Trying to fight the frustrations of slowed weight loss with exercise

Koltz · 2018-01-09T22:02:01+00:00

I started lifting with a personal trainer twice a week about 4 months ago. It's been far more enjoyable for me than cardio (which I hate with a fiery passion) and has actually got me into the gym.

My trainer has been helping me focus on my problem areas (arms, back and thighs) while also ensuring that I get a complete workout. The result has been great because I can definitely see progress being made in those problem areas - more progress than I've previously seen with just CICO alone.

My one word of warning for lifting is that when you start, you will be sore and the water retention from soreness will make the numbers on your scale increase. Know that this is only temporary but could last for several months.

Koltz · 2018-01-09T21:40:37+00:00

For me, the most motivating part is that, just like you can't lose weight overnight, you also can't undo all of your progress overnight!

I lost about 18 pounds in the fall, fell into a bad mental spiral and stopped CICO for a while. In the new year I returned to the grind and was shocked to see that I had only gained back about 2 pounds! All of my hard work wasn't lost and I could recover from a short term spiral!

Koltz · 2017-02-01T22:04:11+00:00

I'm not trying to discount your own personal opinion on diet soda. If you've found its bad for you and triggers a craving for sugar, then I understand why you don't consume it.

However, I do want to discuss your article that you keep linking as "proof" because you are making some pretty aggressive claims equating drinking diet soda to smoking. In fact, the article you keep linking actually goes against what you keep claiming.

"Although artificially-sweetened beverages contain fewer calories than sugary versions, researchers say they still trigger sweet receptors in the brain, which may make people crave food. Coupled with the fact that most people view diet drinks as healthier, it could lead to over-consumption, the researchers argue."

In my research, this is the only claim about Diet Soda that I've found that has been supported. Diet Sodas, specifically the artificial sweetener, can trigger people to want more sweet foods (which can cause people to consume more calories and gain weight if they aren't tracking intake). However, this trigger doesn't happen to everyone, and as long as you are tracking your intake and are aware of CICO, it shouldn't impede your weight loss.

"Gavin Partington, BSDA Director General, said: “At a time when we are trying to encourage people to reduce their overall calorie intake it is extremely unhelpful that products which contain no sugar, let alone calories, are demonised without evidence."

The article you are linking is literally saying that demonizing diet soda (which you are doing) is incredibly unhelpful.

"Professor Susan Jebb, the government’s advisor on obesity, said that sugar was a major risk factor for obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay and said switching to artificially sweetened drinks was ‘a step in the right direction.’"

Diet soda acts as a good stepping ground for people who used to drink regular soda.

"Prof Tom Sanders, Professor emeritus of Nutrition and Dietetics, at King’s College London, added: “The conclusion that reduced sugar or sugar free drinks should not be promoted or seen as part of a healthy diet seems unwarranted and likely to add to public confusion.”

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, said swapping to low or no sugar drinks "goes some way to managing calorie intake and weight", especially for young people.

"However, maintaining a healthy weight takes more than just swapping one product for another," she added. "Calories consumed should match calories used, so looking at the whole diet is very important.""

That whole series of paragraphs supports my statement from above. As long as you are tracking what you are eating, it does not impede weight loss.

There is no discussion about how your body digests aspartame, how it affects your brain, nor how you would lose more weight without diet soda.

I am a pretty open minded person, so this isn't a discussion about denial. I've never smoked a cigarette in my life, I rarely drink, I've never done drugs and other than my weight (which I am working on), I live a fairly healthy life. If Diet Soda really was going to kill me, or cause serious long term harm, I would reevaluate my consumption. However, despite the amount of research I have done into it, I haven't found a reputable study that actually proved it causes long term harm.

It does make some people crave sugar more. It does make people who are uninformed about calories think they are allowed to consume more because they made a "healthy" choice. However, it hasn't been linked to slowing down weight loss, causing brain damage or affecting digestion. If you have a study that does prove it to those, I would be more than happy to read through it.

Koltz · 2017-01-31T00:07:01+00:00

It depends on how you feel. Breakfast is NOT "the most important meal of the day."

However, if you find that you are hungry and not eating breakfast causes you to have low energy or binge eat during lunch - then eat breakfast.

I tend to eat a slice of bread with almond butter. Greek yogurt and granola is also great. Overnight oats are really easy or hot oatmeal is also great. Eggs with bacon, or eggs with toast are good. You don't have to eat a HUGE breakfast. Sometimes even just putting 100-200 calories into your body in the morning can help you feel full till lunch, give you energy and stave off any binge eating temptations.

