Fighting to lose weight

infamous1997

So my issue is I'm trying to shed some fat/pounds but when I reach a certain point I just can't shed anymore fat/weight after that. Say I'm at 140 LBs and I am trying to lose 5 more pounds, I can't. I start to gain weight again. Also I reach a certain BF% like 18% and can't go any lower and end up going back to 20-22%. Any idea on why? I have a before and after picture I'll share in a few

infamous1997

Forgot to mention that I don't go to the gym because I don't have any time. (Work and college basically). HOWEVER. I work at UPS and I am very active as I lift heavy boxes for 3-4 hours. (I'm sure I'm not gaining muscle anyways but I'm gaining fat). I also forgot to mention that I don't really eat much. I eat before work and after work. As crazy as it sounds I eat 2-3 times a day because I tend to come home and sleep off the hunger due to exhaustion

Mapalicious

count your calories

SueSueDio

I'm afraid I'd have to agree with Mapalicious here... I used to think I didn't really eat very much too (it was a complete mystery where all the extra pounds came from! ), until I started counting and realised how much it actually was and how oversized my portions were!

Unfortunately, thinking that we're eating little enough and/or exercising enough to lose weight doesn't mean that we actually are. There's no way to know for sure without weighing, counting and logging everything for a while.

Also, I've read many times on this site that only having a few pounds to lose means it'll be a very slow process (as little as 0.5lb per week or less), so it may be that you do lose a bit but just don't notice it before it goes up again.

Eating more than your maintenance calories would be the first thing to rule out, before you start digging deeper into whether there's something odd going on.

wanderingrat

You may want to log the food to check for what you eat as well. Make sure you get all the nutrients you need and don't overdo with fat and simple carbs.

Eating less doesn't always mean loosing weight. If you mess up your metabolism with your diet and make your body think this is an emergency time with too little nutrients available, you're metabolism will go to the slow burner to save energy and store whatever it can, losing fat will become much harder. Don't go below your BMR, if you work that hard, you'll burn enough calories to lose weight. It might also help you to eat more regularly and have a small healthy snack to keep your blood sugar from dropping too much.
(Of course if you eat too much healthy food and exeed the calories you'd need you will gain with healthy food, too.)

Also, don't focus too much on a certain number. Your body has its own ideal, perhaps that's just a little above the numbers you want to see. It's more important how you feel when it comes to energy and health.

TTVanLue

I am trying to lose weight! I am counting calories and daily weigh ins in the morning. I also watching what I eat. But I am limited on exercises I can do because of back issues with pain down my legs. In 21 days I have only lost 1 lb 4 oz. What can I do to burn more calories?

SueSueDio

TTVanLue wrote: »

I am trying to lose weight! I am counting calories and daily weigh ins in the morning. I also watching what I eat. But I am limited on exercises I can do because of back issues with pain down my legs. In 21 days I have only lost 1 lb 4 oz. What can I do to burn more calories?

Weight loss is really all about the calories, and it seems that although exercise can help you burn a few more it doesn't always make a major difference. (Basing this opinion on many posts I've read on this site to that effect!)

If you want to exercise to improve your general health and fitness, try Google to see what you can find that might suit you. A quick search on "workouts for people with limited mobility" turned up a whole bunch of stuff, including these:

http://www.wikihow.com/Exercise-If-You-Have-Limited-Mobility

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/4-ways-people-with-limited-mobility-can-start-exercising.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APh8JTwsNc4


I don't know how good any of these actually are, but it might be a place to start! Also, check with your doctor (or therapist if you have one) and see what they suggest. Good luck!

(Apologies for the derail, OP!)

psuLemon

OP,

You are probably eating more than you think. And since you are trying to get lean, you will probably need a food scale to ensure accuracy.

wanderingrat wrote: »

You may want to log the food to check for what you eat as well. Make sure you get all the nutrients you need and don't overdo with fat and simple carbs.

Eating less doesn't always mean loosing weight. If you mess up your metabolism with your diet and make your body think this is an emergency time with too little nutrients available, you're metabolism will go to the slow burner to save energy and store whatever it can, losing fat will become much harder. Don't go below your BMR, if you work that hard, you'll burn enough calories to lose weight. It might also help you to eat more regularly and have a small healthy snack to keep your blood sugar from dropping too much.
(Of course if you eat too much healthy food and exeed the calories you'd need you will gain with healthy food, too.)

Also, don't focus too much on a certain number. Your body has its own ideal, perhaps that's just a little above the numbers you want to see. It's more important how you feel when it comes to energy and health.

There is nothing wrong with fats or simple carbs. Fats regulate hormone production, can lower cholesterol (mono and poly unsaturated fats) and can satiety people. Simple carbs can help replenish glycogen post strenuous workouts and provide energy.

Blood sugar isn't a concern for those who do not have medical conditions, so meal frequency is personal preference. I eat large meals because it keeps me full. 6 meals just makes me hungry.

And messing up the metabolism is a gross over-generalization of adaptive thermogenesis (metabolic adaptation), which naturally occurs during weight loss. Yes, you can increase metabolic adaptation through high calorie deficits and inadequate nutrition (especially low protein and no weight training) but we aren't talking a ton of calories.


Typically, the biggest areas of concern, at least on MFP, for why people aren't losing is they aren't tracking their calories consistently or accuracy. And when a person, who is lean, wants to become more lean (like myself), you then have a much smaller window for error in your tracking.

jessicaallen1996

any lower than 18% body fat is bad for women. Your body is probably holding on to body fat in starvation mode.

blues4miles

psulemon wrote: »

OP,

You are probably eating more than you think. And since you are trying to get lean, you will probably need a food scale to ensure accuracy.

wanderingrat wrote: »

You may want to log the food to check for what you eat as well. Make sure you get all the nutrients you need and don't overdo with fat and simple carbs.

Eating less doesn't always mean loosing weight. If you mess up your metabolism with your diet and make your body think this is an emergency time with too little nutrients available, you're metabolism will go to the slow burner to save energy and store whatever it can, losing fat will become much harder. Don't go below your BMR, if you work that hard, you'll burn enough calories to lose weight. It might also help you to eat more regularly and have a small healthy snack to keep your blood sugar from dropping too much.
(Of course if you eat too much healthy food and exeed the calories you'd need you will gain with healthy food, too.)

Also, don't focus too much on a certain number. Your body has its own ideal, perhaps that's just a little above the numbers you want to see. It's more important how you feel when it comes to energy and health.

There is nothing wrong with fats or simple carbs. Fats regulate hormone production, can lower cholesterol (mono and poly unsaturated fats) and can satiety people. Simple carbs can help replenish glycogen post strenuous workouts and provide energy.

Blood sugar isn't a concern for those who do not have medical conditions, so meal frequency is personal preference. I eat large meals because it keeps me full. 6 meals just makes me hungry.

And messing up the metabolism is a gross over-generalization of adaptive thermogenesis (metabolic adaptation), which naturally occurs during weight loss. Yes, you can increase metabolic adaptation through high calorie deficits and inadequate nutrition (especially low protein and no weight training) but we aren't talking a ton of calories.


Typically, the biggest areas of concern, at least on MFP, for why people aren't losing is they aren't tracking their calories consistently or accuracy. And when a person, who is lean, wants to become more lean (like myself), you then have a much smaller window for error in your tracking.

Right on as always.

psuLemon

jessicaallen1996 wrote: »

any lower than 18% body fat is bad for women. Your body is probably holding on to body fat in starvation mode.

Actually, women can go as low at 14% before hitting essential body fats.


And the good news is, the OP is a male.