So...I've been eating healthy and exercising regularly. My calories average about 1000 a day. The most I could do was about 1400 (not counting the calories burned on exercise).
Exercise is mixed. If I get a good hour of racquetball (high intensity) then that's all I do for the day. If it's not intense enough, I follow up with some aerobic exercise at home. When Jake was in the hospital, I ran 2.4 miles on the treadmill. I think the calories claimed for racquetball are highly over rated. I don't feel nearly as exercised from 1 hour of racquetball as I did 40 minutes of running.
Breakfast is usually 1 egg and an orange (Was 2 eggs, whole wheat toast, OJ)
Lunch is usually a salad or veg. soup, sometimes veggies.
Dinner is a lean meat, fresh steamed veggies (I tried Uncle Ben's Whole grain medley with veggies and chicken. Delish!)
Snacks: celery or fruit, sometimes a few pretzels or Wheat Thins.
Trying to omit as much sugar as possible, so hardly any of that. Also, trying to go without yeast (while I'm ridding my body of some candida.) so I haven't been having my toast (for a week now).
I get at least 6-8 cups of water in a day.
No real change in weight. What can I change to make a difference? I tried eating more calories, but without wanting to eat sugar, it's hard to find something to add the calories. I don't want to put bad stuff in my body just to get more calories, so what do you guys suggest?
Am I eating too much, not enough? I am getting 7-8 hours of sleep (no toddlers!).
Stress level: ok I feel sadness over the death of my uncle and cancer in another uncle and disappointed in Jake's CT scan, but they don't consume me. I've also felt very happy today and at peace.
I take a thyroid supplement for low thyroid and blood pressure Rx.
Does anyone see any red flags? I'm tracking my progress on livestrong.com
Last summer when I plateaued Audrey suggested that I switch to 5 small meals a day, and that did the trick for me. Might want to try it.
ReplyDeleteRose,
ReplyDeleteOh honey, my honest opinion is that your calories are too low. I remember watching the Biggest Loser once and Jillian was livid with her team when she found out they were only eating 1000 calories each a day.
I have always been told the lowest a female should go on daily calories is 1200 and I think even that is pushing it.
Trainer Momma has some great resources for figuring out calorie range that you might want to check out (I think Audrey has them under the important info tab too). The two that have been most helpful for me are the Daily Calorie Equation part 1 and the Food Pyramid Worksheet. The food pyramid worksheet was really helpful in figuring how much of each food group I needed to eat.
It also looks like you aren't getting very much in the grain department. I think grains as of late have gotten a bad rap but they are still very important. They help with digestion, brain function, regulate blood sugar, the list goes on and on. Just try to make sure they are of the whole grain variety.
Also, nuts are always a great thing to add into your diet if you are looking for calories without adding sugar.
I hope some of this info helps. Good luck and don't get discouraged.
I think both Mindy and Cammy's suggestions are excellent.
ReplyDeleteAudrey would tell you that you need to eat more complex carbs, also you might consider a protein shake. Women need more protein each day than most of us usually eat.
1000 calories a day is too LOW, your metabolism slows down as it thinks your body is starving.
Apis Mellifora just posted about changing your exercise routine to increase your calorie burn so consider doing that. I also think you need to add some strength training to your cardio workout to build muscle. I do 1/2 hour of strength training and about 35-40 mins of cardio.
I've found that with the strength training I've built muscle, I weigh more than my target weight but I'm wearing clothing in a size I never dreamed I would fit into....so now I've changed my idea of what I should weigh.
I'm with everyone else, calories are too low. I have hypothyroidism (on meds) too and if I don't eat enough I gain weight. I saw that Jillian thing. I've noticed that, oddly, every time I eat a bunch of chinese food (the nice fried stuff) I lose a pound or two over the next few days. Go figure. But I think it's about the whole starving thing...who knows. I've rambled enough, so now I'm gonna stop :) Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThanks friends! I finally talk to Jill(ian) today. Since she's off line this week I had to actually walk over to her house and talk with her face to face! (So old fashion!) By this morning I had lost those 3 lbs that snuck back on, so at least I am headed in the right direction again.
ReplyDeleteShe agrees with the low calories remedy and the protein drink. She's going to make me one...uh, as soon as she can fit me in her schedule.
I do miss my whole grain every day, so I already added that back into the menu. In fact, I ate what I would normally eat today, except for dinner. I had so much fresh fruit at Jill's house, I wasn't hungry for dinner. I hit Sizzler's chicken and salad bar with Aunt Belva this afternoon for some good Belva bonding time. I haven't logged my food for today yet, so we'll see if the scale agrees with the extra calories theory tomorrow.
I have done weights a few times in the past couple weeks, but not 3 times a week. I'm looking for the weight lifting video that I like in my vast collection of VCR tapes. For some reason, my three favorite videos have departed their place from my exercise collection.
Here is the adjustments I'm trying:
1. Focusing in on keeping my exercise in a fat burning zone, with some high cardio to keep my heart in shape and more toning (weights) to build muscle.
2. Keep the water going, but Jill says I need more than 64 oz. I have to focus on this ON PURPOSE or at the end of the day I have to guzzle 6 cups of water before I go to bed, then get up a couple time during the night to MT.
3. After I posted, I thought about my stress level and found that I was stressed because Mr. "Rose-bud" (name has been changed to protect the guilty) has been keeping me awake at night with his snoring. I've been sleeping in the Plan B room for most of the week so I can get some peaceful sleep. I'm working on not being mad at him in the morning for continually interrupting my peaceful slumber. I'm contemplating what I want more, peaceful sleep or the intimacy of sleeping next to my sweetie. He does keep me warm in the winter!
4. Keep the calories to at least 1200 and keep making good food choices. Figure out what good complex carbs are and add them to my food plan. Figure out what good fat burning foods are and make sure I have enough of them in my food plan. I did find some good information on Trainer Mama, so I will try to incorporate that.
5. I'm going to try Jill's protein drink to see if that is something I can add to my food plan.
6. Never give up! Never surrender!
That's it for now. I don't want to make it too complicated or overload myself with too many goals and rules (Thus, the great 5 week challenge!)
Thanks again for your comments, ideas and support!
My motto this year is: Live life on purpose! It is very hard for me to focus this much time on myself, so I'm hoping that I can create some new good habits so I can put the focus elsewhere. You guys are awesome!
Sounds like hubby may have sleep apnea (serious stuff) and might benefit from a sleep study. Runs in my husband's family. Once he was tested and the issue was addressed, our happy co-sleeping life resumed. Plus your husband will likely feel much more rested as a result as well.
ReplyDeleteAdd nuts! A handful of almonds. Some avocado. Remember: your body needs some fat too.