Not losing weight and very frustrated.

wattswarming

I didn't read all the other responses, but I personally don't lose any weight for at least 6 weeks, then my body starts to compound the good behaviors and I lose a little easier/faster in the next weeks. It's hard to stay motivated for that long with no results so this time I'm not even looking at the scale. I'll gauge by how I feel and how my clothes fit. Keep up the good work!!

MelodyandBarbells

mamapeach910 wrote: »

marymickaela wrote: »

Last September when we went to Europe for 3 weeks I ate like a pig and I do mean a pig. Lasagna for dinner 3 nights a week. The 9 night cruise had a buffet and the dinners were 5 course. I left weighing 165lbs and came back expecting to weigh at least 10lbs heavier. Shocker! I still weighed 165lbs. Why? Because we walked our butts off. Since starting the Seroquel I'm now to around 182.

Please stop fixating on the Seroquel. It still needs calories to cause you to gain weight. It might have slowed your metabolism, but you could adjust your caloric intake for that. Did your doctor also advise you to have your thyroid tested?

How tall are you? Your caloric goal is high for a sedentary woman your age.

FYI she made a pretty definitive statement about her thyroid in the first post. She may have later referenced thyroid levels but I'm not certain.

PeachyCarol

marymickaela wrote: »

I'm 5ft 4in. I'm going to call my doctor tomorrow and see if I can get in this week. BTW: I weighed my gala apple and it came out to 5oz and 75 calories for those of you bashing my apple weighing accuracy. I set my calorie intake at 1600, but truthfully stay around 1200 most days as I feel the 1600 is too high. Today I ate 1,000 cal. I am on a diet called Beyond Diet, but have pretty much given up the parts that didn't feel right, like too much butter and olive oil. It allowed huge amounts. The one good thing it did do for me was getting back on a healthy eating program and getting back to logging my food on MFP. I was somewhat impulse/binge eating before that. Now I feel so much more in control. I just want to say I'm in no way recommending this diet.

And let me correct a comment made about my cheat day. I was not gorging myself. Yesterday, I had popcorn with some butter and two cookies. That was my cheat. I still ate at a deficit.

Your fat intake goal is really low though. You NEED fat. A lot of the vitamins in foods are fat soluble.

I entered your calories into scoobys site, you should be shooting for around 1300 calories. 1600ish right now is your TDEE. If you were eating that (without drug/hormonal issues) you'd maintain.

Do see your doctor about getting off the Seroquel.

Try to up your fat intake and maybe cut your carbs a little. Some people with thyroid issues tend to do well moderating their carb intake. I don't low carb per se, but I tend to focus more on protein.

splashtree5

marymickaela wrote: »

I started almost 3 weeks ago eating super healthy. I gave up sugar and now use Stevia which helps eliminates cravings. I'm eating more organic foods, like eggs and chicken breast, eating lots more veggies. Drinking 8 glasses of water a day. I do get a cheat day on Sundays so could have screwed it up that way by over eating, but not so much to cause me to have gained weight. I have been religious about counting my calories, weighing and measuring my food, always eating at a deficit. I've gained 2lbs since Monday which was my official weigh in day. The diet says I can eat 2,000 calories and still lose, which I consider ridiculous. I find eating 1200 to be satisfying.

I take a major weight gaining drug and others have said (including my therapist) that it's impossible to lose weight while on it. I also have sleep deprivation issues, which studies have shown to make it harder to lose weight. I'm getting some exercise everyday, but because of my Fibromyalgia can't go crazy or I pay for it the next day. I also have no thyroid due to cancer. I'm not trying to make excuses, just putting the facts on the table.

I'm not giving up and many of you have stated that if I keep eating at a deficit I will lose weight. It's just so frustrating to be doing everything right and not seeing any results.

Any suggestions?

