 weeks, but there hasn't been much movement for over a month. I'm not losing inches either. I've heard of the fat fast, but I probably haven't been stalled long enough for that yet(?), and if I'm honest there's a lot I can tweak first. My fat-protein-carb ratio is always spot on, and I track everything religiously so I know there is no "carb creep" but I could definitely make changes regarding the actual composition of my diet: less dairy, more greens, cut the caffeine, cut out sweeteners, that kind of thing. I've also started incorporating a bit of daily exercise this week, so that's another change-up from what I've been doing thus far. I'll give it a couple of weeks of less dairy and see if anything shifts, then have another think.
By the way, I always forget this between times but fasting rocks! I was a bit hungry and grumpy this morning, but about 19 hours in I'm feeling almost...euphoric. Oddly energetic as well. Just been for a brisk walk (which I NEVER do in the rain) and feel great!
Just wish I felt like this on normal days, lol.
coffeelover
Gold Member
Evening Scrumbles just reading new diaries.
Dairy does stall some. Good luck .
Dairy does stall some. Good luck .
Scrumbles
Dancing Queen
Evening Scrumbles just reading new diaries.
Dairy does stall some. Good luck .
Hi coffeelover (I love coffee too!
) thanks for stopping by!Dairy didn't seem to be a problem for me at first, but looking at what I eat now compared to how I started I think my consumption of it has gone up a fair bit, and that might be affecting things. I'll cut back and see what happens.
Morning scrumbles - i've been looking at IF and sounds really interesting. Seems to be all positives
Hi Kat1e, even if it doesn't, I've read enough to think that it's a good idea anyway. The sudden energy rush I had yesterday afternoon (when I'm often slightly flagging) tells me that my body was liking something about it!
I ended up eating about two-thirds of what I normally would yesterday, and all in the space of about 3 hours
. I also ate cheese which I wasn't intending to (damn that big shiny new block of Wensleydale in the fridge) so I will have to start the cheese-cutdown today instead. I'll have to think carefully about how I replace it though because I'm currently getting quite a lot of my fat and calories from it each day. I can't replace it with pure protein or my percentages will be out of whack, so it will have to be some combination of protein and fat. I'll be ditching the greek yoghurt for a while too, but I'm going to finish the pot I have in the fridge first because it's too expensive to waste!B - 2 egg omelette with shallots and peppers
L - tuna and cabbage stir fry
D - smoked mackerel fillet with salad
S - greek yoghurt with stewed rhubarb (yum!)
coffeelover
Gold Member
Oooh shiny gleaming block of wensledale who could resist
ladyfelsham
Back to SW again
Mmmm cheese - very hard to say no to
Scrumbles
Dancing Queen
Okay, been doing some reading and thinking and I've decided on a different strategy.
It's pretty obvious that my body has adapted to what I'm doing, so it's time to change the game. I'm going to take a deliberate, controlled break from the diet for a couple of weeks and see if I can force a metabolic reset.
It may sound risky, but I kind of did it already without realising it.
I started Atkins at the end of last November knowing full well that I would be breaking the diet over Xmas and New Year. I decided in advance that I would enjoy the seasonal foods I like for 10 days, then hop straight back into Induction at the end of it. I thought I would gain masses through that period, but instead I stayed virtually the same, then dropped 5 pounds immediately the first week back on the diet.
I couldn't believe it at the time, but I think I know what was happening. Because I built the break into the diet, it was like I was still on a diet. I didn't go wild or become a total glutton overnight. I was used to smaller portions so I found it a lot harder to overeat (I gave my OH most of my roast potatoes on Xmas day because I just couldn't eat them - unheard of!) and I also found myself not wanting sweet things (they just tasted WAY too sweet by then). Obviously I ate a lot more carbs than I had been eating for the 5 weeks prior to Xmas, but I don't believe I went mad on calories, and I think that's what allowed me to tread water weight-wise for those 10 days of "freedom" and to reset my metabolism.
So I'm going to try to replicate it, only this time, there will be rules.
1. No more than 2000 calories per day and no more than 100g carbohydrate.
That will raise my calories to what I hope will be maintenance level when I'm done losing weight, and will quadruple the amount of carbs I've been taking in.
