Don't Know What To Think??

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2005
Don't Know What To Think??
12
Fri, 04-29-2005 - 2:09pm

Anyway, as of today I have been on my "new way of eating" for 10 days. For those who don't know or remember my "new way" is eating lots of fruits and veggies, occasional fruit and/or veggie juice (like V8), water, lean chicken, turkey, fish and absolutely no sugars, sweets, junk food at all. I'm also keeping my caloric intake between 1200 and 1500 a day and I also eat about 6 smaller meals a day. I also use Fitday. Anyway, it is 10 days and the scale hasn't moved at all. However, I have notice a slight change around my stomach, for instance. It doesn't seem as bloated if ya know what I mean. And, my bras fit much better now. When my husband hugs me he says he notices a loss around my back too. And, my 10 year old brags how he can now touch his fingers when he hugs me. LOL! But, other than that, no lbs gone. And, I'm assuming that was all water I lost (even tho the scale didn't budge).

I've also not done any exercises at all aside from the normal every day running around. Do you think this could be why the scale hasn't budged? I haven't cheated on my new plan at all!!! And, I haven't done exercises yet because I'm still waiting on some exercise DVD's to come in the mail. Any advice and suggestions would be appreciated. I'm almost ready to give in again because this always has happened to me in the past. No scale movement, but inch loss then I get frustrated and give up because the scale isn't moving despite me following my plan/diet to the "T".

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2004
Fri, 04-29-2005 - 2:41pm
Actually, if you're following your new plan really well, then I'm sure you've probably lost some fat. Does your scale measure weight and body fat? The last time I went on a diet, my weight didn't change for 2 weeks, but my body fat dropped by 1% during that time because what happened was that I was losing fat and I had replinished my water store. If you didn't drink a lot of water before, or if you're eating more salt now, you may be holding water weight. If you stick with it I'm sure that one day very soon you will be seeing a large drop in pounds. Also, how are you tracking your calories daily? I know you said you try to keep it around 1200-1500, but some fish is very high in fat (the good kinds) and can have A LOT of calories per serving. Fresh salmon and some specific cuts are like that, but not all salmon, you just have to read the nutrition info on the label.


 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2005
Fri, 04-29-2005 - 3:04pm

Scale just measures weight.

Don't think I have an unusually high amount of salt. This is an example of what I may eat in a day:

Breakfast - 2 hard boiled eggs and some fruit
Snack - no fat cottage cheese and maybe some fruit or veggies
Lunch - salad with letteuce, cabbage, carrots, maybe radish and no dressing or if I do some oil/vineger
Snack - fruit or a rice cake maybe some celery with peanut butter
Dinner - a small piece of chicken and some veggies or instead maybe some low sodium/low fat soup and a salad or a healthy choice type dinner
Snack - sugar free Jello or something similar

I never use salt on any food I am eating and I usually never use spice and such.

I know how many calories I have a day because I read lables and measure some foods/servings when needed. Then, when I add my foods to Fitday, thier calorie amounts for the day usually end up very close to mine. I even go out of my way to add custom foods to Fitday so that they don't add calories by mistake. I even added my daily vitamin to the list. I said I eat fish but I haven't actually had any yet. I just say that because that is a food I will allow myself if I want it. However, I have had canned tuna packed in water. And, if I do eat fish it's only flounder. I dont like salmon and others.

I just don't know what is going on. Maybe once my exercise DVD's come and I start using them I will see a loss. I HOPE!!!!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2004
Mon, 05-02-2005 - 1:59pm

Well, your diet does seem very sound, and I think you must be on the right track. You actually sound a lot like me when I was trying to lose weight in January. I stuck to a very low calorie diet for three weeks and still didn't lose any weight on the scale. Finally I just gave up and went back to eating junk for 3 months...then I weighed myself last month and had gained a bunch! I had to start at 275 :( which was higher than I have ever been. The only thing I can think of for me not losing the weight in January is that I had recently been under a lot of stress and I started back on hormonal birth control pretty much right when I tried my weight loss plan.

If you still aren't seeing results, maybe you could try switching up your plan? It looks like you aren't getting a whole lot of fiber, so maybe you could get some extra by adding beans to your salad at lunch or with your dinner? Oh, and maybe you could add more dairy? Recent studies have shown that it can help aid fat loss, and although I am not one to follow fads, I love my dairy products and always make sure I get at least 100% RDA from my foods, and I have been losing about 1" from my waist a week! I use Fitday, too, to track my intake, and I love it, so it sounds like you are definitely doing everything right.

