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May 17, 2011

The Three-Day Diet

May 17, 2011 By

Having been stuck at this plateau, hovering back and forth over the same 3 pounds, for over a month now, I decided it was time to try just about anything. I’ve been carefully logging every bite I eat, making time for intense workout sessions, and yet nothing would force the scale below 170.

I decided to try a three-day diet that promises major weight loss just by eating the specific foods in order. Now, I know that food combinations and the order of the food you eat doesn’t have any effect on weight loss. It’s all about calories in, calories burned, and it was easy to see this was a very low calorie diet. But I threw logic out the window and made up my mind to give it a go. Three days isn’t that long, right?

Actually, three days can feel like a long time when everyone around you is eating more than you.

The first day, I was hungry by mid-day. But I kept my eyes on the prize and didn’t stray from the plan. By the end of the day, I felt pretty good and wasn’t even hungry. Eating something every 2-3 hours helped fight off that hunger.

Day two was the hardest. While I was eating every few hours, it wasn’t a lot of food. I tried to drink extra water to make up for it, but my stomach was too clever to fall for that trick.

Day three was actually easier. I didn’t even eat my last snack of the day because I didn’t feel like I wanted to eat. I still had energy in spite of the low-calorie diet, and I had stuck to the plan. I was expecting big results when I stepped on the scale in the morning!

What I was not expecting, though, was to see 169 appear on the scale. Two pounds. Three days of a jumpstart diet and I only lost two pounds.

Even better? The next day I was back up to 170. Hahahahahahaha! So much for the super diet – my metabolism can beat up your puny diet!

So it didn’t work. Ah well. It was only three days, and while it required some discipline, it wasn’t torture. I took a few tips away from it as well. Eating every 2-3 hours did help keep my energy level up. And eating smaller meals kept me from feeling run-down and bloated like I often feel after a large meal.

There was a tiny glimmer of good that came after the diet, too: days later, my weight has dropped back to 169 again. It’s quite possible the diet gave my body a slight wake-up call to get back in the game again. At least I’m going to hope that’s what it is. ‘Cause I’m really sick of the 170’s.

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Want to read about why I like fitness DVDs as a way to get in shape? Well, you’re in luck – I’ve written an article on just that topic over at Diets in Review. Go check it out!

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Apr 18, 2011

Stalled

April 18, 2011 By

On Saturday my trainer put our class through a workout so intense that we wondered what had happened to put her in such a mood. She made me use 10lb weights this time, really drilled us for proper form, and for some of the advanced people in the class, made them wear weighted vests and during push ups placed 20lb dumbbells on their backs.

It was crazy. But I survived and even felt pretty good at the end. (OK, truthfully I felt beat up. But after a protein shake and some rest I felt pretty good.)

What I didn’t like was my weigh-in. The scale is stubbornly holding on, refusing to move any lower. Expressing my frustration, I whined that I was upset in seeing roughly the same number for the last month. My trainer then suggested I do a three-day diet to “shock” my body back into losing weight.

The three-day diet is a plan the gym suggests to clients who need a little kick in the metabolism. It involves eating a little bit of grains and a heck of a lot of fruits and vegetables over a three day period and nothing else. Fats during that time come only from olive oil used on salads. Protein is next to nothing, which is the complete opposite of the high-protein diet they recommend most of the time.

Honestly? I’m tempted to try it. It’s insane that my weight is stalling out so close to 170. Many years ago, when I lost nearly 80 lb the first time, this was the point I stalled out. The lowest number I ever remember seeing was 168 and that was short-lived. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because I liked what I was seeing and got too comfortable – I remember trying to lose more and getting nowhere. It was as if I was at war with my body, and it was stubbornly hanging on to everything it had.

But I also know that I feel ridiculous for even thinking of trying it. Sure, it would be great to get more fruits and veggies in my diet, but I know that it’s likely just three days of very low calories. Anyone would lose weight like that, right? Also, what are my chances of following it precisely for three days? It’s amazing how long three days can feel when you stare at your dinner of steamed mixed veggies and salad.

I can’t decide if I should try it or not. I did take my measurements and compared them to my earlier measurements, and haven’t really lost much in inches, either. I don’t know if I can squeeze any more time out of my schedule to workout more. So at this point I’m open to trying nearly anything different to force my body to melt some fat, even if it is digging into some farmer’s market produce for three days.

