Ugh So Annoyed - warning rant ahead
Andee2000
Posts: 31 Member
I've been logging and doing low carb for three weeks now and I haven't lost a single pound; well not true: I did lose 2.5 pounds the first week, gained 3 the next, it fell off back to 2.5 and now I'm up again. And I am FAT and need to lose at least 85 pounds to get to the highest end of my recommended weight range. I am 5'2" and some change and I am being 100% honest with my food. I am eating around 1400 calories a day and hovering at only about 40 carbs (not net) a day. WTF? Seriously. I am decently active, walk, ski and such. Over the years I have had my blood work checked, tried diet pills prescribed by my doctor, been on a monitored fitness program at work. I am getting so pissed off. I've had my resting calorie rate checked by a doctor, I've been to an endocrinologist, everything. I'm not lying about anything I am eating/doing or cheating myself in any way. I'm beginning to think I need to just eat about 500 calories a day at this point. But I doubt that would even work. I am so sick of trying all the time over all the years and nothing working.
I know three weeks seems like nothing, but my frustration is from YEARS of trying, YEARS. All of my friends and my husband are amazed at the fact that I don't lose weight no matter what I do. I DO NOT cheat myself into thinking I'm trying and then am surprised when no results happen. I had one day where I ate popcorn at the movies three weeks ago. I'm sure that has nothing to do with this because I basically didn't eat much all day to account for that calorie-wise (I just looked I only had 1247 calories that day and I went up to 60 carbs. <- This cannot be a reason for three weeks of nothing/no progress.
My husband and I did Whole30 last year. He lost 17lbs and I lost NONE. Even over a weekend ski trip during that Whole30, not one.single cheat. Totally on plan.
Yes, I am weighing my food, looking at packages and ALL of the other stuff that everyone points to when someone posts something like this. I.just.do.not.understand.
OMG I do not know what to do. How does a freaking FAT person like me not lose weight through CICO, LC, LCHF or anything else? How is that even mathematically possible?
I even stopped walking my 2.5 miles every other day this week in hopes of maybe that was somehow messing things up. But, really how?
Has anyone honestly ever had it like this and if so, did anything ever work for you?
I know three weeks seems like nothing, but my frustration is from YEARS of trying, YEARS. All of my friends and my husband are amazed at the fact that I don't lose weight no matter what I do. I DO NOT cheat myself into thinking I'm trying and then am surprised when no results happen. I had one day where I ate popcorn at the movies three weeks ago. I'm sure that has nothing to do with this because I basically didn't eat much all day to account for that calorie-wise (I just looked I only had 1247 calories that day and I went up to 60 carbs. <- This cannot be a reason for three weeks of nothing/no progress.
My husband and I did Whole30 last year. He lost 17lbs and I lost NONE. Even over a weekend ski trip during that Whole30, not one.single cheat. Totally on plan.
Yes, I am weighing my food, looking at packages and ALL of the other stuff that everyone points to when someone posts something like this. I.just.do.not.understand.
OMG I do not know what to do. How does a freaking FAT person like me not lose weight through CICO, LC, LCHF or anything else? How is that even mathematically possible?
I even stopped walking my 2.5 miles every other day this week in hopes of maybe that was somehow messing things up. But, really how?
Has anyone honestly ever had it like this and if so, did anything ever work for you?
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Replies
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Maybe a bigger calorie deficit? I am around your height (1 inch taller) and my resting calories (keto calculator) is something like 1560. I voluntarily dropped it to 1200 for me and I'm seeing a lot of weight loss. I'm also on week 3 in on this and have lost significantly. So, my thought is that it's not your counting, that perhaps a larger deficit would benefit?
Try to eat things that are high in fats so you're not hungry during the day. If you don't eat 1200 calories, don't sweat it. I have several days where I've maxed at the 700-800 calorie range and had zero interest in eating anything else. It'll even out.
You may need to drop your carbs lower than 40 g a day as well. My goal is between 20-30, and recently lower than 20. I eased myself into it, starting at 50, then down to 40, and then the weight loss really sped up when I goaled for 20.
Being as short as we are, the basic 2000 calories a day doesn't really apply. I'd check out the keto calculator and adjust my macros to that. It's worked really well for me. Also, perhaps you aren't losing because your protein is more than the fat and your body sees no need to turn fat into energy when protein is readily available. Just some ideas.0 -
AshleyC1023 wrote: »Maybe a bigger calorie deficit? I am around your height (1 inch taller) and my resting calories (keto calculator) is something like 1560. I voluntarily dropped it to 1200 for me and I'm seeing a lot of weight loss. I'm also on week 3 in on this and have lost significantly. So, my thought is that it's not your counting, that perhaps a larger deficit would benefit?
Try to eat things that are high in fats so you're not hungry during the day. If you don't eat 1200 calories, don't sweat it. I have several days where I've maxed at the 700-800 calorie range and had zero interest in eating anything else. It'll even out.
