Trying to lose these last 15 lbs. dont think i'm eating...

L

lovebeingmom

Cathlete
I had 2 kids the past two years(12 months apart)

i've lost all teh baby weight except these last 15 lbs.

they are killing me

I think my problem is that i'm not eating enough. I journaled and i'm eating 1200-1400 calories a day

but i'm scared to eat more. i'm scared to gain but at the same time i think my metabolism is so shot

i workout like crazy

i'm 30 yrs. old, 5'0 and 134 lbs. i want to lost 15-18 lbs.

i dont know what to do.

i tend to eat between 9am and 4pm. i leave work at 4 and get the kids and I am running around with feeding both of them, baths and such that I dont eat. but I workout from 7:30-9pm each night after they go to bed. I dont want to eat from 4-7pm beacuse then I cramp when i workout

i eat breakfast when i get to work and this eating schedule is fine but their is only so much food you can eat from 9am-4pm

if I do eat something after I workout its either eggs, cottage cheese, almonds. something light just to hold me over but most nights i'm not hungry, so i dont' eat

i'm just at a loss food wise. i dont want to undereat, but i dont want to overeat

anyone have any guidelines on how much to eat?
 
can you please post your weekly workouts? at your height and working out for 90 min every day, your cals may be too low. why are your workouts so long? when your takeing care of the kids and getting them to bed, mabe you should have a pre-made protein shake that way you can fuel your workout and then eat after your workout as well to aide in recovery. do you have an exact breakdown of what you eat for each of your meals and the times you eat so i can have a better picture?
 
Like Kariev said, it does sound like you're eating too few calories, especially since you're working out so much! Have you tried using an on-line calorie calculator to see how many calories you should be eating each day?

Here are a few to try:

http://www.self.com/fitness/nutrition/calculators/calorieneeds

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_6_1x_Calorie_Calculator.asp

Most nutritionists definitely say that your metabolism slows down if you eat too little. It would probably really help you a lot if you started eating more calories, and if you started to eat more frequently.

Have you looked into getting any nutrition books to help you out? I've been reading quite a few lately, and they have very good suggestions for meal planning. Let me know if you'd like some suggestions!

:)
 
RE: Trying to lose these last 15 lbs. dont think i'm ea...

thanks

i have not looked into nutrition books. I have no idea where to start

I used to have a big binging problem but I haven't binged in a long time but sometimes some of these programs scare me. I dont want to feel too restricted but want to lose the weight at the same time

i usd to do WW before getting pregnant but i honestly felt restricted and it caused a lot of binging but it did teach me portion control which I know i lack sometimes

I would love some recommendations on some good books. thank you

this is what i ate today

breakfast- this is my norm lately- 1 cup fat free cottage cheese with 1/2 cup fiber one and a banana

lunch- today i had a side salad with fat free italian dressing, turkey sandwich on ezekiel bread with fat free cheese and mustard, apple

snack- light popcorn- mini 100 calorie bags

dinner- steamed green beans and carrots with cannelinni beans. some salt and pepper but no other seasonings

i counted my calories and I was at 1250

as for workouts- i walk 2 miles with my two dogs and my neighbor every night. we walk at 4mph as it takes us 30 min. and thats with stopping for the dogs to do their business

then I do a video. either cardio or weights or combo like the firm

tonight i'm going to do Cathy Imax 3. i just got it the other day

i usually do 3 days weights and 3 days cardio but the weight days have been a combo like the Firm. i just started lifting again after having 2 kids so i didn't want to go straight into something like Pyramids. so i figured the Firm would be a good place to start

any recommendations would be appreciated
 
RE: Trying to lose these last 15 lbs. dont think i'm ea...

Hi lovebeingmom,

Just from looking at your menu, it seems like you could add a morning snack between breakfast and lunch, and then a snack after dinner. Also, the light popcorn is probably not giving you enough sustenance. In both your snack and dinner, you're not getting much protein unless you're making sure to eat quite a few beans, and your body needs that protein to help build muscle and also burn fat. Eating some protein + carbs at each meal and at each snack will give you more energy, guaranteed!
:)

Two good, basic books I'd recommend starting with are Tosca Reno's _Eat Clean Diet_ and Lyssie Lakatos and Tammy Lakatos Shames' _Fire Up Your Metabolism_, both of which are available on Amazon. Reno's book is really motivating, and she spells out exactly when/how to eat your meals. I read the Lakatos book last year, and the authors very clearly explain why you need to eat every few hours. I know you're probably stressed about adding more food to your diet, but reading this book will convince you that eating more is better!

