Discouraged

[Joanne]

Hi,

(It's a long entry so please bear with me).
I have been feeling really discouraged in my attempt to lose the last 10-15 pounds. I have been working out about 4-5 times a week doing (I was doing more before) and following a 8-week fat-loss plan that I found in a book. This is the second time that I will be repeating the program. I followed it at the beginning of the summer but mostly the workouts; the program has a 1700 calorie meal plan as well - for women and 1900 calories for men. I used fitday.com to record my food intake and figured out how much I would need from carbs. 50-55%, protein 20% and fats 25-30%. It took me a while but I learned to listen to my body and ate small meals every 2.5-3 hours. It was frustrating at first but I got the hang of it. I was training for a 5K run and was working out with a friend so I felt really motivated and enjoyed my workouts. The weather was great and I had just finished school so I was ready for something new. I was down to 142Ibs. and 22% bodyfat. My goal weight is 130-132 (I'm 5'5).

I have struggled with my weight for a long time. I think it has been more of a mental battle than a physical one. I enjoy working out and receive great satisfaction in pushing myself but I notice that my enthusiasm and motivation tends to dwindle a certain times in my life. I know that everybody has moments where they lose focus and don't feel motivated to put in 100% but I feel like this pattern has been consistent in my life and I want to break it. Sometimes I wonder if my expectations are too high. I feel like I have to put in 80-100% all the time and when I don't, I beat up on myself. I use to be really strict with myself but learned to relax a little and not be so rigid about my weight loss efforts. I am trying to find a balance as well as be happy with how far I have come and not get so down on myself (I use to weigh 213Ibs.).

I went shopping today to buy myself some new clothes but I left after trying only a few items on because I didn't like the way I looked. I don't like saying that to myself because I think that it doesn't help and it didn't make me feel better but that's how I felt. I felt so great at the beginning of the summer and like how my body was beginning to tone up. I miss that and I want that back.

I trained with my ex- (a trainer) two years ago and I felt really good about myself because he pushed me and it helped to have someone take me through the ropes. I really miss that. I have been working out on my own and learning new strategies/workouts by searching the internet, books and fitness magazines but I feel like it's not the same. I don't have the money to hire a trainer because I just graduated from school in June so I am starting from scratch. I know that I can do this on my own but having my ex- train me made a difference. I'm not an expert in weight training and having someone there to help me lift weights heavier than what I normally would do on my own helped.

I have read a few of the journal entries posted by some of the members on this site and they have been both inspiring and motivating. I read Drama Queen's journal and her strength and motivation to keep chugging along is great especially after being so fit. I was thinking of you today Drama Queen! lol. Cursor, I looked at your before and after pictures and I noticed the date on the pictures. It took you about 3 years to reach your goal. Did you ever feel like you were stuck in a rut for any period of time? How did you stay motivated? You look great.

My goal is to really tone up and have a well-defined body. I saw a picture of this woman in an issue of Oxygen magazine (women's fitness), and I liked her physique. She gave birth to her second child and was getting back into shape (from 175 to 133Ibs.) She has a nice shape to her without that body build competitor look - which I don't find attractive. I know that she probably has done this for a number of years and worked out with a few professionals but I still think and strongly believe that I can look just as good as her; with the proper training and eating regime. Just in case you have this issue, it's Feb. 2004 page 53.

I know that I can do it and most importantly, I want to do it. I don't want to focus so much on my physical self as much as I want to work on challenging those pesty negative and disruptive voices in my head. I am working on not giving them too much of my attention because it only gets me into trouble.

I wish sometimes that once you lose weight you can't gain it back or put back on any bodyfat that you lost. I think the rule should be that once you lose it, than you won't gain it back. lol. Wishful thinking.

Thanks for your thoughts and for listening.

[Lady C]

Specifically what do your workouts entail?

List a typical day of eating.

Sometimes just changing something works. Like to a new workout routine or a slightly new diet.

[Rats!]

Rats Tip #1: Pounds is lbs, not Ibs.

[threenorns]

you're in southeastern ontario? whereabouts?

