Teaching myself to be patient

[KimNWI]

Hi all. I am struggling with something and I thought I would share in case you would have some advice to share with me. I am at a point where my loss is slowing considerably. I realise its because my body is probably settling in to Atkins now and I am still losing every month so techinically I am not stalled. I do know its a WOL not a diet and so I should just eat right, exercise and give it all the time it wants to get to goal. I do see this. I don't want to take drastic measures and end up screwing my metablisim even more by switching around and trying to play with my food to get faster results. I need to learn to be patient and remember its gonna take awhile. I was so motivated when the scale would move every day or every other day. Now I am going a week or so sometimes at the same weight or bouncing up a couple then back down. I realise this is normal but I find it hard to stay happy and as focused as I was when things were really moving. I have increased my exercise so I was hoping that would help but hasn't so far. I know I just need to wait it out but how do I do that without being depressed?

I am taking in around 20 carbs daily and around 1700 calories which according to fit day I am still burning more than I am eating. Most of my calories come from fat, then protein. I drink about a gallon of water a day. I am sure its probably just my body settliing in and its still loss just not as fast.

KimNWI

[cs_carver]

I would think there's as much of a mental adjustment going on as physical, and that at some point, you'll see something akin to a whoosh. Can't tell from here what might be the issues or triggers, but you'll know after they get cleared.

Another point--maybe you don't have to BE focused on weight loss? It IS a WOL. I don't focus on breathing. Maybe there's something else that needs your attention now that you have more energy, you're not struggling with food choices or temptation, whatever. New skill? When was the last time you learned anything new that was physical?

I'm taking hoop dance lessons (www.hooping.org) and that is kicking my butt into new thinking about my body. A friend who way outweighs me (bigger AND shorter) is taking belly dancing. It wasn't the place to ask her about body image (cubeville) but I'll bet that's taken some work on her part!

You wait it out by getting busy on something else.

Good luck.

YMMV.

[KimNWI]

I do think its about a mental adjustment. In some ways I think thats the hardest adjustment to make. At least for me.

I am busy now with other things college and a special needs child to name 2 but my weight loss is a focus. I simply can't help that. Now that I have had a taste of success and I know how much better I feel than I did 2 or 3 mths ago I really really want more of it. I also want to be a beautiful bride at my wedding next yr. We haven't set a date because I refuse to wear a circus tent. I don't want a fat Kim staring down at me from the walls in our home for the rest of our lives. I want to feel so beautiful that day. I want to get the dress I like not just what they have avail in my size or one that will disguise the most.

My self esteem has been bad for years. I lost 132 pounds in 10 mths on a low fat/low cal diet with an agency. Within 2 yrs I gained it all back cause I went back to regular foods. I realise this is a WOL and once I lose this weight I can never go back to what I was eating before. Its been 8 yrs since I felt pretty and didn't mind going shopping for clothes. I miss that feeling. Probably too much.

KimNWI

[Judynyc]

Have you thought about OWL phase yet?
Are you doing any walking? What kind of exercise are you getting?

I just got a pedometer and realized why my weight loss has been consistent...cause I walk up to 4 miles a day..every day, 5 days a week!! its my work!

[KimNWI]

Actually I don't think I am far enough along for OWL I still have soo much weight to lose. Trying to make it the 6 mths the book says for people with alot to lose. A pedometer might be a great idea though I need to get me one. I do a 30 min Cardio thing with my Denise Austin tape everyday and a walk for about 20 mins with my son in the evening. Thats alot for me lol but I am trying to increase it gradually.

KimNWI

[Aquamarina]

Did you fall in the trap of slimming agencies too? OMG they are the best criminals I've ever seen!
They took me about 1000 to sell me their program. Eating 1100 cals per day, doing 20 mins bicycle and get into those machines. No matter if I told them I had put on weight from meds, that I couldn't eat that much, that I wasn't the regular eater who would start to lose cutting the calories. They just wanted my money. That was the only clear thing. I lost only 4 kgs after 3 months (they said I was doing fine :p), and of course I put them back on just after I stopped (I have about 60 more sessions left).

Ok, back to your question. I thought that heavy people lose faster but it seems that your metabolism is partialy ruined too. People who have been in a diet for a life -like you, me and many others- tend to destroy their metabolism. You can fix it don't worry.
So you must experiment a little bit. These are the things I did and their results (after being almost stalled for 2 months and lose about 1 kg per month).
1. Meat/Egg fast. You can find the info in the stall section. I started losing after the 5th day. I stayed at 5 carbs for two months but I was still losing very slowly. Success? NO.
2. High fat levels. I increased my fat intake to 70+ %, without increasing my cals. They remain at about 1000 per day. Success? NO. (+ I suspect it triggered some seizures).
3. Upping my calories. I upped them up until 1500. No gain, no loss. Success? NO.

These are the things I'm doing now and for the fourth day they seem to work for me.
King/Prince/Pauper principle. I eat a breakfast of about 300-400 cals, a lunch of about 300 and a dinner of about 200. I leave my last 100 cals for some ham when I return home. I need 1 hour to burn those 100 cals, so I don't sleep in less than an hour after I get home.

Carb cycling. This is an induction version of carb cycling. I eat 15-20 carbs for 2 days. 10-15 for another 2 days and plan to eat 5 carbs for 1 day. Then go up again by 5 etc. This method made me lose 3 pounds in 3 days. I'm currently in the fourth day, but this really worked for me.

