Char Gets Thin's Journal, 06 February 2014

Hear your frustration. 

Same me. It can be very frustrating, but from what I have read from people here, sometimes it works lige magic. Seriously, some days they weigh themselves for a couple of days and they don't see changes in numbers; but then after 2,3,4 days when they weigh again they see that the numbers went down. Not kidding, I read it already a couple of times here, Can't assure you this because I don't weigh myself any often (to avoid that frustration) but really, some people faced this.  

IMO, your carbs are causing your fluctuation. Higher carbs equals more water retention and the ups and downs on the scale. Your calories are good, protein looks great but I think you would get the results you are looking for if you cut out any simple sugars and keep your carbs under 150. Good luck Char, its a slow process and I know its frustrating but you can do this. Great job on the fitness :-) I wish I could go out hiking!! 

oh my gosh I feel like I am reading something I could have written. It gets really hard to deal with the frustration of watching the numbers go up when you do everything right. I eat very healthy good foods but also think that I just might not be eating enough. It's hard to eat more when the numbers go up already.  

Oh I do understand the frustration!! For me I have to closely watch my sodium. I didn't think about the carbs....:/ This is one tough battle!! 

I'm no expert by any means however I did read in my Atkins book that fluctuating in the amount of calories we eat (even 100-200 a day) or eating more/less on the weekend can inhibit weight loss. Our bodies are constantly switching to keep up and this throws off your natural cycle. Maybe try sticking to a very strict number all week long? Best wishes too you. Its difficult to find what works best for your body.  

I feel your pain. I'm finding it really hard to lose any more weight (I've been within the same couple of pounds since Nov). I was eating about 1500 cals a day on average and burning up to 2800 cals a day, and stayed exactly the same weight for one month, when I decided that my body wouldn't let me lose any more weight, unless I were to starve myself. So I increased my exercise and my cals (I'm now eating around 2000 a day and burning around 2900 on exercise days) and I'm still maintaining. So go figure! I think it's the "set point" weight that I've heard about. It sounds like you're really active, so you might be right that you're not eating enough. I was told by someone else that they gain weight when they eat too little. So you may want to play around with the number of cals you eat until you find the magic number. Otherwise, your body might be telling you that it doesn't want to go any lower, and it's storing your cals instead of burning them because you're not eating enough. There are so many theories. Ultimately, do what's best for you. But don't feel bad about maintaining because it's not the end of the world :) 

Stop weighing yourself. If you maintain a calorie deficit over time, your body will lose weight no matter what. Worrying about .8 pound here and .5 pound there is counter productive. That's most likely fluctuations in water weight. Run a consistent deficit for two week then weight yourself... I guarantee you'll have lost weight. 

I agree about the carbs..they are my main enemy and I really have to watch them. 

I agree on the carbs - watching them and trying to keep them under 75g per day seems to be helping me. Another thing I've heard is that sometimes your body needs a jump start - have a high calorie day or two and then back down to your regular calorie count, and this is supposed to restart your bodies engine to lose weight. Also IF - (Intermittent Fasting) where you do 1 day of max 500 calories, concentrating on high protein to keep you full, and then back to your regular calorie count. Good luck as you progress. 

Try to keep your protein intake at around 25%, at least (I try to stay at 35% for my goals, but anything above that is toxic), and replace your carbs with fat. Carbs are the enemy; breads, cereals, and anything else that has a high carb content and isn't a veggie or a berry. 

Just to add, garlic powder is your worst enemy in terms of spices if you use it. It takes so much to add any flavor compared to a clove, but is loaded with starch. Fresh cloves are nothing to worry about because so little adds so much flavor. 

Two words: Matt Stone 

I was going to suggest the same thing as Lynn1958; that your metabolism may need a jump start by alternating high- and low-calorie days. It's called calorie shifting or cycling. Here's an article that explains it well: http://www.myfitstation.com/2012/01/31/calorie-shifting-perfecting-your-figure-tricking-your-metabolism-diet/