I'm a 21 year old girl at 5"2. My weight is currently 9 stone and 10lbs.
I started dieting this time last year when I stepped on the scales and saw that I had made it to 11 stones!.. I have been on and off dieting since and since I reached 9 stone have not allowed my self to go over 10 stones after that (so I've gone between 9 and 10 stones).
a few weeks ago I reached 9"2 again.. so carried on dieting (eating between 400 and 1000 cals a day) and burning about an average of 700 cals a day at the gym, hoping that I would carry on losing at about 4 lbs per week.. However, my weight loss stalled!.. I actually gained a lb!.. (granted I didn't go to the gym again that week but still walked alot and certainly dieted)..
I gave up and started eating again.. like crazy!.. now i'm as i said 9"10.. i've got 35 days till a big event and would like to lose weight so i'm nicely in the 8 stone range?.. how would anyone suggest i do it without reaching a weight loss plateau this time?.. are there any experts who could guide me?.. i don't mind only losing about a lb a week after the 35 days as i'll have the time and patience then.. Any advice??...
loves Sophie xxx
Last spring I was trying to diet hard core and I found that I continued to either gain weight or inches. I did a lot of research and was told time and time again that I needed to eat more. I know it sounds crazy! But I learned that if you consume less than 1200 calories per day your body actually thinks your starving and will retain fat instead of burning it, as a means of survival. So I started eating 1600 calories a day, split between 3 meals and a snack. Make sure you have tons of fiber and protein. Try to have at least 25% of your calories from protien. And don't stop eating carbs or you will get exhausted and you won't be able to push hard at the gym! At first I thought all the eating sounded like the opposite of what I should do, but I was so frusterated I gave it a shot. The first couple days I thought I put on weight. But soon I found that my metabolism increased with my eating habits and I had a lot more energy, and I actually was losing the weight. I worked out harder and I saw great results within a couple of weeks.
Also, don't weigh yourself everyday or look in the mirror everyday. That was the hardest for me! You won't see results everyday, and if you look for them you will only disappoint yourself. Then you'll have a negative mindset which will make it much harder to push yourself. At least, that was the case for me.
And...I know this is getting long...I don't know what your doing at the gym. But I try to weight train for atleast an hour every other day and do cardio for at least 45 minutes on opposite days. And I give my body one day of rest on the weekend so that I won't be too tired to work out hard the next week.
Learning all this was a huge help for me, so hopefully it will be helpful to you too!
I does sound like you are focused a lot of your actual weight, when what is really relevant for your big event is your shape/size.
That combination of food intake and regular exercise will definitely cause starvation in the body, and a massive release of cortisol, your body's main stress hormone. This is the most effective way to BLOCK fat burning from occuring.
Six small meals a day, with plenty of protein and omega 3 oils is a good base to allow your metabolic rate to reach its natural level. Multivitamin and magnesium, iodine, zinc should help as well.
Regards, Marek
Basingstoke Nutritionist / Personal Trainer