Weight loss frustration

a reply to: mclarenmp4
Thank you for advice I'll look it up.
I do magnesium baths at least once a month, maybe I'll try to do more often.
One thing is sure : stress never helps.
hakuna matata!

a reply to: Bluesma

I gotta admit, I'm an older male but have nearly the same issues with weight. I also have the additional issue of Diabetes, so I can be doing all the right things in regard to weight loss and my blood glucose can go way out (don't believe the diet marketing, most pre-packaged diet foods and supplements come loaded with sugar & salt for 'taste' even if they are supposedly good for you).

Firstly, as you age, your body processes slow. So 2 kg is a great result. Be encouraged! Things are happening.

Secondly, too fast a weight loss can actually start a loss-gain-loss-gain oscillation. You are in this for the long haul so don't get hung up on day to day measuring. Try instead to evaluate yourself in performance, stamina and how good you feel.

As many mentioned, don't starve yourself. Short term you would see a tiny loss then things just stay static as your body goes into retention mode.

Eat wholefoods and raw foods. The reason is - natural fiber. Remember that instead of cooking vegetables to death, just quickly blanching them keeps them crisp and flavorsome. Also over-cooking oxidizes many nutrients making them unavailable, so cook thoroughly but lightly. Also be aware that raw foods may contain bacteria that would normally be killed in the cooking process. Ensure you wash them very well and you should be good to go.

A note about nuts. Great for protein and fiber but high in calories. A perfect between meal snack if you get peckish but eat them slowly and only have very small amounts.

Also, juicing, great & good for you, providing lots of nutrients, but usually are raw foods so wash everything very well. Also a glass of orange juice can have 3 or four oranges in it and you'd just gulp it down in a few mouth-fulls. If you had to eat 3 or four whole oranges, though, you'd feel that you've overeaten due to the fibre and the time it takes to eat them. So be aware that juicing concentrates food and liquid food doesn't give the cues we normally would get when eating the ingredients whole, i.e: the dividing line of between 'OK' and 'too much' is very much blurred. Also some foods are broken down by enzymes in our saliva. If you don't chew, the enzymes don't mix enough and therefore the balance of nutrition from the food is thrown off.

One more thing, lower your skin surface temperature. It's a bit old fashioned but cold baths, showers or even swimming changes the way you burn energy (for a very short while). The "shiver response" reduces blood flow to extremities and protects your body core. Excercise while the body is reducing blood flow will increase the amount of energy burned close to the surface (where we store the most fats). It does nothing to internal organs like the liver (which can get quite fatty) but may help tone you faster.

But just keep it up. You are seeing results.

Yup getting old as a female sucks.

Carbs are your enemy (sadly)

I am glad I ranted here, I've got a lot of referals for researching and a lot of ideas!
Thanks, it gives me hope and helps me feel less angry.

The thirty minutes is my minimum for each day - not what I do each time! Sometimes, if I am having a very busy day, then 30 minutes is all I do (keeping my heart rate above 160 for that time), but usually it is a an hour. It is just hard to find the time to do more each day!

With my calories too... I am keeping records for each day of what I eat, and I am eating an average of 1000 calories - 1100 is the highest I have done in one day, last week.

My hubby just got back from a work trip, and the first thing he said is that I am melting....I think he is just trying to be nice, but I guess I appreciate the try.

I took photos of myself three weeks ago, and have to do it tomorrow, to compare. I'm hoping my perception is off and there is a change.

I was asked, hasn't my husband changed with years too? Yes, he has a belly now (and much less hair ) but I have always liked men with a bit of meat on them - his look still turns me on. It's different for men I think?

a reply to: Bluesma I've been battling an extra 40 pounds on my short body and it is hard work. It's good to build and strengthen your muscles because stronger muscles help the body metabolize better and keeps your bones strong. The thing about building muscle, is that muscles weigh more and its no fun seeing the scale not go down.
One trick I've learned is, instead of looking at the scale, measure your arms, legs and belly and then re-measure after a certain amount of time. You should be able to see a difference.
1100 calories a day is a tad low, from my understanding and 1200-1400 calories along with more cardio work than muscle building... could help.
To my understanding, cardio is what sheds the pounds. Muscle building and strengthening helps, but cardio has helped me loose 20 pounds... I've another 15-20 to go. Also I tend to do exercise that is more toning than building.
Keep up the good work and... research, research, research! Don't over do it and take good care in only doing what is safe and good for you.

a reply to: Bluesma

You know, as other members have said as long as you are happy with you that is all that matters. If you want to lose some weight good for you as long as you don't become unhealthy.
From my opinion you seem mature enough and intelligent enough for that to not be an issue. The unhealthy part.
I do understand the fitness perspective as in the winter I do tend to feel "blah"...I despise the gym (regular gym LOVE the sports gym) and always feel better and healthier when we can get back outside and be physical.

I don't, personally, think that 145 lbs for your height sounds overweight but, it IS how you carry it and where and if it is making you uncomfortable or unhappy then good for you making yourself feel better!

a reply to: Bluesma

I can't believe the old starvation mode myth is still around, this is the problem with diet advice, so much outdated or conflicting advice, it gets hard to navigate very quickly!

