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Etana · 08-25-2008, 01:31 PM

I began writing, and it got very long, so skim this if you want to. I'll write results tomorrow.

My reason for the log
1. Your support, which I'm really gonna need and appreciate
2. To be accountable for every calorie & missed hour of sleep
3. To have what I am actually doing written down as a record, to see stalls and progress, and identify what is preventing my results.
__________

Some background on me. I am 62, post-menopausal), feel young and healthy and strong mostly, but also feel the signs of aging.
1. My foot is the worst problem: the tendon of the arch is stretched (valgus deformity) and even with orthodics, walking more than 1/4 mile makes my foot ache. I fear the long hikes I used to love; aerobics classes are mostly out; the treadmill is out, jogging is out.
2. I also don't have the resiliency/bounce I had 10 years ago, going up and down stairs.
3. I also have had chronic digestive problems: a v-e-r-y slow intestine digestion, chronic constipation and gas pocket pain in my right top belly, that I have treated by cleaning up my food and eating simple, but it is still a problem. Gastroenterologists don't seem to know anything about food and its relation to digestion. Leigh mentioned the term gastroparesis, which I will study and get medical advice, but will prefer to treat with food and exercise not drugs. I do not have diabetes, but I will take the next tests for diabetes.
4. I don't lose weight. That's what i'm here for.

I don't lose weight: I've been a yo-yo dieter all my life. First diet at age 12. Diet pills at age 15 with mom's help. Years on WeightWatchers, step aerobics. I did lose 40 pounds about 3 times in my life eating 500-900 cal/day.

5 years ago, I finally got down to 160 and maintained it for the 5 years. But this maintenance was really a 5-year diet, trying to get to 150 unsuccessfully. Years and years of dieting constantly, with the results of maintenance.

Then when I gained 15 pounds I did NOT want to get to 205 again, and I scrambled to get the fat off. I see this as a success, not gaining back all my loss.

Thinking the stall was because I cheat too much, 5 months ago at 178 I began tracking every day, no excuses, with a buddy, written down: 1450 calories, 6 small clean meal, palm of protein/fist of carbs, little processed food, including 2-6 days of Body for Life weights/HIIT, and Jazzercise. The first 3 months I got down to 174, or 4 pounds in 3 months. I had hoped for 12 pounds. Very slow.

So I lowered my calories and increased my exercise and got "more perfect": The last 12 weeks of that I did 2 days per week of Eat Stop Eat (ESE), (which I loved!.. a "rest from food"), so that my total average daily calories was decreased to 1200. I did three 4-week Turbulence Training (TT) workouts: weights & HIIT, plus 2 days Jazzercise. I had great hopes and attitude. I dropped another 2 pounds and the scale moved between 172 and 174 for that whole 12 weeks. 6 pounds loss total in 5 months. So I began tracking my food in fitday.com, thinking I was counting wrong (but, fitday was always exact or 100 calories lower than my estimates). So people said, "what about your clothing:" My midriff felt better, my upper body got more toned, butIn the 20 weeks, my pants did not drop even 1 whole size.

I searched for a doctor to look deeper into my bloodwork, my thyroid, what could be done about my slow metabolism. I found an "anti-aging" doctor who specialized in weight management and she told me to do more cardio and stop eating nuts. This left me hopeless, because my thighs were just exhausted already; I was already exercising 5-6 times/ week.

I deliberated whether to do REPAIR. The timing is wrong. I'd rather put in a 3 month push to the Holidays, and then be 10 pounds thinner for Thanksgiving.

But when I began another 4 week set of TT, the only thing I could thing to change was to drop my calories down to 1100 calories. And I was tempted to drop to 1000 calories. And I was thinking of how 900 calories would really work. Nothing I did created results. 20 weeks with really no results, why continue with more of that?

At the TT forum, someone pointed me to Liegh Peele's books and I skimmed and read them.

So much of the R.E.P.A.I.R. program spoke to me. I hated it. I resisted it. But in my inner mind the indicators pointed to ME. I live a life of deficit calories.Looking to find a medical problem to call it. Not getting results with all I do. Even if I underestimate by 200 cal per day, and don't count my Orbit chewing gum, I should still have 3-4 pound per month weight loss. In looking for a doctor, I was looking for someone who could identify my problem of no results as a medical problem. Leigh calls it like it is.