2. Minimal outright junk, especially sugar.
I have no intention of breaking my new whole-food habits and going back to processed cr@p. That would just be plain silly. I'll have a few indulgences along the way, but I intend to do this still eating a nutrition-dense diet because that is ultimately how I want to live my life.
3. No wheat/corn.
I might dabble with some other grains, but those are out.
4. When I feel satisfied, stop eating.
I hear the satiety signal a lot better than I used to, so there's no point in ignoring it to pack in some extra cals or carbs.
So that's the plan. I will track everything as I go and weigh everyday - and try not to freak out if I start putting on pounds! I know that's bound to happen initially from water weight, so I'm braced for it.
Wish me luck....
It's pretty obvious that my body has adapted to what I'm doing, so it's time to change the game. I'm going to take a deliberate, controlled break from the diet for a couple of weeks and see if I can force a metabolic reset.
It may sound risky, but I kind of did it already without realising it.
I started Atkins at the end of last November knowing full well that I would be breaking the diet over Xmas and New Year. I decided in advance that I would enjoy the seasonal foods I like for 10 days, then hop straight back into Induction at the end of it. I thought I would gain masses through that period, but instead I stayed virtually the same, then dropped 5 pounds immediately the first week back on the diet.
I couldn't believe it at the time, but I think I know what was happening. Because I built the break into the diet, it was like I was still on a diet. I didn't go wild or become a total glutton overnight. I was used to smaller portions so I found it a lot harder to overeat (I gave my OH most of my roast potatoes on Xmas day because I just couldn't eat them - unheard of!) and I also found myself not wanting sweet things (they just tasted WAY too sweet by then). Obviously I ate a lot more carbs than I had been eating for the 5 weeks prior to Xmas, but I don't believe I went mad on calories, and I think that's what allowed me to tread water weight-wise for those 10 days of "freedom" and to reset my metabolism.
So I'm going to try to replicate it, only this time, there will be rules.
1. No more than 2000 calories per day and no more than 100g carbohydrate.
That will raise my calories to what I hope will be maintenance level when I'm done losing weight, and will quadruple the amount of carbs I've been taking in.
2. Minimal outright junk, especially sugar.
I have no intention of breaking my new whole-food habits and going back to processed cr@p. That would just be plain silly. I'll have a few indulgences along the way, but I intend to do this still eating a nutrition-dense diet because that is ultimately how I want to live my life.
3. No wheat/corn.
I might dabble with some other grains, but those are out.
4. When I feel satisfied, stop eating.
I hear the satiety signal a lot better than I used to, so there's no point in ignoring it to pack in some extra cals or carbs.
So that's the plan. I will track everything as I go and weigh everyday - and try not to freak out if I start putting on pounds! I know that's bound to happen initially from water weight, so I'm braced for it.
Wish me luck....
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coffeelover
Gold Member
Good luck Scrumbles, are you on myfitnesspal I find it really helps.
Scrumbles
Dancing Queen
So, yesterday's stats: 1910 cals, 65g carbs (less than I intended, but never mind)
Weight this morning: 196.2lbs (so no overnight change)
I'm sticking with my pure Atkins breakfasts of eggs, cheese, meat and occasional veggies because I like the way I feel on a protein-heavy breakfast. I'll bump up the carbs later in the day.
Did not feel particularly good last night, I have to say - slightly sick and quite bloated. I think I'm going to find this an interesting experiment if nothing else!
Weight this morning: 196.2lbs (so no overnight change)
I'm sticking with my pure Atkins breakfasts of eggs, cheese, meat and occasional veggies because I like the way I feel on a protein-heavy breakfast. I'll bump up the carbs later in the day.
Did not feel particularly good last night, I have to say - slightly sick and quite bloated. I think I'm going to find this an interesting experiment if nothing else!
ladyfelsham
Back to SW again
Good luck with the experiment! Wonder if last night was about carbs?
Wonder if last night was about carbs?
coffeelover
Gold Member
Sounds a good plan a protein breakfast will keep hunger away.
