Hard time losing

Lake_Po

I'm trying to figure out exactly how I'm going wrong.

My MFP says I should eat around 1500 cals. When I joined a year ago, I followed very closely to those goals. I lost about 20lbs and then stopped. Around holiday time I fell into the slump a lot of people fall into, over-indulging. I gained back 13lbs. I got sad and took some time and lost a couple of those pounds but nothing much else happens. I do exercise lightly, sometimes more, sometimes less. It seems to be my diet I can't get under control.

So for the last few months, I was going through some tough times. I decided to try a variation of high protein/healthy carb. I was still eating fruit a few days a week and only eating chicken breast (I eat it plain, I don't like stuff on it), brown rice a couple times a week or less and lots of veggies. I tried to cut out sugar, to cut out flour, to cut out candy/snacks. I was averaging between 900-1100 calories a day and I gained 4lbs in a month and a half. I gave up and started just eating whatever I felt like and now I'm in this low, low, crappy place. I'm considering going to a doctor to try and figure out if the issue is me or my body.

My mother in law insists that the fruit is the reason I gain weight. Other friends say it's because I'm not eating enough calories, and definitely not enough of the right kind of calories. I'm just tired of not doing anything right with this. I guess it's my inconsistency. Input is appreciated, please make your criticisms constructive and informative. I will appreciate and welcome, low carb thoughts, clean eating thoughts, and any and all ideas.

psuLemon

It doesn't matter if you eat low carb, clean, moderate carbs, high protein/high fat, IIFYM or whatever, it comes down to calories. If you lost well on 1500, that shoudl be your starting point. If you exercise, then eat a bit more. I can assure you, the types of food do not effect after loss. Higher carbs will store more water weight, but it doesn't prevent you from losing fat. Heck, you can eat ice cream every night if it fits in your calorie goals, I know from experience.

One thing that will be beneficial in a diet is high protein and fat foods. They are good for satiety and protein (combined with resistance training) is good for muscle retention.

You can go to a doctor to get blood work to start, but also get your cholesterol tested as it's another data point for measurement.

linsdog

It doesn't matter if you eat low carb, clean, moderate or whatever, it comes down to calories. If you lost well on 1500, that shoudl be your starting point. If you exercise, then eat a bit more. I can assure you, the types of food do not effect after loss. Higher carbs will store more water weight, but it doesn't prevent you from losing fat. Heck, you can eat ice cream every night if it fits in your calorie goals, I know from experience.

This, if it worked for you the first time why not get back on the program you were on?

Lake_Po

I didn't clearly state... I did go back to eating the 1500 and it plateaus out at about 20lbs weight loss and then I don't seem to get anywhere after that.

tonynguyen75

It "plateaus" because 1500 calories is no longer your maintenance after you lose 20lbs. You will need to increase exercise and/or reduce caloric intake by 100-200 calories.

But seeing as how you gained weight on 900-1000 calories a day, your hormones could be out of balance due to such a lower caloric intake. See a doctor to get some blood work done. There's only so low you should cut your calories to.

therightjenn

Definitely talk to your doctor about this, get the needed bloodworm to be sure you aren't having thyroid or other issues. Then talk with a nutritionist. Exercise has got to be part of the equation. The more you exercise, the more you burn. 1500 calories is probably too high, but again, talk with your doctor and nutritionist, and then stick to the plan. I personally have found that carbs (bread, rice, pasta) stick to me like glue if I eat them in any quantity, but especially if I eat them after 2 p.m. Track everything. Drink more water. And stick with it. You can do this.

psuLemon

I didn't clearly state... I did go back to eating the 1500 and it plateaus out at about 20lbs weight loss and then I don't seem to get anywhere after that.

How long did you plateau, did you weight and measure your foods? And what are your height, weight age and workout routine?


Based on your ticket, you could have been under fueling your body at 1500 and required more fuel. It's not uncommon to see plateau's when you create a large deficit, which then in turn your body will store water weight as a defense mechanism. .

