Weight Loss

[Phoenix]

Hello ladies Congrats to all of you for your great efforts to get active and healthier
I would like to ask your opinion on something that has been troubling me for the last two months. After i gave birth to my daughter, six years ago, i struggled with my weight. Lost a lot, then gained most of it back, then finally lost again most of it by dieting and eating healthy. All this in the course of approximately four years. A year and a half ago i still had approximately 12 pounds that i wanted to lose. I started exercising regularly by going to the gym. I would run for approximately 30 minutes, then lift weights for my entire body for an hour, then run again for 10-15 minutes. I had no problem going to the gym and completing this long workout, until i finally lost those last 12 pounds. Now i weigh 130 pounds and my height is 5.7'. Since i lost the last 6 pounds, i feel extremely weak. I don't know what's wrong with me but i don't have the strength that i used to have and i skip the gym very often, because i don't have the energy to go. This whole situation has affected my psychology too. Skipping my workouts makes me feel depressed. So its a vicious circle for me at this point . Any ideas as to why i feel this weak all of a sudden and what i should do to regain my strength and energy without gaining weight?
Thank you...

What;s your diet like? What are you eating on a daily basis?

I find that I have a TON of energy the more I work out. My trainer and I are focusing on strength-training (as well as muscle-building and fat-loss).

 

[Phoenix]

Also @Natylad , how long have you been feeling weak? And what is/ was your gym regime like, not just duration but intensity? So, since you stopped going to the gym regularly, how often are you actually working out now? And again, what are you eating on a daily basis?

Have you done any blood tests to check for any deficiency? Iron deficiency perhaps? Vit B12 deficiency? Have you tested for a possible thyroid issue? Were you otherwise feeling fit and healthy, up to when the fatigue kicked in?

 

[Natylad]

What;s your diet like? What are you eating on a daily basis?

I find that I have a TON of energy the more I work out. My trainer and I are focusing on strength-training (as well as muscle-building and fat-loss).

Also @Natylad , how long have you been feeling weak? And what is/ was your gym regime like, not just duration but intensity? So, since you stopped going to the gym regularly, how often are you actually working out now? And again, what are you eating on a daily basis?

Have you done any blood tests to check for any deficiency? Iron deficiency perhaps? Vit B12 deficiency? Have you tested for a possible thyroid issue? Were you otherwise feeling fit and healthy, up to when the fatigue kicked in?

Hello Phoenix

The weakness started when my weight reached 130 pounds. I could also feel that the heat here in Greece was very bad for me. The combination of the low weight and the heat totally killed me.
My diet is the same for the last two years and the only thing that changed was the quantity. When the temperature went really up this summer i felt that i couldnt eat the portions that i used to.
I have three meals per day and my diet is very well balanced.
I've had blood tests and there is no problem with my thyroid but they did find iron deficiency.
On another note, today finally the temperature dropped and it was chilly outside. I wore my workout outfit and went out running for twenty minutes, then came back home and did squats and other exercises, just by using my body weight. I didn't feel as strong as i used to but i noticed an improvement.

 

[Phoenix]

How is everyone doing? I'm 192, same as last week. However, I had a couple of cheat days this week so staying the same isn't a terrible result. I'm now 12lb down from my top weight.

I also think that I'm losing body fat but possibly retaining muscle and some fluid from the workouts. The tape measure suggests I've lost more than the scales are saying. I'm very concerned with conserving/building muscle and losing only fat. So I'm trying to keep my protein high and I'm lifting heavy weights as well as doing cardio.

I have trouble getting all the protein I need to build muscle. Yesterday I had tuna for lunch, three eggs for dinner, a Muscle Milk shake, and various other small amounts, and I doubt I made it to 100g. When trying to lose weight, it's very difficult to get the 130-150g of protein that I need to build muscle.