You may need to drop your carbs lower than 40 g a day as well. My goal is between 20-30, and recently lower than 20. I eased myself into it, starting at 50, then down to 40, and then the weight loss really sped up when I goaled for 20.
Being as short as we are, the basic 2000 calories a day doesn't really apply. I'd check out the keto calculator and adjust my macros to that. It's worked really well for me. Also, perhaps you aren't losing because your protein is more than the fat and your body sees no need to turn fat into energy when protein is readily available. Just some ideas.
Thank you for replying. I'll try those suggestions.
For the record, I didn't post as a poor me I'm giving up, I'm just frustrated and thank you for your suggestions. I'll look at my protein stats. I'm pretty sure I'm normally under my recommended amount, but I'll double check.0 -
AshleyC1023 wrote: »Maybe a bigger calorie deficit? I am around your height (1 inch taller) and my resting calories (keto calculator) is something like 1560. I voluntarily dropped it to 1200 for me and I'm seeing a lot of weight loss. I'm also on week 3 in on this and have lost significantly. So, my thought is that it's not your counting, that perhaps a larger deficit would benefit?
Try to eat things that are high in fats so you're not hungry during the day. If you don't eat 1200 calories, don't sweat it. I have several days where I've maxed at the 700-800 calorie range and had zero interest in eating anything else. It'll even out.
You may need to drop your carbs lower than 40 g a day as well. My goal is between 20-30, and recently lower than 20. I eased myself into it, starting at 50, then down to 40, and then the weight loss really sped up when I goaled for 20.
Being as short as we are, the basic 2000 calories a day doesn't really apply. I'd check out the keto calculator and adjust my macros to that. It's worked really well for me. Also, perhaps you aren't losing because your protein is more than the fat and your body sees no need to turn fat into energy when protein is readily available. Just some ideas.
While your caloric intake will be lower and will sit on what will seem like dangerously low levels without the context of height, too much of a caloric deficit is still too much of a caloric deficit. Very rarely is "increase your deficit" considered a good idea around here if you're already eating at one.
That said, I do agree that you don't have to sweat it if you're under your calories some days, as long as you're not intentionally doing so or doing it all the time, and if you allow yourself to go over your calorie allotment on "hungry" days. It all balances out over longer periods of time.
I also agree that it might be worth trying lowering the carb goal. Some people find that they're so carb sensitive that they need to do this, and the only way to find that out is to try.I've been logging and doing low carb for three weeks now and I haven't lost a single pound; well not true: I did lose 2.5 pounds the first week, gained 3 the next, it fell off back to 2.5 and now I'm up again. And I am FAT and need to lose at least 85 pounds to get to the highest end of my recommended weight range. I am 5'2" and some change and I am being 100% honest with my food. I am eating around 1400 calories a day and hovering at only about 40 carbs (not net) a day. WTF? Seriously. I am decently active, walk, ski and such. Over the years I have had my blood work checked, tried diet pills prescribed by my doctor, been on a monitored fitness program at work. I am getting so pissed off. I've had my resting calorie rate checked by a doctor, I've been to an endocrinologist, everything. I'm not lying about anything I am eating/doing or cheating myself in any way. I'm beginning to think I need to just eat about 500 calories a day at this point. But I doubt that would even work. I am so sick of trying all the time over all the years and nothing working.
I know three weeks seems like nothing, but my frustration is from YEARS of trying, YEARS. All of my friends and my husband are amazed at the fact that I don't lose weight no matter what I do. I DO NOT cheat myself into thinking I'm trying and then am surprised when no results happen. I had one day where I ate popcorn at the movies three weeks ago. I'm sure that has nothing to do with this because I basically didn't eat much all day to account for that calorie-wise (I just looked I only had 1247 calories that day and I went up to 60 carbs. <- This cannot be a reason for three weeks of nothing/no progress.
My husband and I did Whole30 last year. He lost 17lbs and I lost NONE. Even over a weekend ski trip during that Whole30, not one.single cheat. Totally on plan.
Yes, I am weighing my food, looking at packages and ALL of the other stuff that everyone points to when someone posts something like this. I.just.do.not.understand.
OMG I do not know what to do. How does a freaking FAT person like me not lose weight through CICO, LC, LCHF or anything else? How is that even mathematically possible?
I even stopped walking my 2.5 miles every other day this week in hopes of maybe that was somehow messing things up. But, really how?
Has anyone honestly ever had it like this and if so, did anything ever work for you?
Let me tell you a story:
I've always been on the heavier side. I was 175lb when I was a teenager, which is still around 5-10lbs over the top of the BMI for my height (not that give much credence to the BMI for individuals, but to give you an idea). Due to a combination of depression and birth control to which I reacted poorly, I gained over 100lbs in less than a year.
That was, at this point, nearly 10 years ago. I've managed a net loss of about 40lbs in that time.
Let that sink in for a second. That's 4lbs a year, on average. And that's with me having found the most successful plan for me, with a record of about an 8lb drop on the scale in a week.
That's a lot of back and forth, and a lot of time without any weight fluctuation at all, in the most extreme case, it was while I was doing martial arts, weight lifting, and had an extreme, unsustainably low food intake.
