Frustrated and discouraged
I am starting to feel very discouraged. I have been plant-based and gluten-free since 2010. Last spring, I finally managed to get down to my ideal measurements after years of being overweight. Before going plant-based, I was 170lbs, pushing 180lbs, and I managed to drop to about 150lb with diet alone. Then when I moved to Phoenix in October 2012, I began biking to and from work (4 miles a day, 5 days a week) and I slimmed down even more. By that time, I did not have a scale to weigh myself so I started judging my progress on measurements and how my clothing fits. Last April and May, I drop to a 26″ waist, 39″ hips which means my ideal size is US clothing size 6 (sometimes 8 in pants, depending on brand.)
Unfortunately, since the beginning of November, I gained three inches in my waist and hips. I ballooned up to 29″ waist and 41″ hips, and my thighs are big again. I’m getting married in April and really want to get back down to my ideal size so I’m comfortable in my own skin again. I bike to work (8.2 miles a day, 5 days a week) and do additional exercises trying to slim down. I can feel myself getting stronger and the muscle forming, but the fat on top of the muscle is not going away. Being pear-shaped, my problem areas are my stomach, hips, and thighs.
After reading this article a few weeks ago, I suspected the culprit is the oils/fats and sugars. For the last two weeks I have been cutting out the oils/fats, limiting my sugars, and monitoring my portion-sizes more closely, but I’m not seeing positive results yet. In fact, my clothes are tighter than ever. This morning after arriving at work and changing from my exercise clothes to my office clothes, I was so frustrated that I felt like crying.
Why is it so easy for other people to lose weight and/or maintain an ideal weight? All I want is to maintain my ideal weight/measurement/size. My meals are relatively simple, but I suspect that the vegan butter, vegan cheeses, and fruit juices my fiance enjoys are sabotaging all of my efforts. So I guess I need to go back to eating a diet of steamed veggies, brown rice, and beans. The only thing is… I will have to start making separate meals for myself and my fiance. He is the type that prefers variety in his meals and dislikes eating the same thing over and over again.
Hmm… I think I will track everything that I eat and drink over the next few days (servings, calories, total fats, sodium, carbs, and protein) and see just how much oils/fats I am consuming regularly.