If you search the Cathe forums for information on "clean eating," you'll also find a lot of good advice about how to apply Reno's principles.

A more advanced book is Tom Venuto's _Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle_. It's only available as an e-book from his website at burnthefat.com, and you have to print it yourself. It's expensive, but it honestly helped me more than the others I've read. I lost around 13-14 pounds in about four months from following the info in his book. If you're curious about this one and want to learn more before ordering it, search the Cathe forums for the title or for "BFFM" since I know a lot of people follow his guidelines.

I don't know much about the Firm workouts, but a great overall Cathe weight workout to use is Muscle Max. If you can also get the three Gym Styles DVD's, those are great also and it seems like everyone gets great results from them.

I hope, too, that you like Imax 3. It's one of my favorite Cathe workouts -- but, as a warning, it did take me a really long time to get all the choreography. The first six or seven times that I did Imax 3, I also had to pause it after every interval since I needed a lot more recovery time than Cathe gives us!;-)

Hope that this helps!

Edited to add: I just noticed, too, that almost all of your foods are fat-free! It's OK to add some low-fat foods to your diet! A low-fat salad dressing, for example, will help your body absorb more nutrients from the salad itself than a fat-free one. Your body needs some good fats -- and they won't make you fat!;-)
 
RE: Trying to lose these last 15 lbs. dont think i'm ea...

thanks Leanne

will look into those books

i usually have good fats like olive oil, flax seed and almonds. and egg yolks. I love egg yolks and I usually eat when i'm at work from 9-4 so I really can't make egg whites

i did see someone on here make egg white bites in muffin tins. any experience with those? can you reheat them?
 
RE: Trying to lose these last 15 lbs. dont think i'm ea...

Hi! There are certain things that play a big role in weight loss.

1. How much water do you drink? You need to stay well hydrated throught the day. If you're not well hydrated, you body isn't going to let go of the fat. I would aim for 12 cups of water throughout the day.

2. It is really important to eat 5-6 small meals a day of about 300 calories each. Each should include a complex carb and lean protein. This will keep your metabolism going at a constent rate, and you won't experience any peaks and valleys throughout the day.

3. Protein. If you don't get enough protein your body will burn its reserves, which is muscle not fat. If you want to burn fat, you are going to have to nurish your muscles. I take a supplement for this that way I don't have the extra calories. You'll have to decide what will work best for you. Remember for someone who exercises needs to have 1.2-1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

I hope this helps!

Melissa
 
RE: Trying to lose these last 15 lbs. dont think i'm ea...

MELISSA- thanks, what types of supplements are you talking about?
 
RE: Trying to lose these last 15 lbs. dont think i'm ea...

I take a lot of supplements, but my most favorite of them all is CATALYST. It is amino acids. It is basically a chizzler for fat. It nurishes the muscles, so therefore it forces your body to burn fat. It has nick names like potatoe piller for fat, gut be gone, or butt be gone. It was formulated for the US wrestling team in 1996. It is awseome!! I love it!! It also helps with appetite control, mental clarity, and energy. If you want more info you can email me. I don't think we are suposed to post that kind of stuff on here.

[email protected]

Melissa
 
RE: Trying to lose these last 15 lbs. dont think i'm ea...

i agree in adding a meal inbetween breakfast and lunch and after dinner. your protein seems a little low as well as your fats. i like to use fitday.com to tract my cals. as far as a nutrtion book, i HIGHLY recommend the perfect body diet by cassandra forsythe. it really explains the importance of nutrtion but is very easy to understand. there are recepies and an option for a higher or lower carb plan. Cassandra also has a web page you may be interested in. www.cassandraforsythe.com Her blog has loads of nutrtion info. good luck:)
 
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