I feel your pain.
You know what, though? It's not about the math. You ask how it's mathematically possible? Because your body is not a calculator. There's a lot more that goes into how your body burns fuel than just giving it (or depriving it of) calories. Hormones are king, and if your hormones are screwed up, you won't lose weight unless you effectively starve yourself. And then, you'll likely be miserable, feel like crap, and fail.
And you know what else? Those hormones also affect the number on the scale, even on a day to day basis.
Here's another fun one for you from my own journey:
On my best way of eating, which so far has been carnivory, I lost something like 5lbs the first week, and 3lbs the second week. Awesome, right?
Week three, I gained two pounds back, and week four, I lost nothing. Two weeks of nothing.
...and then, on week 5, I lost another 5lbs. It just fell off over a couple of days.
Wait...what?
You know what's even more fun? This happened again, every month, for the next three months. Week 1, gain a pound or two. Weeks 2 and 3, stay stable. Week 4, lose a bunch of weight.
Why? Hormones. Being a woman is a huge factor in that. So what do you do about it?
First, read this -- http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10067269/your-scale-is-a-lying-liarpants?new=1
If you've read it before, go back and do it again, and tomorrow, read it again for good measure.
Next, give it another week or two. Your body may be on a longer cycle than you expect or want. If you don't stick to something for a long enough time, you have no idea if it's actually working.
From there, try dropping carbs before you try dropping calories, if you're already at a moderate deficit.
Next, talk to your doctor about getting your hormones checked. At the very least, get insulin and C-Peptide tested, but try to get your estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-S, and thyroid levels (ideally, T3 and T4, not just TSH) tested. The reason for this is because one of the big reasons women struggle to lose weight is due to a hormonal imbalance. Many women struggle with estrogen dominance (a big cause of PMS and PMDD), progesterone deficiency, and thyroid issues, in particular. If nothing else, this will give you some data to work with. Hopefully, everything's a-okay, but I'm willing to bet that if you've put as much effort into it as you say you have, there might be something else hindering you, and even just knowing what it is is empowering as hell, and makes life a ton easier. Especially since you had no weight loss from a Whole 30.
Finally, don't compare yourself to your husband. Seriously. Guys suck when it comes to weight loss. All they need to do is think about losing weight and the scale goes down 5lbs. They drop 20 just from ditching that extra can of soda.
It. Will. Drive. You. Insane.
Our bodies are a lot more sensitive than theirs, so we need to take care of ourselves more. It sucks that we have to do that kind of thing, but if your body is damaged by the old habits, you have to fix that. Once you fix the problems, things do get easier. Just give it some time.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »AshleyC1023 wrote: »
Why? Hormones. Being a woman is a huge factor in that. So what do you do about it?
First, read this -- http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10067269/your-scale-is-a-lying-liarpants?new=1
If you've read it before, go back and do it again, and tomorrow, read it again for good measure.
Next, give it another week or two. Your body may be on a longer cycle than you expect or want. If you don't stick to something for a long enough time, you have no idea if it's actually working.
From there, try dropping carbs before you try dropping calories, if you're already at a moderate deficit.
Next, talk to your doctor about getting your hormones checked. At the very least, get insulin and C-Peptide tested, but try to get your estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-S, and thyroid levels (ideally, T3 and T4, not just TSH) tested. The reason for this is because one of the big reasons women struggle to lose weight is due to a hormonal imbalance. Many women struggle with estrogen dominance (a big cause of PMS and PMDD), progesterone deficiency, and thyroid issues, in particular. If nothing else, this will give you some data to work with. Hopefully, everything's a-okay, but I'm willing to bet that if you've put as much effort into it as you say you have, there might be something else hindering you, and even just knowing what it is is empowering as hell, and makes life a ton easier. Especially since you had no weight loss from a Whole 30.
Finally, don't compare yourself to your husband. Seriously. Guys suck when it comes to weight loss. All they need to do is think about losing weight and the scale goes down 5lbs. They drop 20 just from ditching that extra can of soda.
It. Will. Drive. You. Insane.
Our bodies are a lot more sensitive than theirs, so we need to take care of ourselves more. It sucks that we have to do that kind of thing, but if your body is damaged by the old habits, you have to fix that. Once you fix the problems, things do get easier. Just give it some time.
Note sure if I did the quote thing correctly...
Thank you for sharing your story with me. I NEED to read things like that and I am sorry you struggle as well. I agree it may be hormonal, but to date no doctor has been able to figure out what that is or a solution to correct it. I didn't gain weight until I got pregnant, then two miscarriages later I was able to have a child and then 18 months later another. So in a four year period I had four pregnancies and gestational diabetes with both (but I get my A1C tested every year and have no issues now). Prior to that I never had a any issue with weight. That all started when I was 29. After have two children it has been nothing but a struggle and I'm willing to put in the fight. It's crazy. When I turned 35 I had a hysterectomy, but kept my ovaries. My doctor and I worked for two years to figure out a solution to my pain (2 Vicodin didn't even take the edge off of my pain at the time) and we settled on the hysterectomy. He did follow up and testing after my surgery and couldn't find a single medical thing wrong with my uterus to cause the pain. So I get there can be no real medical issue for things. I've been struggling for 11 years with the weight and working to get it off.0 -
@Dragonwolf that post made me giggle , my boyfriend is super skinny and he eats 20x as much as me :,). And the lying scales link is awesome.
