Finally losing, but still frustrated

[MarieDe]

I've been no-sing for one month now and I've finally lost a grand total of...2 whole pounds. Which I'll prolly gain back this week, especially since I've had 2 fails in a row and I feel absolutely STARVING. I mean, since I try to stick to one meal a day (cause I'm very short and also sedentary and therefore burn very few calories), I'm pretty much hungry all the time anyway, but this past week has been especially bad. Like I feel like I could eat everything on the table and then eat the table. I even sometimes get so hungry I actually feel nauseated from it, does that happen to anyone else? I guess it's kinda like morning sickness in pregnant women, except I'm not pregnant and it happens all different times of day.

I'm not sure exactly what I need to do differently here, but literally making myself sick for a (most likely fleeting) 2 pounds in a month loss clearly sucks.

PS Now I'm even more mad cause I typed all this and then my stupid browser froze and I had to start all over again! You all should be glad you aren't here with me right now, I'd prolly bite your fingers off or something.

[mrsj]

MarieDe, it sounds like you're not eating enough. Have you tried eating 2 meals a day? I understand that you're a petite woman. However, Try eating a solid brunch and then a lighter dinner.

You could try to slowly be a little less sedentry. I don't know if you work at a desk, are a homemaker (domestic engineer) or what your health status is.

Just remember, any movement at all, even twiddling your thumbs is going to burn a few calories... Do you knit or crochet? One hour of knitting or crocheting will burn 100 calories...

Just cutting out snacks and sweets shaves a LOT of calories off every day.
It sounds to me as if you're starving yourself. When the body thinks it's starvation time your metabolism shuts down.

Please read the No S home page again. This will give you an insight as to what No S is all about. Also, please read KCCC's beautiful sticky about the phases of No S.

Good luck and Happy Shrinking!

[Graham]

Hi MarieDe - I sympathise with your struggle - I did 5 weeks of No S and only lost 2lbs - that happened in the first 6 days, after that it actually started to gently climb again.

I'm in a very different position to you - I'm male, taller, more muscle and more activity by the sound of things (I cycle everywhere, I do regular Isometrics for strength training and I do regular garden work, digging, hedge cutting etc.) - but just yesterday I was nauseous and I suspect it was because I just hadn't eaten enough for my needs.

I think maybe you are in a bit of a jam - eating so little that you are constantly uncomfortable - your metabolism may have slowed down to respond to that - there may be other, more effective ways to create a calorie deficit - if you need to - you don't give any details about that, I hope you're not struggling because you're trying to attain an unrealistically low weight.

You might at some point care to investigate intermittent fasting if you have excess fat to shed - but you must eat adequately on the non-fasting days, and exercise to keep your muscle tissue - the goal for us all isn't just weight-loss after all - we want to live life more abundantly, with joy and energy, weight-loss is just a means to that end isn't it?

[sophiasapientia]

Losing a .5 pounds a week is actually very respectable for long term weight loss, especially when you are very petite, sedentary and already within a healthy BMI range for your height ... but feeling sick and frustrated isn't good.

I agree with the others that one meal a day doesn't sound like enough. I'd look at your caloric needs and try to spend those out over at least 2 meals. Looking at the quality of the food you're eating can make a difference too (eating a baked potato is going to fill you more than a portion of chips, for example) ... If there are ways to increase your activity level that could also help.

No S isn't about being rail thin. It is about getting down to a "good enough" weight that you can reach and maintain through habits that you find sustainable. Starving yourself to lose a couple pounds in a way that makes you miserable isn't going to be sustainable, IMO.

[oliviamanda]

I have been doing No S with exercise. I am getting leaner, the scale is really not budging very much. We need to stop looking at the numbers (I am trying to convince myself of this, too). If I was NOT doing No S, then I would be heavier for all the S's I would indulge in every single day.

I know we all get frustrated and are looking for a quick solution. Some people can lose more quickly than others. No S teaches discipline without deprivation, and it is the best thing out there.

[oolala53]

Eating once a day is not No S. And being hungry ALL the time is not No S. Some petite women may eat only one meal a day, but I think for most of those women, that's all they are legitimately hungry for. You are not meant to force yourself to do that. It seems to me you should be able to eat 900-1000 calories a day even at your size and activity level. (I would have thought more before I read the boards here.) I would think two 400- 500 calorie meals should be possible and more enjoyable than one go-for-broke episode. I tend to have lunch/dinner of a protein, a starch, about 1- 1.5 cups of vegetables, a fruit , and about a thumb's equivalent of fat, and most of my meals are about 500 calories. ( I found that out by just charting one or two typical meals. I don't count calories.) They are also filling and satisfying for at least 3 and usually 4 hours. I like to be hungry an hour or two before a meal and this is what normally happens.

