cazbandy
Bring on the Trumpets!
Okay, so 4 weeks go by, and there's been no weight or inches lost. This is definitely a stall. Here are a few things to consider, perhaps one or more of these factors may be the cause.
1. Carbohydrate level is too high - the number of carbs you can consume per day to continue to lose fat and weight varies from person to person. Some lucky individuals may be successful at 50 or more grams per day. So lower your carb intake.
2. Hidden carbs - Carbohydrates can sneak into your food without you really noticing! A gram here and there; pretty soon they add up to an extra 10 or more grams a day that you may not realise you're eating. Herbs, spices, garlic, lemon juice, bottled salad dressing - these foods are not carb-free. Processed lunch and deli meats, bacon, ham and sausages often have added starch, crumbs, sugar, dextrose etc. Make sure you are accurately measuring the "known" carbs. A whole stalk of broccoli is more than 1/2 cup. And keep an eye on the coffee. It is not carb-free - a 6 oz cup of java has 0.8 carb grams. That's a small cup too. Add some cream, and a packet of sweetener, hmmm.... 3 or 4 mugs a day can add up to significant carbs.
3. Undereating - Most of us choose to follow a low carb diet after unsuccessful attempts to reduce with the standard low fat, calorie-restricted mythologies. It's difficult to grasp the idea of a "diet" that instructs you to EAT when we are so used to restricting, cutting back and denying hunger. Avoid the tempatation to eat less, thinking that this will boost your efforts and speed up the process. In fact, undereating is one of the surest ways to stall your efforts and bring your weight loss to a grinding HALT. When you go for more than 4 or 5 hours without eating, your body interprets this as a fast, and will adapt very quickly by slowing down your metabolism and conserving your stored energy, ie. your fat. This is exactly what you DON'T want!
Also, make sure you are eating adequate amounts of protein. In general, an average sedentary woman requires a minimum of 60 grams per day. If you are large, do strenuous exercise or are male, your daily protein requirement is even higher. Ideally, the protein should be distributed throughout the day in several meals and/or snacks. Protein is required by the body to provide the building blocks of all our muscles, organs, hormones, enzymes, etc..... if we do not consume the protein in our diet, the body will use the only available source - your muscle tissue - to get what it needs. Less muscle tissue further contributes to a slowed metabolism, and reduced fat-burning. So, eat up!!
4. Overeating - You should eat when you are hungry, and eat until you feel satiated. Studies have shown that eating smaller but more frequent meals lead to more weight loss success than eating the same amount in 2 or 3 larger meals per day. Eat slowly, and chew your food thoroughly. Listen to your body, and learn to recognise when it says "enough". Overeating can sometimes be a consequence of meal-skipping as well. You are just so hungry when you do get around to eating, or you may feel you need to "make up" for the fact that you haven't eaten all day. It can really work against your weight loss efforts if you fast all day, thus forcing your body into slowed-metabolism "starvation" mode, then eat and eat all evening. This night-time eating will trigger the release of insulin, which will cause your body to make and STORE fat while you sleep.
5. Lack of Exercise - If you have not been exercising regularly, this may be a reason for your stall. Exercise will boost your metabolism and burn fat. Exercise, especially weight-training, will build muscles, and muscles are more metabolically "active", thus will increase fat burning as well. If you have been exercising, and have hit a plateau, perhaps your body is signalling for you to change your routine. Increase the duration and/or the intensity. If you've been jogging or cycling only, try adding some weight-lifts to your workout - and vice-versa, if you've only been weight-training, you should add some aerobic activity as well.
6. Not Drinking Enough Water - Adipose tissue, ie. fat, is mobilized through a process called hydrolysis. As the word suggests, hydrolysis requires plenty of water. Insufficient amounts of water in your body will hinder effective breakdown of fat. If you're exercising, or if your environment is warm and/or dry, you need to drink more water. If you are in active ketosis(Ketosis is a process in which your body converts fats into energy. During the conversion, ketones are produced as a by-product. Ketones can give your breath a sweet, fruity smell that may be mistaken for alcohol), you need to drink more water to flush the ketones out of your system. How much is enough? A bare minimum recommendation is 64 fluid oz (that's 8 - 8 oz glasses) of water a day. Some experts suggest you should divide your current weight in pounds by 2; this number is how many ounces you should drink each day, but no less than 64 oz.