Andee2000 , I always blame my metabolism for everything, I drink 5 cups of green t a day and eat plenty of jalapeños to try and speed it up, on average I lose more when I have more spicy food and green t, don't know whether this is an actual thing but I thought I'd share what I could with you
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@Andee2000 and sorry to hear about your miscarriages, I also had two before I had my daughter. Hope you find some answers soon 0
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Dragonwolf wrote: »AshleyC1023 wrote: »
Why? Hormones. Being a woman is a huge factor in that. So what do you do about it?
First, read this -- http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10067269/your-scale-is-a-lying-liarpants?new=1
If you've read it before, go back and do it again, and tomorrow, read it again for good measure.
Next, give it another week or two. Your body may be on a longer cycle than you expect or want. If you don't stick to something for a long enough time, you have no idea if it's actually working.
From there, try dropping carbs before you try dropping calories, if you're already at a moderate deficit.
Next, talk to your doctor about getting your hormones checked. At the very least, get insulin and C-Peptide tested, but try to get your estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-S, and thyroid levels (ideally, T3 and T4, not just TSH) tested. The reason for this is because one of the big reasons women struggle to lose weight is due to a hormonal imbalance. Many women struggle with estrogen dominance (a big cause of PMS and PMDD), progesterone deficiency, and thyroid issues, in particular. If nothing else, this will give you some data to work with. Hopefully, everything's a-okay, but I'm willing to bet that if you've put as much effort into it as you say you have, there might be something else hindering you, and even just knowing what it is is empowering as hell, and makes life a ton easier. Especially since you had no weight loss from a Whole 30.
Finally, don't compare yourself to your husband. Seriously. Guys suck when it comes to weight loss. All they need to do is think about losing weight and the scale goes down 5lbs. They drop 20 just from ditching that extra can of soda.
It. Will. Drive. You. Insane.
Our bodies are a lot more sensitive than theirs, so we need to take care of ourselves more. It sucks that we have to do that kind of thing, but if your body is damaged by the old habits, you have to fix that. Once you fix the problems, things do get easier. Just give it some time.
Note sure if I did the quote thing correctly...
Thank you for sharing your story with me. I NEED to read things like that and I am sorry you struggle as well. I agree it may be hormonal, but to date no doctor has been able to figure out what that is or a solution to correct it. I didn't gain weight until I got pregnant, then two miscarriages later I was able to have a child and then 18 months later another. So in a four year period I had four pregnancies and gestational diabetes with both (but I get my A1C tested every year and have no issues now). Prior to that I never had a any issue with weight. That all started when I was 29. After have two children it has been nothing but a struggle and I'm willing to put in the fight. It's crazy. When I turned 35 I had a hysterectomy, but kept my ovaries. My doctor and I worked for two years to figure out a solution to my pain (2 Vicodin didn't even take the edge off of my pain at the time) and we settled on the hysterectomy. He did follow up and testing after my surgery and couldn't find a single medical thing wrong with my uterus to cause the pain. So I get there can be no real medical issue for things. I've been struggling for 11 years with the weight and working to get it off.
You missed an end quote somewhere when you edited it. That's okay, it happens.
Anywho... my A1C has always been good, so that's not really an indicator of much of anything until your blood sugar is so out of whack that you have actual Diabetes. The fact that you developed GD, and possibly the fact that you had two miscarriages (if there wasn't an obvious cause) suggests that you do have some hormonal issues.
Pregnancy is no joke. Society treats it as nothing big for the mom to do (as though the baby shoulders all the risk or something), but it really screws with your hormones, even when the pregnancy itself is easy and uneventful.
Have you ever had your hormones tested? If not, I recommend talking to your doctor about doing so. He sounds like a good one, so if you explain your situation, he might be willing to work with you, or refer you to a specialist.
Here are the tests my Endo runs to monitor my PCOS:
17 Hydroxyprogesterone
Testosterone, total and free
DHEA-Sulfate
Prolactin
C-Peptide
Insulin
Glucose
Since you don't know what's going on, I also recommend the following:
Estradiol (estrogen)
TSH
Free T3
Free T4
Reverse T3
Additionally, StopTheThyroidMadness has a number they recommend, and great reasons why -- http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/recommended-labwork/
It boils down to the fact that something is wrong -- uterine pain, troubles with weight, and miscarriages, while common, are not normal or healthy. The question is, what is wrong, and just running a couple of basic tests that general doctors usually do very likely won't uncover it. You need more in-depth tests done if you haven't already.0 -
While your caloric intake will be lower and will sit on what will seem like dangerously low levels without the context of height, too much of a caloric deficit is still too much of a caloric deficit. Very rarely is "increase your deficit" considered a good idea around here if you're already eating at one.
