 sandyc2836 11 years ago | I have done exactly what you have said about cutting down. I have cut the rice cakes in half and I have cut the pretzels in half and also some of the other carbs. I will look in to the pilates for exercise. I will give it a go for a while longer and see if I get any results. Thanks for your input.
Sandy |
 Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | Hi, Sandy. Given your back condition, see about going easier on some foods, especially if you are not hungry – for example, eating 2 rice cakes instead of 4 in the morning, cutting down on the olives or swapping them for a low-salt protein, cutting the pretzel amount in half, peas in half, etc. (since you are already getting a good amount of fruits, vegetables, and protein). Don’t worry about the foods you don’t like – the advantage of the Menu Planner is that you can choose what you want. Cutting back much more is a problem, because then your basic nutritional needs will not be met. If you want to post more menus for troubleshooting, please do.
Another option is to see about jump-starting your metabolism by adding a new set of muscles to your workouts, something that will not hurt your back – these options absolutely do exist. Most of them are what are considered low-impact Pilates, which work to preserve the back while toning muscle. If you are interested, you can post in the Fitness forum, and our specialist will get back to you. |
| Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | Hi, Frances. Thanks for the information. Your menu looks fine, and consistent with your nutritional needs. The challenge may be that you are very close to your goal weight, so loss of numbers is an issue, and not always representative of fat. Add to that the fact that you recently changed types of exercise, which may mean that you have added muscle, which is heavier than fat. The question is if you looked and felt as though you had gained a pound.
If you can maintain cutting out all starches in the long run, see if that works for you. Post-menopause, this is sometimes a solution, if meat consumption is not high. However, many people cannot do that, and so this program contains moderate amounts of the starches. (Note also that vegetables tend to be less nutritionally dense overall, so be careful that your swaps are not converting the diet to something that does not meet your basic needs, meaning that rebound weight gain may occur later.) |
| sandyc2836 11 years ago | I do not have a diet history because I have never had to diet before. I also
take a low dose of of medication for slightly elevated blood pressure, allergy
pills, and over the counter drugs for heart burn. Also, I did have more dance
classes before than I do now. The restrictions to my diet is one that is low
fat. Also, I am allergic to all spices, especially black, red and white pepper. I have an ongoing lower back problem which acts up about 3 times a year which I
have been fortunate enough for it to subside after seeing the doctor. One of my biggest problems is that I do not like oatmeal, vegetables without
sauce or some king of dressing, and all of the beans listed, other than baked
beans. And, my biggest problem is that I love sweets and desserts, which I
haven’t had but 2 times since I started this diet. Here is the sample of the diet that has been posted for me for tomorrow: Breakfast •4 Rice Cakes
•5 Olives
•1 Egg (omega-3)
•1 cup of Raspberries Snack #1 •20 Pretzels (Regular or Gluten-Free)
•1 ounce of String or Block Cheese, Low-Fat
•1 cup of Grapes Lunch •2 ounces of Beef, Regular
•1/2 cup of Wild Rice (Cooked)
•1 cup of Green Peas
•1 serving of Vegetables of Your Choice Snack #2 •6 Rice Cakes, Mini
•2 ounces of Herring
•1 serving of Vegetables of Your Choice Dinner •3 ounces of Crab
•1 Tbsp of Pesto Sauce
•1/4 cup of Yam
•1 cup of Mixed Green Salad Snack #3 •1/2 ounce of Walnuts I would appreciate any help you can give. I am very discouraged and am thinking
that maybe I need to try Nutra Systems. |
 franceswartnaby 11 years ago | Hi Ossie My dieting history is that I have never in my life had to diet until a couple of years ago I slowly rose from 118 lb to 126 lb. To me that felt really big. Had to start going up a size in clothes. I made several attempts to lose the extra weight by stopping the sweet stuff I love. However, when I got down to target I always started gaining again. A year ago we went away on holiday for a month and during that month did loads more activity. Much more in line with what I had done previously. ie, kayaking, cycling, walking etc. Even with holiday eating, by the time I came home I had gone back down to 118 lb. Since then I have slowly risen up to 122 lb. Not a huge amount, but I don’t