More Problems Losing

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bokaba
bokaba Posts: 171 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Unfortunately, my weight is zig-zagging again (not necessarily again as it has been going on for months). It may go down for a few days, but then goes back up. I am weighing/measuring everything as best I can and am unable to see any consistent weight loss even at less than1500 calories a day (MFP purports that this gives me a 2200 calorie deficit per day). I appear only able to lose weight at the sub-1200 calorie range (and this has been true in the past when I have lost weight). I am not sure why I have to constantly starve, suffer disorientation, headache, exhaustion, muscle weakness, dizziness, and miss essential nutrition in order to see any kind of loss when others much smaller, much older, and much less active than I am are losing on more than 2000 calories a day. I am becoming increasingly frustrated and disillusioned.

This scientifically and mathematically makes no sense to me. I had a thyroid stimulating hormone test recently and it was at the lower end of the acceptable range, but also had developed a vitamin D deficiency. I plan to go to the doctor and get a full thyroid test including T3 and T4 hormone as well as measure my RMR to see if anything unusual is going on. Perhaps it is far lower than MFP calculates. I am close to giving up (trying to lose weight that is) and just sticking to a healthy, well-balanced diet and remaining the size I am rather than endure a lifetime of hardship to stay thin. I was able to attain a less than 200 pound weight at around 17-18, but it required a strict diet of less than 1200 calories and at least two hours of intense cardio (running hills, etc.) to reach and even maintain. Short of a lifelong starvation diet that will probably put me in an early grave, I am running out of ideas. I’ve lost a grand total of three pounds in four months as of today.

Stats:

Male, 6ft. 280 pounds, 29 years old
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Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited December 2014
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    Are you weighing EVERY SINGLE ITEM you eat? Because your diary is showing the same numbers nearly each day...banana 100g, avocado 1/5, strawberries 2oz. And a lot of other items are showing as slices (bread especially, which can easily weigh more than it says). You also have days not logged at all...Christmas Eve/Christmas I understand, but the entire weekend before has nothing. You absolutely need to tighten up your logging, because 1500 is very low for a man your size. I'm six inches shorter and about 90 pounds lighter, and I eat more than that each day.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    MFP has a hypothyroidism & hyperthyroidism group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/753-hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism

    I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and I lost just like everybody else—by eating fewer calories than I burn.

    A 6', 280 lb. male does not maintain on "less than 1,500 calories." You're underestimating your food &/or overestimating your burns.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
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    What happens to the scale when you consume, say, 2000 on rest days and a few hundred more on active days?
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I'm going to guess that you won't give up.

    Just a hunch.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    I don't believe the values you are entering into the diary. Who eats just part of a banana? If you aren't losing weight, it is because you aren't being honest with yourself.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    I also saw 1/5 Of an avocado. How do you get that amount?
  • bokaba
    bokaba Posts: 171 Member
    edited December 2014
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    I know a lot of people are skeptical of what I eat, so I will go ahead and post pictures of everything I am eating for a couple days. As far as avocados and bananas go, there the 1/5 is just what 1oz calculates to be, and for bananas, they are usually either pre-cut and frozen cut in half and refrigerator for later use.

    Here is my dinner: chicken breast, brown rice, and green beans (beverage was water with my exciting new Blendtec in the background). I will probably have 1/2 cup of Fiber One before bed (the same thing I had for breakfast). Also note that is a small plate, not a full size dinner plate.

    vm9o2k49j5um.jpg
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    bokaba wrote: »
    I know a lot of people are skeptical of what I eat, so I will go ahead and post pictures of everything I am eating for a couple days. As far as avocados and bananas go, there the 1/5 is just what 1oz calculates to be, and for bananas, they are usually either pre-cut and frozen cut in half and refrigerator for later use.

    Here is my dinner: chicken breast, brown rice, and green beans (beverage was water with my exciting new Blendtec in the background). I will probably have 1/2 cup of Fiber One before bed (the same thing I had for breakfast). Also note that is a small plate, not a full size dinner plate.

    vm9o2k49j5um.jpg

    You need to weigh your food using a food scale. Measuring cups/spoons are not accurate.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    edited December 2014
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    Do get things checked out with a doctor. 1200 calories is incredibly low for a young male active for 2 hours a day... that in itself could have caused you a lot of trouble. You need a good assessment to sort things out, but, given that you are tracking accurately, you need many more than 1500 calories a day. I would say take a break from trying to lose weight while you work with the doctors and get stabilized. Continue to track so you can get a good idea of how many calories you can maintain on. Gradually build up to where you should have less than 500 kcal deficit per day (including your exercise; or stop at the point that you start to gain). Once you have the medical questions answered and have a good idea of your maintenance, you can start to cut down slowly, so that you have a 500-1000 kcal deficit per day.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited December 2014
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    bokaba wrote: »
    ...unable to see any consistent weight loss even at less than1500 calories a day...
    Male, 6ft. 280 pounds, 29 years old

    Your logging is broken, and you are eating more than you think.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    bokaba wrote: »
    I am weighing/measuring everything as best I can and am unable to see any consistent weight loss even at less than1500 calories a day (MFP purports that this gives me a 2200 calorie deficit per day).

