Ladies, please help me w/ my diet! questions about diet & birth control

[Devils*Angel]

first off, i LOVE these boards. i've found lots of helpful information and it's nice to get feedback and advice from so many knowledgable people.

i recently made a post on the diet discussion board, saying how i was using a 33-33-33 diet and doing cardio regularly, and not seeing results. i got many helpful suggesitons, and have since lowered my calories to 10.5 x 135 (bodyweight).

i am 17, 5'5", 135lbs. i am also on the Pill (will get to this later)

i have some questions that i was hoping you could help me out with.

1. is it necessary for me to be using ratios? would eating clean, while keeping calories at 10.5 x 135 and not using ratios still be an effective diet?

2. i used an EC stack in the past, and found it helpful, but i wasn't planning to use it this time. due to my frustration, though, i've been toying with the idea of using one again. for some reason, though, i'm kind of nervous about it. do you recommend including an EC stack in my diet plan, or just losing the weight without the help of stimulants?

3. right now i'm on the pill, and i know many people have said tht they've found it harder to lose bodyfat while on the pill. how can i tell if it is my pill that is keeping me from losing the weight? i haven't noticed any significant weight gain because of the pill, but was wondering if it could be preventing my weight loss. if this is the case, is there anyway i can lose the weight without switching methods of birth control? i'm happy with the pill as a form of contraception and don't really want to have to switch.

and now, just a quick vent: i feel like my metabolism is really friggin sluggish! many, many people i know who are my age seem to indulge in pizza, fries, etc. on a daily basis and still seem to be able to maintain nice figures, whereas i seem to gain weight easily. i've been told that at my age, my metabolism should be at least decent. i don't have any medical problems that should cause me to have a slow metabolism, and it's really frustrating. argh.

lol, thank you so much for your help!

 

[Gladiola]

1. is it necessary for me to be using ratios?

IMO, not necessarily - just be sure you're getting enough protein & fat (those carbs are so tempting!). You do want to be sure you're not eating like 80% carbs or 50% fat (unless it's keto) - but odds are that won't happen anyway so long as each meal is pretty balanced.

2. i used an EC stack in the past,

Did you hear about the Orioles pitcher prospect who recently diet at the training camp? I write a fitness column for my company's internal newsletter & covered ECA last month. It's NASTY stuff. I would stay away, not worth it. The government requested a study on it, due out next month. I'll be surprised if it's NOT outlawed after that.

3. how can i tell if it is my pill that is keeping me from losing the weight?

Don't get off the pill. Not worth it. Try one with a lower dose of estrogen - the estrogen is what makes you retain fat. I'm on Alesse & find I've been leaner ON than off (happier too!)

I feel the metabolism frustration! I'm 25 & one of my co-workers in the cube next to me is 27, doesn't work out, eats LITERALLY a sausage egg McMuffin for breakfast, Chinese or Pizza for lunch, snacks on candy & cookies & looks awesome in her size 6 jeans. GRRR! Life's not fair.

It could simply be if your diet is lousy, that'll keep your metabolism slow. Eat clean, LOTS of fruits & veggies, close to nature, 1 gallon water per day, 6-8 meals daily (you know the deal) & you may find your metabolism REALLY revs up.

 

[FitFossil]

You mentioned diet and cardio, are you doing any weight training? Building lean muscle mass will help with your metabolism. Too much cardio, overly restrictive dieting, and yo-yo weight loss/gain will KILL it. Overuse of stimulants can be dangerous, short of that, they can also burn up valuable muscle tissue. Weight training to build muscle can help raise your metabolism, making fat loss easier and more permanent. It's no quick fix, but it's WORTH it. Quick fixes never last anyway.

Lots of women are afraid to weight train with sufficient weight and intensity because they fear they'll become "bulky". There's a 99% chance you WON'T get bulky unless you use steroids - and even then it's no guarantee. It's the same thing with the scale, women think muscle makes their weight go up. That may be true, but muscle is DENSER than fat. If you trade 5 pounds of fat for 5 pounds of muscle, your weight will be the same, but your measurements smaller, and your metabolism higher.

Birth control pills can be a roadblock to fat loss. Different pills affect women differently, but I believe the multi-phase pills like Triphasil and Ortho-Tricyclen can be the worst offenders. But don't try Depo-Provera (the shot). That's supposedly the worst for weight gain - its nickname is "fat in a syringe".

And don't bother comparing your metabolism to others. Small changes and good habits you set now will yield big results. Even for those junk-eating beauties, there'll come a time in their lives where great bodies don't just happen w/o some effort. Their free ride won't last forever.