I feel your pain, I have a very long bad history with food, gets me emotionally, i've been up and down all my life, still struggling at the moment from my last emotional journey to the dark side! though I do have quite a lot of muscle right now, which has helped me more than any diet ever has! At my largest I was over 24st (over 350lb) that was a bad time, I literally did starve myself at that point, I lost a ton of weight over a several months, but I lost a lot of muscle, and with that and no nutrition I ended up passing out on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood (hit my nose on my way down) so I learnt a lesson from that, eventually anyway!

At such a low calorie count, especially over a long period, your metabolism will slow, which will slow or stall weight loss, i've had this problem many times, I counter it by having high and medium days with the low count across the week or fortnight, this all depends on your size though, and activity. This was a stumbling block for me and now I can deal with it well, i'm only mentioning this since you put up your calorie count! I have no idea of your size, i've seen your pics, but you can't really tell.

I would say though, if you are not that much over weight, there is no way around it, you will lose it very slow, and your 4lbs doesn't sound bad, I feel your frustration though, it's hard, and when in this situation, you feel like everybody around you is eating just to piss you off (or is that just me?)

Anyway, good luck! I do know quite a bit, on this subject, so feel free to bug me if you have any questions or just want some support!

a reply to: mclarenmp4

Yes that's a nice excuse to not lose weight, like a nice thyroid problem or something.

I think the OP came here for genuine solutions, not to be given an "out".

a reply to: Zehll

It's not an out, is medically backed science. I go with medically backed research over personal stories because different people have different body types and metabolism.

If you want to deny the science then go ahead but I don't, I'd rather deny ignorance than embrace it.
It's helped me and my family considerably to lose weight that was always hard to shift even with regular exercise.

a reply to: mclarenmp4

The science is that she's not gaining weight.

I lost a fair amount of weight a few years ago... and I must say, the first thing I learnt was to NOT stare at the scales every single morning. Your weight fluctuates every day, during the day, you can weigh something different every time you stand on the damned things in the one day.

I focussed instead on photo evidence and measurements. Every Monday I would take a full-body photo of myself standing nice and straight. I would grab the measuring roll and jot down the centimetres of around my upper arm flab, thigh flab, hips, waist. And I would weigh myself just to add to my notes.

There were times when I had lost -no- weight according to the scales, but I had lost centimetres from my overall measurements and my appearance in that week's photo looked better.

Sooo... What I'm trying to say I guess don't beat yourself up so much about the "measly 2 kilos", you're getting there!

a reply to: Bluesma

I had some amazing results with coconut oil. I basically just cooked with it, so I ate about a tablespoon of it every night and it burned fat for me like crazy within a very short time. I dont know if thats always the case, but it worked really well for me.


But no matter what you try, I would kindly suggest you relax a bit about it coz the stress certainly wont help you *hugs*. Loosing weight is more of a mental thing then about diet and exercise

Remember, that if you are adding muscle mass, it is going to weigh more than any fat you are losing. So keep that in mind as you go through it.

a reply to: Bluesma

I have been carefully calculating my calorie intake at no more than 1100 a day, usually less. I eat no bread, pasta, dairy, or fatty foods, no sugar. Basically lots of vegetables, fruit, and some fish or turkey. I drink tons of water, green tea, Rooibos, herbal teas....

My advice might sound counter-intutive, but I'll provide some links for further info

Probiotics

Whole-Fat Milk and Butter

No Artificial Sugars

I've heard good things about raspberry ketones and green coffee bean extracts as a weight loss supplement, but no personal knowledge:

Green Coffee Bean Extract or Red Raspberry Ketones

Good luck!

originally posted by: Bluesma
I just want to scream, I am so frustrated and angry!

I've never had much problem with weight - I was always naturally muscular, an athletic type build, and didn't need to worry about it.

Then .... I started getting older, started getting more curves (which I actually liked at first!). Then I got this problem with my elbows which had me inactive for months, unable to use my arms, and I started eating out of boredom.
Then I quit smoking, and put on more pounds very quickly.

A couple months after quitting, I went into a weightloss mode. I have been carefully calculating my calorie intake at no more than 1100 a day, usually less. I eat no bread, pasta, dairy, or fatty foods, no sugar. Basically lots of vegetables, fruit, and some fish or turkey. I drink tons of water, green tea, Rooibos, herbal teas.... I exercise a minimum of 30 minutes a day, varying between running, yoga, weight lifting, elliptical trainer.

I have been so well disciplined and determined! Even with one of my sons home and he keeps junk food all over the house, seemingly having fun teasing me with it and trying to break my will, I haven't given in. (I have an open package of Oreo's behind my head right now, and I haven't touched them).

But it doesn't seem to be working at all! In the last month, I have lost 2 kilos (thats about 4 pounds) which seems like nothing for all this effort!
I don't see any difference, though my muscles are getting built a lot, they are still hidden under a thick layer of blubber.

I intensified my work outs last week so that I am so sore I can barely walk the next day, but still - no weightloss!

