So what am I doing wrong?

[L.A. Gal]

Ok, that's a loaded question, because I'm sure I'm doing plenty wrong...but here's my general info:

My highest weight was 179...I lost 40 pounds by taking walks and cutting my carbs (not out, just down) and in general watching my portions. That was about 2 years ago, and now I've gained 20 pounds back. I would love to be at 140, or less, but I keep hovering between 145 and 159(mostly toward 159 right now).

I don't eat breakfast or lunch(coffee or tea sometimes)...have dinner around 5pm. My dinners alternate between a 2 sandwiches(2 eggs, 4 pieces of bread) or 6 inch subway sandwiches and some soup. On Fridays I split an order of chinese food(steamed rice and some meat dish) with hubby, and the weekends are kind of 'free'.

Now, I know people will say I should eat breakfast, because of metabolism issues. I've tried that, and it doesn't seem to have any effect, except adding calories to my day. I'm really not hungry during the day, I'm sure I've trained my body not to expect food. If I just spread out the calories I have at dinner during the day, I think I will feel woefully hungry at dinnertime!

I know my problem is not that I don't eat enough, I probably actually snack more in the evening than I think(though I really try to keep track of it and don't even keep many snack foods around); or maybe my weekends are 'too free', wrecking any advances I make during the week.

I also don't exercise anymore, but we are changing that. I used to do a recumbent bike every morning for several months, but I was miserable doing that so I stopped. Thing is, I didn't gain weight when I was doing that-didn't lose either though. I just can't bring myself to start it up again. I hated it so much. I'm going to start taking walks with my husband after work. We've both become lazy bums who have no movement in our lives, but of course, him being a guy with good metabolism, his weight rarely changes.

I'm open to suggestions at this point. Should I try breakfast again? I am starting to exercise again, but I don't know what to do about my food. I don't feel like I eat too much during the week, but I know how easy it is to forget those little bites here and there. I used to write down all my food, and count calories, and that worked when I lost the 40 pounds, but it didn't in my most recent efforts. It just seems like things that used to work don't anymore.

I don't want to get into dangerous blood sugar territory again, which is what prompted my 40 pound weight loss. My mother was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and we have a very strong family history of heart attacks, stroke, and cancer. So I have to stay healthy. I'm only 29 and I don't want to start down a road of disease and misery!

 

[jeepers]

Hey L.A. Gal!

I am by no means an expert, but what I have learned from reading the forums
here I may have a couple of suggestions.

Definitely step up the exercise. Dieting or modifying your eating habits alone just won't do it for you.

Breakfast is very important. Even if it's a small veggie omelette made with egg substitute and some whole wheat toast, it will be a good start to your day.

And be careful of the snacks! I'm a chocaholic myself, so I try to use it as a "treat" on very rare occasions. Try fruit or popcorn (if you can eat it) as a snack.

Most of all read the forums here and ask questions. Also see your family doctor to help get you started on the right track.


Good luck to you on your quest to a "healthier you".

 

[nutriangel]

What you need to do here is start by taking note of what you have done well. You have lost weight before, so what about congratulating yourself for that?

You are right, you are not doing yourself any favours with your current eating patterns but unlike many, you are listening to your body and not eating when you are not hungry. So congratulations again.

Ok, so what about starting your day with a vegetable based juice? This will provide you with nutrients that will be easily digested by the body whilst not filling you up. Try simple combinations such as carrot and apple or carrot, beet & orange. My favourite green juice is fennel, celery, a mixture of dark green leaves and apple.

What are you snacking on and how much are you snacking. Be honest with yourself because you can only ever cheat yourself. Also, what is included in your 'free' days? And how free is it?

Please, for goodness sake, don't force yourself to do exercise you don't enjoy. So many people do this and end up hating exercise. I hate the gym. I'm a member of a fitness club but don't go anywhere near the gym. It's boring! I opt for classes because that is what I like. Yoga, swimming (when it's not so cold!!), spinning and Body Pump are my staples.

