Howdy everyone, first of all! I've been looking for a good internet fitness/health community to become a part of, and I've lurked here a little bit and like what I see. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif So--here I am!

Now my predicament. (Well, notsomuch a predicament, just my need for encouragement...) I'm 5'7" and...ugh...149lbs. (I'm a size 8, though, and medium build. My ideal weight for my size and type is about 135lbs.) I lost about 7lbs two years ago working out and apparently have gained 3 back, and I can NOT get rid of ANY of it!

I:
* Exercise a *minimum* of 5 days a week at 30 minutes per session, usually cardio (stairmaster) 3x and weights 2x. I also ride my horse 3-4x a week at 45min to 1.5 hours at a time, doing various exercises like dropping my stirrups to increase balance--and muscle development--for about 20min during my rides.

* Consume no more than 2000 calories, and typically consume about 1800 calories/day. I usually eat cereal, fruit, boneless/skinless chicken, small amounts of pastas, and salad. Snack foods are typically popcorn, a NutriGrain bar, dry handfulls of cereal, and various fresh fruits/veggies.

* Don't eat junk food except in extremely rare (like 1-2x every month or two) cases. No donuts, candy bars, chips, sodas, hamburgers, fries, etc.

And NO WEIGHT is coming off. I've increased output, decreased input, and my weight is the same. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif I know it's not all about weight, but it sure is discouraging.

I just want to lose 9lbs and be 140. I'll be more than happy with that. I'd like to tone up and be healthier, and I know doing it the "right" way is a slower process...but UGH!

I'd love any advice and encouragement to be thrown my way. Oof.

(BTW, I have exercise-induced asthma...running/jogging is very, very hard on me even with my inhaler, esp. in these lovely smoggy SoCal summers. I stick to the stairmaster and occasional swims instead.)

Sounds like you're definitely on the right track, and I suspect small dietary changes would make a big difference. You seem to have a lot of high GI, refines carbs in there. Cereal and Nutrigrain bars aren't a whole lot better than candy. They spike your insulin and anything that isn't burned right away goes right to storage. I'd recommend trying to change your ratios a bit by replacing some of your carbs with lean proteins and trying to make the carbs you do get low GI (ie. replace cereal with oatmeal). Even under the guise of "health food", sugar can wreak havoc on our fat burning efforts. Getting in more protein instead will encourage your body to hold onto lean muscle mass which will, in turn, increase metabolism and use more fat for fuel.

You do exercise a lot, but I don't think you're overtraining since it's relatively short sessions of cardio rather than a lot of resistance training. You might try one week off. Adjust your calories to account for lack of activity and give your body a little time to recover entirely. If 7 days is too long, just go for 5 and then jump back into it. The shock to your system might be the kick in the pants it needs to start burning again.

Anyway, just a couple suggestions. Good luck.

PS. One more thing to note... forget the scale!! Use measurements, fat calipers or dress size, but the scale is not very helpful when trying to determine fitness. If you are gaining any muscle, even if you are burning fat, it isn't going to show up on the scale. Don't rely on that to determine success!
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Keep your body lean, your blood clean and your mind sharp. -Rollins

[This message has been edited by Naxis (edited 08-12-2003).]

You could also increase the number of times you eat in a day. If you are eating 3 times a day now, try eating 6-7 smaller meals. Say every 3 hours or so. That helped me alot. Also look into HIIT training which is more efficient in burning fat....retains more muscle also.

Thanks for the advice, Naxis. Hmm. Who'd have thought not working out could be what I needed? It's kind of hard to think about doing that--what I want to do is hit the gym much harder than I have been, not ease back on it!

When you suggest oatmeal, is it just the plain Quaker stuff? Or is the flavored variety ok? (The plain is just so...plain!)

I've actually become much, much more active than a few years ago when I loss the 7lbs. I bought a horse last November, and she is a tremendous time commitment. I'm at the barn 4-6 days a week, riding, grooming, stall mucking (they do that for me, but every couple of weeks I scrape it all out and put in fresh shavings...it's like shoveling snow! Major upper body workout)--you get the idea.

