You know, a true friend is someone who can tell you what you need to hear in a way that is completely unoffensive. I knew Emily and Becky were true friends when, while talking about their exercise routines, I mentioned that my 4 months of YMCA membership haven't exactly made me the svelte gal I once was, and they kindly hinted that one does have to monitor one's food intake.
Huh. What a concept.
I've been eating as if I was still 17 (or 30, for that matter). But somewhere between ages 32-34 my metabolism started changing, and, my friends, I don't think it's ever coming back.
(Now for those of you who don't see me regularly, it's not like I've gained a ton of weight lately. I'm 10 pounds less than my post-marriage heaviest, but also 10 pounds more than I was post-Couscous. And there has definitely been some continental drift going on, if you get my drift.)
So I tried a new experiment. I didn't want to call it a "diet" because that sounds too restrictive. But I started counting calories. Wow. It's kind of embarrassing how much thoughtless food I was putting in my mouth. So I started keeping track of my calories and fiber I was eating every day. (I took off 4 calories for every gram of fiber I ate. Don't ask for my scientific rationale.) But whether I was calling it a diet or not, those first 3 days were killer. I was hungry all the time. I did start getting into the groove of things though, and I decided to weigh myself once a week at the same time and just watch all of my self-restraint pay off.
I have been finding dinners hard (my recipes don't always give a calorie count), so I stopped counting those calories, and just am really careful during the day, and eat smaller dinner portions than usual. I did cheat for my son's birthday celebration a week ago Sunday, and I did go out for Hibachi last Saturday night without any self-restraint. So maybe those are the reasons, but when I weighed myself Sunday morning (yesterday), instead of seeing the expected results, I had gained 2 pounds!! That just made me so mad that when they passed around Ghirardelli Pecan Pie Chocolate Squares in RS that day, I took one and ate it with a sense of rebellion.
Help! What's going on? True friends, I really need some advice, help, motivation, whatever, because I'm about ready to post this and grab some ice cream! If my self-restraint isn't paying dividends, I may as well enjoy life--and food--passionately. Help!
Here I am!
2 years ago
12 comments:
I am horrible at restricting what I eat, but...that requires a lot of activity if I don't want to go blimp-o! It works better for me to be active all day, lots of walks and silly time with the kids (dancing and such) and my ideal is to work out (something more vigorous morning and night) the more you are exercising the less you want to put that brownie in, it seems like such a waste. Also, (I have thought about this a lot :) ) you have to do strength training with your workouts if you aren't already. That's right, pump some iron. Your body composition will change, more muscle, and more muscle burns more calories. Best way to improving metabolism is a workout routine with cardio AND strength training. Those are my two cents.
Maybe I shouldn't give you advice, since this little guy or girl in me right now seems to love mint chocolate chip ice cream...but I'd say to (a) run, and (b) get lots of vegetables. You can eat as many of those as you want! I agree with Megan, too, about the strength training. I don't have a gym membership right now, so I do squats and lunges. Katie thinks it's hilarious, and probably so do my neighbors when we're on rock-finding walks (sloooowww) outside and I have time to lunge along with Katie's pace. Good luck!
I don't know that advice from me would be worth much since I am in the same boat as you are, but I know that I NEVER see immediate results from this kind of stuff, so don't get discouraged. I think it's great you are more aware of what you are eating, I have been doing better with that too. We can't give up! We can't let the 30's take us down!! NO WAY.
sorry Heather, I am absolutely no help in this area. I've gained 10 lbs very decade since I got married, which is so hard to try and get off! I'm also sorry to tell you it's really true - the older you get, the harder it is to come off. I agree with the strength training and more cardio. I just wish my lower legs would agree also. Good luck!
No answers, just the same questions and lots of empathy. And the same frustrations! Starting back up with doing weights and stuff did help me lose a few pounds a while back, but it's all stopped now. But sometimes I think you have to keep it up for a while now before your body catches on. I feel the same way - like I need to rebel, but really, let's just keep at it, and in the end hope our body admits it's the right thing!
