[myavt]

Hi my Companion Travelors;

I am having the hardest time. You're probably going to think I'm soooooo stupid by the time I'm done...

I'm stuck. I exercise to the point where I'm really pushing the pain limits for my spinal disease. I eat crazily small amounts. Everyone in my house thinks I'm starving.

Ex. Eating One Day
1-2 fat/sugar-free yogurts
1 protein powder scoop w/skim milk
1 Serving Fruit or Veggie
2 Cups Coffee (Splenda, non-fat creamer)
Unlimited Herbal Tea (Splenda)
Unlimited Water

Yes. I am insane. That's ALL I eat and it's always produced rapid massive weight loss before. Of course now I'm 43 and EXTREMELY sedentary due to my disability. I was trying to offset my limits on exercise with low, low cal. Yuh.

I stalled out a couple of months ago at 190. I was initially just happy to look like this:

instead of THIS:

...but time went on... ...and on... ...and I thought, 'Is that needle ever going to move DOWN again?' I am working so hard and I feel so freakin' defeated I want to tear out what little hair I have LEFT! I'll tell ya', I have 2 day of pretty MINIMAL eating for Thanksgiving (Turkey and potatoes with no butter ONLY!!!) and that little needle doesn't hesitate to jump UP 6 LBS--which then I gotta work my butt of to get rid of!

I've been eating this way since Sept 30 2006!!! It's just not very encouraging. I DO appreciate the weight I've lost--and if I could drop just 20 more I think some of my pain issues would be resolved to the point where I could exercise MORE!!!

Thanks for reading. Hoping for lots of suggestions and encouragement!

XOXO
me--Mya

[Kenyar]

sorry you're hitting this point. hmmm. i cant make suggestions based on a normal system (lol) but i know for us, sometimes we need a boost when we get stuck. maybe the same is true for you? you dont eat meat at all?

[traciflud]

I would think you need to eat a little more, not eating enough can stall us too.

[myavt]

Within the "system" that usually works for me, I just need to have low, low carbs and high protein. I usually DO eat some chicken or something. I've gotten into a rut of not doing it. Maybe I'll pull the yogurt (sick of it anyway), and eat some varied meat/poultry proteins That's a good idea. Thanks Kenya.

Also, I KNOW I'm eating soooooooo little... It's just I'm a non-Op, so I don't have the "tool" most people here do and I'm trying to stay in the "initial phase" diet and act "as if". Ha. Because of losing 90 Lbs--I no longer qualify for WLS! If I could lose 60 Lbs or so I'd be DONE though. It seems like so little... ...but so faaaaaarrrrrrr away. LOL

Mya

[TamTamW]

I think you have made good progress so far. I know when I was doing the diet and exercise plan I did lose 80lbs and it took me almost 2yrs to do. So maybe you body is just stall at the loss so far maybe do some changing in your eating plan and maybe that will help kick start your system, and do as much exercise as you can tolerate or handle. Just keep trying, and hang in there it will come.

[Kenyar]

so like the induction on atkins? i did that once. i lost a ton if weight in 3 weeks i think. no carbs at all and high protein. i think i lost 25 lbs if i remember correctly...

maybe you just need to switch it up just a little bit. losing 90 lbs on ONE "diet" ( for lack of a better word. i know its a lifestyle change) may have your body bored?? ive never been that successful outside of this surgery. gosh i wish i knew what to suggest

i gotta give you credit though. you're doing great.

[myavt]

Pretty much I'm frankly lazy!!! LOL

What with 2 kids in college, and 1 a senior in highschool, it's been so much EASIER to just leave a yogurt open through the day so I can take 3 bites at a time. It's nice to have the sensation of munching on something sweet and creamy all day. Then it's so easy to mix protein shakes and grab veggie or fruit (mangos and papaya--yum).

So... It's easy to get into a gerbil wheel of just doing the saaaaaaaame easy thing. I mean... Chicken takes preparation!!!LOL

As to the Atkins "?", I'm somewhere between Atkins and The Zone. I have both plans but don't adhere strictly. I do know I hover somewhere around the induction phase because I need some encouragement and to lose the weight fairly quick--so I can work on my REAL problem: KEEPING IT OFF For that one and only issue I somewhat envy (eww such a nasty word) ya'll who had WLS and your "tool"!!!

XOXO
Mya

[DocSanae]

Awww (((((HUGS)))))
What's your exercise routine? Sometimes, changing the program around helps. Also, are you doing any water exercise? As you know, water helps take off the weight from your joints, so you can increase your exercise level ther.

[myavt]

Doc;

My exercise is daily walking 1.5 mi. and that's a LOT for my condition. Also, back here in the hills of rural VT it takes an hour just to get to a grocery store-- so 1) I don't know where they'd have a heated pool; 2) I can't drive over an hour ro GET there!!!

I'm feeling really hopeless and like I'm plugging away here for nothing. Do you have food suggestions?

XOXO
Mya

[DocSanae]

For one thing, if you have the option to, you might try walking at a different time of the day, as even that is changing exercise patterns.

As for food, it's best if you eat *real* food, something that is fresh and prepared from scratch so you know what you're putting in your mouth. With processed food, even if the label says such and such nutrition, the rate of absorbtion will be different--processed food will be absorbed at a faster rate than *real* food that needs to be broken down for absorbtion--hence, you spend a larger amount of energy in digesting your food than you would with processed food, as the stuff added to processed food will be in a purer and more concentrated form, that makes it easier for the body to absorb.

Sorry, kind of long winded here, but I hope you can make sense out of what I am trying to say.
Certain types of food use more energy in being absorbed than other types of food is what I wanted to say.
So, even if you are getting in the same amount of food calorie and nutrition wise, whether it's prepared at home, or processed, you will use more energy to utilize the food that's prepared at home from scratch. Our body is used to getting nutrition in this way, so will *feel* safer in releasing the extra fat that it's got stored. Also, when the digestion and absorbtion is taking place as it is meant to in our bodies, the fat stored in our bodies will be called on to participate in the building and rebuilding of our body, thus reducing the stored fat.

This might be the reason your body isn't releasing the turkey and potato that you had for Thanksgiving. Because it's *real* food that you've had in a long time. At least, that's my theory.

((((((HUGS)))))))