MicheleWE

I've been questioning a few things and stumbled onto a MFP group that answered some of them. I recommend checking out the Eat More 2 Weigh Less group-there is also a website. Repairing a messed up metabolism takes time but it is possible (according to the testimonies). I always wondered why I just couldn't be "normal" so I am going to give this a shot. I figure if I am just sitting still in my weight loss while working so hard then I really don't have anything to lose. Hope it answers some questions for you too.

jwdieter

Slight underestimates or wrong MFP entries (there are a lot of them) can throw intake estimates off by a lot. Exercise calories also have huge variance potential.

mysambo

Know where you are coming from. Plan says I can eat 2100 a day and I just eat 1200 to maybe 1000 a day. I have a hard time believing the less you eat the less you will lose. Had one doctor that made a lot of sense to me. He said your body is like a furnace,keep food (wood) in the fireplace(stomach) and it will always stay hot and burn calories. Eat a couple of times a day and the furnace goes out in between eating and it has to be relit every time and does not burn near as many calories. I have found that if I stay at between 1100-1200 calories and drink plenty of water I steadily drop 2-3lbs. a week. Just make sure your calories come from good foods and not all sugars. I have been plateauing for about 7 weeks but now I am on the downhill again. DON'T GIVE UP!

psuLemon

Know where you are coming from. Plan says I can eat 2100 a day and I just eat 1200 to maybe 1000 a day. I have a hard time believing the less you eat the less you will lose. Had one doctor that made a lot of sense to me. He said your body is like a furnace,keep food (wood) in the fireplace(stomach) and it will always stay hot and burn calories. Eat a couple of times a day and the furnace goes out in between eating and it has to be relit every time and does not burn near as many calories. I have found that if I stay at between 1100-1200 calories and drink plenty of water I steadily drop 2-3lbs. a week. Just make sure your calories come from good foods and not all sugars. I have been plateauing for about 7 weeks but now I am on the downhill again. DON'T GIVE UP!

Your metabolism is contently burning calories as part of the basal metabolic functions. So you are constantly burning calories. Adding more meals will not relight the furnace. It just causes your body to adjust the functions. This is why studies have shown the meal frequency or timing do not play into weight loss.

And you do not need to starve yourself to lose weight. I would suggest that you either were measuring correctly or possible you weren't eating enough. Under fueling your body will cause hormone reactions as part of a famine response. Your body will release cortisol and increase water to preserve functions and muscle tissue. This may cause plateau in weight loss. Increasing calories can reduce hormones and allow your body to drop the water weight as food will be used for energy instead of fat cells.

laurelobrien

if 1000 calories a day is causing weight gain, you're either counting calories very wrong or you need to see a doctor have tests done.

Mokey41

At over 200 lbs you aren't plateauing on 1500 calories or gaining at 1000 without having a major medical issue. You are either under estimating your food or over estimating your activity if you eat exercise back. A plateau isn't a couple weeks of no loss either, but rather an extended period of time with no loss and that's usually because you need to readjust calories as you lose.

fivethreeone

I was going to comment in here, but just listen to Psulemon, that citrus knows its stuff.

alishacupcake

I was going to comment in here, but just listen to Psulemon, that citrus knows its stuff.

Ditto!!

Alex_is_Hawks

I was going to comment in here, but just listen to Psulemon, that citrus knows its stuff.

QFT.

PikaKnight

I was going to comment in here, but just listen to Psulemon, that citrus knows its stuff.

The Lemony Goodness

michail71

I was averaging between 900-1100 calories a day and I gained 4lbs in a month and a half. I gave up and started just eating whatever I felt like and now I'm in this low, low, crappy place. I'm considering going to a doctor to try and figure out if the issue is me or my body.

I'm not even sure if that is possible, which should be good news for you. Breathing and brain activity alone should be more than that.

There had to be some miscalculations. Were you trying to adjust for exercise? That can get some people in trouble.

michail71

Assuming the weigh gain had no water component that would be a daily excess of 311 calories over maintenance.

Lake_Po

Thanks everyone.

I am making a doctor's appointment for next week. I should have maybe mentioned that I was seeing a "weight loss specialist" last year. His only option to me was to take phentramine. He never did a single blood test or any other physical testing. Just the only answer to weight loss is I need to take uppers.

I know that I was careful with my measurements, but I'll try again and see what I might have been doing wrong.

I have a lot of things to survey and see where I'm going wrong.

michail71

Good luck!