You have to give up the cheating day, cause for your metabolism is too much to handle, you can have a cheat meal though but no all the day.
then 1200 is very low value you should raise it for the entire week at 1400 with 4 workouts per week and you will loose.

evileen99

marymickaela wrote: »

DebbieLyn63 wrote: »

Most posters on here haven't actually looked at your profile before giving advice. You are 64, and have many more strikes against you in the metabolism-affecting areas.

You will not be able to lose weight on 2000 cals.


And before anyone comes in bashing my suggestions- these are for THIS ONE person, with the limitations that she has. It is not intended to be suggested for anyone else.

I also watched the video and have to admit I'm guilty when it comes to measuring my oatmeal so will start leveling it off like I measure flour when baking. I'm also going to give up my cheat day and maybe just treat myself to something within reason so I don't go crazy.


Thanks for all the advice and feedback. It's appreciated.

Mary

If I measure out a level cup of oatmeal (which the container says is one serving, 40 gms) and then weigh that amount, it's actually 53 grams, or 198 calories. Forty grams of oatmeal is about 1/4 inch below the top of my measuring cup. Just sayin'--you really need to weigh all solids to get a handle on your intake.

deeannabiggs

splashtree5 wrote: »

marymickaela wrote: »

I started almost 3 weeks ago eating super healthy. I gave up sugar and now use Stevia which helps eliminates cravings. I'm eating more organic foods, like eggs and chicken breast, eating lots more veggies. Drinking 8 glasses of water a day. I do get a cheat day on Sundays so could have screwed it up that way by over eating, but not so much to cause me to have gained weight. I have been religious about counting my calories, weighing and measuring my food, always eating at a deficit. I've gained 2lbs since Monday which was my official weigh in day. The diet says I can eat 2,000 calories and still lose, which I consider ridiculous. I find eating 1200 to be satisfying.

I take a major weight gaining drug and others have said (including my therapist) that it's impossible to lose weight while on it. I also have sleep deprivation issues, which studies have shown to make it harder to lose weight. I'm getting some exercise everyday, but because of my Fibromyalgia can't go crazy or I pay for it the next day. I also have no thyroid due to cancer. I'm not trying to make excuses, just putting the facts on the table.

I'm not giving up and many of you have stated that if I keep eating at a deficit I will lose weight. It's just so frustrating to be doing everything right and not seeing any results.

Any suggestions?

You have to give up the cheating day, cause for your metabolism is too much to handle, you can have a cheat meal though but no all the day.
then 1200 is very low value you should raise it for the entire week at 1400 with 4 workouts per week and you will loose.

I also have fibromyalgia and take Lyrica to control pain. I find it difficult to workout without exacerbating my pain and preventing me from working the following day. I did find that the state of Oregon made DVDs specific to fibromyalgia with each exercise shown sitting, modified standing, and normal. Those DVDs and water type exercise have been the only that I have found not to exacerbate my pain.

marymickaela

Well I said I would record every bite I ate and report back in two weeks. That was May 25th so it's actually been a month. I weighed 182lbs. I started out logging obsessively and then my older daughter came for 8 days with my 2 grandkids, ages 6 and 3. She's a chef and she and my husband love to cook. My pregnant middle daughter had her baby June 12th and I was with her for the birth plus we also had her 3 kids.

I started seeing a new therapist in May to work on my PTSD using EMDR which has caused so much stress I come home and veg in my chair for an entire day. I'm feeling really sick as I run 100+ fevers daily probably from my Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; I'm running on very little sleep leaving me feeling like a zombie during the day, and finally due to the fevers and feeling sick (plus humidity and heat) I haven't gotten much exercise in. These are all my excuses for not being able to lose weight.

However, I saw my doctor May 27th and we lowered the Seroquel from 400mg to 300mg. The 1st 2 weeks I lost 5lbs, but then all the above happened and I gained 2lbs back. I saw him again last Friday and he thinks my not sleeping is due to the constant pain I'm in and wouldn't lower the Seroquel again yet.

