Wellness

[Yardlie]

Anybody actually losing weight? How? I only had 15 pounds to drop, but I'm having a devil of a time trying to understand weight loss...and I'm a health professional.

Weight Watchers did not work for me. I hear the new plan doesn't work for many people. So I switched to counting calories...which I really read up on. I understand that it is not quite as easy as "calories in" vs "calories out." Weight loss should be easier with high quality protein than a lot of carbs.

OK...so the first 5 lbs came off easily...glycogen stores. I hit a plateau at 8.5 lbs. I stayed there for a week. Yesterday, I totally blew my 1200 calorie diet because I had a lot of appointments and meetings...went out to eat twice. Ate a lot of fat, carbs, and I ate a pretty good amount of protein.

This morning I got on the scale expecting to see weight gain, and I lost 1.5 lbs. I give up! Anyone understand weight loss? I need help.

[depglass]

You sound like you are doing just fine. One individual weigh in doesn't mean much.

Edit: Weight Watchers does work for me, when I do it, that is. I use the old system, 50 calories is 1 point. High fat I add one point per serving. High fiber I subtract one point per serving. Its on the mark 99% of the time. So I count points, meaning I'm counting calories. I didn't bother with the new system, not one of the leaders at my meeting could explain how the calculator I had just purchased worked. I got disgusted and quit after a couple weeks. Yes, I could figure it out for myself, but all this group did was sit there and talk about phone apps. Cell phones don't work for my house. What are leaders getting paid for if they can't explain the program?

[CouponQueen]

I never have had a weight issue but I have known many who have lost..and they said the key is excercise and moderation.....don't take more in then you burn!

Kudos to anybody for taking on this issue.

[piperbay]

I don't count calories but 1200 a day sounds too little in my opinion. I know I have to excercise for thirty minutes five days a week, minimum to keep the weight off. I just started doing the Leslie Sansone Walk tapes and have been enjoying them.

[123SuzyQ123]

I agree that it seems like a mystery to me most of the time as well. I cut out carbs for a few weeks and lost about 14 lbs. Then last weekend I was craving ice cream, so I ate a big bowlful for the first time in months. I figured I would gain back some of the 14 lbs. I had lost, but so far I am staying steady at the 14 lb. loss!

I do realize that eating correctly and walking is what I need to do, but sometimes I mess up with ice cream!!

[sidsmom]

1200 is EXTREMELY low for anyone...no matter body height/weight. There are tons of calorie calculators out there that will guide you to the correct calorie baseline. I'll post a link below that I use. Yes, eating high protein will cause quick loss due to the low calorie count, but it's not sustainable. Carbohydrates are good....whole food, fruits & vegetables such as potatoes, quinoa, rice...they are not Satan's food! You NEED clean carbohydrates (read: no processed crackers, pasta, pretzels, snacky foods...even if low fat) to be active enough to gain strength & endurance w/ your exercise. Girl...you need to EAT! I would guess 1600-1800 MINIMUM. Do the formula from the links below:

http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/bmr/

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

I just read the beef jerky comment...tons of sodium. Log in all your food to Fitday.com or CRON-o-meter. Strive for 1000-1500 mg of sodium (or less)...that means no salt shaker! Logging your food will be a SHOCK to see how much sodium everything has. Good luck!

[Yardlie]

Depglass ~~ I know what you mean about the new Weight Watchers plan. The leaders at our meeting said that people who count the points are "an@l." They recommended doing the Simple Start plan and then converting to another plan that they have where you don't count points. I tried it for a month and had the usual initial drop from glycogen stores...and then nothing. Frustrating! I guess you are right about one weigh-in not meaning much. It is so frustrating to plateau like that.

CouponQueen ~~ You are lucky that you don't have weight problems. I'm usually thin, but I picked up a lot over the holidays and went on a new medication that caused weight gain. I went off it now, but I'm still dealing with the weight! My clothes just don't fit right with this extra weight on me.

Piperbay ~~ Yes, you are right that 1200 calories is not much. I'm often hungry at night and can't sleep, so I've discovered beef jerkey which is high in protein and low in fat and carbs. I need to add more exercise, but we are experiencing such a rough winter that it's hard to get out. I'll look into the Leslie Sansone tapes. Spring should be coming soon! Thanks for the tip.

SuzieQ4me ~~ Ice cream is one of my weaknesses too. I know what you mean about weight loss being a mystery. Your 14 lb. weight loss was good...lucky you!

[straykatz]

One thing I have learned is that unless the meal was really salty causing water retention then it doesn't show up on the scale for at least a few days....so what you ate yesterday may or may not catch up to you on the scale depending on how quickly you get right back on track.

[Yardlie]

On 2/26/2014 sidsmom said:

1200 is EXTREMELY low for anyone...no matter body height/weight. There are tons of calorie calculators out there that will guide you to the correct calorie baseline. I'll post a link below that I use. Yes, eating high protein will cause quick loss due to the low calorie count, but it's not sustainable. Carbohydrates are good....whole food, fruits & vegetables such as potatoes, quinoa, rice...they are not Satan's food! You NEED clean carbohydrates (read: no processed crackers, pasta, pretzels, snacky foods...even if low fat) to be active enough to gain strength & endurance w/ your exercise. Girl...you need to EAT! I would guess 1600-1800 MINIMUM. Do the formula from the links below:

http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/bmr/

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Sidsmom ~~ Thank you so much for the links. I'll check them out. I had been using MyFitnessPal (dot) com. It recommended 1200 calories for me. Maybe my body thinks it is in starvation mode!

Straykatz ~~ What you said makes sense. That's what I was afraid of...that it may show up later. We shall see. This dieting thing is so frustrating. Grrrrrr!

[gazelle77]

I think no matter what diet you choose to consume, it is vitally important to do muscle strengthening exercises to keep fat burning muscle on your frame. You do not want to lose muscle when dieting because, if all you look at is the scale, and you are not building muscle, you will lose weight , but all in all not as quickly. Muscle does weigh more than fat, so at first the scale may not move, but, your clothes will fit better with the muscle replacing the fat. Many woman lose muscle as they age as do men and it is so important to keep a healthy muscle mass for keeping your metabolism up to burn fat. Muscle burns calories even at rest, fat does not.