I only suggested that because 1400 calories for someone her (and my height) really isn't much of a deficit at all, especially if she is sedentary. It's right around 100 calories, which while it is a deficit, probably won't be a lot to actually make that lying SOB scale dip at all. A slow increase could very well be something useful as far as that goes. I'm not saying drop to bare minimum, but I think trying to decrease calories a little at a time could be beneficial. If you decrease say another 100 calories and feel like you're starving, go back up.
I'm like the OP, I struggled and tried everything, after having 4 kids all the goodies were rather out of sync. Thyroid, hormone tests, lipid panels, all normal and within healthy ranges. I can totally sympathize with the frustration with it. My sympathies for the miscarriages though, nobody should have to go through that.0 -
You've gotten a lot of terrific guidance and feedback here. It would also be helpful if you would open your diary so we can see what you are doing. You may inadvertently be doing something wrong without realizing it being a newbie to Keto. I've found that most of us have detoured through several of these ourselves. Here is a list of the most common mistakes when following Keto:
- Eating too many carbs;
- Eating too much protein;
- Not eating enough fat;
- Not getting enough salt (or other electrolytes); and
- Not being patient enough.
For what it's worth, I think I personally detoured my way through every single one of these pitfalls when I first started out.0 -
AshleyC1023 wrote: »While your caloric intake will be lower and will sit on what will seem like dangerously low levels without the context of height, too much of a caloric deficit is still too much of a caloric deficit. Very rarely is "increase your deficit" considered a good idea around here if you're already eating at one.
I only suggested that because 1400 calories for someone her (and my height) really isn't much of a deficit at all, especially if she is sedentary. It's right around 100 calories, which while it is a deficit, probably won't be a lot to actually make that lying SOB scale dip at all. A slow increase could very well be something useful as far as that goes. I'm not saying drop to bare minimum, but I think trying to decrease calories a little at a time could be beneficial. If you decrease say another 100 calories and feel like you're starving, go back up.
I'm like the OP, I struggled and tried everything, after having 4 kids all the goodies were rather out of sync. Thyroid, hormone tests, lipid panels, all normal and within healthy ranges. I can totally sympathize with the frustration with it. My sympathies for the miscarriages though, nobody should have to go through that.
At 1400 cals and 5ft 4 inches tall I maintain weight. If i drop to 1200 to 1300 then I can see a loss. Thus I would probably be experiencing same results as OP on 1400, ie frustration. Less nuts (carbs) and more fat also helps. Relatively new and experimenting but hope that helps.0 -
SamandaIndia wrote: »AshleyC1023 wrote: »While your caloric intake will be lower and will sit on what will seem like dangerously low levels without the context of height, too much of a caloric deficit is still too much of a caloric deficit. Very rarely is "increase your deficit" considered a good idea around here if you're already eating at one.
I only suggested that because 1400 calories for someone her (and my height) really isn't much of a deficit at all, especially if she is sedentary. It's right around 100 calories, which while it is a deficit, probably won't be a lot to actually make that lying SOB scale dip at all. A slow increase could very well be something useful as far as that goes. I'm not saying drop to bare minimum, but I think trying to decrease calories a little at a time could be beneficial. If you decrease say another 100 calories and feel like you're starving, go back up.
I'm like the OP, I struggled and tried everything, after having 4 kids all the goodies were rather out of sync. Thyroid, hormone tests, lipid panels, all normal and within healthy ranges. I can totally sympathize with the frustration with it. My sympathies for the miscarriages though, nobody should have to go through that.
At 1400 cals and 5ft 4 inches tall I maintain weight. If i drop to 1200 to 1300 then I can see a loss. Thus I would probably be experiencing same results as OP on 1400, ie frustration. Less nuts (carbs) and more fat also helps. Relatively new and experimenting but hope that helps.
I am also 5'4" and averaging 1350 over the fall, I gained 2 lbs. lost that only upon going back down to 1250... I would love to ignore stupid calorie math because I do believe there's more to it than just that. But, my weight loss at anything over 1300 just stops. And it shouldn't even stop at that level...0 -
All: Thank you so much for all the support and guidance. I am heading out for a bit and don't have time to respond to everyone individually right now. Thank you.0
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Have you taken measurement's and before photos? That's another really great way to track progress. You should see some of the before and after's of people at the same weight on a low carb diet, I know there were a few people in our group that posted them previously but that are buried in the threads somewhere. It was amazing the difference of someone at the same or close to the same weight before low carb and after.
