What do I do?

M

mom618

New member
Hi Everyone:
Although this is my first post, I have been reading the forums since last September, strictly for motivation, it has helped me tremendously. I found myself at the age of 37 (now I'm 38) 5'3 amd 156lbs and medium frame. One day I just seemed t wake up and decide that now was the time to lose weight. I lost my Mom in 2002 to a heart attack she was only 54, being overweight runs in my family on both sides, so I decided that if I wanted to see our boys grown and with children of their own I had better do something.In Sept. I weighed 156 as of this morning I weigh 127.6, although I am proud of my progress, I was at 124 and all of a sudden I am 127.6, my goal is 120.I really haven't changed anything, maybe that is the problem. Please correct me if I am wrong my maint should be 1875 (15x125(avg)= 1875minus a 500 calorie deficet = 1375, I have never been a big eater it has always been the types of food I eat, but I changed that and I drink only water or green tea, take a multi vitamin and the fish oil caplets. It is sometimes hard for me to reach the 1375. I am really depressed about the gain, I walk everyday for 30 to 60 minutes, and use resistance training 3 days a wek, band, ball or weights. I would be grateful for any advice.
 
It sounds like you're doing great!

How fast did you gain the 3.6 pounds?

I also am lamenting a recent, unexplained, sudden weight gain. But don't be discouraged - it's part of the process.

As part of weight-gain healing I grumble on my journal for a while then give myself a week of doing well to see if anything changes. Every time I've done that I've lost by the end of the week.
 
The thinner and leaner you get, the harder it is to maintain or lose weight. Laws of physiology and evelutionary survival mechanisms suck, right?

I would be interested in what you are eating to comprise your diet.

Do you do any higher intensity stuff than walking?

What does your resistance training look like?
 
I gained the 3.6 lbs over a 1 week period, I usually start my day off with a shake (it is really all I have time for) I have an administrative job so I am sitting most of the day. While at the office I usually snack on fruit, kashi bar, Dannon Crave Control Yougurt, I go home around 1:30 and usually I prepare a chicken breast with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper with some veggies usually broccli and carrots. I drink 8-10 glasses of water, around 4:30 I have a small snack, and something light for dinner. I don't know a whole lot about exercise so I have some 5 lb weights that I use, squats, lunges, and I don't know exactly the name of the exercises that I do, I sometimes use the ball to work out my arms and do some crunches on the ball. I do archery so that also helps with the upper body work out. I don't really do any aerobics, and I have thought about tring the hitt, but not exactly sure how it works. I am open to any suggestions.
 
mom618 said:
I gained the 3.6 lbs over a 1 week period, I usually start my day off with a shake (it is really all I have time for) I have an administrative job so I am sitting most of the day. While at the office I usually snack on fruit, kashi bar, Dannon Crave Control Yougurt, I go home around 1:30 and usually I prepare a chicken breast with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper with some veggies usually broccli and carrots. I drink 8-10 glasses of water, around 4:30 I have a small snack, and something light for dinner. I don't know a whole lot about exercise so I have some 5 lb weights that I use, squats, lunges, and I don't know exactly the name of the exercises that I do, I sometimes use the ball to work out my arms and do some crunches on the ball. I do archery so that also helps with the upper body work out. I don't really do any aerobics, and I have thought about tring the hitt, but not exactly sure how it works. I am open to any suggestions.
Click to expand...

On the diet side, I would say balancing it out a little better would take you a long way. When I design a diet, I like to set a caloric goal, which in this case you have, more on this in a bit. Once the calories are set up, I like to work out my protein requirements, since this is critical while dieting. I like to see at least 1 gram per pound of lean body mass, which in your case, is probably pretty close to your body weight. You could use 1 gram per pound of body weight and be fine. Then I worry about fats, which I see you have added some good stuff in there. These are not as cut and dry as proteins, but as a general rule of thumb, .5 grams per pound of body weight will work consisting of "healthy" stuff as much as possible, monounsaturateds (olive oil), certain polyunsaturateds (omega-6/9s, stuff like flax oil, borage oil, etc), and a source of omega-3s (fish oil caps, or a serving of omega-3 rich fish like salmon).

From here, you probably will need some more food on the agenda in order to meet that original caloric goal we set up. This void can be filled using carbs and fat. I like to keep protein relatively static. Based on your food preferences and sensitivities, add carbs and fat as you see fit.

How do you think your current diet stacks up against this recommendation? Probably lacking in protein for sure.

Also, what kind of shake are you drinking in the morning?

Have you ever thought about joining a gym?
 
