a month in, not loosing any weight

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Ginjer
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a month in, not loosing any weight

Post by Ginjer » Sat Jul 09, 2005 12:33 pm

as much as a downer as this post is going to be, I feel I have to share this with you guys.

well, I started no-sing a month ago. Iv"e managed to not have any sweets (that was the easy part for me) and Iv"e managed not to get seconds (wich was harder) and haven't had any snacks (wich I found the most difficult).
s days werent so bad, I was able to control myself and not completely lose it.

but

I"m not loosing any weight. I"m not one of those people who would lie to themselves and "cover up" "mistakes" along the diet so I just cant figure out what I"m doing wrong.
the only 2 problems I think could be setting be back is the amount of coffe I drink at work (now down to 3 cups a day instead of 5 or 6, with 2 tea spoons of suger) and the other is that I"m not getting any exercise done.

as Iv"e pointed out befor I start my day early and end it late, and in between I have no time to get some orderly normal exercise. I started out with some sit ups and abit of walking but lately I have no time for that eather.

I do feel better in terms of the food I eat, the amount of it and not felling so heavy anymore between meels - so something is being done right, but wy am I not loosing the weight?

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Jammin' Jan
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Post by Jammin' Jan » Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:19 pm

This is a very slow diet, so I wouldn't worry overmuch. But I would recommend that you begin exercising; that will help a lot. Coffee will not prevent weight loss, but the sugar might. Could you gradually cut back on the sugar?

If you are really careful to follow the No-S rules, don't over do it on S-days, and get some exercise, then the weight will slowly go away. Be patient, be persistent!

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gratefuldeb67
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:23 pm

Dear Ginjer.. As I recall, you are 18 and only wanted to lose something like 20 lbs...
If I'm wrong on either statement please correct me...
I'm going to guess that your body really is telling you something... Maybe it doesn't feel you need to lose weight... Some people who are truly overweight will lose a little faster when they cut down on overall calories for the day... But if your body is at a healthy weight already, this diet, which is, mostly maintenence oriented (you didn't gain weight either, you just ate normal, which is ideal for the rest of your life....) may just keep you "the same" unless you really shake up your system and give it a little more reason to shed pounds.. Maybe you really don't need to lose anything and just need to tone up? Forgive me if I am being presumptuous, but hey, I don't know too many 18 year olds who are terribly fat... There is more social pressure and pressure from the media than is mentally healthy for self esteem in young women... In any case, sounds like daily exercise would help... We all have our challenges, but somehow, you just have to find something that will work for you...
Good luck!
(ps.. I didn't see you on the Check Ins section, maybe you should try to post for three weeks and really record what your days are like, one day at a time...)
Peace,
8) Deb

cvmom
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Post by cvmom » Sat Jul 09, 2005 4:07 pm

Ginjer:

Do yourself a favor: get out a tape measure and take your measurements and record them. Then, begin to post your food diary on the daily check-in. And after a month take your measurements. Don't get on your scale. Trust me on that one. You will only get discouraged. If I relied on the scale then I would be seriously depressed. As it stands, I've been doing this for about a month and I've lost 4 inches. Do I care what I weigh? Not really because I am going by my clothes which feel looser.

Like Jan said, this is a slow process because you are reprogamming yourself. You can do this.

CVmom

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JWL
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Post by JWL » Sun Jul 10, 2005 2:20 am

The advice you're getting is good. No-S is slow and steady. Don't be overfocused on a number on a machine; the more relevant question is how do you feel? Do you look any different?

Another question: how much were you eating before you started No-S? Do you eat less food now than you did before?

I would say that exercise is probably going to be key. If you are in a habit of being sedentary, and you reduce your food intake, it will slow down your metabolism making it much more difficult to lose weight. On the other hand, if you supplement your diet with exercise (both aerobic and anaerobic, ie, shovelglove and/or urban ranger), you will build up some lean muscle mass, which will then speed up your metabolism.

My advice: now that you've spent a month getting used to a new diet, I would implement some sort of exercise program. This can be very simple: urban ranger is a perfect example. Just walk. As much as you can. Daily. That's the single best exercise I know of for losing weight.

After you get a walking regimen established into habit, I'd consider some form of weight training. I'd personally recommend shovelglove, but anything to build up some strength will do.

Good luck, and don't give up!
JWL[.|@]Freakwitch[.]net

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ClickBeetle
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Post by ClickBeetle » Sun Jul 10, 2005 2:34 am

I concur with Mr. Freakwitch. The exercise will make the difference. Both in muscle mass and in calories burned.

When I told my nurse-practitioner I was on No-S, the very next thing she said was, "That's great. Now do something else for me. Walk 30 minutes a day, at least 5 times per week. You will see the weight come off much faster. It's that simple."

Perhaps you can consider changes in your daily routine or in your occupation that will make more exercise possible. I am of the opinion that any job that does not leave time for essentials like eating, going to the bathroom, and/or exercising is not an appropriate way of making a living, at least not over the long haul.

I realize many people don't have a choice and Ginjer perhaps for now you do not, which is OK for a temporary period, but it will take days off your life if it continues for the long term. I myself made some tough decisions two years ago which had the effect of reducing my income by more than half but at least now I can get some air and sunshine, and have dinner with a friend once in a while, and those were things I could not do in my old job.

