Babe53's Journal, 28 February 2014

no you don't need to lower your calories from looking at your food logs I would suggest you lower your fat intake. Either eat lowfat or fat free foods and that should help you lower your weight. 

I see a nutritionist and she says that fat intake should be between 40 to 50 grams per day so try cutting back on that .  

If you're following Atkins don't count your calories, just your carbs. I did this 10 years ago, read the real book not the ones that have been put out since he's died and the diet changed. Trust the process it will work and will happen, you're doing great :) 

new on this but I am on a 1200 cal diet per day and I don't get to that always but I found out that the less I eat the slower I loose . I found out for me I need about 700 carbs & 200 in fats & 300 in protein but I am 63 so age has a lot to do with it and when I was younger I lost it faster but then was then not now and you are younger so give yourself time and stick to it , some times we don't always loose lbs but inches and then the lbs start coming off again . I know foe me I just have to take one day at a time or I get over whelmed & that never woks for me . hang in there Babe53 yoy are a winner 

I'm doing the Atkins diet, so I have to have approx 70% fat, 25% protein and 5% carbs. I try getting these numbers as close to this as possible. I have the new book, and have read it. Is this wrong? I will pull out the book again. I so appreciate your comments and support.  

Yea, something is going on there. Try a week of 1300/1400 a day and see what happens. As we age, the metabolism slows. If you don't exercise and can, you might want to start. It becomes especially important as we age. We lose a certain percent of muscle every year, which slows the metabolism. Strength training and some cardio a few times a week will help (get it off and keep it off). Make sure you are drinking water to flush out sodium. Have you tried drinking green tea? It's supposed to help rev up the metabolism a bit. You aren't supposed to count calories on Atkins, but some people need to.  

Thanks Suzi ....I know I should start exercising. Not my favorite thing, but I know how important it is. There is one thing I don't record in my food journal here, and that is, all the crystal light I drink every day. Artificial sweeteners can slow down and come to a halt....I just read that. How can that be??? Zero calories is zero calories...common! Lol 

Not necessarily. Anything that says "0 calorie" is usually not accurate, unless it's water or vinegar. The government allows manufacturers to make this claim if the calories are less than 5 for the serving size the manufacturer declares. 

I think the exercise is what will kick start your losses. I don't like exercising either but I walk everyday for a minimum of 30 minutes. I've actually kicked up my walking to 60 minutes a day and consistently continue to lose weight. I hope you can find some kind of movement that you won't mind doing because it will help. Have a great evening. 

ladybea - yes, you are probably right. I have a treadmill and stationary bike here and dumbells of all weights. So, I should have no excuse. I am psyching myself up to start using these things; because I KNOW i should. Also, I think I should increase my calories to 1500-1800. Supposedly too few calories can slow it down too. Thanks for the comments you guys; I just hope you don't give up on me :-/ Dont know what i'd do without your support here. 

Notjune makes a VERY good point. Plus I think that one of the dangers of artificial sweeteners is that the muck with your palate/ sensitivity so that it's harder to enjoy the flavors of real food as much. (If you are regularly bombarding your tastebuds with formulated products that are 200+ times sweeter than cane sugar, I think eventually your tastebuds will not be able to detect more natural, subtle flavors that aren't as concentrated.) While diet alone CAN be very effective, even a little exercise makes things much more impactful. Weight training is good for boosting metabolism. If you can't lift free weights or go to a gym/ have access to machines, body weight resistance exercises can be very useful. (Think lunges, squats, leg lifts, crunches, plank and push ups...no equipment required. :) ) Failing that, just increasing walking is better than nothing. Take the stairs instead of the elevator sometime (hopefully your knees aren't in rough shape or that won't be too practical). If you have access to an indoor pool that's another option. Exercise doesn't have to be grueling, it just needs to be something beyond what you normally do so that you can get your heart rate up. 

Thanks MrsTofu. I should be ashamed of myself. I do have some equipment and even dumbells here as well as resistant bands and a floor to do these lunges and leg lifts, etc. I just need to get off my dead arse and do something. Being unemployed is no excuse for feeling in a funk; for not moving, for having no ambition whatsoever. But it's the only thing I can blame it on, besides myself :P I will cut out my crystal lite and go with water from now on. Thanks for your input, EVERYONE 

I increased my fats last week, and my fiber, but still strugling with the carbs. I have to move more and am working on that too. I don't know much about Atkins so I can't offer any advice. Other than that, your weight will fluctuate, and you have a goal in mind. Keep the pace and do make time to get up and go :) 

NO. You should not be ashamed of yourself! Shame is only making it worse! You are human and we all have down times. Just look for what little bit you can do and do it. Even only a little bit will help and maybe you'll feel so much better afterward, that you'll keep on repeating it!!! 

No shame. The only shame would be to give up. And you won't do that !!! :) 

You guys are great, thank you!!! So much ... 

I think maybe just change things up. I just ate whatever this week and finally showed a loss maybe just some difference eat a few more calories one day then go back down then up again then down for a few days. 

I started at Curve's and they said to give up Crystal Light because it is so sweet and that makes you crave sweets and foods that you shouldn't eat. 

Yes no shame! It took me a long time to get the will to eat right and exercise. Start slow with the exercise, even 10 minutes to start...thats what I did and I started to see results. I also stopped the Crystal Lite and only do water. I still get stuck on plateaus which drives me nuts! 

If my comment is useful than I am glad. However, my intent was not to lay a snare. Shame is a choice, though not a good one IMO. I can hear the guilt and self condemnation in your "voice", you may face considerable temptation, but you don't have to give in. It's not easy, but what I wanted to highlight is you ALREADY have what is needed for success. You likely won't make good choices all the time, but change one thing, make one improvement and you may find inertia working for you instead of against you. Good luck!