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Aug 27, 2009 2:41pm
SoFlaTechie
13 posts
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Hey Folks:
I am new here and looking for some guidance. In the last two years I have gone from 340 to 246. Yeah I know that is good, but now no matter what I do, I can’t lose anymore. I workout 3 times a day with both cardio and weights, and I have stuck to my nutrition plan, but it seems I have hit a plateau.
How can I break through this? I still need about 40 more to meet my goal.
Thanks,
soFlaTechie
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Aug 27, 2009 3:04pm
dianebl
938 posts
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In another thread, you posted that you hadn’t lost weight lately, but that you HAD lost 3 inches from your waist.
This is NOT a plateau – if you are losing inches from your waist, then you are losing body fat. It sounds as though your workouts are increasing your muscle mass. This is a good thing.
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Aug 27, 2009 3:07pm
dianebl
938 posts
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I just looked at your food log. You didn’t enter anything in the past few days, but today you have about half of your day recorded. Is this typical for you? If so, one thing you can defintely work on is your diet. Try replacing at least some of the processed food you are eating (protein bars, lean cuisine frozen meals) with real food. Processed foods are high in sugar and salt, but low in nutrients.
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Aug 28, 2009 4:12pm
SoFlaTechie
13 posts
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Thanks Diane. I just started on this website. Yesterday was the first day I was entering anything. I have already seen from the little information I have entered that the lean cuisines have to go. I am not getting enough protein from them. The pure protein bar has been a mainstay because it is very low in sugar, and allows me to get in my protein. I have a big problem getting enough protein. I will start by replacing the lean cuisine with other stuff and see what happens.
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Aug 28, 2009 7:53pm
dianebl
938 posts
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Recording your food intake is a great way to see where you can improve your diet. Often, we don’t even realize that food we eat isn’t that great until we see it in black and white.
Protein bars can be a good source of protein after a workout, but they are not a meal replacement, and as I recall you ate two of them yesterday. There are better sources of protein for you – chicken breast and other lean meats, egg whites, cottage cheese, etc. Search for “protein” in the forums and you’ll see lots of topics on this. You shouldn’t have a problem getting ~130g of protein from real food. I was getting over 90g on a 1400 calorie diet, for example. I know some people here are using Whey and other protein supplements, but they are often doing bodybuilding and other types of bulking, and need massive amounts of protein.
As an example of something you can do to up your protein intake, try adding 1/2 cup of egg whites to your 2 eggs when you eat scrambled eggs. That adds 14 g of additional protein, and hardly any calories.
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Aug 29, 2009 12:25pm
SoFlaTechie
13 posts
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Thanks Diane. Unfortunately, I am not a morning person, so the protein bar is my breakfast. The day you are looking at I also ate one as an afternoon snack, but usually I only have one a day at breakfast. Yeah I know that is bad. I should sit down and have a good breakfast, but I usually wake up later than I should so breakfast has to be quick. I have lost 90 pounds in two years, and the Lean Cuisines were a big part of that. Obviously what worked before is not working as well anymore, so I will take you advice to heart. My girlfriend is a bypass patient so we have tons of whey protein around, and the brands she uses are very good, and are low calorie wih no sugar. What I plan to do is the following:
1. Replace the lean cuisines with meats and low fat cheeses for lunch (turkey, tuna, chicken stuff like that)
2. Replace the protein bar in the morning with smootthes – skim milk, yogurt, oatmeal, peanut butter and whey protein.
3. Change my snacks to protein snacks with lower fat.
I will update how it goes…
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Aug 29, 2009 1:27pm
dianebl
938 posts
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Sounds good! Don’t forget the fruits and veggies though. Even lean cuisines tend to have a veggie in them. Do you like raw veggies and dip? That’s easy to pack for a lunch.Oor a fruit in your smoothie?
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Aug 29, 2009 1:36pm
TheAng
773 posts
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A nice chicken breast with some spinach and tomato salad for lunch is a favorite of mine and easy to take with me to work.
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Aug 30, 2009 9:53am
SoFlaTechie
13 posts
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You are starting to discover my secrets. I am not a veggie person. Never have been. I do add mushrooms, peppers and onions to food, and diced tomatoes are ok, but not gonna do the peas and carrots. I take a multi vitamin though.
I do include fruits like bananas and apples in my diet, just going through the flu and haven’t been able to go to the grocery store. I may sent my better half later today.
