healthy eater having trouble with weight loss

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I'm a 130lb, 5'7'', 25 year old gluten-free, lacto-ovo vegetarian. For the past seven years I have eaten between 80-90% organic, taken the necessary dietary supplements for my diet & I dislike sweets.

Six weeks ago I began an exercise routine of 90mins,3-4 times a week. I stretch for 10min, followed by 20 min of cardio, weights for 20min and then stretch/cooldown for 10. I use yin yoga stretches as well as gaiam yoga positions. I meditated and relax every night for 10-20 minutes. I drink approx 48-65oz of water a day, balanced with 1/2 teaspoon of celtic salt intake/day. My daily caloric intake is between 1500-1800 calories, rarely more. I would consider my stress level to be low to moderate. I'm only looking to drop about 5 lbs, yet, in five weeks I have not lost a single one.

I'm concerned because my mother has a thyroid problem & a debilitating chronic fatigue auto-immune disorder. I feel like I'm doing everything as right as I possibly can and the lack of weight-loss has me concerned. Could this be an indicator of a thyroid problem for me in the future? If not, is there something I'm missing for why I have yet to shed the few pounds I am looking to lose?

Thank you,
Tina

ANSWER: Hello,

Firstly if you are in any doubt as to whether you have inherited your mothers?conditions, especially Thyroid issues, I would consult a doctor for tests.

But your diet seems rigid enough, for the 1500-1800 calories you consume, what example foods you are eating. Are there a high proportion of nuts or grains?

Thanks.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Food examples

Breakfast:
eggs (fried or scrambled) with corn tortillas, sometime with cheese
greek yogurt with almond slices, honey, and banana
corn grits

Lunch:
Salads with hardboiled egg, almonds, cranberries, other fruits & olive oil
rice noodles with garlic and olive oil
homemade or canned soups (often bean based)

Dinner:
medium to small sized portions of vegetables with quinoa, rice noods, or on corn tortillas
risotto dishes, usually with mushrooms

Maybe once I week I eat pancakes, biscuits, or pizza made from Bob's Redmill Gluten-Free flour mixtures.

Snacks:
rice crackers with cheese
a handful of almonds
fresh or dried fruit

I consider my daily grain servings appropriate for my age/level of activity. I also take B12 sub-lingual vitamins and a Niacinamide pill daily. Could that be impacting my weight loss?

Thank you for the follow up.

Answer
Hi,

I would only have egg whites for breakfast, or drop eggs all together, also drop the cheese.

Honey and bananas are very high in simple carbs as well. Stick to jus t bananas. The best fruit with the highest complex carb ratio are cranberries.

Lunch: - again egg whites only. And reduce nut intake.

Drop all biscuits, pizza.

Snacks: all the snacks you mentioned have high simple sugar contents. Your body will turn that to fat immediately (which is what it is supposed to do). Rice crackers with whole meal ingredients will give you complex carbs.

I would try to reduce your calorie intake to 1200- 1500 a day. Try and use more complex carbs as these will give you the energy required for the aerobics you perform.

Thanks.

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