I totally hear you! I have far more weight than you that I've been battling these past few years, and it has taken many months of experimenting to figure out something that will work for me. That is what everyone ultimately needs to do...figure out a long-term way of eating that they (personally) can live with for the rest of their lives. In the past four months, I have finally started losing some excess (20 pounds to be exact). I've been doing lots more vegan meals, but I don't think that is what everyone needs to do. I think the most important thing is to focus on eating lots more fruits and vegetables (especially dark green veges like spinach, romaine, and broccoli...I swear by their benefits) and then a small amount of nuts each day (they give you the right kinds of fats and fill you up). Then, ultimately, it comes down to portion control. It's taken me about 2 years to finally figure out what is a good serving size at dinner for me in my 30's, and I'm finally seeing the results of the changes I've been making. It's so depressing to realize that now I have to eat one piece of pizza and a large salad, whereas I used to be able to eat 3 pieces plus whatever else I wanted and stay thin at the same time. 2 pounds' gain could be some extra water you're retaining or something. It really takes a few weeks of making changes to know which way you're going. And, as for exercising, I think it has many benefits (cardiovascular and mood control, etc.), but I actually think it doesn't help that much with weight loss. It mostly boils down to eating changes (unless you're a marathon runner or something extreme). Good luck! We're all there with you. A few pregnancies and aging a few years really changes our bodies.
Well, ironically enough, we talked about this in class this morning and this is my major. You've had some good advice and thank you so much for not doing a diet, I absolutely despise those.
Fruits and vegetables are very healthy and are more filling so that when it comes to eating pastas and other things, you won't be as hungry. Also, make sure you are intaking enough water. I would also recommend a cardio workout (so 30-60 min of moderate to vigorous exercise) 3-5 times a week with strength training 2 times a week and adding in a little flexibility training most days. And just because you need to "work out" doesn't mean it can't be fun too. I would recommend playing with the kids and with your husband - at work I'm always running with the kids and jumping and playing tag or whatever game they're playing with them. It's great exercise for me because they never seem to slow down so I have to keep going with them.
Just remember also that as you gain more muscles, you gain more weight because muscles weigh more than fat does so just because you gained 2 pounds doesn't really mean too much. Also, if you're going to weigh yourself, make sure you weigh yourself in mid-morning consistently because as the day goes on, your weight will fluctuate more.
Well, I obviously could go on and on but I should stop. Good luck and if you ever need more advice about nutrition or exercise programs, I'd be more than happy to help you.
One last thing I forgot to say...there is a real connection between sleep and our appetites. I have read about a few studies that show when people are sleep-deprived, they actually have a much harder time controlling cravings. I've seen this at work for myself. When I start losing sleep during a week, I start turning to carbs (the refined, junky kind) to give me energy during my afternoon blah's. Then my weight loss slows or stops. It makes a huge difference to get a little more sleep.
H I did not email you today,sorry don't know what that's about!
As for the exercise/joy of the mid-30's metabolism, I am so there with you! Some days I feel like I am starving to death, and could eat everything, other days I don't have much of an appetite. I think you have a great start and just want to say don't give up! Men seem to get fabulous results almost immediately, unfortunately we ladies don't seem to have the same follow true for us. Keep it up and don't get discouraged!
Oh H, I'm sooo sorry!! How frustrating!! Looks like you got a lot of good advice so I won't be giving you any of that I just wanted to share with you my empathy and support!!!
I weighed myself at work the other day. I really, REALLY shouldn't have done that.
To your friend that said that! exercising has little to do with weight loss, I say, "Ahh!" It has so much to do with weight loss. Especially since you are worried about your metabalosim. You can eat all the vegetables in the world but you won't see the changes you are looking for. You need to build more muscle to increase metabolism. Come and lift with me at my gym--we can have so much fun, or I'll come with you.
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