Fat To Skinny
Common Questions, Ask Questions Here, Find Answers Here => Weight Loss Stalled! WHY? => Topic started by: Doug Varrieur on March 04, 2011, 09:55:15 AM
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I've read several threads asking about stalled weight loss (http://www.fattoskinny.com/) due to lack of food intake. Here's the facts,
The body has been designed over the centuries to hold onto weight temporarily during time frames of starvation or fasting. It's pretty simple really. Our metabolisms slow down when the body senses that it's being denied the food it needs to function so it burns less fuel. Now notice I said temporarily. The reason I point this out is because the body WILL do what it needs to do to survive and YES the body will use the fat as fuel to survive. It must, and that's pretty easy to understand. The body will first use any stored glycogen (short term energy stores) then it will burn stored fat as fuel. Fasting and Starvation however is a lousy way to lose weight (http://www.fattoskinny.com/) and ultimately will always backfire. Once a person starts eating again the hormones kick in, the metabolism speeds up and gorging/binging occurs. Ultimately the weight lost during a fast is usually regained and then some.
So, is it true that weight loss (http://www.fattoskinny.com/) on the FTS program can stall due to lack of food? If you follow the guidelines for portion control outlined here- http://www.fattoskinny.net/index.php?topic=233.0 (http://www.fattoskinny.net/index.php?topic=233.0) the answer is NO. The metabolism "slow down kick in key" comes in the form of zero food intake, not well balanced controlled portion intake. It's important to point this out because I don't want you to use it as an excuse to load up your plates. "I'm not dropping weight so I need more food" is a fallacy IF you're following the program properly. Trust me, starving peoples in third world countries are not fat.
Eating a lack of dense protein is usually the culprit when someone feels their weight loss (http://www.fattoskinny.com/) has been stalled by lack of food. Dense protein helps to speed up the metabolism naturally simply because the body needs to rev up the engine to digest and metabolize it. Smaller portions (6oz) per serving is generally enough to fill your needs and you should never exceed 8oz at a sitting. Heck that's a half pound of meat, fish, or poultry or soy! Making certain dense protein is part of your daily intake will help insure that your protein food needs are met and will keep the metabolism in check.
Next on the list are healthy fats. Once again the body needs to work hard to metabolize fats. Make certain to take in a portion of fats during the day. Most of us achieve this through cheeses, olive oil, animal fats and nuts/seeds.
For all you salad eaters out there who believe big salads are the key to weight loss (http://www.fattoskinny.com/)....think again. Sugar and carbs add up quickly in your salad bowl, the body metabolizes the food quickly leaving you hungry again and you don't fill your nutrition needs.
Conversely TO MUCH FOOD will stall your weight loss (http://www.fattoskinny.com/). If you find yourself at a stall AND your food intake is well balanced as prescribed within FTS then eat only when you're hungry, look at the portions on your plate, cut them back and follow the 15 minute rule.
To lose weight (http://www.fattoskinny.com/) you must eat less than your body needs for fuel daily. This is the key to forcing the body to use stored FAT as fuel.
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Thanks, Doug.
I knew a lot of this from my old days with Herbalife. For me recently, I had cut down a little on how much I ate because I had jumped up 2 pounds. I was still eating mostly protein though. I realized what I was doing and started eating my normal sized portions again. And today, I am happy to say I am right back to where I should be. Maybe I'll hit that 50-pound mark soon! :)
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Thanks for clarifying this point, Doug!
Like everything else in our lives, we need to balance our food consumption using moderation.
Too much or too little of something we need is not good for us.
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Hi Doug. Could you clarify what can be high carb in salads? My weight loss (http://www.fattoskinny.com/) has sort of stalled but I do eat salads quite a bit - but not the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind. I usually just have lettuce, a little cheese, grilled chicken, sometimes a little olive or onion, and dressing. Does that sound ok? Could I possibly be eating too many vegetables? I also eat a lot of broccoli and cabbage.
Thanks!
traci
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This is the FTS veggie list from page 104 in the book, all servings in this list are 1/2 cup. Add up what your salads contain and you may be surprised. ;) If you don't find your problem here, keep digging. You should also review the "weight loss (http://www.fattoskinny.com/) stalled board" from the home page down the bottom.