The scale is one way to measure and I use it still and get annoyed when it doesn't change. But I am wearing the same clothes now that I was when I weighed 138 lbs last time I lost weight, I now weigh 150.0 -
You've gotten a lot of great advice and guidance here, especially from DragonWolf! I'm sorry for the frustration. I've had long stretches where I struggled to lose any weight. For me, keto has helped but I agree dropping carbs might help and getting all the tests DragonWolf suggested.0
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Lots of great advice here. Check your macro ratios, reduce your carbs, raise fats, if necessary. This WOE is the only way I've been able to trim down and I had to go very low carb (fewer than 20 g carbs a day) to be successful. Keto is my new way of living.0
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AshleyC1023 wrote: »While your caloric intake will be lower and will sit on what will seem like dangerously low levels without the context of height, too much of a caloric deficit is still too much of a caloric deficit. Very rarely is "increase your deficit" considered a good idea around here if you're already eating at one.
I only suggested that because 1400 calories for someone her (and my height) really isn't much of a deficit at all, especially if she is sedentary. It's right around 100 calories, which while it is a deficit, probably won't be a lot to actually make that lying SOB scale dip at all. A slow increase could very well be something useful as far as that goes. I'm not saying drop to bare minimum, but I think trying to decrease calories a little at a time could be beneficial. If you decrease say another 100 calories and feel like you're starving, go back up.
I'm like the OP, I struggled and tried everything, after having 4 kids all the goodies were rather out of sync. Thyroid, hormone tests, lipid panels, all normal and within healthy ranges. I can totally sympathize with the frustration with it. My sympathies for the miscarriages though, nobody should have to go through that.
I said what I did, because the OP threatened to drop down to 500 calories, and is already actually eating at only 700-800 calories. The deficit is already there, and is arguably too low, even for one of her size.
I'm in the exact same position, hormone-wise (I just happen to be taller). The bloodwork that is tested by most doctors is all in the pretty much normal range, but some were out of whack enough to cause problems for me (@KnitOrMiss has had this experience, too), and the tests that have to be specifically requested showed more dysfunction, but one has to specifically ask for those tests. I come from a place of first-hand experience that closely mirrors hers, and offer the solutions I have, because they have worked and provided valuable information for me.0 -
I'm gonna toss this in here from personal and family experience. Don't drop down to under around 1000 calories, even at your height (same height here). I might get flack for saying this BUT STARVATION MODE IS A REAL THING! Especially if you've eaten at very low calorie levels in the past, intentionally or not. All the women in my family have trouble losing weight, all of us have hormones that are geared toward reproduction and nursing babies. Nature doesn't want you to lose weight, it wants you to use it to further the human species.
Give it time, drop your carbs before your calories and ignore the scale for awhile. You could alternatively, weigh daily to see the trend that dragonwolf is talking about. This is how I discovered that the third month of a depo cycle there is literally nothing I can do to lose weight, nada, zip, zilch. I gain a few pounds in water weight, and then hold steady, get my next shot and BAM it comes off like clockwork again.0 -
I am eating around 1400 calories a day
That's the OP's statement, and it being a rant she said she's thinking that she should just drop to 500 a day. I took that as more of a "what else can I do" as a frustrated statement. I think you read my 700-800 calorie response because I do have days where that's all I can force down. But it evens out with other days where I eat more.
Being below average height does add some difficulty when you hear drs preach about 2000 calories a day. We are smaller and thus our bodies are "more efficient". You feed a Chihuahua a lot less dog food than a Great Dane, and the Great Dane will starve if it's fed like a Chihuahua, and the Chihuahua will become obese if it eats like a Great Dane. 0 -
@Dragonwolf - You rock! In case I haven't said it before. What they said above x2, esp. hormonal issues.
What works for me 5'1, age 54. 1250 cals, 20g carbs, (40g was still too high for me. It allows for maintenance, but when I went to 20g and below I really noticed a keto kick.) Consistency. Walking 2-3miles a day. I need to be consistent - everyday - meeting my macros. Keto calculator was the first place to start. I ate the same group of foods everyday for a week. (Boring!, but I wanted a documented place to start) Shopping trip on Sunday, planned out all meals for the week. Weighed and measured foods and then myself at the end of the week. Swapped out a food that had higher carbs for a better choice. For example, I was eating non-fat yogurt at first, then switched to eggs. I noticed it was a better choice. Repeated experiment. I only changed out one or two things a week so that I could pin point the direct effects. The key is to find a rhythm that works for you. I've had to handle this as truly an experiment, lots of notes and careful planning.
Ditto @ladipoet •Eating too many carbs; •Eating too much protein; •Not eating enough fat; •Not getting enough salt (or other electrolytes); and •Not being patient enough. I've been slow and steady over the past 8 months. .2 to 1 pound loss a week. Plateaued in December after a 38 pound loss- mostly because I didn't stick to the routine and started making exceptions. That doesn't work for me, so I'm back at it. - Back to basics as @baconslave would say. FWIW, Keep walking. Keep us posted.0 -
AshleyC1023 wrote: »I am eating around 1400 calories a day
That's the OP's statement, and it being a rant she said she's thinking that she should just drop to 500 a day. I took that as more of a "what else can I do" as a frustrated statement. I think you read my 700-800 calorie response because I do have days where that's all I can force down. But it evens out with other days where I eat more.
