Posts by debclayco

Original Post by aislign:

I had this problem awhile back, and I did a bunch of research to learn to address it.  Your body needs to reach a critical food mass in order to be able to have a proper bowel movement.  I got really constipated and hit a plateau at the same time, so I started really pushing it hard in my workouts, and cutting back on food to address the plateau, and I think that led to the constipation.

So, what I would say, based on my research and experience is this: you are probably not eating enough.  To get a clear idea of what you are burning, set your activity level at sedentary, then log ALL your activities.  Your sis is probably right about your metabolism.  I'm betting you're not giving your body enough fuel.  Once you have a complete log, try to create a caloric deficit of 500-750 Kcal (no more than 1000!), and ensure you are getting enough protein.  My nutritionist tells me that the protein rule is your weight in kilos *0.9 if you don't work out, or your weight in kilos*1.0 if you work out regularly, or your weight in kilos*1.1 if you work out a lot.  The So, a 70Kilo girl who works out 4 days a week should eat 70g of protein.  I found that when I really started watching my protein, I was giving my muscles the right stuff, and things started working more properly.  It also made my energy levels noticeably higher.  Finally, maybe bump that fibre up a bit more, just to address the last of the issue.  I get 35g of fibre most days, and that is a good level from my perspective.

Finally, your body is going through an abrupt change.  Its gonna react strangely.  Give yourself a couple weeks, and chances are you'll feel better, but for now, I'd recommend really watching your protein levels.  Also, learning the difference between soluble and insoluble fibre in your diet, and thus establishing where you get the fibre in your diet can be really useful.

Thanks for this....I'm sure one of my issues is inadequate protein levels.  I'm really struggling to get enough.  I think my calorie intake is fine (1400-1600 a day, depending on activity levels), but I am regularly at least 20gm short on protein...so I definitely need to work on that.

Low-processed foods are foods that you find in their natural forms, i.e., raw chicken breasts that you cook from scratch instead of a chicken patty.  Another example is brown rice instead of polished white rice or instant rice.  Most low-processed foods aren't packaged in a box or a can.  Think fruits, veggies, whole grains, fresh meats, real dairy...such as real english cheddar instead of processed american sliced cheese.

Hope this helps!

I've done Weight Watcher's in the past too, but I actually prefer CC.  If you log your food each day and check the analysis, I think you actually get better information than with WW and I like to check it each week to see how I've fared as an average.

I try to keep my nutritional profile to 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein with a minimum of 25 grams fiber, <50 grams sugar, <300 mg cholesterol, <2400 sodium, <15 grams sat. fat and <40 grams Fat within a 1500 calorie day. (On days I do heavier workouts I may eat as much as 1800 calories.) My Sugar, Sat. Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium in a given day are usually much lower than those maximums.  I eat no red meat, no added sugar, and no caffeine with the exception of my square of dark chocolate each day. 

If I stick to those guidelines it pretty well dictates how healthily I eat.  I'm losing between 1- 1.5 lbs a week and have lost a total of 18lbs. since I began in early March.  And I feel great, the best I've felt in 15 years!

My stats are 44 years old, 5'3", 150lbs., goal weight of 125lbs and I am moderately active, working out 3-5 days a week doing cardio and I've just added some weight training.