Becky, I've never been pregnant (and every night I thank god for it) but I have some experience in weight loss. Fad diets are worthless. You have the right idea, working on the basics. I want to tell you something,though. Not everyone can look like a supermodel. First, be happy with who you are and what you look like. Understand that you're beautiful for who you are, not what you look like. When getting healthy is not an obsession born of insecurity, but rather a simple pursuit of your own potential, things tend to work out better.
Now that I've tossed off my little schpiel there, I suggest you try a special diet. Why? Because as stated before, you have to shock your system to break through a plateau.
This diet, it's not new, it's not a fad. It's been around for ages, and it works. There's a reason why it's not popular,however, because it requires a disciplined and persistent effort. I can however predict excellent weight loss without the low energy levels that come with so many diets. I've used this diet successfully to shock myself out of plateaus (that's what it sounds like you're on,though as I said before you may have just reached your ideal weight [your BODY's ideal weight, not yours, heh heh]) to lose many pounds of fat and add pounds of impressive new muscle. What's the secret formula?
a high protein, extremely low carbohydrate/fat diet
Because your system is likely used to getting its energy primarily from carbohydrates and fats, dropping them from your diet for a short time will produce effects like fasting (which is another diet I recommend, but this requires both discipline, skill and knowledge to avoid doing yourself damage, I fast regularly to regulate toxins, and get a little more etching on my cuts) without unpleasant side effects (such as mind-numbing hunger, heh heh).
Your diet depends on whether you eat meat (I'm a lacto-vegetarian,myself, meaning i drink milk but eat no meat products whatsoever,no eggs) or not. Simply eat high protein foods with small amounts of fat. This is mostly very lean meats, imitation meat is excellent, as it contains high amounts of protein and what carbs it does contain is primarily fibre, which will help you avoid constipation while dieting. Honestly, I recommend you get a pure, high quality whey protein powder. Just protein, no carbs, stuff I use has 24 g of protein, 3 g of carbs per serving, drink a few of those per day. This diet, honestly, sucks ass. You won't even WANT to eat what you can eat, if you're stuck to non-meat sources like I am. However, a couple weeks of it and I guarantee you you'll have lost the weight you want to lose. If you do try it, shoot for 5 pounds under your target weight (120 lbs), because some of it will come back (fluid, and your body stocking up on glycogen) when you start eating carbs again.
If that sounds like something you don't want to do,here are some general tips:
1. Eat frequently in smaller portions, 5-8 meals a deal. This keeps the stomach small,and provides energy continually, revving up your metabolism.
2. Cut off eating a few hours before you sleep.
3. Drink LOTS of water. I cannot overstress this. Drink. Water. Seriously, 4 litres of water a day minimum for someone like you. Water, not other things. I drink 8, believe it or not, and that's on off days when im not practicing martial arts. It's good for you. People are dehydrated. Seriously. Drink water. If you have to go to the washroom 10 or 15 times a day...that's good! Okay, I'm done.
4. Try counting calories if you have to, and then decreasing your caloric intake slowly until you have a deficit (more calories used than consumed), and you should be able to lose weight the old fashioned way.
5. Eat healthy carbohydrates. Stay away from white bread, pasta...anything that's not made with the word "whole" in the description and ingredients list. This is not as bad a restriction as it sounds. Try getting some whole durum wheat semolina (for cous-cous), you can cook it in 5 minutes in some broth. Tasty and healthy. There's lots of healthy whole grain alternatives, I recommend organic.
6. Don't snack (snack = unhealthy food, and you KNOW what's not healthy, don't pretend you don't,heh heh) regularly. That's the biggest lie there is, that moderation is key. Discipline is key, moderation is an excuse. If you can make yourself stick to a healthy diet all week, there's no reason you can't treat yourself on a saturday or sunday. Just don't pig out too hard.
Or, if you're one of those people who have an iron will..well, good for you. That makes about 8 of us in north america. Maybe we can start a club.
7. Exercise is important. Make sure you're doing the right kind and consistently. This means not exercising is a rare event. For weight loss,you want aerobic exercise in a specific intensity range.
A few or all of these things will take care of your problem,I guarantee it. Just make a disciplined effort. Incorporate one or two elements at a time, get it down, and move on.
P.S. I really recommend you try my diet, however, as if you're able to maintain your weight afterwards, which requires nothing more than pickiping up regular,healthy eating habits afterwards without going on a "I just had a diet, time to eat arkansas" diet. it's the most expedient and a healthy way of getting what you want quickly (and we all want it NOW, heh heh).
If you don't trust me, message me and I'll tell you why I think I'm qualified to give advice (I already mentioned it somewhere, and I think repeating myself would be horn-blowing).
[Edit] I forgot to mention, low carb is under 60 g, under 30 is best if you can manage, come off it slowly..eating 10 or more g per day until you reach regular levels. You can also ease in gradually if that helps. Whatever feels right for you. I like to do things the hardcore way. I'm a bit of a masochist,heh heh. Fat? As little as possible, definitely under 30g a day while you're on the diet. You want to keep your caloric intake to about 1200-1500 calories a day for a female of the size I imagine you to be,or lower if you think you can handle it. I'd go with 1200,but you want to cycle to keep your body off balance. What does that mean? eat 1000 or 1100 one day, then eat 1300 or 1400 the next, to prevent your body from settling into patterns. The human body is a clever machine. You have to push the right buttons if you want to be the one running the show,heh heh.
That's the primary difference between this diet and atkins, atkins encourages you to pump your system full of saturated fats because they assume you don't have the discipline to control your eating habits. The Atkins diet is very bad for you, I guarantee it. It goes against many fundamental principles, and we KNOW saturated fat is the enemy.
Oh, and I have to say..this post is long. I must be feeling nurturing today or something, heh heh. Good luck. Feel free to ask questions, but it's better if you email me, as I'm not regular about checking boards.
aliquisdeus@hotmail.com.
