Investigating why and looking for support/advice

annadenny

I am looking for some advice or support on why I haven't lost any more weight than 2-3 lbs, and why I gain it right back. I'm willing to answer any questions to get to the bottom of why I am obese and how I can help myself. So please, after reading about me, any advice would greatly be appreciated. I am going to seek out a dietitian to help, but I am wondering if anyone else out there has had a similar problem and was able to overcome it.
I am a white female, 21 years old, 5'3" and 240lbs. I have been trying to lose weight all my life. My mother is obese, all of her 5 sisters are obese, and my grandmother and her sisters were obese. My father's side of the family are not. I don't have any kind of known medical condition besides allergies, asthma and depression, but all are treated with medication and are not a problem anymore. I was told by my doctor that none of my medicine cause weight gain.
I have never been a glutton. Food has never been a comfort or addiction. I don't fear it either. I don't think I overeat nor do I think I undereat. My best friend and I have done the 21 Day Fix and I lost 5lbs the first week, but gained it right back and kept it throughout the course of the program. Since I thought I should ignore the scale for a while, I measured myself and my inches didn't budge either. I admit, I have been more sedentary than I used to be, but I workout at least 45 minutes a day and hike at Land Between the Lakes 7 miles on the weekends.
I used to work on a thoroughbred horse farm and was on an equestrian team between the ages of 18 and 19 where I stayed active. I weighed around 220lbs and I was heartbroken when my coach told me if I couldn't get under 180lbs, I wouldn't be able to ride in any competitions anymore. Our workouts were every morning before class for about an hour and a half, and we ran at night.
I'm not afraid of gaining muscle. But it is clear that I'm not 240lbs because of muscle. I have a lot of fat on me, and I can't seem to figure out how to get rid of it. I drink at least 64oz of water a day, usually more. I have been to my doctor and took blood tests, which came back normal, and he basically told me to keep doing what I have been doing all my life: watch my calorie intake and exercise at least 30 minutes a day. My calorie intake has been between a min of 1200 to a max of 1400 and I weigh my food. I am going to seek a dietitian's advice, but I was wondering if anyone out there has a similar problem or could tell me what I'm doing wrong. Thank you guys.

Serah87

First off open your diary.

If you are not losing your eating at maintenance. Do you weigh ALL solid foods and measure liquids only?? Are you accurate on your diary??....you know those secret bites here and there, they add up quickly.

Read this link OP: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

annadenny

Thanks for the link! My diary should be public now. I weight my protein, and I measure my veggies, carbs and anything else in measuring cups/spoons. I'll try weighing everything from now on. I usually use my phone and scan items that are in packages to add them into my diary to try to be as accurate as possible. Thanks

naomipitts1

hi... this is the first time for me to reply to anybody...i'm 57 and battle my weight my w hole life... i've been told i don't eat enough and that your metabolism slow down. are the calories you posted what this program says you need? i found that 3 meals and snack in the morning and afternoon work pretty good. protein and fruits and nothing after dinner. my heart doc. told me i seriously need to lose... he gave me a goal of at least 8# when i go back in 8 weeks. wish me luck... hope i help alittle in some way.. it's very hard..but keep trying!!!!

annadenny

Thank you naomipitts1 and good luck to you too! I just updated my diary, instead of putting that I want to lose 2lbs a week, I changed it to 1.5lbs, and it switched from telling me I need to eat 1270 calories to saying I need to eat around 1500 calories and burn 1830 calories in a week.

WickedPineapple

Weigh all solids. ALL. Especially higher calorie things like cheese, fruit, potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread. I've seen people on these forums suggest weighing even single servings of bread (1 slice, 1 roll, etc.) I was resistant. Finally, I decided to test that and weighed a ciabatta roll I use for sandwiches (not everyday, but often enough), which are described as 1 roll (85g) in the nutritional information. The roll actually weighed 115g. That's a 35% increase! It's a rude awakening, but those inaccuracies add up and eat away your deficit.

jgnatca

I've been struggling with weight my whole life too, and I'm in my fifties! I finally went for bariatric surgery this past summer but I still have to monitor my food intake. You are doing many things right. Stay away from all extreme/starvation diets. Make small changes 100 calories a day up or down if you seem to get stuck. Small habits gradually incorporated in to your lifestyle will help you turn things around.

I found this course most helpful in taking the guilt out of the whole process:
http://patienteducation.stanford.edu/programs/cdsmp.html. It may be offered somewhere near you.

Might as well have a funeral for burger and fries because you won't be able to eat the inflated american diet as some others seem to get away with.