Well, anyway. I'm doing my best. I've had zero pizza, ice cream or hot dogs this summer, I've cut way down on diet sodas, and rarely eat chocolate and pasta, although I had both those this week when I slipped. (I had a salad for lunch whose calories were wrongly labeled, only 250 cals instead of 440, and I spent the entire afternoon hungry and cross, then was so hungry I slipped and had spaghetti Bolognese for dinner.) I need to cut out cheat days and evening snacking on "healthy" stuff. Even crackers can add up.

How is everyone else doing?

@Jambalaya , I have no problem with my protein intake. I get 100g of protein a day by eating (I started at 80g a day, upping gradually to 100g nowadays):

- 2 egg whites for breakfast + 1 egg yolk for vits = say 10g of protein (sometimes I can only manage 1 egg at b/fast, so I'll make up the rest by eating the egg whites at supper)
- 1 or 1.5 more egg whites for lunch/ or dinner/ or supper = say 5g of protein
- 100g of lean meat for lunch, another 100g of lean meat for dinner = 25+25g of protein
- for supper, I also eat a bit more protein, like an egg white (if I haven't already had 3 egg whites during the day) or some canned tuna or some left over meat from dinner = so another 15g or so of protein.

I also take 1 scoop of protein shake everyday now = another 20g of protein.

So that's = 10+5+25+25+15+20= 80g

If you need to up your protein intake to 130g-150g, I'd just eat more egg whites and/ or take 2-3 scoops of protein shakes. I actually don't like eggs, so this is a struggle for me, but almost everyone else I know loves eggs and my body-builder friends wolf down 6-8 egg whites a day, on top of 2-3 scoops of protein shakes everyday.

HTP

 

[Phoenix]

@Natylad ,

First, I'm so glad you don't have a thyroid issue, yay! It's the pits! I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

I finally had a chance to talk to my personal trainer (I just told her "someone", not being specific). She said of course the iron deficiency is an issue. But she said more likely, your metabolism and hormones are all over the place/ out of whack, bc of the weight gain/ weight loss/ weight gain again/ weight loss again; in addition to the intense work-outs. Your body is most likely protesting!!

I'm not a nutritionist nor a medical dr, so I'd steer away from talking about hormones. But, may I suggest that you try to stabilise your metabolism by eating a lower-caloried diet when you're not working out (as much). Of course, if you're not burning (as many) calories, you'd need to lower your calorific intake. And I'd just go back to exercising on a regular basis, but less intensely and for a shorter duration each time. It's better to keep your body moving than stopping altogether. And try to stabilise your weight, around 130lbs too - that sounds about right for your height.

HTH. Good luck and pls feel free to come back for an update.

 

[Phoenix]

Sorry, typo. My daily protein intake should read:

10+5+25+25+15+20= 100g

 

[diamondringlover]

scale finally started moving again I down 2.5 lbs since my last post on 08/24/17, current weight is 125.0, I have 5 lbs to reach my goal of 120.0. went to doctor today he is very pleased with my progress, I hope to reach my goal by Christmas but my weight loss is so slow I doubt that will happen, but I will keep plugging away at it

 

[ringbling17]

Hey everyone. Just checking in. I’ve been run walking now about 4-5 times a week. I was able to run almost two miles today!!!! 20 minutes non stop! I can’t believe it! I’ve mostly been doing the treadmill tho bc it’s just easier with my kids.
I haven’t really lost weight tho. Down to 133.5 now!

 

[TooPatient]

scale finally started moving again I down 2.5 lbs since my last post on 08/24/17, current weight is 125.0, I have 5 lbs to reach my goal of 120.0. went to doctor today he is very pleased with my progress, I hope to reach my goal by Christmas but my weight loss is so slow I doubt that will happen, but I will keep plugging away at it

Nice work! Slow and steady (even with plateaus) is the healthiest.

 

[TooPatient]

Hey everyone. Just checking in. I’ve been run walking now about 4-5 times a week. I was able to run almost two miles today!!!! 20 minutes non stop! I can’t believe it! I’ve mostly been doing the treadmill tho bc it’s just easier with my kids.
I haven’t really lost weight tho. Down to 133.5 now!