I'm going to take a 8 week act of faith in Leigh's program. She seems to be extremely knowledgeable, supports my food and exercise that I have enjoyed and believe in (Body For Life food, and Craig Ballentyne Turbulence Training). She has identified my digestive problems and my living life in caloric deficit while staying 173 pounds. I'm going to give this a chance.

I have a lot of fears. I cannot imagine eating 2000 calories and not gaining weight. I gain weight on 1500 calories. EIGHT WHOLE weeks of "dieting" with the PURPOSE being MAINTENANCE! HUH??? I keep thinking there's a missing link, that if I knew it, i would cause results in weight loss. So that's what I hope to learn, what's missing from my actions that is stalling all my hard work at being healthy and being proud of my body at a weight that is comfortable for me.

R.E.P.A.I.R.
The first phase is Rest. I am to sit on my ass for the next two weeks and do nothing that my life does not absolutely require.
I am not an overtrainer. I love to not do exercise. It is fine for me to rest for 2 weeks and do no activity. (From reading Leigh's books, because of my foot problems, I realize I got very inactive with the spike only of my daily exercise, no NEAT.)

FOOD: Based on her Metabolic Level Test, I am a level two. (My results - 6 A's, 6 B's, 5 C's,5 D's, One I did not answer; I averaged that to a B-C/Level 2.5.) Based on her Activity Test (with no exercise), I have a 1.2 multiplier on my BMR - that seems high, but I live in a city and have to walk a lot to get to work and run errands, and I have two dogs that have to be walked.

Given those results, I have the following food guidelines for the next two weeks:
1200 calories
120+ g protein 40%+
27-33 g fat 20%-25%
75-90g carb 25%-30%

Soon I will be R.E.P.A.I.R.ed, and can diet/exercise and actually GET RESULTS!

