The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Nova]

I'm very frustrated right now. I'm eating correctly, sticking to the plan. My extras include 2-4 fish oil caps (20-40 calories) a day and 1 TBS of flax seed a day (25 calories). I prefer the more carb-y medifast foods, and I have oatmeal every morning, pudding every night and a bar every day. The other 2 meals are shakes, and my L&G is usually right in line with what's allowed.

According to MyMedifast, my calories have averaged 1000 and my carbs average 91/day.

In spite of that, I have gained 5 pounds this week, and 2 pounds since Nov 1. It's starting to tick me off. My weight is now 2 pounds over my trend line, and what do I have to show for it? I'm losing hair (the reason for the fish oil and the flax seed) and getting further from my goal. I understand a plateau. I really do. But not one that lasts over 20 days.

I have some ideas, but I'm not sure which is the correct answer yet.
1) It's TTOM. I've never noticed a big weight gain before, but I've never been at this weight before either.
2) I was exercising the last 2 weeks. I tried to add an extra meal on days I was exercising. I haven't exercised this week because I've been busy and I wondered if cutting it out would start my weight loss again. It hasn't.
3) It's finally getting cold out. I've heard that our bodies add water as it gets cold.
4) My metabolism finally gave up and said fine, I'll run perfectly efficiently at 1000 calories per day. In fact, I'll let you gain weight at 1000 calories a day.

If anyone has any suggestions, advice or words of wisdom, I'd love to hear them.

[PJinCali]

Hi Nova,

So sorry you are so frustrated this close to your goal! I feel your pain with the hair loss. I have added vitimin e, fish oil and extra olive oil in my salad, and my hair is still falling out. It is so thin on top you can clearly see my scalp. I am going to try and tough it out until the end of the month. If I don't see some improvement I am going to ask my doctor and nutritionist what I should do.

Good luck to you! I hope your gain is just the TTOM issue and not your body whacking out!

PJ

[Serendipity]

Nioxin really worked for me. I just use it every time I shampoo and the hair loss has stopped. I'm also seeing alot or regrowth. I had tried some of the EFA oil caps earlier, but I wasn't consistant, so I can't say whether they really work or not......the Nioxin has been incredible.

Hang in there re: the weight loss thing. I'm losing alot slower now, too, because I don't have much to lose, I think. I just got off of a 14 day plateau. If you're patient, and compliant, it will come off for ya.

[bdg]

You are getting close and you will have slow-downs and halts, unfortunately. Just keep your eye on the prize, and don't let it stop you. You might try cutting your bar out for a bit, or you can try increasing your shakes, just to knock the plateau out. Others will probably have ideas too, but these are a couple that I have.

[Nancy]

Hi, Nova ~

Well, let’s see what we can do to help you out. Sorry ‘bout your frustrations.

Your meal replacement choices are totally fine and certainly within the Medifast guidelines: oatmeal, pudding, a bar and two shakes…I’m not sure what you mean when you say you prefer the carbiest of Medifast meals because truly the products are in the right balance of protein to carbs. Let’s take a look at the highest amount of calories and carbs that you could be ingesting in the 5 meal replacements you mention.

Oatmeal 110 calories/ 16 carbs

Pudding: 110 calories/ 15 carbs

Bar (I selected the highest calories and carbs of all the bars) 160 calories/ 24 carbs

Shakes (I selected the 70 formulation and the Swiss Mocha Flavor for the highest possible calories and carbs 14 – the other flavors of 70 formulation shakes have 13 carbs; most likely you use the 55’s which are slightly lower with 90 calories and 13 carbs. Again the Swiss Mocha flavor has 14 carbs) 100 calories/ 14 carbs times 2 shakes per day = 200 calories/28 carbs

Daily Medifast meal replacement totals = 580 calories/83 carbs

Then there is the Lean and Green considerations.

Depending upon your lean and green meal selections, we would need to add the calories and carbs for your food selections. The average L & G is between 300-350 calories.

Ideally, the total average caloric intake for the day – meal replacements plus the L & G is in the 850-calorie range and approx 85 carbs – perhaps a few more carbs.

BJG has a point there, you might consider trading the bar for another shake for days to see if that has any effect on your weight.

I see a few things that we may want to consider.

All fats are high in calories. Flaxseed, canola, and olive oil are generally considered to be the ‘good’ kind of fat calories. They help to lower the ‘bad’ cholesterol (the LDL cholesterol) and maintain or preserve the ‘good’ cholesterol (the HDL cholesterol) in the bloodstream. Omega 3 Oils can lower blood triglycerides and help to reduce the risk of blood clots, strokes and heart attacks. My husband and I each take 1 Omega 3 Fish Oil capsule/ daily. Ours has 10 calories per capsule. Has your physician recommended that you take two to four capsules a day, Nova?

Most oils have approximately 110 or 120 calories per tablespoon. I wonder what type of flaxseed oil you are using, as I have not seen any with 25 calories per tablespoon.

1.) TOM can be a factor, that’s for sure.

2.) If you have not been exercising prior to two weeks ago, that could affect your weight loss or even account for the slight gain. It takes our body a while to adjust to the exercise component and for some people; their weight loss will slow down for a week or two but then picks right back up. When we exercise, it is important to step up our water intake, particularly if you are sweating or puffing; muscles use a lot of water. It is important to be consistent once we begin exercising - exercise most every day for about 25-35 minutes, never more than 40 or 45 minutes maximum while on the 5 & 1 Program.

3.) I dunno about the cold temp and water retention, Nova. My experience is that most people retain water when it is warm but you could be right about that.

