Motivation, Inspiration, and Rewards

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Hi, Carcycater.
The most reliable (and healthiest) way to give your body a boost here is through physical activity. This is not just because of the extra energy it burns, but also because it protects and strengthens your most important fat-burning asset, muscle tissue.
If you are new to exercise, please let us know, and we can assist you with resources on getting started if you wish—note that you don’t have to dive headfirst into anything strenuous, and that there are helpful exercises to fit all ability levels and time schedules. Even just walking in place in front of the TV for the length of a sitcom is great—if you feel like you’re “out of shape,” just start with 5 minutes each time, and work your way up to 30 minutes, then twice per day if you need.
If you recently started exercising, the number on the scale may not be reliable at this stage. Since you are now swapping fat for muscle, which is much heavier, you may be getting healthier while the number of pounds or kilos stays the same. In this case, pay more attention to how you’re looking and feeling, how your clothes are fitting, etc. You may be pleasantly surprised!
If you have been exercising all along, good for you! Ironically, the fact that you are in good shape may be slowing you down a bit here, as the muscles you usually use may have become complacent and don’t burn energy the way they did at the beginning. In this case, we suggest to introduce new exercises, even swapping them out for the old ones for a little while, to wake up new muscles. The best results have been reported with introducing weight training—again, it doesn’t have to be super strenuous, just something you can do on a regular basis. Even just lifting filled food cans in front of the TV counts. Another option is to mix up the rhythm by adding bursts of higher intensity movement to a steady aerobic regime. This can be something like 30 seconds of jogging or going uphill every 5 minutes during a regular walk.
Another common cause of lack of weight loss or weight gain is an imbalance in thyroid function. For this, we recommend getting tested and followed by your healthcare provider. If you are receiving medication, be sure the dose matches your need.
Beyond that, I see that your weight and goal weight put you near the divide between two menu levels. I suggest you change your current weight in your profile to 195 lbs / 88.5 kg (be sure to change your goal weeight to be lowr, of course), and re-generate your menu. You will get a little less food.

I am starting my 7th week on the program, and have not lost any weight. One week I lost a couple pounds, but those came back quickly. I am following as close as I an able with weights and measures. Any suggestions?

I suffer from chronic kidney disease and have joined another website for this, but I think the Trimdown club sounds a good companion to renaltracker.com. At the moment I am unable to weigh myself (I need to replace my lithium cell battery!!)but as soon as this is done I will be able to keep track of my progress. I was hospitalised this year which helped in that I lost about 12 kilos, but I am sure I have another 15 to lose. I am looking for recipes which refer to potassium and sodium levels (for my kidneys)and general ease of use. I am lazy.

I am down 11 lbs now. I really like following the menu. I’m not ready to try the recipes yet, maybe this week. I have been walking but I need to get back to the gym. I am worried I will be hungry. Has anyone had to increase their food intake due to exercise or should I keep on track w/ the menu?

Im hoping it will work in the long run. There is no such thing as a miracle cure. There does seem to be many success stories with this program too. I am going to keep to the 8 week plan and take it from there. Im sure there are good health benefits with this plan also that will be beneficial. Im now on week 3 and hoping to get a better result in week 3. I don’t mind if its only 1 or 2 pounds. Good luck with yours too. Drop a note next week as it will be interesting to hear if you have any success.

Hi – Ive just finished week 2. I have stuck to the menu planner exactly. Week 1 I lost 2 pounds but week 2 I put 1 pound back on which is disappointing. Not sure what went wrong as I had 90% health menu plans both weeks and stuck to it very well and was hoping to lose another pound or 2. The only thing I cut out was the final snack of the day which I felt I didn’t need and you said this was OK. Is this normal to put a pound back on even though I didn’t cheat?