Now in a panic !!!

mrsberries

Need to some advice....

6 weeks to go to my wedding and could do with dropping 7lbs or so....and this is not to get to "bridal skinny"..I still have a belly I could do with shifting!!

IVe been low carbing since last May and am currently at 10stone(im 5ft 1, so not ideal...). Did the usual Christmas weight gain but dropped this in Jan (7lbs)...throughout Feb my weight loss stalled despite sticking rigourously to my w.o.e. Decided as I was starting to get stressed with wedding (and restricting carbs was actually starting to upset me) and had a few events planned in the run -up (hens etc) I would need some more flexibilty so rejoined WW but with incorporating all the good stuff I learned from my Idiot Proof Diet ( completely shunning WW products in favour of homemade meals, cutting down on carbs etc)...however two weeks into it and I havent shifted a pound. Im powerwalking everyday, do two runs a week and practise yoga twice a week so extremely frustrated!!! Im starting to think though the more I panic maybe my body is holding onto everything!!

My question is, could this be my body reacting to the shift from low carb/high fat to low fat with carbs?

All advice welcome

Dixie Chick

There is nothing more frustrating that working really hard and not 1lb shifting. Is there a difference in your measurements from the last few weeks work?

Can you let us know what you are eating, as in, what kind of carbs and stuff?

mrsberries

Hi dixie chick...im so frustrated I could cry!!! Ive just had my hens so definitely wont be seeing any movement on the scales at the my second weigh in but at least Ive an excuse for that and enjoyed it!

Breakfast - granola mixed with oats with low fat natural yoghurt and mixed berries
lunch -brown bread tuna sandwich or smoked salmon salad with home made soup
dinner - fish/chicken with oven roast veg or baked beans.

All within my 18 points and I have been weighing EVERYTHING!!!

Im thinking I may cut out alcohol completely for the next 4 weeks or so...might be worth a try.

peepeep

Try cutting out alcohol, sugar (so lose the baked beans), starchy foods (bread and potatoes) and anything with white flour.

Up your intake of green veg, lean meat and salads. Snack on a few nuts or some cottage cheese. That should help.

Pembily

mrsberries wrote: »

Hi dixie chick...im so frustrated I could cry!!! Ive just had my hens so definitely wont be seeing any movement on the scales at the my second weigh in but at least Ive an excuse for that and enjoyed it!

Breakfast - granola mixed with oats with low fat natural yoghurt and mixed berries
lunch -brown bread tuna sandwich or smoked salmon salad with home made soup
dinner - fish/chicken with oven roast veg or baked beans.

All within my 18 points and I have been weighing EVERYTHING!!!

Im thinking I may cut out alcohol completely for the next 4 weeks or so...might be worth a try.

There is sugar (more than likely unless you made it without) in all of the above, porridge or eggs are great for breakfast, use xyilitol if you want to sweeten something, replace bread with ryvita if you really want bread or make your own without sugar, what veg - sweet potato, parsnips, potato are all high in sugar!!!!

Maybe its just the stress on your body that it won't let you loose the weight as a defence mechanism!?!?

dublingal80

oh you poor thing. sounds so stressful for ya! Are you exercising at all? Maybe try go for a 45min/1hr walk every 2 or 3rd night, and see if that helps
also, come over to the food diary forum. Everyone there is so supportive and will help you along

mrsberries

Thanks, its very stressful and ive put such pressure on myself to loose these last pound

As Im only off the carbs a few weeks other than the porridge im mostly not eating starchy ones - just the odd brown bread sandwich if Im particularly hungry instead of the sandwich ...and im eating a LOT of green salad veg - spinach, rocket.... I learned a lot about natural sugars and how to listen to how foods affect my energy and appetite so am keeping away from rubbish in general. As I said I only went back to eating low fat with carbs again as it ws making me miserable to not eat the odd pizza (once a month max!) but have noticed I get hungrier easier now.

I exercise most nights - half hour walk on my lunch break, run for half an hour twice a week and do yoga twice. Im joining a gym today so maybe doing some more weights and cross trainer might help boost my metabolism. Im just terrified of not looking my best on my day - probably classic bride self inflicted pressure :mad:

Sapsorrow

mrsberries wrote: »

My question is, could this be my body reacting to the shift from low carb/high fat to low fat with carbs?

Absolutely!! PM me if you want and I'll give you guidelines for a 6 week plan.

