Why isn't this working for me!!!!

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  • #15387

    I have stuck to the diet sheet rigidly for 7 days. The only variation is that I have not had a desert when there has been a gold star against a meal. I weighed in this morning and I have GAINED 1 lb!!!!!

    Why isn’t this working for me? Is it because my starting weight is only 121 lb? Does the diet relate starting weight to amount of food needed? I have had a lot of trouble getting through all the food that is on the planner. It is WAY more than I would normally eat. Whilst I do have 6 meals a day, they are smaller than the meals on the planner.

    Can anyone explain and tell me where things are going wrong?

    #15392

    Your body is used to less…. it’s bizarre, but to lose weight you need to eat a bit more… or slightly richer food…. weird but if you eat everything on the plan and nothing more you will lose.

    #15401

    I hear what you are saying, but that doesn’t explain why I would gain weight on this diet.

    #15402

    One other thing to consider. Do you ever fluctuate with water weight gain?

    #15426

    No. Not usually. I drink something in the region of 30 fl oz of water every day and have never had a problem with that.

    #15427
    margr
    Member

    I think that it is harder to lose the weight when you don’t have a lot to lose. Are you trying to get down too low?

    #15432

    I don’t think so. I have been 118 lb most of my life. That is my target weight now. I only actually need to lose about 4 lb which I have put on over the last year by not exercising enough and eating too much sweet stuff. As you say, I think it is more difficult if you don’t have a lot to lose, but I have been making an effort from both the exercise side and dieting. I am sticking with it, but slightly tweaking the planner. Taking out some of the starchy carbs and substituting with veg and fruit. We shall see how that goes. Though I do intend to weigh myself more often than once a week. Don’t want any more nasty surprises. LOL

    #15433

    Strange that Ossie hasn’t made any comment. She has answered another of my questions that I asked at around the same time so she has been online since I posted this. !!

    #15438

    Hi, Frances. I would be happy to review your diet and compare it to your needs. Can you post a sample day from your menu (copy and paste)? It would also be good to know your general physical activity level, how long you’ve been exercising like that, and what your dieting history has been like.

    #15444
    sandyc2836
    Member

    I also have been eating according to the diet given. It is also a lot more food than I normally ate before. I also have cut out the sweet desserts. I have been following the diet for the past 4 weeks and have stayed at the same weight. My only deviation is that of the vegetables. I do not like most cooked vegetables unless they are in some kind of sauce or soup. I would think that by this time there should be some weight loss. My exercise consists of a tap dance class for 1 hour twice a week and playing golf 3 times a week. I don’t do much else because I have a back problem and try not to make it any worse.

    #15447

    Hi, Sandy. I’m happy to take a look at your menu, if you can copy and paste a sample day here.
    A couple of additional questions: Are you taking any medications? (you mentioned a bad back). What is your dieting history? Have you been on restrictive diets in the past? When was the most recent one, and what were the results?

    #15460

    Hi Ossie

    My dieting history is that I have never in my life had to diet until a couple of years ago I slowly rose from 118 lb to 126 lb. To me that felt really big. Had to start going up a size in clothes. I made several attempts to lose the extra weight by stopping the sweet stuff I love. However, when I got down to target I always started gaining again. A year ago we went away on holiday for a month and during that month did loads more activity. Much more in line with what I had done previously. ie, kayaking, cycling, walking etc. Even with holiday eating, by the time I came home I had gone back down to 118 lb. Since then I have slowly risen up to 122 lb. Not a huge amount, but I don’t want to keep rising so have been trying to work out a balance, healthy way of eating that suited me and kept me at my ideal weight. I thought this may have been the one, but my 1 lb gain after the first 7 days was a disappointment. I don’t want that to carry on.

    In the last 3 days I have replaced all the starchy carbs with carbs from fruit and raw veg. Two things which I find easy and enjoy. As a result of that I have lost 3 lb and am within 1 lb of my goal.

    I haven’t eaten anything made with flour for years nor rice or potatoes. I actually don’t like rice and potatoes and anything with flour in it blows my stomach up like a balloon. However, when I was making my selections for the planner, it wouldn’t let me continue without choosing the required number of carbs and so I had to choose potatoes and rice as I didn’t like anything else on the list.

