Posts by aislign

Thanks for this post!  I was wondering if it was just me!  I have the same problem, and I am still slightly overweight as well.  I've lost a similar amount of weight, too.  I think my body is not used to regulating temperature at this weight.  I live in Canada also, and have always prided myself on my 'toughness' when it came to the cold, but this fall I have been freezing!  And yes, even in room temperature rooms.  Recently at thanksgiving with my family, everyone else was sitting around in t-shirts and I had on two sweaters! And, this was after having a complete thanksgiving dinner! So, it could be something to explore with your doc (I'm bringing it up the next time I see mine), but no, it isn't just you.

Oh, and coping strategy: I like to put warm water with lemon juice and a tsp of maple syrup in my water bottle, which is nice and warming.  Plus, you can hug the water bottle to your core if you're feeling particularly chilled, which can warm you up nicely.

In the first month, you've made huge changes to your body, well, now your body is getting used to those changes!  When your body gets accustomed to a certain amount of exercise combined with a certain amount of food, it will frequently plateau.  The first recommendation I'd have to you is A) don't expect on a going forward basis to lose the amount of weight in a month that you do in the beginning.  Doesn't happen, and it sets unreasonable expectations.  B)increase what you're eating.  Amathyst girl is right, and you are likely undereating, so your metabolism is slowing down.  I know its counter intuitive, but your body needs fuel to lose weight!!!  But, another nice trick to jump start the metabolism is to change up your exercise.  Start to cross train a bit, if you can.  Metabolism can also be jump started a bit by eating to your burn one day, not your BMR.  that's a scary thing to do if you used to be a binge eater though.  I'd also highly recommend keeping a close eye on your fibre levels, and if you're not check your daily analysis every day, and make sure you're getting the right amounts of protein.  I found I plateaued when I undershot my protein for some reason.  No matter what happens, don't get discouraged.  Plateaus can last a week, two weeks, three months.  Don't let it stop you.

Just to weigh in on the carb question, ameythystgirl is correct, and your trainer is not right.  I've heard it said that trainers are frequently terrible at giving nutrition advice.  There are several responses to this.  First, carbs are not the enemy.  Sigh. I repeat CARBS ARE NOT THE ENEMY!  Man, carbs have a killer bad rap.  It makes me angry.  It also irritates me that people have the habit of saying carbs when they mean "complex carbs".  Lets not forget an apple is a carb.  Someone who is working out as much as you are needs carbs and protein.  Carbs should make up 50-55% of your daily pie.  protein should be 20-25%, fat should make up what is left.  Time of day is irrelevant.  If you find its 10:00 at night, and you have way undershot your calories for the day, the best thing to do is have a snack.  It is important not to undereat, and its important not to undernourish!  People get very caught up with thinking that low calories are the only consideration, but high nutrition is also!  Whole grains and protein are awesome.  The most important thing is calories in vs calories out.  I've lost 70 lbs in nine months, and more than quadrupled my endurance, and I eat some form of snack (often a carb!) every night.  Also, make sure you're getting adequate fibre (25-35g daily).  Also, make sure your daily caloric deficit is between 500-1000, not more.

Oh, one more reason why your trainer is wrong, your body burns calories (from carbs or WHEREVER) even when you sleep!  Your body doesn't stop functioning when you go to bed, so its silly to say that they're going to turn to fat overnight.  In fact, if I don't eat adequately in the day, I'll wake up hungry in the middle of the night.  Why? Cause my metabolism is still working.

On the weight loss side of things, when I started with weights, I gained weight.  most people do.  I find the best way to kick off weight really quickly, especially if you have physical limitations, is in the pool. Weights are fantastic for your health and crucial for your fitness, but they are not a quick weightloss fix.  They are a long term friend.

Finally, try not to focus too much on the number.  Focus on how you feel, how you look etc.  When we're trying to lose for a specific goal (like a wedding) its great motivation, but it doesn't often lead to lasting weight loss.  Good luck!

Ok I know there's been lots of advice here, but I think fundamentally, the trick is this.  You need to redefine yourself as an active person.  I went from sedentary to very active, not because I wanted to be an athlete, but because I wanted to be healthy. 30-60 minutes of exercise daily (and yes, that might be a walk, or hey, some activities while you watch TV) is what is recommended.  This isn't just about being thin, this is about your heart health, your blood pressure, your circulation etc.  That is what doctors recommend to be healthy.  The best thing you can do for yourself is reconcile yourself to this.  Embrace it, learn to love it.  Convince yourself every day that you are an active person and you will be.  The power of mind over matter is a strong thing. 

