Trying not to suck at losing weight
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ac2662
Posts: 47 Member
Ok so some background.... I am a 37 yo female who weighs 173 lbs and is 5'4". I have been diagnosed as insulin resistant and have been given metformin as well as phentermine by two different doctors and following a low carb diet per one of my Dr's. I have been on phentermine for 2 months and metformin for about 3 weeks.
Now with all I absolutely can not lose any weight. I lost 15 lbs from Aug to Nov. but nothing since, no gain, but no loss. What gives?? It's so frustrating. Seriously makes me want to just quit trying.
Now with all I absolutely can not lose any weight. I lost 15 lbs from Aug to Nov. but nothing since, no gain, but no loss. What gives?? It's so frustrating. Seriously makes me want to just quit trying.
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Replies
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Have you adjusted your calorie goal after losing weight? What calorie deficit are you aiming for? Are you weighting your food and logging your intake? Are you hitting your calorie goal? If not, what difficulties are you having with sticking to it?3
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low carb does not guarantee weight loss...you need to ensure you are in a calorie deficit.
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I weigh all my food in grams and have my calories set at 1400 but usually eat about 1300. I know I probably don't drink as much water as I should, which is something I struggle with. The other thing I have concern with is one of my Dr's told me no fruit due to the insulin resistance, but the other said fruit is ok, so I am a little confused in that regard. I do exercise but it's sporadic, I pretty much get it in when I can which can range anywhere from 1 to 4 days a week. I work graveyard and do all my errands as well as driving my kids to all their things throughout the day so consistent exercise is difficult.0
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Have you planned out your calories and macros? If your macros are not balanced it doesn't help you much.0
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I weigh all my food in grams and have my calories set at 1400 but usually eat about 1300. I know I probably don't drink as much water as I should, which is something I struggle with. The other thing I have concern with is one of my Dr's told me no fruit due to the insulin resistance, but the other said fruit is ok, so I am a little confused in that regard. I do exercise but it's sporadic, I pretty much get it in when I can which can range anywhere from 1 to 4 days a week. I work graveyard and do all my errands as well as driving my kids to all their things throughout the day so consistent exercise is difficult.
I have to ask why 2 doctors...
2nd exercise doesn't guarantee weight loss either....
next question is have you lost absolutely no weight or are you losing a couple then gaining it back? or losing 1/2lb here and there?
1400 is probably giving you a small deficit so you might not see massive losses but if you are under a doctors care and given a special diet perhaps talk to them to get a referral to a Registered dietitian as most doctors do not have enough study in nutrition but RD's do.0 -
Have you checked your measurements? Sometimes the number on the scale doesn't move but the inches do.0
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Congrats on that 15lb loss, and not gaining in December. For many of us, it's a tough time of year. If I were you I would make getting enough sleep my first priority, even over exercise. If you're short on time, is exercise at home an option? Even just hand weights and running stairs.
I switched over at a certain point from thinking "this is miserable and I'm not losing anyway so I might as well quit", to "this is the healthy lifestyle I want to live forever". Eating a little more helped me with that. It's an attitude adjustment that you may want to strive for.0 -
Yeah, the fact that you maintained in December should be seen as a positive! Now that everything is getting back to normal and the kids are back in school you may find that thinsg start to tick down again.
If they don't - some things to check on might be:
In your weighing and recording, are you recording all cooking fats and oils? Not just salad dressings, but everything that goes in the pan? Are you recording tastes and bits and stuff that you might pull of the kid's plates or grab one of while you're making their lunches or dinners or snacks?
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Not true. Under eating protein will cause muscle loss more than fat loss, and lower muscle mass causes slower metabolism/lower BMR. Also too low or carbs lowers the leptin hormone which causss slower metabolism, and too many carbs will cause high blood sugar, and too little fat will cause hormone disruptions. I wish people would stop spreading the misinformation that ONLY calories matter.2 -
the RDA for protein is like 40g for women...to cause the effects you are mentioning (muscle loss vs. fat loss) - you would have to eat below that RDA...0
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Hitting your protein goal and getting in some strength exercises should help- even if it's just 10 minutes of bodyweight strength exercises that's better than nothing. Check out Fitnessblender on YouTube- you can pull up a short routine on your phone and do it whenever you have a spare moment in the day.
Also I agree with a previous response about being careful of cooking oils! And butter. One small change I made that made a big difference in caloric intake was to get spray oils and stop using liquid oils. One spray has like15 calories whereas a dollop of oil has hundreds of calories. When I use butter I actually measure out only 1/4 tablespoon and no more. I also started steaming rather than sautéing most of my veggies. It's helped a lot.0 -
courtneyfabulous wrote: »
Not true. Under eating protein will cause muscle loss more than fat loss, and lower muscle mass causes slower metabolism/lower BMR. Also too low or carbs lowers the lepton hormone which causss slower metabolism, and too little fat will cause hormone disruptions as well. I wish people would stop spreading the misinformation that ONLY calories matter.
For weight loss only calories matter period.
For health and fitness macros matter...
under eating on protein will not cause muscle loss...under eating on calories will and not using the muscle can speed it up.
Lower muscle mass happens period while losing weight as you cannot prevent muscle loss while losing fat...you can minimize it by eating enough protein and doing some form of resistance training however you will still lose muscle...
