8-mo out veteran - SCARED

Morning guys! just wanted to write this morning to say i'm pretty nervous. I've done great over the last 8 months. Every week I either lost or stayed the same except for one week were I gained 2 lbs. So over the course of 8 months, I have lost almost 120 lbs. BUT, the last 2 weeks have not been kind to me. Last week I gained 2 lbs and this week I've gained 1 lb. Now I know this is not much in the scheme of things, but it has me very nervous. My thyroid medication has been adjusted and I hope it's not affecting my weight loss. Other than that, I do keep track of everything i eat. Now I'm not saying I eat perfectly, but I certainly do not eat any more than 1200 calories in one day....and most of the time time it's more like 900-1000. Soooo.....I'm committing this morning to try and do these 5 things:
1. drink all my water
2. exercise more
3. keep calories around 800-1000
4. keep carbs around 40
5. get at least 80 g. of protein.
I haven't come this far to go off the rails now! Who has some encouragement for me?!? Have a great day!

You obviously know what works for you. I know the thyroid meds can take some time for the body to adjust to. You got this girl! Just hang on, you'll get there.

You can do this. You have a plan. Keep on tracking your food and if you are exercising a lot, including weight training, you might consider upping your protein. 80 mg is the bare minimum.

Good luck!!


Gail

Yup you got this!
I agree though that if your excersizing now...up the protein.

Don't worry, things switch up at different intervals through this journey.

Stay the course.
donna

 You did a nice job evaluating your situation and mapping out a plan- you got this :)

 You totally have this!  All the vets always say that the journey goes through many stages and there will be bumps along the way.  Stay true to your plan, keep up the good work and your body will eventually respond.  You're doing great!

You know how many calories over your maintenance amount that you'd have to eat to gain 1-2 lbs/wk, right?  3500-7000 calories.  Since you say that you've been keeping track of everything you eat, then you should know if you really gained that weight in stored fat.

My guess is that its more likely water weight.  In contrast to "too many calories" weight, it is very easy to gain even 5 lbs due to fluid retention over a week.  You can lose calorie weight, and have it not even show up if you are retaining fluid for any reason.

Did you have higher salt content food than normal?  Not just chips, but even frozen meals and canned soups, or frozen chicken breasts have lots of salt.  Did you eat more carbs than normal?  If you are normally a very low carb person then adding some carbs in can cause you body to hold onto more water.  Did you exercise more or more vigorously?  Muscles that have been worked hard will hold some water as they heal.

Just saying that I wouldn't freak out about it.  All the behaviors you listed are good habits and worth doing but I hardly think you are going off the rails if you are still tracking everything you eat and know your calorie intake!  That is the #1 behavior that goes when we are about to fall off track.

Keep it up - you'll see those lbs come off and more!

Way to make a plan. You can do this (you have been for 8 months now). And try and remember you can't control how the meds effect you or what the scale says; you can only control how ou eat and exercise. Stay true to your plan.

You know all this!  But here's my encouragement, 'cause we all need it sometimes!!  I have been in the same boat, minus thyroid meds, and I'm finally losing again. 

Following a plan, imperfectly, for the long term is more important than anything else.  In my mind, if I don't weigh-measure-record what I eat, I don't have a food plan.  I have my bottom lines about what I'll eat or not, about recording what I eat, how much protein I'll have, and ways of eating (not in secret, not in the car, etc.).  Everything else is a bonus if I can do those few things.

You cannot control how much you weigh, you can only control what you eat and what you do.  Fluctuations of a few pounds over two weeks mean very little in the grand scheme of things!!

Weight loss is just one side effect of following a plan - more important is peace of mind around eating.  We have to trust in the process of eating on plan, one day at a time, because we can't always be rewarded with a loss on the scale.  My monkey uses these times to tell me I'm a failure and to "screw it" and eat whatever I want.  So keeping this attitude isn't just some Polyanna BS, it's part of my life-and-death struggle with the monkey! 

Here's some other things I tell myself.  The scale is not my Higher Power.  It doesn't define my success - especially on a day-by-day basis - and it doesn't get to be in charge of how I feel.  I do not have a weight problem, I have an eating problem, which is only going to be solved by not overeating.  I will have an eating problem no matter what I weigh, so all I have to do is focus on the eating part, not the weight part. 

Finally, the other thing I tell myself is that I really, really have to accept whatever my body wants to do about how much I weigh.  If I am not losing, I take an honest look at my plan and recommit to finding my willingness.  Then I believe I just have to accept that where I am is where what I'm willing to do gets me.  And trust that it will all work out, as long as I follow my plan, imperfectly, for the long term.

Hugs and loads of encouragement!!   You are a VSG goddess!  Own it!

Thank you to everyone *****sponded. I know we all run into these little bumps in the road but it is nice to hear all of the encouragement. Thanks again, and I will everyone well!!