I'm still sitting here on a massive plateau. With no drop in sight. Though I did lose a pound when I had the stomach virus...WAHOOO. I've even increased exercise. This is what I eat in a given day.

Breakfast - Protein Shake 100 calories
Yogart 100 calories

Snack - 7 Peanut Prezels 150 calories

Lunch - Baked Fish 100 calories

Snack - FF Popcorn 80 calories

Dinner - Baked Fish w/Veggies 150 calories

For a total of 680 calories. And I'm afraid to eat anymore than that because I'll blow up. I'm drinking at least 2 gallons of water a day. I just purchased Fiber Thin...the informercial looked promising, but I know there are no miracle drugs out there. I've been quite depressed and I can tell it's affecting my family. My husband says I worry more with my weight than my children. I've just been working so hard to get no results. They've all told me don't give up, it'll come off. I'm so close to giving up. I'm not sure where else to turn. Thank you all for letting me have a pitty party~

May God bless all of you!

Ashley, I'm sure you know already that you need to eat more, so I won't tell you ;-) Just add some salad or munch on veggies thru the day, get your body back into burning mode.

You obviously know how to lose, it looks like you've lost an incredible amount of weight already, you should be proud.:up:

I'm sure you have been told time and time again but you asked. You need to consume more calories. Not eating enough sends your bod into starvation mode AND if you are working out more your body is going to hold on to what it has. Don't be afraid to up them calories, Just ask are Goalies they'll tell ya.....

Also I know this sounds weird and I am in no way discouraging water drinking. BUT..l (you) can actually drink to much. Drink what your body needs. Everything in moderation. Of course everyones body is differant. But I tested myself... I do well on 8 glasses a day, 1 or 2 more if I drink caffiene. But more then that holds my weight.

But gosh dern.... Look how far you have come..... Dont worry it will happen, Just nourish your bod some more. :up:

These guys know their stuff, Ashley.

Imagine your body is a business. Now lets say your business is losing money every month. (Gaining weight, or not losing weight).

You want to increase profits - what do you do? Well, you can start cutting costs (calories) left and right, fire 95% of your workforce, turn off the power during the day, etc. But where will that really get you? Sure, a short-term sucess as your expenses reduce. But long-term you will fail because your remaining resources won't be able to keep up with the demand of your business. In order to survive at all you will have to all but shut down. And this is what your body has done - it is shutting down in response to your slashing intake.

The best strategy of all is to increase SALES (burning calories through exercise), then make sure your company has as everything it needs to meet the demands of the sales. In just this way you need to increase exercise AND calories in order to be successful at losing weight.

Think in terms of making the most of everything, instead of minimizing everything.

With that few cals your body is going into starvation mode, if you don't up the calories you are not going to lose

Jeni

Truthfully I'm surprised you've loss this far with so few calories. I would have thought your body would have stopped losing a long time ago, or is this 600 calorie/day thing new? If you've been doing it since the beginning of your loss I'm really surprised you've lost as much as you have.
I dipped down to just 1000 cals/day one time and my metabolism shut down, my hair got dry and started falling out (I lost my mind over this one!) and my skin was always dry! It wasn't until someone on my exercise forum told me to eat that I figured it out and started eating to fuel my workouts. They explained that I wasn't eating enough for my body to perform even its basic functions like growing hair, nails, pump blood, etc. And they were right, because as soon as I fed myself the weight was coming off steadily and my hair and skin problems disappeared.

I really think you need to eat more before you damage your metabolism too much more than what you may have already. Your body is designed to protect itself, so before it allows you to lose weight from 600 cals/day, it'll just shut down and hold on to every calorie you give it for protection.

You really do have to eat to lose weight, drastically reduced calories is not a lifelong method anyone can live with, and its just not safe.

Donna

Nikic, Elivi, Maximum, Jeni and Donna,

I can't express in text what your words mean to me. Elivi, your anaology make 100% sense and was very brilliant. All of what you all said makes sense. My problem is fiquring out what I can eat. Can you all give me a few examples of what you all eat during the day? Frankly, I'm sick of protein shakes.

Thanks again you guys, it really means a lot to me.

May God watch over you during your journey.

Much love,
Ashley

Hello Ashley, :wave:

I don't think we've met ...... welcome to DT and to achieving your goals.

