Not seeing progress and frusterated.

Question
Hello. I'm 22 years old, my first child just turned one, and I'm still carrying around the extra "baby pounds." I am 5'2" and before I got pregnant I weighed 110lbs. I gained about 45lbs while pregnant. I breastfed for 8 months, but am now stuck at 130 lbs, and I feel lumpy and completely shapeless. In the past two months, I've cut out most sweets, junk food and soda (except maybe each once weekly) and I've been doing a half hour of cardio/ crunches/lunges/ect. a night (on top of chasing around my son all day) but I'm not seeing any progress.

Some things about myself- First, I'm a vegetarian, though since I got pregnant I've made allowances for some white meat. So mainly what I'm consuming is mostly carbs (pasta, rice, potato, bread) along with chicken, vegetables and fruits. I'm assuming this isn't good for weight loss. However, my very skinny fiance insists on having a high fat/protein/carb diet to keep his energy up, so it's challenging. Also, on a daily basis, I consume less than 1,000 calories, sometimes as few as 500... but not because I'm limiting myself. I have never been one to eat breakfast (I'm never hungry, and always busy, first thing in the morning) but lately I'm trying to get a protein shake down at least a few times a week. I often forget about lunch (for myself anyway) until it's dinner time, and dinner is often something like spaghetti, tacos (filled with rice for me), ect. Meals in our house are based around what is easiest and takes the least time. The only other thing that I feel is worth noting is that I have a very hard time drinking water. I know you're supposed to have at least 8 glasses daily to stay healthy, but I can (and have) gone days without drinking anything- I'm never thirsty, and when I force myself to drink water often (as I've been doing) I find that it makes me queasy. I'm very confused.

What advise can you give me? I know I'm probably doing a lot of things wrong. Thank you in advance.

Answer
Hi Cheri,
Thank you for your question.  And I commend you on breastfeeding and being a vegetarian.  I strongly advocate both.  I would like to offer some advice that you may find helpful in your weight loss pursuit.

Your vegetarianism is a great way to eat to lose weight.  I am going to offer you a list of vegetarian foods that should make up the bulk of your nutritional intake.  Here is the list:


MEAT SUBSTITUTES:
Boca Brand Products
Ives Products
Seitan
Tofu/Tempeh/Miso
Veggie Burgers
Texturized Vegetable Protein

DAIRY SUBSTITUTES:
Soy Cheese/Soy Milk
Rice Cheese/Rice Milk
Almond Milk
Yogurt, Silk, Plain

SEMI/PESCO OPTIONS:
Crab
Fish, White
Lobster, No Butter
Salmon
Scallops
Shrimp
Sashimi
Tuna

LACTO/OVO OPTIONS:
Milk, Non-Fat
Cheese, Non-Fat/Low-Fat
Cottage Cheese, Low-Fat/Non-Fat Skim
Sour Cream, Non-Fat
Yogurt, Non-Fat
Egg Whites
Egg Beaters
Eggs, Hardboiled, No yolks
Whey Protein Powder

OTHER:
Soy Protein Powder
Soybeans

FRUITS:
Apple/Applesauce      
Avocado Banana          
Blackberries Blueberries           
Cherries   
Fruit Spread, 100% Fruit    
Grapes
Grapefruit, Pink Or White   
Kiwi Fruit Lemon            
Lime    
Melon (Cantaloupe)      
Orange   
Peach            
Pear
Pineapple         
Plum Strawberries
  
GRAINS:
Cereal, All Bran Buds      
Cereal, Kashi
Cheerios, Plain      
Couscous
Kashi Pilaf         
Oatmeal/Grits
Rice, Brown         
Quinoa   
Wheat Bread/Pita   
Wheat Pasta Wheat Tortilla

VEGETABLES:
Asparagus         
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts      
Carrots   
Cauliflower         
Celery   
Cucumber         
Corn
Lettuce            
Onions
Salsa             
Snow Peas
Squash            
Sweet Potato Tomato         
Zucchini
  
BEANS:
Black Beans          
Chickpeas Green Beans          
Hummus
Kidney beans         
Lentils   
Lima Beans         
Navy Beans
Peas            
Pinto Beans
Wax Beans          
White Beans

Now that we know what we should be eating, lets talk about when and how to eat it.  Your overall caloric intake is too low.  It is causing your body to shut down.  That is why you are not hungry.  When the body is restricted of calories it first sends a signal to the brain to produce sensations of hunger.  If those hunger signals are not answered by an intake of food, the body just stops sending the signals.  Kind of like when a baby cries and does not get a response, he or she will stop crying.  The fact that you find yourself not hungry is a sign that you have decreased your metabolism.  Here is what I suggest.  Eat something every three hours while you are awake.  These can be small snacks such as 10 almonds, an apple, a cup of yogurt or cottage cheese (if you are consuming dairy), or a nutrition bar or ready to drink nutrition shake.  By feeding your body every three hours the metabolic rate will increase.  This is essential for fat loss.  Your overall calories need to be about 1,200 every day.  I have had a large number of women who are in your height range that have had to drop their calories down to 1,000 per day to lose weight.  I would start at 1,200 with the meal every three hours and see if the weight starts to drop.  If you are not seeing a pound of loss per week, then drop your calories by 100 per day.  Breakfast is an important meal as it starts your metabolism each morning.  Try to get something in you within the first hour upon awakening.

Water.  We have to get you drinking more water.  This again goes back to your metabolism.  Let me give you an example of how important water is.  Imagine for a moment the desert.  It is dry.  There is very little water around.  And then notice that nothing lives in the desert.  There is no activity.  No growth.  No imagine South Florida.  It is humid and plenty of afternoon rain showers.  Everything grows easily in South Florida.  This is because there is abundant water.  In your body every cell is filled with water.  Nutrients are transported in the fluids in your body.  Blood is made up of water.  Without water your body is like the desert, and stops moving and carrying out daily processes.  This is in effect a slowing down of your metabolic rate.  You are burning less calories.   You said water makes you feel a bit sick.  This is normal when one goes from a dehydrated state to a state of optimal hydration.  Start slow, and feel free to add a bit of lemon to your water for taste.  The goal is to get at least 8 eight ounce glasses of water in per day.  Ideally you would double that. Give yourself time to get used to drinking water, and I guarantee you will begin to become thirst for it. I does not matter how good someone is with their diet and exercise, if they are not consuming enough water, they will not lose weight.  

Your exercise in the evening is great.  30 minutes is plenty.  Make sure you exercise with intensity.  Make the time count.  Give it your all each time.  Once you get your metabolism up and running again I am certain you will see results from your exercise efforts.  

Give this process a few weeks to have a full effect.  It will take you seven days of drinking water to reach a hydrated level again.  After that your body will start to elevate the metabolism.  Weight loss is not immediate, and sometimes the effective approach is not always easy to accomplish.  But hey, you have given birth, so I know you are not afraid of hard work!  Planning will be a key action for you as you have a full time job with your son.  Plan your meals ahead of time ?like when you are at the grocery store.  Think about what you will need to buy in order to eat while on the run.  Buy bottles of water or get a refillable bottle that you can take anywhere.  

Please let me know how it goes.  I am excited to hear how much better you will feel, and how the weight loss will improve once you get this underway!

Best of health,
Dr. Bret
Doctoremery.com

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