Monday, 21 March 2011
So frustrated with lack of change on scale
Here's the deal. I record my daily food intake on Sparkpeople. I haven't been absolute in my food control, but I've been hitting a reasonable range of calories and macronutrients for months. I can see what I'm doing wrong when my weight creeps up a bit; usually it's sodium or a large meal too late in the day. What I can't figure out is what I do right. I saw my first loss in two weeks on the day I created that thread above, but that quickly bounced right back up to the 240 range like it always does. Haven't seen the scale go down since, and this will probably go on for another week or two beore I do, at which point it'll bounce up again for 2-3 weeks. Seeing a drop on the scale feels like a mean joke at this point.
It's not like I'm trying to scrape off the last stubborn ten pounds or prep for a bodybuilding competition. I'm not content to just lose a pant size while staying at 240; hooray for muscle gain, but I'll still have to shop at Lane Bryant. I need to lose numbers on the scale.
Fat loss should be easier than this at my weight, right?
Here is an example of a GOOD nutrition day. I have a digital food scale, so all the measurements are exact, including the recipe items, which I made myself.
Note: The "80-calorie snack" was a thing I grabbed at CVS, some sort of diet bar that had 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. I couldn't find the label when I did my food log, so I faked the nutrition info as best as I could.
Protein's a bit low and carbs are a bit high (ignore Sparkpeople's recommendation on the carbs), but fats, fiber, and saturated fat are all in good range. Overall calories are great. I did have a NROL4W workout yesterday so I burned +/- 600 calories.
On bad days, my carbs will shoot up to around 225 and I'll hit the high range of my calorie goals. There's always a white carb present on a bad calorie day -- usually white bread or rice. I try to stay away from the stuff but sometimes it creeps in.
I tried dropping carbs and increasing protein, but man, that's hard to maintain. I'm going to try harder this week by baking some chicken breasts and lean pork chops, and stocking up on protein powder again. I just get REALLY bored with my choices. Food isn't a joy anymore; it's homework. Cooking is a drag, and going out to restaurants makes me mildly anxious, and then I get annoyed and turn off my overclocked brain and eat things I shouldn't.
So: What do you recommend I do differently? Is it typical to see a small loss, then a small gain that gets stuck there for an intolerable amount of time, then another tiny loss? Why is the "1-2 pound average loss per week" such a magical mystery to me?
I'm open to advice. Be prepared for more questions -- not because I'm trying to be difficult, but because there's a lot of conflicting information and I'm really trying to understand why I'm supposed to do one thing and not another.
Thanks for reading
It's not like I'm trying to scrape off the last stubborn ten pounds or prep for a bodybuilding competition. I'm not content to just lose a pant size while staying at 240; hooray for muscle gain, but I'll still have to shop at Lane Bryant. I need to lose numbers on the scale.
Fat loss should be easier than this at my weight, right?
Here is an example of a GOOD nutrition day. I have a digital food scale, so all the measurements are exact, including the recipe items, which I made myself.
Note: The "80-calorie snack" was a thing I grabbed at CVS, some sort of diet bar that had 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. I couldn't find the label when I did my food log, so I faked the nutrition info as best as I could.
Protein's a bit low and carbs are a bit high (ignore Sparkpeople's recommendation on the carbs), but fats, fiber, and saturated fat are all in good range. Overall calories are great. I did have a NROL4W workout yesterday so I burned +/- 600 calories.
On bad days, my carbs will shoot up to around 225 and I'll hit the high range of my calorie goals. There's always a white carb present on a bad calorie day -- usually white bread or rice. I try to stay away from the stuff but sometimes it creeps in.
I tried dropping carbs and increasing protein, but man, that's hard to maintain. I'm going to try harder this week by baking some chicken breasts and lean pork chops, and stocking up on protein powder again. I just get REALLY bored with my choices. Food isn't a joy anymore; it's homework. Cooking is a drag, and going out to restaurants makes me mildly anxious, and then I get annoyed and turn off my overclocked brain and eat things I shouldn't.
So: What do you recommend I do differently? Is it typical to see a small loss, then a small gain that gets stuck there for an intolerable amount of time, then another tiny loss? Why is the "1-2 pound average loss per week" such a magical mystery to me?
