one yr out...

Hi Everyone. I'm a yr out and have not lost any weight in about 3 months or so. I have lost about 75 pounds to date. I started at 370. I started changing my diet to include more protein. I have joined the gym and got a trainer in the last month. Does anyone have any other suggestions on how to get my weight loss going again. I'm not eating alot, eating heathly. No fast food. Still have night time eating. Any suggestions on how to break this habit. My doctor has given me sleeping pills, but I find myself eating and not knowing it till the next day, when I have crumbs in my bed. I'm also feeling like a failure. Does anyone else feel like this?????

Wow crumbs in bed!!!! You are sleep walking and raiding the fridge. No wonder you are not losing weight! Your family Dr. only gave you pills?? You need to see a sleep specialist about this regarding the sleep walking. What does your trainer say about the weight loss plateau?? Eating anything high in salt or retaining water? I had to take a water pill once and dropped almost 15 lbs!!!! I need to avoid salt as you can see. Obviously the trainer will be helping you turn fat into muscle....hmmm.........i hope one of these paid professionals will help you. I just can't believe they are not taking this seriously! all the best, Jennifer

Was just curious is the doctor prescribed you Ambien for the sleeping pills?? They are finding out now that a lot of people are sleep eating with Ambien. If it's Ambien see if the doctor can prescribe something else like lunesta or something. I personally take ambien for sleep and have no problems but I do know a ton of people that "sleep eat" if they take Ambien. Just thought I would throw that info out there in case you weren't aware of that!! Good luck!! Jo Ann

You can do several things to get back on track....first start a food journal, you can use fitday.com. Even when you are eating healthy every bite adds up in the end and you may be very surprised. You get your protein, vitamins and water. Remember that as you build muscle it weighs more than fat so the scale won't necessarily move but you do need to measure yourself because you should lose inches. As for the night eating...I would suggest that you get a therapist that can help you uncover the emotional reasons that are causing the problem...not just sleep walking but night eating. Good luck, Robin

Hi Stephanie, I found this on another person profile and thought this might help some people. Hope it helps, #1 - Do this for 10 days to break a plateau #2 - Drink 2 quarts of water a day #3 - You must have 45 grams of protein supplement and all your vitamins/minerals supplements each day (some suggest at least 60 and up to 80 gr) #4 - You may consume up to 3 oz of the following high protein foods, 5x a day beef pork chicken turkey lamb fish eggs low fat cheese cottage cheese plain yogurt or artificially sweetened (?) peanut butter beans/legumes You may also have: sugar free popsicles tea or coffee sugar free soda sugar free jello broths/bullion (sp?) crystal light drinks #5 - If it's not on the list, you can't have it for 10 days!!!! #6 - Keep a food diary and try to get up to 30 mins of exercise daily Andrea

Yes, I have also heard of people doing all kinds of things on Ambien when they are asleep, and lots of eating. I, myself take Melatonin to help me get to sleep. It is a supplement and is what your brain produces when it gets dark, i.e. it regulates your sleep cycle. Mine just happens to normally produce it at 2 am, so with Melatonin I am able to get to bed at a decent hour. I've never heard anything bad about it. Good luck and keep up the good work.

I've heard of people taking Ambien-CR having this happen to them, along with a bunch of other strange things. Ask your dr. about switching your sleeping medication to something like Lunesta if you are on Ambien-CR. Dee

Your BMR, or basal metabolic rate (metabolism), is the energy (measured in calories) expended by the body at rest to maintain normal bodily functions.  This continual work makes up about 60-70% of the calories we use ("burn" or expend) and includes the beating of our heart, respiration, and the maintenance of body temperature.  Your BMR is influenced by a number of factors, including age, weight, height, gender, environmental temperature, diet, and exercise habits.

Because of the increased activity of cells undergoing division, the younger the person, the higher (faster) the metabolism.  And the taller and heavier a person is, the faster their metabolism.  The good news is that when you are heavier you burn more calories, and thus it is easier to lose weight -- however, one reason weight loss becomes more difficult as you lose weight is your BMR decreases.  Because of the greater percentage of lean muscle tissue in the male body, men generally have a 10-15% faster BMR than women - so it is generally faster for men to lose weight.  And when you go on restrictive, traditional diets, your BMR can drop, and that makes it important to increase activity levels during that time.  In general, depending on the intensity and duration, consistent exercise can also increase your BMR.

To lose 1 pound per week means that you have to consume 500 less calories daily than you burn.  To lose two pounds per week you have to consume 1000 less calories daily than you burn.  Beyond this amount of weight loss you can develop loss of muscle mass, which makes you feel tired and is not a healthy way to lose weight. http://www.drsimpson.net/06_weight_loss/BMR_calculator.htm

which  wls  did u have?

Be careful with the trainer and gym - it is more important that you are doing strength training to get your muscles stronger, it is nice to do aerobic activities to lose calories but after losing 75 pounds you need to get your muscles in shape too.