When I was at another site (Dietwatch) and I became frustrated over staying the same weight for a long period of time the dietitian there gave me THE PLATE METHOD ......

I have used it myself and I have gotten off the plateau; I have also shared it with others who have found success when using it .....

The Plate Method is to be used AT DINNER TIME ONLY ... you are to have your regular breakfast and lunch menus ...... the Plate Method is to be used for ONE WEEK ONLY after that you are to go back to your regular weight loss plan.

THE PLATE METHOD :[list=1]
TAKE A LARGE DINNER PLATE .......
FILL ONE HALF (1/2) OF THE PLATE WITH VEGETABLES (THIS EXCLUDES PEAS AND CORN)
FILL ONE QUARTER (1/4) OF THE PLATE WITH PROTEIN ..... CHICKEN, TURKEY OR FISH
FILL ONE QUARTER (1/4) OF THE PLATE WITH STARCH .... POTATO, PASTA OR BROWN RICE
[/list=1]

Because I am a diabetic the dietitian also suggested that in order to increase my fiber content that I have a salad with my meal .... if you find you are still hungry ...

TAKE ANOTHER LARGE DINNER PLATE ..... FILL IT WITH DARK GREEN LEAFY LETTUCE (I use Romaine) ... AND LOTS OF RAW VEGETABLES .... cauliflower, carrots, jicama, radishes, cucumber, broccoli etc. FOR YOUR SALAD DRESSING USE EITHER RICE VINEGAR OR BALSAMIC VINEGAR (I use Nakano Rice Seasoned Vinegar)

It is so important for us to have variety in our meals ..... just a suggestion when off the plate method .... check out some of the recipes in the recipe forum. THERE IS NO NEED TO FEEL DEPRIVED. If I can ever be of any help, just let me know. Always, Monica :wn

Thanks a bunch Monica. I will start doing that today. I'm so glad it worked for you. Thanks again to all of you. It's nice to see that there are people still out there who care.

Have a blessed day,
Ashley

Hello,

well i dont need to say about eating more because you already got all that great advice.
I try to eat everything in moderation not banning any foods at all but i do aim for low cal and lowfat mostly.

your doing so good and lost so much already so hang in there.

take care.

There are SO MANY wonderful foods you can eat.

Remember that for optimal performance, your body needs fiber and protein every 3 hours or so.

Good sources of fiber - fresh fruits and veggies. Whole grain products (look for at least 3 grams of fiber a serving. More is better).

Good protein sources - non-fat dairy or soy foods like milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt. Lean meats. A lot of protein shakes or bars are tasty but if you are tired of them, don't eat them! Nuts in moderation because they are also high in fat.

A lot of people don't like beans and peas but they ARE a great source of both lean protein and fiber so if you can stand them, eat up.

Eating small, frequent meals and snacks is a very effective way of keeping your metabolism fired up all day long. When you go too long without food your energy dips and blood sugars plummet, which actually *prevents* your body from shedding fat and may trigger a binge.

Hang in there lady!

Just wanted you all to know...so far so good, the plate method is working well. I'm not as hungry anymore and I've finally gotten rid of the protein shakes. I'm also not as tired anymore. Let's pray the pounds start dropping.

Much love to all of you for being there for me.

Elivi - I used to have a serious binge eating disorder. That's how I reach 330lbs. I now only do it once every 3 months.

Thanks again. You all are the best.

Hugs,
Ashley:ghug:

I shall be back with updates. :)

Ashley,

I am pleased that you are finding the Plate Method easy to use and successful .....

Another suggestion I would like to make is drink a glass of :water: before you eat your meal ..... and drink a glass of :water: with your meal.

You should drink at least 64 oz of :water: a day. If you find it difficult to drink water ..... put a slice of lemon or lime (or even a slice of orange) inside a glass of ice cold water ....

Make it a great day. As always, Monica :wn

Ashley,
How's it going dear? Wanted to check in with you.

Hey Elivi:wn

Going awesome so far. I can't begin to tell you how much better I feel. I'm not going to weigh myself until Sunday. I'll let you know Monday if I dropped any!

Thanks so much for checking in, it really means a lot to me.
In the words of my co-worker. YOU DA QUEEN :queen:

Much love,
Ashley

You are doing great! :up:I am glad that you are trying the plate method. Good luck on Sunday!

