The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[cranegirl]

I've been doing the program since November and have now lost 35#. I'm thrilled about my progress, but my weight loss stalled around the middle of January and hasn't budged significantly since. What I've read about plateaus is that they usually hit after you lose about 50# or after 6 months on a program, I'm obviously not in either category. I'm working out gently five times a week, just simple walking and basic strengthening exercises. Discipline isn't a problem, I'm honestly not tempted by foods that used to really weaken my resolve. But I do have another old scary habit that's come out of the closet and I'm not sure how to work around it.

I had a pretty severe eating disorder in college, was addicted to exercise and would starve myself for days on end. Now that my weight loss has stalled, I'm getting afraid to let myself eat. I'm afraid to eat my lean and green, I'm afraid to let myself have bars, afraid to mix up my shakes.

I have noticed that I'm not hungry anymore, and when I was really losing dealing with hunger was a struggle. I could barely make it the 2.5 hours between meals! I drank lots of SF liquids, broth, and water to fake my stomach out. Now, I'm not losing anything and my hunger response seems dead. I really wonder if there's a connection, though I don't know what to do about it.

So since my hunger response has also died, it makes it that much more tempting to skip meals. I know it's not a good idea, but my anxiety over the stuck scale is really making me afraid to let any food into my system.

Thanks for listening. I'm going to go drink my cocoa now and not give my nervousness a chance to talk me out of it!

[falisamarie]

cranegirl

Just hang in there. You have already proven to yourself that the program works if you follow it. Don't skip meals follow the program and I am sure that the scale will start moving again. Remember everyone is different so it is very possible that you have just hit a plateu already and I know if you stick with it the scale will be moving again soon. Just keep reading and keep posting and don't skip meals as this could just put you into starvation mode and could further prolong your "lack of loss" YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!


Lisa

[Guest]

I know how you feel, truly. I also went through some issues in college - and even in my second week on the diet when the scale has stalled I have those feelings of being afraid to eat anything. It's hard to totally forget those feelings.

In college, I was an exercise freak, I wasn't heavy but still thought I was - and I didn't eat much and exercised like a nut - and abused diuretics too - in the end I got too thin, (imagine that) and ended up with an irregular heartbeat.

Now - I have about 75 or so lbs to lose - on the other side of the scale I guess now. I also know that not eating is wrong - and what it does to your body is not good. My goals now are different than when I was younger - I guess then I just wanted to be 'hot' LOL now I want to be HEALTHY for my kids and myself. I have already felt a few days of not wanting to eat too much since I can't seem to budge the scale much this week - but I just keep telling myself that I already know the UNHEALTHY way to do things - that this time I am going to do it the HEALTHY way - and not skip meals. You have already lost a lot - that's great - from the reading I've done here, the platueas all seem to happen differently for everybody - maybe the 'norm' is 50lbs and 6 months, but I think it also varies quite a bit. Just stick with it - slow and steady and it will start to come off again - your body adjusts to things in it's own time - and you will start to see a loss again.

Good luck - and I understand those feelings all too well myself. Just try to remind yourself that this time it's for health.

HTH..

Cheers,
Maria

[mmob]

That was me - sorry - didn't know I was logged out!! LOL

A blonde moment there......

Maria

[MusicalMomma]

Welcome to the forum Cranegirl!!! You've come to the right place for support and advice!!! Many of us can relate to your feelings of fear. I can't say I was ever and exercise nut and I've always been heavy (not this heavy, but heavy). However, I am realizing that one of the root causes of eating disorders are based in fear. I don't want to go on and on, but I know I've always been afraid of "life without junk food". Honesty, my every eating whim just took over and I just started feeling it was part of my "personality" and that I would ALWAYS be this way and that this would ALWAYS be a battle. Well, even though the call of food may always be a little stronger for me than the average woman, I no longer buy into that line of thinking. I am WAY more than what I weigh or what I eat! As a matter of fact, I'm a pretty wonderful person fat or thin! AND so are you! Start asking yourself why you want to lose this weight so badly. Is one of those deep dark reasons "so I can be accepted and thought of a beautiful by society"? That sure as heck was my reason on EVERY OTHER DIET! But for some reason, although I do want to look beautiful, I found that there is so much more to me than that. I am a lovable person. I can love myself, others and be loved, even when I'm fat. So, I guess I went on and on anyway. I just wanted to encourage you to tell your fears to "take a hike" and love who you are, where you are, right now. Because YOU deserve to be loved, especially by yourself!!!!

[Dayna]

I can't speak to the issue of your struggle with an eating disorder, I'm not in any way qualified (and it's a serious issue), but I will ask if you've considered counseling, or if you've recently talked to a doctor about it. We all want you HEALTHY first and foremost, thin is a secondary goal. Health comes first.

Now, as to the poundage plateau, have you taken your measurements recently? Weightloss shows in more ways than just the scale, and often shows in other ways even when the scale just sits there. If you've got something to compare to, take your measurements and see if you've lost inches. Muscle weighs more than fat, and if your exercise is starting to increase your muscle mass, that might be what's off-setting the poundage of the fat loss (right? someone with a little more expertise want to chime in on this?). Back in August, my aunt bought me Body for Life for Women (excellent read, it really got me motivated to take control of my weight/life). One of the author's suggestions for evaluating our progress is to take a pair of pants that you can get into but can't completely zip or button, and then try them on once a week. Even if the scale stays put, those pants will show the truth about what your body is doing. She calls it the "Clothes-O-Meter." In fact, here's what she says about the scale:

So many women get hung up on the number on the scale, and if they're not seeing big changes there (because they haven't opened their eyes to other methods of measuring progress), they'll feel as if they've failed. But as I've said before, depending on scale weight alone is not an accurate way to gauge your progress, especially as you gain muscle with weight training. Even if your scale weight isn't dropping rapidly, you may be trimming inches, dropping dress sizes, and removing body fat. Lost inches and looser clothing will help convince you that the Body-for-LIFE for Women Training Method [I insert Medifast Program here ] is working for you. Scale weight is just a small piece of the action. Your goal is to optimize your body composition.

Ladies, open your mind to other definitions of success. The beauty of the Body-for-LIFE program [Medifast Program ] is that it's not just about "losing weight," it's about gaining a life - a new, better life, filled with perks: more energy, a more positive outlook . . . more passion for life, more self-confidence and self-esteem. When you measure success beyond the scale, the benefits of the program seem limitless.

She gives a checklist of ways to gague progress, and suggests filling it out at one-week intervals. Included on the checklist are body-fat percentage, clothes-o-meter, measurements (chest, waist, hip, thigh), scale weight, mood, energy levels, and overall quality of life.

You're going to make it through this. Every time you eat your meal, tell yourself that YOU are exerting your control over food, the food will not control you. When you skip a meal, that's food controlling you (not the other way around). Food has controlled most of us in one way or another, I think, or we wouldn't be here; now, with our confidence in the Medifast program and the support of our forum mates, we take that control back.

Glad to have you with us on this journey - please keep us posted on your struggles and successes.

- Dayna

[Unca_Tim]

Hi CG and welcome to the forum,


One observation about your post.
You mention several times about lack of hunger and having a hard time getting in all your meals.

You MUST get in all your meals. This could be the cause of your slow loss lately, if you're not.

Let us know how you're doing and keep us posted.