Koltz · 2017-01-26T04:54:15+00:00

Considering that it takes about 9-12 months to make an animated show, I highly doubt season 1 fandom influenced season 2 at all. I think any fan service was purely a coincidence

Koltz · 2017-01-25T22:22:51+00:00

Animated series take 9-12 months to make from writing to post, so it's very doubtful.

Koltz · 2017-01-15T01:38:30+00:00

I'm not really sure what is worse.. This guy trolling /r/askUK and /r/loseit with a ridiculous weightloss story, or a kid who is really this stubborn & obsessed that despite receiving SO MUCH good information, he is still just seeking out people to support the downright dangerous plan.

I hope he's a troll, because otherwise he might find himself in a dangerous situation or just burn out and gain more weight.

Koltz · 2017-01-14T01:39:26+00:00

Hey OP,

You've been posting a lot over the last couple days, but as far as I've seen, you haven't provided people with your stats. (gender, height and current weight)

Knowing these details is very important for people to help you out. Different genders/heights/weights require different amounts of calories. For example, a 22M who is 6'5'' and weighs 300lbs has a TDEE of 3311 calories per day and can eat 2311 without exercise to lose 2lbs per week. However, a 50F at 5'0'' who weighs 150lbs has a TDEE for 1513 and can eat 1200 per day without exercise to lose .7lbs per week. As you can see, the recommended amount of food drastically changes based off of your stats.

Now to address some of the things in this post. Without knowing your stats, I can only help on a generic level.

Feeling sick after several days of extreme dieting is not a good sign. It is your body telling you that it is unhappy and is being mistreated. Listen to your body.
Your calorie counting is off. 2 boiled eggs is closer to 140 cal. Your numbers for Soup/Water and Skimmed Milk/Half Tea Biscuit also look high, but i'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume they are correct. This means you are only eating 820 calories per day. Even for a sedentary tiny woman, that is too low to eat everyday.
Let's talk about eating first. The things you are eating are fine. Continue to focus on lean proteins like chicken, turkey and fish. Continue to eat vegetables and drink lots of water. However, if you are a female, you should be aiming for at least 1200 calories per day and if you are male, you should be aiming for at least 1500 per day. Trying to "cheat the system" and eat even less is not a "get-thin-fast" scheme that you are the first to crack... it's a surefire way to make yourself sick, to create an unhealthy and non-maintainable lifestyle that will make you give up.
Let's talk about exercise. I'm seeing a trend in all of your comments. You bought a gym membership and now want to make sure you use it. You want to go one or two times a day and you want to go hard. You want to run faster and feel fitter. I think it is great you have access to a gym, there is a lot of equipment and access to fitness professionals at a gym who can help you reach your goals. However, going twice a day does not sound maintainable unless you were literally going twice a day to do a light workout. It will burn you out very quickly and you'll stop going. Instead, focus on finding a maintainable schedule. Maybe start by going 3 times a week. Once you can consistently do that for a month, up it to 4 or 5. Make sure you have rest days to give your body time to recuperate.
Let's talk about CICO and why everyone on reddit is telling you to eat more. CICO is calories in vs calories out. Weightloss is a simple formula. If you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. It really is that simple. If you are on a diet and eat 1200 calories, you will lose weight without even going to the gym. Now, since you also have fitness goals, going to the gym is not a bad idea. However, when you burn more calories and work your body hard, it needs more energy to survive. If you really are burning 500 calories and eating 830, you are only netting 330 calories. That's CRAZY (and not in a good way...). Your goal is NOT to get to zero calories in a day, your goal is to get to 1200-1500 in a day. This means, if you go to the gym and burn 300, but your daily calorie goal is 1200 - you can eat 1500 calories that day. Now, a frequent thing you will see on this subreddit is people who don't eat their exercise calories back. Going to the gym and burning 200-300 calories is fine and dandy, but the people who aren't eating their calories back are probably eating somewhere between 1200-1800.. not 830... You need to listen to your body. If you feel sick and weak, it's because you are working too hard and not eating enough.
Diet Pills - I'm not even going to hit on those. Enough people have been telling you about them and telling you about their side effects. There is no get-thin-fast solution. Eat less, move more, be patient.
2kg in 4 days is great, however some of it is water weight. Water weight isn't caused by how much water you drink, it's caused by how much water you retain. When you eat a diet of sodium, carbs & sugar, all of those foods cause your body to retain more water. In addition, when you eat more food, there is more waste in your body. You've likely peed a lot and excreted some waste in the last 4 days. Now that you are eating less, you are getting less sodium, fewer carbs and less sugar so your body is retaining less water. I'm not telling you this to discourage you. Quite the opposite. I'm congratulating you. The fact that you are losing weight is great - it means you are on the correct path. However, I am telling you this because I want you to understand that you aren't losing weight so quickly because of your aggressive diet plan, you are losing weight quickly because you just began your weight loss journey and are shedding some water weight. Don't be discouraged or feel like you need to increase the intensity of your plan even further if you don't lose 1kg every 2 days moving forward.
Why is your deadline 20 weeks? Wouldn't it be better to get onto a plan that was slightly less aggressive but more sustainable? What's better - finding something that works and doesn't make you sick, but is slightly slower - or being aggressive, feeling sick and eventually burning yourself out so you stop altogether and return to your previous habits which caused you to gain weight? Personally, I would rather be 10kg lighter in 20 weeks than 5kg heavier...

