Need help & encouragment

P

princess64601

New member
Hello all...I am new to this forum but maybe with the help of others I can get some advice on what to do or if what I am doing is okay and I just need patience (that is not entirely out of the question)

First of all I a 42 to year old mother of one (he is 22) married and have always been overweight....About 3 years ago I met the man of my dreams and he got me to eating healthier and exercising and thus I lost weight...went from 192 to 150 which is where the problem began...

I can not get below 150 lbs I have had a hysterectomy with no ovaries and I take natural hormone replacement also my thyroid is not working and I take natural thyroid for that...my husband is a fitness and natural guru...we take all kinds of supplements that are good for you and yet I can not lose weight.

The last 2 weeks I have really gotton serious...I eat at the most 1200 calories a day and sometimes less NEVER more...I exercise lightly about 20 minutes on the treadmill at 3.4 miles per hour6 days a week...not on sunday...my question is what else can I do to lose weight...I would like to weigh about 130-135 that is only15-20 lbs to lose, yet I got on the scale this am and in the past 2 weeks I havent' lost one pound...I eat like raw vegetables, tuna (no bread) salad ..What else can I do...I have noticed that most of my weight is in my belly..I have always had a belly and I am not being unrealistic I don't expect to have a flat belly, but when I put my jeans on I don't want a big roll hanging over the top of my jeans.

Any suggestions that anyone can offer I will take seriously...this is serious to me and I don't feel good about myself I don't even want to have my husband see me naked I hate the way I look.

Desperate in Chillicothe
 
You might just be in a plateau period where your body is adjusting. Some other things that you might try could be:

1) Spread your eating out to about 5 or 6 small meals per day at the same calorie level. This keeps your metabolism going. Also, look at getting about 35-40% of your calories from protein, 10-15% from fat, and aout 50% from carbs with as much as possible from complex carbs.

2) Interval training on the treadmill. If you can't run, you can vary your walking speeds and inclines every few minutes. This is much more effective than walking the same pace the entire time. I will start out at 3.2mph at 2% incline for 5 min, then switch to 3.5 at 4% for a few minutes, then switch to 6% incline for a few minutes at 3.2, then go to 4.0 at 2% a few minutes, etc. Really try to mix it up and push yourself some.

3) Strength training. Building muscle helps increase your metabolism. If you don't want to bulk up, use lighter weights and more reps and it will tone. The total gym, bowflex, or free weights will do fine.

Sometimes changing things up really helps. Our bodies become very efficient and adapt to our routine and we don't get the results we did at first. I hope this helps.
 
Try eating more like 1600 for a few days then go back to 1200. Sometimes when I am at a stand still I just go and eat things I haven't had for a while like some frozen yogurt or ice cream.
 
Be mentally strong and determined about your goals. Positive thoughts have immense power in building healthy mind and body. Visualize the following - you are leading a happy life achieving the optimum weight you desired. You are eating healthy food and exercising regularly. Your body is accustomed to your new diet and exercise regimen. You are feeling young and healthy.
 
princess64601 said:
I can not get below 150 lbs I have had a hysterectomy with no ovaries and I take natural hormone replacement also my thyroid is not working and I take natural thyroid for that...my husband is a fitness and natural guru...we take all kinds of supplements that are good for you and yet I can not lose weight.
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lionelmessi123 said:
I can not get below 150 lbs I have had a hysterectomy with no ovaries and I take natural hormone replacement also my thyroid is not working and I take natural thyroid for that...my husband is a fitness and natural guru...we take all kinds of supplements that are good for you and yet I can not lose weight.
Click to expand...

:confused:
 
Well I appreciate all who have offered help and encouragement. I am walking 25 minutes a day 6 days a week start @ 3.0 and work up to 3.5 and then towards the end go back to 3.0 according to the treadmill I am burning 167 calories...I don't know how accurate that is...I did get on the scale this am and I have lost 3 lbs...don't seem like much but it was uplifting to me...I am very strict about what I eat...lots of raw vegetables, eggs, tuna and stay under 1200 calories a day...have totally cut out pasta (mmmm that sounds good) and bread....keep wishing me luck I will keep you posted on the progress
 
Hey Princess,

That's fantastic that you've been so successful so far, although all that success seems to just fly out the window as soon as one hits a plateau (don't be so hard on yourself, this is just a 'blip' on the radar; you'll get past this)!

First of all, I would suggest not paying so much attention to the scale. At this point, you want to pay attention to how you feel and look, rather than trying to attain an exact number.

20 - 25 mins is not enough 'cardio' for you to get past this plateau, especially if this is what you've been doing all along. Your body needs a more drastic change than that. High Intensity Interval Training has been used quite effectively for fat loss. On the treadmill try doing a 30 sec high intensity interval, then 90 seconds of low intensity. To change the intensity you can either run for the high intensity interval, then walk for the low intensity interval, or you can put the incline up and walk 'uphill' for the high intensity interval, then put the incline down to almost 0% and do an easy walk for the low intensity interval. A basic HIIT program would look like this:

5 min warmup
Repeat the 30 sec high/90 sec low 5 - 7 times.
5 min cool down

Try doing the interval training twice per week. For the other days, try working towards 45 - 60 mins of walking (or whichever cardio you prefer), but keep this mostly at a low-moderate level, where you feel like you're working but not out of breath. Your body is more efficient at burning calories from fat at a low-moderate intensity, AFTER about 30 mins of continuous aerobic exercise.

I also would suggest trying to add in at least 30 mins of resistance training 2-3 times per week. Female do not bulk unless they take hormones and other drugs to give them a more 'manly' appearance. It will help you to become more toned and most likely become happier with your overall appearance.

Good luck, keep us posted!
 
PLB Fitness:

Thanks for your suggestions, I will begin this next week and see how I feel....I never realized that there were so many options on the treadmill, but it is worth a shot...Put on a pair of jeans this am that are usually tight, and there is actually room to breath so I think that your advice is right on target it is not the scale, but how you look and feel that plays a major role, sometimes the scale can be a downer....I will keep you posted
 
princess64601 said:
PLB Fitness:

Thanks for your suggestions, I will begin this next week and see how I feel....I never realized that there were so many options on the treadmill, but it is worth a shot...Put on a pair of jeans this am that are usually tight, and there is actually room to breath so I think that your advice is right on target it is not the scale, but how you look and feel that plays a major role, sometimes the scale can be a downer....I will keep you posted
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That's awesome! The scale can definitely be a downer, so just keep focusing on other things (like how great those jeans fit now!) and you will be much more satisfied with your progress. Too many people become obsessed with the number on the scale!

Can't wait to hear how things go this week!

P.
 
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