I agree with all of the above.  The trick is hard core moderation of high quality high flavour cheeses.  When you don't have the ability to moderate, keep some lower quality low fat cheese on hand.  My standbys are:

-laughing cow light wedges (45Kcal 2 wedges)

-Havarti Light (80 Kcal/28g)

-Boursin light (40 Kcal for 2 tbsp)

-Goat cheese (76 Kcal/28g)

-Vintage Gouda (=heaven on earth) 85kcal/28g (but you only need about 15g shredded as a flavouring for deliciousness

Also, make sure you alternate muscle groups when you workout to give different groups a chance to repair.  My first month I went through the same thing, and was swimming and walking only, then crashed.  I started to alternate my workouts, incorporated some weights, and it got much better.

Also, all those things said about nutrition are totally true.  In the beginning I was too strict with myself about low carb low fat.  I found I felt a lot better when I started paying closer attention to my daily analysis.  If you're not sure about getting enough protein, just check your analysis every day.  As GI Jane said, 15-25% protein is a good aim.  I try to go more for 25% if I've worked out hard. 

Finally, many people advocate a "rest week" every once in awhile (usually at 3-4 months I think).  But, your body is going through lots of changes (good on you!) so, your body might need some rest sooner. 

I really agree with the notion of finding what's best for you and going with that.  I vary in my weigh-in routine.  In the beginning, I weighed in 3 times a day in order to learn when my body was heaviest and how it reacted to different things I was doing.  I considered myself a scientist in my weight loss. Then, I moved to the daily first thing in the morning weigh in.  I stuck to daily weigh-ins for a long time because the numbers usually were coming down, and I found it incredibly motivating.  now, the weight is coming off more slowly, so I kind of just do what I want with the weigh-ins.  I make sure I do it and record it once a week, but otherwise, i just do what I feel!  Whatever works for you is best.  BUt, make sure you measure yourself as well.  Weight is a construct, it represents a measure of health, but isn't real.  What is real is the % of body fat you have, and your % of muscle.  Weight is just a great way of tracking progress.  that's how I see it anyways.

Yay! congrats!!!!

Yeah, I've been fighting a plateau for the last three weeks (got injured in there), and finally just saw the scale go down by 1/2 a lb this morning.  As some people mentioned on here, many people lose weight by the 'drop and stop' method, so your weight log looks something like stairs.  That being said, to break a plateau (I've done this before...) I focused on fibre, water, and protein.  Protein is one that slips under the radar.  High fibre foods can help you burn more, because your body has to do more work to digest them.  water helps you flush them through the system lol... Protein is really important for your muscles, and will become even moreso when you start your strength training.  According to my nutritionist, a sedentary person needs 0.9*(weight in kilos)=grams of protein, a moderately active person needs 1*(weight in kilos), and a very active person needs 1.1*(weight in kilos).  Start counting your protein along with your points, that was what made the biggest plateau difference for me.  Also, you can try moving around what you eat, but keep your daily quantities the same.  Like, have a bigger breakfast, and a smaller lunch.  This can trick your metabolism.  Many also advocate 1 day of eating to your burn, to jump start the metabolism.

Good luck!!!!

Hi there, I've struggled with binge eating too, and while you are certainly a healthy weight now, ongoing binge eating can be seriously problematic, as you know.  That being said, emotional binge eating has a variety of causes, and hun, its the flip side of the anorexia coin.  I have various recommendations to curb the binge eating. 

1. See your nutritionist, or a therapist, if you have coverage. 

2. Plan your meals and your snacks.  Make sure you eat at maintenance level, don't try to lose weight.  Plan the TIME that you eat.  and DON'T EAT UNTIL THAT TIME!!!!!!  That helped me a lot, as a former binge eater.  I'd be tempted by the draw of the kitchen, but I'd go, nope, its 7:45, you have a snack planned at 8:30.

3. Don't eat off the plan. And, by that I mean, don't eat more or less than your daily maintenance level. (or within 100 Kcal either way is fine). 

4. It may be that, as a vegan, you are not getting your daily nutritional requirements.  It takes a LOT of work to ensure that you're getting your nutritional needs met as a vegan.  Check your analysis every day to ensure you're getting enough protein.  This may prevent you from binging on your nut butters.

5. Please, don't starve yourself.  I eat better now that I plan my meals than I ever did when I binge ate.  When you binge eat, you think you can compensate by starving yourself later.  Its better to plan a healthy balanced diet.

Always remember that your weight doesn't matter.  Weight is a contruct.  How you feel, how you look, those things matter.  Clearly, you're feeling pretty crappy about yourself right now.  Be kind to yourself, and don't get consumed by food guilt, as it sounds that you are.  *HUG* Good luck!!

