I cant lose weight!

robinred2

STOP! the fad diets. Get on Weight Watchers, Diabetic diet or Heart diet. These are all pretty much the same and you will learn new eating habits and the right foods. The diabetic and heart diets you can get free from a drs. office. The Weight Watchers is a very good program and could be lifestyle. Eat lots of vegetables excluding for the most part potatoes, peas and corn. These you can have but monitored. Good luck, I am 72 yrs old and I plead with you to change your eating habits now. So happy you are doing all the exercise.

glennstoudt

Losing weight is a consequence of some change you have or will make. Losing weight (if you so choose) is not the goal. It is the prize. Balancing your intake and activity calories is not complicated over a period of time. Doing it over a short time horizon is generally nearly impossible. This is why so many people/companies make so much money selling products and services in the industry. Most if not all of the products have little or no success in a short time horizon.
Diet pills? Seriously?
You are 18. Stop and smell the pizza, just don't eat the entire pie.
The CDC weight chart for your height ranges from 130-210 lbs. So there are a lot of statures and frames and weights out there.
Your "ideal" weight is in the range of 150-153 using 5 different calculations.
But that is also a big "so What?"
Find your balance.
I don't remember much about being 18, but I do remember that I wasn't thinking much about losing weight.
Identify the real reasons you would like to make these changes and then set your goals.
Good luck in your journey.

tigersword

If you're 5'8 and 172 pounds you don't have a lot of weight to lose. What kind of results are you expecting? Average of about a half pound a week is normal.

Interestingly enough, I'm 5'7, and 175 is actually my final goal, to put me in single digit body fat percentage. Have you tested your body fat lately?

As for the rest of the debate in this thread, the overall research is clear. Meal timing does not affect weight loss if calories and protein are held constant, and calorie deficit is what is required for weight loss, barring specific medical conditions.

The eating clean vs eating dirty debate is completely irrelevant. Hit protein, fat, and vitamin and mineral goals, meet calorie targets, and individual food choices are strictly personal preference. And by personal preference that includes avoiding any foods due to allergy or intolerance.

Also, OP, you should be eating about 2300-2500 calories per day based on your stats and activity. 1200 is way too low for an 18 year old male.

pieee3

If you're 5'8 and 172 pounds you don't have a lot of weight to lose. What kind of results are you expecting? Average of about a half pound a week is normal.

Interestingly enough, I'm 5'7, and 175 is actually my final goal, to put me in single digit body fat percentage. Have you tested your body fat lately?

As for the rest of the debate in this thread, the overall research is clear. Meal timing does not affect weight loss if calories and protein are held constant, and calorie deficit is what is required for weight loss, barring specific medical conditions.

The eating clean vs eating dirty debate is completely irrelevant. Hit protein, fat, and vitamin and mineral goals, meet calorie targets, and individual food choices are strictly personal preference. And by personal preference that includes avoiding any foods due to allergy or intolerance.

Also, OP, you should be eating about 2300-2500 calories per day based on your stats and activity. 1200 is way too low for an 18 year old male.

I did test my body fat when I was 185 and it was 20% but im sure it wasnt accurate it was because it was a hand held one. I would ask which way to measure body fat is the best but that might start another argument :laugh:

toutmonpossible

If you're 5'8 and 172 pounds you don't have a lot of weight to lose. What kind of results are you expecting? Average of about a half pound a week is normal.

Interestingly enough, I'm 5'7, and 175 is actually my final goal, to put me in single digit body fat percentage. Have you tested your body fat lately?

As for the rest of the debate in this thread, the overall research is clear. Meal timing does not affect weight loss if calories and protein are held constant, and calorie deficit is what is required for weight loss, barring specific medical conditions.

The eating clean vs eating dirty debate is completely irrelevant. Hit protein, fat, and vitamin and mineral goals, meet calorie targets, and individual food choices are strictly personal preference. And by personal preference that includes avoiding any foods due to allergy or intolerance.

Also, OP, you should be eating about 2300-2500 calories per day based on your stats and activity. 1200 is way too low for an 18 year old male.