want to keep rising so have been trying to work out a balance, healthy way of eating that suited me and kept me at my ideal weight. I thought this may have been the one, but my 1 lb gain after the first 7 days was a disappointment. I don’t want that to carry on. In the last 3 days I have replaced all the starchy carbs with carbs from fruit and raw veg. Two things which I find easy and enjoy. As a result of that I have lost 3 lb and am within 1 lb of my goal. I haven’t eaten anything made with flour for years nor rice or potatoes. I actually don’t like rice and potatoes and anything with flour in it blows my stomach up like a balloon. However, when I was making my selections for the planner, it wouldn’t let me continue without choosing the required number of carbs and so I had to choose potatoes and rice as I didn’t like anything else on the list. My health is brilliant. I have absolutely no health issues and never have. Although I am 67next month I am fairly fit and very healthy. I have always walked a lot, but have not done much cycling over the past year. In the last couple of weeks I have upped the walking and started cycling just 3 or 4 miles a couple of times a week. I hope that all that information helps. I will now post a sample day for you:- Sunday
Breakfast 1 cup of Oat Porridge (Cooked)
1 cup of Milk, Regular, Low-Fat (2%)
2 small Tangerines Snack #1 1 Egg (omega-3)
1 Apple Lunch 60 grams of Brick Cheese (Full Fat)
1 cup of Mung Beans
1 cup of Mixed Green Salad Snack #2 1 serving of Lemon Cottage Cheese Muffins
1 serving of Vegetables of Your Choice
1/2 Banana Dinner 1 cup of Creamy Sweet Potato Carrot Soup
90 grams of Chicken (White)
1/2 cup of Green Peas
3/4 cup of Pumpkin Snack #3 14 grams of Pecans |
| Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | Hi, Sandy. I’m happy to take a look at your menu, if you can copy and paste a sample day here.
A couple of additional questions: Are you taking any medications? (you mentioned a bad back). What is your dieting history? Have you been on restrictive diets in the past? When was the most recent one, and what were the results? |
| sandyc2836 11 years ago | I also have been eating according to the diet given. It is also a lot more food than I normally ate before. I also have cut out the sweet desserts. I have been following the diet for the past 4 weeks and have stayed at the same weight. My only deviation is that of the vegetables. I do not like most cooked vegetables unless they are in some kind of sauce or soup. I would think that by this time there should be some weight loss. My exercise consists of a tap dance class for 1 hour twice a week and playing golf 3 times a week. I don’t do much else because I have a back problem and try not to make it any worse. |
| Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | Hi, Frances. I would be happy to review your diet and compare it to your needs. Can you post a sample day from your menu (copy and paste)? It would also be good to know your general physical activity level, how long you’ve been exercising like that, and what your dieting history has been like. |
| franceswartnaby 11 years ago | Strange that Ossie hasn’t made any comment. She has answered another of my questions that I asked at around the same time so she has been online since I posted this. !! |
| franceswartnaby 11 years ago | I don’t think so. I have been 118 lb most of my life. That is my target weight now. I only actually need to lose about 4 lb which I have put on over the last year by not exercising enough and eating too much sweet stuff. As you say, I think it is more difficult if you don’t have a lot to lose, but I have been making an effort from both the exercise side and dieting. I am sticking with it, but slightly tweaking the planner. Taking out some of the starchy carbs and substituting with veg and fruit. We shall see how that goes. Though I do intend to weigh myself more often than once a week. Don’t want any more nasty surprises. LOL |
 margr 11 years ago | I think that it is harder to lose the weight when you don’t have a lot to lose. Are you trying to get down too low? |
| franceswartnaby 11 years ago | No. Not usually. I drink something in the region of 30 fl oz of water every day and have never had a problem with that. |
 Deborahjjhayes 11 years ago | One other thing to consider. Do you ever fluctuate with water weight gain? |
| franceswartnaby 11 years ago | I hear what you are saying, but that doesn’t explain why I would gain weight on this diet. |
 MjPatterson 11 years ago | Your body is used to less…. it’s bizarre, but to lose weight you need to eat a bit more… or slightly richer food…. weird but if you eat everything on the plan and nothing more you will lose. |
