Trying to Lose Weight - not fast enough?

[Anastasiya]

This is driving me nuts, so any of you "experts" out there, please feel free to tell me what's going on.

After baby #4, I weighed 199 pounds. Before kids, I weighed 120-130 pounds (which was overweight anyway since I'm only 5' 3"), so we're talking pretty overweight here.

My "normal" diet was disgusting - lots of breads, pastas, rices, red meats, doing a lot of baking therefore eating lots of cakes, brownies, junk, junk, junk. No sodas but lots of juice. DH works nights at least twice a week, so I'd get bored and eat chips, cheetos, munch on leftovers, whatever. I did NO exercise.

Okay, so now, the past two months, I've done away with all that. No more breads, no buns, no pastas, no rices, no desserts, no processed foods. No cereals. No milk. I'm not dieting so much as just eating healthier. We no longer have anything in the house with HFCS and we no longer buy anything pre-packaged or processed. I'm also walking 1.5 miles at least 3 times a week.

Yay!

My diet now looks more like this: Toasted Ezekiel 3 times a week, eggs, chicken, turkey burgers (no bun), carrots, sweet potatoes, lots of black beans, salsas, almonds and dried fruits for snacks, tomatoes and fresh produce, hummus, yogurt, etc. So a healthier diet, not fat-free (which I won't do), not carb free (which I won't do), but high in fiber and just, you know, REAL FOOD.

Anyway, in two months I've lost 14 pounds. The first 12 came off FAST. Now I'm plugging away losing more and it seems to be taking FOREVER. Why?

You'd think with that big diet change, plus the added exercise, it should be dropping quicker. No?

Also, I'm still nursing a one year old.

[madskye]

14 pounds in two months sounds great and healthy! Congratulations.

I was ravenous when I was nursing. I am not sure what the guidelines are for calorie intake for nursing, so all my advice is for a non-nursing person.

I went a trainer and nutritionist this year, when I turned 40. I've been carrying around 10-15 extra pounds for the last 5 years or so and nothing I used to do was working.

The last time I tried to lose weight, I did what you are doing. Whole foods, plus some light exercise. That wasn't working for me anymore.

According to the nutritionist, whole foods are great, but you still need to watch your calories. Eating brown rice is great, but if I ate 2 cups a day, that was more than double what a portion should be. I am not sure what your portion size should be if you are nursing. Another thing, is that beans are a carb as well as a protein. I'm not a "low-carber" by any means, but I was really shocked when I started analyzing exactly what I was eating and I saw how slanted it was towards starchy things.

Sparkpeople.com is a great website with a free calorie counter, and lots of great articles about weight loss. It's an amazing resource and a great community. You could probably get the answers there about breastfeeding and weightloss. I believe you can also calculate what your daily calories should be. Calorie counting felt a little 1972 but it really worked for me. I lost ten pounds in about 3 months. (That doesn't sound like a lot, but I was only 134, and those last ten pounds just stick like glue!)

[mosesface]

14 pounds in 8 weeks is actually a really healthy rate of weight loss. 1.5-2lbs per week is considered "healthy" weight loss. while you're nursing you probably don't want to burn fat faster than that or you risk releasing toxins stored in body fat into your breastmilk.

i agree with the pp about being mindful of calories. while you are doing spectacular things for your body by cutting out processed foods and eating good whole foods, calories still count when it comes to weight loss. since you're nursing, you still need to eat when you're hungry, but be mindful of your portion sizes.

if you really do plateau, you may try increasing your exercise and reducing your carbs a little to see if that helps.

[sarahn4639]

I agree with the Sparkpeople.com recommendation. I have found it extraordinarily helpful for me to pay attention, think about, and be accountable for what I'm eating. Portion control was a big issue for me so I'm weighing and measuring my food. It also has a place to enter your exercise as well. Since you are nursing you may want to check out Babyfit.com, it's a sister site to sparkpeople. I'm nursing my 2 year old but it's maybe once a day so I just do sparkpeople.

Sometimes too large of portions is the problem, but sometimes it's not enough calories. Sparkpeople gives you a range based on your weight, what you want to weight, and your activity level and they recommend that you not go below their recommended level because you'll go into starvation mode, so it may be worth tracking for a bit to see if you are possibly fitting into one of these categories.

I also want to say that 14 pounds in 8 weeks is great and a good steady pace. I can commiserate with the feeling that it should go faster though too. Just remember that it didn't go on that quickly and long term losers (verses yo-yo dieters) tend to lose more slowly over a longer period of time because they are making life style changes that they can keep forever verses a crash diet. It sounds like you are doing it safely and making life changes the right way so you aren't going to have that crazy fast weight loss that we often think of with dieting. But, that's good!! We want long term life and body changes! Best of luck as you continue on this journey!

