PLEASE HELP! I FEEL LIKE I AM LOSING THIS BATTLE

dianesheart88

Hello... this is my first time every asking a community for help. Short back ground on me... I decided in May 2011 to change. I did and lost 30 pounds until July 28, 2011 when I was diagnosed with Heart Disease, at which point I went through some depression and difficulty dealing with the new me. I gained all that weight back plus some. I am 44 years old and I currently weight 235... I should be around 160 pounds. For the past 5 weeks I have made huge changes in my diet, exercise and water consumption. I net under 1100-1500 calories a day (greek yogurt, salads, fish, veggies, etc...) and exercise 5-6 days per week and drink 8-10 glasses of water. I usually do interval spinning for about 30-40 minutes or take a hour bike ride with lots of hills usually burning about 600-800 calories. I have also incorporated some weights on every other day.
My problem... 5 weeks later and no weight loss. I am beyond frustrated. I know I haven't been at it that long, but to not see any results in very discouraging. It is more important than ever that I get this weight off. I was just in the hospital again June 2013 for another stent placement. It's so difficult to work hard at something and see no impact. Even my measurements haven't changed. I would really appreciate any feedback on this topic. What am I doing wrong? Does anyone ever do all these things and never lose weight? Am I not eating enough or too much? I did see my general Dr this week and discussed. He ordered blood tests but no results yet.
Thank you in advance for your help!

dailytammy

Can you open your diary so that we can see it and give you advice.

tkcasta

You might want to open your diary so people can see. But the first thing I would ask is are you using a scale to measure your food? You can have mistakes of 100's of calories if you aren't properly measuring.

Yanicka1

Do you have a food scale?
How do you calculate your burns?
Can your dr send you to a nutritionist ?

It is hard to know what is happening.

princesstoadstool82

Maybe have a read of eat more 2 weigh less... xo allthe best..

xxnellie146xx

You might want to open your diary so people can see. But the first thing I would ask is are you using a scale to measure your food? You can have mistakes of 100's of calories if you aren't properly measuring.

This.

Also if you are using MFP calculations for calories burned, you are likely not burning as much as you think.

GlassCutter7

I have had similar trouble with doing all the right things and still not seeing any results. I had to cut out all sugar, added salt, all processed carbs and I had to split my exercise in to more than once a day.

Instead of doing one long exercise, I do 20+ minutes 2-3 times per day. Also being mindful of drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day and journal, journal, journal. When I stop journaling, I start gaining. It keeps me mindful every day, multiple times a day. Journaling keeps this path in forefront and allows me to see where I stray.

I really hope things start moving for you. Good luck!

dianesheart88

Sorry about the diary... I opened it. I do allow for one meal per week to have something I normally don't eat. I do have a scale and use it sometimes. I am using the computer on my spin bike, cyclemeter app for calories burned for my bike rides and MFP. Thanks for the replies so far!

ammadove

Some of the larger grocery store chains offer nutritionists services at a very modest fee which is then given back in gift cards for that store. Might be worth checking to see if any in your area do this. Best of luck to you but think you won't need it because you are so very focused now.

DocMarr

Looking through your diary I see several days over the past two weeks when you haven't logged anything in some of the meals. So either you are not logging all your food and drink - in which case you really can have no true idea of what you are eating OR you are seriously under eating, if that's all you had.

becomingtherealme

I've read that hormonal imbalance can keep us from losing. You really need to talk to your MD. Take a print out of your MFP entries to show your consistency. Also, make sure your logging every bite and I agree with the others, get a food scale so you're not second guessing. Best wishes regarding your health and weight loss.

dianesheart88

Especially the last week I've been pretty down about this so there was a couple days where I didn't log.

TheDoctorDana

I totally understand. I have been losing the same pound off and on for almost 2 months. I went and bought 30 day shred last night and hopefully after the next month I will have at least dropped inches. Hang in there. I hear that lifting weights will keep you from losing for a while. I am hoping that is where the problem lies. Muscle repairing itself holds onto water I'm told. :flowerforyou:

prattiger65

What did you do when you lost the 30 pounds? What are you doing different now? Off the top of my head I would say you are under eating for the amount of exercise. But this is just a guess. You need to honestly calculate your TDEE, subtract about 15%, then eat that amount per day. You have to accurately log your food. If, after about 2-3 weeks of doing this and you aren't losing, adjust slightly and try again.

eating4me

Even though you're feeling really down about not losing, don't lose focus. You need to log every single thing you eat, and you need to be accurate. When I first started MFP, logging was a brand new experience for me, and it was a REAL eye-opener. The logging was a real slap in the face for me, but it also helped me to be more conscious about what I was putting into my body. I can't imagine not logging now!