[Joanne]

I may have an apple before my workout but usually I workout on an empty stomach. I then eat a piece of fruit on my way home from the gym (if I workout at the gym) and
B: cereal (mix of oats, puff cereal, almonds, raisins and sesame seeds with soy milk) or a small breakfast pita with 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter. Or, homemade pancakes made from whole wheat flour, 1 egg, silken tofu, oats, egg whites, cinnamon, salt and soy milk in a food processor topped with some berries or jam and 1-2 tbsp. maple syrup.

L: Typically - brown rice, beans, avocado or olive oil and steamed broccoli, brussel sprouts or cut up cucumbers and mini carrots (I am getting bored with my lunches). Sometimes I will have tuna with onions and avocado and steamed veggies.
If I'm in a rush it's 1/2 pumperknicel bagel with natural peanut butter and jam and mini carrots with 1 cup of soy milk

D: fish with steamed spinach and sweet potato or mix salad with 2 tsp. olive oil and salt or egg-white omelet (plus 1 egg) with steamed spinach or mix salad. Sometimes I have shrimp with rice pasta and tomato sauce or with leeks and olive oil. I mention olive oil a lot but I only have up to 1 tbsp. a day.

S: usually fruit or boiled egg (with a slice of toasted grain bread but not all the time) but I have noticed that when I wait too long to eat, I tend to want something starchy so I may end up eating more carbohydrates for the day and not enough protein. I also have PC Rice Chips or Quaker Rice Chips when I have a craving.

Chocolate was my downfall but I have cut back considerably. I usually eat chocolate (dark) when I am really craving it. I have noticed that my taste buds have changed because I find that certain foods that I use to enjoy not so pleasurable anymore.

I am vegetarian so I do eat a lot of fish, beans and brown rice. I use to experiment with different dishes and really enjoyed the variety. I think it also helped me to not think about my weight. I shifted my focus to other things but since moving back home, it's been really difficult to get into the kitchen as much as I would like to. I have noticed that I don't plan and prepare as much as I use to. I am trying to find a way that I can still experiment in the kitchen without having to feel in the way or like somebody else is in the way.

Lately I have noticed that my fat count is 30-35%, carbs. 50-60% and protein 16-20%. I don't think that I am eating enough protein (consistently everyday).

Workouts: I jog during the week - about 4x/week for about 45-50 minutes (10 min. jog/1 min. walk or 2 min. walk/2 min. jog) and then do resistance training using an exertube (resistance tube), medicine ball and I use hand weights to add more resistance for the lunges and step-ups. I follow a program by Matt Roberts (trainer) who wrote a book. I did the once program before and noticed a difference (I lost 7 pounds and went from 25% to 23% body fat in 8 weeks). I do sweat and feel it the next day but I have noticed that my body is getting use to some of the workouts. When I do go to the gym, I use the cross-trainer (almost all the time) anywhere between level 15-16 and sometimes only 16. If I only do cardio then I workout for 1 hour otherwise 30 minutes plus the weight training - using machines but following the same workout as in MR book - squats, glute press or raises, lunges, step-up (with 4-5 risers), push-ups, bicep curl, lateral raise, tricep press, shoulder press, arm row, back extension and crunches. There are other exercies but these are the majority.

I am getting bored with my routine and need to do something else. I am in week 4 of the program and would like to finish it though (8 weeks). I wouldn't know what to do or how much to do so that's why it's easier to have something planned out for me rather than trying to figure it out for myself. I use to take a lot of my old programs and use them.

I haven't been going to the gym consistently so that's why I jog and workout at home most of the time. I avoided going back to the gym because I felt disappointed and embarrassed for gaining some of the weight back. I felt good and received a lot of compliments but since gaining it back, I haven't felt comfortable going back...yet.

[Joanne]

Sorry, that should read Southwestern Ontario. I don't know how to change it on my profile. I'm 1 hour outside of Toronto.

[cursor]

Profile has been changed to 'Southwestern'.

[threenorns]

rule of thumb: if you're bored, change the routine, even if you feel you "ought to" finish whatever-whatever and blah-blah. if you're bored and approaching it as a chore, not something that's fun to do, then you will NOT put out the intensity and you just won't get the results. look around, find another routine that will put the oomph back in your workouts and your progress will resume.