Being below average height does add some difficulty when you hear drs preach about 2000 calories a day. We are smaller and thus our bodies are "more efficient". You feed a Chihuahua a lot less dog food than a Great Dane, and the Great Dane will starve if it's fed like a Chihuahua, and the Chihuahua will become obese if it eats like a Great Dane.
Fair enough on the 700-800. You're right, that was your statement, and not hers.
However, I never once said or even implied that she should eat 2000 calories, so please do not read my responses with that assumption. I specifically acknowledged that her intake will be on the low end of what's generally considered "safe" when height is taken out of the context. What I did say was to be mindful of the level of the deficit, because in her frustration, "increase your deficit" could be rationalized to "it's okay to eat 500 calories," when 500 calories is too much of a deficit for anyone and results in nearly 1000 calories short of what she's consuming now. You did mention 1200 for yourself, but we're dealing with a frustrated person, here. In that state, it's very easy to jump to "well, if 1200 works, and they say they do okay on 800, isn't more better? I am making up for lost time, too." That is why I tried to make sure to emphasize that if the deficit is already moderate, consider other methods.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »AshleyC1023 wrote: »I am eating around 1400 calories a day
That's the OP's statement, and it being a rant she said she's thinking that she should just drop to 500 a day. I took that as more of a "what else can I do" as a frustrated statement. I think you read my 700-800 calorie response because I do have days where that's all I can force down. But it evens out with other days where I eat more.
Being below average height does add some difficulty when you hear drs preach about 2000 calories a day. We are smaller and thus our bodies are "more efficient". You feed a Chihuahua a lot less dog food than a Great Dane, and the Great Dane will starve if it's fed like a Chihuahua, and the Chihuahua will become obese if it eats like a Great Dane.
Fair enough on the 700-800. You're right, that was your statement, and not hers.
However, I never once said or even implied that she should eat 2000 calories, so please do not read my responses with that assumption. I specifically acknowledged that her intake will be on the low end of what's generally considered "safe" when height is taken out of the context. What I did say was to be mindful of the level of the deficit, because in her frustration, "increase your deficit" could be rationalized to "it's okay to eat 500 calories," when 500 calories is too much of a deficit for anyone and results in nearly 1000 calories short of what she's consuming now. You did mention 1200 for yourself, but we're dealing with a frustrated person, here. In that state, it's very easy to jump to "well, if 1200 works, and they say they do okay on 800, isn't more better? I am making up for lost time, too." That is why I tried to make sure to emphasize that if the deficit is already moderate, consider other methods.
Oop sorry. I was throwing the 500 calories out there as a "dang how low do I need to go?" I am going to try to get closer to 20 carbs a day and see if that helps. I need to make an appointment to get my blood work done. Even my frustration yesterday didn't derail me. I am still working this.0 -
Not sure if anyone mentioned this but it takes several weeks to become "adapted" so that your body is burning fat for fuel consistently. And it is possible that you are losing some fat without losing scale weight. So keep at it.0
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Just throwing this in there.....
it could be that your body is holding onto anything and everything because it doesn't know what you're gonna do next?
Maybe you need to just carry on keeping an eye on things and see where you are in a month....it may take your body a while to adjust to what you are doing.
Just a thought.....0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »AshleyC1023 wrote: »I am eating around 1400 calories a day
That's the OP's statement, and it being a rant she said she's thinking that she should just drop to 500 a day. I took that as more of a "what else can I do" as a frustrated statement. I think you read my 700-800 calorie response because I do have days where that's all I can force down. But it evens out with other days where I eat more.
Being below average height does add some difficulty when you hear drs preach about 2000 calories a day. We are smaller and thus our bodies are "more efficient". You feed a Chihuahua a lot less dog food than a Great Dane, and the Great Dane will starve if it's fed like a Chihuahua, and the Chihuahua will become obese if it eats like a Great Dane.
Fair enough on the 700-800. You're right, that was your statement, and not hers.
However, I never once said or even implied that she should eat 2000 calories, so please do not read my responses with that assumption. I specifically acknowledged that her intake will be on the low end of what's generally considered "safe" when height is taken out of the context. What I did say was to be mindful of the level of the deficit, because in her frustration, "increase your deficit" could be rationalized to "it's okay to eat 500 calories," when 500 calories is too much of a deficit for anyone and results in nearly 1000 calories short of what she's consuming now. You did mention 1200 for yourself, but we're dealing with a frustrated person, here. In that state, it's very easy to jump to "well, if 1200 works, and they say they do okay on 800, isn't more better? I am making up for lost time, too." That is why I tried to make sure to emphasize that if the deficit is already moderate, consider other methods.