Awesome achievement!

 

[TooPatient]

I need to start paying more attention and keep motivated. I seem to be able to either watch my exercise or my food. Need to work at getting both going together.

We are about to have another change in daily routine. Need to focus on incorporating healthy changes.

One of the team leads needed me to remember some packages that came in last week (I handle several hundred per day at work) and showed me an email from the client looking for them.
They described me as "the heavy set blonde with glasses" .... From that, everyone recognized me as the one described.
I want to not be "heavy set" as my main identifying feature!

 

[diamondringlover]

weigh in this week is another 1/2 lb lost...124.5, its slow and steady lol

 

[TooPatient]

Still 258, but that is pretty good given I had spiked to 264 last week and our anniversary was this week.

I got in 12000 steps yesterday and 1500 calories eaten. Now to keep it up!

 

[ringbling17]

I’m at 132 now. I’ve officially been jogging now for almost five weeks (on Monday). I am able to jog now for 3-4 miles straight! Very happy with the progress I’ve made. I’ve mostly been jogging on my treadmill. I’ve only jogged outside a few times. It’s just easier to run down to my basement and hop on it especially when all my kids are home. I feel funny leaving them for too long alone in the house and I can’t bring them with me unless they run along wth me. Even though I haven’t made a lot of progress with weight loss as much as I would have liked, I can feel my clothes are looser and I even bought four pants in a size smaller than I would normally buy and they fit great. I feel stronger everyday! I even did 5 miles one day!

 

[diamondringlover]

scales were kind to me this week....down 1.5 lbs...current weight 123.0 I am 4'11" tall...for the first time in probably 20 years I am in a healthy BMI weight range the top of the range but at least I am there...I am so excited!!!

 

[House Cat]

I’m doing strength training. Research shows that heavier lifting for women produces better results for weight loss. It also prevents bone loss. We don’t bulk up. We don’t have the hormones to do it. We just become hot and sexy. The program I am using is called StrongLifts 5x5. It is super easy. It’s very quick because it has you do three full body movements per workout and that’s it. So, one workout might be squats, bench press, and bent over rows. You do five sets of five reps.

Each time you work out, you add five pounds to your weights until you find the weights are too heavy. Then you stop adding until you build the strength to do so.

There is a super easy free app to use that counts your sets and times your breaks and tells you how much weight to lift called stronglifts 5x5.

I love it. I have a few weights at home so I work out at home or at the gym. When I am at home, I will do sets and during rest periods, I will run around and do housework.

I am losing weight and getting stronger. With strength training, it will be more about inches lost rather than the number on the scale, since I know I will be gaining muscle. On the days you strength train, you will actually continue to burn fat long after the work out. I love that idea since I have a high body fat percentage.

 

[Loves Vintage]

scales were kind to me this week....down 1.5 lbs...current weight 123.0 I am 4'11" tall...for the first time in probably 20 years I am in a healthy BMI weight range the top of the range but at least I am there...I am so excited!!!

DRL - you may have posted this earlier in the thread, but I'm curious -- are you following a specific pln in term of food and exercise? I need some motivation help! And, you are doing great!

I'm a fairly healthy eater (veg for 20 years) but I have a penchant for sweets and carbs and cereal at 9 pm. Eeek! So the source of my weight problem is quite clear, it's just the changing it part that is more difficult to figure out.

 

[Loves Vintage]

I need to start paying more attention and keep motivated. I seem to be able to either watch my exercise or my food. Need to work at getting both going together.

We are about to have another change in daily routine. Need to focus on incorporating healthy changes.

One of the team leads needed me to remember some packages that came in last week (I handle several hundred per day at work) and showed me an email from the client looking for them.
They described me as "the heavy set blonde with glasses" .... From that, everyone recognized me as the one described.
I want to not be "heavy set" as my main identifying feature!