Welcome to the forum! Don't be a stranger :) :)
Artichoke hearts 2 net carbs
Asparagus (fresh) 5 spears 2 net carbs
Beans, green (fresh) 3 net carbs
Bean sprouts 2 net carbs
Bok Choy .2 net carbs
Broccoli (fresh) 2 net carbs
Cabbage (all kinds) 1.5 net carbs
Cauliflower 1.5 net carbs
Celery 2 stalks 1.5 net carbs
Chard (Swiss) 1.5 net carbs
Chayote squash 2 net carbs
Collard greens 2 net carbs
Cucumber 1 net carbs
Eggplant 2 net carbs
Fennel root 2 net carbs
Garlic 1 clove 1 net carb
Jicama root 2.5 net carbs
Lettuce (all) .5 net carbs
Mushrooms 2 net carbs
Okra 3 net carbs
Onions 5 net carbs
Peppers, bell (red or green) 3 net carbs
Pumpkin meat 4 net carbs
Radicchio 1 net carb
Radishes 1 net carb
Scallions 2.5 net carbs
Snow peas 3.4 net carbs
Spinach (fresh) .3 net carbs
Spinach (frozen) 2 net carbs
Squash (spaghetti) 4 net carbs
Squash (yellow) 1.5 net carbs
Squash (Zucchini) 1.5 net carbs
Tofu 2.5 net carbs
Tomato (1 small) 3 net carbs
Turnip 2.5 net carbs
Turnip (greens) 1 net carb
Watercress 0 net carbs
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Welcome to the family, traci! :) :) :) :) :) :)
Doug's right!
Plateaus are often research opportunities!
Most of us must pay close attention to EVERYTHING we put in our mouths.
I've been living the FTS lifestyle since 08/06/2010 and I STILL write down everything I eat.
I also record "HOW MUCH" I eat of each item.
Overeating low carb foods will cause plateaus and sometimes some weight gain.
Doing this has helped me break free of a number of plateaus.
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Veggies to avoid; VERY HIGH in sugar due to high starch
Corn
Peas
Hard squash
Carrots
Parsnips
Potatoes
Beets
Use Onions, tomato and garlic in moderation
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I was really surprised to see how much onions were. I don't even want to know what the count is for a single onion ring. :o
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Welcome to the forum Traci! I am umpa, dougs wife.I have a column on the homepage called ask umpa where i can help you convert your favorite foods to fat to skinny friendly.If I can help you please ask :)
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Wow, great tips in here. Before it's really hard for me to control my appetite in eating high-calorie and sweet foods. I really crave to eat chocolates and ice creams. But later, I realized that I am getting bigger and bigger already. Most most my friends always bully me and that pushed me to look over the net about fat burning exercises (http://www.burningfathelp.com/fat-burning-exercises/) tips. After few months of proper exercise and a healthy diet, I really turned "sexy" and my friends really shocked about my appearance. From now on, I already have the control of what I am going to eat. Our health is very important, so it is a must that we have to take care of it.
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There is nothing you want to eat that we don't have a replacement for.The Fat to Skinny Bakery book will give you all the sweets and ice creams you want.Hi I am umpa.dougs wife.I have a column on the homepage called ask umpa where I can convert your favorite foods to fat to skinny friendly.If I can help you please ask. ;)
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Welcome to the family, Debbie! :) :) :) :) :) :)
You will find the most supportive group of people on the planet at this forum.
We are all here to help each other make the FTS lifestyle a lifelong success.
Looking forward to hearing about your FTS journey!
Tony
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Time to re-evaluate for me since i have been stalled for 2 months. thanks doug!
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Hello, My name is Cyndi and I am in week two of a Fat to Skinny life. I read to book 2 years ago but had family challenges in my life that superseded my need to be healthy for others need to be taken care of. Now I am focusing on my health. I have allergies to tons of stuff and gluten issues as well so I really like what you say about only eating when hungry, I was so tired of trying to plan 3 meals a day plus two snacks, that would fit with in my guidelines.
I started with breakfast and then waited to get hungry like you said in the book, it seems to me that after my cup of coffee in the morning, I am not hungry until around noon. I will then go the rest of the day without being hungry until late evening if at all.
Should I eat at least 2 meals a day? 1 meal and a snack? or really wait until I am hungry. I have been doing a lot more moving in the evenings than I have been used to this week trying to get the home ready for an appraisal. But for the last three days I haven't lost a speck of weight. I am eating only protein and veggies. My protein is in the form of chicken, pork or beef. There will be no legumes for me and I am allergic to soy.
But I haven't been hungry in the mornings until this morning. My blood glucose this morning after my coffee was 96 (yeah) and then at mid morning after part of a protein drink it was 86. Should I keep eating just when hungry?