If you made it this far, thanks for listening/reading.
Etana

08-25-2008, 01:31 PM	#2 (permalink)
Etana Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Appalachian Trail, Silver Spring, MD Posts: 1,692	I began writing, and it got very long, so skim this if you want to. I'll write results tomorrow. My reason for the log 1. Your support, which I'm really gonna need and appreciate 2. To be accountable for every calorie & missed hour of sleep 3. To have what I am actually doing written down as a record, to see stalls and progress, and identify what is preventing my results. __________ Some background on me. I am 62, post-menopausal), feel young and healthy and strong mostly, but also feel the signs of aging. 1. My foot is the worst problem: the tendon of the arch is stretched (valgus deformity) and even with orthodics, walking more than 1/4 mile makes my foot ache. I fear the long hikes I used to love; aerobics classes are mostly out; the treadmill is out, jogging is out. 2. I also don't have the resiliency/bounce I had 10 years ago, going up and down stairs. 3. I also have had chronic digestive problems: a v-e-r-y slow intestine digestion, chronic constipation and gas pocket pain in my right top belly, that I have treated by cleaning up my food and eating simple, but it is still a problem. Gastroenterologists don't seem to know anything about food and its relation to digestion. Leigh mentioned the term gastroparesis, which I will study and get medical advice, but will prefer to treat with food and exercise not drugs. I do not have diabetes, but I will take the next tests for diabetes. 4. I don't lose weight. That's what i'm here for. I don't lose weight: I've been a yo-yo dieter all my life. First diet at age 12. Diet pills at age 15 with mom's help. Years on WeightWatchers, step aerobics. I did lose 40 pounds about 3 times in my life eating 500-900 cal/day. 5 years ago, I finally got down to 160 and maintained it for the 5 years. But this maintenance was really a 5-year diet, trying to get to 150 unsuccessfully. Years and years of dieting constantly, with the results of maintenance. Then when I gained 15 pounds I did NOT want to get to 205 again, and I scrambled to get the fat off. I see this as a success, not gaining back all my loss. Thinking the stall was because I cheat too much, 5 months ago at 178 I began tracking every day, no excuses, with a buddy, written down: 1450 calories, 6 small clean meal, palm of protein/fist of carbs, little processed food, including 2-6 days of Body for Life weights/HIIT, and Jazzercise. The first 3 months I got down to 174, or 4 pounds in 3 months. I had hoped for 12 pounds. Very slow. So I lowered my calories and increased my exercise and got "more perfect": The last 12 weeks of that I did 2 days per week of Eat Stop Eat (ESE), (which I loved!.. a "rest from food"), so that my total average daily calories was decreased to 1200. I did three 4-week Turbulence Training (TT) workouts: weights & HIIT, plus 2 days Jazzercise. I had great hopes and attitude. I dropped another 2 pounds and the scale moved between 172 and 174 for that whole 12 weeks. 6 pounds loss total in 5 months. So I began tracking my food in fitday.com, thinking I was counting wrong (but, fitday was always exact or 100 calories lower than my estimates). So people said, "what about your clothing:" My midriff felt better, my upper body got more toned, butIn the 20 weeks, my pants did not drop even 1 whole size. I searched for a doctor to look deeper into my bloodwork, my thyroid, what could be done about my slow metabolism. I found an "anti-aging" doctor who specialized in weight management and she told me to do more cardio and stop eating nuts. This left me hopeless, because my thighs were just exhausted already; I was already exercising 5-6 times/ week. I deliberated whether to do REPAIR. The timing is wrong. I'd rather put in a 3 month push to the Holidays, and then be 10 pounds thinner for Thanksgiving. But when I began another 4 week set of TT, the only thing I could thing to change was to drop my calories down to 1100 calories. And I was tempted to drop to 1000 calories. And I was thinking of how 900 calories would really work. Nothing I did created results. 20 weeks with really no results, why continue with more of that? At the TT forum, someone pointed me to Liegh Peele's books and I skimmed and read them. So much of the R.E.P.A.I.R. program spoke to me. I hated it. I resisted it. But in my inner mind the indicators pointed to ME. I live a life of deficit calories.Looking to find a medical problem to call it. Not getting results with all I do. Even if I underestimate by 200 cal per day, and don't count my Orbit chewing gum, I should still have 3-4 pound per month weight loss. In looking for a doctor, I was looking for someone who could identify my problem of no results as a medical problem. Leigh calls it like it is. I'm going to take a 8 week act of faith in Leigh's program. She seems to be extremely knowledgeable, supports my food and exercise that I have enjoyed and believe in (Body For Life food, and Craig Ballentyne Turbulence Training). She has identified my digestive problems and my living life in caloric deficit while staying 173 pounds. I'm going to give this a chance. I have a lot of fears. I cannot imagine eating 2000 calories and not gaining weight. I gain weight on 1500 calories. EIGHT WHOLE weeks of "dieting" with the PURPOSE being MAINTENANCE! HUH??? I keep thinking there's a missing link, that if I knew it, i would cause results in weight loss. So that's what I hope to learn, what's missing from my actions that is stalling all my hard work at being healthy and being proud of my body at a weight that is comfortable for me. R.E.P.A.I.R. The first phase is Rest. I am to sit on my ass for the next two weeks and do nothing that my life does not absolutely require. I am not an overtrainer. I love to not do exercise. It is fine for me to rest for 2 weeks and do no activity. (From reading Leigh's books, because of my foot problems, I realize I got very inactive with the spike only of my daily exercise, no NEAT.) FOOD: Based on her Metabolic Level Test, I am a level two. (My results - 6 A's, 6 B's, 5 C's,5 D's, One I did not answer; I averaged that to a B-C/Level 2.5.) Based on her Activity Test (with no exercise), I have a 1.2 multiplier on my BMR - that seems high, but I live in a city and have to walk a lot to get to work and run errands, and I have two dogs that have to be walked. Given those results, I have the following food guidelines for the next two weeks: 1200 calories 120+ g protein 40%+ 27-33 g fat 20%-25% 75-90g carb 25%-30% Soon I will be R.E.P.A.I.R.ed, and can diet/exercise and actually GET RESULTS! If you made it this far, thanks for listening/reading. Etana