Anyone use Alli? (Melanie the pharmacist... need your thoughts too!)

Stephanie, if you are breastfeeding, that may also stall your weightloss. It seems that breastfeeding will initially speed up the weightloss after baby, but then it seems to stall the loss of the last few pounds.

Also, I agree that you should have your thyroid checked, and talk to your doc about any other medications you might be on, like BC pills if applicable.

If you eat clean already, Alli is just going to bind up the healthy fats you eat.
 
I agree with upping your calories

The more you eat, the more calories the body will burn. The less you eat and the more you exercise, your body will use LESS calories.

In order to break a plateau, you can zigzag your calories. After one/two days of more calories, your body will still burn more calories on the third day (the lower calorie day). Switching from higher to lower calories will keep your body burning more fat.
 
Katerchen said:
The more you eat, the more calories the body will burn. The less you eat and the more you exercise, your body will use LESS calories.

In order to break a plateau, you can zigzag your calories. After one/two days of more calories, your body will still burn more calories on the third day (the lower calorie day). Switching from higher to lower calories will keep your body burning more fat.
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Yes, I agree with the zig zagging, that seems to work for many. I personally have a hard time eating a lower calorie day, I often think I do :p, but then I input the day, and I tend to hover between 1700-1900. It always annoys me that fruit and vegetables adds calories, in my warped brain, I don't think they should :eek:.
 
GMonkey said:
Stephanie, if you are breastfeeding, that may also stall your weightloss. It seems that breastfeeding will initially speed up the weightloss after baby, but then it seems to stall the loss of the last few pounds.

Also, I agree that you should have your thyroid checked, and talk to your doc about any other medications you might be on, like BC pills if applicable.

If you eat clean already, Alli is just going to bind up the healthy fats you eat.
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Sadly I'm not breastfeeding. I also had my thyroid and hormone levels checked because my OBGYN was concerned. Everything was normal -- not even the high end of normal. You're totally right about Alli binding up the healthy fats. I hadn't even thought about that. Lord knows I don't want to be unhealthy for vanity sake. Thanks for the post! :)

babindy--Thanks for the links! I'll definitely check them out!

MadnNatsmom--I am not near my goal, sadly. Still have about 25 pounds to go. I gain 55 to 60 pounds when I'm pregnant. I've been able to get it off with my first two, but this one has been tricky. I twisted my ankle doing Imax2 a few months ago, and it was a very bad sprain. I am very skiddish about getting the step back out. I have been doing the Slow&Heavy series all month and been running on the treadmill (I'm new to running and am loving it). On the days I run, I do an Ab Circuits workout. I may need to up my protein intake. I don't eat meat but maybe one night a week and I don't get a lot of protein, other than the milk I drink and the protein bar I eat for lunch each day.

Dela--I tried monkeying with my calories, and I tend to lose best at 1200-1500 per day (depending on the intensity of my workouts). Though by "best" I mean a measly one to two pounds per month. :confused:

Well... Thanks everyone for all of your input. After reading everything you've written, I'll hold off on the Alli. I hated the idea of it anyway. I'd rather do it the natural way if at all possible. Just frustrated. It seems I should save my money up for STS and a GWF (which are terribly expensive, btw). I really appreciate the support! You guys rock! Sorry I was a Ms. Whineypants!
 
MadnNatsmom said:
This is a bit off-topic, but 1200 is NOT too low, depending on how "big" you are and if you're eating the correct foods.
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To your point, I don't know her numbers, it's just so many trainers out there state that this is the absolute minimum you should attempt to be eating. And in this case, it's just not working for her.
 
babindy said:
I use this to estimate my RMR
http://www.shapeup.org/interactive/rmr1.php

I need to recalculate it as I lose weight. I use this as my absolute minimum.

There are BMR calculators as well. Here's a link to one of those
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

There's info about each of them on the sites.
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OK, this seems odd. My RMR is 1355, but my BRM says I need 2,270 calories per day if I'm moderately active, to maintain my weight. I'm confused. So I shouldn't dip below 1355?