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Aug 30, 2009 11:31am
TheAng
773 posts
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I used to hate vegetables – avoided them at all costs but I found that by reducing the other junk I ate and gradually adding them, they weren’t so bad. Try sneaking a little veggies into the things you like and you can actually develop a taste for them.
I even eat mushrooms now which is a shock to just about everyone that knows me.
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Aug 31, 2009 2:14pm
SoFlaTechie
13 posts
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TheAng:
Yeah ok, thanks for the offer, but…….no….
:)
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Aug 31, 2009 2:15pm
SoFlaTechie
13 posts
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TheAng:
Yeah ok, thanks for the offer, but…….no….
:)
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Sep 1, 2009 9:40am
marcelovieira
25 posts
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Just my two cents here, but in your profile you say "I have struggled my entire adult life with my weight. "
IMHO, weight loss it’s all about healthy behaviours and eatings habit.
If you hit a plateau, maybe it’s time to consider some behavioral changes?
In the posts above you say:
“I am not a morning person, so the protein bar is my breakfast”
“I am not a veggie person. Never have been”
Well, maybe it’s time to change and see what happens?
If you stuck to your nutrition plan and exercise and it’s not working, maybe a new approach is in order.
Good luck.
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Sep 1, 2009 9:52am
SoFlaTechie
13 posts
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marcelovieira :
In the last 2 years, I have made many changes to my behavior. There is no way I could have done what I have done so far without doing so.
If you look at my previous post, you will notice the changes I am currently going to make, which includes the things you wrote.
The fact is that everyone has certain things they just can’t eat. I would not dream of telling my better half to eat steak and fish, because it is disgusting to her. So we look for ways to get her the protein she needs without having her hate every meal.
If you make changes and actually hate your meals, you won’t stick to it. You can make changes to your nutrition in ways that keep those meals satisfying for you, and that is what I am doing.
I would ask you to please read the entire thread. You took two statements completely out of context to imply that I was unwilling to make changes. I don’t believe that is fair. If you knew me you would know that is not me.
Thanks for your effort to help though.
SoFlaTechie
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Sep 1, 2009 1:24pm
jcr85
85 posts
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If you don’t exceed your calories for the day what does it mater what you eat. Yeah it might not be a well balanced diet but I agree with what you said if you don’t like what you are eating your not going to stick with it.
Could you post what your diet looks like and you calorie ranges just to get an idea of what you are doing. Also your workout routine.
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Sep 2, 2009 7:36am
SoFlaTechie
13 posts
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justinrowland26:
Thanks, my diet is posted. Take a look. I have not worked out the last week because of the flu, but you can see my planned workout.
Incidentally, since first posting, I have lost 4 lbs. I am sure that part of that is being sick, but I will take it for now. I have made some changes to reduce my carbs and increase my protein intake, which is visible in the last couple of days.
Thanks again for you help!
SoFlaTechie
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Sep 2, 2009 8:54am
jcr85
85 posts
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SoFla you diet looks pretty solid the only thing you might think about doing is maybe eating some more especially on days you workout.
Now for your workout do you do that every single day? When do you do cardio? Do you really workout 3 times a day or was that a typo?
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Sep 2, 2009 1:10pm
SoFlaTechie
13 posts
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justinrowland26 :
3 times a day? You kidding? No that’s a mistake. Right now I am doing cardio and strength workout on same day. I workout 3 days a week, mon wed fri.
I will change the typo.
I find it very difficult to eat more honestly, and I guess I fear gaining weight, but I know that 1800 calories for me may be a little low. Since I have lost 4 lbs, I am going to see if the trend continues or I stop again. If by end of next week or so I am not losing anymore, I may consider adding some more to my snacks – protein mostly.
Thanks again!
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Sep 2, 2009 1:24pm
cccc
266 posts
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Training 3 times a day is not necessarily crazy. It’s just a different planning, you can split your exercise in 3 periods. For instance, you won’t feel exhausted if it’s something like morning jogging or strength (alternate), lunch time walk, night yoga/stretching.
Whatever, changing of training pattern every 2-3 months, or doing an intensive week sometimes may help you break your plateau.
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Sep 3, 2009 11:27am
SoFlaTechie
13 posts
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cccc:
Just trying to be a little lighthearted. Of course you can split it up if you like. Unfortunately, with my work schedule, even finding the time to work out 3 times a week is hard.
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20 post(s),
6 voice(s)