I'm open to advice. Be prepared for more questions -- not because I'm trying to be difficult, but because there's a lot of conflicting information and I'm really trying to understand why I'm supposed to do one thing and not another.
Thanks for reading
Orange Vegetable And Lentil Stew
This weeks hearty Orange Vegetable and Lentil winter stew is loaded with all things orange that are good for you! It is another magazine find, and yet again I’ve altered a few things to make it healthier.
Vegetables and fruits that are bright orange get their color from a high concentration of Beta-carotene. Why is that important for your health? Because Beta-carotene helps your body create Vitamin A and is a powerful antioxidant that helps boost your immune system. It also aids in good vision – didn’t your mother always tell you to eat your carrots?
So what comes to mind when I say “eat orange foods”? Carrots and oranges? Well – here’s a LOT more orange things you might not have thought of. Enjoy!
Orange Vegetable and Lentil Stew
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 onion diced
2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if a milder stew is desired, use 1/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 Orange pepper, seeded and diced
2 cups carrots, diced
2 cups sweet potatoes, diced (skin off or on, your choice)
2 cups of an Orange squash (pumpkin, kobacha like I used, butternut) peeled, seeded and diced
1.5 cups dried red lentils
1.5 tsp celtic sea salt
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp grated orange rind
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (one orange)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (above 1/2 a lemon squeezed)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion diced
2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if a milder stew is desired, use 1/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 Orange pepper, seeded and diced
2 cups carrots, diced
2 cups sweet potatoes, diced (skin off or on, your choice)
2 cups of an Orange squash (pumpkin, kobacha like I used, butternut) peeled, seeded and diced
1.5 cups dried red lentils
1.5 tsp celtic sea salt
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp grated orange rind
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (one orange)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (above 1/2 a lemon squeezed)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
In a large pot heat oil and saute onion until it’s transparent. Stir in cumin, allspice, cayenne, turmeric and white pepper – saute another minute to blend spices. Add orange pepper, carrots, sweet potato, squash, lentils, salt, bay leaf, and orange rind. Cook – stirring often for about 10 minutes.
Add 6 cups of purified or filtered water (or home made veggie soup) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are softened and lentils are cooked – about 30 minutes. ***NOTE: red lentils are SUPPOSED to turn to mush, you have NOT done anything wrong!***
Remove bay leaf, stir in orange and lemon juices. Add cilantro right before serving.
Makes 6-8 servings.
Optional variation: if you want to add some ground turkey or chicken, do that at the beginning and put it in with the onion.
Best Fat For Health And Weight Loss
Quite simply, every single person will benefit from adding a high quality fish oil supplement to there diet!
Omega-3s “burn body fat in 3 different ways”
History shows us that humans living ‘in nature’ would typically consume around 35-40 grams of omega 3 each day, a ratio equivalent to the amount of omega 6 in their diet. This ratio is crucial to every aspect of your health – from your ability to build hormones, to your energy levels, your sex drive, the quality of your sleep, and most certainly your moods. But that’s just the start of it.
According to Charles Poliquin, every single disease or illness known to man is positively affected by the introduction of more omega 3’s in your diet. The problem is, it’s not so simple to consume that perfect 1:1 (omega 3 to omega 6)ratio these days. In fact, recent research shows that most of us are eating more like 1:20 which is nowhere near what we should be comsuming and ratios like that can actually be damaging.
What’s even more alarming is how easy it is to unknowingly sabotage your health and your body fat.
Let’s look at where you find omega-3. It’s most commonly found in natural animal foods such as fish, eggs, seeds, beef, and – to a lesser degree – green vegetables, especially the dark green ones, and there are three main types of omega 3’s:
Don’t be so sure. The quality of the foods you’re eating plays a drastic role in the omega 3 content. What’s more, even the freshest, oiliest, best quality (wild as opposed to farmed or genetically modified) fish – salmon, for example – only has 2.6 grams of omega 3 per 100grams. Just how much fish are you going to eat each day to get your 35-40 grams? And if you’re overweight or suffering with any health complaint, you may need even more than that!
