Why am I not losing weight??

nerskine

Hi everyone! This is my first post on here .

I really hope someone can give me an answer that makes sense and that there is a way to fix my problem, which is... I'm on a VLCD so eat about 650 cals a day. I exercise every day, I do spinning, body pump, body combat, Pilates and abdominals, minimum 2 classes a day and 2-3 times a week 3 classes a day. I burn off more cals than I eat. Yet I can't seem to lose weight and I still have a long way to go to get to my target weight of 160lbs. I drink at least 3 litres of water a day, more if I exercise more. It's soooo frustrating and demotivating, seems like the more I do to lose the less results I have. I just don't get it!! I spoke to a few people in the gym and they think I may eat too little so my body is holding on to my fat thinking it's starving. But I've tried to be on 1400 cals a day and 1200 and 900 and with all of it I don't lose anything, I just maintain. The weight loss so far only happened coz I was bigger and it was a massive change to my body to reduce the food intake and exercise a lot. I naturally have a very slow metabolism which sucks too! Any ideas???

lulabellarama

See your doctor
You need to eat significantly more than you do

minuz5

Hey,

Interesting situation. If I were you I would calculate my tdee and I would take 20% off that, and that's what I would consume. Be precise,use food scales if necessary, there are a lot of hidden calories. But I wouldn't continue on 650cal a day, that's deffo starvation, taking in consideration that you exercise so much. So try to increase your calories below your tdee and continue exercise, do it for month, and see results :O

gina_nz_

Do you weigh your food or are you just eye balling or using measuring cups? do you not include certain foods because you think they have little calories or are "free" foods?

Because if everything you said is true you would have to be losing weight.

TamaraKat

See your doctor
You need to eat significantly more than you do

This.
In order to lose weight, your body still needs its nutrients which you just can't achieve by eating 650 calories a day - it's not very healthy either. Try upping your intake and see what happens, if you persist with 650 calories, you will be putting yourself at risk... I lost weight by eating 1200 calories and exercising as do a lot of others on my MFP list!

If that doesn't work then see a specialist and they can help you.

hiddenorchestra

You're not eating enough, and I'd say your body is in starvation mode. 1400 cals could not even be enough so figure our BMR and activity level and go from there. VLCD slows your metabolism.

nerskine

Thanks everyone for your advice. I'm actually on lighter life diet, so it's just food packs no actual food to weigh or measure. This was my kind of last attempt at getting results as my previous attempts were not working. I've been to see my GP, waste of time. Basically he said I have a very slow metabolism and I should just accept the way I am and I would be ok in the old times when food was scarce!! Like that helps me and makes me feel better! Maybe I should go see a specialist of some sort or nutritionist...

Thanks guys, just can't give up!

philanthropichelmick

Maybe u need to try eating right for 12 days and "pigging out" on the thirteenth day, then repeat. I have done this and lost 25 lbs in 4 months. How can this help u may ask. It helps to reboost ure metabolism.Also, I wld try breaking up ure workouts. I walk for 15 min in the morning then do belly
dancing/boxing or aerobics for 30-40 minutes and in the evenings I do several reps with weights or leg lifts. U may be losing inches and not weight with ure workouts, have u tried measuring ureself b/c I wasn't losing weight for 2 wks, actually gained 4 lbs while doing everything right and I had lost 4" on my thighs and 3 on my waist. Lemme know, I'm here for ya.

abadvat

No wonder you have a slow metabolism... With the amount of calories you eat - you crashed your metabolism. You need to reverse diet and see a doctor - a proper doctor!

Fuzzipeg

I see from your page you have lost 43lb.

True I do not know since when, but you have achieved. I did well early on and have been managing about 8 ounces a week recently and have to put up with that. I am battling with Salicylat Sensitivity, in food and the more problematic for me its in the environment and my weight and health issues are directly a result of this addictive toxin.

I am going to see a immunologist in the new year. Doctors in general don't see it as a problem I hope I have found the right button this time after 50 years of issues..

Hope you get where you want to be safely.

Swifty1967

Had the same problem, saw a specialist doctor who pointed out that if you eat less calories than you burn you have to loose weight. Trouble is your eating too few calories so a minor bump even 50 to 100 calories is turned to fat, more so if calories are from sugars. I now eat only home prepared meals , proteins + veg, several pieces of fruit a week, no tea coffee diet drinks, and no refined sugar. Only alcohol is scotch wiskey and water, not carbonated. Following this diet I've lost 40+ kgs since April this year, lost 15 kgs in the three years prior with VLCD and gained 10 back, artificial sweeteners trick my metabolism into storing fat. So avoid these. You need to get your calorie intake to the required level, take adequate mineral and vitamin supplements, see a dietitian a good one and avoid prepacked foods. Good luck

BeachIron

Is that you in the picture? Why are you on a VLCD?

Work on a moderate calorie deficit at a level you can maintain. There is no sense in screwing up your metabolism, your self image, or your relationship with food.

Ophidion

Is that you in the picture? Why are you on a VLCD?

Work on a moderate calorie deficit at a level you can maintain. There is no sense in screwing up your metabolism, your self image, or your relationship with food.

The validity of your VLCD is questionable...in the sense people often are talking about not losing on very high deficits but are the deficits they are recording accurate and reliable.

You would be essentially defying the laws of the universe, if you were burning more than you consumed and not be losing weight...Thermogenics-The rate at which your body metabolizes fat cells determines how slowly or how quickly you can gain or lose weight.