You sound like you're doing all of the right things, otherwise! You're doing great with your exercising, so just keep it up! You've only been doing this for 5 weeks, so sometimes it takes a bit to "kickstart" your metabolism into gear. Just lean on us whenever you need it; that's what we're all here for! YOU CAN DO THIS. You are much stronger than you think. Just being on here is proof that you're committed to changing your lifestyle, and you will see changes in your health, body, and mind! Feel free to add me as a friend, if you'd like. Most importantly, never give up.

NonnyMary

Hi - On your food diary, you dont have any sugars listed. That may be an indication of where you are exceeding nutrients.

also i dont see many green vegetables, i do see on one day you had nothing but desserts for dinner. that may be a clue,, too many sugars and fats and not enough veg?

Just a thought.

Calories look decent though.

Another person was excercising 7 days a week (you do 5-6) and seems like she said she was not losing wieght. either she was not resting in between so that muscles can repair itself, or else you are building muslce.

thats all the feedback i can give you - hope it helps.

DocMarr

Looking again through your diary. In the past week, there were more than two days with no logging at all and other days when there were only items logged for breakfast and lunch. So you aren't logging all your food, If you want to be sure that you are doing this correctly then you really do need to log every single mouthful, every tablespoon of oil used to cook with, every drink taken. All of these things add up and unless you are accurately weighing your food and logging it all, then you really are only guessing as to how much you have or have not had.

However, assuming that on the days you did log something for all four meals, you did so accurate - you were still sitting with 900 and 600-odd calories under your goal at the end of the day. If you are that much under your goal (which already has a built in deficit) then you may be significantly under eating. I found that the optimum weight loss range for me was 1500 calories per WEEK under my MAINTENANCE levels. That was when I lost weight most consistently. If my calorie intake dropped too low then I stopped losing, if my calorie intake rose too high then I stopped losing.

At the moment, you are dealing with inconsistent records. You are not giving yourself enough information to be able to make considered judgements about what is happening. So we have no idea whether you are over or under eating as the data is incomplete.

As you have asked for advice, my advice would echo what has been said by others. Use a digital sale to weigh ALL of your food and log it ALL in your MFP diary. And try to aim to eat closer to your daily calorie goal (which already has the required deficit built in). That way you will know for sure that you are a) not eating too much and b) eating enough. And then I'm pretty sure that you will start to see some movement on the scales. If not, it will at least give you more accurate data on which to make an assessment.

nmjordan

Are you on medication? Like steroids or antidepressants? Meds can make you gain weight. I've been on anti-depressants that have made me gain a lot of weight so I switched. Message me if you want!

tlou5

Personal question but are your lower legs swollen? You state you have a history of heart disease- does this include congestive heart failure? If you have a lot of fluid retention visible in lower legs that might explain the lack of weight loss (and need a visit to the doctor for meds)

Other thoughts are that if you are overeating due to not weighing or logging....or you could be undereating and shooting your metabolism if you really didn't eat some days.....

dianesheart88

What did you do when you lost the 30 pounds? What are you doing different now? Off the top of my head I would say you are under eating for the amount of exercise. But this is just a guess. You need to honestly calculate your TDEE, subtract about 15%, then eat that amount per day. You have to accurately log your food. If, after about 2-3 weeks of doing this and you aren't losing, adjust slightly and try again.