I am sorry to read this, TooPatient. I can't believe anyone would ever write that in email! People can be so thoughtless!

 

[diamondringlover]

@Loves Vintage no there is no specific diet, I just really watch what I eat (which isn't alot lol) I try to stick to healthy options and I walk 5 days a week for almost an hour a day...keep in mind I started my journey in August 2014 it has taken me 3 years and 2 months to get here, my metabolism is very slow thanks to my thyroid issues. When I started I was tired of being fat and I had enough so I set out to make lifestyle changes...it started out very slowly I could only walk short distances but I would walk the same distance almost every day till I felt I could go farther and I keep that up and still do to this day, I also keep a weekly journal to check my progress, I weigh myself, check my blood sugar and blood pressure every week and if I seen any spikes then I double my effort to improve whatever it may be, it's been a very long frustrating journey that's what makes it so much sweeter to me to finally at least be in a healthy range...I still have about 3-5 lbs more that I want to lose and from there it will be a lifetime of maintenance...it's hard but I am determined to stick with it! Advice for anyone on wanting to start this journey you must be dedicated and you must really want it to make it work.

 

[ringbling17]

Hey everyone! Just another update! I am down to 129 now! And I’ve progressed a lot wth my running. I was able to run 6 miles the other day! It took me an hour but I did it!!!

 

[canuk-gal]

@Loves Vintage no there is no specific diet, I just really watch what I eat (which isn't alot lol) I try to stick to healthy options and I walk 5 days a week for almost an hour a day...keep in mind I started my journey in August 2014 it has taken me 3 years and 2 months to get here, my metabolism is very slow thanks to my thyroid issues. When I started I was tired of being fat and I had enough so I set out to make lifestyle changes...it started out very slowly I could only walk short distances but I would walk the same distance almost every day till I felt I could go farther and I keep that up and still do to this day, I also keep a weekly journal to check my progress, I weigh myself, check my blood sugar and blood pressure every week and if I seen any spikes then I double my effort to improve whatever it may be, it's been a very long frustrating journey that's what makes it so much sweeter to me to finally at least be in a healthy range...I still have about 3-5 lbs more that I want to lose and from there it will be a lifetime of maintenance...it's hard but I am determined to stick with it! Advice for anyone on wanting to start this journey you must be dedicated and you must really want it to make it work.

Good for you! GOOD FOR YOU! Sweet indeed.

cheers--Sharon

 

[canuk-gal]

Hey everyone! Just another update! I am down to 129 now! And I’ve progressed a lot wth my running. I was able to run 6 miles the other day! It took me an hour but I did it!!!

Yippee! An hour well spent!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Scandinavian]

DRL - you may have posted this earlier in the thread, but I'm curious -- are you following a specific pln in term of food and exercise? I need some motivation help! And, you are doing great!

I'm a fairly healthy eater (veg for 20 years) but I have a penchant for sweets and carbs and cereal at 9 pm. Eeek! So the source of my weight problem is quite clear, it's just the changing it part that is more difficult to figure out.

Just an idea, but have you tried a plant based protein powder? At least for me, eating a lot of protein is necessary for not overeating everything else LOL. Hugs! You can do this!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I crossed the 40lbs lost mark with my gastric sleeve. about 20 before surgery with optifast and now another 20 with a mostly high protein post surgery diet. Yay. I haven't even really started with the gym yet since I have to wait 8 weeks post surgery (had 2 hernia's repaired as well) so I'm really hoping to keep this going.

 

[diamondringlover]

I went up a pound a couple of weeks ago...but then lost that plus another .5 current weight is 122.5..sounds like you all are doing very well!

