Discouraged and Confused! Please Help, Need Advice!

[cinnamon1]

So my first week or two on phen, i lost 10 lbs and went from 205 to 195. I then kept working out and ate well for a couple days and it never changed. Then I went to Kentucky for about 5 days and wasn't able to work out and I couldn't eat very healthy though I did cut down on my portions which I was proud of, but I still took phen. I got back on monday and weighed in at about 199 lbs. by wed i was back to 195 lbs by getting back to my exercise and eating routine. I've been doing really well on working out (im doing the 30 day shred) and eating well but i'm still at 195 lbs! I can't figure out why! I feel like I'm doing everything right but it's just not lowering. I have about 3 meals a day and a desert (jenny craig desert so its not high in calories or anything like that) and I eat jenny craig breakfast and sometimes lunch and dinner. Does anyone have any advice! I wanted to be down 30 lbs by aug 18 but at this rate that is not going to happen. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kristen5252]

Lot's of things could be going on here...your body coulb be adjusting to the new lifestyle, sometimes it takes time for your body to believe you mean it this time! Your body has a "comfortable weight" and until you stick to a good plan for a while, it might be fighting to go back. Also, you could be gaining muscle. A pound of fat is larger in size than a pound of muscle. So if you are swapping muscle for fat, you won't see the numbers going down, but you will see your size go down. Try taking your measurements once a week. Also, are you counting calories? Many people who do not count calories may not realize what all the food you eat adds up to. Also, frozen diet meals tend to have massive amounts of salt, which is not good for you at all, and can make you retain water. You might want to try switching to chicken breast and steamed veggies. It can be super quick to make. And if you were 199 on Monday...today is only Thursday, so at 196 you already have a 4 pound loss this week..is that right? I would say that's nothing to complain about! You can't rush this, especially at your weight. The huge numbers you see people dropping are usually when they start off way heavier than you, so it's much easier for them to drop large numbers at first.

[curvygirl63]

It sounds like you are doing things right.

My only comment is - I too have been on Jenny Craig in the past and I really didn't lose much weight. I followed everything they told me do about eating and I exercised 6 days a week but my weight fluctuated too much or I showed no loss at all and I never understood why I wasn't losing any weight -after all that $$$ I was spending.

A few months ago there was a show on "The Doctors" about the 'hidden'
sodium in the pre-packaged foods (frozen dinners and low-fat soups and other foods) we buy (including JC). The sodium content in those foods are soo high that you should NEVER buy them again. And the hidden sodium was the reason why those of us on diets and buy those meals out of convenience - do not lose any weight.

It is not US, it's the makers of those pre-pack dinners and low-fat goods. The calories might be low but the sodium is too high for your body to handle and if you eat pre-pack foods for 3 meals plus 2 snacks, you will likely lose little or no weight and over time gain weight due to the amount of hidden sodium you didnt' know you were eating. Essentially sodium is added to all pre-packaged meals and low-fat foods "to make them taste good" even though we think the portion size is right. If they didn't, it would taste like cardboard.

I was horrified after watching that show and I vowed to "NEVER" buy frozen dinners or low-fat products again. In moderation, you can have the real thing and cooking isn't that bad.

Don't get me wrong I have two relatives who had huge success with JC but my body reacted to the sodium in their foods in a negative way.

During your time away, have you been eating foods high in sodium or not really paying attention? You could be retaining water or you were't eating enough to keep your body from going into "starvation".

I hope my experience has helped.

Good luck

[agentk]

Both of the previous posters make very good points! The frozen dinners and diet meals are lower in calories, and they allow great portion control, but they're not really great for you. There's no substitute for good, healthy food. Losing weight isn't just about eating less, it's about eating better.

You're taking a lot of great steps, but maybe it's time to wean yourself off the box meals and incorporate healthier food into your diet. Try eating chicken or fish, and lots of fresh fruits and veggies instead... they probably taste a lot better than the JC meals!

And most importantly, don't give up! You're making progress, and if you stick with it, you'll reach your goal soon enough.

[tmreese]

Your body is adjusting to whats going on with you. Also, how much water are you drinking? Drinking water and alot of it will help.

Main thing here is, Dont give up!!

[Dukegirl]

you mentioned the 30 day shred...are you also doing cardio? Whatever your workout, aim for at least 5 hours of dedicated exercise per week. This doesn't include the afternoon you worked in the yard or washed the car...consider that stuff a bonus

It takes about 40 minutes of vigorous exercise for your body to really start burning fat so keep that in mind if you're only doing 20 minutes of the shred daily. There will be some weight fluctuations throughout your journey so don't get too caught up on that...you can do it!

[cinnamon1]

Thank you everyone! I will try getting off jc because im going to college in a month so it's not like I will be eating that forever! And I have just been doing the shred, so I will try and add in some cardio in there as well! You all made great points and really encouraged me! THANK YOU!!!

[WestieGirl]

I did Jenny Craig and it worked well for a while, but went off it, went back and could barely budge a pound. It's way too expensive for the results you get. Now I'm going to a nutritionist at a diet clinic, and in addition to the Phentermine they have given me a diet which I've found pretty easy to follow. I'm allowed two low-glycemic (like blueberries, strawberries, apples, and cantaloupe) fruit servings a day, one low fat dairy (try the Chobani Greek Yogurt!), unlimited non-starchy veggies, and have been told to get 80-100 grams of protein a day from chicken, turkey, seafood, bison (?), cottage cheese and eggs (one with a yolk and unlimited egg whites). I can also have up to 40 calories of salad dressing. They also have great protein bars that are totally yummy (Google Bariatric Protein Bars). So, this being my first week, we went to the beach for three days last weekend, and based on my home scale looks like I've lost 5 pounds already! I weigh in officially tomorrow. I haven't found it to be too bad... and it's not nearly as expensive as Jenny. When you go out to eat, eliminate the bread, fries, potatoes, etc and get salads, extra veggies, veggie soup, etc. You'll find that with the phen, you aren't hungry for that stuff anyways. Good luck and PM me if you want more details on the diet I'm on. I'd be happy to share it with you.