Dixie Chick

God, in fairness looking at your diet you are eating healithy alright. I agree on the bread front, be sure its a good quality rye or granary one and can I ask what granola you eat? The Lizis original granola is the only one I would eat as that has a low sugar release (Low GL)

But being very honest with you, I always used to struggle losing weight on weight watchers after the initial loss. I mean I would be within my points and walking the roads but not a lb would budge. So I had to look seriously at what I was eating and now I eat a low GL diet only and the weight is moving steadily off for me. I really feel your pain though, all that effort and nothing happening is SOUL destroying.

Gaz

Work out your calorie needs and make sure you are running a deficit ... if your not getting this bit right, you will not lose weight.

Do more exercise, lift weights and do some cardio that really gets your heart pumping.

corkcomp

what he said. be it low fat or low carb or somewhere in between you need to create a deficit

Khannie

mrsberries wrote: »

My question is, could this be my body reacting to the shift from low carb/high fat to low fat with carbs?

Yes! Your body stores sugar in the muscles (and the liver) in the form of glycogen. The thing is that each gram of glycogen requires 3g of water if memory serves (google will help you) so when you shift off a low carb diet you're gonna add some water weight. Actually if your weight hasn't gone upwards that's a sign to me that you've lost some fat.

7 pounds with 6 weeks to go is definitely do-able. As others have suggested, try switching up the kind of exercise you're doing. Maybe do some exercise videos, or weights (weights will not bulk you up if you're running a calorie deficit; Quite the opposite).

Darkginger

Are you sure you don't want to go back to low carb just for these last 6 weeks? If you're craving pizza, make an omelette with pizza toppings. I find the beauty of low carb is it a) gives you a good rate of loss and b) suppresses hunger and c) lets you eat until satisfied. If you only have one pizza a month, that's only one you'd miss out on in order to look as good as possible on your wedding day.

I agree with cutting out the alcohol totally for the duration - it's empty calories, and sure you'll get enough during the wedding and honeymoon After that would be the time to look for a way of eating you can sustain, but we only get one wedding day (all things being equal!), so something like low carb - even if you can only manage it for the 6 weeks, might be the way to go (again).

Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure you'll be just beautiful on your day!

El_Dangeroso

Hey Mrs.B,

First of all try to relax, stress raises cortisol which tells the body to hang on to fat. You will look beautiful on your special day, 7lb or no 7lb.

As Khannie says you probably replaced glycogen going back to high carb from low, that is not the same as fat, so you could have lost 2-3lb fat in the interim.

The scales is an awful way to measure progress anyway. Weight loss is not the same thing as fat loss. I weigh the same now as I did when I was 18 years of age but I'm a full dress size smaller than then. Go by the feel of your clothes first.

This is really good explanation why the scales lie:

http://www.fatsecret.com/Community.aspx?pa=fp&t=30332

If you can stick it for six weeks, very low carb does happen to be the fastest way to shed fat, but having said that is 7lb really worth stressing out about that much?

mrsberries

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Hey Mrs.B,

First of all try to relax, stress raises cortisol which tells the body to hang on to fat. You will look beautiful on your special day, 7lb or no 7lb.

As Khannie says you probably replaced glycogen going back to high carb from low, that is not the same as fat, so you could have lost 2-3lb fat in the interim.

The scales is an awful way to measure progress anyway. Weight loss is not the same thing as fat loss. I weigh the same now as I did when I was 18 years of age but I'm a full dress size smaller than then. Go by the feel of your clothes first.

This is really good explanation why the scales lie:

http://www.fatsecret.com/Community.aspx?pa=fp&t=30332

If you can stick it for six weeks, very low carb does happen to be the fastest way to shed fat, but having said that is 7lb really worth stressing out about that much?

5yrs ago I was also 10stone but almost a size 14, im now a big size 10 (prob a 11 really ) so I need to keep reminding myself. Why Im fixated on 7lbs is that in truth I could do with losing at least a stone ( I carry a LOT of body fat) but I believe that 7lbs is doable and it gets me to the weight in which I look good.

Thanks everyone for your advice, as always much appreciated! Am kinda tempted to go back to low carb as I really have faith in it and love not counting cals however I need a little flexibility for the time being.

Khrystyna Ill pm you!

El_Dangeroso

mrsberries wrote: »

5yrs ago I was also 10stone but almost a size 14, im now a big size 10 (prob a 11 really ) so I need to keep reminding myself. Why Im fixated on 7lbs is that in truth I could do with losing at least a stone ( I carry a LOT of body fat) but I believe that 7lbs is doable and it gets me to the weight in which I look good.

Thanks everyone for your advice, as always much appreciated! Am kinda tempted to go back to low carb as I really have faith in it and love not counting cals however I need a little flexibility for the time being.

Khrystyna Ill pm you!