I would habit a guess that you are not accurately logging you food intake (underestimating) and overestimating your calories burnt.

That being said a VLCD with the amount of activity you are describing is dangerous and and hazardous.

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

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss

Very interested to know what your stats are?

What is your motivation for eating so little?

Was this diet or style of dieting recommended to you by a professional?

How do you measure your food portions?

How do you estimate your calorie burns?

ETA:Essentially you would be a human perpetual motion machine if your statement were true. Yay! free energy for everyone, energy crisis averted.

powersofmagnitude

I was doing the same thing. I plateaued at 305#s and never lost weight--any weight, for over a month. My doctor told me to eat 6 small meals every day (200 calories each). I eat at 7 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 12:00 (noon), 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. I eat 150-200 calories at each meal and total calories between 1,056 to 1200. I have started losing again a couple days ago. I'm now 299. Your friends are right about eating too few calories--your body is in "starvation reflex." That means it is hording calories to keep you from starving. Your body has become efficient operating with the amount of calories you are consuming. You may need to gain a couple of pounds back before you can start losing weight again. A two pound weight gain will fool your body into thinking it isn't starving; then just eat the six meals a day. Remember, every time you put food into your stomach, your body starts to digest that food--your metabolism turns on! Eating too few calories turns off your metabolism. Moreover, I do not eat any white flour products, sugar, or fatty foods. As the others said, below, see a good Diet Dr.

Ophidion

Oh god terms like "starvation reflex" and "starvation mode" if her body has adapted if she were eating so little and working out that much she would no doubt be at a deficit ergo would lose...maybe at a slower rate but would still keep losing.

The logic behind if you are eating at a too high deficit halts weight loss altogether would mean if I stopped eating altogether I would never lose weight.

Please refer to the link on adaptive thermogenesis.

Ophidion

Thanks everyone for your advice. I'm actually on lighter life diet, so it's just food packs no actual food to weigh or measure. This was my kind of last attempt at getting results as my previous attempts were not working. I've been to see my GP, waste of time. Basically he said I have a very slow metabolism and I should just accept the way I am and I would be ok in the old times when food was scarce!! Like that helps me and makes me feel better! Maybe I should go see a specialist of some sort or nutritionist...

Thanks guys, just can't give up!

So you have had you metabolism checked because "Basically he said I have a very slow metabolism" sounds pretty vague to me.

Go get some real tests done...clinical evaluations, Thyroid tests, hormones, blood work etc.

Some interesting links for you...

Skinny people must have fast metabolisms right?

Think again: http://youtu.be/eTr1JUvEiUU

Still convinced your problem is a slow metabolism?

You don't: http://youtu.be/KA9AdlhB18o

Ophidion

I was doing the same thing. I plateaued at 305#s and never lost weight--any weight, for over a month. My doctor told me to eat 6 small meals every day (200 calories each). I eat at 7 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 12:00 (noon), 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. I eat 150-200 calories at each meal and total calories between 1,056 to 1200. I have started losing again a couple days ago. I'm now 299. Your friends are right about eating too few calories--your body is in "starvation reflex." That means it is hording calories to keep you from starving. Your body has become efficient operating with the amount of calories you are consuming. You may need to gain a couple of pounds back before you can start losing weight again. A two pound weight gain will fool your body into thinking it isn't starving; then just eat the six meals a day. Remember, every time you put food into your stomach, your body starts to digest that food--your metabolism turns on! Eating too few calories turns off your metabolism. Moreover, I do not eat any white flour products, sugar, or fatty foods. As the others said, below, see a good Diet Dr.

There are so many inaccuracy's within this quote I do not even know where to begin. *smh*

Turning on or off your metabolism does this require sexy lingerie?

BeachIron

If you want to be honest with yourself, OP, then read what Ophidion has posted here. There's so much utter B.S. surrounding these issues and the information he posted here cuts through all of that.

Phoenix_Warrior

I was doing the same thing. I plateaued at 305#s and never lost weight--any weight, for over a month. My doctor told me to eat 6 small meals every day (200 calories each). I eat at 7 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 12:00 (noon), 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. I eat 150-200 calories at each meal and total calories between 1,056 to 1200. I have started losing again a couple days ago. I'm now 299. Your friends are right about eating too few calories--your body is in "starvation reflex." That means it is hording calories to keep you from starving. Your body has become efficient operating with the amount of calories you are consuming. You may need to gain a couple of pounds back before you can start losing weight again. A two pound weight gain will fool your body into thinking it isn't starving; then just eat the six meals a day. Remember, every time you put food into your stomach, your body starts to digest that food--your metabolism turns on! Eating too few calories turns off your metabolism. Moreover, I do not eat any white flour products, sugar, or fatty foods. As the others said, below, see a good Diet Dr.

There are so many inaccuracy's within this quote I do not even know where to begin. *smh*

Turning on or off your metabolism does this require sexy lingerie?

Sometimes I bring a whip, too. Puts my metabolism into hyper drive.

Trechechus

it's just food packs no actual food to weigh or measure

You aren't eating any food!? At all? Honey, I don't want to be the doom-sayer, but you need to eat or you are going to die!

geebusuk

Might be worth considering getting your metabolism tested to get a (reasonably) TRUE figure.
It probably will cost you a bit.
I never found a way to do it cheaply - so I've ended up with my own machine which I did get relatively cheaply, but alas the wrong side of the world from you.