So I thought I would fill all of you in on what's been going on with me. I have been steadily gaining weight over the last 3 months. Why? I'm not quite sure yet. It could be my nutrition, it could be my stress, it could be my thyroid or a mix of all of these. I have not been too happy about gaining weight because I have worked so hard to lose it. I was so happy to maintain my weight for 6 months because up to that point I had never maintained a steady weight for more than a month. I think the fact that I had kept it steady for so long was what made the gaining of weight so hard for me. It was making me very angry so I went to see my doctor.
My doctor suggested I go on a 1300 calorie diet. Yep, a diet! I am not too excited because I HATE counting calories. My goal is to lose 15 pounds by the end of June. I can do it! My main goal with my diet is to add more protein, reduce my intake of nuts and seeds and increase my vegetable consumption. I eat quite a few veggies and fruits already but I want to be eating more veggies than fruit.
Now for those of you who think I'm crazy to be at 1300 calories a day, the doctor and I are eliminating the reasons for my weight gain. If I reduce my calories to 1300, I will lose weight. However, if I don't we'll know something bigger is going on with my body. She said all of my numbers look fabulous. My B levels are great, my cholesterol is 126, my kidneys, liver and blood all look great. My body fat however, is a whopping 25%. I kid you not I was sick about that. My doctor has me eating 3 green smoothies a day now to up my protein intake. My muscle mass has gone down as well which she thinks is because of the lack of protein.Green smoothies, here I come!
My goal is to have my body fat reduced to under 20%, my muscle mass up 10% and my weight down a total of 15 lbs. Do you think I can do it? I do!
Stay tuned : )
Nicole
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI just recently found your blog. I am huge Cathe fan as well and just started a blog of my own. http://www.huffandbuff.com/ It is still in it's infancy phase and I'm sure it will morph several times before I figure out the direction I want to take. I have enjoyed reading over some of your past posts and look forward to reading more about your current journey. I am convinced you can do it.
I am certain you can do it!
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about doing metabolic typing? (honestly not my favorite but it's helped so many)
or there is blood typing too. My professor swears by it, the book is by the same name, there are foods that I should not have according to my metabolic type and my blood type.. I wont give up. (raw spinach, red peppers)
Keep up what you are doing, you will find your way back! I am the pro at that... journal every bite and you will see success...
Hang in there Nicole... I know just where you are! Cheering you on from NY!
Hang in there, Nicole!! You will do great - have faith and stay well :)
ReplyDeletewow I am in the exact same place as you. I had been maintaining my weight loss for awhile around 112. Since January I started gaining weight slowly but steadily and now am fighting 116-117 and I don't know why! Even with all of my exercise anything over about 1400-1500 cals a day seems to make me gain weight and I need to go down to 1200 and exercise hard core to lose so I feel you. I would love to hear how your journey continues.
ReplyDeleteOh, how frustrating! You work so hard, and I'm not sure you can possibly exercise any more or eat healthier than you already do (after all, you ARE a "fitness freak" ;-)). I sure hope you get to the bottom of this...soon! You can do it! Seriously, if you've been able to maintain your weight for 6 months - and the raw lifestyle - you can pretty much do anything!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, Yes, Yes!!! YOU can do all things through Christ, who strenghtens us!!
ReplyDeleteYour diet sounds a bit familiar...green smoothies...hmmmm...I know you are using greens...what is the rest of the mix??....I've been sucking on wheatgrass and barley grass between meals....Yummy.
Thank you all so much for your support, it really means a lot to me. I wanted to share this with all of you because it's good to know that weight doesn't just fall off and stay off, it's hard work. If I only told the good people would find that discouraging I think. I am glad I have all of you telling me your stories as well, it encourages me so much.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Nicole
You can definitely do it!
ReplyDeleteYou said you're not a fan of counting calories - and obviously you work out a lot. Is it possible you're overtraining and your body is going into starvation mode and hoarding every calorie it can get? I'm sure you and your doc already discussed that.... but it's just the first thing that popped into my mind.
Love that you're not only telling the good - when that happens the rest of us can get very discouraged because we can't keep up. :-)
Thanks Melonie : )
ReplyDeleteMy body is definitely NOT liking this reduced calorie thing. I keep telling it, a few more weeks, a few more weeks.
See, now you can keep up for sure!
Best of luck! I'm sure you'll end up losing. All it usually takes is less carbs and fats, more protein...small tweaks and a little bit more consistency. :)
ReplyDeleteNicole:
ReplyDeleteGood luck.i totally understand ur frustration,I have been working out for 6months and luckily no gain abut no weight loss at all.I am sure u can do it.YOU GO GIRL!!!!!
xoxo
sharanya
Thanks Kristine! I know my extra green smoothies will make a big difference once my system adapts to the extra protein.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sharanya : ) I wish you success as well!
You can do it!! I have no idea what my body fat is right now and am honestly afraid to find out.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to let me know how the green smoothies turn out. And, of course, share the recipes of your favorite concoctions. :)
Thanks Heidi! I was just fine not knowing but my darn doctor spoiled it for me ; )
ReplyDeleteI'm going to review my new protein powder this weekend. I love it in my smoothies!
Nicole
I've gained a few pounds, too, but I know it has to do with all those raw cupcakes. I'm now eating more salads and changing up my smoothies a bit. Hopefully, I'll naturally take off the extra pounds. It just seems to work that way, as I eat lighter in the warmer months. Hope that works for you, too.
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to get my body fat tested. I have gained some weigh lately too, and took some time off from working out as I thought I was over stressing my body, which caused me to gain some weigh. I eat well, but do I have huge sweet tooth. But I plan to increase my green smoothies too!! Thanks for the inspiration! Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteHey Nicole!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that all the hard work didn't pay in terms of the scale. I am in a very similar situation right now so I am really trying to clean up the diet. I do have a question - how intense are your workouts now that you are on a 1300 calories diet? Also, would you PLEASE post a sample meal plan for a day? :)
The Hot and Fit,
ReplyDeleteThank you. My workouts are still the same intensity as I was doing before since I have a hard time doing low intensity workouts. Call it OCD:o) I will be posting a sample meal plan next week for sure! Thanks for reading!
Nicole
Hey -
ReplyDeleteJust happened upon your blog looking for eating clean recipes. I saw your post on your thyroid.
I am a thyroid cancer survivor now trying to take off the weight - 4 years after the cancer. All I can tell you is this - don't give up. I know they say once your thyroid is regulated, you should be able to lose weight/stay at a healthy weight - but the truth of the matter is - it's WAAAY more difficult than they say. I too had hashimotos prior to the cancer. I started eating clean a month ago - it's working - but I am learning that I have to be far more strict than anyone else. If I follow a 1400 calorie eating plan and eat 1401 calories - I won't lose or I'll gain. I can't miss my exercise. I try really hard not to get frustrated.
Anyway - if you want to talk about the whole thyroid thing - feel free to email me at morenomtej@yahoo.com
I feel your pain!
Don't give up!
Tami
Thank you for the encouragement Tami. The hard part for me is that this will never go away. I mean I hope it does one day, but it probably won't. The hair loss is a hard thing for me and I find it only has gotten worse : ( Hopefully being vocal about it and sharing my story will help others.
ReplyDeleteNicole