Same Story, Different Day- weightloss

[tuggyruns]

So I have probablly asked this question before but I'm getting pretty frustrated and I though maybe you all could provide some insight.

Here's a normal day for me:

B- oatmeal w/agave nectar
S- string cheese, apple
L- soup
S- Larabar
D- Grilled chicken, asparagus, quinoa

For a 2 weeks straight after I started the 30 day shred, I ate very clean and stayed between 1200-1500 calories, and guess what, I gained 4 lbs.

People have mentioned that maybe I wasn't eating enough calories, so I went to 1800 for a week- and gained 3 more lbs. I'm working out (running/weightlifting) atleast every other day.

I have my thyroid checked every 3 months (because I only have 1/4th of it left) and it's checking normal.

What gives? When I start running again more are things going to go back to normal?

[Brit]

I have no idea what is going on, but that sounds like a really small amount of food. It also seems skewed towards carbs (oatmeal, agave nectar, apple, larabar, asparagus, quinoa) and extremely low fat. Not that carbs are evil or that carbs are created equally, I don't think carbs are bad, and I understand that these are mostly "good" carbs, but I wonder what would happen if you switched around your macronutrient ratios some?

Not helpful at all, huh?

[ebeth]

maybe you need to look at what you are eating more carefully. I don't see a whole bunch of veg in that diet. all I see is asparagus. also, you could probably add some more protein. have you tried experiementing with your macronutrient ratios?

ETA: to fix asparagus ref

[tuggyruns]

Hmm thoughts on what to add in? Also, I do try to aim for eggs for bfast atleast a couple days a week and I will switch snacks for things like veggies and hummus or cottage cheese.

[taratru]

Are you seeing a difference in your clothes?

That is *not* enough food for someone of your activity level. And it looks carby and salty to me (soup, cheese). I'd also recommend trying to fit most of your calories earlier in the day when adding...so a breakfast of 4-500 calories. Maybe eggs and yogurt with your oatmeal.

Are you feeling full?

And yes, when you run again, you will probably lose weight.

[wambam]

May 13, 2013 14:35:51 GMT -5 Brit said:

I have no idea what is going on, but that sounds like a really small amount of food. It also seems skewed towards carbs (oatmeal, agave nectar, apple, larabar, asparagus, quinoa) and extremely low fat. Not that carbs are evil or that carbs are created equally, I don't think carbs are bad, and I understand that these are mostly "good" carbs, but I wonder what would happen if you switched around your macronutrient ratios some?

Not helpful at all, huh?

GET OUT OF MY HEAD.

This is what I was about to say. It's pretty carb heavy and not much food. 

[ebeth]

well I make my oatmeal w/o sugar with dried fruit, cinnamon, and almonds. I cut down the volume of oatmeal and bulk it up with almonds.

hummus and veg snack are a great idea.

maybe add a big salad to the soup for lunch (with some protein)

larabars are pretty high in cals for what they are. maybe have some more veg and string cheese for PM snack.

and more veg at dinner too!

[tuggyruns]

Yes, my clothes are much tighter. I know I need to take some measurements too, but I mainly focus on how my clothes fit, and when they get tighter, I get on the scale and see whats going on.


I'm actually pretty full, however I do have cravings, usually for chocolate Sometimes carby stuff.

And I understand y'all aren't doctors, but you are pretty good with this stuff, so...

If I up my calories, is it possible that the weight gain will go away when my body adjusts?

[Susie]

I would die just eating soup for lunch, even with the snacks. I'd also look to add more protein - I eat greek yogurt or cottage cheese w/ fruit for breakfast a lot, maybe some almonds as part of one of the snacks, etc.

[wambam]

My other thought is an underlying food interance. An elimination diet might be in order if this continues.

[tuggyruns]

May 13, 2013 14:47:06 GMT -5 Susie said:

I would die just eating soup for lunch, even with the snacks. I'd also look to add more protein - I eat greek yogurt or cottage cheese w/ fruit for breakfast a lot, maybe some almonds as part of one of the snacks, etc.

Yea, I do it sometimes b/c I looovee soup. But if it's not soup it's usually a salad with a protein and healthy fat i.e. turkey, avocado, pistachios.

[runaways]

More noms!

Seriously though, I would try to play around a little more with your calorie intake. Try 1700 instead of 1800, etc. It also looking like you could use more protein and good fats. I haven't read what anyone else said yet so sorry if I'm repeating it all...

[sockerheel]

Have you tried cycling your calories and carbs?

Are you under a lot of stress?

Are you sleeping well?

Are you doing any kind of HIIT?

[tuggyruns]

May 13, 2013 15:47:10 GMT -5 sockerheel said:

Have you tried cycling your calories and carbs?

Are you under a lot of stress?

Are you sleeping well?

Are you doing any kind of HIIT?

What is cycling my calories and carbs? Tell me more!

Stress yes, but no where near as much as I was when I lost the weight the first time.

Not sleeping as well as I was.

Does Jillian 30DS count as HIIT?

