How to EAT!?

hey everyone so im 10months out and its getting hard to lose weight. Im deff not consuming over 800cals a day and i drink atleast 52-64oz of water a day, but i feel like ive been suck at 205 forever! i dont eat fatty foods at all. mostly alot of chicken or meat sometimes, i dont eat greasy foods i dont drink milkshakes or juices or eat candy or chocolate. im feeling helpless  has anyone else incounter this? any suggestions? please and thank you

Hi Bree,

I'm wondering if you are logging everything you eat, so you know more precisely how many calories you are getting?  I only ask because I know how easy it is for me to overeat in calories even when I am eating only my usual meals and only eating healthy foods.  A small increase in portion size is surprisingly significant when we can eat so little.

When I stop losing weight and I need to lose more, I figure out where I can cut calories.  Its a pain, but that's the best I can suggest. 

One other thought - are you taking an meds that have weight gain as a side-effect?  For a while last year, I was taking Xanax to help me sleep, and I couldn't lose weight, even though I was following the plan.  I checked and weight gain is a side effect of Xanax. 

good luck.  You'll figure it out.

Carol

Hi Bree, 

I too am wondering if you log your food and include everything that you eat, every BLT (bite, lick and taste).  Also, do you weigh/measure your food?  You could be taking in more than you think OR you could even be taking in less than you think. 

This is strictly my opinion and I'm sure there will be others that don't agree, but PERSONALLY, I didn't want to stay at 800 calories for life.  I did for the first 6 months to a year but I started gradually increasing my calorie intake (especially as I started exercising) and monitored to make sure I was still losing weight.  Sometimes when I went up just 50 to 100 calories, I would have a big weight loss.  If you are tracking and weighing food and you are CERTAIN that you are eating 800 calories of quality protein and healthy fats, you might want to try upping the calories a bit or calorie cycling (having 800 cals one day, 900 the next then back to 800). Again, this is just my experience, but I eat 1200 or so now when I'm in weight loss mode and my maintenence level seems to be about 1500.

Good luck! Try not to get frustrated and hope you get back to losing soon! 

Usually as I worked my way down I had to change it up a bit. I had to change the ratio between my calories, carbs, water & protein amounts. The water sounds a little low, I usually aim for 80oz. I also didn't keep track of fat, in fact I aim to eat full fat foods. It's more satisfying & whatever foods had low fat it was high carb.

Look at the What are you eating threads in the vsg & rny forums to get a better idea of what everyone else is eating.

You're me! I lost and lost until I hit 205 back in November.  The posts above tells the story of what was going on with me.  I wasn't logging and I also changed what I was eating over the months.  I WAS a low carb nut my frist 6 months.  However once I got happy with my life I allowed myself the pleasure of Starbucks lattes again.  Now this is significant because even though I 1/2 the number of pumps in it, those drinks are still 200 calories.  It's 200 that I do not need to survive but it's 200 that I have made room for in my day.  It means I'm at about 1000 calories and my loss will be slower but I'm ok with that.  I'm at a weight that is allowing me to do things and I feel good.  So do what the others are saying and log your food for a week.  Don't log what you should be eating but what you've normally been having.  I'm going to bet there is something different than say your first 4-6 months.  Such as back then I was eating almost only meat for every meal.  Now days I do dabble in a few spoons of a side item, or some veggies or fruit.  These seem like small changes but instead of having only 4-6oz of meat only there is a different ratio of 4oz meat 2oz sides and depending on the sides those will drop my protein and maybe up my carbs.  It's a small change but it's one that has me moving a lot slower.  Also if you're now exercising because you feel so good you might be hitting some more snacks like I am as well.  Another one of those factors that if not kept in check will slow you down.

But please do yourself one favor and ask... am I pretty happy at this weight?  If you are, don't worry so much about the number and just look at all the things you can do.  Of course still being mindful of your intake but just relax and enjoy your new abilities.