[Anastasiya]

Okay, briefly because I have to run, I went to Babyfit.com and signed up, recorded my meals thus far today, and am not understanding one thing -

It is telling me how many calories I need to target today. Is that to MAINTAIN my weight or to LOSE my weight? How do I tell them how much I want my goal weigh to be? Anyone know?

I looked and looked and can't find it. It seems like it's just telling me how many calories I need to consume to stay this weight and breastfeed.

???

ETA: Also, I've read in SO many places that calorie counting isn't really accurate because not all calories are created equal. Make sense? Any thoughts on that?

[bec]

I would go to Sparkpeople. It is really easy to understand, set goals, etc. Also, it really is a calories in, calories out thing. No, not all calories are as nutritious and healthy as other calories, and it is possible to have the right calorie range with complete junk. But, if you want to be healthy, and lose weight, then the calories with the nutritious, balanced (as in not too carb heavy), whole food diet do need to be considered.

[sarahn4639]

How much are you nursing? How old is your baby? Those things would make a difference to me on where I put my calorie range. You can go to sparkpeople and get the calorie range for the info you enter for weight and goal and then always eat at the top of your range or add 200 calories to the top and bottom or something like that to allow for weight loss without going overboard when factoring in milk production. I havne't used babyfit so I'm of no help figuring it out there. Sorry!

Yes, calories are different but as Bec said, it is calories in calories out. If you are eating whole foods it will be easy to stay full and be in your range, if you are eating crap it would be very difficult to stay in your range and be happy and satisfied with what you are eating.

[madskye]

I think if you're already eating whole foods, the equality of calories isn't your issue.

To me, that is the argument for people saying they eat friend, processed foods but because they count the calories it's ok.

If you're only goal is weightloss, and you know that one bag of chips has X amount of calories, you can have them. But that doesn't make it healthy!

But, by the same token, if your goal is weightloss and you can figure out what amount of calories you should be consuming in a day--the way you break it down can make a big difference in your success.

For me, I weighed 134 and am 5 foot 2. To lose weight, I should eat between 1300-1500 calories a day. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it's actually plenty. I usually have oatmeal with fruit and some yogurt for breakfast, a salad or small wrap sandwich with grilled chicken for lunch, a morning & afternoon snack of nuts or a small granola bar, and then some vegetable heavy dinner with a small serving of grains and a small portion of lean meat. I might have a small dessert at night. So, it's a filling, nutritious day.

I could probably take in the same calories for the day with one mcdonalds breakfast sandwich, pizza for lunch, and 1 taco from Taco Belle--but I don't want to eat that way! (I might even still lose weight eating just those foods--but it doesn't make it healthy.) I could have a few slices of whole wheat bread with hummus for breakfast, a big salad for lunch with beans, and a dinner of a big bowl of brown rice and stirfried veggies and consume more healthy calories but not feel as satisfied. So the counter is a good tool at looking at your overall nutrition--and you can use it to plan meals too, which is great.

Another thing about the all calories not being equal--sometimes it's good to know that if you're out in a social setting you CAN have one slice of pizza without setting yourself back. Three slices--no good though.

I haven't used babyfit--but you can also track nutrients, fat, etc on sparkpeople.

[Anastasiya]

Okay, thanks all. I'm going to look into the whole calories thing.

I guess I'm just sad I went from a diet of YUCK! and no exercise to a diet of goodness AND exercise and it seems to be taking so long. I thought the pounds would just fall off, really.

Oh, also nursing baby at least 8 times a day. More like 10 with his three-times-a-night wakings, actually.

[madskye]

Well, think of it this way. You have lost 14 pounds just by changing what you eat to good, healthy foods. (I'm assuming you're still eating unlimited portions of whatever healthy thing you like.) You've lost 14 pounds doing exercise that is pleasant, that you enjoy. You're not out there, sweating and groaning and in tears because you have a boot camp trainer barking at you. So it sounds like you are losing weight slowly and healthily and enjoyably--and that's the kind of program you can stick with for the rest of your life.

[Anastasiya]

Originally Posted by madskye

Well, think of it this way. You have lost 14 pounds just by changing what you eat to good, healthy foods. (I'm assuming you're still eating unlimited portions of whatever healthy thing you like.) You've lost 14 pounds doing exercise that is pleasant, that you enjoy. You're not out there, sweating and groaning and in tears because you have a boot camp trainer barking at you. So it sounds like you are losing weight slowly and healthily and enjoyably--and that's the kind of program you can stick with for the rest of your life.