There is no disagreement on the need to drink sufficient amounts of fluids every day, but there are some arguments that it's not necessary to drink only plain water. If you choose to not drink large volumes of water, you should ensure that you are consuming adequate fluid in the form of calorie and carb-free liquids. Note that coffee is neither calorie nor carb free. Three small 6 oz cups of coffee yield 12 calories and 2.4 carb grams. Add in the cream and packets of sweetener .........hmmm. Teas and herbal teas are generally close to zero carb, as well as diet sodas and mineral waters. Be careful that some diet sodas contain citric acid as a flavouring, as this has been known to stall some folks. It's best to strive to drink as much plain water as possible; at least half of your day's intake, more if possible.
7. Medications - There are a number of medications that can and will hinder your weight loss. Most notable are diuretics ("fluid pills"), both prescription and over-the-counter types. These will initially seem to make you lose MORE weight, as you lose excess body fluid. But when you are in active ketosis the LACK of fluid will inhibit fat-burning. Many antidepressants cause weight gain as well. Steroids and hormones, such as cortisone, birth control pills and estrogens will cause weight gain. So too will some seizure medications. Unfortunately, medications that are intended to lower your cholesterol will inhibit the liver from converting fat to glycogen, thus decreased fat-burning. And insulin and many oral diabetic medication will decrease fat burning and increase fat storage. DO NOT STOP OR DECREASE YOUR MEDICATIONS WITHOUT A DOCTOR'S SUPERVISION AND FOLLOW-UP.
8. Food Allergy & Intolerances - A significant percentage of people report that over-consumption of cheese and dairy products will put them in a stall quicker than anything else. There is some suggestion it may be an intolerance or allergy to the casein protein in cow's milk dairy products. If you have been eating a lot of dairy foods lately, try cutting way back, or even eliminating altogether for a week or two, and see if this breaks the plateau. Food allergies and intolerances are difficult to pin down, but are known to trigger weight gain, fluid retention, sinus congestion, skin rashes, and digestive upsets, diarrhea etc. The most common food allergens are - wheat and wheat gluten, cow's milk dairy products, corn, soy and chicken egg whites. Again, try eliminating any or all of these from your diet for a few weeks. Then, add each food back gradually, and see if symptoms return and your weight stalls again. You may have to avoid the offending food permanently, although many people find that after a few months they may cautiously eat a small amount of the food once in a while, without adverse effect.
1. Carbohydrate level is too high - the number of carbs you can consume per day to continue to lose fat and weight varies from person to person. Some lucky individuals may be successful at 50 or more grams per day. So lower your carb intake.
2. Hidden carbs - Carbohydrates can sneak into your food without you really noticing! A gram here and there; pretty soon they add up to an extra 10 or more grams a day that you may not realise you're eating. Herbs, spices, garlic, lemon juice, bottled salad dressing - these foods are not carb-free. Processed lunch and deli meats, bacon, ham and sausages often have added starch, crumbs, sugar, dextrose etc. Make sure you are accurately measuring the "known" carbs. A whole stalk of broccoli is more than 1/2 cup. And keep an eye on the coffee. It is not carb-free - a 6 oz cup of java has 0.8 carb grams. That's a small cup too. Add some cream, and a packet of sweetener, hmmm.... 3 or 4 mugs a day can add up to significant carbs.
3. Undereating - Most of us choose to follow a low carb diet after unsuccessful attempts to reduce with the standard low fat, calorie-restricted mythologies. It's difficult to grasp the idea of a "diet" that instructs you to EAT when we are so used to restricting, cutting back and denying hunger. Avoid the tempatation to eat less, thinking that this will boost your efforts and speed up the process. In fact, undereating is one of the surest ways to stall your efforts and bring your weight loss to a grinding HALT. When you go for more than 4 or 5 hours without eating, your body interprets this as a fast, and will adapt very quickly by slowing down your metabolism and conserving your stored energy, ie. your fat. This is exactly what you DON'T want!
Also, make sure you are eating adequate amounts of protein. In general, an average sedentary woman requires a minimum of 60 grams per day. If you are large, do strenuous exercise or are male, your daily protein requirement is even higher. Ideally, the protein should be distributed throughout the day in several meals and/or snacks. Protein is required by the body to provide the building blocks of all our muscles, organs, hormones, enzymes, etc..... if we do not consume the protein in our diet, the body will use the only available source - your muscle tissue - to get what it needs. Less muscle tissue further contributes to a slowed metabolism, and reduced fat-burning. So, eat up!!