[Joanne]

Thanks for the spell check Rats, and thanks Cursor for changing the information in my profile. :

[Joanne]

Thanks Drama Queen. I tend to stick with plans that are already laid out for me because I don't know how to design the right one for me. I will try and work something out. Where do most of you get your workouts from? Do you design them on your own or do you check out fitness magazines? Do you have trainers or are some of you trainers?

I was looking into the personal training program through Can-Fit-Pro (Canada) and ACE (American Council on Exercise). I was told that ACE is a much better program than Can-Fit-Pro but I wouldn't know. Has anyone heard of these two programs and what do you think? I am interested in taking one of these programs for my own personal interest but also because I want to be able to design my own programs and possibly work in the fitness field one day. As a teacher, I would like to work in the schools helping children facing obesity and also teaching students about the importance of nutrition and exercise because of what I went through.

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by Joanne

Lately I have noticed that my fat count is 30-35%, carbs. 50-60% and protein 16-20%. I don't think that I am eating enough protein (consistently everyday).

I think you will find much better results if you drop your fat to around 20%. Try not consuming starchy carbs at dinner like the sweet potato. You should be eating that post-workout instead. I don't think you need more protein but you will have to experiment.

[threenorns]

i don't think my program would suit you at all - it's a powerlifting program that was kindly modified for me by a very nice person on another board.

what about MaxOT? you could follow the format and the exercises, but instead of go-go-go all the time, you could follow a wave cycle: one week 10 - 12 reps, the next 8 - 10, the next 6 - 8, then head back up (8 - 10, 10 - 12, and so on).

[Joanne]

Thanks Lady C. This was my nutritional count today: fat 26%, carbs. 55% and protein 19%. I will work on reducing the fat. I looked at my meals over the past couple of days and my fat intake was mostly coming from the olive oil (1 tbsp.) natural peanut butter (1-2 tbsp.), fish, eggs (1 every few days) and sesame seeds (1-2 tbsp.) and I had some dark chocolate. I will be more conscious of my fat intake and carbohydrates as well. I sometimes crave the starchy foods in the evening so that's why I have the sweet potato but tonight I had my fish (rainbow trout) with mix salad greens and 1.5 tsp. of olive oil and I later had a protein shake with 1/2 cup raspberries and frozen blueberries, 1 tbsp. flax seeds, 1/2 cup soy milk and 1 scoop soy protein powder. The carb. count was not as high as it would have been if I had the sweet potato. The shake also helped me to increase my protein to 70 grams for the day.

P.S. You look great in your pictures. Thanks again for your help.

[Joanne]

What is MaxOT? I would be willing to try it. Do you have a program or would you be willing to help me get started? I would just want to know what to do during the week and how much. Do I do cardio and weight training on separate days or combine the two?

By the way, what is the powerlifting program that you are doing? Does it help you build muscle?

[CF-OC_gal]

Hi Joanne,

I just wanted to say congratulations for having come so far on you own towards your goal. You do know that the last 10 lbs are the hardest to lose and many people struggle with a certain number in their head that they must see on the scale instead of accepting the fact that their body finds their current weight ideal. You may have weighted 132 lbs before, but that doesn't mean that it is ideal now, especially if you are more fit (and muscular) than before.

If it is just 10 lbs then how about putting the scale away and changing your goal to one of acheiving something fitness or health related. Set your sites on that 5K race, take each day one at a time. Maybe make it your goal to improve your training time by one minute per week and think about how you can better nourish your body.

IMHO - you should be thinking of shifting into maintenance mode not starting another blessed diet! Don't worry about fancy programs right yet. Learn to find your way around with free weights. If you have $15-$20 buy a DVD for yourself like Lift Weights to Lose Weight by Kathy Smith. It will have all the basics there. From that point and by joining in on forums on the Internet you can self direct a lot. If you want to ask questions to a Registered Dietician about your weight loss goals or plateaus, I can direct you to a place with an awsome expert. (Don't get me wrong the people here have good advice too. )

Nancy Clark's book, Sport Nutrition Guidebook is also very informative and well laid out.

Good luck - you deserve to be commended for having come so far! : : :