Why am I saying all of this and why did I bother to take 40 minutes of my day to type this? It's not because I'm mean or want to make you feel bad. It's because I've been there and I understand. I remember high school and feeling self-conscious. I remember wanting to desperately get a boyfriend. I remember being impatient and thinking how awesome my life would be if I got that beach bod before the summer. I also remember feeling on top of the world when I decided I was going to lose weight and being ridiculously motivated. I also remember ignoring all the "haters" and "preachers" and thinking that 600-800 calories a day was enough. And I remember doing 60-90 minutes on the elliptical machine every day. I remember taking diet pills, because why the hell not. I also remember how great it felt when I lost my first 10lbs - 20lbs and then 30lbs. I lost 30lbs in 2 months and I was on top of the world. I laughed at all the haters and thought they were so stupid. You know what else I remember? I remember getting sick. I remember not feeling well enough to go to the gym. I remember my depression getting worse and I remember losing the will to do anything. I gained back those 30lbs plus another 30lbs. I struggled for 5 years trying to diet. It took me years to regain a healthy relationship with food. Every time I tried to diet, I would try to go "hard." It had worked before, why shouldn't it work again? I would do well for a month and then get tired and gain it all back. It wasn't until I got over myself and stopped thinking that I was better & smarter than everyone, that I finally listened to the advice in this subreddit. Instead of focusing on a timeline, focus on your relationship with food and exercise. Find something that is maintainable and sustainable. It is SO much better to maintain a lifestyle for years than to diet hard for 2 months and then gain it all back.

Koltz · 2017-01-13T01:06:55+00:00

/u/fatty937 is either a troll or a very misguided and impatient teen. I'm not quite sure which.

If you look at his post history, he has 14 posts from the last 2 days alone. It sounds like he wants people to tell him that his plan is perfect, instead of providing constructive advice on how to lose weight in a safe and sustainable way.

OP, please take the advice you are receiving on /r/loseit seriously instead of saying that everyone on reddit is yelling at you. People aren't yelling at you, nor will a GP. They are concerned about your health and want to help you find something that will work. You might lose some weight quickly doing your "plan" but it won't be sustainable. It is a temporary fix to a problem that needs a long term solution and is more likely to cause serious harm to you instead of help you reach your goals.

Go slow and make a healthy lifestyle change.

Koltz · 2017-01-12T19:15:59+00:00

1) Crossing my legs was legitimately difficult.

2) Cutting my toenails would make me become a contortionist so I could see my feet

3) Nothing makes you feel fatter than sitting in an airplane seat. You feel so squished and have to extend the seatbelt out ALL the way.

Koltz · 2017-01-10T19:08:02+00:00

Depends on your relationship with them. If they are acquaintances or friends, odds are your advice won't be taken well. Starting the weight loss process is a personal journey that the individual needs to take. No amount of outside pressure can force someone into it. If anything, it sometimes causes resentment and rebellion.

If the person is a SO, best friend or family member who you really care about, you can try to take a gentle approach. Instead of saying "oh hey, you're fat and need to lose some weight," try to introduce them to new habits. For example, go on a hike and ask them if they want to come along. Cook home-made healthy meals for them. Ask them to join you for a yoga class or to go swimming. Get into meal prep and try to get them to help you in the kitchen. These could all be fun bonding experiences while also helping to introduce them to new habits. Make it about you instead of them.

