Really struggling despite diet and exercise...

Archaeus

Compared to a lot of people, I'd say my gain hasn't been so bad... Around 20 lbs over the last 2 or 3 years, a very gradual increase, all around my belly, butt, and upper thighs. The trouble is getting it off. I have been trying for 2 years to lose weight, I have cut out junk food except for the rare craving I indulge one every one to two months. Otherwise, I eat healthy. Small portions, balanced meals with lots of veggies, I drink a lot of water and tea, I have replaced my sweets with fruit, I eat whole grains, etc. and I almost always keep my intake under 1800 kcal daily. I exercise, as well, and walk a lot everyday, usually around 7-10k steps depending on the day. I rarely take shortcuts and prefer to walk if I can. Anyway... I am 5'5", 22, and about 149 lbs... But I haven't lost any weight despite all of my efforts. It worked for a little while last year, and I managed to lose about 3 lbs, but then I just kept gaining... I have been trying and trying but losing 1 lb takes so much effort, even more than it took a year ago. I thought maybe my birth control was making it harder to drop water weight, so I came off it and lost 1-2 lbs (once on my period I actually lost 10 lbs of pure water weight, so I figured maybe coming off the BC would take some of it off) but I haven't seen anything since. It is especially frustrating for me because I haven't regularly eaten junk food in years, I haven't touched a drop of soda for even longer, and I take very good care of myself but I still keep gaining. My boyfriend thinks it's pretty bizarre as well that I eat healthy food and small portions 99% of the time and exercise a few times weekly plus walking but have dropped next to nothing. Meanwhile, he eats the same stuff I do plus burgers and other junk since he doesn't have to watch his weight, doesn't exercise at all, and somehow has lost 10 lbs. I got my TSH/T3/T4 levels tested and they came back normal. I seriously don't know what I'm doing wrong, I avoid everything unhealthy, especially when it comes to chemicals, I use small portions, I exercise... I have even turned to meal replacement to try and lose weight and no dice. Advice?

ozgurvh

It seems you did everything you should do.

SLLeask

A few questions come to mind. Do you weigh all your food on a digital scale? Measure liquids properly? How do you calculate your calorie burns from exercise? Small potions do not always equate to mall calories, depends on what you are eating. Is your diary open?

CafeRacer808

The simple answer is that your eating more than you think you are. All the healthy food in the world won't help you lose weight if you're eating too much of it.

How are you measuring your intake? As @SLLeask says above, if you're not weighing all of your food you don't know how many calories you're actually consuming.

TavistockToad

Can you open your diary?

bluecrush84

You probably should consult a nutritionalist that will work with you to hone in on your diet and see what is preventing you from losing weight.

You may need to cut your daily calories by 200-450.

GemstoneofHeart

I agree with others, invest in a food scale if you haven't. It really opened my eyes on a lot of things, especially protein intake.

cmriverside

When you don't have much to lose, 1.) It is slow going. Figure on 1/2 pound per week. 2.) With not much to lose, there is no room for error.

I agree that it's time for a food scale, so you can be sure of your portions. $20 on Amazon (or at Target or other big store.)

It took me nearly a year to lose the last 15 pounds, and I was really careful. The only way to do it and not lose your mind or under-eat (IMO) is to have really accurate records.

Archaeus

I haven't been tracking my food on the app specifically, but I have been measuring it out and tracking it. I tried reducing to 1500/day for a month and it just left me crabby and hungry. I had really bad cravings and I was very irritable. My doc said too few calories would just make my body go into famine mode, so I upped it back to 1800/day, and the cravings and crabbiness went away after a week. I keep my breakfast at 300 or less a day, but I relax the limits for lunch and dinner to around 700 or 800 and always have some kind of protein, vegetables, and grain or starch. I have actually been replacing empty carbs like white bread with vegetables. My calorie counts always include what I drink which is almost entirely water or tea, and yes I drink quite a bit, much more than I eat, actually, sometimes up to a gallon a day but usually around 8-10 cups of water plus tea. I do both cardio and strength exercises.

