HerStrawberri's Journal, 23 June 2011

Sometimes the scale sticks and all you can do is keep working your exercise and healthy eating plan. :) Try taking measurements and full body pics for comparison when you hit lulls on the scale. As for mixing up calories. One or two days a week I'll have a higher calorie day. I'm basically doing low-fat eating. But I will have days where I'll eat less carbs and more fat just to mix it up some. You got this Strawberri, just keep moving forward. 

I can totally relate to the scale getting stuck- I've been having my own issues for the past month. I definitely agree with Jada that if you have a good plan, stay on track and push through it. When I was at the same weight that I was at a month ago, I redid my measurements and saw that I had lost 1/2 inch on several of them- progress comes in many forms! If you know you're low on exercise, then make that your goal this week- maybe mix it up and try something new. Changing up your calories is also good- maybe look into a calorie cycling plan, where you change your daily intake but keep the average about the same. Carbs aren't evil, either- everything in balance, just make sure that they're as complex as possible.  

Your post confused me a bit. You acknowledged that your carbs have been higher lately (& it appears you're trying to do a low carb diet), you haven't been exercising, & the scale reflects that by not showing a loss. I think the correlation between those things is pretty clear, so what I don't understand is the "discouraged" part. If you've been diligent & faithful to your program whatever it is & aren't getting results (which has happened to me several times), THEN I understand why one might feel discouraged. Why are you considering changing up your program when you admit you could have done better following the one you're already on? My suggestion is to give your current program a chance to work by doing what you know you need to do. Don't waste time being discouraged because now is not the time for that. Not trying to be harsh, but it seems very obvious to me from what you wrote. 

Stress creates hormones that encourage bloating while exercise alleviates that hormonal influx and helps with mood. Read that in this months "Fitness" magazine just last night. :) A quick sampling of your food journal makes me wonder how it goes with the veggie thing? If you were so inclined to add a "carb" to your plan, I would add a few berries (your namesake, blueberries, raspberries, or other lower sugar fruits) in moderation as your snacks. With a decent exercise expenditure, those "carbs" shouls be negligable. As a side note: I did Atkins in 2004-2006 and understand about the ketogenic way of eating. I does yeild results and it is a lifetime plan. I didn't stay away from refined sugar/flour and I rebounded badly. Recently I was trying to stay under 125 carbs a day and maintain my exercise levels (6 days a week). I actually dropped in to ketosis (telltale metallic taste in my mouth and a host of other familiar signs) so I had to raise my carb level to not be in a ketogenic state. That's pretty amazing that could happen. Go get your exercise on girl!! ;)  

Thank you all for the suggestions. With that being said, I will also say I'm not perfect. I'm trying so hard to NOT mess up. I for once in my life want to NOT go from diet to diet hoping and praying I lose weight. Or starving myself for days because that was the only way I was getting results in the past. I want something I can do for the rest of my life. This is MY LIFE on the line. So yeah, sometimes I get discouraged. Even when apparently I know what is stalling me. You are entitled to your opinion Kat and I even opened myself up for your honest assesment. But I'm going to say it WAS a bit harsh. Maybe u intended it to be that way who knows. But it honestly hurt my feelings. Maybe I'm to sensitive and maybe I shouldn't ask for advice if I didn't want the truth. But there is always a way to say things that might be hurtfull in a nice way. I'm sorry if I did something to offend u or if my posts are to 'whiney'. I'm just a girl trying to find her way. 

Hurting your feelings was definitely not my intent so for that I apologize. I guess what I was really trying to say is that all we can do is self-assess & make corrections if we see there is opportunity for that, & you identified those opportunities yourself. You are entitled to feel however you feel whether it makes sense to anyone else or not, & none of us are perfect! I was only trying to point out that there is room for improvement in what you're already doing, so it changing it up would overcomplicate things. I do hope you know that I have only the best intentions...from my own experience some of the things that were the most difficult to hear have been the most helpful by forcing me to look honestly at myself & my perspective in a different way. 