I'm guessing you are sedentary because you have to be? If not, I hope you get inspired to increase your activity. I find that a brisk walk can actually quell the first stages of hunger. But if you are confined, I sympathize. I've gone through health issues that kept me down and it can be hard. However, I found I could still eat meals, though they might have been lighter, such as a soup with mostly vegetables and about half servings of meat and starch. But they were pleasurable and satisfying.

I hope your find your balance soon so that this is not such a painful experience.

[reinhard]

2 pounds in a month loss clearly sucks

Actually it's exactly what I recommend to expect.

since I try to stick to one meal a day

Uh... that doesn't quite sound like no-s. I know I don't specify the number of meals, but I took it for granted that people wouldn't make it next door to zero. I've heard of people successfully doing no-s on 2 meals, but one sounds like voluntary third world starvation -- there's no way you're going to keep that up. I'd worry far less about the slow rate of loss than about the sustainability of what you're doing.

eating so little that you are constantly uncomfortable - your metabolism may have slowed down to respond to that

I don't normally put much stock in this kind of stuff (people seem to think they'll go into "starvation mode" after 5 minutes without eating), but with just one meal a day it wouldn't surprise me if you actually were experiencing something like this. That IS how people who are actually starving eat!

cause I'm very short and also sedentary

You can't do anything about your height, it's quite possible (and I'd argue necessary) to do something about being sedentary. Moderate exertion is very important, not just for your weight. It's very, very worth figuring out some way to squeeze that in. Here's one, if you don't know where to start. I know it can seem like a drag to have to do BOTH diet and exercise, but on the plus side, if you do both, you don't have to do that much on either end. And if you approach them in moderate, sensible ways (like >1 meal per day no-s and 14 minutes of ANYTHING) you might actually find you enjoy them.

my stupid browser froze

Download Chrome! You'll see a lot less of this and everything will suddenly load much faster. It's free and dead easy to install.

Best of luck and please eat some more so you don't bite off any fingers!

Reinhard

[sophiasapientia]

I seem to remember from a previous thread that Marie has CP. Given that, increasing the activity level may or may not be a viable option. (My DH has a form of Muscular Dystrophy and I know how challenging it has been for him to be active as he can be without overdoing it.)

[RJLupin]

WHY would you try to get by on one meal a day???? That's a terrible thing to do to your body. Even short, sedentary people need a certain number of calories. You're literally starving yourself, it's no wonder you feel so horrible and sick. You are actually making yourself sick.

The beauty of No S is that it's possible to stick with over the long term. No one will ever stick to one-meal-a-day, starvation plans for the long haul. Even if you could, you would get sick. Use some common sense and eat some normal meals. As others have pointed out, "starvation mode" in most cases is something made-up by fad diets. In your case, though, I think it's probably reality.

[connorcream]

I've been no-sing for one month now and I've finally lost a grand total of...2 whole pounds. Which I'll prolly gain back this week, especially since I've had 2 fails in a row and I feel absolutely STARVING. I mean, since I try to stick to one meal a day (cause I'm very short and also sedentary and therefore burn very few calories),

Do you know what your calorie burn it over a reasonable period of time? Once you know that, you can then create the calorie deficit that is responbile for weight loss.

[MarieDe]

I am using Chrome now and it is much better!
I did wonder if perhaps I had the "metabolism slowing down cause I'm not eating enough" thing happening. I'm sure I would feel better if I ate a little more, but now I'm almost scared to cause I'm FINALLY losing (I lost another 3 pounds this week, bringing my grand total for the past 2 weeks (as well as the 6 weeks I've been nos-ing altogether) to 5 pounds. I'm happy about that, but I don't want to get complacent, because 2 years ago I weighed 122, got down to 112 and then gained it all back in less than 2 months. So I'm good at rapid weight gain, unfortunately. I just hate knowing I can throw weeks of work down the drain in a matter of days. But I do know that it is not only miserable but also unhealthy to be literally making myself sick with hunger, so I think I'll give 2 meals a shot, but I'll put a stop to it if my weight starts climbing back up again. I have been trying to come up with possible exercise ideas as well.

[MarieDe]

Oh, BTW, the one meal thing was something I've been doing off and on for years. I know No-S doesn't specify number of meals, but generally seems to assume 3.