I'm super frustrated...any ideas?

Kathy, I put something in your log before reading this.  Now that I read this...I think you need more calories.  I'm not sure how much, but I think you need more.  have you thought about having your RMR tested?

I will be interested to see what Will has to say about all of this.  I think it is fine for you to eat lentils, 100% whole wheat bread (small amounts), brown rice and oatmeal, but it has to be in relation to your workouts.  It really needs to be in that 2 hour post workout window.

I don't know why it has to be this hard for some of us.  I am convinced there has to be some sub-theraputic hormone level or something going on with some of us.  People who say that you cannot lose weight tri training...well I don't believe that...it's aerobic effort, for the most part, and there is no reason that you shouldn't be losing weight.  It really should not have to be this hard!  All I can say is that I understand...

Thanks for your ideas!

I do only eat processes carbs right before or after workouts.

Where do you guys get your metabolism tested? I have heard of the pod method...where else can you get it done?

I did go to Nancy Clark a sports nutritonist who basically said calories are the only thing to consider to lose weight and I need to makeh good food choices...no consideration that certain type of carbs send my insulin spiking. See food as fuel.

Kathy, I hear your frustration loud and clear...I'd feel it, too, in your situation!  I'm sure that Will of Tri-Hard will have some good advice.  My only suggestions are to make sure you're really drinking a lot of water and eating a lot of veggies.  1-2 cups of raw veggies make good snacks and you should probably be getting 2-3 cups per day total for all of their nutrients and low-cal fibery goodness.  If you eat and drink that much good stuff, maybe the pita chips will be less tempting?

I'll check in later and see what you hear from Will...good luck!

-Sunny

"no consideration that certain type of carbs send my insulin spiking. See food as fuel."

That doesn't give me a lot of confidence in her!  I think the problem is much more complex than that!  If fuel is fuel, then why does my car prefer gasoline to diesel?

I'm so @*%@ sick and tired of people giving pat answers to complex problems, I could scream!  There is a cookie cutter formula that works for most people, but not all people.  Currently, I am convinced that it is up to me to figure it out because no healthcare  provider is going to figure it out in their allotted 10 minutes in the room with me! 

...sorry I'm a little hot today...I ate a Chick-fil-A sandwich yesterday, stayed well within my calories, and I am up 8 pounds today from 2 days ago!

A few things that I can think of...

1.  not enough calories, which puts your body to "starving mode".  Your body does not understand the concept of "going on diet" and for survival, lowers your rate of metabolism.

2.  More likely, you're gaining muscle mass.  Does your clothes feel looser?  Don't get obssess with the number.  You're heathy and fit enough to do tris.  Be proud 

I also think your calories are low.  I found a good nutrition site - a little scientific, and some of it is over my head, but here is a link to an article that walks you through  calculating your caloric needs based on RMR & activity level.  http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/masseating_1.htm

 I made a little chart for my desk with a maintenance, -10%, & -20% so I know on a daily basis how many calories I should get based on what I did for the day.  I try to keep my calories between -20 and maintenance because I don't want to lose much weight, but have quite a bit of bodyfat to lose.  I tend to lose muscle mass rather than fat and am trying to be very careful in my diet right now. 

Good luck, I know how frustrating this all can be!

Tammy

Thanks everyone!

I have thought I should get my thyroid checked. I have classic symptoms...dry skin, losing my hair (hate this), and something else I have forgotten. I did have it checked maybe a year -year and a half ago since I had the same thought.

I have added strength training to my workouts since October. For the last 2 months I have been doing strength at work on better equipement and see that I'm progressing. My coach has a full body workout he changes ever 4 weeks plus special rotator cuff strength from my PT. I end up doing about 2 hours a week and know that I'm getting stronger since I can do heavier weights now. I enjoy it and look forward to it.

I'm 44 and started losing weight when I was 41. It was so easy in the begining and I was lazy and ate Atkins...much higher fat food, lots of  cheese, and the like.

I'm getting thinner since I can fit into clothes that were too tight.

I do drink diet soda...which I didn't when I first started losing weight. I have to say I have given up so much stuff and eat clean, it is like my one last remaining vice. I never drink, I love bread and don't eat much of it. If you saw what I used to eat before 4/21/03, I don't eat any of that stuff and eat only things I used to avoid before since it is healthy.