(Sorry to keep beating this dead horse, but I'm confused. :confused:)
 
Ok, you didn't ask, but I feel chatty today.

If I had to vote on STS or GWF, ooh that's kind of tough, but I have both, and would vote for STS. Amazing program. And yes they are both very pricey, but I am an expert money spending justifier, so here goes...

I looked up Alli, at 3 pills per day, 120 pills for $65, if my math is correct, comes to about $572/year.

STS = $300 (lasts a lifetime)
GWF = $180 (better last at least a few years)
GWF display (I don't use mine often) = on sale now for $30 if you buy the GWF armband too.

:D (Did you break out the credit card yet??)
 
Stephanie0523 said:
OK, this seems odd. My RMR is 1355, but my BRM says I need 2,270 calories per day if I'm moderately active, to maintain my weight. I'm confused. So I shouldn't dip below 1355?

(Sorry to keep beating this dead horse, but I'm confused. :confused:)
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I don't dip below my RMR. So if you're eating 1200 that's too low. You should up to at least 1360.

You could THEORETICALLY go as high as 2270 (you clicked female right?). But you don't want to maintain so you need to be LOWER than this to lose.
:cool:
 
Thanks guys!! :D
I just went to dailyplate.com and journaled EVERYTHING I put in my mouth yesterday. I thought I ate less than I actually did. My net calories were 1522, but once I calculated my workout it dipped to 1166. My question: Is the RMR what you should be eating BEFORE you calculate your workout? Or do you take the workout into consideration? Still confused...

Dela--I'd love to buy STS, but we're a one-income family with three kids, and I find a hard time justifying extra expenses on myself. Plus, I did Nutrasystem earlier this year --right after baby--and I didn't stick with it, which was WASTED money on me. Still feeling guilty about that one, but I couldn't stick with the processed boxed foods. I like fresh stuff too much! :p
 
Stephanie0523 said:
Thanks guys!! :D
I just went to dailyplate.com and journaled EVERYTHING I put in my mouth yesterday. I thought I ate less than I actually did. My net calories were 1522, but once I calculated my workout it dipped to 1166. My question: Is the RMR what you should be eating BEFORE you calculate your workout? Or do you take the workout into consideration? Still confused...
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I use the RMR for my BEFORE workout calories. Everything I put into my mouth. I then aim for a 1000 caloric deficit (I got some good advice on here in another thread and I read it later online). Sometimes over that but not by too much consistently. This is where the GWF comes in handy. It tells me how many calories I burned. I've also read (Venuto??) that you should eat 500 calories less than your maintenance calories and burn 500 extra calories via exercise. So that goes with the 1000 cal deficit as well.

Some sidenotes
- I eat a lot (A LOT) of fiber. In the 50-70gm range. It can really skew the GWF nutrition data. I use advice I got awhile back. I use 2 cal/gm for the fiber instead of the 4cal/gm for regular carbs.
- I think cycling (both caloric and carb) is a good thing. I may have to start that again if I hit a plateau/stall.
- Women should never go below 1200 calories. I've read that multiple places.
- Absolutely agree on the Fresh Stuff. LOVE LOVE LOVE the Farmer's Market. Great prices and I love it going directly to the grower.
 
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Stephanie0523 said:
Thanks guys!! :D
I just went to dailyplate.com and journaled EVERYTHING I put in my mouth yesterday. I thought I ate less than I actually did. My net calories were 1522, but once I calculated my workout it dipped to 1166. My question: Is the RMR what you should be eating BEFORE you calculate your workout? Or do you take the workout into consideration? Still confused...
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You should not EAT less than your BMR. It's what your body needs just to sustain "life" so-to-speak. It doesn't include your daily activities.

I don't see a difference between Basal Metabolic Rate and Resting Metabolic Rate. It seems the two mean the same thing - your metabolic rate when you are not moving.
 
MadnNatsmom said:
You should not EAT less than your BMR. It's what your body needs just to sustain "life" so-to-speak. It doesn't include your daily activities.

