New Maintainers - Week of Aug. 16

[JuliaL]

Hi everyone - thought I'd start a new thread for the week.

I'm very frustrated. I keep gaining weight and I don't know why. This morning I almost cried when I stepped on the scale and saw 145!

Somebody please help me figure this out. I'm using Fitday and entering everything I'm eating. I'm eating about 50 net grams of carb per day, only subtracting fiber (not sugar alcohols, glycerin, etc.) In the past I've been able to maintain at that level. My calories are between 1600 and 1800 per day, most days less than 1700. Again that was fine for maintenance before and I've even lost weight at that level, so what's going on?

Here are the possibilities:

1. I'm lifting weights 3-4 times per week, so maybe I'm building muscle.
2. I'm retaining water due to hormonal issues - I haven't had TOM since June in spite of taking Provera. My doctor told me that if I had no TOM after taking a round of Provera it means that I'm post-menopausal. I'm having lots of hot flashes and night sweats, so that's probably true. If that's the problem, what can I do about it? I don't want to gain weight due to menopause!
3. I'm eating too many carbs in the form of fruits, corn, etc. I still never eat bread, potatoes, rice, etc. and never, never eat real sugar.

My measurements are the same and my clothes fit fine, but I'm worried that this is a trend. I simply could not stand to see the scale go up another ounce.

What would you do? Should I go back to induction?

Julia

[jvryden]

Hmmmm, Julia, I'm no expert but I would say since your measurements and clothes are the same, I would have to vote for MUSCLE (I know how hard you faithfully work out!). I have no idea about the menapause thing (hopefully I have quite a few years before I do, lol). I really do think the clothes/measurements are going to be your best guage. You know that the scale goes up and down with water, etc many times during the day!

Going on induction for a couple days would help you shed any water weight you may be holding on to, wouldn't it? It wouldn't hurt, I'm sure (I need to do that as well). Also, STAY OFF THE SCALE if it makes you upset! (says the pot to the kettle. )

[JuliaL]

Thanks jvryden, I'll try to be positive about it since my clothes are not tight. I've already made my lunches for this week (low carb chili with soybeans) and flaxbread for breakfasts, so I guess if I'm going to go back to induction it will have to be next week. I think I'll wait and see how it goes until the end of this week. I should stay off the scale, but I find it impossible. Guess I'll just have to deal with it.

Julia

[ginabw]

Julia,
If it were me, I would cut out the fruits and give that a few days, and if that didn't work I would go back to strict induction. It is just a number on a scale, but Dr. A did say to weigh often and if you hit 5 lbs above your goal you should go back to induction so you never have more than 5 lbs to lose. Hang in there!

I think I am going to have to give up my strawberries too, my leg is still hurting, although I think it is just a bit better, but already 4 days with no exercise and I think it will be several more til I want to take a chance on it.

[kbgardengirl]

I think maintenance is definitely harder then losing. It's so easy to increase those food portions ever so slightly even if they are legal foods. I still think that portion control has to be exercised on any diet. I have fluctuations too. But I usually know what causes them. Things like overeating carb friendly desserts, eating a couple handsful of popcorn, nibbling out of boredom, stress, etc, and even occasionally eating a real cookie or licking the batter from my cookie baking (bad me). It would be so easy to let things get out of hand. But we know we can't. We know what was our undoing before and we know we must keep constant vigiliance to avert going off the deep end. We know these things deep within our soul. We have tasted success. We look fantastic. But the food demon keeps trying her best to grab hold of us again. She's calling our name. She wants us badly. But go away! Scant! Be on your way. We will not falter. We will not fail. Going back to induction is so hard but it's what we must do. You can do this. You must do this. I have confidence in you that you will do this.

[JuliaL]

Thanks so much for your encouragement and suggestions. I'm down a pound today so I'm feeling better. I tried giving up the fruit for a week and it made no difference. Maybe I should have given it two weeks, I don't know, but my weight did not change a bit the week I gave up fruit. Since then I eat no more than 1/2 cup of berries per day, so I don't think that's too much really.

And Karen, I appreciate your perspective as well, but honestly I haven't eaten a real cookie in over a year. The same goes for popcorn, and except for a very occasional sf chocolate, I don't eat low carb desserts. Unless Hood's CC yogurt with berries can be considered a dessert (maybe so).