Of course, you could vary it with some beef or eggs, but first make sure you check out this chart. It depicts quite clearly how cattle fed on grain (a totally unnatural feed for these animals) eventually loses all its omega 3 properties.
Also, the same rule applies with cage and even some free-range eggs. Couple this information with the knowledge that all food processing not only reduces omega-3 but increases omega 6 and you have a sure recipe for a fatter and less happy you.
So what to do?
Quality really does matter. In fact its crucial to your fat lose goals and your overall health.
Here are some ways to make sure you do you best with omega 3 from your diet:
We believe everybody should supplement with omega 3 capsules or liquid and the results we’ve had using this with our clients speak for themselves. Of course cavemen didn’t need to down capsules or liquid, but they lived what was basically an all-pure 100% organic lifestyle. It’s not only bad foods that rob you of omega 3, but toxins, chemicals and everyday stress which is about 100 times what it used to be.
Hope this is helpful guys
Omega-3s “burn body fat in 3 different ways”
- “First off, they allow the body to burn fat in situations where fat burning is turned off, such as after a high-carb meal or after high-intensity exercise (where the body preferentially burns glycogen).”
- “Secondly, high amounts of omega-3s increase insulin sensitivity. If your body is sensitive to insulin, less insulin is produced after a meal, which means less fat is stored. Similarly, if the body is sensitive to insulin, and the hormone is properly managed, more stored fat is released and incinerated each day.”
- “Thirdly, omega-3s increase the heat of your cellular “furnaces”, which are otherwise known as the mitochondria and the peroxisomes. Omega-3s make these organelles burn more and more energy, thus turning you into a fat-burning machine.”
History shows us that humans living ‘in nature’ would typically consume around 35-40 grams of omega 3 each day, a ratio equivalent to the amount of omega 6 in their diet. This ratio is crucial to every aspect of your health – from your ability to build hormones, to your energy levels, your sex drive, the quality of your sleep, and most certainly your moods. But that’s just the start of it.
According to Charles Poliquin, every single disease or illness known to man is positively affected by the introduction of more omega 3’s in your diet. The problem is, it’s not so simple to consume that perfect 1:1 (omega 3 to omega 6)ratio these days. In fact, recent research shows that most of us are eating more like 1:20 which is nowhere near what we should be comsuming and ratios like that can actually be damaging.
What’s even more alarming is how easy it is to unknowingly sabotage your health and your body fat.
Let’s look at where you find omega-3. It’s most commonly found in natural animal foods such as fish, eggs, seeds, beef, and – to a lesser degree – green vegetables, especially the dark green ones, and there are three main types of omega 3’s:
- Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): EPA is found primarily in fish (bigger fish) and fish oil.
- Docosahexanoic Acid (DHA): DHA is especially important to your body, and is also found primarily in fish (smaller fish) and fish oil.
- Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA): ALA is found mostly in seeds, vegetable oils, and leafy green vegetables. It is converted into EPA and then into DHA in your body.
Don’t be so sure. The quality of the foods you’re eating plays a drastic role in the omega 3 content. What’s more, even the freshest, oiliest, best quality (wild as opposed to farmed or genetically modified) fish – salmon, for example – only has 2.6 grams of omega 3 per 100grams. Just how much fish are you going to eat each day to get your 35-40 grams? And if you’re overweight or suffering with any health complaint, you may need even more than that!
Of course, you could vary it with some beef or eggs, but first make sure you check out this chart. It depicts quite clearly how cattle fed on grain (a totally unnatural feed for these animals) eventually loses all its omega 3 properties.
Also, the same rule applies with cage and even some free-range eggs. Couple this information with the knowledge that all food processing not only reduces omega-3 but increases omega 6 and you have a sure recipe for a fatter and less happy you.
So what to do?
Quality really does matter. In fact its crucial to your fat lose goals and your overall health.
Here are some ways to make sure you do you best with omega 3 from your diet:
- When you can control it, only eat organic and grass-fed meat.
- Only eat wild organic fish. Other fish needs to be kept to a minimum as they will contain high levels of mercury (highly toixic!). When you choose seafood go for the smaller oilier fish.