We always need to remember that the number on the scale is a contruct.  It is a goal post, not the goal.  I remind myself of this every time I get pissed at the scale.  So, that being said, are you the size you want to be?  Do you have any obvious extra fat on your bones still?  Are you as toned as you would like to be? What are the other goals you set for yourself besides the number?  Other than the number, would you say you've achieved your goals?  The thing is, weight loss is totally addictive, and we can get the point where we feel like if we're not losing, we're not succeding.  NOT TRUE.  Its just a number, how you look and feel are a better measure of your well being.

That being said, when I was 250 lbs (5'7), there were people who told me I looked great, despite the way I felt about myself.  At my current size (190) I still have another 30 to get to what I consider my goal, but I have people telling me all the time that I look great.  Well, sure, in comparison, but I'm not done, and I know that.    So, I would say, only you can look in the mirror and know whether you're done.  Other people opinions can be helpful and not.  At the end of the day, you (and your doctor's) opinions matter most. 

Hey bella,

I have this problem with certain sugar related things too.  There are some things I'm good about.  I can keep my lindt dark chocolate with chillis in the house (YUM!) and only eat 1 square a day at 50Kcal. BUT, when I bought a bag of super nibs for a treat when my friend was coming over... OMG well, you know what happened. I ate 7 super nibs in one night.  I just kept going back to the kitchen for more.  So, the next day I tossed the super nibs (you told me to keep them and practice moderation but I didn't!).  Then, recently, I had a very small bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans (OMG best candy ever) that I bought with my friend for her bday.  BUT we forgot to eat them when she was here, so I was left with the jelly beans.  What did I do? Ate them all in a day.  So, new rule for me (and its the conclusion reached by others here): NO CANDY IN THE HOUSE.  Gourmet things, yep.  Delicious chocolate, sure, its so rich I can have a piece and be satisfied.  BUt jelly beans, nibs, swedish berries (mmm swedish berries) these are all key binge foods for me and just can't be in my house.  I can't say no.  Sugar is a drug. A yummy yummy drug. You should try making some low cal cookies and then freezing them in 2 cookie servings that you have to take out and defrost, so its a very conscious choice before you eat them...  Did you make the coconut chocolate cranberry cookie recipe I gave you yet?  You should.  So satisfying.  Ok, go time.  XO

ps.  I now want candy.  I am literally salivating.  Does this problem with anyone else reading posts of this nature?  lol...

I'd also say, make sure you're keeping a really close eye on your protein levels as well.  I had ongoing muscle exhaustion before I did some research and learned how much protein I really needed (prior to that I was going by the average, which is not appropriate given my exercise level, height and weight).  ooh, plus, the more muscle you gain, the faster your metabolism gets, so even if you increase your Kcal intake, you might find it easier to take off that last 10 lbs.

Yep, depending on your weight and height, and the intensity of your dancing, you could easily burn that much.  I have pretty strict rules for myself when I go out, pertaining to the drinking:dancing ratio.  First, I make sure to save usually about 500 Kcal of my daily food allotment in order to be able to drink.  Then, I only drink vodka sodas (65Kcal for a one ounce VS), and I limit it to about 4 (seems like a lot, but when you used to be a big park of the binge drink club culture, over 4 hours, 4 drinks is pretty minimal, but makes you feel like you're still participating).  Then, I dance hard, pretty much the whole time I'm there.  Those nights almost always end up with a weigh in the next day where my weight goes down by about 1/2 a lb. 

Hey, you know, another way to go here, if you want to "kick start" things, is to increase your activity level by a lot.  When I started I was 5'7 252 lbs female, and in the beginning I ate 1650Kcal a day, but was burning around 2600-2800Kcal with my exercise. In my first month I dropped 25 lbs (atypical, i was carrying a lot of extra weight). If you leave a significant caloric deficit (but not more than 1000, your body goes into starvation mode) and you do it consistently, it is all good. 

People may disagree with me, but I hard core believe that if you're not working out, you're not healthy.  Count your calories and log your burn, and get active, you'll get rid of the extra weight in no time.  You'll be surprised.  Its much easier for men to lose than women, usually, also.  Instead of the extreme, commit to counting your calories for a month and to daily exercise.    Also, if you are increasing your exercise, make SURE you're getting enough protein.  This was a BIG problem for me in the past, and it seriously contributes to those feelings of weakness and nausea you're talking about.  Eat a bit of protein of some kind at every meal, lots of fruits and vegetables, low fat, high fibre.  It works.  Learn what the nutrional requirements for your body are, and keep an eye on your daily total.  I've dropped more than 60 lbs in 5 months, and I just make sure to get lots of exercise and maintain a deficit between 500-900Kcal daily.  Do it the right way, you'll be less hungry, crave less crap food, and feel more awake, vibrant and alive.  This works dude.  Just trust the process.