Healthy and Fit

We have this bathroom scale, which I find gives a more rounded indicator of health than just weight:

http://www.homedics.co.uk/uk/produkte/weight-management/homedics-stainless-steel-platform-body-analyser-scale.html

2.5 down.  Whew!  I thought I did okay with food/wine/treats but I had a bit of a snack attack yesterday and was eating the most random things in the house.

Anyway!  I feel on track for my friends wedding.  The dress has already been fitted so I can't really aim to lose too much, but anything off my a** wouldn't hurt the fit of the dress, and so would be welcome and appreciated if my body would take that hint.

I am at my wits end.  My weight is usually pretty ok.  While it fluctuates 5 or so pounds routinely, it has never been a real problem.  If my clothes get tighter, then I just do a bit of exercise or just eat moderately for a day or two.  And over a week or two, it seems to balance on its own.

About 2 months ago, I visited the US for work and clearly gained some weight while there.  I have not been able to shift it for anything.  I have been exercising nearly everyday - both cardio and weights.  I am eating about 75% of what I was eating before - cutting booze, the whole 9 yards.

Half my clothes don't fit.  Even worse, I have several weddings to attend, the first in 2 weeks.  I tried on all my wedding dresses yesterday and I can't fit into any of them.  I don't know what I am doing wrong and feel really depressed about the whole thing.  Help Shrinkers!!!

We have this bathroom scale, which I find gives a more rounded indicator of health than just weight:

http://www.homedics.co.uk/uk/produkte/weight-management/homedics-stainless-steel-platform-body-analyser-scale.html

I wonder how a scale measures body fat?  Would be worth getting, I think. Ours is crap anyway. I could weigh myself 4 times in a row and get 4 completely different results (within 2 or 3 pounds) so I sort of just guess based on which result pops up more than once over a few days time. I think a new one is definitely in order. 

Jewlz, I was tempted as well but this is how I keep myself from the junk fast food like McDs:

1) I know that if DH had been there with me, he would have registered his stern disapproval if I got it.

2) I tell myself that it smells like sick - because it really kind of does, and that's enough to put me off.  I used to know someone who worked at McD's and they would talk about walking into work, and immediately inhaling the aroma of sick (i.e., the food there).

So yeah - it's aversion therapy, I think, but it works!  Cupcakes on the other hand - well those are pure wholesome goodness! 

I've never noticed that it smells like sick. 

My DH would've just gone for it, too, and then felt like crap with me. And then after about 6 months or so he would start saying that he could go for one.  He was glad after he saw me yesterday that he wasn't there to be tempted. 

Sara, what sort of food do you eat normally?  I can't maintain it, but for events and stuff like that, if my clothes are a little tight, I try to low carb it before the event, which usually helps me.  Low carb isn't for me in the long term, but I think it'll work in the short term.

Also, I felt the same way recently - my weight really crept up on me and I couldn't shift, despite eating healthy and exercising a lot, so I started hardcore food journaling and measuring, and that's helped some of it start to come off.

That and no booze when I really want to drop, but you said you already did that! 

Sara, what sort of food do you eat normally?  I can't maintain it, but for events and stuff like that, if my clothes are a little tight, I try to low carb it before the event, which usually helps me.  Low carb isn't for me in the long term, but I think it'll work in the short term.

Also, I felt the same way recently - my weight really crept up on me and I couldn't shift, despite eating healthy and exercising a lot, so I started hardcore food journaling and measuring, and that's helped some of it start to come off.

That and no booze when I really want to drop, but you said you already did that! 

I have two slices of toast with PB on it, for breakfast.  One cup of tea.

For lunch, this is work canteen food and usually pasta or a baked potato.  Occasionally soup.  This is my big meal of the day but the pickings are slim.

Dinner, lately has been a bowl of special K.  Usually with some cottage cheese.

I take vitamins and drink water throughout the day.  I am vegetarian so my options are limited at work (they have no standard veggie meal).  I have been working like a fiend so getting out or packing a lunch isn't usually feasible.  The PB and cottage cheese is to get my protein of the day because otherwise I wouldn't do.  The Special K is to help manage meal sizes and also to keep dinner small since it is been 9-10 before I eat. 

I used to eat more or less the same except a proper big meal in the evening as well. 

I have been working like a fiend so getting out or packing a lunch isn't usually feasible. 