I did test my body fat when I was 185 and it was 20% but im sure it wasnt accurate it was because it was a hand held one. I would ask which way to measure body fat is the best but that might start another argument :laugh:

The DXA scan is supposed to be the most accurate, followed by being weighed in underwater. Calipers can be accurate if the person with the calipers is experienced. Electrical bioimpedence devices such as your device and scales can provide basline information.

genkiemi

(edited by moderator)

the celery vs chocolate example is getting dangerously close to the negative calorie food myth, which isn't true. There is a difference in the energy expended to digest, which ends up being negligible, but the energy your body ABSORBS from the foods are the same.

Nutrition is important, if you've been reading the other posts you can see that everyone agrees. But purely speaking of weight loss, a diet of 1200 calories of twinkies WILL NOT cause a plateau. If you take vitamin/nutritional supplements along with the twinkies, your body will manage fine and continue to lose weight (there's no such thing as a "plateau", by the way, it's generally just caused by people who have not adjusted to the new intake/exercise regimens of their new lower weights). You might feel like ****, but that's not the issue at hand here--you will still lose weight, which was the original issue, not nutrition...you might want to look into a fallacy called moving the goalposts.

We are encouraging OP to eat healthier and exercise, not to eat a diet of bacon fat, but it's also important that he knows the mechanics of what he's trying to do. Yes, MPS is designed for people to support each other. Part of that is educating them and shedding light on false information, which is rife in a subject with so many ingrained, traditional, logic-less beliefs.

Francl27

So I haven't been reading the thread, but pretty much... Weigh everything you eat, make sure you don't overestimate your exercise calories, eat them back, and maintain a reasonable deficit.

SanteMulberry

Ultimately, every "weight loss" diet is a calorie-restricted diet. Cut enough calories and you WILL lose weight. People in concentration camps, lost weight--always. HOWEVER, if one's goal here is to lose excess body fat healthfully, that's another kettle of fish. If your goal is the latter, then what foods compose your calories are easily as important as the total number of calories. Since you would be restricting calories, it is important to eat "nutrient-dense" food. Hunger is an important consideration as is energy. If you eat 1,900 calories of cake per day, you will probably be hungry, hungry and dragged out because your body will be starved for nutrients. But, if you eat 1,900 calories of lean protein, good fats and nourishing carbohydrates (as in vegetables and fruits, and some grain), you will likely be satisfied with fewer calories than it takes to maintain your fat stores--and thus, you will lose body fat. When you add in exercise to burn even more calories, you will lose more body fat. Mild calorie deficits (TDEE-20%) will keep you healthier than drastic calorie deficits. I've been on drastic calorie-deficit diets before--what they do to your body is not fun. And, many, many people who go on those types of diets, end up gaining the weight back plus more (I did) because you damage your body's metabolism with drastic calorie reduction.

ETA: Adding a bit of muscle with weight-lifting will help you to burn more calories 24-7 (adding muscle increases the metabolic rate). People who go on drastic calorie-reduction usually lose muscle mass as part of their weight loss--that is one of the reasons why they often gain the weight back very quickly. The trick is to retain as much lean tissue as possible while shedding the excess body fat. Eating in a nourishing way, with a mild calorie-restriction and lifting weights is a good way to shed body fat. Some cardio is good (for calorie burn and to make it possible to eat more and still lose body fat), but too much cardio can be counter-productive as it also will break down muscle.

Mr_Knight

...then im on the treadmill for maybe 50 minutes on incline 4 and speed 3.3mph. Maybe I would have to change that up?

Unless you're actually injured, there's no way that falls into the category of excessive cardio.

Mr_Knight

"According to a Tel Aviv University study, human metabolism is significantly impacted by our body clock — the circadian rhythm that manages our body’s biological processes over each 24-hour cycle".

Breakfast as an early morning meal is a thoroughly modern invention. If humans needed an early morning meal to thrive, we would have gone extinct a long, long time ago.

HefferSprint

Do not eat more protein. The elephant is a large animal with large bones and fine tusks of ivory. It does not get fat but will not fit into the supermarket doorway. It eats grass leaves and thorns. You asked for advice - mine is consume starches like potatoes and rice and lots of green vegetables, oats and fruits.

This is the most ridiculously stupid analogy I've ever read.

The Least Weasel is the smallest carnivore on the planet. It is between 4-10 inches long and ONLY eats meat. So if we want to be the size of hamsters, should we just eat mice?

We aren't elephants nor are we weasels. Ever heard the word... "herbivore", "carnivore" or "omnivore"?