At first I lost a few pounds when I got her because I was *so* busy I never had time to eat, and I was so much more active. But then, being so busy, I got sloppy in my eating habits and would eat whatever I could get my hands on, and I stopped making time for the gym--my usual gym time turned into my barn time. (And I *love* it!)

So my physiology is a bit different than it was the last time I tried this. You'd think I'd be down 20lbs, sheesh!

Gangof4, I snack a bit, but I don't do small meals several times a day. I've always been a bit of a grazer, though. I think what else I could do is not eat after like 7pm--or even 6pm--when my metabolism starts to slow down.

I'd suggest changing to a more natural eating pattern. Nutrigrain bars are absolute rubbish, and shouldn't be consumed. Pasta is a definite ouch, and potatoes should be extremely limited (I know you didnt mention them, but just in case).

Living in Southern California myself, I know exactly what you can get an abundance of here and what will help to get you losing weight.

The first thing you should do is eliminate every "white" food you have in your diet. No white bread, pasta, or potatoes. Change instead to whole grain and whole wheat pastas and breads, which are loaded with fiber and oh-so good for you. Next I would suggest eliminating processed and refined sugars from your diet. Burn all candy, desserts, and sodas you have in your house and instead snack on natural sugars such as fruits and vegetables. Then, I'd suggest you drink at least 64oz. of cold water daily to stay hydrated and help with the weight loss process. That is a very important step.

Eat the natural foods and fats and stay away from artificial products. Not only will you see the health beneifts, you will feel them.

Also, just a question; does your asthma flare up even if you use your inhaler while exercising? Could you run with your inhaler?

Sorry if those are ignorant questions. I've never had asthma and my brother can be active and simply use the inhaler after activity.

Ciao.

Thanks HappyCarnivore (hilarious s/n, by the way!).

Just FTR, I rarely eat any "white" food as it is now. We eat whole grain bread--and I'll try the pastas. Potatoes are already very rare for me, so that's no major change. Candy--outside the occasional Blow Pop or Jolly Rancher (occasional=1 or 2x/week, most), I don't eat candy. *Sigh* And I so love a frozen Snickers in these hot SoCal summers! But I weeded those out years ago. Sodas--fortunately, I never got into that habit. I can't stand cola drinks, and virtually anything carbonated wrinkles my nose. I drink just water, coffee (the only regular source of sugar for me, at a few teaspoons), and occasionally juice or milk. (Oh! And I drink some PowerAde at the barn; it's so friggin' hot, and I sweat waaaay too much off my body. I've found just drinking water doesn't help me with that weak feeling I get.) Desserts--I "allow" myself about one dessert a month; although that habit has become so ingrained I practically don't eat dessert at all anymore. (I just have a few bites of hubby's when he orders--which is a few times a month at most.)

Asthma...well, I was diagnosed when I started the fitness/healthy kick two years ago. Sheesh, you try to get healthy and find out you've got a counterproductive medical condition! I have the chronic variety, which means it's more subtle and gradual--not the dramatic, scary stuff acute sufferers have. Basically I get a feeling like a fish out of water--gulping for air, and nothing feels like enough. When it's really bad I'm light headed, wheezy, and it feels like there's an elephant on my chest. Perhaps I could run; I haven't tried much (although I've power walked) since that summer. Even with the inhaler I've felt a strain for breath (I have to take my inhaler before I work out)--but that just might be me out of shape!

Off to the grocery--I'm curious about those whole wheat pastas!

(And thanks again!)

Well, if you can't walk, I say find a healthy hobby and stick to it! Do you do gardening? That is often a very healthy activity that will get you off your butt, on your knees and keep you oxygenated. It's also a great source of nutrition when the food starts growing http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Walking is a great activity. If you can find the time, try taking a good long walk every evening.

And I know that the sweets once in a while shouldn't be a problem, but just for awhile, try to cut down? It may be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Just some thoughts.

Ciao!