Weight loss halted, any advice?

[gentleshepherd]

I am into my third month with this lifestyle/eating change. The first two months were strict Whole 30, and this last month has been what i thought would be more like what i would eat for the rest of my life. Not completely strict, but pretty darn close. for instance, i had cheese on taco meat at a family get together. Things like that, but strict the rest of the time. I understand this is not all about weight loss, but let's be honest here, when you are 50 plus pounds overweight and you find this program, you sort of want weight loss to be a part of it. Right? I have had other great changes, though as time goes by you start to live with those so they don't seem so dramatic.

Month one and two i lost about 10 lbs. each month. This last month i have not lost a pound! A bit if history. I am a mama to nine (but 15 pregnancies) had about a 10 year period of extreme stressful situation which resulted in a severe adrenal exhaustion. I was actually healed from that and was sailing along fine. (2010) I do believe myself to be still somewhat 'delicate' from the standpoint i have to be careful not to push myself too hard, as i am not 25 with now health issues ;-) I am 46 with some remaining issues, and symptoms can come back on me.

I have not incorporated excercise back in yet, as i have read to let yourself heal some before doing so. I tend to push way, way too hard and end up in bed. I am learning balance!

Anyway, am i not ready to add things back in? Should i stay completely strict W30 until weight loss is complete? Should i start excercising? What kind? Any thoughts or encouragement would be most appreciated. I am always so encouraged with this forum. I will read for hours so many of the posts, so inspiring!

Blessings,

Michelle

Oh, an average day.

eggs, and a small handful of sweet potato hashbrowns

chicken thai coconut soup

beef or chicken and a couple of veggies

Sometimes if i am hungry in afternoon, which has been happening lately, i will have half an apple (they are huge) and some cashews or macadamia butter.

Thanks again.

[MonicaRenee144]

I'm no expert, but my suggestion would be to start adding some exercise in. If you've been pretty sedentary, walking is a good place to start.

[Tom Denham]

I averaged only 2 pounds per month when I was losing weight, but I kept losing for 15 months. So you've already lost as much in three months as I lost in 10!

Several things can interfere with weight loss.

One is eating too little. If you don't eat enough, your body will go into conservation mode and you will burn fewer calories during normal activities. Answer: follow the meal template and eat plenty.

Two is not sleeping enough. Your body chemistry is impacted by sleep and if you don't sleep enough, your body chemistry gets off and a major consequence is that fat becomes more stubborn. Answer: sleep 8 to 9 hours every night.

Many people who exercise a lot don't lose weight because your eating habits and your sleep are much more important than exercise. In fact, exercising too much interferes with weight loss. Just like eating too little, exercising too much makes your body slow down and burn fewer calories. You might benefit from some exercise, but that is not the answer to what is going on with you now.

Eating as little off plan as you report probably has nothing to do with your progress losing weight. Perfection is not at all necessary. Hang in there, get some sleep, and you'll probably make progress in the coming month.

[gentleshepherd]

Thanks, Tom, for the encouragement. I do tend to struggle to get enough food most times. It still boggles my mind that i can be so overweight and not eat enough. The old way of thinking, this just does not compute. But I am a believer now. As I am careful to eat enough and enough fat is when i feel the best.

In regards to sleep. Being a mama who has several children and nursed all of them, being perimenopausel, and adrenal challenged, sleep has always been an issue. Whether it was waking to nurse or hormonal disturbances, For as long as i can remember, (25 years or more) I have never slept for more than 4-6 hours at a time and then make myself go back to sleep for a couple more. Lately i have been excited that i occasionally have gone almost 7 straight hours! woo hoo! Perhaps the tide is slowly changing. I try not to 'stress' over not sleeping, sort of counterproductive, i know ;-)

Any tips on getting more sleep. I am trying to shut off the computer by 8:00 (usually only happens a few nights a week). In bed between 10-11. I just normally don't stay asleep for that many hours. Cool, dark room. eye mask and ear plug (remember, i have nine children) Husband who does whatever he can to keep me asleep by keeping things quiet. I have gotten out of taken naps, for the most part, as i so want my sleep to be at night.

Thanks again, for the encouragement and and other tips!

Blessings,

Michelle

[Tom Denham]

You are already doing most of what I know to improve sleep. The only thing I do extra is to take Natural Calm, a magnesium supplement. Natural Calm is soothing and makes most people feel more relaxed and sleepy within about 30 minutes. In my experience, it helps with getting to sleep, but does not make much difference if your issue is needing to sleep 8 hours and not wake up after 6.