Also watch the amount of sugar in your coffee. It adds up and the heart and diabetes associations recommend a TOTAL of not more than five teaspoons (20 grams) of added sugar from all sources in a day. When you consider that most bread and commercially prepared foods have added sugar, it is possible to consume a lot more than 20 g without even realizing it.

My friend who was severely overweight lost 85 pounds in a year and a half -- she says by cutting out sugar and refined starches almost entirely. She swears she did not diet. This is just an anecdote about one person's experience, of course, not a scientific test by any means.
Chance favors the prepared. - Louis Pasteur

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snazzybabe
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Post by snazzybabe » Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:43 am

I also think its the sugar - you need to cut it out. I use to have my coffee with 3 spoonfuls of sugar and I slowly cut it out to zero.
Also, you may be having just enough food to maintain and need to reduce portions and/or start exercising to use more energy than you consume.

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Mon Jul 11, 2005 1:35 pm

Ginjer, I'm sorry to hear you haven't seen better numbers, despite your strict discipline. No-s isn't billed as a quick fix, but obviously it would be nice to see *something* in a month!

Do you think you are now eating less? It sounds like you are, and if that's true, and you aren't moving less, you will lose weight. There's no magic here. One advantage of no-s is that it should be easy to get a "good enough" sense of how much you are eating.

Still, it's difficult to have the patience to stick with something that works *that * slowly for you. The good news is now that you've got this habit down, you've got a firm foundation now to build upon. It might just take a tiny tweak to push your from your current semi-equilibrium into measurable losing.

I'd recommend giving that tiny push from the exercise side, even if it's difficult to find the time. I think it's going to be more difficult to push more from the diet side -- you're already doing plenty there, more might not be sustainable. It doesn't have to be a big time commitment. More important is that you do something sustainable. If shovelglove is not for you, how about 14 schedualistically insignificant minutes every weekday of something that is? As other posters have mentioned, walking is a great place to start.

As for the coffee, well, 3 cups x 2 teaspoons isn't an insignificant amount of sugar, I guess, but I'd advise cutting back slowly, if you want to give a little extra push from the diet side. Sustainability is the most important consideration. You're now at equilibrium, you just need a little push, but nothing that will risk losing your balance completely.

Let us know what you do and how it works. Don't worry, we're not afraid of "downer" posts here. They're necessary and helpful, not just for the poster but for others who are having trouble and are too shy or embarrassed to ask for help.

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Ginjer
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Post by Ginjer » Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:09 pm

first off all I want to thank everybody for all the replyies.

secondly I"ll answer abit of questions so I can give you guys a clearer pic.
Perhaps you can consider changes in your daily routine or in your occupation that will make more exercise possible. I am of the opinion that any job that does not leave time for essentials like eating, going to the bathroom, and/or exercising is not an appropriate way of making a living, at least not over the long haul.
I totally agree with you. the problam is I"m in the military. in israel it's 2 years by law, and I"m only 6 monthes in, so it's not my choice to make. I can truely say without making excuses that my job right now is my biggest no-s obsitcle.
sometimes I might start an hour late or finish an hour early but that does rarly happen and by the time it does I sleep it off.

I would love to start walking. I really would.. it's just not possible timewise. the most I can do and that I am forcing myself to do is get up and go and whatever i once was to lazey to do, and I also use the stairs more.
Do you think you are now eating less?


I think I am. almost sure actually.
I also think its the sugar - you need to cut it out.
darn. I think I should too. :lol:


I"m not giving up for now. maybe I"ll start cutting my portions...
thanks for everything,

Ginjer

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carolejo
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Post by carolejo » Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:40 pm

Take the stairs everywhere. That was enough of a change in my daily habits to start me off losing some weight in the past. I've restarted doing this too. If I have to get to the top floor, I'll do it under my own power now. I'm starting to see everything around me as a opportunity to do a little more, without it taking up any extra time. Somebody else has got a heavy bag to carry.. Help them out with it. Table needs moving at work? I'm your girl. Files going downstairs for the mircofiche people - I'm on the case.

there are hundreds of little ways that we make our lives needlessly lazy which take up next to no time at all. The really fun part is that it doesn't even feel like exercise because it all has a purpose!

When you take a shower, wring your flannel out as hard as you can afterwards. Hold it wrung tight and count slowly backwards from ten before you release it. You'll strengthen your arm and hand muscles in the process and it didn't take you any extra time. Nobody will even know that you did anything extra or different, but if you do that every day for a week, you'll start to feel the difference.

Sounds really daft, but again, it's habit-forming and that's what makes all the difference in the long run.
CaroleJo

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Ginjer
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Post by Ginjer » Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:53 pm

When you take a shower, wring your flannel out as hard as you can afterwards. Hold it wrung tight
excuse my english, but I didn't understand that part... :oops:

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carolejo
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Post by carolejo » Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:57 pm

Sorry, it's probably slang English / southern dialect and I never realised before.

Flannel = Washcloth.

When you finished washing, twist it all up to squeeze out the water.

Hold on to it really tight and pull on it as hard as you can for 10 seconds.

hope that helps!
CaroleJo

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