SOOO frustrating! Any advice?

[clw10]

I'm so frustrated. This was my first week- where you can generally expect the biggest loss? Or a decent one. I have stayed the same! This week I have been counting my calories:

Thurs: 1018
Fri: 1513
Sat: 1145
Sun: 1357
Mon: 1494
Tues: 1350
Wed: to come....

I have just noticed that it's tomorrow i should have weighed, but i'm still disappointed. I have been to the gym 3 times for 40 minutes cardio. I know I still need to up my exercise, but I still thought it would have been a loss! Grrrr!

 

[clw10]

So, I've been looking around online and found this weight loss calculator which gives this advice.
To start losing weight...

Eat 1739- 2274 Calories, mainly from complex carbs and proteins.

Eat 347- 454 cals every 2-3 hours (by eating approx 5 times a day) to speed up your metabolism.

Drink at least 1/2 gallon water per day.

Can any of you give me any advice? What do you think about this advice?

 

[bananas-on-toast]

Have a look at your local council and see if they doing any health walks or active living things. Mine does, and they are free, they lead guided walks, cycling rides, nordic walking and give details of loads of fitness classes that you can do. This is what I have started to do, mainly nordic walking, and they are so much fun, really good atmosphere and everyone is friendly, it's really helping me to lose the weight and I am only two weeks in. Taking part in exercise distracts me from thinking about food and numbers, and just about enjoying myself.

Other than that, it is time for the delicate question which you of course do not need to answer, but it's something to think about. Have you pooped? Like, properly? In the first week, my body wasn't used to the different kind of food (ie, healthy food full of fibre) I was putting into it, and I couldn't go for a couple of days. Maybe you just have a little backlog (excuse the pun) that needs to clear before you see a change in weight.

Don't get downheartened about it, at the end of the day, staying the same is better than gaining, so don't worry about it too much. x

 

[clw10]

Hi,
Thanks for your advice. I live in Cyprus on a base as my hubby is in the army so there is no local council as such. On the up side there is a gym- which I go to but i'm going to change what i'm doing there and maybe do some interval. I work in a school so have been off work for 6 weeks, with no real routine and as it's Cyprus and so hot I never want to leave the house! However, next week i'm back to work so that will have me moving around all morning. I know exercise has always been a big thing, i've never been highly active.
I'm going to be going to the gym for 40 minutes 3 times a week.
Taking part in 'Dance Grooves' exercise class (i'm guessing it's lots of dancing! LOL) on a Thursday evening for an hour. This takes part in the school hall, so this should start again next week as it's was stopped over the holidays.
It's payday and i'm looking at treating myself to a Wii and Wii fit as I enjoy doing that. I have been looking at a lot of stuff online and came across Jillian Michaels- not sure if you know of her. She's on 'The Biggest Loser' in the US. Well she's got a trainer game for the Wii. I've also downloaded her '30 day shred' exercise DVD.
We have a dog too and as i've now opened up to all of this with my hubby- we're going to take Barney (dog) out together on an evening.

This should up my activity a lot. I know i'll have to ease my way in but i'm aiming for at least 60 minutes/ day focussed exercise between all these things.

The big question.... Well, I haven't pooped 'properly' come to think of it for about a week. I have been going often, but not solidly if you know what I mean. I have also been drinking 'CHO YUNG TEA' (Herbal Weight Loss System) for 2 weeks. Apparently the first 2 weeks your body is just getting used to all the antioxidants... I think that's why I haven't been going properly.

Do you know what- thank you so much for your support. You've made me think about the wider picture rather than just focussing on the numbers! Of course it's going to be a shock to the body... I'll stay optimistic and head into week 2 with a P.M.A!

Thanks again! X

 

[Faustina]

I'd up your calories too, it doesn't look like you're eating enough so your body is probably holding on to the little you're giving it. Especially with your exercise routine, I'd up it to 1800-2000 and your body might relax and realise you're going to feed it enough so let some pounds go. All the best!

 

[clw10]

Thank you... I will do, maybe just through more low density foods. Lots of extra fruit and veg! : )

 

[minusfour]

Hi,

I surely understand your frustration. I wouldn't increase your calories to any more than 1500, unless you are doing lots of cardio that day. Are you sure your calorie counting is right? (I used to estimate, which led me no where!) Drink as much water as you can stand. I try to avoid foods I really like, to avoid the temptation of over eating, and to try to retrain myself to think of food as fuel, rather than a source of pleasure. (You don't have to eat foods you don't like, just avoid chocolate or cheese, or whatever those foods are for you) Depending on where you are in your cycle, you might be retaining fluids, and excercise makes muscles retain fluid for short periods of time.

The hardest part is keeping on going without those encouraging losses. It sounds like you have managed this, good on you! If you keep going, you will lose weight. For sure!

Let us know how you get on!