4.) I dunno if your metabolism gave up but it might be a little stubborn right now. Most likely it may be a combination of things including some of the following:

Are you getting plenty of rest?

Has your stress index raised a few notches lately?

Are you eating within the first hour of getting up each morning or going longer? It is best to begin the day with fuel and not delay eating breakfast.

Are you spacing your meals every two and a half to three hours a day or going longer between meals? We need regular food intake – it takes fuel to run the human machinery and if the body feels threatened about its fuel intake, it conserves energy expenditure and weight loss can slow down or stop.

Are you skipping meals every couple of days or so? We need that regular intake of grub.

Are you over-exercising?

Are you eating snacks? If so, your snackage could certainly increase the carbs and upset the protein to carb ratios.

How about salad dressings? Are they low fat/low cal and low carb?

Are you weighing your meat/fish portions and measuring the vegetables – make sure you are getting all you need and not any extras.

Many of us feel like those last 10 pounds are just toying with us – they seem to somehow know how to totally bug us, lurk on the hips and buns and never wanna leave. They will, Nova.

Keep hanging in there, Girl! We feel your pain and will walk alongside of you.

P.S. Jo, thanks for your great report about the Nioxin. My barber told me about it a while ago and said it works very well for her clients. I haven't needed it now that I am 3 & a half years out but have welcomed it when I was in the thinnin' process because my furs got mighty sparse then, too. I've read favorable reviews about the Nioxin and hearing your report is the icing, Darlin'!

Jo, you are so close, we can taste it!

Nova, your day is just around the corner!

[VictoriousNat]

Hang in there Nova! Everyone has shared really great advice.

I understand about the hair. My scalp in the middle is totally visible. I am taking the biotin and I recently purchased Nioxin kit. I have just decided that I will put my hair in a ponytail as much as I can so the hair from front and sides cover the middle. Hang in there. We are with you.

[Nova]

Thanks for all the great replies, and thanks to Nancy for the advice. I don't see my doc regularly about the weight loss, although I should probably call and see if my insurance will cover some sort of weight loss counseling. My doctor didn't really care if I did Medifast or not when I asked him initially. The other reason I take fish oil is to prevent a flare up of tendonitus in my elbows, which can get pretty bad for me. It's supposed to help with inflammation. As for the dosage, I'm going off of the bottle directions and input from fellow lifters. I know I'm adding calories, but my hope was that since they were fats, they wouldn't affect ketosis, and it wouldn't slow my weight loss down too much.

I should have been more clear in my first post. I'm not taking flax seed oil; I'm using ground flax seed. According to the package info, it has 25 calories per tablespoon, and I mix 1 Tbs into my oatmeal. I usually don't snack except for a pickle spear or two. The exception is if I know it's going to be four hours between meals, as often happens between my bar and getting home for dinner, I might have my soy crisps to tide me over and keep me from being starved. I do weigh and measure my veggies and protein still, and I make sure to get a minimum of 80 oz of water a day. I'm not much into salad, so usually I have broccoli or cauliflower instead. (note: It's impossible to measure asparagus properly.)

I've always been a breakfast person, and I hate missing it, so I eat about 30 minutes after I get up. And I still get hungry every 3 hours, so I never miss a meal. I love to eat! I'm just learning to do it correctly. Sleep is always a problem, but I'm trying to get at least 7 hours. Stress is very high, but I'm managing it pretty well right now. I'm getting very good at leaving work at work.

I guess I can trade in my bar for a shake the next few days, although honestly, the bar is the second highlight of my day, after my L&G. Thanks for letting me vent/ponder/ask questions. I'm usually fine with whatever happens, but this week seeing the scale go up 5 pounds in 4 days was just too much to take.

Any ideas where I can get some Nioxin?

[TonyR]

Nova,

To answer your question about where to get Nioxin...you need to go to your local beauty shop!

[PJinCali]

Hi Nova,

Most beauty supply stores have Nioxin. I think Sally Beauty supply has a web site and you can order it from them. If you go to the Nioxin web site they have a little quiz to help you purchase the correct formula for your situation.

Good luck, your scalp will be all tingelly

PJ

[PJinCali]

The Nioxin site also has a salon locator. You put in your zip code and it will tell you where you can get it in you area.

Good luck,

PJ

[DogMa]

As for the bar being a highlight of your day ... what if giving it up helps you start losing again? Wouldn't getting on the SCALE be the highlight? Not to mention reaching goal, which would probably be the highlight of your YEAR.

I can only speak for myself, but it seems worth trying to me!!

Good luck, Nova! We're saving a seat for you in maintenance.

[GucciGoo]

I know that Ulta has Nioxin. It is expensive but they sometimes have sales.

[gillian]

My hair is falling out too.... Argggggg!!!! When I get to main. that stops?

[Nancy]

Yup. Most people do not experience hair loss, Gillian. I expected it because it happened to me before when I went on other diets, even the diet named after a famous woman in southern California...generally it is because we have lowered our fat intake. Once I started maintenance and had been on it for a while, all those little furs began to re-grow. Dang! Wish some of them hadn't sprouted on my chin! Taking an Omega 3 Fish Oil Capsule or an Oil of Evening Primrose helps and also additional B vits with biotin can be helpful.

I've written about my experience in other posts and have addressed hair loss many times - you may want to do a search thru the MakeMeThinner Forum for other writings regarding it. Frankly, I liked having less arm hair! It's ba-a-a-ck, Baby! It's back!

[DogMa]

I don't think it's just the reduced fat, though. Lots of people on Atkins experience the same thing, and there's no shortage of fat there.