Need Help, Advice, or Maybe Just Encouragement with Exercise/weight Loss.

I LOVE Nutrisystem! I have lost 32 lbs and have 25 more to go. This is the first time I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Let me know if you want more info.

K.,

I feel for you. However, I dont understand after all that work nothing has come off? Do you eat a lot of carbs? You know I am not a fan of atkins or anything like that but I will tell you cut your carbs and you will probably loose weight. You dont have to do anyting drastic, but cut the carbs and I think you wil see results.
good luck

I love the original hilton head metabolism diet, sparkpeople.com, and ttapp. The three together have worked wonders for me.

S.

Another great tool to try www.livestrong.com and try the daily plate. Its also free and has helped me tremendously. What I learned from there, I was not eating near enough calories to lose weight. Seems crazy. I was trying to eat 1500 when I should have been at least 1850 and if I work out I usually have to eat at least another 300 calories. Give it a try. Good luck.

Hi K.,

I'm a family health coach and would like to help. A lot of what you mentioned are great practices "lots of fruit, veggies, whole grains, and lean protein. I have been exercising for 30 minutes a day with different combinations of 10 minute workouts (cardio, abs, total body, lower body, and yoga). I wear a pedometer and consistently get over 10,000 steps a day".

I'd like to better understand why your body is holding on to the weight. It could be too few calories, too many calories at each meal, ie. a few large meals vs. more small meals, not eating per your activities/routine, i.e. eating schedule. It could be the amount of rest you get between exercise, the amount of sleep you get each week...it could be a lot things. Please take a look at my website and let me know if you are interested in meeting or talking over the phone for a free consultation. I'd like to better understand your biology, schedule, exactly what your eating and when, as well as, how you are exercising. Please don't be discouraged. Success can be right around the corner!

S. Johnson, Lead Health Coach
www.eatplaylivegreen.com

K. - I started the beginning of this year 28 lbs over where i wish i was and 18 lbs over where i was last summer. For years if i needed to lose weight I would do one of those no carb diets. I loved it and it worked but they were really hard b/c i love my breads and pastas. I also love red meat. I January i really hit it hard going to the gym 4-5 times a week and doing low carb. I'm one of those people that are really motivated by seeing my scale every day. I love when it shows even the slights decrease b/c that way i know i did a good job yesterday and can do it again.

Well - after working so hard and diligently i only lost 2 lbs in January. I'm a very emotional person and it gets worse when it comes to my appearance. The first of Feb. i was seriously at a breaking point. I was depressed and self conscious and couldn't take it anymore.

I called Jenny Craig and set up a time to talk to them and see how their program works. Even when i was in the office with the lady i started crying just b/c i was disappointed in myself and felt miserable and unattractive. I started their 20lbs for $20 promotion. I paid the $20 up front and then buy their food on a weekly basis.

The first two weeks i held strong sticking with mostly their foods (i would supplement here and there) but the meals were wonderful. I love how convenient it is and how i can still cook for my family and not have to worry about my meals b/c they are planned a week in advance and ready to go as soon as i need them. I also go to the gym about 5-7 times a week. I do very intense cardio for 30 minutes. After the first few weeks i started throwing in weight training every other day.

After the first two weeks i couldn't believe how much energy i had and how much weight i was losing. I could tell that my metabolism was picking up. All of this just pushed me even harder. My counselor at Jenny is wonderful although i'm following the program and much happier now so she doesn't really have to work too hard.

I’ve even weaned myself away from the Jenny foods only buying a few of the breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. I stick to my own 100 cal snacks and protein bars.

I know this is long but i just wanted to let you know that I too have been there and this so far has been my saving grace. I've been on the program for 5 weeks and have lost 12.2 lbs according to my weigh in last week. And I’m totally pumped to see how much it is tomorrow.

Jenny is a little expensive but - the new found body, emotions, self esteem, the overall new me is totally worth it.

If you'd like additional info just sent me a message.

Also - I’m not a jenny sales rep i just am truly impressed with the results I’ve seen

I think you're doing great! Good for you for counting calories AND exercising. I suggest you up your calorie intake for a few days. It could be that you've been eating too little with all of your exercise and your body has gone into survival mode. Maybe try to eat a minimum of 1,500 calories for 3-4 days, then go back to your original routine. Remember that you should NEVER eat less than 1,200 calories on an inactive day. If you're exercising, you really should eat more than 1,200 to factor in how much you burn in exercise (i.e. if you exercise and burn 100 calories, then you shouldn't eat less than 1,300 calories those days)

And, don't weigh yourself every day. Once a week should be sufficient (and you won't go crazy with no movement of the numbers.) Also, make sure you're counting EVERYTHING you put in your mouth, including liquid calories. It's easy to grab a bite of something throughout the day and then it really adds up at the end of the day.