I hope everything is ok. Those numbers look really low.

Also, make sure to not adjust for exercise and just let the activity level do it's thing.

michail71

By the way, do you use a scale to weigh your food portions? That helps considerably.

psuLemon

Thanks everyone.

I am making a doctor's appointment for next week. I should have maybe mentioned that I was seeing a "weight loss specialist" last year. His only option to me was to take phentramine. He never did a single blood test or any other physical testing. Just the only answer to weight loss is I need to take uppers.

I know that I was careful with my measurements, but I'll try again and see what I might have been doing wrong.

I have a lot of things to survey and see where I'm going wrong.

If you want to provide the information I requested above, we can take a look at what your calories could look like. I suspect that your deficit was too large. If you don't feel comfortable, you can PM me the information.

Lake_Po

Thanks everyone.

I am making a doctor's appointment for next week. I should have maybe mentioned that I was seeing a "weight loss specialist" last year. His only option to me was to take phentramine. He never did a single blood test or any other physical testing. Just the only answer to weight loss is I need to take uppers.

I know that I was careful with my measurements, but I'll try again and see what I might have been doing wrong.

I have a lot of things to survey and see where I'm going wrong.

If you want to provide the information I requested above, we can take a look at what your calories could look like. I suspect that your deficit was too large. If you don't feel comfortable, you can PM me the information.

When I say plateau, I guess I don't mean it in the long-term, proper sense of the word. I meant like, maybe 2-3 months. I do weigh and measure my food MOST of the time.

I'm 5'2, 220lbs, 27, workout routine is pretty weak. I go to the gym maybe 3 times a week for an hour. I walk on the treadmill for that entire time at 3.0mph, usually a very slight incline. The rest of the week is usually spent running errands (grocery shopping,etc) cleaning the house, walking the dog and I do hair and skin care so I'm on my feet a good bit of time throughout the day. Now less because I'm not so busy, but during the time I was talking in my post, I spent about 5-7 hours a day actively doing something that was mildy strenous: walking, lifting, bending, turning...etc. I would rank myself just above sedentary for activity.

When I calculated my TDEE-20% right before I posted, it said my calorie intake should be at around 1900. I can't even imagine I would lose weight at that when 1500 isn't making me lose weight. That being said, maybe at 1500 I'm overestimating or poorly calculating and I'm actually going over, but I can't imagine I'm going over more that maybe, 200 calories a day and I consistently stay between 220-225lbs for months now. I'm just starting to feel very defeated and it's quite possible that it's my own fault. I just feel exhausted of trying some days. I think I'm looking for something a little more structured so I can follow it, rather than being left to my own devices to make choices because apparently I'm making the wrong choices.

Mokey41

Are you eating back exercise calories?

Lake_Po

Are you eating back exercise calories?

Only on days when it's really necessary because I'm more hungry and I expended a lot because I did something special (ie: when I spend 9 hours walking around NYC, I will usually indulge more)

wamydia

I think you're on to something when you say that you feel like you need something structured to follow. I think it's important to form a plan and stick to it for a period of time to see how it is working before you make adjustments. So, I suggest that you pick a method -- either use the MFP calculator to determine what your calorie goal should be for you to lose however much you want per week or, if you prefer, use the TDEE-15 or 20% calculation and then set that calorie goal using MFP's custom settings. If you are doing the MFP calculator, you should set rules for yourself about what counts as exercise that you will eat back and stick to it. My suggestion is that you only include activities that are deliberate exercise (went to the gym, went for a walk, etc) and account for the rest of your activity as part of your activity level setting on MFP. The TDEE folks can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that when you use the TDEE-15 or 20% calculation, you are supposed to include your normal amount of exercise in calculating your TDEE and not eat the exercise calories back, so that it is an important distinction.

Beyond that, just be very good about weighing and measuring and tracking accurately and consistently. Weigh once a week at the same time, wearing the same clothes (or none) and preferably after you get out of bed and have gone to the bathroom but haven't eaten or drank anything. Do it for a few months and see what happens. If you still aren't losing, it is possible that you are over estimating exercise and underestimating calories, but it will be safe to try adjusting one way or the other as long as you continue to track what you are doing the same way you have been. You will be able to get an accurate picture of how various changes affect your body as long as you continue to track, weight, measure, etc. consistently. When you make changes, it's also important to try the new plan for a few more months and see what happens before you make more changes. It can take that long for your body to catch up to what you are doing.

