 LynnM 11 years ago | Thanks for the good suggestions, Ossie, I have started doing some exercises with theraband, and will step it up. And you are right about going too low, I missed that extra granola on my hike up the hill to home! |
 Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | Hi, Lynn. Generally, the way to deal with a plateau is not to cut back so much, but rather to increase change the type of physical activity – reducing calories to below your basic needs can increase the risk of rebound weight gain (not to mention it kind of drains the fun out of life). When counting the second granola portion, you are just meeting your needs, assuming you are not adding anything else (if you are, i.e. sauces to the cooked vegetables and/or tuna, dressing to the salad).
If you have arthritic hips there are options for expanding your exercise options to use different muscles. The most popular is aquarobics (aerobics in a swimming pool, to take the weight off your hips) – do you have access to such a thing? If not, then pilates, yoga, and even resistance training with dumbells/elastic bands can be great, and you can choose the exercises that cause the least stress and with which you are most likely to stick. |
| LynnM 11 years ago | I should add that I have arthritic hips and back which limits my level of activity, although I have been able to increase my walking energy, imagining I am cross country skiing along the trail! I have so much more energy, and my brain works better too, I’m so thankful I found this club! |
| LynnM 11 years ago | Hi Ossie, thanks for answering. I am 5’9″, 173 or 178 lb depending on the day. I started at 185 on Jan 1, so that is still a good loss over the week, then the plateau started. I do see that the bottom weight is slowly going down, it was 175, then 174,173 today, but I still bounce up the 5 lb. I see from your responses to others that I can cut the carbs and fats a bit so have been doing that the last two days. This is a menu I adapted for today. I did not have the second amount of granola, and put the yogurt on the fruit. Monday
Breakfast 1/4 cup of Light/Homemade Granola [Click for another alternative]
1/4 cup of Raw Granola with Yogurt [Click for another alternative]
1 cup of Honeydew Melon [Click for another alternative] Snack #1 1 serving of Lemon Cottage Cheese Muffins [Click for another alternative]
1 cup of Rice/Oat/Spelt Milk [Click for another alternative]
1 cup of Blackberry [Click for another alternative] Lunch 1 cup of Mixed Green Salad [Click for another alternative]
1 cup of Shrimp & Vegetable Stir-Fry [Click for another alternative]
1/2 ounce of Almonds [Click for another alternative]
1 slice of Natural Streaky Bacon (Turkey) [Click for another alternative] Snack #2 1/2 Banana [Click for another alternative] Dinner 2 ounces of Tuna, Canned in Water [Click for another alternative]
1 serving of Cashew Chicken Wraps [Click for another alternative]
1 cup of Creamy Sweet Potato Carrot Soup [Click for another alternative]
1 cup of Brussel Sprout [Click for another alternative]
1/2 cup of Green Beans/French Bean/Haricot [Click for another alternative] Snack #3 1 cup of Tea, Green/White/Red [Click for another alternative]
1 ounce of Almonds [Click for another alternative] |
| Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | Hi, Lynn. There is as yet no way to adjust the menu planner, but you can try making sure your dairy and meat products are as low in fat as possible, avoid salty foods, and try cutting back the fats and starches(use about 3/4 the given portion sizes). This will add up over the course of the day. If you want, you can post your height, weight, age, and a sample day from your menu planner, and I can run some calculations for you. |
| LynnM 11 years ago | I’m going to bump this up because I think a lot of people have this question. |
| LynnM 11 years ago | I lost 6 lb. quickly, and have kept that off, but for the last three weeks I am bouncing up and down 5 lb, not keeping the lower weight. Is there any way to trick the menu planner to give me menus with smaller portions, or different combinations that would add up to less food? I have a low metabolic rate, and can’t exercise more than 2-3 km walk and 10 min of stairs. |
