need guidance - can't loose any weight!!

arizona2012

I need help! I have tried every diet out there over the last 40 years. I have Mediterranean roots and usually gravitate back to those food choses. I am a 64 year old post menopausal women in great health, on no meds (although I just learned that I have osteoporosis:( ), weigh 130 lbs, and am 5 ft tall.
I eat only good foods (mostly home made) in the correct portion sizes (rare cheat but if I do, only take a small bite) within my calorie range and get the recommended amount of exercise (and some times more -walking/slow jog, yoga, light weights) however I can't seem to drop any weight.
When I log, even though my calorie count is on track, my carb count is often a little high.I do sometimes eat into my extra calories gained by exercise. I do have a sedentary job so I force my self to get up and walk throughout the day and park my car a half mile away from work to force me to walk.I get around 6-8 hours of sleep at night and know I do not consistently drink the recommended amount of water no matter how much I try. I am not thirsty.
I was always able to consistently loose wight doing the above until the last 10 years (menopause).
So my question is if I am doing everything right except getting adequate sleep and water consumption, is that what is really contributing to me not loosing weight?
I appreciate any helpful suggestions! My goal is to loose at least 10 lbs, ideally 15.

LivingtheLeanDream

It will be slower because you aren't overweight at 130. Any loss will be slow because when we don't have much to lose the scale isn't great at showing loss for a while - lots of fluctuations happen normally to mask loss in general and even when at a healthy weight.

For losing weight calories are king, while macros are important for satiety and nutrients if you consistently take in less calories than you burn you will lose.

Are you using a food scale to weigh out your food? this is singly the most important thing we can do to be accurate in our logging.

Water doesn't help with weight loss, its good for hydration but not drinking it much wont hinder your progress.
Lack of sleep can hinder process but again if you are in calorie deficit, you will lose.

Set your loss rate at 0.5lb a week. Log every single thing you eat, use a food scale. Be consistent at eating in deficit for at least one month, in that time you will see loss.

Also find ways to increase your NEAT - thats any activity outside of purposeful exercise, lots of ways to do that, parking the car further away, getting up and moving around every 30 mins, fidgeting...little ways of adding extra activity increases your calorie burn and helps increase your calorie deficit which equals weight loss.

Wishing you all the best. If you put your mind to achieving this you WILL do it.

Ruth

Muscleflex79

arizona2012 wrote: »

I need help! I have tried every diet out there over the last 40 years. I have Mediterranean roots and usually gravitate back to those food choses. I am a 64 year old post menopausal women in great health, on no meds (although I just learned that I have osteoporosis:( ), weigh 130 lbs, and am 5 ft tall.
I eat only good foods (mostly home made) in the correct portion sizes (rare cheat but if I do, only take a small bite) within my calorie range and get the recommended amount of exercise (and some times more -walking/slow jog, yoga, light weights) however I can't seem to drop any weight.
When I log, even though my calorie count is on track, my carb count is often a little high.I do sometimes eat into my extra calories gained by exercise. I do have a sedentary job so I force my self to get up and walk throughout the day and park my car a half mile away from work to force me to walk.I get around 6-8 hours of sleep at night and know I do not consistently drink the recommended amount of water no matter how much I try. I am not thirsty.
I was always able to consistently loose wight doing the above until the last 10 years (menopause).
So my question is if I am doing everything right except getting adequate sleep and water consumption, is that what is really contributing to me not loosing weight?
I appreciate any helpful suggestions! My goal is to loose at least 10 lbs, ideally 15.

The fact you said "when I log" suggests that you are not logging regularly. If you haven't been logging (let alone using a scale) up until now - you really have no idea how much you have been taking in. Start there - that with using a scale will be eye opening.

earlnabby

Start by weighing ALL solids and semi solids (like peanut butter and mayo) and measure ALL liquids except water. Log everything you eat including the schnibbles and bits (aka tastes). Once you know exactly how many calories you are eating, you can see if you need to tweak something.

Also, set your weekly loss goal to a reasonable amount like 1/2 lb a week.

Luke_rabbit

Have you discussed your desire to lose weight with the doctor who diagnosed osteoporosis? Please do so. Your doctor may suggest a different focus/goal.

kshama2001

There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

arizona2012

Thank you all for your feedback. I will incorporate the things I am not currently doing regularly (i.e using my food scale to measure "everything") and continue to do the things I hadn't shared that I do (i.e.I do park the car far away everywhere, I get up and move around every 30 mins, take the stairs no matter how many floors I need to climb, I cannot sit still so I often fidget). I really didn't think my water intake was crucial as I am not dehydrated. My doctor suggested that I see an endocrinologist (calling tomorrow to book an appointment) and perhaps he can give me a better perspective on next steps. I will be more vigilant to determine the calorie count of each meal by taking the time to weigh/measure each item individually - I make most of what I eat from scratch so when I am choosing calories I know I have cheated by choosing an item on the list that sounds close. You are right..I don't know my real calorie intake - I may be higher or lower. Thanks again everyone!

LyndaBSS

I'm confused as to the appointment with the endocrinologist. Do you have diabetes or a thyroid issue?

arizona2012

Endocrinologist's also treat osteoporosis.

collectingblues

If you make everything from scratch, are you using the recipe building, and/or entering the raw ingredients?

Don’t use an entry that someone else made for your homemade item. You have no clue how they made it, or what’s in it, or what the serving size is.

ninerbuff

If you want to treat your osteoporosis, you need to incorporate an exercise program because it's PROVEN to thicken the density of your bones.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

kshama2001

ninerbuff wrote: »

If you want to treat your osteoporosis, you need to incorporate an exercise program because it's PROVEN to thicken the density of your bones.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Yes, my Mom's osteoporosis specialist got her to start strength training in her late 70s. He wishes she'd started decades earlier, but we don't have a time machine.

LyndaBSS

arizona2012 wrote: »

Endocrinologist's also treat osteoporosis.

I didn’t know that. Thanks.

arizona2012

Collecting blues...I will look into recipe builder. Thank you!
ninerbuff…do you have an exercise plan that you would recommend that I can do at home? I really do not want to join a gym.