Maybe do a phase two of the IPD with added potato, fruit and fermented porridge? You'd need to pay a little extra attention to portions but this might be a more sustainable approach for the next six weeks. Six weeks feels lika a very very long time when you are starving yourself. Dolorus' food diary is a great example of how to do phase two.

mrsberries

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Maybe do a phase two of the IPD with added potato, fruit and fermented porridge? You'd need to pay a little extra attention to portions but this might be a more sustainable approach for the next six weeks. Six weeks feels lika a very very long time when you are starving yourself. Dolorus' food diary is a great example of how to do phase two.

felt like i was stuck in stage 1.5 for an age but nothing happened on the scales...Im just so hungry on ww!!!! My stomach rumbles are beginning to embarass me in yoga

Iristxo

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Maybe do a phase two of the IPD with added potato, fruit and fermented porridge?

What's that?

corkcomp

if I wanted to drop weight quickly like that, think vegetables, vegetables and MORE vegetables. have porridge in the morning. and vegetables and a little fish and meat for the other two meals. snacks = apples or cottage cheese. i know you want to look good on your big day but honestly do not create such a calorie deficit that you end up miserable. hard cardiovascular exercise might be a better way to create the deficit rather than cutting food intake too drastically as it has been known to supress appetite

bubble_1985

im overweight but have days when i look really good and days when i actually look like im ready to give birth!! if i want to lose weight fast i give up bread completely, switch to wholemeal wraps and pitta breads. treats are walkers baked. drink at least 2.5 litres water a day. cut out sugar in tea coffe etc. and take up drinking green tea, which is a trick i used to detox last week and found it brilliant! a friend of mine is trying it this week and she notices a huge difference, it gets rid of bloating etc!!

mrsberries

bubble_1985 wrote: »

im overweight but have days when i look really good and days when i actually look like im ready to give birth!! if i want to lose weight fast i give up bread completely, switch to wholemeal wraps and pitta breads. treats are walkers baked. drink at least 2.5 litres water a day. cut out sugar in tea coffe etc. and take up drinking green tea, which is a trick i used to detox last week and found it brilliant! a friend of mine is trying it this week and she notices a huge difference, it gets rid of bloating etc!!

thanks Bubble, but until recently I ate no bread, no sugar (dont and will never take sugar again) or crisps and choc at all with nada results (well I undone the christmas damage but thats it!)

Okay Im quitting the wheat again and upping the the veggies. My ww leader wants to inspect my tracker this week should I still have made no progress on the scales :rolleyes:

mrsberries

Iristxo wrote: »

What's that?

Its the Idiot Proof Diet by India Knight and Nerris Thomas...loosely based on atkins with a few tweaks. Quite good actually!

dxhound2005

What does your husband to be think about your obsession with diets? All this Atkins, low carb etc is rubbish. Just eat good food, dont go hungry and exercise enough to burn off what you take in.

Every meal should include carbohydrates, protein and good fats, in the ratios of 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20 % fat.

Sapsorrow

dxhound2005 wrote: »

What does your husband to be think about your obsession with diets?

What has that got to do with anything? That's really not a helpful question and suggesting someone has an obsession with dieting is very condescending. A woman wanting to look her best on her wedding day is only natural.

El_Dangeroso

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Every meal should include carbohydrates, protein and good fats, in the ratios of 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20 % fat.

40% protein?? Are you serious?

Darkginger

dxhound2005 wrote: »

What does your husband to be think about your obsession with diets? All this Atkins, low carb etc is rubbish. Just eat good food, dont go hungry and exercise enough to burn off what you take in.

Every meal should include carbohydrates, protein and good fats, in the ratios of 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20 % fat.

And where do you get those figures from? Why do you say that Atkins & low carb is rubbish, when thousands of people have managed to shed their excess weight and maintain that loss using these methods? Can you explain why the western obesity epidemic has done nothing but get worse since people have been attempting to eat low fat?

An attempt to shed excess weight is hardly an obsession with diets - it's about trying to be as healthy as possible. It is far from necessary (or ideal) for 40% of your food intake to be from carbohydrates!

Lux23

I don't if a full on low carb diet is for everyone, I know I couldn't keep it up but a low GI diet is much easier to maintain as its so varied. I am not sure I would listen to India Knight the last time I saw her she was Orca fat.

Iristxo

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

40% protein?? Are you serious?

That's "supposed to be" the general recommendation. But for us, since dropping the pasta, bread, rice, etc, we feel a lot better and don't miss it at all.

El_Dangeroso

Iristxo wrote: »

That's "supposed to be" the general recommendation. But for us, since dropping the pasta, bread, rice, etc, we feel a lot better and don't miss it at all.

