Help me plan a War on Body Fat - Not happy with current results page

[HeyChelle]

This is not going as fast as I would like. I've lost 5 pounds so far and then it seems I have stalled out. I have 30 pounds to lose for my first goal, and then maybe another 5-10. (5'4" tall) I do have insulin resistance and am hypothyroid, so I didn't expect this to be easy. I'm ready to make and see some changes, though. It's grocery shopping day, so perfect time for a new plan. Help appreciated.

If possible I would like to keep my cream and sugar in my morning coffee. Anything else I'm willing to tweak and change immediately. It's going to take me a while to let go of that coffee ritual.

I'm lifting heavy things (myself ha!) twice a week doing bodyweight workouts with the 5 essential movements. Other than that we usually walk to the park/library once a week and I'm fairly active at home as a stay at home mom in a house with stairs. I should count how many times I run up and downstairs in a day.

FWIW - Here is my journal. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...tml#post375434 I was doing good getting 100 g of protein a day, but after a few days of that I felt like I was going to bed stuffed and eating way too much. But when I slacked off on that, then I stalled out. That's about the time I also got busier around home and haven't had a solid nutrition plan and shopping scheduled to back up that plan. I shop once a week and need those meal plans in place in order to make it all work.

In tips or insights appreciated. I'm probably not even asking the right questions here. I just need help and encouragement to make this happen.

[Coconut Girl]

i'm with you on the encouragement part--i'm still trying to figure out what foods work best (in combo with work outs, of course) for me but i also know that this is a lifestyle and not a 'diet' necessarily... so give yourself some time.

i would nix the sugar, personally... there are other options. i use stevia drops (it's just an herb) but then again i don't drink much coffee anymore and when i do i normally drink it black.

planning out your meals (no need to be sooo regimented) helps out a lot--i know it does for me... and also just having a positive outlook and not being so hard on yourself if you aren't seeing the results you want to see within a short period of time. believe me, we all LOVE and would like to have quick results but it's a process... allow yourself that much. i'm in the same boat in that regard.

but again, i'd definitely get rid of the sugar--especially if it's refined/white.

p.s.-don't forget, it's not weight you want to lose but body fat... which also goes to say that just because you aren't losing 'weight' doesn't mean you aren't losing fat... (i hate to state the obvious but remember that when you work out/lift weights you also increase muscle mass)

[Minxxa]

As someone who is hypothyroid and had insulin resistance... I personally had to fix that first before I saw any "weight" loss. My meds needed to get adjusted properly and I needed to eat well regularly for quite a while first. It took a bit for my insulin resistance to work itself out, and I also needed to fix some gut issues... but nothing really improved until all that was in order first. At some point I had to just know I was healing, work hard at that and wait for it to adjust itself out. It was only last month that I started to see some real changes physically (I lost a size in pants, no idea about weight I don't weigh myself at all).

What kind of thyroid treatment are you doing? How long have you been doing it?

I know for me, also, keeping my carbs around 50-75g/day makes a huge difference. Mostly I just supp my veggies/meat/eggs diet with some sweet potatoes and yams and that does it, but it really made a difference for me. Some peeps with thyroid issues don't react well to super low carb because their body is super sensitive to the threat of "starving" and holds on for dear life at low carb levels.

Also... what all are you doing for your insulin resistance? I'd have to relook at all I've done, but I was supping with L-glutamine in water daily as well as some other herbs that are helpful (I'm thinking holy basil as well but I'd have to recheck that).

For both the thyroid and insulin resistance eliminating all grains and sugars is super important. I second the stevia for the morning coffee.

I know I'm kind of just tossing some ideas out there, but maybe something will jiggle something loose. I'll try to hop on and read your journal later this weekend and see if anything pops out to me. As always, we are all different and our mileage may differ, so these are all just suggestions and things I've noticed with myself. Hang in there!

[HeyChelle]

Thanks Coconut Girl.

Lifestyle and positive outlook, yes. I agree. I do feel better than I have in a long time. My sugar cravings are gone like never before. Once in a while I still get that craving for a soda or some chocolate something, but it's not to hard to ignore it. That's huge for me. Pepsi was my life support for a long time.

Planning - that's where I need help. As a sahm and being so busy, no meal plan = disaster. Last week we ate out twice at lunch time. I was able to stick to primal for the most part, but it wasn't the healthiest choices. The second time I had a pork loin roasting overnight on low in the crockpot. My 5 year old woke up to get a drink the night, saw that it was on and turned it off. Ugh! Sweet boy thought he was helping me.

Sugar - I'm getting there. I'm decreasing how much I use and sometimes I don't even end up drinking it. I just didn't want to give up that coffee ritual cold turkey. I was afraid it would cause me to do something crazy like reaching for a soda or something later in the day. I don't like stevia in coffee at. all. So it's going, it's just going to be a slow wean for me even though I have given up all other sugar without issue.

[Coconut Girl]

@ Minxxa: interestingly enough, last night while i was meditating it came to me that i should probably try to have a sweet potato in the morning (since i work out midday) and see if that helps as i'm often in a state of ketosis... i think you may have confirmed my 'epiphany'

[Coconut Girl]

although, initially, it may seem like a chore, i find that fitday.com (or something similar) helps me to plan my meals... i usually tinker with it a day in advance or even in the morning so that i have a good idea of what i'll be eating that day (enables me to see my ratios, calories, etc--which i find helpful)...

hang in there and don't forget about the muscle mass!