Finally, in spite of all the above, the final report is this morning I weigh 176lbs, which is a 6lb loss since I last posted. I feel if I can get the Seroquel lowered again and get back on track with my logging again, and start getting some exercise, I can definitely keep losing.

jesikalovesyou

JaneiR36 wrote: »

Current weight is in her ticker. Don't know about height

I'm not sure what the OP is doing, but using cups entries doesn't automatically mean not weighing. With a little bit of math, you can use the cups entry since sometimes it can be a pain to find the grams entry or there may not be one... Options are to create a new entry or use cups entry, which will still be representative of the right calories, macros, etc

OP mentioned being on some sort of diet and perhaps consuming too much dressing like olive oil. Yeap that can add up pretty quick. Some things that are healthy for you pack a pretty dense calorie punch. I'd also want to know which actual diet she's on since that could be fairly insightful. I'll bookmark the thread for the five week update. That's just one week before you can cry uncle. Plateau is anecdotally defined as 6-8 weeks of doing everything right and no weight loss...

YES YES YES!!! I weight my food but I convert it to cups because they don't always have grams! If people look at my journal, they would think I'm using cups, but I'm not!!!

Thank you!!!!!!!

ASKyle

CariJean64 wrote: »

If Sunday is your Cheat Day (I prefer TREAT day), then maybe weigh yourself on Fridays or Saturdays instead of Mondays. You might get a more accurate picture of your progress that way.

Cosign

marymickaela

Hello! I'm sorry, but what does jesikalovesyou's post have to do with what I just posted. I started this thread out of frustration over not being able to lose weight in spite of eating within my calories and was given much advice about what I was doing wrong. I stated it was due to many factors, one being the drug, Seroquel, I was taking as it is a weight gaining med. That statement was quickly dismissed by most here, stating I wasn't logging my food correctly. As you can see I got over 100 responses.

In the end I stated I would log every bite I put into my mouth and report back in two weeks to show if it made any difference. I wasn't able to report back until now, which is 4 weeks later. Read my last post and as I said I wasn't able to log every bite exactly. If anything I overate a lot of the wrong foods and got little to no exercise. The only thing that changed was my doctor lowered my Seroquel from 400 down to 300 and I've lost 6lbs. I actually lost 5lbs the 1st two weeks after lowering it. I'm not sure how I can be any clearer. I don't care to obsess and become anal in my weight loss journey. I'm 64 so not a stranger to losing or gaining weight.

I'm thrilled with this 6 pound loss and it has encouraged me to get back to eating healthier again with my goal to lose 6 more lbs by the time we leave for vacation July 24th. I wish some of you would be more encouraging and say "well done".

Holly_Wood_888

Eat as clean as you can - theres a big difference in eating a Caesar salad vs. a kale and romaine salad with balsamic vinegar or lemon juice .. cut the oils, cut the dairy, don't buy anything pre packaged- Stay away from that refined sugar - lean meat, veggies and fruit at each meal. Try 6oz of ea. for a few weeks and see the change. If you need to bulk up your food because you are hungry use free veggies (ie. tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, onions etc - sugar cravings try sugar free jello. Don't have a cheat 'day' - Don't have a cheat 'meal' just be tough with yourself for awhile until you get closer or at your goal weight.

marymickaela

Caitwn wrote: »

I just read this thread for the first time and want to commend you for being so determined to sort this out, even though some of the "tough love" here can be challenging to deal with. You kept coming back; you kept communicating; you clearly have tried to be open to feedback.

You came back a month later as you promised, and you lost 6 pounds, which is fantastic. It has to feel so good to finally see the weight loss actually starting to kick in. I know you are working with your doctor re: the Seroquel, but don't stop logging and weighing food - as your weight loss progresses, you will need every tool in your arsenal to help you succeed.