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Welcome to the forum Cyndi!! ;D Basically yes...you should only eat when you are hungry. It is surprising how little we really need. I usually don't get hungry myself until 11. Be sure to take your measurements. Your body will be going through a lot of changes and sometimes the inches will move before the weight. Be sure to come in often. I look forward to hearing about your journey to the new you :)
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Welcom Cyndi :) Looking forward to reading your posts. Don't be a stranger, post often.
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Hi Cyndi, welcome to the family :) Yes...only eat when you are truly hungry and follow the 15 minute rule to make sure you don't overeat. Each of us is different so follow your bodies signals and you'll do just fine. Stick with protein, fats and heavy green veggies. Pack up the scale for a couple of weeks or it will drive you crazy! 8)
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Welcome stuckonstitchen! i am Umpa Dougs wife if I can help you please ask! :) You are doing great!!!
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Welcome to the FTS family, Cyndi!!! :) :) :) :) :) :)
Remember that, by living the FTS lifestyle, you're healing your body of YEARS of carb abuse.
All that abuse reaped tremendous damage. Weight gain is only one part of that damage.
As your body heals, your weight will come down, your blood sugar will lower and stabilize,
your cholesterol will normalize, and much more! :) :) :)
As the damage took a long time to inflict, the healing process also takes time.
But everyday you follow the FTS rules, you get that much closer to full recovery.
One thing you should do is take your measurements.
Most of us experience "shrinkage" when the scale is dead still.
We'll be right here for you Cyndi every step of the way to your full recovery! :)
Tony
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Doug u said correct. I struggled with this FAT problem then i red one article about wait loss in that i got the same point what u said ultimately. "less eat" if we take less food compare to daily taking quantity the metabolism will become slow and our digestion function will concentrate on FAT which stored in our body so it burns that.. so will become thin. :)
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Hello fittin, welcome to our family :) what country are you in?
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Welcome fitin :) I am Umpa Dougs wife if I can help you please ask.
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I was also wondering about losing inches before losing pounds on the scale. I'm not complaining, just confused is all.
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I was also wondering about losing inches before losing pounds on the scale. I'm not complaining, just confused is all.
Hi, Sunshine! :)
As we lose fat, the scale can stop, start, and even go up a little bit from time to time.
This is all normal.
Often, even when the scale seems stalled out, we'll lose size.
This is why we should periodically check our measurements.
Tony
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Thanks again Tony, I'll work on remaining calm - goodness what's my problem lol ;)
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Hi, Sunshine! :)
Don't "work on remaining calm"... Just let go, and relax! :) :) :)
When we get too focused on the scale and losing weight, we can become stressed.
That stress alone can slow progress.
So just follow the FTS rules, and your body will follow.
The science behind FTS is rock solid. Let that science work for you.
Tony
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Yes Tony is right. It's really hard to let go of that thinking of food all the time. After a while you can just relax and live. Your food choices will become second hand and the weight will just come off. I'm not a scientist but I'm thinking it has something to do with inflammation of your cells including fat cells. When they shrink so do you ;) That doesn't necessarily change the weight.
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Thanks - I'm just happy I have a supportive hubby who understands I'm sticking with this and when we go out to eat I have to think for a moment still!
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Thanks - I'm just happy I have a supportive hubby who understands I'm sticking with this and when we go out to eat I have to think for a moment still!
Hi, Sunshine! :)
It's wonderful having a spouse that understands and supports you. :) :) :)
When we go out to eat, we have to carefully think about what, and how, we order.
Since someone else is preparing the food, they may need precise instructions.
This is one reason my favorite restaurant is Outback Steakhouse.
They have good low-carb selections and are very good about specific instructions.
Tony
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You sre so correct Doug! When I used to drive the school bus, I know I destroyed myself! I never ever drank water, it was always sodas, I could hold sodas longer than water! We just couldn't stop whenever with a bus load of kids(although sometimes it was tempting!:)I knew I was dehydrated big time cause I'd get off the bus and have to walk a quarter mile to the car & barely make it!
Now that I'm not able to work, it took lots of attempts, but I'm eating healthier and drink mostly water. And realize now how dehydrated I really was! I can't thank you enough!
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You gotta have the water to flush the fat.In am surprised you didnt leave those kids in the woods! :D
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Hi, Stephanie! :)
Mild dehydration is also the fast-track to building kidney stones! :o :o :o
You've been fortunate to have avoided them thus far.
Drink lots and lots of plain (not flavored) water.
Putting in occasional lemon wedge in is OK.
Tony