Finally, maybe it's just your scale. Are you weighing in at the same time every time you weight? Do you move it between weigh ins? Do you always step on it the same way (i.e. right foot then left foot, etc)? Do you place your feet on the same spots? I know these all sound like crazy questions, but they can make a huge difference. For example, if I don't weigh first thing in the morning after I go to the bathroom but before anything else, I can be off by 2 lbs just from a cup of water. If I weigh myself at night, I can be up 5-7 lbs from that same morning, but the next morning it's gone. If the scale is on carpet, it can really skew the results, too. I like to keep mine on the concrete in 1 corner of the basement, and I never move it. Finally, if I step on the scale with my toes at the top of the scale, I weigh 2 lbs less than if I put my heels to the bottom of the scale...I promise I'm not obsessed, but since I've been trying to lose weight for years, I've noticed a lot of little things and how much consistency makes a difference.

If everything else is on track and you still aren't losing weight, you might go see your doctor to rule out any health conditions. Good luck and keep us posted!

Staci
275/255.5/170

P.S. sorry so long winded and sorry I took so long to reply, I wasn't on all weekend! :)


 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-17-2004
Mon, 05-02-2005 - 2:51pm

I have this link to a great article talking about just that. Problem is the only place I can find it now is through a post on a board "somewhere else" and that's a big sin around here so if you really want to read it you can email me (aandcfischer@yahoo.com)and I'll send it to you.

But anyway, basically this article talks about how fat cells don't like to give up their size and replace lost fat with water. So you may have lost a good deal of body fat but you could be holding onto some water to make up for it. If you keep up with your good healthy eating you will see those numbers go down soon! And once you start excercising that will definitely help burn off that fat. Although don't get discouraged if your don't lose any or even gain a bit when starting exercise because you'll probably gain some muscle.

Keep up the great work, 10 days on plan is awesome!!

Amanda
285/244/150

Amanda

mom to Ethan (7), Ryen (6), and Katelyn (2)

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-30-2005
Mon, 05-02-2005 - 9:27pm

Your Plan sounds really good to me, pretty balanced. I wonder if maybe your calorie count is too low? When I was on Weight watchers, I had to use up to 35 points I think and sometimes it was really hard for me to eat that much. My leader told me that unless I used at least the smallest amount of points I wouldn't lose weight. Well I didn't think it mattered untill after 3 weeks of doing my own thing I did try and increase the points and the very next week I dropped 6 pounds!! You may need to try eating a little more starch like bread or rice, or maybe even try adding a little more protein. Hope this helps.

Jeannene

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-09-2004
Tue, 05-03-2005 - 12:06am

I think you are doing great....when you get your videos....you will see a great loss...I think you will see it before then. Just hang in there and keep doing the same thing you are doing....you will be fine.

SussieQ

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2004
Tue, 05-03-2005 - 12:14pm

Hi there!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2005
Tue, 05-03-2005 - 5:55pm

First of all I want to thank everyone who has responded to this thread since the last time I responded to it.

I will try to answer everyone's questions in just one post.

Weird Me 2:

I am happy to say I am stress free. Nothing really going on that I need to worry/stress over. I'm also not on birth control or any other meds. So, I don't think it's either of those.

As for the fiber and dairy, I actually do eat beans and have one or two glasses of non-fat milk a day. I also have cheese in my salad when I have one. Not to mention yogurt and such.

As for the scale, yes it is always in the same place. It's a linoleum floor in my bathroom. The few times I've weighed myself it has always been in the AM after going to the bathroom. And, no, you don't sound strange about the scale. I too make sure I step on it the same way every time and also place my feet in the same area. LOL!

I've also been to the docs before and it's always the same thing, you are healthy other than being overweight.

ilythia2b:

Thanks. I will be emailing you for that info.

Jeanrae4:

I too wondered if maybe I wasn't taking in enough calories. So, since my original post I have upped my caloric intake some.

Sussieq:

I do hope you are right. Right now I think that is the main problem. Not exercising. The tapes should be coming any day now. I can't wait.

Pickle Puss:

As mentioned above, I have increased my caloric intake some. And, as far as nibbling, I usually don't because I have at least 5-6 small meals a day. Well, not all of them can be considered "meals" I guess. They seem more like "snacks" to me. For instance, I may have two hard boiled eggs for breakfast with some fruit salad (home made). Then, about 2 hours later I may just have a piece of fruit or some celery sticks or carrot sticks with some fat free ranch veggie dip (or something similar). So, I call them meals. But, as I said, since I am eating like 5-6 times a day I really don't feel the need to "nibble" on anything else in between those "meals".

Either way, every little bit I eat each day gets written down and added to Fitday. I even add my water even tho it doesn't add anything calorie, carb, fat, etc. wise. I also add my daily vitamin.

Don't worry, I am trying real hard not to give up. I really don't want to do that again. I refuse to stay at this weight.