Thanks. You made me smile.

[Panserbjorne]

Originally Posted by madskye

I think if you're already eating whole foods, the equality of calories isn't your issue.

To me, that is the argument for people saying they eat friend, processed foods but because they count the calories it's ok.

Huh. So, for instance are you saying that 100 calories from brown rice is the same as 100 calories from kale?

I have to say I definitely disagree with this.

[bec]

Originally Posted by Panserbjørne

Huh. So, for instance are you saying that 100 calories from brown rice is the same as 100 calories from kale?

I have to say I definitely disagree with this.

It depends on what nutrients you need that day. If you haven't had any green vegetables that day, and had already had several servings of grains, then the 100 calories of greens would be a better choice. If you hadn't had any grains that day, but had loads of veggies, than the rice would probably be a better choice. But, that is from a nutrition and health standpoint, not necessarily a weight loss one. From a weightloss standpoint, 100 calories is 100 calories.

[Panserbjorne]

sorry, still don't agree. rice is going to turn to sugar, kale is not. If you are trying to lose weight I'd say the 100 kcals from kale is a far better choice.

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

another thing, i am not sure how often you weigh, but i am finding that i lose weight in spurts. I will lose maybe .5 pound or so a for a couple weeks, followed by a couple weeks with 1-3 pounds loss each week, maybe your body doesn't follow the weekly weigh cycle, kwim? I also think that 14 pounds in 8 weeks is really well. Normally when we change our diet drastically our body will lose weight faster in the beginning and the continue to lose slowly after that first intial loss, i know that is the case with me and starting Eat to Live, the first week i lost 5 pounds and then each week thereafter i've lost .5-3.5 pounds averaging out to about 2 pounds a week. I wouldn't worry about it, just give your body a couple weeks and see if you've gone through another weight loss spurt and then decide if you need to up your excersize maybe.

[Violet2]

Originally Posted by Panserbjørne

sorry, still don't agree. rice is going to turn to sugar, kale is not. If you are trying to lose weight I'd say the 100 kcals from kale is a far better choice.

Yes absolutely agree with the above. In addition if there's any insulin resistance present, that compounds things. For me, even brown rice is poison that will contribute toward development of diabetes.

Also, make sure you don't have too much dairy. In some people dairy turns into sugar and triggers insulin to store fat. Many yogurts are super high in refined sugars as well, even the organic ones. Look at Greek Yogurt or buying plain and sweetening it yourself.

Lastly, plateaus are normal. Your body may just be adjusting. Be patient.

And your body may be fighting weight loss because of the nursing; perhaps you aren't eating enough????

Sometimes it can be helpful to sit down and calculate out the amount of protein, fat and carbs and tweak their ratios to spark weight loss.

V

[madskye]

Originally Posted by Panserbjørne

sorry, still don't agree. rice is going to turn to sugar, kale is not. If you are trying to lose weight I'd say the 100 kcals from kale is a far better choice.

I don't really know much about sugar sensitivities--I don't do low carb or anything like that. Kale, or any kind of greens cooked or in salad are great for weightloss and healthy living--back to calorie counting--they are low cal things that you can eat in practically limitless quantity and fill yourself up on. But at the end of the day, it's still 100 calories, and the dieters choice how to consume--and brown rice and kale both have a place in a balanced diet.

[madskye]

Originally Posted by Violet2

Yes absolutely agree with the above. In addition if there's any insulin resistance present, that compounds things. For me, even brown rice is poison that will contribute toward development of diabetes.
...V

Can I ask though--is that a special medical situation? Do most people experience insulin resistance or is that particular to your situation with diabetes?

[Violet2]

Originally Posted by madskye

Can I ask though--is that a special medical situation? Do most people experience insulin resistance or is that particular to your situation with diabetes?

I have a unique medical history so to generalize....did you know, for example, 10-20% of women have PCOS a hormonal condition that includes insulin resistance? Just going on that data alone, IR is actually more common than we realize.

V

[Panserbjorne]

Originally Posted by madskye

I don't really know much about sugar sensitivities---and brown rice and kale both have a place in a balanced diet.

I understand that you may not know much about it, but as someone who does I can tell you that 100 calories from starch and 100 calories from greens is NOT the same in someone who is sensitive. And yes, it's far more prevalent than most realize. Especially in people who have trouble losing weight.