Why can't weight loss be easy?

The multitalented Sister Honey Bunch - who has her own phenomenal website - asks: 

I am 40 and having a heck of a time taking the weight off. In the past, I would low-carb for a couple months and it would fall right off. I would continue eating lower carbs but introduce breads and pastas in occasionally.

I had my son 5 1/2 years ago and can't seem to get the weight off now. Tell me how to kick start this diet. And how much exercise to incorporate. I'm a working mom and my time is limited.

Oooh, I know where you are coming from and what you mean.  My thoughts on this might make you mad.
But I think you might be eating too much.  (ducking so you can't hit me)  I'm sorry.  I know that's hard to hear, and, I might be off base, because I can't see what you are eating.  But a failure to lose is either one of two things - eating too much (of even the good for you stuff - calories are calories) or not moving enough to burn the calories. 

I'm not a big fan of removing an entire food group - like carbs, for instance - in order to lose weight.  You are an example of why I don't think it's a good idea - because when you add it back, you will put the weight back on.  I've had this discussion with my boss before.  She's a big believer in low carbing it, and I can see why people do it - it does work in the short term.  But I don't know of anyone who has removed carbs from their life and been able to keep the carbs away and the weight gone.  It's just too hard to keep an entire food group out of your diet - the temptation to splurge will eventually overtake you.

I'm a big believer, obviously, in exercise.  How much you should do depends upon what you are trying to do.  A pound or two a week, I think, means a minimum of 30 minutes a day.  45-60 is better.  BELIEVE ME, I know what it's like to be busy and to have limited time.  Can you get up earlier?  Do ten minutes of cardio six times a day - right when you wake up, before you get ready for work, at lunchtime, when you get home, and before bed?  Can you play soccer in the backyard with your son, take him on a bike ride, go fo a hike?  Can you go swimming with your family?  Make it a challenge, and see how you can fit it in.

When I hit a plateau, I had to take an honest look at my food intake.  I encourage you to journal for a week.  Are you being honest with yourself with your food intake?  I found that I was eating just a little bit more than I thought - about 250 calories worth.  Remember, the less you weigh, the less calories your body needs, and you can't keep eating to that higher number on the scale. 

I'd also encourage you to make sure that every single bite you eat is worth it.  Is everything that you put in your mouth the absolute best choice?  Is it full of HFCS, white flours or sugars?  Does the food contain a simple or complex carbohydrate, is it full of protein and vitamins? Are you drinking soda, fancy coffee drinks, or lots of juice? Eating 5-7 fruits and veg a day?

What I'd do is a) journal my food for a week and b) ramp up my exercise as much as possible.  I think if you were able to cut 500 calories - by a combo of 250 less in + 250 exercised out - you'd see some good results.  Remember, slow and steady wins the race, not just trying to crank out a smaller number in the short term. 

Good luck to you, and PLEASE keep me posted!

Comments

[Sister Honey Bunch]

You made me scream and then laugh out loud really hard when you suggested I might be eating too much. So funny.

I am going to journal. Great ideal. And I know I need to exercise.

I love your blog, btw. Thanks!!

[Lora]

It's so simple - yet so hard! Eat less...move more...when will I get this!

[Pat]

I've been low-carbing for 10 years and have kept the weight off except for a brief spell with cancer surgery and chemo.

If you do it right, you don't eliminate carbs--you substitute complex carbs for refined carbs. Admitedly, you limit the complex carb potato because it metabolizes as sugar.

Every body is different and not every body reacts the same way. I'm very happy that your way works for you, Carmen, just as I'm very happy that my low-carb way works for me.

I view my weight loss method a lot like my religion. I've never felt a need to convert anyone, but live my life in such a way that if someone wants to know what makes me the way I am, then I'll tell.

Good luck with your continued maintenance.

[Sister Sassy]

I am so with you about the carb thing, of course I too have a problem with eating too much lol.

But I've increased my exercise and started running as many times a week as I am able with Jimmy's schedule. I get to do that 3 times and when I do that, I see myself trim down a bit within two weeks. Seriously, two weeks of running 3 times a week makes a visable difference.

I think I'll come here more often.

[lc]

But, low-carbing, where you eat complex carbs, isn't the same as low-carb where you substitute bacon for bread. I think that's where Carmen was going (not that I'd speak for her) and I agree with her about that. It's not about eliminating a food group, only to add it back in when you tire of the diet or feel like you've lost enough weight. It's about eating healthfully (which complex carbs are) and finding a plan you can stick with for life.

[Paul Nichols]

You sent me an e-mail last week. "The Cleaning Lady" deleted it. Can you send it again, because I want to respond. Interesting info for you.

