Posts by jessrene

Sweat is not an accurate indicator because everyone sweats differently.  I don't hardly sweat at all.  When I was running (I hate that I have to say that, I swear I am going to start again), I would crank out 2 miles and hardly be able to breathe while I was cooling down and stretching because I had pushed myself so hard doing HIIT intervals.  Not hardly a drop.  I've done spinning classes before and gotten my heart rate higher than it has ever been for several minutes on end and hardly broken a sweat.  I just don't really sweat unless I am sitting in a sauna.

If you are at the gym have your heart rate up, you're doing good. 

Coffee coffee coffee.  If it's past 5, decaf coffee.  If I am craving something sweet, I use some type of indulgent coffee creamer.  The coffee suppresses appetite if you get the munchies throughout the day, and indulging a bit with 50 calories worth of dark chocolate caramel coffee creamer is much better than giving in to a brownie or bowl of ice cream! 

For me, I only let myself eat significant carbs if it has been a heavy exercise day.  If I feel fatigued and my muscles are tired, I let myself grab a bagel or some toast.  What I have found personally is that since carbs are for energy, if I have a "standard" day (a day off exercise or only very light exercise) and eat a carb heavy meal, I will retain water.  Also, carbs convert to sugars which are very quickly stored as fat if you don't burn the energy that they are trying to provide to your body.

Greepea-  I'm with you... 135 was my plateau, I got stuck there for literally 2 months.  

Britty-  I did calorie cycling and went between 1300 and 1700, keeping a weekly average of about 1450.  I would jog 2 miles 3-4 times a week, and do 30-45 minute exercise tapes (Hip Hop Abs and Turbo Jam-- yes, you will feel stupid if you desire to try these bopping around in your living room) on the other days.  I would also do walking lunges all around the living room in 15 minute increments while watching TV in the evenings. Right now, I have 3 gym days a week (my work/school schedule has spiraled out of control!) and do 45 minutes of cardio, usually an elliptical on high resistance, and then a weight training circuit.  I'm wanting to start jogging again because I want to run a 5k before the end of the year.  

I get mega sweet cravings, as well, and I have 3 things that I turn to:

1. Bryers 1/2 fat vanilla ice cream (doesn't have a bunch of preservatives and artificial sweetners and crap like most diet food, but is just made with skim milk and other reduced cal ingredients) topped with warm berries

2. A sweet cereal, like coco puffs or fruity pebbles.  You get your sugar craving plus get in some good vitamins and minerals.  If you use soy milk, all the better, because you get in some extra protein!

3. Get some reduced fat graham crackers and fat free cream cheese.  Top a graham cracker with a layer of cream cheese and be creative.  I've topped this with berries or reduced fat peanut butter and reduced sugar chocolate syrup.  This is going to have way more preservatives and artificial ingredients than the other 2 options since everything is "diet," but I've found that the graham cracker-cream cheese combination ends up being enough like a cheesecake type thing that it makes me happy if I'm craving a dessert.

I am 5'6" and fluctuate between 125-128 and in New York and Company brand I wear a 2 in some of their styles. In everything else from Express to Abercrombie I'm a pretty consistent 4.  

The issue is that I live in a really small town in Missouri.  There is not an Indian grocery, and our stores don't have all of the spices and ingredients I would even need to make a proper Indian meal.  I guess the next time I go, I could always ask them how the food is prepared (I am there so much that the waiters and owners know me-- it is a really small family run restaurant).  

I think that there are many factors that play into how elastic your skin is, especially around the abdomen.  My mom has always been thin and fit-- I've seen pics of her in a bikini from before I was born and from what I can tell, she was always about a size 0 or 2. I am her only child, she only gained 30 pounds when she was pregnant with me (she was only 27 at the time), and she lost it all within a year.  Since then, she has stayed pretty thin (5'5", 135 pounds) and exercises 4-5 days a week for as long as I can remember (she is 50 now). But, seeing her in a swimsuit, she still has an obvious mommy pouch. Every part of her body is fit and in great shape, but that is still there.  For some women, it doesn't go away, while for others it is no problem. 