I want to cry, I want to break things. I feel so ANGRY! I feel ugly and my husband, though he is affectionate and lets me know he cares, he doesn't find me sexually attractive at all any more, and I don't blame him one bit. He's only human, and an aging cow maybe sweet to cuddle but that's all, isn't it?

I am capable of much discipline and endurance, but dammit, there has to be some pay back at some point to keep up the motivation!!!!
I better stop now. I'm starting to cry and I'm just going to repeat myself again and again. (and I have to keep deleting the swear words I know are against the T&C's.)

Don't rely on the scales to measure your progress.It's a mistake a lot of people make.Instead take measurements of various body parts.
I follow a ketogenic diet and in 5 weeks my waist has shrank from 34" to just under 30" but my weight has only changed by 8 lbs. However, I lift 4 days a week and have gained some muscle weight that has balanced it out.
Remember that all calories are not equal, especially when it comes to simple carbohydrates. A big part of weight loss is controlling insulin, that's why the ketogenic diet is so effective.It also has many benefits like constant energy,better focus,no cravings ect..Give it a try and good luck.

Bluesma! First of all if your intellect is anything to go by I'd say your still pretty damned hot. Coming from a guy in his 30's.

Anyways. I'm 5'4" I had a pretty bad set of injuries about 2 years ago that ruined my health and body. I quickly gained 70lbs. Stress, being semi ambulatory etc all contributed. I started developing borderline type 2 diabetes symptoms. My hormones were a mess. I had zero energy. Coming from a guy who was a respected martial artist in his community and was know for being built like a hobbit version dwayne johnson. I physically turned into a sloppy mess.

I started to change all of that in August 2015. Since then I've lost 45lbs at three pounds a week. Some weeks I plateau other I loose 5. But the average is about two.

I've been doing Intermittent fasting. My problem was I has lost my insulin sensitivity. And that threw off my body chemistry and horomones. I corrected that via the fasting and now my body is steadily loosing weight. My health is improving in general. I did have a scare last month waiting on a biopsy but it came back negative. My joints and organs aren't inflamed and in pain constantly anymore.

It sounds extreme but I only eat once a day and when I do it's 1500 calories. I also consume copious amounts of beer every night when I get home and I still Loose weight. It's the hormones that are the biggest culprit for me and it may be for you too.

Looking into Intermittent Fasting.

Also, load up on the vitamin C.

Sometimes I'll take several grams of it at once to pump my liver and gallbladder to flush out excess water weight and toxins and give my body a chance to get rid of the waste.

So load up on the vitamin C.

I'll be at my goal weight by summer. only got 25 more pounds to go. and I feel lighter and springier every day.

Also the prior posters are right go by pants size not scale. I've lost 7-8 inches on my waist since august. Gotta get all new pants. Finding old clothes I can fit into again. If you're lifting and building muscle your fat loss may not be reflected in your weight.

Another thing. If your having trouble burning the brown Adipose tissue belly, armpit, thigh fat know that the brown tissue burns differently because it has different receptors to initiate fat burning. Look into that too. I forget the name of the herbs you can take to block the receptors and initiate the brown fat burn but a simple google search will come up with loads.

Best,

Dave (Bassplyr)

Sounds like you need to start smoking again.

I know if I didn't smoke I'd probably weigh at least 30 lbs more.

a reply to: Bluesma

Don't be discouraged. Everyone is different.

Everyone gets to that dang plateau and stops losing weight.

And usually weight loss boils down to diet and exercise.

And it's great that you are counting the calories and doing the right things.

However you might want to adjust your calories up a little. It could be that your body is thinking it needs to conserve energy. You might actually be consuming too few calories for your age. Do some googling. You'll see how many you should be consuming.

a reply to: Bluesma

Sounds like your doing all the right things to lose the weight! Don't get discouraged. I'm currently on the Wheat Belly Diet. I can't eat anything with wheat in it. I can't eat any processed foods or anything with sugar in it. I drink unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk.

One thing I learned 10 years ago when I was on the Weight Watchers Diet, which I felt was good advice for anyone dieting. Don't weigh yourself!!! You will reach plateaus where you won't see any change in weight. The best thing is to judge your weight loss by how loose your belt or clothes fit. Weighing yourself can really discourage people trying to lose weight.

Another thing, lifting weights burns off fat quicker than just exercising. My son's a testament to that. I couldn't believe how much weight he dropped in such a short time just by lifting weights and doing some cardio. He's now addicted to weight lifting and majoring in Physical Therapy. Go figure. He's been hounding me to get into a weightlifting regiment, but at 57, my motivation isn't like it was when I was young. lol

I completely understand where you're coming from. Hang in there and don't give in!!! It will all be worth it once you get to your desired weight.

a reply to: Bluesma

Bluesma,

You wanna drop major poundage? Two words: oolong tea

Prepare it in the traditional fashion. You need a teapot, a receiving bowl, and a small ceramic cup to drink from. Steep the tea for a couple of minutes. Pour from the teapot into the receiving bowl. Pour from that into your cup. You should get a second run on the tea leaves ... maybe even three. Let this be your 'major' (90%) intake of fluids everyday.

You'll drop fifty pounds in six months if you follow those simple lines of instruction above (to a tea - LOL).