I don't emphasize the following much around here, as I am on this site for my personal health, but I'm a psychotherapist and am glad to see you are using EMDR. And you're right - it can be rough at first because it opens a lot of previously-locked doors. But it is usually extremely effective if you stick with it. Hang in there.

Also, have you considered or tried acupuncture for the fibromyalgia symptoms? It isn't a miracle cure, but in many cases it is very helpful in reducing some of the more bothersome symptoms, and sometimes allows folks to reduce the dosage of medications they're taking for symptom relief.

Congratulations on the new grandchild - it's fantastic that you could be there! And absolutely congratulations on that weight loss. Please know that most of the posters here pushing you are doing it because they WANT you to succeed, and even among individuals like you who are facing challenges that complicate weight loss, getting down to the basics is always important. Keep coming back, and I do wish you continued success and improved health.

Thank you so much for your post. It's funny that you mentioned "acupuncture" as I have tried it in the past with great success. Interestingly, I was well enough this morning to get in a lovely 45 min. walk with my husband. We walked to the Farmer's Market and into a teenie tiny mall in town. I came across an office that only does acupuncture. I now have to remember the name of it. I told my husband "don't forget the name" and for the life of me can't remember it. Will have to go on the Internet and look up acupuncture as I'll know it if I see it. Right now lack of sleep is a major issue I'm dealing with and why I'm on the Seroquel, and I'm having terrible pain in my right shoulder. I take way too many meds, which I'm trying to get off of so maybe acupuncture will help. I'm going to make an appointment to give them a try.

As far as the EMDR. It's pretty scary, but the therapist I'm seeing is wonderful. She spent the 1st 3 weeks just getting my history, esp. the trauma parts which caused my PTSD. The next session she presented me with a sheet listing the "targets" to work on. I was so impressed as she had really zeroed in on what I needed to work on. Three weeks ago I talked about something so traumatic I came home and couldn't get out of my chair the entire day. Two weeks ago we spent our hour helping me find a safe place to use and I got to do EMDR for the 1st time. I dissociate a lot so we're working on grounding techniques. Last week we ended up talking about my daughter, the new baby and family. I've been in therapy over 10 years and feel I've finally found someone who's going to help me get better. EMDR sure isn't for sissies thou, but feel this may really change my life.

Thank you for your words of encouragement!

Mary

thevividsoul

marymickaela wrote: »

.... I gave up sugar and now use Stevia which helps eliminates cravings.

I was watching some movies about eating healthy, the China Study, etc.. and in one of those movies they said that your body doesn't recognize the difference between artificial sweetener and real sugar.. it simple registers your intake as sugar. It really made me think.. all the diet pop I have drank in the past and splenda that I use in my coffee.. and here I thought I was doing a good thing.

gothchiq

If you are on a drug that causes weight gain, the first thing I would try is knocking off the weekly cheat day. Cut it down to a cheat *meal* every 2 weeks or so, and see if the results improve.

sidricks

marymickaela wrote: »

I use a digital scale. Yes, I was using MFP for the apples, and will start using my scale from now on, however, for most everything else, I use the digital scale or what the food package states. like my slice of break. Like I said many days I'm not even eating 1,000 calories so accounting for making mistakes I should still be under and certainly not gain 3lbs in the last two weeks. Many people on MFP state that even 1,200 is too low.

Since it looks to you like I'm not open to any of your suggestions (which is not true, it's just the way it's presented that's upsetting) and that I just want to make more excuses this will be my last post. For those of you who sincerely tried to help me I say thank you. Good luck to all of you in your weight loss journey.

Ok I'm going to say something crazy. I was on seroquel five years ago. The cravings and appetite spikes were horrendous. There were times in the middle of the night that I had woken up and went to the fridge and ate food and seriously didn't realize it until I was half done or finished. That drug messes with your brain. Perhaps you have been eating at night and not realizing it. I'm not trying to insult you. I have just been in that situation. There are other alternatives to that drug. Please save yourself a lot of grief and try and get off it