I still don't expect to lose fast. Keep searching till you find the correct path. :)

[KimNWI]

I had heard the term carb cycling but didn't know what it was. I will have to try it and see how it goes. I was planning on trying the M/E fast when I get to grocery shop again to see if that will work for me. I had also heard of the king/prince/pauper principal and had considered it but I am one of those people that find it hard to eat alot in the mornings so haven't been doing that so far.

I have heard also that heavier people lose faster and I guess since I just started in May I have done pretty well so far but is hard to feel positive when I don't see any movement for a week or so.

I think I will give the carb cycling some thought, gonna have to plan out what my meals will be and see how it goes.

Thanks for the suggestions.
KimNWI

[Beeblebrox]

I wonder if your calorie level needs adjustment? I've found that if I eat consistently above 1600 cals, my weight loss slooooows way down. But then again, I eat more carbs than you do, and that probably must factor into things.

Do you eat a lot of veggies? When I upped my veggie intake, I started losing weight faster on a consistent basis.

[KimNWI]

Thats an idea I may try to lower my calories and see. I actually don't get many veggies. I try to include some everday but in my financial situation affording this much meat was a real pull no matter how cheap the cut or what was on sale. My son and I used to share really really cheap things to get by now we can't eat 99 cent TV dinners and spaghettos so its rough making it work. I am praying once we move in with my fiance' sometime in the next couple months I will have more of a budget for food. Right now my income is a little over 600 a mth, rent is 445 then other bills so the only thing I can use for food is food stamps :( doesn't leave alot of those for good good foods. I feel ashamed sometimes here with the amount of veggies I get in everyday but I just can't do it now. I am in college and improving myself so I can get a decent job and take good care of us. LOL this has turned into a pity me but didn't mean it to. Its still in the emotional thread so heck this is what depresses me maybe its ok lol.

KimNWI

[Bat Spit]

Actually I don't think I am far enough along for OWL I still have soo much weight to lose.

As someone with a huge amount to lose, I just wanted to let you know that I started losing much better when I went into owl and started upping my carbs. You might try that before you start lowering your calories.

And don't forget that stress interferes with weight loss. It sounds like with a special needs child, going to school, and a shoestring budget, you have plenty of stress to go around. Hopefully moving in with your fiance will reduce some of that.

[KimNWI]

Hi its interesting that you lost better when you upped your carbs I might have to think about that. Your right I do have alot of stresses and they could be stalling me too. I do think that moving in with him will take a huge weight off my shoulders. I really want my chance to walk in the sun!!

KimNWI

[Rain1272]

A friend who way outweighs me (bigger AND shorter) is taking belly dancing. It wasn't the place to ask her about body image (cubeville) but I'll bet that's taken some work on her part!


I started taking belly dancing when I was almost 300 lbs and I wasn't the only one that size in the class. There we actually bigger! I HIGHLY recommend belly dancing. It is fairly low impact, unless you go for turkish tribal style, and it is a great overall work out, especially for muscle control. I LOVE IT!!!

About the slowing weight loss and bouncing around certain weights. This has always been the case for me and to be sure it is quite frustrating until you come to terms with it and realize it is just part of your body's particular pattern. Now it hardly phases me when this happens. Sure I do get frustrated still from time to time. Like right now for instance. I have been hovering over having gotten rid of 50 Lbs. As of this morning I have finally hit the 50 Lbs gone mark and only have 1.5 Lbs to go to my half way point. It took almost 3 weeks of bouncing from 226 to 223 and back before it seems to have finally settled down. I wont actually count it until have one more morning weigh in at 222. Don't give up. Don't be too hard on yourself or on your body. Like you said in your first post, just be patient with your body as it adjusts to each weight level. You WILL get there.

[Miss Katz]

Same here. I'm learning the importance of having patience with my body. It helps me worry less. Getting your facts straight helps. There is so much information going around, alot of them lies, so sometimes it's easy to get confused. I do agree that the bigger you are the more weight you lose at first and then as you weigh less, your metabolism goes down. Persistence and patience is key. Also, losing 1/2 a pound is better than no pounds because eventually they will add up. I struggled too with how many calories I should be eating. For me, not too little, and not too much. If I binge one day i go back on track for the rest of the week. It's depressing when this becomes depressing. We are so anxious about time and how much time it will take. I'm learning to take it one day at a time. I think it helps to know what you can control and what you can't control.

[Vgal]

I happen to be the one of the most impatient people you could have ever have the misfortune to meet! That being said, I've learnt the art of the word "yet."

One of my yoga instructors always tells us that her yogi says, "Don't say NEVER or CAN'T or WON'T" when it comes to reaching a pose - always say YET. As in, "I can't do that pose, YET."

I've been practicing yoga regularly for over a year now, and there are finally some poses I can get into that orginally I said I would never be able to. The word YET is very powerful and I'm learning to ease off the pressure on my body, it seems to have helped. Maybe as a reward, my body is thanking me by progressing instead of stalling.

As long as you are maintaining and not gaining consider it a victory for now. Say, "I haven't reached my goal weight YET." It will release you. Continue working towards your goal and learn to be patient with your results/success. Another thing to try is incorporating new activities. Challenge yourself both physically and mentally. Hurdles are only TEMPORARY obstacles. Speed bumps can't stop you only slow you down.

Good luck!