What do you like doing? Dancing? Gymnastics? Rebounding? Skating? Take your pick! Never limit yourself. Walking is a start if you like doing that but it's best to combine it with an exercise that increases strength, stamina and flexibility.

You may have reached a plateau and you need to think about changing your eating patterns. Start with getting some dietary advice from a qualified professional (as in complimentary therapy) where you can discuss your worries in detail. Ensure any advice you obtain is based around wholesome nutrient dense food and not a multitude of supplements.

All the best.

 

[BikeSwimLaugh]

My highest weight was 179...I lost 40 pounds by taking walks and cutting my carbs (not out, just down) and in general watching my portions. That was about 2 years ago, and now I've gained 20 pounds back. !

You gained weight for one simple reason: you consumed more calories then your body burned....the excess calories were stored as fat. You've lost weight before, it's not magic....you know the program!

I don't eat breakfast or lunch(coffee or tea sometimes)...have dinner around 5pm. My dinners alternate between a 2 sandwiches(2 eggs, 4 pieces of bread) or 6 inch subway sandwiches and some soup. On Fridays I split an order of chinese food(steamed rice and some meat dish) with hubby, and the weekends are kind of 'free'. !

Now, I know people will say I should eat breakfast, because of metabolism issues. I've tried that, and it doesn't seem to have any effect, except adding calories to my day. !

Right now "metabolism" is all the hype and logic stands to reason that having several small meals teaches/trains your body to know there's food regularly coming, it also keep the sugar-level more balanced and yes, starting the morning with food ideally signals the body to fire-up the metabolism. Can the metabolism really rise & fall that quickly? I sincerely doubt it. My car gets the same gas mileage regardless of how full or emtpy the tank is or what time of day I fuel the car up. Last I checked, exercise consumes the same calories whether it's morning or night....can we really figure the metabolism fires up & down on account of food being consumed in the morning or not? It almost falls into the same nonsense category of how eating spicy food can raise your metabolism...almost. Personally, I'm a strong advocate of calories in vs. calories out...BUT there does seem to be research and evidence that suggest the morning-meal is critical. From many dieters surveyed who lost weight and kept it off, they all had in common that they all ate a breakfast! Albeit many people find it an easy meal to skip or skimp. All things considered, I'm inclined (going against popular trend, current research and currently established dietetic protocol) to dismiss this as a serious part of your problem.

I also don't exercise anymore, but we are changing that. !

Exercise is important and it holds many benefits....but more then anything it's diet that makes or breaks the weight-loss results. An hour of exercise may burn 1-1.5 ounces of fat, whereas cutting 500 calories from your day will result in 2 ounces being burned. Millions of lathargic people have lost tons of weight by diet alone. That's not to say I suggest it...I'm a huge advocate of exercise, but again, the key here is diet...and this is chiefly where your problem is.

I know my problem is not that I don't eat enough, I probably actually snack more in the evening than I think(though I really try to keep track of it and don't even keep many snack foods around); or maybe my weekends are 'too free', wrecking any advances I make during the week.!

There is no way you are eating all of 700 calories per day and gaining weight. Trust me, and I think you know this....you're telling yourself that you're running light n' lean....but in the end when you add things up, I'm more then willing to bet your eating more then you realize....and you'll hate this, but we both know that if you put it under the micoscope you'll find a calories surplus! Time to keep a food journal...and I know you don't want to, but trust me, it'll change the way you eat when you realize you are accountible to report each morsel of food that enters your mouth!

So I have to stay healthy. I'm only 29 and I don't want to start down a road of disease and misery!

Sunshine....with each year our bodies continue to lose more and more lean-muscle and so our caloric needs reduce as we age. Most people don't eat less to account for that, so we tend to get heavier as we age. If you think it's tough now at the young age of 29....you are in for a SHOCK when you're in your 40's.