    My health is brilliant. I have absolutely no health issues and never have. Although I am 67next month I am fairly fit and very healthy. I have always walked a lot, but have not done much cycling over the past year. In the last couple of weeks I have upped the walking and started cycling just 3 or 4 miles a couple of times a week.

    I hope that all that information helps. I will now post a sample day for you:-

    Sunday
    Breakfast

    1 cup of Oat Porridge (Cooked)
    1 cup of Milk, Regular, Low-Fat (2%)
    2 small Tangerines

    Snack #1

    1 Egg (omega-3)
    1 Apple

    Lunch

    60 grams of Brick Cheese (Full Fat)
    1 cup of Mung Beans
    1 cup of Mixed Green Salad

    Snack #2

    1 serving of Lemon Cottage Cheese Muffins
    1 serving of Vegetables of Your Choice
    1/2 Banana

    Dinner

    1 cup of Creamy Sweet Potato Carrot Soup
    90 grams of Chicken (White)
    1/2 cup of Green Peas
    3/4 cup of Pumpkin

    Snack #3

    14 grams of Pecans

    #15461
    sandyc2836
    Member

    I do not have a diet history because I have never had to diet before. I also
    take a low dose of of medication for slightly elevated blood pressure, allergy
    pills, and over the counter drugs for heart burn. Also, I did have more dance
    classes before than I do now. The restrictions to my diet is one that is low
    fat. Also, I am allergic to all spices, especially black, red and white pepper.

    I have an ongoing lower back problem which acts up about 3 times a year which I
    have been fortunate enough for it to subside after seeing the doctor.

    One of my biggest problems is that I do not like oatmeal, vegetables without
    sauce or some king of dressing, and all of the beans listed, other than baked
    beans. And, my biggest problem is that I love sweets and desserts, which I
    haven’t had but 2 times since I started this diet.

    Here is the sample of the diet that has been posted for me for tomorrow:

    Breakfast

    •4 Rice Cakes
    •5 Olives
    •1 Egg (omega-3)
    •1 cup of Raspberries

    Snack #1

    •20 Pretzels (Regular or Gluten-Free)
    •1 ounce of String or Block Cheese, Low-Fat
    •1 cup of Grapes

    Lunch

    •2 ounces of Beef, Regular
    •1/2 cup of Wild Rice (Cooked)
    •1 cup of Green Peas
    •1 serving of Vegetables of Your Choice

    Snack #2

    •6 Rice Cakes, Mini
    •2 ounces of Herring
    •1 serving of Vegetables of Your Choice

    Dinner

    •3 ounces of Crab
    •1 Tbsp of Pesto Sauce
    •1/4 cup of Yam
    •1 cup of Mixed Green Salad

    Snack #3

    •1/2 ounce of Walnuts

    I would appreciate any help you can give. I am very discouraged and am thinking
    that maybe I need to try Nutra Systems.

    #15468

    Hi, Frances. Thanks for the information. Your menu looks fine, and consistent with your nutritional needs. The challenge may be that you are very close to your goal weight, so loss of numbers is an issue, and not always representative of fat. Add to that the fact that you recently changed types of exercise, which may mean that you have added muscle, which is heavier than fat. The question is if you looked and felt as though you had gained a pound.
    If you can maintain cutting out all starches in the long run, see if that works for you. Post-menopause, this is sometimes a solution, if meat consumption is not high. However, many people cannot do that, and so this program contains moderate amounts of the starches. (Note also that vegetables tend to be less nutritionally dense overall, so be careful that your swaps are not converting the diet to something that does not meet your basic needs, meaning that rebound weight gain may occur later.)

    #15469

    Hi, Sandy. Given your back condition, see about going easier on some foods, especially if you are not hungry – for example, eating 2 rice cakes instead of 4 in the morning, cutting down on the olives or swapping them for a low-salt protein, cutting the pretzel amount in half, peas in half, etc. (since you are already getting a good amount of fruits, vegetables, and protein). Don’t worry about the foods you don’t like – the advantage of the Menu Planner is that you can choose what you want. Cutting back much more is a problem, because then your basic nutritional needs will not be met. If you want to post more menus for troubleshooting, please do.
    Another option is to see about jump-starting your metabolism by adding a new set of muscles to your workouts, something that will not hurt your back – these options absolutely do exist. Most of them are what are considered low-impact Pilates, which work to preserve the back while toning muscle. If you are interested, you can post in the Fitness forum, and our specialist will get back to you.

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