Serah87

annadenny wrote: »

Thanks for the link! My diary should be public now. I weight my protein, and I measure my veggies, carbs and anything else in measuring cups/spoons. I'll try weighing everything from now on. I usually use my phone and scan items that are in packages to add them into my diary to try to be as accurate as possible. Thanks

You need weigh ALL SOLID FOODS!!! ONLY measure liquids, measuring cups are off, people have tendancy to pack the cups, so more then likely you eating more then a serving. Figure out your TDEE eat -20% of it and you will lose, as long as you are accurate on weighing and what you are eating. Good luck.

emdeesea

Probably already been said but you're not weighing things. You've got entries like "one boiled egg - large." What does that mean? I have an egg for lunch today and I weighed it - it came up to 67 grams which equals about 100 calories. Bananas? You can't go by "small, medium" or whatever the entries suggest. You have to peel those suckers and weigh them. I have a banana every day and those things can be anywhere from 80 calories up to 120 depending on how big they are. Tablespoons can be horribly inaccurate - I checked mine just to see how off they were - one set of measuring spoons are accurate and one set is WAY off.

So yeah, use a scale for everything. You're probably eating way more than you realize.

SueInAz

Since you know that what you're doing isn't working and you're looking for help, you're on the right track. Weighing your food with a kitchen scale is a really good idea for the near future. You'll end up being really surprised in the difference it can make to the amount of calories you'll be eating. One cup of something can vary a lot depending on if you pack it in or fill the cup loosely. As the poster above stated, servings listed on a package can vary greatly and food manufacturers are allowed to round down calorie amounts, too. It can seem like a big hassle, but honestly, weighing everything for awhile will really help you to see where the extra calories are coming in especially when it comes to calorie-dense foods. I weigh peanut butter when I make a sandwich. 1 tablespoon isn't as much as you'd think it is. It's actually easier to weigh foods like that than to measure them (use the tare function) and you don't dirty a spoon!

You also need to be brutally honest with your logging. I'm certainly not accusing you of not being honest but it's really easy to forget the piece of chocolate we take from a co-worker's desk or the sample that's being handed out while shopping in Costco. All of that adds up.

Additionally, be sure that your calories out is as accurate as possible. Are you getting those 350 calories for your workouts from a heart rate monitor? The fact that it's the exact same number every day makes me suspect that it isn't. MFPs calorie burns are notoriously overinflated. For one, it has no idea of your level of effort and that can vary from session to session. Are you eating all of those calories in addition to your daily allotment on a regular basis? If you're then eating all of them you could be cutting into your deficit.

Try weighing everything for a few weeks, even the things that are pre-packaged, especially if they are calorie dense. Hint: when I pack my work lunches in the morning I weigh it all and log it in MFP at that time. At the same time, only eat half of the additional calories you burn during exercise. After a few weeks see how things are progressing and be sure to let us know!

annadenny

Serah87 wrote: »

annadenny wrote: »

Thanks for the link! My diary should be public now. I weight my protein, and I measure my veggies, carbs and anything else in measuring cups/spoons. I'll try weighing everything from now on. I usually use my phone and scan items that are in packages to add them into my diary to try to be as accurate as possible. Thanks

You need weigh ALL SOLID FOODS!!! ONLY measure liquids, measuring cups are off, people have tendancy to pack the cups, so more then likely you eating more then a serving. Figure out your TDEE eat -20% of it and you will lose, as long as you are accurate on weighing and what you are eating. Good luck.

emdeesea wrote: »

Probably already been said but you're not weighing things. You've got entries like "one boiled egg - large." What does that mean? I have an egg for lunch today and I weighed it - it came up to 67 grams which equals about 100 calories. Bananas? You can't go by "small, medium" or whatever the entries suggest. You have to peel those suckers and weigh them. I have a banana every day and those things can be anywhere from 80 calories up to 120 depending on how big they are. Tablespoons can be horribly inaccurate - I checked mine just to see how off they were - one set of measuring spoons are accurate and one set is WAY off.

So yeah, use a scale for everything. You're probably eating way more than you realize.

WickedPineapple wrote: »

Weigh all solids. ALL. Especially higher calorie things like cheese, fruit, potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread. I've seen people on these forums suggest weighing even single servings of bread (1 slice, 1 roll, etc.) I was resistant. Finally, I decided to test that and weighed a ciabatta roll I use for sandwiches (not everyday, but often enough), which are described as 1 roll (85g) in the nutritional information. The roll actually weighed 115g. That's a 35% increase! It's a rude awakening, but those inaccuracies add up and eat away your deficit.

Thank you!!!! I'm going to put my food scale to good use now. Makes total sense and I can't believe I haven't thought of that. You guys are great.

annadenny

Update: I've started weighing everything, and I discovered the range in how many grams are in an egg is great. I weighed one and it was 48g, and I weighed another and it was 120g.

maryabm2009

This has been a very insightful thread as I feel the same way with not being able to get my weight down. I'm going to try weighing everything from now on. I know it will make a difference. Thanks!