 

[clw10]

Hi minusfour, and thank you for your support : )

Well, i've been reading that eating less but often can help your metabolism- so I think i'm going to try that too, instead of upping the calories until I know i'm doing enough exercise at least. To be honest, the amount I eat fills me. One of my fave meals is just to have a large bowl (200g) of the Iceland 'oriental veg mix', stir fry with soy sauce. That may sound really bland but I love it and it fills me.

My calorie counting is spot on, I check all the packaging etc, and one of my many counting books is the 'Calorie, Carb and Fat Bible' from weightlossresources. I do write down even down to a drop of milk and count that into my diary.

I tend to drink at least 2 litres of water per day. We live in Cyprus so it's needed! LOL.

I have never had a sweet tooth, but savoury- crisps, bread- carbs! is my weak point, so I don't buy them in. If I do get crisps I always get the light option or Snack a Jacks.

Maybe i'm not eating the right amount of things???
Say for lunch I would maybe eat that bowl of veg- that's it. Really filling. Then for tea probably something with lots of carbs. Do you think that could affect anything? Like having too many carbs in one meal- a type of 'overload'?

I've never had a huge appetite but my weight started to slowly increase from about 8 years ago. Before the posting to Cyprus I went to a dietician in the UK, the doctor tried me on Xenical but I stopped taking it and the dietician advised not to take it because I never had much fat in my diet anyway. That doc's opinion was 'if you're overweight it's your fault and your choice'! I'm waiting for the doc here to get back to me about seeing another dietician... Fingers crossed!!!

X

 

[minusfour]

What a stupid attitude from the doc about being overweight, I suppose every decision he has ever made has been the right one?! I don't know about the carb overloading, but I've read really that people often lose lots on low carb diets. (I'm vegetarian, so I've never tried one) I've also heard about the little and often rule to keep the metabolism ticking along, but, when I tried this, I seemed to increase the number of calories I was eating per day. (Little didn't ever seem enough to me!) If I was you, I would persist for a little while with what you are doing- perhaps give it a month, and if you haven't lost anything by then I'd look at amking changes. The lack of movement in the scales could be down to something like fluid retention due to salt, (soy sauce), but if your weigh is dropping it will show up sooner or later. The hardest thing about losing weight for me is finding something I can stick to for some weeks/months, and it sounds like you might have found that. I understand that this might end up resulting in slower losses than you had hoped for, but if you end up losing weight, in the long run it won't matter how many weeks it takes. Keep up the good work, I say, it will show results sooner or later!

 

[minusfour]

How are you getting on? Hope all is well!

 

[clw10]

Hi

Well, I weighed yesterday again as I was starting my challenge so i had to check. STS again, after1.5 weeks.
I'm going to do my measurements tonight- had to go buy a new tape measure as mine had magically disappeared.
So, i've been shopping today and made small changes- brown bread etc. As I do eat a lot of carbs i'm just going to keep an eye on them. My bread's in the freezer and i'm just going to get out 2 a day. I'm going to write a menu for myself too. Although my CC is accurate, it was differing quite a lot, one day 1000 cals, one 1500 cals. A menu would help me be more consistent. Maybe 1200 cals per day?
My hubby is being really supportive and he's told me he'll eat whatever i'm having (just a bigger portion). He's really fit etc (in the army) but he wants to start eating more healthily.

My Jillian Michaels game for the Wii (my hubby went and bought me the Wii on Friday!) has been dispatched today and the biggest loser game!
I am also back at work now, so my routine is back and will hopefully encourage the exercising and eating plan.

I had never given a thought to the amount of salt in the Soy Sauce- just the cals! I do put quite a lot on when I have stir fry- I will be more careful with that now! Thank you.

I'll let you know how the plan is going during the week! Thank you so much for your support- it is really helpful and encouraging.
XXX

 

[minusfour]

I'm incredibly impressed you are sticking with it in spite of no change on the scales! It sounds like you are planning really well. The Jillian Michaels tapes are meant to be quite hard, but really good. I think she really knows her stuff, I'll be interested to hear what you think. At one point Tamzy was stuck at the same weigh for ages, and was getting pretty sick of it, and then suddenly she had a big loss, and losses ever since-perhaps have a look at her diary, about two months ago I reckon.
Keep going, one day your diary will be the one inspiring others!

 

[clw10]

Morning all!
Well, at one point this week the scales went UP! 3kg???? My periods have been extremely erratic/none existent since the doc changed my pill to Cerazette 2 years ago. I still seem to get the bloating though! So I think the increase would have been that. Now it's back down to 125- what I started at! Still puzzled, but still sticking with it.
My games turned up yesterday. I've been boxing etc on the Wii this week (ouch!!! LOL) for approx 1 hour a day. Yesterday my I bought a Wii fit board to so I think i'll get a more accurate reading on the scales.
My work buddy and I are hitting the gym tomorrow and getting back into that routine now we're back at school so fingers crossed I see a loss this week!

I've done 40 minutes on the Wii fit this morning and i'll be doing the JM one this afternoon when the hubby goes out for a run so I will let you know what I think!
XXX