I should also mention that while I only exercise a few times a week, I always get up to 155-175 bpm, which for my age is vigorous exercise. That's usually about 30-60 minutes per workout. I will also use the weight machines with 4 or 5 sets of around 10-12 reps, with the weight depending on which part of my body I'm working... About 50 lbs for upper and around 70 or 90 lbs for my lower body. I am usually pretty exhausted and feel like a wet noodle after exercising. My protein intake is between 70g to 90g or so a day depending, so I am getting enough. My diet is relatively low-carb, which kind of causes issues with ammonia sweat...

I am seeing my doctor on March 14th and we will discuss the weight loss issues, replacing my BC with something that will be less systematic, and retesting for hypothyroidism (my mom has it) and other possible autoimmune disorders (hereditary through mom's side). When I was 14 through 20, I weighed a steady 127-130 lbs while eating -much worse- and being completely sedentary, so that I gained 20 lbs and can't lose it despite careful diet and exercise is pretty unprecedented. Again, the weight is almost exclusively around my belly, hips, and upper thighs, so isn't a really distributed weight gain, another thing that makes me kind of suspicious.

michellenc27540

I think you are eating too many calories for your height and activity level. Everyone is initially crabby and hungry when they first reduce calories and you will not go into famine mode with 1500 calories a day. If you do not want to eat less or burn more than just stop chasing unicorns and be happy where you are at since you are probably at a healthy BMI.

lorrpb

Weigh your food on a digital scale rather than measuring with spoons and cups. You may find out that the measuring method causes you to consume as much as 20% extra food without even knowing it.

Nikion901

Tonight I made roasted vegetables, a cookie tray full. I had 4 ounces of them (weighed) and chose a food out of the database that sounded like what I made and it came to 50 calories. But then I got to thinking that I didn't want to be lazy about it and made a recipe that included my ingredients and what they had weighed raw (I did weigh them) and how much oil and spices I used. After I weighed the finished vegetables, I added in the 4 ounces I'd eaten and put the total ounces as number of servings for the recipe. After I saved the recipe I logged 4 servings (4 ounces) to my food diary .. and guess what .... my own version was 75 calories!

That's half again how many calories I thought I'd had ... just from a small desert plate of a few vegetables. .... It is so easy to underestimate the amount we are taking in. I never cease being amazed at how little food it can be take to eat up my calorie allowance.

aayruda

Once you rule out a medical issue & a food measuring issue, I say you consider adding a few happy & treat foods into your calories. Sometimes bitterness & resentment from being restricted is enough to keep the weight on (or justifying without realizing- eating more of the healthy foods) Good luck. I know how FRUSTRATING it can be but we're routing for you!

bluecrush84

Find a online calculator to estimate how many calories you should be eating to maintain your weight on a sedentary lifestyle. That will give you an idea of how many calories you should be eating to maintain. Then cut 250-500 calories per day. That would put you at 1/2 to 1 lbs per week. Just on your diet alone.

I don't eat my exercise calories back. 80% of weight loss is your diet. You may benefit from Pilates or power yoga to lean out and tone your body.

Withdrawal symptoms are normal when you cut calories or carbs from your system. Headaches, anxiety, nausea, irritablesness are common and normal. The first month. It goes away. I recommend yoga, meditation, walking, swimming, etc.


Since you are 5'5, 1800 calories per day would just maintain your current weight.

You could try exercising a lot more every day to put yourself at a calorie deficit to lose abut that may be hard and exhausting.

Don't go looking for problems where there are none. I understand your are frustrated about not losing weight but the last thing you want to do is to give yourself a diagnosis, when you don't have one. You took the tests for hypothyroidism, be thankful it is normal. You don't want to go down that road if you don't have to.

As for food. You need to invest time in yourself. Take time to find foods that you like, are filling, and keep you within your calorie budget.


I am 5'11, I have been eating an average of 1300-1400 calls per day for the last 7 months .and I am losing weight consistently and gradually. It takes time.

It may take you longer because you have less weight to lose. The last 20 are the hardest but it is do able.

I recommend YouTube fitness gurus and bodybuilders. They have the most accurate info on how to reach your weight loss goals even if you are not into bodybuilding. They are info meccas. Medical doctors have little education and training on nutrition. They can tell you about the consequences of eating too little or too much. But their area of specialty is diagnosing and treatment of disease.

Consult experts, who work on health and fitness everyday, all day. It's like going to a French man to learn how to make Korean authentic cuisine. He may know a little about Korean dishes but he cannot rival a Korean chef who was raised on the palate of Korean cuisine. In essence go to the experts.