    Stats: Male, 6ft. 280 pounds, 29 years old.

    If your weight has stabilized, then you're underestimating your food &/or overestimating your burns. You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn—period. You're not maintaining on a 2,200-calorie deficit—you're eating at TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).
  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
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    Without seeing exactly what you eat all the time, it's hard to say what might be wrong here. I know sometimes the way the log works doesn't reflect what you're actually measuring - do you weigh everything? I'm glad you're pursuing testing for your thyroid function. I also had a vitamin D deficiency and once I worked on correcting it my weight loss efforts seemed to work better - my joints were not as painful, and it seems some studies indicate that more normalized vit. D levels are correlated with more success with weight loss.

    I'm 6' tall and started at 293 lbs. I initially started with 1,800-2,000 calories per day and lost ~2lbs per week for quite a while. Now I'm ~210 and am losing 1-1.5 lbs/week on 1,600-1,750 calories. Do you log all your snacks? All your beverages? Do you weigh your food, or guesstimate portions? Do you log the cooking oils and sauces from food prep? Lastly, do you eat back calories burnt? Unfortunately the calorie burn numbers are notoriously inaccurate, and eating them back can be tricky territory.

    For me, consistency has been key. I don't log every day any more, but in the beginning I would eat wonderfully for days at a time, but if I allowed myself to relax and logged the indulgences I allowed myself, they almost always cancelled out the deficits I had earlier in the week. I needed to be more honest with myself. I can't say this is your situation because I don't know you, but this is a very common issue for many people who feel they're working very hard but not seeing results. Unfortunately it can be easy to "undo" the hard work with one blowout.

    If you're still having difficulty and can't seem to figure out why, a discussion with your doctor or a dietician should be helpful. Barring health problems, a caloric deficit will result in weight loss - the first place to look is any possible reasons you aren't actually in a deficit. Your numbers are definitely in deficit territory, but being at 1,500 calories could be leading you to feel hungry and irritable and more likely to slip on those habits.
  • bokaba
    bokaba Posts: 171 Member
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    Hopefully you will be able to see exactly what I eat. I plan to post pictures of everything I'm eating for the next couple of days. I log all my snacks and don't drink any beverages that contain any calories. I usually do feel hungry and irritable, otherwise, I won't lose anything.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    I'm confused. What you're eating right now is maintaining your weight. How is photographing it going to change anything?
  • bokaba
    bokaba Posts: 171 Member
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    Because many are in disbelief that I eat so little and am not losing. It will not change anything.
  • loveliftlaughxo
    loveliftlaughxo Posts: 72 Member
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    Try weighing out all your food. It makes a huge difference.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
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    There is, in that meal, approx 15 green beans, about 1/2 a cup of rice, some soy sauce, and ~6 oz of chicken. Weighing it won't make enough of a difference to account for the issues OP is having, given his stats. I lost 50 lbs using measuring cups, and my margin for error was narrower than his.

    +1 revisiting this with a doc.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    bokaba wrote: »
    Because many are in disbelief that I eat so little and am not losing. It will not change anything.

    I still don't understand. What does our opinion matter?

    Please see a doctor.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    bokaba wrote: »
    Because many are in disbelief that I eat so little and am not losing. It will not change anything.

    Who cares what people think. If you are weighing all your food and are logging accurately, eating at a deficit, you should be losing.
  • lalepepper
    lalepepper Posts: 447 Member
    edited December 2014
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    bokaba wrote: »
    Hopefully you will be able to see exactly what I eat. I plan to post pictures of everything I'm eating for the next couple of days. I log all my snacks and don't drink any beverages that contain any calories. I usually do feel hungry and irritable, otherwise, I won't lose anything.

    While pics can be helpful, they don't tell the full story. I looked at your diary where you logged that meal and saw chicken, beans, and rice. Did you cook the chicken in any oil? Was there any sauce on your rice?

    You only logged under 800 calories that day. If this is accurate, this is unhealthy and there is no way you are getting the appropriate nutrients for someone of your size. You logged only 19 grams of fat and 52 grams of protein - no wonder you're feeling tired, hungry, and miserable! It might be worth taking a break from trying to lose and working on re-establishing a healthy balance, for your mental and physical health's sake.

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