I actually never said you did say that either. The general 2000 calorie a day diet was a generalized statement - ie for someone of average height and weight and I suggested the keto calculator to help adjust for the OP's size and weight. I actually said that before you even replied in the thread. I totally get the frustration with it, it says I can eat 1560 a day to maintain in a sedentary state. I will gain on that much for certain. I also said that some days I only eat that, but I make up for it on other days and it evens out - the general goal of that statement is to not stuff yourself just because MFP says you need a minimum of 1000 calories (that's their cut off to not give you the "you're not eating enough" warning). It took me several days to realize I don't NEED to stuff myself past satiate and that it's ok to be lower as it will vary day by day. I've definitely found that there is a balance, and that too many calories doesn't equal any kind of body or scale victory. What's too many? It's different for everyone, I guess I"m just saying the key to it is to adjust as needed. If you aren't losing at 1400, drop to 1350 and see if that helps. When your calorie budget is already lower than the "generalized normal" that you hear doctors and all suggest, of course you're going to be frustrated when you eat 1500 and don't maintain, but gain. That's one of the biggest misinformations I see is that you "need" 2000 calories a day (and I don't mean from you Dragon, but any diet crap magazine) to maintain, when they don't account for anything for the individual. I mean on a general "2000 calories" suggestion, it is easy to think that at 1500 you will lose (being a 500 calorie deficit on paper) when in reality, you're actually on your maintenance number.
OP, my diary is open and you're welcome to look. You can see how some days, I'm just not hungry, or I ate something really high in fat for breakfast and lunch and barely eat at dinner. I've also had more than 1 day that "looked good on paper" but I felt miserable from overeating. I've also had days over 1200 calories as well.0 -
AshleyC1023 wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »AshleyC1023 wrote: »I am eating around 1400 calories a day
That's the OP's statement, and it being a rant she said she's thinking that she should just drop to 500 a day. I took that as more of a "what else can I do" as a frustrated statement. I think you read my 700-800 calorie response because I do have days where that's all I can force down. But it evens out with other days where I eat more.
Being below average height does add some difficulty when you hear drs preach about 2000 calories a day. We are smaller and thus our bodies are "more efficient". You feed a Chihuahua a lot less dog food than a Great Dane, and the Great Dane will starve if it's fed like a Chihuahua, and the Chihuahua will become obese if it eats like a Great Dane.
Fair enough on the 700-800. You're right, that was your statement, and not hers.
However, I never once said or even implied that she should eat 2000 calories, so please do not read my responses with that assumption. I specifically acknowledged that her intake will be on the low end of what's generally considered "safe" when height is taken out of the context. What I did say was to be mindful of the level of the deficit, because in her frustration, "increase your deficit" could be rationalized to "it's okay to eat 500 calories," when 500 calories is too much of a deficit for anyone and results in nearly 1000 calories short of what she's consuming now. You did mention 1200 for yourself, but we're dealing with a frustrated person, here. In that state, it's very easy to jump to "well, if 1200 works, and they say they do okay on 800, isn't more better? I am making up for lost time, too." That is why I tried to make sure to emphasize that if the deficit is already moderate, consider other methods.
I actually never said you did say that either. The general 2000 calorie a day diet was a generalized statement - ie for someone of average height and weight and I suggested the keto calculator to help adjust for the OP's size and weight. I actually said that before you even replied in the thread. I totally get the frustration with it, it says I can eat 1560 a day to maintain in a sedentary state. I will gain on that much for certain. I also said that some days I only eat that, but I make up for it on other days and it evens out - the general goal of that statement is to not stuff yourself just because MFP says you need a minimum of 1000 calories (that's their cut off to not give you the "you're not eating enough" warning). It took me several days to realize I don't NEED to stuff myself past satiate and that it's ok to be lower as it will vary day by day. I've definitely found that there is a balance, and that too many calories doesn't equal any kind of body or scale victory. What's too many? It's different for everyone, I guess I"m just saying the key to it is to adjust as needed. If you aren't losing at 1400, drop to 1350 and see if that helps. When your calorie budget is already lower than the "generalized normal" that you hear doctors and all suggest, of course you're going to be frustrated when you eat 1500 and don't maintain, but gain. That's one of the biggest misinformations I see is that you "need" 2000 calories a day (and I don't mean from you Dragon, but any diet crap magazine) to maintain, when they don't account for anything for the individual. I mean on a general "2000 calories" suggestion, it is easy to think that at 1500 you will lose (being a 500 calorie deficit on paper) when in reality, you're actually on your maintenance number.
OP, my diary is open and you're welcome to look. You can see how some days, I'm just not hungry, or I ate something really high in fat for breakfast and lunch and barely eat at dinner. I've also had more than 1 day that "looked good on paper" but I felt miserable from overeating. I've also had days over 1200 calories as well.
I think we're agreeing, just in different ways. :flower:0 -
I went to our local library's book sale this past weekend. I lost 22 pounds in ten weeks at a steady pace using the Protein Power guidelines but just for the heck of it I threw "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution" into the pile. ($5 a full sized grocery sack, such a deal!) There are quite a few ideas about why, in spite of our best efforts, our low-carb plan might not be working.
I'm somewhat puzzled why there are so many references to calories in this discussion. One of the many benefits of the low-carb lifestyle is that if we eat the allowable foods, counting calories isn't required, or even desirable. While losing, I tracked carb and protein grams. And that was all, except to make sure I got all my ounces of water down the hatch.0