To low fat causes mal-absorption of certain vitamins and minerals
To low carbs just make people sad and hangry most of the time and well brain fog for a little while
But eliminating any of them will not prevent weight loss...or cause "slow" metabolism that can't be accounted for by the weight loss.
PS I wish people would stop spreading misinformation as well so if you could please send along the links to the peer reviewed studies where it proves under eating on protein causes muscle loss...that I would be interested in as I have a few vegetarian friends that really need more protein if this is true..they will be nothing but fat and tendons and bones at the end.0 -
Also have you tried refeed days? One day a week or so eating at maintenance calories instead of in a deficit - it can help keep the metabolism higher. You actually sound like you're due for a diet break if you're stuck in a plateau after being in a deficit for a while. Try eating at maintenance calories for 1 to 3 weeks, then go back into a deficit again with weekly refeed days. See if that gets you losing again. The metabolism slows down as an adaptation to being in a deficit for a while, so taking in more calories in a planned way helps prevent or at least slow that adaptation.2
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courtneyfabulous wrote: »Also have you tried refeed days? One day a week or so eating at maintenance calories instead of in a deficit - it can help keep the metabolism higher. You actually sound like you're due for a diet break if you're stuck in a plateau after being in a deficit for a while. Try eating at maintenance calories for 1 to 3 weeks, then go back into a deficit again with weekly refeed days. See if that gets you losing again. The metabolism slows down as an adaptation to being in a deficit for a while, so taking in more calories in a planned way helps prevent or at least slow that adaptation.
There is only one way to speed up metabolism permantely...that is to build more muscle...refeed days and eating more food is not the cure for "not losing weight"..to be able to eat more you exercise more...period.
Plateau is another word for eating at maintenance...
where are you getting your information?????0 -
I also have been diagnosed insulin resistant and I am also on metformin. I wish I had some great advice but I am in the same boat and feel your pain. Chin up, day by day, that is what I keep trying to tell myself. Good luck!1
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I weigh all my food in grams and have my calories set at 1400 but usually eat about 1300.
Either you're one of the X-Men and your superpower is not losing weight, or you're taking in more than you think you are. Physics doesn't allow another choice.
Also, "usually" and "about" are weasel words, suggesting that you don't know how many calories you're eating.
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courtneyfabulous wrote: »Also have you tried refeed days? One day a week or so eating at maintenance calories instead of in a deficit - it can help keep the metabolism higher. You actually sound like you're due for a diet break if you're stuck in a plateau after being in a deficit for a while. Try eating at maintenance calories for 1 to 3 weeks, then go back into a deficit again with weekly refeed days. See if that gets you losing again. The metabolism slows down as an adaptation to being in a deficit for a while, so taking in more calories in a planned way helps prevent or at least slow that adaptation.
There is only one way to speed up metabolism permantely...that is to build more muscle...refeed days and eating more food is not the cure for "not losing weight"..to be able to eat more you exercise more...period.
Plateau is another word for eating at maintenance...
where are you getting your information?????
Look up refeed days and diet breaks- it's something body builders use when cutting body fat after a bulk or to get ready for a fitness show. When they have to be in a cut for more than 10 or 12 weeks they will add in refeed days or (if they have time) take a diet break to let their metabolism reset. It doesn't speed up the metabolism really, it just brings it back up to normal. It's a pretty well known fact that the metabolism naturally will slow down while in a prolonged deficit- it's a survival adaptation. I was thinking maybe her metabolism has slowed drown since her calories seem low for someone of that weight and height to not be losing weight, so she might want to implement these techniques.
I do agree she should try to build muscle or at least preserve the muscle she has. Her best bet would be to consume adequate protein and do strength training. I thought I commented that too but maybe not?3 -
courtneyfabulous wrote: »courtneyfabulous wrote: »Also have you tried refeed days? One day a week or so eating at maintenance calories instead of in a deficit - it can help keep the metabolism higher. You actually sound like you're due for a diet break if you're stuck in a plateau after being in a deficit for a while. Try eating at maintenance calories for 1 to 3 weeks, then go back into a deficit again with weekly refeed days. See if that gets you losing again. The metabolism slows down as an adaptation to being in a deficit for a while, so taking in more calories in a planned way helps prevent or at least slow that adaptation.
There is only one way to speed up metabolism permantely...that is to build more muscle...refeed days and eating more food is not the cure for "not losing weight"..to be able to eat more you exercise more...period.
Plateau is another word for eating at maintenance...
where are you getting your information?????
Look up refeed days and diet breaks- it's something body builders use when cutting body fat after a bulk or to get ready for a fitness show. When they have to be in a cut for more than 10 or 12 weeks they will add in refeed days or (if they have time) take a diet break to let their metabolism reset. It doesn't speed up the metabolism really, it just brings it back up to normal. It's a pretty well known fact that the metabolism naturally will slow down while in a prolonged deficit- it's a survival adaptation. I was thinking maybe her metabolism has slowed drown since her calories seem low for someone of that weight and height to not be losing weight, so she might want to implement these techniques.
I do agree she should try to build muscle or at least preserve the muscle she has. Her best bet would be to consume adequate protein and do strength training. I thought I commented that too but maybe not?
Advice for bodybuilders is irrelevant in this case. Yes it works for them, but is not an issue here.2 -
Here's an article on refeed days if you're interested
http://www.kylehuntfitness.com/refeed-overeating-to-enhance-fat-loss/1
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