Mia

Ashley,
Glad to hear things are going well for you!
Also waiting to hear about Sunday's weigh-in! :)

Hey Elivi and Mia,

Awesome news....2 lbs are gone and I feel wonderful. Thanks so much for you all's support.

Have a wonderful day,
Ashley

Whoo-HOO !!

:dn

Happy dancing for Ashley!!

:coach: CONGRATULATIONS ASHLEY ON YOUR FANTASTIC TWO POUND LOSS :cheer: :cheer: Make it a great day. As always, Monica :wn

Hey guys...What a beautiful morning...I stepped on the scale and dropped another 4 lbs. I could NOT have done it without yall's support and WONDERFUL advice. I'm trying to change my weight on my profile, but having difficulty. So I'll post it here 215!! I'm so excited. So for all of those out there that don't think they can do it, that rubbish....if I can anyone can.

Thanks again guys. You all are truly the best.

Much love,
Ashley

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FANTASTIC 4 POUND LOSS

You like many others are proving OUR SUCCESS IS DETERMINED BY COMMITMENT .... FOCUS ... AND TAKING IT ONE DAY AT A TIME -- ONE MEAL AT A TIME.

Remember Ashley ..... THERE IS NOTHING WE CANNOT ACHIEVE ... Make it a great day. As always, Monica

You are absolutely right Monica. People often ask me what am I doing to lose all of this weight. I simply tell them changing my lifestyle and exercising.

Thanks so much for the support.

Best wishes,
Ashley

You are doing great....and in a great way...lifestyle change.
Eat healthier and less and exercise..the simplest yet hardest to maintain way...

You Rock!!

Thanks a bunch Pamela for your kind words.

As always DDDD=Success

Your doing wonderful,
hang in there and remember all the good changes your making will be worth the effort.

take care.

Thanks a lot Minnie...Like your signature says...I may be hanging on by a thread, but I'm still hanging on!!! My biggest achievment is when I had a size 14 shorts and I tried them on just to see, they fit, but just a little to snugly. So that keeps me motivated.

Good luck to you and take care,
Ashley

Hello Ashley,

I always use clothes that are too small for goal clothes. it feels so food when they fit too.

i am aiming to go into size 14 and cant wait. wearing 16's now but to me its big improvement from the 22-24 i used to wear. now those pants look so big to me.

keep hanging in there even if by a thread, thats what i do. thats why i chose that as my signature cuz its how i feel most days.

take care.

:spring:

Hey Ashleyr, sounds like you are doing great, keep it up girl.

Ashley,

I am so proud of you for seeking a healthy way to lose weight. Congratulations on your weight loss and I am glad you are feeling better. Keep up the great work! CJL

Hey Minnie, Tamara, & CJL:wn

Thanks for all of the kind and encouraging words. I'm still going at it stronger than ever. I plan to be under 200lbs by Christmas. I went shopping this Labor Day weekend and bought all new 16's. I haven't been a 16 since college, 4 years ago. It was such a sweet high.

I will keep posting here when I drop another pound. Which I hope will be soon!!!

Best wishes,
Ashley

Wow Ashley you are doing fantastic!! You sound like a totally different girl! Astonishing.

How exciting to get into a smaller size of clothes too! :bow:

Ashley,

Just stopping by to say hello .... :wave:

Remember that by TAKING IT ONE DAY AT A TIME .... ONE MEAL AT A TIME -- SUCCESS WILL BE ACHIEVED. Make it a great day. As always, Monica

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to apologize for not being around, I had surgery on my ovaries and they had to split me open. I'm back around, but slowly. Needless to say, I'll be in an out for about six weeks.

You all keep up the good work.

Much love,
Ashley

Hello Ashley, :wave:

You make sure YOU TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF I will be looking forward to your quick return .....:D As always, Monica :wn

OMG Ashley!!

I hope you're alright!

:hug: Take care of yourself!

Hey Monica and Elivi,

I never thought I would hear myself say this, but I miss working out. I managed to get some arm excersise in, but that's about all i can do. I haven't gained, actually lost. Probably because that cyst weight a few pounds!!!! All is well so far and I can't wait until I can sweat like a pig again!!!!

You all take care and thanks for the kind words.

Much love
Ashley