Hey, 29 years of eating whatever you want was fun....but the party is over. Time to eat for nutrition and time to manipulate your body back into a respectible size. After that you can work with maintenance and occassionally indulging, but if you want a nice figure and to be happy with what you see in the mirror and pictures...it's time to get on it. Tell ya what: lose the weight and if you're not totally happy, I'll give you a full refund! And, when you get to age 70 and your old & wrinkled.....if you really want, you can just let it all go. Otherwise I'd suggest eating a lighter and more healthy dinner, count your calories like a warden and get into some exercise.

....and you knew all this already.

 

[L.A. Gal]

Thanks everyone, great advice!

I do know that in terms of losing fat, diet is really the key. When I lost my 40, I didn't exercise much, save for walking a bit. It was really diet that did it. That said, I do want to be fit and healthy, not just lighter, so I'm going to have to step it up a bit. I'm feeling the burn from boxing with my Wii!(I know, some folks will say it's not real exercise, but when you haven't done anything for months, 30 minutes shadow boxing is better than nothing!)
I took an indoor rock climbing class in college that I really enjoyed, but right now money is a bit tight(buying a house!) so I'm going to have to find something else. My husband subscribes to the theory of 'if we wait to find something we enjoy doing, we may never exercise, so we better just force ourselves to do SOMEthing'. I'm trying to find a happy, cheap medium between 'lovin every minute of it!' and 'oh god, how many more minutes of this do i have to do?'

I know I need to rethink my 'relationship' with food. Grew up in the midwest, where meals were big and greasy. While I've come a long way from that, I still think about food a lot more than I should. I anticipate dinner every day, on the weekends I think several times a day about where we will eat and what I will have. It's not good. I mean, it's great to enjoy food, because it is a joy in life. But to obsess on it is not healthy. And I want to get healthy. If I could only enjoy exercise as much as I enjoy food, I would be in much better shape, literally!

Thanks all, I'm learning a lot from these forums, but yeah...mostly stuff I already knew but need reinforced!

 

[patsar16]

I think even though you arent that hungry during the day you def. need to be eating frequently to keep your metabolism up. Snack on raw fruits and veggies or any other low calorie things. Snacking in the evening is bad expecially close to bedtime bc your not going to burn that off. If you eat small meals throughout the day you're going to be burning off the calories during whatever you do during the day. By not eating during the day your body is deprived and then when you eat dinner not only are you storing most if not all of it but your kicking your metabolism into gear only a few hours before bed.Are you taking a multi vitamin everyday? I dont think you are getting your daily requirements from only eating dinner. Also I would not go crazy on the weekends. Your body is probably deprived all week and so I'm sure that when you eat more on the weekends your body doesnt know what to do with it. You probably store a lot of what you eat on the weekends because your body is not used to being fed more than once a day.

 

[Gen]

I know I need to rethink my 'relationship' with food. Grew up in the midwest, where meals were big and greasy. While I've come a long way from that, I still think about food a lot more than I should. I anticipate dinner every day, on the weekends I think several times a day about where we will eat and what I will have. It's not good. I mean, it's great to enjoy food, because it is a joy in life. But to obsess on it is not healthy. And I want to get healthy. If I could only enjoy exercise as much as I enjoy food, I would be in much better shape, literally!

I totally understand what you mean here. Before I started calorie counting, my husband and I worried about the kind of lifestyle we'd have to lead to eat healthy on a diet or even after during maintenence. I joined fitday.com and found where my problem areas were and corrected them. We're both pleasantly surprised that we can eat mostly the same stuff we always have. The portions are smaller, but we still eat chilli with rice and curry and pasta bakes! I'm going light during the day but we're having a really good "curry pizza" we invented tonight for dinner. (We haven't had real pizza yet though, but soon!) Also, I'm always thinking about the next meal too! And every meal is sooo appreciated. Its actually nice, not depressing, to us.

But definitely count calories. Seriously, fitday is a huge help! I was sort of estimating calories before plus 4 or 5 hours of exercise, but until I got serious about it, and kept a purposeful deficit, I didn't get any losses at all! Now I've lost about 8 pounds in two weeks.

Good luck!