 

[sunseeker101]

Hello ladies Congrats to all of you for your great efforts to get active and healthier
I would like to ask your opinion on something that has been troubling me for the last two months. After i gave birth to my daughter, six years ago, i struggled with my weight. Lost a lot, then gained most of it back, then finally lost again most of it by dieting and eating healthy. All this in the course of approximately four years. A year and a half ago i still had approximately 12 pounds that i wanted to lose. I started exercising regularly by going to the gym. I would run for approximately 30 minutes, then lift weights for my entire body for an hour, then run again for 10-15 minutes. I had no problem going to the gym and completing this long workout, until i finally lost those last 12 pounds. Now i weigh 130 pounds and my height is 5.7'. Since i lost the last 6 pounds, i feel extremely weak. I don't know what's wrong with me but i don't have the strength that i used to have and i skip the gym very often, because i don't have the energy to go. This whole situation has affected my psychology too. Skipping my workouts makes me feel depressed. So its a vicious circle for me at this point . Any ideas as to why i feel this weak all of a sudden and what i should do to regain my strength and energy without gaining weight?
Thank you...

Hi Natylad. The sudden appearance of fatigue would have me wondering about your body fat level. With the type of workout you've been doing, it might be possible to lower your fat level so much that it is interfering with the production of hormones, or causing issues with your adrenal glands. I'd give up doing that level of exercise for a while, say two weeks at a less intense level, whilst amping up the kinds of things that go missing with adrenal taxation (some idea here ), and go for a general talk with your doctor about your fat level, BMI, distribution of fat, and so on. Feeling weak could also be related to your muscles taking a hit with protein restriction, as you've noted. How about journalling your moves in detail to see a trend week by week, and then approaching a doctor? Okay, hope that helps.

 

[Natylad]

Hi Natylad. The sudden appearance of fatigue would have me wondering about your body fat level. With the type of workout you've been doing, it might be possible to lower your fat level so much that it is interfering with the production of hormones, or causing issues with your adrenal glands. I'd give up doing that level of exercise for a while, say two weeks at a less intense level, whilst amping up the kinds of things that go missing with adrenal taxation (some idea here ), and go for a general talk with your doctor about your fat level, BMI, distribution of fat, and so on. Feeling weak could also be related to your muscles taking a hit with protein restriction, as you've noted. How about journalling your moves in detail to see a trend week by week, and then approaching a doctor? Okay, hope that helps.

Hi sunseeker101 Thank you for your thoughts. I actually have good news! I talked to a fitness instructor at my gym and he gave me excellent advice. He advised me to start eating a little more and help myself with one multi-vitamin per day (he suggested a specific one). He also said that i should stop running 30 minutes at the beginning of my workout. He suggested 5-10 minutes of fast walking at the beginning of the workout, then weights, then 20 minutes of running until i feel better and afterwards take it up to 30 minutes.
I did exactly what he suggested and i feel much better. i mean, MUCH better!!!

 

[ringbling17]

Today’s my birthday so I figure I would post an update. It’s been two months since I started running. I’m down to 127.5 now. I run everyday. I work nights so when I’m working a few nights in a row, I will get up and just do 1-2 miles and go back to sleep.
Yesterday I was able to run for a little over 9 miles! Today I did 6.5 miles. I’m working tonight and tomorrow night so tomorrow I know I’ll probably just do a mile.
My goal was to be 127 for my birthday so yes, I am extremely happy with my results!

 

[Calliecake]

Happy Birthday @kayla17 !!!

 

[Annie Loves Diamond]

Today’s my birthday so I figure I would post an update. It’s been two months since I started running. I’m down to 127.5 now. I run everyday. I work nights so when I’m working a few nights in a row, I will get up and just do 1-2 miles and go back to sleep.
Yesterday I was able to run for a little over 9 miles! Today I did 6.5 miles. I’m working tonight and tomorrow night so tomorrow I know I’ll probably just do a mile.
My goal was to be 127 for my birthday so yes, I am extremely happy with my results!

Wow that's awesome!, I wish I can do it too. I'm struggling with weight loss since I have scoliosis and I cant do a high-intensity workout.