The strange and puzzling thing, is why was it so easy when I didn't excercise and now that I work out 7+ hours a week and eat better it is so much more difficult?

What is hard for me to acceptt, is that I have changed my eating and work hard at this, the tradeoff seems a little harsh. Give up a lot and gain (ie lose weight) not much.

A marathon-running friend of mine pointed out that there is such a thing as TOO much exercise for weight loss.  She gains when she starts into her real heavy training program.

I really think that you are eating too little and potentially overexercising.  my weight dropped a lot during my taper for my 1/2 mary; I believe it was partially because I kept my eating the same but dropped to 4 workouts per week from 6 or 7. 

I get my RMR tested periodically via the Bodygem device at Bally's - about every 6 months or so.  I think it's an important sanity check. The last time, at 210, it was 1810, which means that it takes that many  just to keep me alive lying in bed all day.  Then add normal life, exercise, etc and it goes up pretty quickly.

I also agree that for the level of exercise we do we really shouldn't run more than a 3-500 calorie deficit.  It may be fine to run 1k deficit when you sit on your butt, but we don't and our bodies are going to figure that out pretty quickly.

I know how hard it is to up in this society - we hear constantly "eat less exercise more" but we aren't the target market for that message.  The couch potatos need to do that.  We need more to make sure that we do eat enough to fuel our exercise without convincing our bodies that we are starving, and I just don't think you are eating enough to do that.

I've been using Diet Power for a couple of years now.  It was pretty tedious entering the food that I eat regularly, but after you get through the initial stage, it gives a great overview of nutrition & calories.  At the end of each day, I print out a nutrition summary and enter the totals as a custom meal in BT - That allows me to monitor nutrition in my daily logs.

Tam

Hey Kathy, I haven't checked in with you for some time but I'm glad to see, like me, that you're still fighting the good fight of weight loss. You know all the basics so I'm assuming that you're exercising in your 60-65% MHR zone because it could be that you've gotten so fit that you're exercising way too high a zone to burn fat. I gained 12 lbs doing just that. I was spending way too much time at 85-90%MHR simply because it felt good to work that hard. Maybe you need to back off a little in intensity.

As for the thyroid, that's a definite possibility. Mine went bad about 20 years ago and the major sympton for me was chronic fatique, but others have more common symptons. Have it and other hormone levels checked along with your blood cortisol level.

Back off, relax, eat very well for a week or two and go back hard with the diet. Sometimes the body senses somethings wrong with your food supply and you need to trick it into believing all is well. Good luck Kathy and hang in there. As our former prez would say, "I feel your pain".

Last week my average calories were 1776.57
Protein 118.68 grams 26.9%
Carbs 196.5 grams 44.13%
Fat       55.89 grams 28.12%

People have asked how I often I eat. I eat breakfast, snack, lunch, usually two snacks in the afternoon and dinner. I normally eat 5-6 servings of fruit a day, so most of my carbs are from fruit and vegys.

Now what my coach says and suggests.. that I eat better than most people...which is good.

Yes many people underestimate what they eat 10-30% could be an issue, but since I weighed most of my food or used it off labels not likely...if under a little still should be losing weight

Diet soda...could effect insulin but still unproven.

Under eating and starvation mode...possible....try eating more...see if I lose, stay the same or gain...over the course of a couple weeks...add more root vegys...good carbs, filling and healthy and see what happens.

He noticed that I eat my biggest meal with the most calories in the evening so he wants me to eat more during the day especially for breakfast so now I'm eating breakfast about 500 calories which is hard...but it does take the hunger away better throughout the day.

Have my thryroid levels checked which I'll do Saturday. Another potential issue is that I have been dieting and excercising for almost 3 years and I could be depleted in important vitamins and minerals and I need to be sure to take a multiviatimin which I have been inconsistent in doing.

You guys are so educated and knowledgeable about nutrition..it is fun to share ideas with you.

Mike on Super Bon Bons mentioned back a few weeks ago that he does a graph with weight averages that helps smooth out ups and downs that happen if you weigh yourself daily. I have been doing that and find it more encouraging to see the 7 day average moving downward. This was a great suggestion for motivation!

I'm more upbeat since my weight seems to be trending down and I can see it now. But why is it if I eat bad for 10 days it takes 30 to get back to where I was before the Holidays. I sure am able to gain faster than I can lose.