There is nothing wrong with it as long as you don't wake up starving and make unwise breakfast choices.  When I have those long night classes, I always eat dinner early like you are doing, but put a piece of fruit or a fiber bar in my purse to eat halfway through the class.  I'd be starving when I got home if I stopped eating at 5 and then returned at 9, and would be tempted to snack before bed. But, if it works for you, great! 

There are tons of threads on this where people have shared their stories... do a forum search and you will find plenty.

Carbs help give you energy.  Where people get in trouble (and was has given carbs a bad name) is when you practically live off of carbs, like have them be the majority of every meal, but then spend all day sitting at your desk and then come home and be a couch potato.   If you are exercising, you are fine and need these carbs, but I would vary it up a bit in stead of having 4 slices of bread per day.  Fruit has carbs, any grains have carbs... maybe instead of two pieces of toast have some oatmeal with fruit in it, some yogart with granola, or a multigrain cereal (I'm thinking of Kashi).  If there is a day that you push it super hard with cardio, you can be a bit more liberal with your carbs, and if there is a day that you are relatively sedentary, you might want to consider putting your turkey on a salad instead of a sandwich for lunch. 

I should add a detail, here:

When I jog, even though it is only about 30 minutes, I REALLY push myself.  I do sprint intervals, which is why 2 miles takes me 30 minutes because I alternate jogging moderately, sprinting, jogging slowly, and recovery walking for just a few seconds.  By the time I am done, I am extremely winded and exhausted.  My thought was that I should put my activity level to light and add jogging in separately... any thoughts?

I'm going through the same thing. When I go home to visit, my parents are doing the whole "You're getting way too thin, you need to stop trying to lose weight..." thing... and I still have about 14 pounds to go! Your parents are used to seeing you at a ceratin weight and may be uncomfortable in seeing your body changing.  Keep at it, and kindly explain to them that you have thought long and hard about your weight goal and would really appreciate that goal not being discouraged.

It isn't uncommon to lose your first few pounds very quickly during the first weeks that you begin dieting.  My first month I lost 10 pounds, but it has taken me 3 months to lose another 8!!!! Stress can be playing a role in this, because your  body produces unique hormones when you are feeling stressed, and one effect of these hormones is storing fats from your consumption.  This could be slowing the movement of the scale.  Get through these weeks of school without adding your weight to your list of stressors, and then start hitting it hard again when the semester is over.  Stay active-- go for a jog during a study break or make use of the campus gym.  Half a pound a week is nothing to frown at, it is a normal rate for many people.  These celebrities who go on magazine covers saying "Here's how I lost 25 pounds in 2 months!" are not a realistic model for weight loss in the real world. Stay motivated, finish the semester well, and celebrate little victories!  :)

Kate-

      What you recommended is actually exactly how I eat right now!  :)  Glad to know I am on the right track!  I am a vegetarian for animal welfare... I only do soy milk, cheese made from organic milk, and normally don't do eggs.  On the rare occasion that I do, I buy free-range eggs from local sources that I know treat their hens well. I practically live off of green veggies, berries, oatmeal, nuts, peanut butter, sweet potatoes, and whole grain pastas and breads.

     The reason that I was contemplating trying it is because I'm doing good at losing poundage but still have pockets of fat that I am quite unhappy about!  I am 5'5", hovering between 129-131, and would like to be down to 115-120.  Before anyone gets all uppity about how 130 is perfectly healthy for my height and my goal range may be getting too low to be able to maintain, I have a tiny frame (my fingers way overlap when I put them around my wrist) and this weight on me does not quite look as trim as I would desire.  I still have decent amounts of fat on my stomach, hips, and lovehandles that I would like to get rid of.  I had heard that Atkins was a great way to get your body to eat into its fat reserves more quickly, and that is why I was wanting to experiment with it.  Especially after everyone's helpful feedback, I am thinking that it is more and more of a bad idea, so I will just keep counting, jogging, and waiting!  :)

      Thanks everyone!  :)