Yet another diet post

[thistlechaser]

Though one you all will probably actually see! I've written a bunch of posts and later set them private or set them private off the bat because they were too bitchy or whiny or whatever.

I think I know what the problem with my diet is, but I'm afraid to change it.

To review:
Week 1: Lost 11 pounds (YAY only thing keeping me from jumping out the window now)
Week 2: Lost 1.5
Week 3: GAINED 1.5
Week 4: Lost 1

I have to lose 10-15 pounds in 8 weeks. Technically I'm within that range now, but it's too darned close and I want to lose more. A lot more, like ten pounds more would be nice.

I think my calories are too low. I know that sounds silly, but to lose 1-2 pounds per week, based on my age/weight/height/activity level/etc, I'm supposed to eat 1,600-1,800 calories. Most days I struggle to hit 1,200. That sounds stupid I know, but I'm afraid to eat more because I Must Lose Weight for upcoming surgery. Plus I'm now used to eating this amount, I feel fine most of the day -- I don't feel like I need to eat more.

Tonight I read a lot about diet plateaus (sounds stupid to be having one after the second week, but that seems to be what this is I think). The only solution that I've found was to eat MORE (so your body stops thinking it's starving). That's so counterintuitive though! Arg!

So, body, here's the deal. If I haven't lost at least a pound by Official Weighing-In Day (Wednesday), then, well, I suppose we'll try eating more. Don't make me do that! Lose weight!

Comments

[wow-hazmat.livejournal.com]

Pretty much this, which is why it's so hard to lose weight; our bodies are just not designed for it. It's especially hard for women. :/

It is good to change things up, though; I've heard that from multiple sources. Have a day where you eat more than you normally do. If you exercise, do different exercises on different days rather than the same thing all the time. Etc.

You might also try a diet that isn't just about calories; I personally have had little luck with those and better results with a Weight Watchers style program (hint: there are websites and apps which let you do the points thing without paying WW $20 a month or more). Other people do well with a low-carb Atkins thing, at least to start with. Or paleo (which seems faddish to me but shoot it seems to work for some folks so hey). Or a gluten-free south beach kinda thing.

And then some people say 'fuckit' to losing weight and just concentrate on eating healthy and exercising. Believe it or not, that alone can improve health even if no weight is lost.

Our bodies are all kind of different and if there was One Diet Solution For All then you wouldn't have a multi-million-dollar diet industry with tens of thousands of different methods.

So it goes.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yep, you hit it on the head! (Or multiple heads, as the case may be.)

So annoying that our bodies work against us in this. Interesting, but annoying.

You're right about mixing things up, too. After I made this post, I read about "zig-zagging" your calories. If you're supposed to eat 1,600 per day, instead use the total for the week and have some lower and some higher days, so it fools your body. I'm going to try to do that.