[starryfish]

May 13, 2013 14:44:13 GMT -5 wambam said:

May 13, 2013 14:35:51 GMT -5 Brit said:

I have no idea what is going on, but that sounds like a really small amount of food. It also seems skewed towards carbs (oatmeal, agave nectar, apple, larabar, asparagus, quinoa) and extremely low fat. Not that carbs are evil or that carbs are created equally, I don't think carbs are bad, and I understand that these are mostly "good" carbs, but I wonder what would happen if you switched around your macronutrient ratios some?

Not helpful at all, huh?

GET OUT OF MY HEAD.

This is what I was about to say. It's pretty carb heavy and not much food. 

Not enough protein...the ratio I have been trying to follow (with good success) is .7grams of protein per 1lb of weight. So a 150 lb female should shoot for 105 grams of protein a day, especially if you are active.

[tuggyruns]

May 13, 2013 16:13:01 GMT -5 starryfish said:

May 13, 2013 14:44:13 GMT -5 wambam said:

GET OUT OF MY HEAD.

This is what I was about to say. It's pretty carb heavy and not much food. 

Not enough protein...the ratio I have been trying to follow (with good success) is .7grams of protein per 1lb of weight. So a 150 lb female should shoot for 105 grams of protein a day, especially if you are active.

What do your other ratios look like?

[starryfish]

May 13, 2013 16:21:20 GMT -5 tuggyruns said:

May 13, 2013 16:13:01 GMT -5 starryfish said:

Not enough protein...the ratio I have been trying to follow (with good success) is .7grams of protein per 1lb of weight. So a 150 lb female should shoot for 105 grams of protein a day, especially if you are active.

What do your other ratios look like?

I try to follow 40% protein, 40% carb, 20% fat. I really dont "count" or track the carbs/fat (I mean it is in the app i use to track, but I mainly just watch the protein # and make sure I am getting enough). Its hard sometimes to get it all, but that .7g/# is supposed to be the number to follow if you are active and trying to lose weight.

[Deleted]

These things stick out to me:

1. How are you not starving?  I eat more than that right now and I've been sedentary for the most part.
2. Where are your natural foods?  Think veggies/fruits/nuts.
3. Protein is low

I do oatmeal with pecans (fats) and dried fruit (like raisins or cranberries) and 1 t. of brown sugar for breakfast.  That's just one way of fixing your breakfast so you are off to the right start.  I've also added toasted wheat germ or flaxseed to my oatmeal to get more protein in.

Lunch-at least add a salad.  You need more veggies.  Depending on the soup you are eating for lunch, you may not even be getting protein.  Instead do veggies with hummus and a turkey sandwich.

Snacks: Aim for veggies/fruits for each snack; I also like nuts for the protein.

[wambam]

I second sleep. There are several things you can do to improve sleep: black out curtains, limiting "blue" light exposure before bed, melatonin supplement, meditation, and a consistent routine.

[sockerheel]

May 13, 2013 15:49:48 GMT -5 tuggyruns said:

May 13, 2013 15:47:10 GMT -5 sockerheel said:

Have you tried cycling your calories and carbs?

Are you under a lot of stress?

Are you sleeping well?

Are you doing any kind of HIIT?

What is cycling my calories and carbs? Tell me more!

Stress yes, but no where near as much as I was when I lost the weight the first time.

Not sleeping as well as I was.

Does Jillian 30DS count as HIIT?

ETA:  Well, crap. I wrote a long post and it's not there. Argh!  I have some work to do, but I'll get back to you either tonight or tomorrow.

[sockerheel]

Cycling your carbs and/or calories just means that you vary how much you consume throughout the week. This method has been used by the bodybuilding/physique competition world for years. There are several ways to go about it, but I follow a protocol of 3 days low carb/low cal, 1 day higher carb/higher cal. Fitness expert Rachel Cosgrove (The Female Body Breakthrough) recommends multiplying your body weight by 9 to get your low cal amount and multiply it by 15 to get your higher cal amount.

Multiplying my weight by 9 gave me a pretty low amount, so I actually ate a bit more on those days. And I only really counted calories and carbs for about 2 weeks and then just eyeballed it. I was able to lose 8 lbs. in less than a month, which considering how small I am, is pretty damn good (after that I was close to my goal weight and only lost another 2-4 lbs. of fat and gained 1-2 lbs. muscle in the month following that).

The first 2 weeks or so was tough --- I was lethargic on the 2nd and 3rd days of low carb but just adjusted my workouts around that. Eventually my body adjusted, and then I felt great everyday. I was getting in a lot more protein and veggies than I had been too.

The idea behind the cycling (and the cheat meal idea) is to prevent your body from adapting to the lower amount of calories that you're consuming. I've read recently that your body produces a lot less leptin after only 7 days of cutting calories. Leptin is a hormone that affects your metabolism. Less leptin = your body hanging onto fat. When that happens, you have to cut calories even more, which at that point may not be advisable. Also, exercising and dieting places stress on your body, so when you ramp up your workouts and cut your calories continually without a break, your body stalls fat mobilization (fat burning) in response. This is why you need easy workout days, recovery days, stress management, and plenty of quality sleep. The answer isn't always eat less, exercise more. Plus, the high carb days keep you sane! I like my carbs.