You can do it, just give yourself time.

Archaeus

When I went to my doctor for the calorie thing, we determined that my maintenance was around right around the usual 2,000. All of the intake calculators I have done say the same thing. I was told 1800 or less would lead to slower weight loss, but weight loss nonetheless, especially if I was exercising a few times a week, which I am. I talked to her about feeling really crappy after cutting down to 1500, and she said something about my basal metabolic rate being right around that so that might be why I'm getting fatigue, irritability, and hunger cravings throughout the day. I'm also more likely to give in to cravings when I'm down at 1500, whereas on 1800 I can control my food intake without cravings, feel much better and am difficult to annoy, have energy throughout the day, feel fuller, etc. I have been doing 1800 for about 2 years, and it worked for about 1 month when I first started (I was so happy) back when I was around 140 lbs, and then I could no longer lose and actually gained 10 lbs from there, even though I have been eating healthier and exercising more than I ever had in my entire life. So it's not about maintaining the lifestyle, either, I have been eating well and exercising for 2 years and have seen squat. According to all the figures out there, I should be losing not gaining. I also have a very difficult time gaining muscle, which I attributed to being female until I kept trying and saw minimal results.

rileysowner

jennydedman54

I'm 5'4" 150lbs. I only allow myself 1200 calories a day. I lost about 5lbs the first week or so. Nothing since then... I feel ya. All my weight gain is in the belly area as well. I exercise and eat right, measure my food and I'm HUNGRY, but not losing weight. Very frustrating.

NewGemini130

How about split the difference and go to 1650 for a few weeks to a month- see if that shifts you and can avert the hangries.

bbell1985

5'2" and, 150 and under 10k steps? I'd say your maintenance could be 1800. I am 5'4", 143, 12k steps...decent amount of muscle, and even mine is 1800.

SLLeask

There is no such thing as "famine mode". And even if there was, it wouldn't be striking at 1500 cals a day! Unfortunately GP's really don't know much about nutrition. You really do need to start accurately logging EVERYTHING on here. It's good you are going to rule out any medical issues, but that aside, it's just science, less calories in + more calories out = weigh loss. If you aren't losing weight then you are eating more than your body needs. It really is that simple.

You have very little to lose therefore you don't have the luxury of being inaccurate with your tracking. If you feel 1500 is too low, but you're not losing on 1800 then go to 1700, if nothing changes, drop to 1600. The numbers are there for a guide, each person is different, you may just be one of those people who need less than "average".

Good luck with finding the solution.

AndyLadd27

I feel your pain! One idea I can think of is to maybe change your eating schedule and have dinner early if you don't already. Also measure all the oils used for cooking as well.

Archaeus

Thanks. I am by no means overweight, and you can't tell by looking me that I'm 150 lb except for my belly/hip/thigh fat that's only really noticeable when I'm in my exercise clothes. All of my surviving females include my mother, aunt on my dad's side, and cousin on my mom's side (all the rest are male), except for my cousin, are heavier women. My late aunt on my dad's side was also heavy, in fact, everyone on my dad's side is heavy. So it may also be genetics and the fact that I'm female and my body naturally wants to cling to fat/water in those areas. The biggest difference I have seen is with water pills, but I am very sensitive to caffeine (the only caffeine I usually consume is from tea and that's usually pretty low), so I stopped them and of course gained the water weight back. I know I carry at least 10 lbs of water weight, since I have lost that much suddenly on my period when I was eliminating more water from my system than usual (strange because I usually bloat on my petiod). I drink 8-10 cups a day usually, so I'm not sure why it's clinging to me, and that's another reason I ditched my current BC because in some women, while symptoms usually go away after a while for most, long-term water retention can occur. Considering my weight gain started a little over two years ago, right around when I started the new BC (I had been on the NuvaRing for several years for a series of ovarian/uterine issues and then switched to MonoNessa because I was having trouble with heavy, extended periods, we're talking a month and a half of straight up bleeding and misery that the doctors couldn't explain except for maybe I had too low of estrogen levels, so they put me on MonoNessa, which has a higher estrogen level), I thought there might be some connection. I could be wrong, but I am having an easy time with water weight now.