Frustrated . . . Help?

middleschoolteach · 07-05-2008, 08:13 AM

I have been following the IR diet since April of
07 (edited to add April of 07). I have lost 45 lbs, and life was going pretty well. I was losing on average about 4 lbs a month, and I was happy with that. Something has happened within the last few months, though. I have only lost 2 lbs in the last three months.

Once school was out, I picked up some kind of strength workout in the mornings for 20 mins (I do upper one day, lower another, and core the next so that I am not working the same muscles two days in a row.)

I watch what I eat--I eat about every two to three hours. A typical day looks like this for me

Breakfast: Special K protein plus cereal

Snack: piece of low fat cheese or some nuts

Lunch: a South Beach meal or toasted cheese (under 30 g of carbs)

Snack: apple with peanut butter

Dinner: meat, veggie, potato (generally)

Snack: sugar free jello with cool whip

Now, I mix it up a bit from time to time so that I am not always eating the same thing. Additionally, I am also doing 30 mins of cardio in the evenings (usually a mix of jogging/walking) in addition to the 20 mins of strength every morning but one.

So, what am I doing wrong? Why am I not peeling off anymore weight? The week i started the two workouts a day I lost 1.5 lbs. The next week, I lost .5 lbs. The following week I stayed the same, and this week? I am up 1 lb!!!!! Last weeks staying the same, I could link to ovulation (I usually gain or not lose during that time), but I am at a loss this week . . . . .

Any ideas, suggestions, help to get me motivated again? I am so tired of doing all this exercise and seeing NOTHING! I am not seeing any real difference in my clothing . I thought maybe I was building muscle .. . . . . .

Help?

februarystar · 07-05-2008, 08:44 AM

I've been reading a lot of articles (on here) about interval training and how that can really boost your cardio sessions (and weight loss). Are you incorporating that into your jogging/walking?

And remember - muscles weighs more than fat - are you tracking measurements as well as hopping on the scales?

mistyl2005 · 07-05-2008, 09:24 AM

I agree, you need to measure yourself, inches and body fat. Sometimes the pounds aren't coming off and the inches are!

TheBumbler · 07-05-2008, 12:49 PM

Congrats on the 45 pounds gone! That's great!

An ever bigger congrats to you for picking up the weights and starting with that. It sounds like you're progressing and trying new things so that should help to pick things up again.

If you haven't been weight training for long (you said you started when school ended so only a couple of weeks?), it may take a bit longer for the scale to be your friend again. When you first start weight training, you can see a small increase in scale weight from *drum roll* WATER RETENTION.

Know how after a good workout, your muscles feel a bit firmer and bigger? This is called a pump (fun to say using your best Arnold impression). It's your muscle filled with fluid, getting ready to repair itself and this will increase your overall weight. Because the scale can be persnickety, I definitely agree with mistyl2005 and also suggest you grab a tape measure and track your inches as well.

As for the whole muscle gain thing, I hate to burst your bubble but your calories look fairly low and you aren't getting enough protein so I wouldn't expect to gain a lot of muscle with your program. What you will achieve, though, is firmer muscles as your intramuscular fat stores are reduced, a reduction in visceral fat (that's the fat that surrounds your internal organs) and muscle retention as you continue to lose fat. And all of those things are great!

And, I'm going to add this because I'm a brat- Eat more veggies. One serving of veg is not enough, my dear. Try throwing in veggies to your two snacks as a start and work your way up to... veggies with every meal. Veggies are your friend!

SandV · 07-05-2008, 01:00 PM

Sounds like you are doing great - 45 lbs! That is fantastic. I know from my experience, I move more weight if I eat my "big meal" at breakfast or lunch. Typically my dinner will consist of protein and veggies. I will eat my carbs earlier in the day. Also, how much water do you drink in a day? I have read - and shown true in the past - that if I drink more than 1/2 oz for every lb I weigh, the weight increases. I have averaged a loss of about 1.25 lbs per week since I started 2 weeks after my ectopic. (I was averaging more till I started Yasmin).
Have you tried mixing the cardio in sets between the strength training? As PP stated intervals can increase the breakdown in fat and increase weight loss.

HTH!

middleschoolteach · 07-05-2008, 02:27 PM

THanks for your replies ladies,

I edited the original post to add that I have been on the IR diet since April of 07, not 06.

SandV--that's interesting about the water. I have found that since I have beeen out of school, I don't drink near as much water as I should, and I am not even sure I am getting the recommended amount per day; whereas, at school, I drank constantly to ward off hunger. I thought maybe I wasn't drinking enough water here at home and that was part of the problem.

Bumbler--I am putting a bag over my head . . . . . I don't eat near the amount of veggies that I should. When I first started the IR diet, I would have veggies with my lunch as well, but somewhere along the way, I dropped that . . . . I started strength training in April of 07 as well, so I have seen the results of that with my body shape becoming different (and better!)

I have not been tracking my measurements throughout this whole thing. Is it too late to start?

For those of you who do interval training, give me an example of your workout please? Right now, if I walk outside, I run for about a minute and then walk at a brisk pace and then run for another minute. If I am on the treadmill, I will run for two minutes at 5.2 mph, walk for 3 at 4.3 and then the cycle starts over. I have also been known to hope off the tread and go over to the elliptical for 5 mins before going back to the treadmill.

I am just frustrated and worried that there are other problems . I am having my thyroid checked in two weeks to rule that out, and my fasting numbers were going down although they still weren't under the 100 where they are supposed to be (104). This was in February, so I am thinking that insulin resistance isn't the deal here. I just think I have hit a massive plateau and being at home over the summer isn't helping matters any.

Thanks for all your responses, girls!

SandV · 07-05-2008, 03:33 PM

As for the body measurements, it is never too late to start it. If you start now, you can see from this point what has changed.

As for interval training, I ride an exercise bike every day. I either do 20 minutes with intervals of strength training or 30 minutes just the bike using different speeds.
If I am doing a 20 min day, then I start 5 -7 mins on the bike. I will then move to perform the training for what area (ie abs, arms, legs, etc). Once that is complete, I go back on the bike for 5 - 7 mins. Then I do the next set. Finally I finalize with about 10 mins on the bike.
If I am doing 30 mins, then I start out with a warm up speed. Move to an aggressive speed for 2 mins, then to an average speed for 2 mins. I continue this pattern increasing the length of time up to 5 mins. Then I start taking it back down again from 5 to 4 to 3 mins, etc. But remember I switch from fast/aggressive speed to an average speed.

Hope that helps.

middleschoolteach · 07-05-2008, 08:11 PM

When doing measurements, what do you measure?

SandV, I could easily do the intervals while walking. I am thinking that one of my Fitness magazines has something about interval walking in it . . . I just need to hunt for it. Thanks!

I just need to do like my good friend does and not weigh myself at all! I can go for about three days and then my addiction to the scale kicks back in . . . . I just need to have DH hide it!

SandV · 07-05-2008, 08:45 PM

I measure my hips, waist and bust.

Interval walking would help. As for the scale, I found I need to weigh myself 1 or 2 times per week. This keeps me on track. In the past, I wouldn't weigh myself at all, but I didn't measure either.