Ah I think you read carbs, I'm talking about the 40% protein mentioned. 40% carbs wouldn't be so bad coming from vegetables but, 15-25% protein is the general recommendation. 40% is 200g of protein on a 2,000 cal diet which is far too much for the average person and would put a ridiculous amount of stress on the liver. Most people would find it impossible to eat that much protein anyway.

Iristxo

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Ah I think you read carbs, I'm talking about the 40% protein mentioned. 40% carbs wouldn't be so bad coming from vegetables but, 15-25% protein is the general recommendation. 40% is 200g of protein on a 2,000 cal diet which is far too much for the average person and would put a ridiculous amount of stress on the liver. Most people would find it impossible to eat that much protein anyway.

If you look up on the "stickys" that 40/40/20 is mentioned a few times. Also in the internet. Not saying I disagree with you, just saying I saw that before a good few times.

Iristxo

Iristxo wrote: »

But for us, since dropping the pasta, bread, rice, etc, we feel a lot better and don't miss it at all.

Sorry, that "bit" was more directed to Dxhound2005's comment

El_Dangeroso

Iristxo wrote: »

If you look up on the "stickys" that 40/40/20 is mentioned a few times. Also in the internet. Not saying I disagree with you, just saying I saw that before a good few times.

Ah I see, how bizarre. Maybe in the context of a severly calorie restricted diet it might only equate to 100g/day. Still think it's a bad idea to overload on protein though.

mrsberries

dxhound2005 wrote: »

What does your husband to be think about your obsession with diets? All this Atkins, low carb etc is rubbish. Just eat good food, dont go hungry and exercise enough to burn off what you take in.
.

Whats that got to do with anything? Or you for that matter?

That aside, Im not obsessed with diets. As well as wanting to look the best for me wedding - my perogative - Ive high cholestrol and interested in my health. Nothing wrong with that

How Strange

mrsberries, I got married recently and I'm what most people would call diminuitive too. Just before Christmas I was told I had to stop all cardio exercise due to a back and neck problem :eek:. Not exactly what a bride to be wants to hear. I used to run up to 30 miles a week so I was terrified I'd pile on the pounds. At 5'3 even 2lbs make a big difference to me and I also have a natural tendency towards a high body fat ratio.

For January and February (about 7 weeks) I restricted my carbs as much as possible. I'd alternate between oats or omelettes for breakfast. For lunch I'd have 2 bowls of soup with no bread or crackers. If I wanted something with the soup I'd have ryvita. For dinner I'd have lean meat or fish with lots and lots of veg. I tried to avoid the dreaded spud as much as possible so I'd use beans and lentils to substitute for carbs if I felt I needed some. Of course I ate the bad carbs from time to time but I followed this pattern 90% of the time. Sugar was also restricted.

Oh and of course, I cut out alcohol for January and avoided it as much as possible in February.

The week of the wedding I ate only protein and vegetables, very very little carbs.

It worked and while I didn't need to lose weight I possibly dropped a couple of pounds but most importantly I didn't put on weight.

For exercise I did lots of pilates and some yoga. I really think the pilates helped alot as my waist and arms were definitely more toned and overall my clothes were looser than usual.

Don't panic, you've loads of time but I'd recommend you focus on restricting carbs and sugars 90% of the time (allow yourself a day off a week if you need it otherwise you'll go crazy), go running once or twice more and do 20-30 mins yoga or pilates a few times a week concentrating on core strengthening exercises, tummy crunches, push ups, squats etc.

Ahem, needless to say it all went to pot over the honeymoon so I'm having to repeat it all over again for the next 2 months

mrsberries

How Strange wrote: »

mrsberries, I got married recently and I'm what most people would call diminuitive too. Just before Christmas I was told I had to stop all cardio exercise due to a back and neck problem :eek:. Not exactly what a bride to be wants to hear. I used to run up to 30 miles a week so I was terrified I'd pile on the pounds. At 5'3 even 2lbs make a big difference to me and I also have a natural tendency towards a high body fat ratio.

For January and February (about 7 weeks) I restricted my carbs as much as possible. I'd alternate between oats or omelettes for breakfast. For lunch I'd have 2 bowls of soup with no bread or crackers. If I wanted something with the soup I'd have ryvita. For dinner I'd have lean meat or fish with lots and lots of veg. I tried to avoid the dreaded spud as much as possible so I'd use beans and lentils to substitute for carbs if I felt I needed some. Of course I ate the bad carbs from time to time but I followed this pattern 90% of the time. Sugar was also restricted.

Oh and of course, I cut out alcohol for January and avoided it as much as possible in February.

The week of the wedding I ate only protein and vegetables, very very little carbs.