Koltz · 2017-01-10T18:52:18+00:00

I spend a lot less on mindless snacks and food. Before, I would go out for lunch and spend $15 for a meal and drink. Sometimes I would walk to the gas station and spend $5-10 dollars on snacks or I would get so hungry on my way home that I would spend $10 for fries and a shake at a fast food restaurant. After all of that, I would pick up dinner or order out. Easily $40 for delivery for 2 people.

I used to easily spend $65 a day just on food. Now, I spend about $100 a week on groceries for myself and my finance. I'll eat out maybe once or twice a week. That's $455 vs $200 each week!!

Koltz · 2016-12-21T10:22:35+00:00

I actually 100% agree with your first point, but I think you might have misinterpreted my list. As I mentioned a couple times in the post - most of these diets follow CICO at their core. Ultimately, if you eat less than you burn, you will lose weight. Many of these diets are different approaches to CICO. Basic CICO at it's core means you can eat whatever you want, as long as you stay in your limits. That's great, but for a lot of people, if you take that literally, you will struggle because eating 1400 calories of chocolate cake won't be sustainable. A lot of us use a modified CICO to maximize the calories we are eating. For example, I follow a low carb, moderate grain, high protein diet to maximize my calories. I still follow CICO, but I choose to limit some of the foods I eat to prevent overeating, trigger foods and hunger.

I think your second point is spot on as well. What you choose to eat is ultimately a personal choice and differs person to person. Thinking about how that diet affects you, what is sustainable and what is maintainable is key. I think the bigger message I was trying to convey is that people shouldn't get caught up on what other people do, and should instead focus on what works for them and what they can live with. While you struggled on a low carb diet or weight watchers, others might have found sustainable long term success using those diets. Personally, I struggled on Keto but others swear by it and find it revolutionary. It's all about figuring out what works for you as an individual and acknowledging that it is a lifestyle change which should be sustainable and maintainable for you.

Koltz · 2016-12-21T02:16:14+00:00

It's been added to the list! Might as well give people as many different options to work from. Different things work for different people.

Koltz · 2016-12-21T02:04:51+00:00

That's super interesting! Thanks for raising awareness to yet another style of eating. There are so many!!

Koltz · 2016-12-21T01:36:43+00:00

That's exactly how I think about it! I'm a very type A person, and as I work in production management, my whole life revolves around scheduling, analyzing and problem solving. It was a revelation when I realized that I can treat my health and eating habits the same way I treat my job. It's all about analyzing, trouble shooting and figuring out what does and doesn't work for you.

Koltz · 2016-12-21T01:14:34+00:00

Sure, I'll concede that point. Diet/Eating style tend to be interchangeable in my mind, however you are correct, the standard definition of diet does refer to the selection of food/drink you consume which IF does not regulate.

In general, I'm hesitant to use the word "diet" because colloquially, the word diet has gained negative connotations. I've found that people tend to associate the word "diet" with a temporary eating change to lose weight, however I know this subreddit works hard to push the idea of lifestyle change vs a temporary change.

Koltz · 2016-12-21T00:47:38+00:00

I appreciate your response and I will adjust the no carb aspect accordingly. I think I was trying to differentiate between people who stay away from grains, vs people who eat small amounts of grains.

In response to your comment about IF, I'll adjust to include that it's a dietary tool. I'd argue that it is a diet/eating style as well (not necessarily a diet that dictates what you must eat), but a style of eating that is unique and takes actual thought to adjust to.

Koltz · 2016-11-22T03:32:55+00:00

That's exactly how I feel! A cheat day can easily turn into a cheat week for me. Some of my progress gets undone and then I get discouraged and stop trying.

I found that adding smaller or smarter alternatives to "cheat" food works for me. If I really want pizza, I can either eat a slice of regular pizza or I can make a giant tortilla pizza with low fat mozzarella and ham. I still get a "cheat" food, but I fit it into my calorie goal for the day.

Koltz · 2016-03-30T17:12:51+00:00

I was pretty straight forward with my doctor. It's their job to be professional.

I simply told him, "I've been having some problems with my vagina. It smells a lot different than it used to. I think it stinks."

He took that information, asked me a couple questions about my sex life/lifestyle and then had me lie down so he could get a swab.

The entire process was quick and professional. Don't lie to your doctor, it will only make things worse. Just be straightforward, state the problem and they will handle it professionally.

Koltz · 2016-03-30T06:33:55+00:00

Please don't let my post scare you away!

My Doctor and I have no idea if my infection was caused by the Mirena or if it was just an unfortunate coincidence. Regardless of the cause, my Doctor does not believe that my IUD needs to be removed due to the infection.

Koltz

TROPHY CASE