Fitday & NUT???

Hi All,     I have been on the boards many times just complaining; but now I have truly committed myself to doing something about it. I have went back to fitday; I am entering and watching everything I eat! I have been hitting the treadmill and rec. bike at 45-60 min. daily. I burn on average 500-600 calories a day. I take in only about 1200! I am increasing my water intake as well; and doing my protien shakes too. So why are my scales not budging a bit? My own family DR just blew me off! Do I need to return to the NUT at my clinic? I am also keeping my carbs at 30 percent or less? What are good carbs, bad carbs; and how many should we be worring about?? My family Dr did say my cardio won't help me lose much anymore; he said need to do weight trainning. I can't do wait trainning right now do to be in therapy for cerical neck problems. Do bands work well to tone and bulid muscle?     I have been on this plateau for about 5 months now; and it is taking over my confidence and happiness! I get 80-100 grams of protien daily; to much or to little? I am lost for some real answers! Can anyone relate, give me some help; or advise me where to go from here? Thanks, Judy R  P.S.  I am 1yr and 2 months post RNY..

Judy -  The cardio should definitely be helping.  Cardio burns fat while you're working out.  Weight training builds muscle so that your muscle can burn fat even when you're not working out.  Talk to your physical therapist and see if they have any suggestions on weight training you could do safely.  Even if you are able to work your lower body or arms or something that doesn't mess with the injury, you'll be getting the benefit of weight training.  If they won't let you do it, then definitely keep with the cardio.  And yes, I've heard band resistence is a good weight training exercise and will definitely help with toning and muscle strength. As for your eating.  Can you give a breakdown of what you're eating exactly?  Maybe a list of what you ate yesterday at each meal?  Might help to have someone else take a peek to see if you're on track for your calorie balance. As for good carbs vs. bad carbs.  My good carbs, I get mostly from fruits and veggies and if I add starches I make sure it's whole grains.  I avoid anything white (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar) or made with "enriched flour" or is overly processed -- those are bad carbs.  I think 80-100g of protein is good.  Right in the correct range for losing.  Just make sure you keep a tight rein on the carbs and fat.  Remember that protein shakes are designed for bodybuilders who want to put on weight ... so if you combine protein shakes with excess carbs, it's going to make you gain weight.  The key is to keep the carbs to a minimum when you're consuming that many protein grams. You may have been on a plateau for 5 months now... but how long have you been back on track with proper eating and exercise?  That's the timeframe you need to be measuring from.  Forget the 5 months and start from the time you started eating right.  We all know it takes our body time to adjust to the weight-loss phase again - so give it some time before you start to panic. It might be a good idea to talk to Becky and get some advice from a nutritionist.  She can look at your food logs and routines and give you advice based on what you're doing right/wrong.  She might have some other suggestions on how to get the scale moving again. See you Saturday! Pam