I really do eat very clean, even on weekends. I do have a couple of drinks every Sat. night with DH, but have always done that since beginning induction. I also chew SF gum since I quit smoking, which contains sugar alcohols, so that could be hurting me.

I keep coming back to the same conclusion - hormones. The lack of TOM, the hot flashes and night sweats, the mood swings. I think hormones are playing a big part in my maintenance right now, which is frustrating because there's nothing I can do about that. I did read on another board yesterday some women were discussing menopause and one said that during menopause weight gain is inevitable. She said you can keep it to a minimum with diet and exercise, but losing is next to impossible until you get through it and the hormones stabilize. I feel like that's true. I know there are plenty of ladies who have lost weight after menopause (Jonah's Granny being one) so I have hope that once I'm done with this process I'll be able to get back to the weight I would like to be.

OK, enough navel gazing - how is everyone else today?

Julia

[akmd65]

julia...i have no advice, im just sending you a big hug!
hi everyone!!!!

[jvryden]

Hi all!

Doing okay...today is DS's first day of Kindergarten...I guess its effecting me more than I thought since I didn't sleep well last night and my stomach isn't happy! He's excited though, and his teacher is very nice...and its only morning kindergarten. I'll drop him off and then before I have a chance to turn around, it'll be time to pick him up again before lunch. My schedule is going to be very weird this school year.

Oh, and a little update on my Father...he found out he's only pre-diabetic. That means "cutting back" on carbs (about 150 a day!), But its a step in the right direction. He did borrow some of my LC Energy mags the other day. I'm hoping he'll really get into this and make LC his WOL. He's still of the "I can't give up bread" mentality. But, he's more open-minded than he's ever been. My mom is the one fighting it most of all. She is NOT willing to consider LC for herself at all (and she does the cooking and shopping for my Dad...<rant>). She's my biggest family nay-sayer...the one that shares all the usual LC scare stories (Yes mom, my kidneys are fine, mom) LOL.

[JuliaL]

jvryden - good luck to you and your son on the first day of school. I remember that with my kids, I had such mixed feelings. On the one hand I was a little sad that they were growing up, but on the other glad to have some time to myself

Thanks for the hug, akm. I'm down another .5 lb. today so going in the right direction, though I feel like I'm still just making up lost ground. I might have to bite the bullet and go back to induction for a while, but I freely admit I don't want to give up my fruit and my flaxmeal bread! Not to mention nuts and yogurt.

Gina - how's your leg, any better?

Karen - I bet you're harvesting some great veggies from your garden right now! I've been eating lots of spinach, green beans, zucchini and once per week corn on the cob - summer's bounty!

[ginabw]

Hello everyone,
My leg is doing better, can walk without limping now, still feels sore though if I do more than just walk around the house, like today we went down to our town's high street of shops and probably only walked a half mile total, but could still feel the twinges. (did you know here in England very few McDonalds have drive thrus? If I want to take the kids I have to drive to the high street, park, and then walk!!! Actually it is great, we rarely go because of this so my kids eat much less junk food) My DH gets home from another trip tomorrow, thought I might try the elliptical again at the gym, and if it makes it worse I already have an appointment with DR for Friday a.m. Already 5 days with no exercise.

My sister recommended to go and have my blood pressure checked because I told her how moody and just yucky I have been feeling lately (and this before the leg injury!). She said when she turned 40 her blood pressure just shot up for no reason at all, and she had the same symptons (headaches, nausea, and moodiness). I don't know whether to hope that's it or not! I am not 40 yet, but it is not far away.

Glad the scale is going in the right direction Julia!

jvryden--Glad to hear your dad is only pre-diabetic. Your mom will have to come around at least part ways because of his diet, especially if she is cooking for him! You can remind her that his life is in her hands! My dad is diabetic (and he is not much overweight either) and he eats very small portions of starchy stuff, if at all. Hope your DS had a great first day! Are you happy about half day kindergarten? Wherever we have been it has always been a full day.

[ginabw]

My new scale arrived, and lo and behold, I have to change my stats, and it is not to the lower. So, I am going to give up my berries for a few weeks and see if that makes a difference and I can lose the 3.5lbs that the new scale says I have. It is psychological I know, I was so proud of myself for losing all of my baby weight, especially since that was past my goal, so to find that I have fallen a few pounds short is disappointing. So I will make an effort for these last few.
But this certainly explains why I do not feel as slim as I did all those years ago, and why certain things still don't fit in the waist, because there are still an extra few pounds hanging around that waist!