I keep gaining and losing the same 5-7 pounds. I'm fairly thin, but I look, feel, and perform much better without that last 5-7 pounds. I feel like I ate super healthy before our last move, but, for a variety of reasons, I feel like I have fallen off the wagon with both eating and exercise, which is probably why I am having trouble maintaining instead of yo-yo-ing.
H&F, get real with me, how bad is it?
Typical exercise: Run 3-4x per week, 15-20 miles total; Bike trainer 2-3 hours per week; 1-2 hours of yoga per week; a few hours of SUPing (but that doesn't really feel like exercise)
Typical (weekday) eating:
Breakfast - Overnight oats (1/2 cup oats, 1 scoop EAS protein powder, 1 heaping tbsp dried cranberries, 1 cup milk), coffee with skim milk
Lunch - (Catered at work, so not tons of choice)
Usually grilled or roasted chicken breast or equivalent sized piece of grilled or baked fish
1/2 a plate worth of salad (usually romaine, radish, cucumber, tomato, olives, scallions, and pomegranate - it is pre-mixed) dressed with hummus
about 1 cup of steamed or grilled veggies (either cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, carrots, squash, or eggplant)
[/ul]
Dinner - Could be a variety of things, common dinners:
Fish tacos (corn tortillas, grilled fish, guacamole, cabbage, pico de gallo)
Curries (chicken or fish, vegetables, curry "sauce", served over brown rice)
Baked pasta (GF pasta, ricotta cheese, chicken or beef, tomato sauce, veggies)
[li]Disclaimer 1: I often eat a chocolate bar (~200 calorie size) at night. Milk or white chocolate, not "healthy" chocolate. [/li][li]Disclaimer 2: I typically have 4-6 drinks over the course of a weekend. [/li][/ul]
Restrictions:
H avoids wheat, so "home" meals should not have wheat.
I need to maintain a low fat diet because of the chemo regimen I took.
DD will not eat potatoes or sweet potatoes and we do not need dinner time drama.
I will have serious trouble trying to eat snacks at work because of the nature of my job. I am in meetings for the entire day and we are not allowed to eat in meeting rooms.
I don't count calories, so I have no idea how many calories I am eating. I probably need to lift weights, but I guess I'm just lazy.
It's not a bad diet, but it is a lot more than I eat. I would try to count the calories to get an idea of how much you are truly getting. Weigh everything.
My routine at the moment is: B: protein shake snack: 1 x pear L: protein shake snack: piece of cheese, couple of dry crackers D: plain skin-free chicken usually in a thai curry or similar (or last night, a piece of irish soda bread with butter) snack: 1 x piece/square of dark chocolate
I drink booze on the weekend only and I never drink tea or coffee. I don't feel hungry much. I reckon it is hard with other people in the house to restrict what you eat, especially if you are preparing food for them. I can truly lose weight best when I am home alone. Right now, in my fridge there is some eggs, some yoghurt and some almond milk. And I'm not really into yoghurt.
Can you cut the chocolate in half or have it only every couple of days? Also, you know what I'll say, cut out the alcohol on the weekends or back it off to just 1-2 drinks/weekend. That will take care of most of the empty calories.
Do you need the protein powder? It seems like you get a decent amount of protein in your diet.
@cheshire - I just logged yesterday's food into MFP to see if it was really a ton and it was 1660 calories, which, considering that I ran 5 miles yesterday, may actually not be enough.
sadlebred - Your are absolutely correct about the chocolate and booze...but they are so good! I have been constraining myself to chocolate only every other night, but I could still do better, maybe once a week or something.
@cheshire - I just logged yesterday's food into MFP to see if it was really a ton and it was 1660 calories, which, considering that I ran 5 miles yesterday, may actually not be enough.
sadlebred - Your are absolutely correct about the chocolate and booze...but they are so good! I have been constraining myself to chocolate only every other night, but I could still do better, maybe once a week or something.
Agree - 1660 is not much at all. Especially if you are also running.
Ditto on the choc and booze - once a week would be better.
I ran 14 miles yesterday - I'm actually amazed I'm still upright with my eating patterns
All - I agree about ditching the protein powder. I started putting it in my oatmeal a long time ago when I was doing NROLFW and I was trying to get an absurd amount of protein, but I don't think there is really a need for it anymore. It is just empty calories.
@cheshire - I just logged yesterday's food into MFP to see if it was really a ton and it was 1660 calories, which, considering that I ran 5 miles yesterday, may actually not be enough.
sadlebred - Your are absolutely correct about the chocolate and booze...but they are so good! I have been constraining myself to chocolate only every other night, but I could still do better, maybe once a week or something.
Agree - 1660 is not much at all. Especially if you are also running.
Ditto on the choc and booze - once a week would be better.
I ran 14 miles yesterday - I'm actually amazed I'm still upright with my eating patterns
If you had asked me before I tallied it, I would have guessed that I was eating 2000-2300 calories. I will track a few more days to double check.
Post by Wines Not Whines on Jul 28, 2015 7:03:34 GMT -5
Honestly, it looks pretty good to me. Like others suggested, I'd try to cut back to half of a chocolate bar (maybe sub with a piece of a fruit), and maybe cut down the drinking a little (like 3-4 drinks as opposed to 6). The only obvious thing would be to add in more strength training. I'm sure yoga incorporates some body-weight strength though.