It worked and while I didn't need to lose weight I possibly dropped a couple of pounds but most importantly I didn't put on weight.

For exercise I did lots of pilates and some yoga. I really think the pilates helped alot as my waist and arms were definitely more toned and overall my clothes were looser than usual.

Don't panic, you've loads of time but I'd recommend you focus on restricting carbs and sugars 90% of the time (allow yourself a day off a week if you need it otherwise you'll go crazy), go running once or twice more and do 20-30 mins yoga or pilates a few times a week concentrating on core strengthening exercises, tummy crunches, push ups, squats etc.

Ahem, needless to say it all went to pot over the honeymoon so I'm having to repeat it all over again for the next 2 months

Thanks Howstrange Thats very comforting to hear. Like you said, when you are small a few pounds either way can make a signficant difference! Im doing two 1 hour yoga sessions a week which is fantastic (mostly for stress levels!) What soups are you making? Ive been making curried parsnip all week but still ravenous! Khrystyna has recommended tomato and lentil which Ill make later for the next few days...

BTW - i was down half a lb in ww today! Not much but its a move in the right direction!

Congrats on the wedding by the way!

Getwellsoon

If you're getting desperate, then you could try cutting out dairy altogether and trying dairy substitutes, and really cutting down on the carbs. I wouldn't normally recommend this for someone who is not wanting to go vegan or isn't lactose intolerant, but I found I really lost weight when I did it. Also soups & home made smoothies can work wonders.

You are eating really healthily and exercising a lot by the sounds of it, so I have no idea why it's not shifting. Just don't give up, keep going at it because sometime weeks you might be stuck on a plateau for ages, and then suddenly after you've been stuck for AGES it starts coming off faster again -this might be happening to you. Your body may be taking a while to reajust and catch up. So keep trying! Good luck

How Strange

Getwellsoon wrote: »

If you're getting desperate, then you could try cutting out dairy altogether and trying dairy substitutes, and really cutting down on the carbs.

I cut out dairy because I was thinking along the same lines and I became terribly constipated. I now realise I need my daily yoghurt My skin also was blotchy and spotty as a result.

I wouldn't recommend eliminating any foods at this stage because the last thing you want is to feel unwell in the lead up to the wedding. I wouldn't even say cut out carbs for the same reason.

Cut back to promote weight loss but don't cut out.

OP for soup, I varied. Sometimes carrot and parsnip, mushroom, courgette, vegetable. Lentils are great in soup and make it a bit more filling. I make my own green curry with lots of veg and chicken using low fat coconut milk and make it quite soupy and it's delicious even without rice. Yes, there is fat in it but one tin of coconut milk to two tins of water and it's not too bad for you plus you're gettings lots of veg.

That's loads of yoga really in combination with your other exercise. Don't stress about it, eat healthily, avoid alcohol as much as you can and you'll find you'll lose another few pounds over the coming weeks. Moreover, you'll be fit, healthy and glowing on the day!

Getwellsoon

How Strange wrote: »

I cut out dairy because I was thinking along the same lines and I became terribly constipated. I now realise I need my daily yoghurt My skin also was blotchy and spotty as a result.

That's really odd! My skin is so much better when I don't eat dairy and I'm never constipated either, because I eat so much fresh fruit, veg, nuts and pulses instead of dairy it just seems to make me healthier rather than iller... I guess we are all different!

Sapsorrow

Getwellsoon wrote: »

That's really odd! My skin is so much better when I don't eat dairy and I'm never constipated either, because I eat so much fresh fruit, veg, nuts and pulses instead of dairy it just seems to make me healthier rather than iller... I guess we are all different!

I agree 100% cheese ruins my skin for some reason! I always get a breakout after a cheese binge, such a shame I LOVE the stuff! It's a handy bit of motivation to avoid it for other reasons though. I can't see how avoiding dairy could have naything ot do with constipation though? Never heard of that before I always feel better off the dairy it makes me really sniffly and I eat way healthier when I don't have the cheese sandwich crutch I depended on for so long. :rolleyes:

Getwellsoon

khrystyna100 wrote: »

I always feel better off the dairy it makes me really sniffly

Yeah, whenever I get colds now I don't get a runny nose or any phlegm. It's an upside to being vegan, but it is really weird because now when I have a cold I just get a headache, stuffy feeling and my voice disappears! I squeak like a mouse all day

El_Dangeroso

khrystyna100 wrote: »

I can't see how avoiding dairy could have naything ot do with constipation though? Never heard of that before

Dairy can actually mask other underlying gastro-intestinal problems, often intolerance issues with gluten grains, this often means that there is an underlying issue and the dairy acts like a band-aid on top, not helping, just counteracting the symptoms.