Want to clean it up a bit more for the new year

[cayenne]

Hi all!

I did my W60 in April of this year and have been 99% compliant since with  less than a handful of off road meals getting right back on track the next day. Good for me...even made it through a major death in the family without getting run over. That hasn't happened before. And the holiday season so far has me staying on track without incident. Good for me again. Since April, I have improved my mood dramatically, no more hot flashes, and reduced joint inflammation. All huge deals to me. I also have lost about 20 pounds over all. Not a huge amount in 9 months but steady.

Recently, I have stabilized in the scale category and even gained a couple pounds. I want, for the sake of my joints, drop another 7-8 pounds for the new year.

My daily 1% of non compliant things(full disclosure) are about 5 oz of diet mountain dew to jump start the work day(I have insomnia)-the days I am off, I don't need it. I drink coffee or tea in the morning and don't have caffeine past 7 am on most days. Seltzer/water after that.

And I chew sugarfree gum-a lot. Probably 8 sticks a day. Stress reducer at work again, reduced need at home.

I have 1 normal size glass of wine 3-4 times a week.

Maybe 3  compliant Larabars after a hard workout a week.

Full disclosure.

Give me the horrible truth about my itty bitty "cheats"-are they really all that bad? And are they the culprit in the lack of weight loss recently?

I keep nut intake to 2-3 times a week, have a couple pieces of fruit a day only. Maybe a small sweet potatoe for workouts which averages about 6-10 hours a week for endurance sports.

 

Thanks all!!

C

[GFChris]

Full disclosure: wine lover here. 3-4 glasses of wine per week could be a factor in lack of weight loss. I'd suggest cutting it down to no more than 1-2 glasses of wine per week for a month and see if you notice a difference.

 

Instead of the Mountain Dew, what about caffeinated tea or coffee? 

 

On the Larabars, you're having 3 at once, or one three times a week after a workout? In either case, aim for having a post WO snack that fits the Whole30 template. The template calls for protein and carb-dense veg post WO.

[missmary]

Poor sleep quality could be a huge issue in your lack of weight loss, so I would work hard to address that. Bonus: sleep well, don't need mountain dew in the morning!

 

The sad reality is...for me...a glass of wine in the evening pretty much guaranties poor sleep quality....so yeah, all the "little cheats" actually build on each other and make a difference.

[Physibeth]

I would agree about everything said. I've seen a lot of evidence that sugar substitutes do much more harm than good in weight loss so cutting the gum and the diet soda would probably help a lot. Have you tried magnesium to help with sleep and stress? I know a lot of people swear by natural calm. I've also read that it is better absorbed topically like with a magnesium oil spray or an Epson salt bath.  

[cayenne]

THanks guys!

Three larabars a week(one after a tough 2 hour workout usually). I do drink tea with caffeine but feel I need a quick jump start in the work morning.

I already take the magnesium at night. I will eliminate the gum(sigh) as I really feel that has gotten out of control. Cut back the wine to weekends only and see if that helps jump start the weight loss. I can bring a boiled egg/sweet potato for post workout meal. Damn-I was hoping to be able to loosen the reins just a bit over the months but my body loves this way of eating. It is not that I want to go back to the old way-not at all. Just not be as strict. It is worth it though......

[amberino21]

You say you've put on weight - have you put on fat or muscle?

Artificial sweeteners can be the cause of bloating, and perhaps fluid retention. I'd cut them out. They also may be making your digestive system less effective....

You mention stress too - this can have a huge impact on your fat loss ability.

[cayenne]

It is a couple pounds of gained weight so it isn't crazy and I want to believe it is muscle as I have been hitting the weights much more in the last 2 months but at 55 years old-that would be a miracle.

The artificial sweetners are in the gum-that would do it?

That I can change-the stress maybe not so much.

Thanks again!

[praxisproject]

I'm an ex-insomniac and ongoing intermittent (response) shift worker, so I can totally relate to the lack of energy at critical times.

 

I've found artificial sweeteners to have a huge impact on my inflammation levels (weight too) and others in my family seem to have similar reactions. I have the worst reactions to Nutrasweet, most of the sugar alcohols and Splenda. No noticable reactions to stevia or erythritol, but I barely consume these. I find my sleep is much better without these altogether, so it my overall health. I love bubbles in my drinks, so have switched to mineral water with a fruit essence in it (low carb, no sugar, Whole30 compliant).

 

You also might want to rethink the Mountain Dew (even if you swap it out for another soda or extra coffee). It contains Brominated Vegetable Oil which is an endocrine disruptor - something you really want to avoid if you have trouble sleeping or want to lose weight

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/11/brominated-vegetable-oil-in-us-soda.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocrine_disruptor

it's in things other than Mountain Dew too, so you may want to check through your labels if you decide to eliminate it. It's often in citrus things and in soda is often in cloudy sodas.

 

Magnesium makes a huge difference for me, I don't know what my body is doing with it, but it consumes the stuff at a rapid rate, skipping even one day of tablets can swing me back to deficiency levels, with crippling leg cramps not far behind.

 

I'd cut out the sweeteners and soda, add in some extra nuts and sweet potatoes if you want them, maybe some bulletproof coffee Are you getting enough food? Gum can sometimes be a cover for actually being hungry.

 

I highly recommend lifting heavy things, I've found this much more effective than cardio (which I think lifts my cortisol too high, making exercise counterproductive) and seems to help a lot with sleep (both maintaining it and getting back on track if it all goes badly).

 

If you have never discussed "Sleep Hygeine" with your doctor, it's well worth it and it's usually very cheap. If they don't know what it is, find a doc who does. It's why I'm now an ex-insomniac, after years and years of suffering without treatment.