looseeluv's Journal, 29 Jan 10

Hang in there - sometimes it takes our bodies time to adjust to new eating plans. If you are following the BFC, double check your sugar/carb counts to make sure you are within the limits. And, make sre you aren't going under 1100 to 1200 calories per day - this will cause your body to go into 'starvation mode' and will stop weight loss dead in its tracks. I am finding I have to track every thing I put in my mouth using the food diary feature on this site - it really helps me be accountable to what I am eating. Give it a try - for a week and see if that helps. Keep the faith - the BFC plan does work!!!  

Thank you for the kind words. I have not been able to get below 150 for years so I am guessing that this is going to be a pretty big push for me. I have been keeping a journal and am staying well within the sugar/carb ratio but think maybe it was too low. There were a couple of days where I had a protein drink for breakfast and for lunch and they are so filling that it was all I needed. So perhaps I was not eating enough....though that seems odd. Thank you and I hope this week will be better! 

I agree with you - there are days I am not very hungry and have to force myself (strange concept for me) to eat something to get at least 1100 to 1200 calories. I know if I don't then my body rebels and goes into starvation mode. Good luck - here's to a better week!! :-) 

Check out this link. http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_BMR.php It explains your RMR and why, at 175 lbs, you would need 1600-1900 calories a day to LOSE weight. If you think it's hard getting 1200 calories wait til you go for 1600. The good news is that as you shrink so will that number. There is a calculator on the site as well. Pretty much any 'diet' you use will work but this is the key 'ingredient'. This is exactly what champion natural body builders use to both lose and gain weight. Your body isn't used to eating this way and it will take a little time to adjust. One of the best ways to do so is actually kinda not following it. If you try to eat 6 times a day(not six whole meals) but just enough food so that about two hours later you actually are hungry. This will start to train your body. You will be telling it "THIS is the way things are going to go down from now on so expect it!" When you find that you are starting to get hungry BEFORE your two hours are up then you will know it's time to start adding more calories to your meals and to beef up the calories of your main meals and your in-betweens as well. This takes a concerted effort on your part but you KNOW it's worth it. As for the starvation mode, Roleba64 is completely right. But there is one more bad thing that goes along with it. You CAN lose weight that way but here's the kicker: When your body is in starvation mode and you need energy to function what your body does is use your MUSCLE as fuel instead of your fat. Because your fat is the emergency reserve. So if you lose weight that way and then start to eat more your body(still not sure if you will keep this up) will save those extra calories as FAT and you will gain the lost weight back. I know it sounds crazy but it's totally true. I have been right where you are saying "Why aren't I losing weight when I'm eating so little?" but when you eat more and see the pounds melt away you have no choice but to believe. As far as the protein shakes go...Protein takes longer to digest so you feel full longer. Try having HALF the shake and pay attention to when your stomach growls next. Aim for that two hours mark but make sure you do meet those carb/sugar numbers earlier in the day to give you the energy to make it through your day otherwise you will feel really tired. If you find you are eating your protein earlier and carbs later swap them. The road to health never did run smooth! Feel free to message me if you have any questions. 

WOW! Thank you so much for the insight. You know a couple of years ago I tried the ABs diet which was eating 6 - 8 times per day. I totally lost weight but it felt like eating was a full time job! I will check out the website you mentioned as I wonder if my calorie count is too low. Very interesting stuff. I will also take your suggestion on the protein shake because this am it was all I could do to just choke the whole thing down. So maybe I can break my shakes up into 4 times per day as snacks and then perhaps I can get more in at meal time. Again, thank you for the insight! I will give it a shot. 

Roleba64. Perhaps you and I are both in the same boat here?? As I mentioned above I am going to try to break up the protein drinks and get in more meals. Thank you for the support!!! 

Definitely in the same boat :-) But, I am hearing more recent reports that eating outside of 3 meals and one snack actually creates a situation where you never get hungry which allows your body to start "feeding" off the fat stores. So much conflicting news. But I am going to try to get more calories (closer to 1500) per day - I definitely don't want to have my body "feeding" off my muscle. I have so little of that I want to keep what I have :-)