Thanks.
Paul Nichols

[Catherine]

Can't resist posting here. "It's about eating healthfully (which complex carbs are) and finding a plan you can stick with for life." Healthy is a misleading term, because it's often undefined. Do you mean healthy in comparison to bacon? (An implication lc's earlier statement seems to suggest). Well, turns out certain knds of fat are not that bad for you--especially saturated fat. Pat stated, "Admitedly, you limit the complex carb potato because it metabolizes as sugar." Actually, all carbs metabolize as sugar--complex or otherwise. Some just take a little longer to do it, hence the glycemic index (which is not a very useful weight-loss tool, but we won't go into that right now). So, when we use a very simplistic understanding of healthful, such as "that which helps my body function at its best," complex carbs can be much less healthful than bacon. Carbs raise blood sugar and (with the help of insulin) are eventually converted to fat; in contrast, good fat is used by your body for energy and cell-repair and only shuttled into fat cells when accompanied by an overabundance of carbs. (Granted, bacon is not the best fat there is--I recommend butter, coconut oil, grass-fed beef, etc.) Okay, so this is oversimplistic and should come with a lot of qualifiers (i.e. of course complex carbs have good things in them--antioxidants, vitamins, etc.) but I had to write a little in order to counteract the myth that's dominated the nutrition world since the late 50's. If you want to know more about where I'm coming from, check out *Eat Fat Lose Fat* by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon, *Protein Power* by the Drs. Eades, and the grandaddy of nutrition research books, *Good Calories, Bad Calories,* by Gary Taubes. If you don't feel like you have the time to delve into books (although *Eat Fat Lose Fat* is quite concise), the Weston A. Price foundation website (http://westonaprice.org/) and Dr. Michael Eades' blog (http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike) are excellent sources of information as well. Regarding Carmen's remarks: "I'm not a big fan of removing an entire food group - like carbs, for instance - in order to lose weight."
Low-carbing should more acurately be called controlled-carbing. Carbs are not removed completely, merely limited, even in the strictest phase of Atkins, and the idea is to eventually add as many "good" carbs as your body can handle without gaining weight again. This generally means adding more fruits and vegetables, not pasta, bread, and cake. I don't think anyone would maintain that it's unhealthy to avoid refined carbohydrates, even forever. "You are an example of why I don't think it's a good idea - because when you add it back, you will put the weight back on." The same can be said about any diet--low-fat, low-cal, low-carb: eat the thing you were avoiding and you will gain it back. "But I don't know of anyone who has removed carbs from their life and been able to keep the carbs away and the weight gone. It's just too hard to keep an entire food group out of your diet - the temptation to splurge will eventually overtake you." Well, I agree that absolute denial of carbs would be too hard for most people--but no responsible low-carb diet plan recommemds that (although it's not necessarily unhealthy, but that's another subject). As for someone who has done an amazing job and has a website to prove it, I recomend you visit Sheila Pike-Pereyra's website, http://sugarfreesheila.com/. She's a very nice girl with a great story, and her website is very informative.

[lc]

I guess we'll all have to do our own research and decide for ourselves and our families "what is healthy". If I could emulate Carmen, and have her results, I would be beyond thrilled. I notice that Sheila (whose site you posted) is also selling books. More power to her.

I don't intend this to be a debate, because that's not what Carmen's site seems to be designed for. I just didn't think it was fair to hammer Carmen for stating her opinion, especially when she's had the kind of success we all might aspire to!

[Catherine]

Hmm. I didn't think I was hammering, just responding. (Did I sound mean?) I know diet is something people get very defensive about, but I thought disseminating some information would be interesting *and* what this site is designed for. I never criticized Carmen.

[amy]

I think the biggest confusion about all of this is a 'diet' is usually short term, you achieve the desired results and go back to life as normal (which usually includes all the bad habits that got you to the point of dieting to begin with) Or a complete life style change. You make simple changes you can live with FORVER to achieve the desired healthy results. That is not to say you don't never ever ever have a piece of cake again or a Girl Scout Cookie or a buffalo wings. But you make the choices during your day/week to compensate for those so they don't creep back up and swell back over your waistband.
All or nothing 'dieting' is always bad and usually has the yo yo effect. We can make excuses for our choices until the cows come home and wear blinders to how much we're actually eating or not. Even under eating and over exercising does not equal weight loss. Your body will hold on to what it has because it doesn't know when/if it will get enough. It's finding the balance and making it work.
My biggest change was saying it was okay to throw away the food off the plates my kids didn't eat. Just giving up those quarter sandwiches of pb&j that I ate after already eating my lunch made a huge change. Using 8 inch dinner plates vs 12 inch plates this time around is helping me to control portions. Who wants to see actual correct serving sizes on an ginormous plate with more plate exposed then the food on it. So we all use smaller plates and bowls now.
There is not 'right' or 'wrong' way. It's how you choose to do it that you can live with forever. It's all about choices and balance and being kind to yourself and taking it all one bite at a freakin time. And if you goof up one day doesn't mean you toss in the towel and give the entire week up. Means you make better choices next time you pick up a fork. that is where the being kind to yourself comes in. Too many times it's all or nothing and we give up on these healthful life long changes before we even start because if we don't start we can't fail. The only failure is not trying at all.

[Headless Mom]

I, too, and almost 40 with similar age children and the biggest difference for me (after changing most of the foods that come into the house) has been the exercise. Cardio is good, and I am finding that when I don't do floor work (i.e. sit-ups, push-ups, etc.), regardless of the eating or cardio, I start to get gushy around the middle. That is the thing that I want to avoid the most, so, off to the floor!

[Natural Weight Loss]

Weight loss is easy.. focus on understanding what real food is. Billions are spent on media that bombards us with what they (the food industry) want you to see, billions.

Re-educate yourself have fun doing it. Feel the difference and be active.

The choices we make everyday are what shapes us. If you decide not to make your choices wisely you pay a price. Make a game out of learning the truth about foods.

Motion is truely a magic potion. Move that body and have fun doing it!

Don't emotionally eat. Watch for triggers that create a desire to reach for food. Emotionally eating is WRONG! STOP IT!

HAVE FUN!

I wish you wellness and FUN,
http://smartfitnesstips.com