Acai?

[blas]

Or aka, an extra 10 lbs that WILL NOT go away.

Will not go away no matter how much water I drink, despite the fact that I quit drinking soda and quit eating sweets, no matter how much calcium I get, no matter how much working out I can do (without equipment and things like mats and dumb-bells)........

I am so furious and frustrated that I just want to cheat. I bought some Acai berry pills. I am also going to do some gym-whoring this week using free trials, then see if I can afford a membership at any of them.

Anyone have experience with Acai? Does it work?

[Flying Grype]

What does it mean to 'cheat'? If you're at an unhealthy weight, you should lose the weight in any way that isn't also unhealthy. If it's about your health, it's not about losing weight 'honourably' by exercising. Don't wrap up more guilt and should/shouldn't into this than you have to.

As far as acai goes, it's just a berry, it doesn't have any magical weight-loss properties. It's a healthy food, but so are lots of other things. You could get the same effects by eating blueberries, which are also high in fiber and good antioxidant sources.

I'm reading that a lot of the outfits that sell acai for weight loss are pretty scammy -- making overblown claims about what they can do, and making you subscribe and lock you into payment plans.

[Gravekeeper]

I love me some Acai berries ( hippy market near my place sells them ) but they have no magic properties, no. They're incredibly good for you nutritionally, hence the "superfood" category, but other then that. I've never heard of them being sold as a weight loss product. But then *everything* is eventually sold as a weight loss product. ;p

[Rapscallion]

Superfood - a category over here that's unregulated. You can get the same nutrients at a far lower cost and lower carbon footprint. If you like the taste for variety, go for it.

Most 'magic weight loss' pills are simply diuretic - this one apparently flavoured with berries. They make you get rid of water. You'll be pretty much the same size, but you'll be dehydrating and pissing like a race horse.

Rapscallion

[wolfie]

Most 'magic weight loss' pills are simply diuretic - this one apparently flavoured with berries. They make you get rid of water. You'll be pretty much the same size, but you'll be dehydrating and pissing like a race horse.

And if your workplace does dope testing, you could be flagged - from what I've heard, various diuretics will get you flagged as a positive because some people use them to clear out traces of their recreational drugs.

[Seshat]

Or aka, an extra 10 lbs that WILL NOT go away.

Are you at a healthy level of adipose tissue (fat) for your body?

It's possible that you don't need to lose those 10lbs. It's possible that your body is hanging on to them because that's the fat pads for the soles of your feet, the palms of your hands, the insulation for your heart...

It's quite easy in this society to get an unrealistic idea of how thin you should be. Check with your doctor.

And DON'T go on a 'body mass index'. Have your doctor actually measure the fat level in your body. Skin pinch is not totally reliable, but better than the BMI.


Get a professional opinion. A little bit of belly is healthy and normal in a female, and we're supposed to have a layer of subskin fat that men don't have.

[blas]

I take my BMI with a grain of salt, because I have a small frame but I have very errr...womanly breasts, hips and a butt.

The extra ten pounds have taken up residency in my hips, thighs, and a couple in my tummy because where I went wrong is when we first started overtime in the fall, there was so much demanded of us so quickly that I had to decide if I wanted to still keep my hour long workouts every day, or if I wanted to get enough sleep to get up early to do 10-12 hour shifts. I noticed the weight gain when my pants got a little more snug and I stepped on the scale and saw I was 10 lbs heavier than I was back in the summer.

I feel my "healthy" weight is 120-125 lbs. Right now I'm about 130. According to my doctor, I can be up to 135 and still be "healthy" and not overweight, but I don't like being this weight. I feel I look and feel my best when I weigh between 120 and 125.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

It's also possible, and frankly probable, that the ten extra pounds are actually muscle weight that is increasing because you are working out.

You don't always lose weight when you lose fat. Stop weighing yourself. Get a tape measure and go by inches and how your clothes fit. Don't obsess over your stuck weight, it does not mean the fat is not coming off. Muscle weighs more than fat, so it's not unheard of to lose inches while gaining actual weight.

[blas]

I understand what you mean, Kink, but lately I have been avoiding workouts that I USED to do (which helped me maintain tone and muscle) and have been doing more cardio and stretching lately.

I figured I couldn't just start building back my body until I'd lost the fat first, hence the cardio up.

I start a free week trial at a gym tomorrow. It'll be nice to actually use some equipment and props. I'm not saying home workouts don't work, but when you get in a pinch it doesn't seem so easy anymore.

[The Gatekeeper]

How much are you eating? If you are not getting enough calories in, you body can go into something called "starvation mode", and will actually try to hang on to the weight.
Also try changing up what you eat. If you eat the same thing for breakfast/lunch everyday, sometimes switching it up will kick start you metabolism. Also having several small meals/snacks throughout the day will keep the metabolism working efficiently. And finally your workouts, if you are doing the same routine (either cardio, or weights) switch it up. If you're doing cardio, make sure you're working out in your optimal zone. Too high a heart rate and you'll be in an anaerobic zone, too low, and you're not doing enough.