This is kind of a bummer, but I've found that it's much harder for me to lose weight and maintain the loss as I get older. And by "older," I mean being in my mid-30s and after having a kid. I'm not sure which of those factors is more to blame, or if it's a combination of things. Also, if you're in meetings all day, you probably have a pretty sedentary job (as do I), which doesn't help. I feel like I have to kick things up into turbo gear to lose weight these days. It's so much harder than it was a few years ago.
Just cause your DD won't eat sweet/white potatos, I would still try to bring them into your diet more and replace rice/pasta. Another thing you could try is lettuce wraps to replace tacos. I like to do ones with ground beef and sweet potatos, carrots. They're filling and delicious.
Replace the chocolate with a piece of fruit or a few berries. I feel like it's a good balance for the end of the meal.
Any way you can bring your own lunch a few days a week? I always feel like there are hidden calories in catered/take out food even when it's healthy. Ditto the protein powder...looks like you get a lot of protein throughout the day.
Have you run the numbers on your calorie burn? Seems like you are getting a lot of exercise. I would be curious to see the burn vs intake numbers.
Just chiming in that I don't like when everyone suggest cutting out the booze. I'm in the same boat but in denial that's what I need to do. This makes me sound like I have a problem.
Just chiming in that I don't like when everyone suggest cutting out the booze. I'm in the same boat but in denial that's what I need to do. This makes me sound like I have a problem.
where are your lbs you need to lose? i don't think there are any!!! Ditto for Brit - y'all look great!
I have cut alcohol and dessert for the whole month of July and lost 5 pounds really easily. I know cutting alcohol kind of sucks but it's worth a shot!
First of all, can I come and eat lunch with you? That sounds amazing!
I am not an RD, so I will only chime in on the workouts. Do you ever work with a coach or a progressive program that is constantly challenging your body? I find that I get very complacent with my Spinning workouts because I am coaching it, not riding like my participants and challenging myself. The moment I am off the stage and in the crowd, the pounds start shedding again. Same thing with my weight routines - the moment I am with my PT more often (2x a week), I start seeing changes.
Just chiming in that I don't like when everyone suggest cutting out the booze. I'm in the same boat but in denial that's what I need to do. This makes me sound like I have a problem.
where are your lbs you need to lose?  i don't think there are any!!!  Ditto for Brit - y'all look great!
Oh they are totally vanity lbs. I know I don't NEED to lose weight which is why I haven't cut out booze.
Just chiming in that I don't like when everyone suggest cutting out the booze. I'm in the same boat but in denial that's what I need to do. This makes me sound like I have a problem.
I am with you! I could easily cut down 5lbs, but I am not willing to not have my wine or beer on the weekends.
sitnspin - Our lunch deal is awesome. It is $2.70 per day.
And no, I don't have a coach or any classes. I wish I did, but I have trouble justifying the cost here. Trainers are about $60/hour here and that just seems silly.
sitnspin - Our lunch deal is awesome. It is $2.70 per day.
And no, I don't have a coach or any classes. I wish I did, but I have trouble justifying the cost here. Trainers are about $60/hour here and that just seems silly.
Maybe you could just google some ideas to switch up your usual routine. From what I know of you on here, you are pretty into routine and consistency, so maybe your body just needs a little kick in the butt.
I know I am the same way, so I always have to remind myself to switch things up, even if it is very slightly.
sitnspin - Our lunch deal is awesome. It is $2.70 per day.
And no, I don't have a coach or any classes. I wish I did, but I have trouble justifying the cost here. Trainers are about $60/hour here and that just seems silly.
You said you've beein losing and gaining the same weight for a while. So does this eating schedule/meal breakdown for with what you typically do during times when you are losing or gaining? Is this an on the wagon sample? It doesn't seem like it's too far 'off the wagon' honestly. What is it that makes you feel like you are 'off the wagon?'
I think yoyo ing is different than plateauing- what do you notice is different during phases when your weight is falling compared to when it's coming back?
ktzmoh, I tend to weigh less when I am exercising less, which is usually when H is traveling, which means that I am probably not drinking any alcohol or going out to eat on weekends. I think it is probably the weekends that are killing me, but I don't want to face that reality.
ktzmoh, I tend to weigh less when I am exercising less, which is usually when H is traveling, which means that I am probably not drinking any alcohol or going out to eat on weekends. I think it is probably the weekends that are killing me, but I don't want to face that reality.
Eating out is a killer for me. We've basically stopped going out to eat (bonus I can justify more running clothes if we don't go out) and I think it's helped me
Just chiming in that I don't like when everyone suggest cutting out the booze. I'm in the same boat but in denial that's what I need to do. This makes me sound like I have a problem.
So very much this. If that keeps a couple of pounds on me so be it, at least you'll still be alive to judge me for my drinking because I won't be inclined to cut a bitch without my booze
Thank you all for your responses. I've gotten a few ideas to try and if all else fails, I will toss the chocolate... I don't promise to toss the booze, we'll see. :-)
Just chiming in that I don't like when everyone suggest cutting out the booze. I'm in the same boat but in denial that's what I need to do. This makes me sound like I have a problem.
I was one of the people who suggested it and I STILL don't like it, LOL. I'm telling myself a temporary cutback (not cut OUT) will be enough and maybe my tolerance will decrease so I can keep it lower?
I suggested it too - but please don't think I thought that she (or anyone else on this board) has a problem with booze. I would just reduce it because it does the least for you nutritionally, that's all I promise.