I have some ideas! Please email ____@____.com
Thanks,
SP

When you start eating well your body starts to detox and you can feel sluggish, but keep up the exercise daily. Choose a plan that you can keep up. 2 hours a day may not be realistic, whereas the 30 minutes sounds manageable. Slow weight loss is healthy and sometimes people plateau, then start losing again. Alcohol is a killer. So if you have a glass of wine at night consider stopping that. It may be a metabolism thing. 1200 calories a day sounds rough to me. If you would like another diet I have a good one. Otherwise I'd say the way you are trying to eat sounds great.

i just want to say thank you for not falling for some pill craze! they never work! keep it up and in the long run, it will not only come off, but stay off!

First remember you did not put this weight on overnight. Doctors say that the weight you put on during pregancy take 3 months to lose what you put on in 1. Your body also was used to a more rigorous workout and you did most of the work for it. Now it has to learn to do the work. Most people who are dieting fail about the third month because you will drop weight just great the first 2 then you hit a platau and nothing. If you keep at it your body will kick back in and you will lose more. If you find you are getting extra tired, fatigue in your legs, hair lose increasing then check with doc on a free T4 test. They tested my thyroid and said it was ok then I went to a new doc who ordered the standard TSH and a free T4 and my T4 was the problem. Tea is a dehydrator and will cause you to retain water. Soda accounts for 1/3 of weight gain. If you eat nothing but salad and fish and baked chicken your metabolism will slow down because there is nothing for it to do. It kicks in when your barain gets a signal you are eating sugar and starch and needs to burn it off. Hang in there and do not get depressed depression directly causes weight gain. You are a beautiful woman who has given birth to 2 beautiful children doing a job that is rewarding but thankless.

You've hit a plateau, which is perfectly normal. I'm in the same place. What always works for me is to 'be bad' for a couple of days. Not completely overboard, but I don't deny myself a sweet or a little extra bread. Then, I get back on track. If, after another week, nothing has moved, I will add a little more to my eating routine - either by a little larger meal or adding an extra snack or meal for a few days. That usually gets me started again. It's probably not the most healthy way to do it, but I don't usually gain anything over those few days and the weight loss starts over again once I'm back on track.
Good Luck!

A few things....First, most of my research indicated that all exercise is good but to actually lose weight you need to be doing 60 minutes of cardio. It may seem impossible but you can work up to it. Try the stair climber at your gym. When I switched to that I saw more weight come off. When I do it I sweat so much and it is more difficult. Even if you can just do 10 minutes on it and the rest on something else, it will help. Also, you need to be sure you are doing weight training/weight machines with every work out. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn when resting and all the time. I am sorry you are struggling. I have been there and I know how it is on your self esteem. Just keep going and work up to an hour of cardio at your level. I know people will argue with this, but if you need to, try medication. I have taken Adipex in the past with dramatic results. I have heard good things about Alli too.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. Be patient. The hardest part of weight loss is being patient. Get rid of the scales. Take them to a friends house. Youll know youve lost weight by the way your clothes fit. You are replacing fat with muscle which weighs more. So be patient and one day itll be gone. Good for you. Im proud of you for your determination. I lost 60 pounds 6 years ago and havent gained a single pound back. Its just a matter of changing eating habits and excercise. It took me over a year to do it and I am over 30. The older you get the harder it is to get off because our metabalizim changes. Keep up the good work.

Nutrisystems baby! It melts the weight right off your body and if you are exercising too!!! wow. I lost 17 pounds in a couple of months couple of years ago and kept it off for six months until I purposefully ate with my teen - when she is depressed she bakes. Yum! Made me feel good and my bottom too! Ha.
My niece lost 70lbs. Guy my hubby works with lost 80+ and still going.

Make sure you eat every meal (3 x's day) so you lose the desire to eat sweets. You reduce your calorie intake and no guessing, measuring or counting to figure out what you can eat. I felt full all the time until meal time. Just grab and go and it's delivered right to your door too. It's a no brainer. I was shocked when I stepped on the scale and saw the difference. I even cheated by eating at McDonald's.
I am doing it again and in a week of no missing meals lost 3lbs. Big deal for someone like me that does not lose easily and sits in front of a computer all day. I feel better too. 20 pounds to go. (They even sent me a Ty Bear to celebrate my first 10lbs off. Cool.
Good luck with whatever you try! c