Figured my TDEE and it's 2758 calories. 15% of that is 413... so are you saying I should eat 2145? If that's the case looks like I've been way under eating. Also, looking back to 2011 when I lost that weight... there's nothing different now from then. Thanks!

dailytammy

I had this problem cut some carbs and increase your protein. Your carb to protein ratio is off. I eat less carbs and no I don't do no carbs or low carbs (so no bashing by others lol). I just lowered my carbs alittle and increased my protein and it helped a lot. I always watch the sodium and sugar content and never eat processed foods. See if that helps after a week good luck

alexandra7457

Please take a look at Marksdailyapple.com - especially on Fridays where there are success stories. I believe the people are telling the truth and they have changed their lives; this last Friday was amazing. I have started cutting out wheat, grains and legumes and the weight is coming off and my blood work is better. I eat bacon, roast my veggies in bacon fat, eat butter and coconut oil. BUT read the blog for a while and learn what he is teaching, but just start by cutting out wheat. Your body will thank you. Do stay in touch with your doctor, though.

Also - there is a woman who manages a web site which is a game - the Game On diet - where you get support from others and you get points for drinking 3 liters of water a day, 20 minutes of exercise, 7 hours of sleep, eating properly, adding a good habit and breaking a bad habit. The community is great and, if you are competitive like me, it's very motivating.

God luck, but I want you to achieve your goals and 44 is too young for bad health! Read Mark Sisson's blog for a while and see if it makes any sense to you. It did me and I am so grateful for what I have learned. (Though it goes against conventional wisdom, but conventional wisdom isn't working for you, is it?) Good luck.

dianesheart88

Are you on medication? Like steroids or antidepressants? Meds can make you gain weight. I've been on anti-depressants that have made me gain a lot of weight so I switched. Message me if you want!

I do take several different meds... water pill, blood thinners, nitro, Toprol (blood pressure) Potassium, B12, Protonix (stomach), Crestor... no anti-depressants. Thanks!

wideeyedla

Are you on medication? Like steroids or antidepressants? Meds can make you gain weight. I've been on anti-depressants that have made me gain a lot of weight so I switched. Message me if you want!

This. I am assuming that the diagnosis and the surgeries came with a good number of prescriptions. Ask your cardiologist for a referral to a nutritionist, and a complete metabolic blood and urine panel. Log religiously (weighing and measuring, counting even the lemon wedges in your water) and bring it with you to the nutritionist.

Medical conditions complicate things. They also sometimes make IIFYM not work very well. Sometimes, we need to treat food as medicine. Do not despair. There is an answer. Best of luck.

Luv2Smile55

Women need to add strength training, especially as we age. It's extremely important. Maybe even more important than the cardio. I would suggest that because as women, we lose so much muscle mass which is responsible for burning calories, that you add strength training a minimum of three times a week to the mix.

Great health and continued good luck to you. You CAN do this!!

alexandra7457

Also, I wanted to let you know that I have a food scale which I use so that I can accurately record on my food diary, but I eat what I want of the healthy foods. And I feel happy eating healthy foods. I made Caribbean grilled shrimp, Philly cheese steaks (no buns), salad, berries and half & half for a dinner party on Friday night - so yummy food for guests which were perfectly healthy in the Primal way of eating. I made chocolate almond fudge brownies (no wheat, but coconut flour) also, so a chocolately treat, too. Please take a look at Marksdailyapple.com - and no, I am in no way affiliated with it, I have just benefitted from it.

dianesheart88

Looking again through your diary. In the past week, there were more than two days with no logging at all and other days when there were only items logged for breakfast and lunch. So you aren't logging all your food, If you want to be sure that you are doing this correctly then you really do need to log every single mouthful, every tablespoon of oil used to cook with, every drink taken. All of these things add up and unless you are accurately weighing your food and logging it all, then you really are only guessing as to how much you have or have not had.

However, assuming that on the days you did log something for all four meals, you did so accurate - you were still sitting with 900 and 600-odd calories under your goal at the end of the day. If you are that much under your goal (which already has a built in deficit) then you may be significantly under eating. I found that the optimum weight loss range for me was 1500 calories per WEEK under my MAINTENANCE levels. That was when I lost weight most consistently. If my calorie intake dropped too low then I stopped losing, if my calorie intake rose too high then I stopped losing.

At the moment, you are dealing with inconsistent records. You are not giving yourself enough information to be able to make considered judgements about what is happening. So we have no idea whether you are over or under eating as the data is incomplete.

