Thursday, September 10, 2009

If it were easy I'd pop a pill and be thin

NOT.....
If anything I've learnt that on my journey to losing weight there are NO quick fixes or solutions. I did not become FAT overnight - it took years of practice to get to where I am and the fat is not going to just disappear because I so desperately WANT/NEED it to.
From popping pills, to injections, to drinking various concoctions and various other diets on offer - they have simply not worked. About the only one I like is Weight Watchers and if used properly can be a tool in helping you change your lifestyle and the way you eat.
A new diet pill has been launched in SA - the advert for it drives me NUTZ - they promise you can lose weight without dieting and without exercising/training. I grizzle when I hear it!! If it was as simple as popping a pill then we'd all be thin - Right - Wrong!! There is no plan to follow a healthier lifestyle and no motivation to get off your patootie and get moving.
I've said it's a science. Each day I become more convinced of it. When I was doing WW's and continuing with normal daily activity I lost weight - the bathroom scale was mostly kind. I then joined gym, then found myself a Personal Trainer, started Spinning and got a bicycle. I'm losing inches/centimetres but the SCALE has hovered between 92 and 93 Kg's. It's not budging. Although I eat healthy 90% of the time I'm worried that I am not eating enough or the right stuff to support my newest outdoor activity - cyling. Last night I burnt 713 calories while cycling 17 km's. My energy levels crash on a regular basis. On the days I crash, I feel horrid - it is hard to describe and even though I have had a good nights sleep just trying to do anything is a mission and this gets me frustrated and anger follows. I am now seeking out a dietician in the hopes I can get some direction in what to eat to support my passions : gym and cycling. I need to find balance in my attempt at finding a healthy lifestyle. Eating salads for lunch and dinner are clearly not supporting me when it comes to my activity levels.
If you have any ideas I'd love to hear them. What has been your experience?? If you cycle, how do you support it with your diet??
I'm off to hunt down a dietician. Have a great day everyone.

7 comments:

charlie_elise said...

Hi - just saw your blog from a link on Twitter.
So you're cycling, spinning, personal trianing, losing inches but not weight? You're replacing fat with muscle, I suspect. Which is BRILLIANT! :-D

Keep up the good work, and as for food, I found that as I got more active I needed more protein, or my energy levels sagged and I didn't perform as well.
Last year I had three month where the scales didn't budge. I stuck at it, and eventually they did move and I exceeeded my target.

Good luck and I wish you great success!

charlie_elise

Easy Losing Weight said...

I support weight watchers but I have never done it. I started as a customer on herbalife and it has worked wonders for me. I am glad Weight Watchers has worked for you. If you want an answer, I would love to chat and explain more. I cycle, spin, and run and have not had problems while I have been on this program.
Love the post, it sounds like you are doing great besides the crash. Keep up the good work!

Diane, Fit to the Finish said...

I lost a lot of weight too, and I bike as well. For me, just like one of your other posters, I would guess that not enough protein is contributing to the crashing.

You know if you read some of those "super-athlete" blogs they talk about carb-loading before a big workout. So possibly it's a carb thing too.

I'd be interested in hearing what the dietician said for sure!

Don't worry about that plateau you are experiencing, it will break soon, especially with good eating and exercise!

MB said...

I'm certainly no expert but I would suggest adding more protein to your salads. My trainer friend always says you need to feed the muscle, starve the fat.

H.E.A. said...

You're burning the fat, so now you've got to feed the muscles!! Protein is definitely the key factor here. Lean meats, eggs, cottage cheese...they will all help keep your energy levels even.

Also you need to eat a few more carbohydrates if you continue with cardio like you have. NOT a loaf of bread, but whole grains, potatoes, rice. These will also help to keep you balanced.

The body is a machine. It doesn't run at full efficiency unless you fuel it with the right stuff. Good luck finding a dietician and getting some balance :)!!

Hanlie said...

I've always struggled keeping both aspects, diet and exercise, going at the same time. But this time I'm doing much better.

Of course, we're close to vegan, so smoothies make a huge difference and for more information I've ordered Brendan Brazier's "Thrive". Brendan is a high raw vegan professional IronMan, and he's written quite a few books about optimal nutrition for endurance training. Craig is reading the book at the moment and says that it's great!

Good luck in finding something that works for you and ties in with your beliefs about health and nutrition.

Allison (Eat Clean Live Green) said...

Just found your blog, and I really like it!

Such a great post. There really are no quick fixes!

In my experience, when I start exercising a lot more, I lose less weight for awhile - your body sort of needs to adjust.