Stress really hinders weight loss.  When you're stressed, your body thinks its under a fight or flight situation, releasing adrenaline hormones like cortisol and your body is trying to find all the ways it can to give you energy to deal with the fight or flight situation.  So, once it realises its a chronic situation, a lot of the hormones slow, but the cortisone stays in your body, trying to help you regulate- and one of the ways is to slow the metabolism and have you eat more. 

http://chc.ucsf.edu/pdf/2000_article_epel-PNE.pdf

http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/weightgain.htm


http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=53304

That's true.  (regarding Stress).  me, I get eczema, which is very attractive. 

I would also think about getting your thyroid checked, maybe?  if the weight gain is expected and not shifting in response to the diet and exercise. 

Anyway - I dunno - I'm not a nutritionist, so that doesn't sound like a particularly high calorie diet, so in combination with the exercise, I wouldn't expect the weight to be sticking around.  But maybe try kicking out the carbs for a week?  (At least the white/bready ones like cereal/bread/etc. 

Are you on any new medications?

I am a vegetarian also and find that cutting down carbs is very difficult.  It looks to me that your diet is high in carbs as well and i think sb is right - if you want to lose a few pounds quickly, cutting out carbs for a week or 2 would do the trick.   Do you eat eggs?  Maybe a poached egg (free range, of course!) for breakfast (if you can find some extra minutes in the morning) and only one slice of toast rather than the 2, or you can quickly scramble eggs and wrap them in a tortilla which has less carbs than bread.  One egg has about 6.5 grams of protien, so they are good for vegetarians (if you eat them at all).

Lunch sounds like your downfall, and I am not sure what to recommend there unless you can bring something to work.

For dinner, I think cereal is a bad choice especially if you are eating late, since it is usually full of carbs and you stop movement (go to sleep) soon afterwards.   I think the cottage cheese is a great idea, but what about eating it with vegetables?   I think asparagus is quite low as are green beans and brocolli.   A friend of mine told me to serve a poached egg over asparagus to almost mimic hollandaise sauce and I cant wait to try that!  

Maybe do a stir-fry with tofu for dinner instead of the cereal? It does sound like you could be getting a bit more protein. Also, if you don't eat eggs but need protein in the morning, you could try nonfat Greek yoghurt (Fage Total 0) with some walnuts and raspberries or something like that. It would also be lower carb, and the strained Greek yoghurt has a lot more protein than the regular stuff.

Are you tracking what you eat? Using something like sparkpeople can help you track calories, exercise, and see what you're lacking or having too much of in your diet as well. 

Are you tracking what you eat? Using something like sparkpeople can help you track calories, exercise, and see what you're lacking or having too much of in your diet as well.  

I don't because I think I would too easily become obsessive in a very unhealthy way.  I would certainly think of food as a competition and take it where it shouldn't be.  This is one reason I have never really bothered about my weight and was quite happy that I was naturally thin (i.e. taking it for granted!!).

I think I will do as suggested and beef up the protein, as I know I am lacking in this area already.  I had a whole tub of cottage cheese and currently am boiling an egg for tonight and one for the morning (to go with one slice of PB bread).  Thanks to fellow veggie Mirrajay as well.

On the subject of cortisol, it is funny you guys mentioned that because I had wondered this myself.  Since melatonin helps with the sleepy and blocks(?) cortisol, would taking that each night help?

PS For the record, I had 1200 calories today, though no exercise as I got home at nearly 10.

I wonder how a scale measures body fat?  Would be worth getting, I think. Ours is crap anyway. I could weigh myself 4 times in a row and get 4 completely different results (within 2 or 3 pounds) so I sort of just guess based on which result pops up more than once over a few days time. I think a new one is definitely in order. 

Electrical impulse.

The key is to weigh yourself at the same time, routine wise, no more than daily and at least weekly to understand your own bodily rhythm, health wise.  HTH. 

Totally rocked out the  P90X Kempo <sweating and cooling down>
1 week straight of  working out - 6 days of P90X modified as most of them I can't do the whole video but 1 day of jogging for 20 minutes.

I am determined!

Totally rocked out the  P90X Kempo <sweating and cooling down>
1 week straight of  working out - 6 days of P90X modified as most of them I can't do the whole video but 1 day of jogging for 20 minutes.

I am determined!

Woohooo! Go Jenn!  Everyone is doing so well! I need to step up my game this week. I walked last night, but didn't put much energy into it. I think maybe I will ride my bike after work since its sunny and nice.