With all of that said and done, the only major missing factor that I see in what I am doing/not doing is the exercise. I hope that once I really start with it and do it every day the scale will finally move. As mentioned before, I do feel my clothes fitting better despite what the scale says. I just sometimes wonder tho because I don't see how I am gaining muscle when I'm not actually exercising (except for the normal every day running around). Just doesn't make sense to me. I have looked for answers here and on other message boards and everyone always says the same thing, "remember, muscle weighs more than fat" Yes, this I know. However, let's say I do lose inches and eventually even pant sizes but I stay the same weight or close to it. Does that now mean I am healthy? I don't see how. Understand what I'm saying?

For example, a friend of mine weighed around 240 lbs, she went on a diet and eventually noticed that she was losing inches and eventually went down 4 pant sizes. Sure she had lost inches and pant sizes but she was still considered overweight (she went down to around 220) by the "charts". So, even though she lost a lot of inches how can she be considered healthy and still weigh that much (over the chart amount she should be at)? It's all so confusing. However, I guess it's possible.

I remember back when I was 19 I weighed 172 lbs. However, to look at me you wouldn't have known it. I had no stomach at all and my legs, arms, etc. were slim. I guess I was mostly muscle even though I was, at that time, considered overweight. For my height I believe I should be (and should have been then) around 112-155 lbs. So, I am thinking, even though I am overweight now maybe a lot of me is still muscle? Maybe that's why the scale isn't moving? But then again, I've read that for someone my age and height I should have a BMI of no more than 25. Well, mine is like 45. So, that to me doesn't sound like I have a lot of muscle. AHHHHHHHHHH! Who knows! It's all so frustrating! LOL!

Anyway, sorry this was so long. Thanks again everyone for the encouraging words, suggestion and ideas. I truly do appreciate each and every one of them.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-25-2004
Tue, 05-03-2005 - 6:12pm

Well, you have me stumped. You sound like you are doing everything perfectly, so it's almost a mystery. I was wondering if you are taking your measurements? If not, they might be a good place to start. Also, you might invest in a scale that measures body fat, too. I got a $30 one at Walmart, I believe it was Taylor Precision, and it works great. You program in your height and age, then when you weigh yourself, it also figures body fat. It would be a great way to see if you are losing fat/gaining muscle while your weight is going nowhere. Just this morning I weighed myself and the scale said I gained .5 lbs but lost 1% of body fat, so I know that what gain I may have had was water weight and that I have been losing fat.

I do know that BMI does not take BODY FAT % into account at all, so it's not always the best judge of physical health. I, too, am like you in that when I was in high school I weighed 195 lbs, but it was a great weight for me at 5'10". I was very proportioned and could wear "normal" clothes. But, according to my BMI, I was still out of the "healthy" range by about 25 lbs. BMI charts say I should weigh between 155-173, but if you use my current Body Fat % and my current weight, my lean mass (bones, muscles, organs, water, etc.) weighs in at 145 lbs! If I were to lose all of my fat and not lose any of my lean mass, I would barely be making my "healthy" range. I know I set my final goal as 170, but as I get closer, I'll probably be looking at my measurements and body fat% closely and see if they are within a healthy range. I have heard that it is optimal to have a waist measuring no more than 35" and a body fat % of approximately 19-33% for women of childbearing age.

Have you noticed a difference in the way your clothes fit or have you taken your measurements? I know from past weight loss journals I still average a few inches lost even when I lose only 1 lb.

Good luck and please keep us updated!!

Staci

(sorry so long winded---again!)


 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2005
Tue, 05-03-2005 - 6:29pm

Hey Staci. No, I haven't been taking measurements. I guess maybe I should. I will also look into that scale you were talking about too. It sounds great.

As for the clothes, right before I started I bought a few bras in the size I "normally" wear. My old ones had been stretched out and were old (probably why I thought I still took the same size). Now, even though they were my "normal" size, I noticed that they were digging and pinching me and were really uncomfortable. Not just one either but all of them. I knew then that it couldn't just be the bra because NONE of them fit. So I would complain and my husband would say "maybe you just need a bigger size?" (inch wise not cup). Of course I didn't want to hear that. LOL! But, since I've started my new plan those same bras I got just a few weeks before starting my plan no longer dig or pinch me. They fit fine. Also some of my jeans fit a little loser around the waist. And, I don't notice my stomach sticking out as much as it used to. I especially notice when standing up. Before, when standing, if I looked down my stomach would be sticking out further than my boobs. Now, my boobs stick out more than my stomach. I mean I still slightly see stomach but not like I used to. Does that make sense? LOL!

Maybe this weekend I will have to go out for that scale and a measuring tape.

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