Opinions are great, but if you even want someone to consider yours, you'll have to either 1) think beyond the pre-k level or 2) stop assuming everybody else thinks at a pre-k level.

HefferSprint

My suggestions is if what you've been doing isn't working, you are doing something wrong. I think it's always a great idea to learn from others, and to try new things.

But the argument that you're doing everything right, yet are some anomaly to human kind, doesn't really fly unless you have a medical condition. I think you have to know that.

bound4beauty

Knowledge is power, feel the power grow within...

ETA: It may seem like alot of information OP but you will get through it in no time and will have a strong foudation to work from, also a much more solid understanding of things.

This is link is best to get started with...
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069278-acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

Most probably the most helpful group on here...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

I highly recommend adding lifting to your routine...

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-2.html

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ:The_Lifts

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength is a good place to start.

Good luck OP

OP, PLEASE take this advice and read the links in this post. There is a lot of crap advice being thrown your way so please read the research that is based in science. Be patient and you will start to lose the weight. If I may add one more link http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/how-to-lose-fat/ Please carefully read all of this, figure out how many calories you should be eating, how much protein and fat you need and then make up the rest in carbs. And yes, some of those carbs can be ice cream. Good luck!

Siansonea

Me: No exercise, lots of fast food.

How am I losing? I just stay under my calorie limit. That's really it. I log accurately, and stop eating when I'm at my limit. I've been doing it for two months. I've lost twelve pounds. It really was that simple, even if it hasn't always been "easy".

Ang108

That's a lot of cardio. I have heard of people not losing weight because they are doing too much cardio.

I'm no expert. But my advice would be to try 1 hour of cardio and your strength training. Try that for a few weeks and see what happens. If you still don't lose, try 30-45 mins of cardio and your strength training.

Just what I've heard from some people! Can't speak from experience. Good luck

This is misinformation you have fallen victim to. There is absolutely no way that too much exercise ( cardio or otherwise ) keeps a person from losing weight. The only thing keeping a person from losing weight as in the case of the OP is not being in the calorie deficit he thinks he is.

TheRealParisLove

You're diary is really inaccurate. Try not to use the "quick add" calories option until you are already losing weight. It is a next to useless tool and you may be estimating way under what you are really eating.

1. Try eating 80% fresh food. Right now it looks like you eat about 20%. You'll have to work up to it, so maybe start with breakfast of eggs scrambled with veggies and beans, and a piece of fresh fruit. Maybe add in some greek yogurt or cottage cheese for extra protein. Getting breakfast right will set the tone for the rest of your day.

2. Add a serving of vegetables to every meal. A serving is small, only 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw. Corn and peas are even better than no vegetables at all.

3. Cardio is good for weight loss. Unless you have an injury or other medical reason to not do cardio, work up a sweat! Sweat is your fat cells crying!

Ophidion

any Paleolithic humans who engaged in nutritionally motivated hunting would have done so in order to increase their food energy intake in order to maintain or gain weight, not in order to achieve weight loss… In view of this, the "Paleo diet" theory that overfed sedentary modern humans who need to lose excess adipose should regularly eat the fatty flesh and eggs found in supermarkets because active, underfed, extremely lean prehistoric people who struggled to meet their basic kcaloric needs ate lean game flesh or eggs whenever possible lacks basic credibility.

Considering the evidence it is not surprising that many of the prominent proponents of Low-Carb and Paleo diets who have not partaken in caloric restriction have gained considerable amounts of weight while adhering to such diets.

Do not eat more protein. The elephant is a large animal with large bones and fine tusks of ivory. It does not get fat but will not fit into the supermarket doorway. It eats grass leaves and thorns. You asked for advice - mine is consume starches like potatoes and rice and lots of green vegetables, oats and fruits.

Log into J McDougall MD and follow his newsletter for a healthy heart. Keep your calories down to 1200 per day. Eat real foods and avoid processed foods. Do not consume any diet drinks nor anything with artificial sweeteners like asparteme because they can increase your weight due to interfering with your senses. Ask me any questions you like.

NO!!! Just no!!


Read this...
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

ETA: Damn this is an old thread, who bumped it?

Athijade

ETA: Damn this is an old thread, who bumped it?

The advertising bot who linked a pay for weight loss site.