I don't see a difference between Basal Metabolic Rate and Resting Metabolic Rate. It seems the two mean the same thing - your metabolic rate when you are not moving.
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I only have a 50 calorie difference between the RMR and BMR calculators. Since I 'pad' the RMR with 50 calories or so I end up about the same. As noted, I wouldn't expect a huge difference.
 
Stephanie0523 said:
. I may need to up my protein intake. I don't eat meat but maybe one night a week and I don't get a lot of protein, other than the milk I drink and the protein bar I eat for lunch each day.

Dela--I tried monkeying with my calories, and I tend to lose best at 1200-1500 per day (depending on the intensity of my workouts). Though by "best" I mean a measly one to two pounds per month. :confused:
Click to expand...

Hi Stephanie,

I really think you need to up your protein, especially if you're doing something like Slow & Heavy. I know someone else posted this but you should probably be in the 80 g+ per day range. How many gram per day are you averaging now? Your body can't build muscle if it's not getting adequate protein.

Also, you might consider what percentages you're eating of proteins vs. carbs vs fats and move to a balance of 40% protein-30% carbs-30% fats. BTW, carbs includes fruits, veggies--not just grains/starches.

In terms of nutrition, the 10 Rules of Weight Loss by John Bernardi (he's the Precision Nutrition guru) have a lot of great ideas. You can find it free thru google along w/ a bunch of his other articles. (Sirensongwoman is the one who tipped me off to this!!)

I'd also consider different workouts from splits, like the circuit training idea someone else mentioned. Chad Waterbury advocates total body weight training 3x/week. You get a much bigger metabolic bang working your legs/glutes versus just your upper body. Per my GWF, my calorie burn per minute while sleeping is much higher after a leg weight workout day vs. just a cardio day! Heck, I love burning more calories while logging pillow time! :eek:

If you haven't already, take a look at some of Cathe's older rotations for fat & weight loss. Her January ones are always goodies for burning holiday pounds.

While I dearly love my GWF, the pedometer function really moves my butt into gear. You can get a cheap pedometer and just am for 10,000+ steps per day.

Lastly, I'm so sorry you sprained your ankle--OUCH! I'm really glad you're not considering Alli any longer. There are a lot more horror stories to it than just greasy farts. (think uncontrollable diarrhea out of the blue when you're nowhere near a bathroom...:eek:)

Good luck and look at your status this way, you're already halfway to your goal!!
 
Dela said:
STS = $300 (lasts a lifetime)
GWF = $180 (better last at least a few years)
GWF display (I don't use mine often) = on sale now for $30 if you buy the GWF armband too.

:D (Did you break out the credit card yet??)
Click to expand...

GET A GOWEARFIT!! I swear, this little gizmo will make you realize jsut how little you are moving, or how little/too much you are eating for your calorie burn, and why you aren't losing the weight.

In just about a month, I lost 4-5 pounds, simply by being aware of how much I burned, and then skipping the occasional Hershey kiss when I knew I hadn't burned enough to earn it.
 
You had your third baby in October, right? FWIW, it took me longer each baby to lose the weight...with baby #3 it was a full year before I was back to my pre-preggo weight. I know you´re frustrated, but you´ve gotten good advice, and don´t give up :)
 
Yeah to another pharmacist on forum, babindy!!!

I don't believe I have EVER recommended Alli to any patient. B/c of the greasy farts, as stated above. Honestly, if you know you're headed to BK for a Whopper,....who's going to take their Alli pill? And even if you do follow a healthy diet, chances are you are going to get loose, greasy, stools,....sometimes at not so good times (when a bathroom isn't close by).

It does bind to fat soluble vitamins, so A,E, D & K will need to be supplemented as well.

*Sigh*. Stephanie, girl! I know you've been trying! And I also know you're a hard worker. The one thing that helped me lose the baby weight (30 lbs to be exact) was a modified SouthBeach Diet. I was nursing, so I didn't want to cut carbs out completely for the phase 1,....so I had a couple strawberry smoothies throughout the day. I lost the 30lbs, plus an additional 10lbs,...and then had to add some simple carbs onto my diet plan so I wouldn't go underweight.

Anywho, just my 2 cents. Sorry I didn't see post earlier. ;)
 
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