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Apr 5, 2011

My Week of Suck

April 5, 2011 By

Coming off of last week’s high of seeing myself creep ever so slowly to my lowest adult weight ever, I still expected to see some results at my weigh in on Saturday. What I didn’t expect was to see a number one and a half pounds higher than the week before: 172.8. What happened?

I reviewed my calories for the week and everything seemed to add up to loss. On Friday I did go out, but limited myself to two small glasses of sparkling wine and a very modest dinner. I tried to not feel down about the gain, and tried to convince myself it was just water weight from the alcohol.

Saturday was also the day when I had my strength training boot camp class. I had the alternate trainer again – the tough one – and she put me through a very difficult routine that felt like punishment for my weight gain.

When I woke up on Sunday afternoon, I could barely get out of bed. The only movement that didn’t hurt was my eyes. Still, I know the best way to cure sore muscles is to move them, so I attempted to go for a run in the early evening. Yet another fail – I did Couch to 5K, Week 3, thinking it would be an “easy” run, only to find it was terribly difficult. That’s what I get for not running all winter.

I focused Saturday and Sunday on drinking plenty of water and eating right in the hopes that my weight gain was just water weight. But when I stepped on the scale again on Monday morning, I was greeted with a weight that was half a pound higher than the previous one!

It’s just a number. I know it’s just a number. But I hate seeing it go up when I was so close to reaching my lowest adult weight. I’ve been to this point before a number of times, and this always seems to be the time when my body gives up and tries to correct itself back to heavy. I’ve already said goodbye to heavy, though, so I feel like I’m at war with myself to keep going.

I have another boot camp class tonight. No idea how I’m going to get through it when I’m still really sore. But I’m going to do it.

I’m also waiting on a delivery from Amazon with my Jillian Michaels’ Ripped in 30 DVD. I’m joining the Shredheads in trying out this DVD in April. I can’t do it every day, since I still have my boot camp classes, but I plan to use the DVD on as many off days as possible. I remember the success I had with Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred, and I’m hoping this might be the jump start I need to get the scale moving downwards again.

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Mar 18, 2011

Nobody Ever Said Life, Or Weight Loss, Was Fair

March 18, 2011 By

First, I had that Shamrock Shake yesterday. The only one I was allowing myself for the entire year. And it tasted…eh.

Either the memory was too grand in my mind, or they’ve changed the recipe, but it really wasn’t all I was hoping for, and afterward left a rock-like feeling in my stomach. Good thing I only planned on having one this year!

Weight loss can be so unfair at times. I’m kicking butt, working out, counting calories, choosing whole, nutritious foods over junk, and yet my weight loss has been only inching downward ever so slowly. Since January I’ve lost about 8 pounds.

My husband, on the other hand, has been working out just as hard and watching his foods just as closely and in the same amount of time has lost nearly 20 pounds.

That’s just not fair.

Now, I’m in no way trying to say he is undeserving of his accomplishment, because he’s really done a lot of work to get to where he is and deserves all of the praise he can get. I just wish I could see such a dramatic improvement in the same amount of time.

He points out that he had more weight to lose, which is technically true. But I’ve been tracking my calories and workouts very closely, and according to the science of it all, I should have lost more weight by now.

I love science, but I have to admit: when it comes to weight loss, science can’t be trusted.

There just seems to be an unknown factor with our bodies to ensure that just when you think you’ve got it figured out, you find you were completely wrong and still know nothing. Calories in, calories out is only one factor. Metabolism, gender, hormones, the number of fat cells you have, the type of foods you eat, your body structure, the way your body has reacted to dieting in the past, the daily wind speed and phase of the moon – there are so many unknowns with weight loss that it’s impossible to predict what the scale might display each week.

(OK, the last two may not be factors in weight loss. But then again, scientists might someday find they are, and I’ll then proclaim you heard it here first.)

I’m trying hard to not let it get me down. The scale is still moving in a downward trend – slooooooowly – and I’m making an effort to focus on the bigger picture instead of the number itself. So what if it takes me longer than I planned to get to my goal weight, as long as I do get there, right?

Still…sometimes I wish it was faster.

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