I hope that makes sense.

As far as HIIT --- I haven't done any of JM's videos, so I'm not sure if it would count as HIIT. Since I was in fat loss mode for the past 2 months, I actually cut out the vast majority of my running and instead did intervals on the treadmill or bike 1-2 days a week (20-30 minutes each including warm-up and cooldown). My other workouts were based on workouts from the website Myomytv.com. I did a circuit of 5-8 exercises for 40 sec. effort and 20 sec. rest and repeated the circuit 2 more times. The workouts were short but tough and effective. I did those 2-4 times a week and took 1 full day off each week. I did 1-2 easy 30 min. cardio workouts (elliptical, walking) each week for recovery purposes (usually after weights).

Here's a blog with a 3-part series that goes into good detail on busting through plateaus:
mollygalbraith.com/2013/02/weekly-reader-question-8-bust-through-your-fat-loss-plateau-part-1/

HIIT cardio: www.brinkzone.com/training-programs/hiit-training-are-you-really-doing-it/

Hope this helps! I'm a personal trainer, and this is what I use with my clients as well for fat loss with great success.  I should also add that I'm actually leaner now than I was when I was running half marathons and 5ks 4 years ago (and I was lifting then too).

Not everything is going to work for everyone, but this is one option you can explore.

[sadlebred]

You just need more group bike rides and more burritos!

[tuggyruns]

sockerheel thank you for all the good advice! I think it might have to read it 2-3 times to digest it all. Being a personal trainer, do you think that it might help to invest some time in a personal trainer? I did this about 5 years ago and saw no results. Also, I really would like to keep running b/c I love it not really just for weightloss- I am more wanting to loose the weight 1. Because I just feel more comfortable in my own skin 20lb lighter and 2. because it makes my running easier.

sadlebred I agree. I think DH and I are going to hit the Comet this weekend for a longer ride- that way I might not feel like I am going to collapse on those group rides!

[Deleted]

May 13, 2013 16:13:01 GMT -5 starryfish said:

May 13, 2013 14:44:13 GMT -5 wambam said:

GET OUT OF MY HEAD.

This is what I was about to say. It's pretty carb heavy and not much food. 

Not enough protein...the ratio I have been trying to follow (with good success) is .7grams of protein per 1lb of weight. So a 150 lb female should shoot for 105 grams of protein a day, especially if you are active.

Yes - where is your protein and fat? 

[tuggyruns]

So let's see if I did better today:

B- 2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 cup spinach and 1/8 cup feta
S- Orange, Red pepper & hummus
L-Turkey wraps (romaine, 2 slices turkey, 1 slices provolone)
S- 1 cup cottage cheese, cinnamon, pecans
D- 6 grilled nuggets, small waffle fry, chocolate milk (chickflia kids meal)

[starryfish]

May 14, 2013 10:23:22 GMT -5 tuggyruns said:

So let's see if I did better today:

B- 2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 cup spinach and 1/8 cup feta
S- Orange, Red pepper & hummus
L-Turkey wraps (romaine, 2 slices turkey, 1 slices provolone)
S- 1 cup cottage cheese, cinnamon, pecans
D- 6 grilled nuggets, small waffle fry, chocolate milk (chickflia kids meal)

Do you track your food with an app like MyfitnessPal or MyNetDiary? I would do that so you can see how much protein that is

[tuggyruns]

Calories- 1,518- Protein- 112- Carbs- 85 I'm way over on sodium and sugar, but it would help if I didn't have the chocolate milk for dinner, but I really need the calcium

[wambam]

May 14, 2013 11:03:30 GMT -5 tuggyruns said:

Calories- 1,518- Protein- 112- Carbs- 85 I'm way over on sodium and sugar, but it would help if I didn't have the chocolate milk for dinner, but I really need the calcium

You do not *have* to eat dairy for calcium. You can get it from greens like kale and spinach, fish like salmon, almonds, etc.

[starryfish]

May 14, 2013 11:03:30 GMT -5 tuggyruns said:

Calories- 1,518- Protein- 112- Carbs- 85 I'm way over on sodium and sugar, but it would help if I didn't have the chocolate milk for dinner, but I really need the calcium

Protein is good.  You are over on the sodium bc of the Chickfila....i love me some chickfila lol

[tuggyruns]

May 14, 2013 11:40:58 GMT -5 starryfish said:

May 14, 2013 11:03:30 GMT -5 tuggyruns said:

Calories- 1,518- Protein- 112- Carbs- 85 I'm way over on sodium and sugar, but it would help if I didn't have the chocolate milk for dinner, but I really need the calcium

Protein is good.  You are over on the sodium bc of the Chickfila....i love me some chickfila lol

LoL yea- good news is that my doctor actually told me to try to consume more sodium last time I was there b/c mine was low, so one night of Chickflia a week won't hurt, it's also the lunchmeat I think...and yes, I love chickfila too, it's our Tuesday night spot....the manager knows us by name... oh for shame!