Steve I'm sure your right, I could use more protein, what are the omega 6/9 for as the flax oil, borage oil I have heard of them but never knew what they were for. The shake I refer to is a Slim Fast High Protein (I KNOW IT'S PROBABLY NOT THE BEST) I just don't have much time in the mornings by the time I get the kids ready for school, if there is something better, I'm sure ther is let me know. I don't rely on it to lose weight, just to get me started, otherwise it would be 10:00 before I could get anything. I live in an area where everything is a minimum of 30 minutes away, I leave work at 1:30 and we have a business on the side that opens at 2:00p.m. until 9:00 p.m., the only day we are closed is Sunday, and it is family time.Again I would be grateful for any advice.
 
Well you know that there are good fats and there are bad fats, right? The fats I listed such as fish oil, flax, etc, is the good stuff. And it isn't "good" in the sense that it is not as bad for you as the bad stuff. It is "good" in the sense that there are numerous health benefits from including them as the major fat source in your diet.

I am not sure of the slim fast high protein shake. I would rather see you drink a whey protein shake in milk or water, eat a piece of fruit, and possibly a bagel or something of that nature. You could eat this on the go, right?
 
Steve, I could do the whey thing, and I always have a fruit with my Slim Fast, usually a banana, The reason I get the Slim Fast is because it has the 15 g of protein, really don't like bagels though, it has been a long time since I tried them, since I started changing the way I eat I find that I now like things I would never eat before, so the next time I'm at the grocery store I 'll give it a try. What kind should I buy? Should I get the omega 6/9 as well, I assume I would take those with the omega -3.
 
Wow, I did not realize the slim fast had that much protein. Look at the ingredients list, see if it contains whey?

There are other options for breakfast, I just know a bagel is good on the go. I like whole wheat bagels, and would recommend you try that. But some low cal, low fat cottage cheese on them. I am also a huge fan of old fashioned oatmeal too, but that takes some time to prep and is not as easy to eat on the go. Remember, all of these recommendations, you still have to keep your cals in check.

I would def. recommend adding some fish oil caps into the regimen. You should be getting roughly .5 gms of fat per pound, so you do the math and figure out how much fat you need.
 
The Slim Fast that I get is their High Protein version, I read the ingredients, and I do not see any whey listed. I take the fish oil caplets 3 times a day
my average weight has been 125 so 125 x.5= 62.50 is that right? So. I need to be getting 62.50 g of fat?
 
I think a whey shake would suit you better.

As for the fat, yes, as a minimum. Remember my post above about how to set your diet up. I think you should read it again and follow the steps.

Set cals
Set protein
Set fat minimum
Fill remainder of gap to meet step 1 (caloric goal)
 
Correct me pease where I have made any mistakes

15x125=1875 Maint.
1875-500=1375 calorie deficet (this is the number I should aim for , right?)

1 gr of protein per lean body mass approximately 100 g
.5 g of good fat per pound approximately 65 g
What are the good carbs?
I will keep a count on my overall intake of calories.
How many times a day would I need the whey shake?
Do I need to get the omega 6/9 caplets as well and this will go towards my good fat.
 
mom618 said:
Correct me pease where I have made any mistakes

15x125=1875 Maint.
1875-500=1375 calorie deficet (this is the number I should aim for , right?)

1 gr of protein per lean body mass approximately 100 g
.5 g of good fat per pound approximately 65 g
What are the good carbs?
I will keep a count on my overall intake of calories.
How many times a day would I need the whey shake?
Do I need to get the omega 6/9 caplets as well and this will go towards my good fat.
Click to expand...

Deficit is a little large. The smaller you are, the less weight you can technically lose per week. I assume you are pulling 500 cal deficit out of the fact that there are 3500 calories in a lb of fat and 7 days in a week. Don't do this at your weight. I would rather see you knock your cal intake down to 1500-1600ish.

Good carbs = whole wheat pasta, bread, wraps, veggies, sweet potatos, brown rice, oatmeal to name a few

Good fats = various oils mentioned above, nuts, peanut butter, etc

I would get fish oil caps with 180 DHA and 120 EPA per pill, which you will find on the back of the container. Yes, these should be counted toward your overall fat intake. Get 1000 mg tablets.
 
o.k, I will aim for 1500-1600 per day of good calories, I have the fish oil caplets that you recommended already, so now I need to get the omega 6/9, and the flax oil,borage oil. I really am grateful for your help, I hope you don't mind all of the questions, I will keep you updated on my progress.
 
I would not worry about the other oils. At that low of a calorie intake, you should be able to meet your fat intake goals with use of the fish oil, peanut butter, nuts, etc. Plus the fat you get in meat and other foods, you should be fine. If you find yourself short, find a good flax oil product.

And no problem, anytime really.
 
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