Good luck. Plateaus suck.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Cut the simple carbs out, Blas, and drink lots of water.

I hate to even say that, because nobody ever seems to believe me when I say it.

I gained about 15-20 pounds over the years, having a kid (and then it came off and went back on, etc) and this Christmas I was like "you know, I'm gonna get fat if I don't do something about this extra weight.

Got back on the straight and narrow about two weeks ago. Weight's coming off. Inches are coming off. And close to half of that was probably water weight (you'd be amazed at how much water you can retain.) . Drink lots of water and that will come off, too.

Gatekeeper's right, starve yourself, your body will hold that last bit of fat like Grim Death.

It's the carbs. Some berry is not going to make you lose weight, I believe that is probably hogwash.


EDIT: Yeah, okay, read this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A7a%C3%AD_Palm). It talks about this stuff as a diet suppliment.

There is no magic bullet, Blas. Well, there is, but nobody wants to hear it because the magic bullet is called "Changing your lifestyle". But taking some drug or some pill or eating berries or cabbage or hot peppers? Horseshit fad that will end up doing more harm than good.

[blas]

I don't want to eliminate carbs because of the fact that I do need them to work out and they do help me focus and stay standing upright all night at work.

I wish the water would work. I drink so much water, the fish are complaining....to spice it up, I even use the little flavor packets you can put in water so it's not as boring.

I have odd eating habbits, probably because of the shift I work....I eat a very large meal before I go to work every night so that I don't need to snack every 2 hour break, because that has happened before. If I do snack at work, it's a granola bar or two hard-boiled eggs. It's very hard for me to eat breakfast food, because even though it's 7 am when I leave, it really should be more like 6 pm, ya know? I may have a sandwich or some fruits and veggies at mom and dads.

If I eat anymore before I go to bed, I eat those self steaming veggie bags....broccolli, cauliflower, plain brown rice (although some of them come with flavors or butters or cheeses). They are quite high in sodium and calories for what they should be but the calcium, vitamin D and C I can't pass up.

Edit to add: And the on-going mini snowstorm ruined my gym trial today. Sure I COULD HAVE driven there and made it, but I really didn't feel like slip sliding to the edge of town to work out. I will tomorrow, because I'm taking my boyfriend (who has a membership) with me. And I have an appointment for another trial at another gym on Thursday, just to help price stuff out.

I just wish it would go away. This is NOT my healthy weight...I do not want to look like this. I may still be at a healthy weight, but it's not my ideal weight. And it's not like I have an unrealistic goal of being 100 lbs and a size 0....I just want my old self back :(

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I didn't say eliminate them, I said cut out the simple ones. Nobody can do a carb-free diet (well, maybe Inuits living on an ice floe subsisting on seal blubber can, but the rest of us, no.)

Make sure your carbs are complex, nutritionally dense ones: dark vegetables, beans, nuts, etc. No rice, breads, cereals, or sugars.

One friend of mine was wolfing down a staggering (well, to me it's staggering) hundred carbs a day and still losing weight. My threshold for carb intake for weight loss is MUCH lower, around 25 or so. Everyone's got a different limit. You just have to find yours.

I have been eating the hell out of boiled eggs. Good thing I like them. I have a run on them in my refridgerator right now. Organic green or brown shelled ones. They are delicious.

[taxguykarl]

To answer your query in the OP. Acai is a great laxative, but that's it--at least that was the result when my wife tried it last year. That is the answer she would give anyone who asks about it. Try something hoodia based. Hoodia works largely as an appetite suppressant--you feel full with less food.

[sarasquirrel]

i seem to have the opposite problem. for years my normal weight was about 117. (im 5'6" if anyone needs to know) and i was totally fine with that weight, no problems.

2 years ago i lost weight. why? i dont know, i wasnt trying to lose any. i went down to 110. im still there. i havent been able to get back to what i was. and ever since then i've felt different. felt sick or gross more often, feel the heat and cold more often. of course you could say just eat more. well theres only so much i can eat before i feel gross. i know when im full.

of course it doesnt help once i start to feel like maybe i am gaining weight i freak out. even though i KNOW i need to gain some back.

sorry i needed to vent that

[ArcticChicken]

Two things:

1. Muscle burns fat. If the extra weight is fat, building back your old muscle will help get rid of it.

2. Everything I've read says that eating just one big meal a day fucks with your metabolism, it's much better for you to space that food evenly throughout your day. I'd try eating a smaller meal before work and packing food with you for your breaks.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I love this guy. I think this is appropriate.

Listen to the man. He is a nutrition and health guy. He knows his stuff.

And he's cute. :o

Underground Wellness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVQH1PSNwfI&feature=sub)

[blas]

I started my trial at the gym today.....it was a great time. Got my ass kicked, but I loved it. I will be taking full advantage of every free day, but I'm scared I can't afford this gym, it's super expensive!

And I was super relieved when I weighed myself in my swim suit that I only weigh 127. I try NOT to weigh myself that often, or when I'm wearing jeans or sweaters or other bulky attire, but sometimes I don't get a choice. It was nice to get a halfway accurate reading for once!