I breaking into some unknown territory over the next couple of days. My weight loss is totally stuck. In 2 months I have lost 5 pounds. I am utterly frustrated. I've recently begun not only measuring my food but weighing it. My calories are definitely low enough that I should be losing no less than 2 pounds a week.
But I'm not.
I've begun a great consistent exercise program, so not only are my calories in deficit, I'm burning off lots of the ones I'm getting. So again, I should be losing.
But I'm not.
I posted a question asking for help on one of my favorite forums. First, the brilliant ladies there suggested weighing, instead of measuring, because it is much more accurate. So this weekend I went to Walmart and got a scale. I wasn't terribly surprised that my serving estimates were off. What did surprise me was that I was underfeeding myself even more than I was trying to. What I had assumed was a 4 ounce serving of beef was actually 2.8 ounces. My estimate of a 5 oz chicken breast was in reality, a 4 oz chicken breast. Everything I've measured has surprised me so far. So measuring it will be from now on.
Still, the scale is stuck and now, we've identified there is no caloric reason. The next recommendations were a "refeed" or a "diet break." I selected the option of a refeed. I had to ask a bunch of silly, repetitive questions to figure out how to do it. I'm kind of stumbling through this first day of it, feeling strangely guilty and clueless, all at the same time.
The gist of a refeed is that after a certain amount of time of strict dieting, your hormones can go awry. One way of "resetting" your hormones is to go on a refeed and consume a lot of carbs. For two days, I can eat carbs with abandon, while attempting to keep my protein and fat at the same numbers they have been previously. This generally raises your calories approximately to maintenance level. This is the way I understand the scenario. I'm still researching, so if I discover I've given you misinformation, I will correct it, both on this post and in a new post.
So today was day one. First let me say, I haven't really restricted carbs a whole lot. I eat 2 pieces of Ezekiel toast for breakfast every morning without fail. I eat tons of fruits and veggies, and I have 1-2 more servings of whole grains or potato per day. Today, I'm trying to get my carbs up to 200 grams. Because I have tracked everything so carefully over the past few months, this goes totally against the things I have ingrained in myself to lose weight. It is scary to add an English muffin to dinner, even when it is a grainy, nutty, Ezekiel muffin. I honestly feel like my butt is broadening to it's former glory as I sit here typing this.
It's nearing the end of the day, and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get all 200g in, but I'm giving it the old college try. Tomorrow is day 2 of this evil plan, so I've figured out a few ways to make it a little easier and more spread out.
I keep reminding myself of how I'm constantly telling people that one meal won't affect their results negatively. But will two days of carbohydrate abandon drive the scale up, never to drop again? I'll let you know, but right now, I need to have some ice cream.
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