I have to agree with Kat on this one. Sometimes the harsh truth is necessary. I have seen people on this site who are ugly to others and I have never thought that Kat was one of them. She always tells it like it is and sometimes it is not so easy to hear. I thik that the point is - whatever your diet is - if you have not stuck with it then you can't fault it. Maybe the feeling of being discourraged is not really related to your diet but related to your own self-control. Do not give up. Not a one of us on this site is perfect and frankly I don't know anyone (not on this site ) who is. We all struggle with keeping ourselves under control. I think you need to remember that this is a process and that it is slow for a reason. Nobody can change overnight. The slower we go through this the more time we have to make permanent changes. I have lots of changes to make so maybe that is why I am going slower than most. You may be in the same situation. Try to focus on your control. Your choices. If your diet includes not eating carbs then stay away from them. If you slip up and have some carbs - analyze why you did it. Was it emotional eating, what is peer pressure, was it self-sabatoge, was it sabatage from someone else. Analyze the heck out of your poor choices and your good ones. honestly, it is my opinion if you approach this as a diet, you will fail. You may lose weight but you will put it back on if you have not really changed yourself. If it takes getting your feelings hurt for you to really see what is going on inside you then I think that it is well worth the hurt feelings. i am not being down on you. i am trying to help. 

Kat was absolutely right in everything she said. I'm way to sensitive for my own good. Thank you for being honest with me.  

That is what we are here for.... :) Have a wonderful rest of the day. 

Hey Berri...ok my own personal opinion...do with it what you want. Hide your scales for a while; up your calories; make sure your getting some form of exercise daily; find some kind of vegetable you like; add berries (protein shake with frozen berries blended in...ummm YUM) You are the only one that can make yourself happy. All of the women that have commented on your journal are ones that I talk to the most and they really DO want the best for you, themselves, other FS buddies. We can give you all the advice in the world; we can give you words or encouragement and praise; but its YOU that has to live it and believe it. I don't know if you are on any anti-depressants, but if you aren't, maybe you should check into some...if you are...maybe you need to schedule a visit with your dr. and discuss the dosage (yes, I said this exact same thing to my mother, no lie) I've talked to you enough on here and through PM that you should know that I do NOT want to hurt your feelings by saying this...I'm being this honest b/c I care. We all get in slumps...god knows I do. I've been exhausted and crying almost daily for the past 3weeks...but everyday I've been telling myself that I will snap out of this & I try and push forward with my workouts b/c I'll feel worse if I don't. I'm not perfect...ask my boyfriend, I'm a pain in the arse! ;) Cheer up love and stay positive.  

Thank you for your post.  

I didn't realize I sounded so depressed. I used to be on anti-depressants and they made me worse. I actually THOUGHT I was getting better. Maybe I'm disclosing to much about myself. I thought that's what my journal was for. It may not seem like it, but I'm trying really hard. YES, I CAN do better. BUT I'M BETTER THEN I ONCE WAS. I feel that is such an accomplishment. Losing 44 lbs is an accomplishment. NOT eating chocolate or candy for over 3 months is an accomplishment. Thank you all for your honesty, i very much appreciate it.  

There ya go...and it is...I can't and won't go a week w/o something chocolate. The journal entries are getting better but you do sound sad a lot of the time. Hell, I've been sounding sad most the time LOL it happens. We choose to read your journal...we choose to comment...we choose this b/c we do care and b/c most of us have been through similar things in life. Please, please, please don't get upset hun. And please don't stop journaling.  

Good gracious - if I cared how i sound on my journal I would never say anything. I use this as a place to vent and to cry and to whine and to cheer myself up. I really don't care what anyone thinks of me. that is the beauty of this forum to me. People who are willing to read my innermost dribbleing thought and snotty thoughts and sad thoughts and mad thoughts etc etc are truer friends to me than people who are in my life physically. These folks are in my mind!!! If they read my crap and decide they don't want to read it again - Great!! At least I can be myself here. If they decide to be a friend to me and read my stuff often - they are true friends because they know how bad I can be and still care about me. At least that is how I see things. 

I agree with esimnons. Don't censor yourself, it totally defeats the purpose of keeping a journal.  

It's a process Dawn...you should be proud of the work you'd done so far to get to where you are, & you're going to continue growing (& shrinking!) as you keep working at it. We all have different things to work through but are all here to support each other along the way! 

44 pounds is a great loss so far. We all get down in the dumps when the scale isn't moving. Just keep at it, it will move again soon. 

My dear Strawberry...don't ever apologize for what you put in your own journal..YOU OWN IT!! It is yours for reflection, whining, tracking feelings, food, problems, stressors in your life....all these things can have an impact on whether you are gaining or losing, it is not just about calories in and calories out and anyone who thinks it is in my opinion is crazy. Steady your course, take what you need from the comments of those who care about you and want nothing more than for you to succeed. Chin up love! 

Thank you Babs! And you are totally right. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I woke this morning with a new resolve. I do need to 'steady my course'. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. Thank you again!