I hope this helps and good luck!

michail71

Is it possible you were recomping? Basically, where your weight remains the same but you're gaining some muscle from increased activity. That's actually a good thing.

Also, what's your mental state and energy level like? Do you feel sluggish or in a mental fog? Sometimes going too low will trigger your metabolism to slow down. Though that takes an extreme deficit for an extended period of time. Given the stats you just posted you should be able to eat around 1300 - 1600 calories per day and drop 2 to 1 lbs per week.

I do strength training/body building so I routinely go through bulking and cutting phases. I frequently will stall out with both trying to gain or lose weight. One theory on weight loss stalls is that it is water weight in the fat cells that occur after lipolysis. Then something triggers the body to shed the excess water resulting in a sudden drop of weight overnight.

It sounds like you are doing everything right, you even know what TDEE is so that puts you over 99% of the population.

Anyway, don't give up. Setbacks and slow progress are normal!

psuLemon

When I say plateau, I guess I don't mean it in the long-term, proper sense of the word. I meant like, maybe 2-3 months. I do weigh and measure my food MOST of the time.

I'm 5'2, 220lbs, 27, workout routine is pretty weak. I go to the gym maybe 3 times a week for an hour. I walk on the treadmill for that entire time at 3.0mph, usually a very slight incline. The rest of the week is usually spent running errands (grocery shopping,etc) cleaning the house, walking the dog and I do hair and skin care so I'm on my feet a good bit of time throughout the day. Now less because I'm not so busy, but during the time I was talking in my post, I spent about 5-7 hours a day actively doing something that was mildy strenous: walking, lifting, bending, turning...etc. I would rank myself just above sedentary for activity.

When I calculated my TDEE-20% right before I posted, it said my calorie intake should be at around 1900. I can't even imagine I would lose weight at that when 1500 isn't making me lose weight. That being said, maybe at 1500 I'm overestimating or poorly calculating and I'm actually going over, but I can't imagine I'm going over more that maybe, 200 calories a day and I consistently stay between 220-225lbs for months now. I'm just starting to feel very defeated and it's quite possible that it's my own fault. I just feel exhausted of trying some days. I think I'm looking for something a little more structured so I can follow it, rather than being left to my own devices to make choices because apparently I'm making the wrong choices.

While i understand that you think you can't lose at 1900 calories a day, I would disagree, especially for a person your current size. So if you follow the standard formula's, your BMR is around 1777. You are lightly active because you are on your feet for a large part of the day, and then you do light exercise. Even if we don't count exercise your TDEE is about

1777- 1.375 = 2443

If we did 20%, you would be aiming for around 1950 calories. This isn't that uncommon for women to lose as shown by the thread below. If you have been honest about weighing your foods and measuring, then it's possible your body cannot handle a large deficit. With this said, i would suggest trying for one month to up your calories to 1950 (pending on your blood test). I would set macro's at 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats and do NOT eat back exercise calories. You aren't burning a lot of calories anyways while only walking for an hour. Also, I would suggest slowly upping your calories to minimize water weight. So this week finish at 1500 calories, next week go to 1725 for two weeks and then go 1950 for 4 weeks. So it's more of a 6.5 week plan.


When you go to the gym, I would highly suggest changing your routine. Use the gym, for weight training. You are on your feet so you get cardio. If you want to do some intense cardio, then do that for 20 minutes and weight train for 40 minutes. If your want, start with the smith machines or arch trainers but eventually go to free weights or barbells. Weight training is very beneficial; it makes you stronger, it prevents loss of lean body mass, strengthen bones and much more.

If you follow this plan and it doesn't work, then you just have to readjust. There are many factors that can affect your weight loss. Long periods of suppression can reducing your resting metabolic rate or there might be a medical issue or a food intolerance. For some people, it takes several months to figure out a good plan. It's not to discourage, but adjustments are always required. Think of it like going to the doctor, they won't always have the perfect diagnosis the first time but you take the factors and adjust.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/506349-women-who-eat-more-than-1800-calories-a-day