As you have asked for advice, my advice would echo what has been said by others. Use a digital sale to weigh ALL of your food and log it ALL in your MFP diary. And try to aim to eat closer to your daily calorie goal (which already has the required deficit built in). That way you will know for sure that you are a) not eating too much and b) eating enough. And then I'm pretty sure that you will start to see some movement on the scales. If not, it will at least give you more accurate data on which to make an assessment.

Thanks for both your replies! Please look past this last week as it is not a typical week for me... I've been home all week and feeling pretty down about this. I do agree that I could be more accurate on weighing on a scale. I probably do miss a thing or two but I guess because I am also so far below my goal I am still within my goals. Again, I thank you for you time to post and feedback!

prattiger65

Please take a look at Marksdailyapple.com - especially on Fridays where there are success stories. I believe the people are telling the truth and they have changed their lives; this last Friday was amazing. I have started cutting out wheat, grains and legumes and the weight is coming off and my blood work is better. I eat bacon, roast my veggies in bacon fat, eat butter and coconut oil. BUT read the blog for a while and learn what he is teaching, but just start by cutting out wheat. Your body will thank you. Do stay in touch with your doctor, though.

Also - there is a woman who manages a web site which is a game - the Game On diet - where you get support from others and you get points for drinking 3 liters of water a day, 20 minutes of exercise, 7 hours of sleep, eating properly, adding a good habit and breaking a bad habit. The community is great and, if you are competitive like me, it's very motivating.

God luck, but I want you to achieve your goals and 44 is too young for bad health! Read Mark Sisson's blog for a while and see if it makes any sense to you. It did me and I am so grateful for what I have learned. (Though it goes against conventional wisdom, but conventional wisdom isn't working for you, is it?) Good luck.

I depends on your goals. Cutting out entire food groups is not necessary for weight loss. Cutting out entire food groups is not necessary for overall health. There are no bad foods unless there are underlying medical conditions that would require it.

iorahkwano

A lot of people make the mistake of underestimating calories taken in, and overestimating calories burned. It sounds like everyone up here^ covered the calories going in.

I'd warn to be cautious about eating back exercise calories. Many websites & apps will give you different readings for the same workout. A website could tell you you're burning 700 when really you burned 250, and mistake you into thinking eating the 700 back won't put you over calorie goal.

The best thing to do (for bike rides) is to use an app that takes into consideration your weight, height, gender, age & tracks your distance, speed & elevation with GPS. My 1hr bike rides usually end up being 350 calories & I keep a pretty good pace. For me to get to 650 cals, I need to bike for 2hrs 15mins (but I'm 140lbs so I probably burn less than you).

If you really want to make sure your calories in/out is accurate, log all your food (every condiment, oil, dressing, liquid, or little bite) and DON'T eat back your exercise calories. Or if you do, only eat half of them (If MFP says you earned 500 calories, only eat back 250).

allweatherheather

I know you said that you didn't lose inches, but I didn't see you discuss, or others ask about about non weight loss positive outcomes.
How about your non weight numbers? for example, have you seen improvements in bp, triglycerides, cholesterol measures, anything else that your dr may be monitoring?

Food for thought: would improvements in those numbers be enough to motivate you, even if you didn't lose weight, or lost super slowly?


And of course, full, accurate data is the most helpful thing for me, and I think to get the full benefit you need to make sure that to be "good,' the most important thing is to be accurate, not to have a certain number at the end of the day. I think the best way to look at keeping track is to see it as a way to see what's really going on.

shanniepk

Don't be down!!!! The weight loss road to health is bumpy sometimes:). Focus on something you are good at and enjoy that is not food/weight related to gain some perspective. This can refresh your motivation and do wonders for your mood and stress level. It sounds like you are on exercise overdrive. Congrats on all that energy to complete those tough workouts. I would agree with other posters that your food consumption is unbalanced and it's tough assess without a complete picture. Since you are already consulting a physician, I would use that to your advantage and ask for recommendations on diet. For "me" (everyone is different), I have to keep my carbs and proteins balanced with my exercise levels and keep my sugars pretty low for slow and steady weight loss. I know lots of people have "cheat" days, but 1 really bad day for me can negate a whole week of vigorous exercise and healthy choices. I'm in my 40s and have come to the realization I didn't put the weight on in a matter of months, it was over years and it doesn't come off overnight. You are not losing the battle-you are here asking for help, and that takes courage.