- Eat green veggies at 3 meals each day.
- Animal protein is a must at least 4 times per day (yep, that does mean eating meat and veg for breaky, you will feel great)
- Only eat seeds or nuts that are raw (cooking destroys the o-3) and organic (otherwise they are irradiated, which also destroys the 0-3).
- Eliminate processed foods or foods containing trans fats. You already know there’s more than a handful of reasons why these ‘foods’ are not good for you, and now you have one more.
We believe everybody should supplement with omega 3 capsules or liquid and the results we’ve had using this with our clients speak for themselves. Of course cavemen didn’t need to down capsules or liquid, but they lived what was basically an all-pure 100% organic lifestyle. It’s not only bad foods that rob you of omega 3, but toxins, chemicals and everyday stress which is about 100 times what it used to be.
Hope this is helpful guys
Weight Loss Best Tips
Tip 1: Drink Herbal Tea
When urges for sweets and snacks arrive, try drinking herbal teas such as apple-cinnamon, almond, or orange. The preparation of tea alone actually helps to take your mind off of junk food. The heat from the tea fills you up, and the aroma helps to satisfy your cravings.
Tip 2: Limit High Carbohydrate Foods
To maximize the fat-burning process, it's best to gradually eliminate carbohydrates toward the end of the day. This minimizes your chances of storing fat late at night.
Tip 3: Don't Drink Alcohol
Alcohol contains too many empty calories which ultimately produce nothing but fat.
Tip 4: Motivate Yourself
Try to find an incentive for getting in shape and burning fat. Write down your goal and put it in a location you see everyday, such as your refrigerator. Motivation really keeps you going!
Tip 5: Use Low-Calorie Food Alternatives
Try to save as many calories as you can. Substitute water for soda, baked chicken for fried chicken, sub sandwiches for pizza, etc.
Tip 6: Don't Starve Yourself
Starving only promotes a bigger "rebound" effect because your body likes to hold on from what it is deprived of. Instead, fuel the body every 2 to 3 hours with small meals.
Tip 7: Drink 1 or More Glasses of Water Before Meals
This is to help fill the stomach and give you a full feeling. It works!
Tip 8: Be Consistent
No weight loss tips will work if you don't give them a chance. It may take a while to see results. Hang in there! Consistency is the key to effectiveness.
Tip 9: Don't Use the Scale
Scales can be misleading. For example, if you're losing bodyfat and bodyweight but gaining muscle, the scale won't necessarily reflect the difference between the two. Instead, monitor the inches you lose. Inches never lie!
When urges for sweets and snacks arrive, try drinking herbal teas such as apple-cinnamon, almond, or orange. The preparation of tea alone actually helps to take your mind off of junk food. The heat from the tea fills you up, and the aroma helps to satisfy your cravings.
Tip 2: Limit High Carbohydrate Foods
To maximize the fat-burning process, it's best to gradually eliminate carbohydrates toward the end of the day. This minimizes your chances of storing fat late at night.
Tip 3: Don't Drink Alcohol
Alcohol contains too many empty calories which ultimately produce nothing but fat.
Tip 4: Motivate Yourself
Try to find an incentive for getting in shape and burning fat. Write down your goal and put it in a location you see everyday, such as your refrigerator. Motivation really keeps you going!
Tip 5: Use Low-Calorie Food Alternatives
Try to save as many calories as you can. Substitute water for soda, baked chicken for fried chicken, sub sandwiches for pizza, etc.
Tip 6: Don't Starve Yourself
Starving only promotes a bigger "rebound" effect because your body likes to hold on from what it is deprived of. Instead, fuel the body every 2 to 3 hours with small meals.
Tip 7: Drink 1 or More Glasses of Water Before Meals
This is to help fill the stomach and give you a full feeling. It works!
Tip 8: Be Consistent
No weight loss tips will work if you don't give them a chance. It may take a while to see results. Hang in there! Consistency is the key to effectiveness.
Tip 9: Don't Use the Scale
Scales can be misleading. For example, if you're losing bodyfat and bodyweight but gaining muscle, the scale won't necessarily reflect the difference between the two. Instead, monitor the inches you lose. Inches never lie!
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