I am pregnant, please advise!
Hi Heather, I love your podcast! I’ve been listening since 2019 and you’re so honest and knowledgeable! I lost ~90lbs between 2019-2020, (starting weight: 236; lowest weight 144; age 32, height 5’5”) I went into maintenance in January weighing 144, after introducing more calories my weight floated all year between 148-151. It was pretty consistent and definitely thanks to you, I didn’t freak out at the scale when my weight went up. I just kept going and it all worked out, since I weighed in daily I noticed that my periods could cause up to a 6 pound gain and loss all in the same week due to hormones. This helped me to stay consistent with my eating habits and not throw in the towel. Anyways, I got a positive pregnancy test, YAY! But now what? I am having a really hard time finding any helpful information about pregnancy and safe weight gain for someone who has lost weight. So I am turning to you again because I know you were in the process of your journey while pregnant with your 2 boys so any advice would be helpful! Thank you again Coach Heather!
The last 20 pounds
Hi Heather, People always talk about "the last 10 pounds", but I've been stalled with 20 pounds left to lose for about a year now. I religiously count calories using MyFitnessPal and find it difficult to stay at 1500, which mathematically is the only way for me to lose a quarter to a half pound per week. I find myself going over by about 250-300 calories 3 to 4 days a week, which basically keeps my weight at a standstill (and that's with 10,000 steps every day). I'm not looking for fast weight loss, but it's frustrating to be on a hamster wheel with no progress for so long. The calories add up so fast - one extra snack and I make no progress. You're always so helpful, so I'm wondering if you have any suggestions for this dilemma. Thanks so much! Sharon
Weight gain and back injury
Hi Heather I am 44 years old in the last 6 months I have started having back problems and have not been able to exercise. I had a mri and have 3 herniated discs and bulging discs . Four years ago I lost 40 pounds and felt great I have regained all my weight and feel stuck. I am so afraid that I will keep gaining especially since my activity level is very little. Any advice is appreciated. I am a long time listener of your podcast and love it . Thank you
My lower brain is strangely silent
Hi Heather - I'm 68 years old with a 50-year history of yo-yo dieting. I've been on every diet imaginable and, as I've heard you discuss on your invaluable podcast and YouTube episodes, I've been extremely successful at losing weight, but when it came keeping it off for more than a few days or weeks, not so much. I invested lots of time, money and angst in all these diets, expecting each time that this is it. I'm losing the weight. Losing and regaining at least 500 lbs over the course of my adult life should have taught me that the diet approach doesn't work without addressing the habits that don't support my goals and adopting a maintenance mindset, but that didn't happen until I discovered your podcast late last year. Because of the encouragement and hope you offer in every episode and your recommendation to read Dr. Yoni Freedhoff's book, The Diet Fix, I've made adjustments to my eating plan so that I consume enough protein at every meal and snack to avoid the "white knuckle," "I'm starving" feeling while maintaining a 500 calorie a day deficit. Almost immediately upon making this simple change (adding 5-15 grams of protein to each meal and eating every 3-4 hours), my "lower brain" quieted and all my cravings went away. I once had a diet coach refer to this as "food peace" and that's what this feels like: a state of contentment in which sticking to my 1400 calories a day allotment is quite do-able. The problem (and I'm almost ashamed to call it a problem) that I now find myself in is that it's a rare occasion that menu items that I used to enjoy for dinner sound particularly good. It's like going to a restaurant for the first time and scanning the menu for something that will "hit the spot," and that spot doesn't seem to be there anymore, or it's a MUCH smaller target than it used to be. It makes meal planning a little challenging because I don't have an appetite or a lower brain making any demands about what it wants to be fed, but this is something I've never experienced before. I seem to be stuck in a strange, food-neutral, mental place, where I've been for over a month. I've tried several new, flavorful recipes to try to "un-stick" myself, but nothing seems to make a difference. I realize that the small adjustments I've made to consume more protein can help suppress my appetite, and in a sense it's a nice problem to have, but I'd like to derive more enjoyment from the food I consume, and I don't know how to go about doing that. Any suggestions? On a personal note, I thank you for all the time and effort you have put into Half Size Me. You may not often hear back from those of us in your listening audience, but you have changed a lot of lives, mine included, so thank you for all you do. ~ Wendy