4. Overeating - You should eat when you are hungry, and eat until you feel satiated. Studies have shown that eating smaller but more frequent meals lead to more weight loss success than eating the same amount in 2 or 3 larger meals per day. Eat slowly, and chew your food thoroughly. Listen to your body, and learn to recognise when it says "enough". Overeating can sometimes be a consequence of meal-skipping as well. You are just so hungry when you do get around to eating, or you may feel you need to "make up" for the fact that you haven't eaten all day. It can really work against your weight loss efforts if you fast all day, thus forcing your body into slowed-metabolism "starvation" mode, then eat and eat all evening. This night-time eating will trigger the release of insulin, which will cause your body to make and STORE fat while you sleep.
5. Lack of Exercise - If you have not been exercising regularly, this may be a reason for your stall. Exercise will boost your metabolism and burn fat. Exercise, especially weight-training, will build muscles, and muscles are more metabolically "active", thus will increase fat burning as well. If you have been exercising, and have hit a plateau, perhaps your body is signalling for you to change your routine. Increase the duration and/or the intensity. If you've been jogging or cycling only, try adding some weight-lifts to your workout - and vice-versa, if you've only been weight-training, you should add some aerobic activity as well.
6. Not Drinking Enough Water - Adipose tissue, ie. fat, is mobilized through a process called hydrolysis. As the word suggests, hydrolysis requires plenty of water. Insufficient amounts of water in your body will hinder effective breakdown of fat. If you're exercising, or if your environment is warm and/or dry, you need to drink more water. If you are in active ketosis(Ketosis is a process in which your body converts fats into energy. During the conversion, ketones are produced as a by-product. Ketones can give your breath a sweet, fruity smell that may be mistaken for alcohol), you need to drink more water to flush the ketones out of your system. How much is enough? A bare minimum recommendation is 64 fluid oz (that's 8 - 8 oz glasses) of water a day. Some experts suggest you should divide your current weight in pounds by 2; this number is how many ounces you should drink each day, but no less than 64 oz.
There is no disagreement on the need to drink sufficient amounts of fluids every day, but there are some arguments that it's not necessary to drink only plain water. If you choose to not drink large volumes of water, you should ensure that you are consuming adequate fluid in the form of calorie and carb-free liquids. Note that coffee is neither calorie nor carb free. Three small 6 oz cups of coffee yield 12 calories and 2.4 carb grams. Add in the cream and packets of sweetener .........hmmm. Teas and herbal teas are generally close to zero carb, as well as diet sodas and mineral waters. Be careful that some diet sodas contain citric acid as a flavouring, as this has been known to stall some folks. It's best to strive to drink as much plain water as possible; at least half of your day's intake, more if possible.
7. Medications - There are a number of medications that can and will hinder your weight loss. Most notable are diuretics ("fluid pills"), both prescription and over-the-counter types. These will initially seem to make you lose MORE weight, as you lose excess body fluid. But when you are in active ketosis the LACK of fluid will inhibit fat-burning. Many antidepressants cause weight gain as well. Steroids and hormones, such as cortisone, birth control pills and estrogens will cause weight gain. So too will some seizure medications. Unfortunately, medications that are intended to lower your cholesterol will inhibit the liver from converting fat to glycogen, thus decreased fat-burning. And insulin and many oral diabetic medication will decrease fat burning and increase fat storage. DO NOT STOP OR DECREASE YOUR MEDICATIONS WITHOUT A DOCTOR'S SUPERVISION AND FOLLOW-UP.
8. Food Allergy & Intolerances - A significant percentage of people report that over-consumption of cheese and dairy products will put them in a stall quicker than anything else. There is some suggestion it may be an intolerance or allergy to the casein protein in cow's milk dairy products. If you have been eating a lot of dairy foods lately, try cutting way back, or even eliminating altogether for a week or two, and see if this breaks the plateau. Food allergies and intolerances are difficult to pin down, but are known to trigger weight gain, fluid retention, sinus congestion, skin rashes, and digestive upsets, diarrhea etc. The most common food allergens are - wheat and wheat gluten, cow's milk dairy products, corn, soy and chicken egg whites. Again, try eliminating any or all of these from your diet for a few weeks. Then, add each food back gradually, and see if symptoms return and your weight stalls again. You may have to avoid the offending food permanently, although many people find that after a few months they may cautiously eat a small amount of the food once in a while, without adverse effect.