[HeyChelle]

As someone who is hypothyroid and had insulin resistance... I personally had to fix that first before I saw any "weight" loss. My meds needed to get adjusted properly and I needed to eat well regularly for quite a while first. It took a bit for my insulin resistance to work itself out, and I also needed to fix some gut issues... but nothing really improved until all that was in order first. At some point I had to just know I was healing, work hard at that and wait for it to adjust itself out. It was only last month that I started to see some real changes physically (I lost a size in pants, no idea about weight I don't weigh myself at all).

What kind of thyroid treatment are you doing? How long have you been doing it?

I know for me, also, keeping my carbs around 50-75g/day makes a huge difference. Mostly I just supp my veggies/meat/eggs diet with some sweet potatoes and yams and that does it, but it really made a difference for me. Some peeps with thyroid issues don't react well to super low carb because their body is super sensitive to the threat of "starving" and holds on for dear life at low carb levels.

Also... what all are you doing for your insulin resistance? I'd have to relook at all I've done, but I was supping with L-glutamine in water daily as well as some other herbs that are helpful (I'm thinking holy basil as well but I'd have to recheck that).

For both the thyroid and insulin resistance eliminating all grains and sugars is super important. I second the stevia for the morning coffee.

I know I'm kind of just tossing some ideas out there, but maybe something will jiggle something loose. I'll try to hop on and read your journal later this weekend and see if anything pops out to me. As always, we are all different and our mileage may differ, so these are all just suggestions and things I've noticed with myself. Hang in there!

Thanks Minxxa. YK I think you are right about the super low carb. I did a few days of super low carb and actually gained a couple pounds back. It came off within a few days of adding more carbs back in, though. I've been staying between 50 and 100g a day. That seems good for me. A week ago we had guests for dinner. DH grilled steaks - filet. I baked sweet potatoes, a big salad, and some coconut cream (dark chocolate, coconut cream, and xylitol melted together) and berries for dessert. It was the perfect meal for me. I had 3 bites of sweet potatoes with butter and one small spoon of the chocolate coconut cream. It seemed like it was the perfect ratio of carbs to fat to protein for me.

Thyroid - I'm taking T3. I was on armour and then last year we switched to a T3 starter pack. After going up and down on the amounts a few times we settled at 82mg. I'll be going in for a re-check soon. I'm hypothroid due to lyme disease + Hypermesis Gravidaum due pregnancy x3. It is the hope that we can re-start my thyroid after healing from my last baby + lyme treatment. (Lyme intentionally attacks the thyroid to turn down body temperature so it can flourish.)

Insulin Resistance - I tried Metformin and it made me horribly sick. Then I tried Glumetza and it was even worse. :shudder: After having dealt with hypermesis, I do not handle nausea and vomiting well. Talk about nightmares. I'm supposed to be using a progesterone cream based on current research on it increasing insulin resistance. (I love my doctor! Common sense AND he stays up on new research.) BUT... I keep forgetting to use it. It did seem to help, and I will be trying to be more consistent with it.

In addition to that I'm supposed to be taking 10000 vit D, silver biotics, and citracidel to continue healing from lyme. I am the WORST at remembering to take pills/meds though. I never forget my thyroid meds, but the other stuff is touch and go. So, so, so hard to take care of myself when I'm scrambling to be a mom. I'll be going in next month for new round of blood work - complete work up. So yeah. Thanks for mentioning all that. I will do my best to be MUCH more consistent on all those suplements.

[HeyChelle]

@ Minxxa: interestingly enough, last night while i was meditating it came to me that i should probably try to have a sweet potato in the morning (since i work out midday) and see if that helps as i'm often in a state of ketosis... i think you may have confirmed my 'epiphany'

Strangely enough, I don't think I've ever hit ketosis. Can you tell you are in it?

although, initially, it may seem like a chore, i find that fitday.com (or something similar) helps me to plan my meals... i usually tinker with it a day in advance or even in the morning so that i have a good idea of what i'll be eating that day (enables me to see my ratios, calories, etc--which i find helpful)...

hang in there and don't forget about the muscle mass!

I've been using the Lose It app. Maybe I should switch... Muscle mass - I should measure. I've been going my the fit of my jeans and since I have stalled, I have not noticed a difference.


Again - thank you for the ideas and encouragement. :mwuah: I so, so, so wish I had someone to take care of me like I take care of my kids! lol Since I have to do it on my own, it so helps to have others chime in.

[TigerLily]

Hi. I'm 41, insulin resistant, and hypothyroid, too. I am doing well on approximately 50-80 carbs (guesstimate, I do not weigh, measure, or track anything, but, based on a former life as a compulsive dieter, I have a fairly good idea of what's what forever imprinted into my memory bank).... but only after I ditched the dairy. That was the big thing for me. Weight started sliding off only then. Secondarily is nuts. I am losing again now that I have finally kicked those to the curb. I've lost 50+ pounds since June. I am exercising.

[TigerLily]

Also, I think we'll all get further along if we can begin to think not in terms of our body being the enemy and going into battle against it but, rather, starting to think about joining forces *with* our body and giving it exactly what it is needing. This may sound a little too West Coast woo-woo for some, but it is working for me. My body has actually done a tremendous job, given how much I've abused and neglected it. I've taken to calling her "The Little Body That Could."