Dieting and exercising for 18 months and not lost weight!

classicalguitar1

Ok so before I go any further I just want to point out that this is not for me it is for my mum.
I feel very bad for my mum because she has been so dedicated to losing weight, she has done all the right things like eating well and exercising but after 18 months she has not lost any weight at all and I really want to help her!
Let me tell you abit about her, she is 59 years old (Female obviously lol) 5ft 8inches and around 213 pounds which is clearly overweight!
She exercises 3 times a week doing cardio work but am quite sure she can not push her self any harder as her balance is not very good, but she does say that her heart rate really gets going during the exercise!
This is what her exercise consists of,
Day 1 - 30 mins cardio (treadmill, bike etc) followed by 30 mins lunges, planks burpees etc.
Day 2 - 45 mins crunches, kettle bells, lunges, planks etc
Day 3 - 30 mins pure cardio.
I have no idea how many calories she would burn doing these exercises but I would expect it to be relatively high given her weight!
Now for the diet. A general day would consist of 2 slices toast with margarine for breakfast, tomato soup with half slice bread for lunch and fresh chicken and rice for dinner, no snacks in between.
I work this out to be around 930 calories for a full day.
Now just by looking at all this information that I have put it does look like she may not be eating enough!
Please tell me your thoughts.

Many thanks
Dan

thebigcb

Well she is doing it wrong then

Shes either eating more than she is saying or she is not actually exercising

_Zardoz_

She's eating more than she's Telling you. No matter what after 18 months if she'd been eating 900 calories a day she would have lost weight. She needs to be honest with herself and the amounts she is eating that is the only way she will lose weight. She needs to weigh and measure accurately to get an honest picture of her food consumption

Fozzi43

It could be she's not eating enough, but I would expect even a temporary loss if she has really cut down on her food, how much has she actually lost? Is she eating veggies and fruit?

It doesn't add up, could it be she isn't being totally honest with you?

thebigcb

Not eating enough

She be secret eating is what

sandi117

Ditto on the other replies. Either she's eating way more than she's telling you (or she's a sleep eater, but I doubt that) or she's not exercising. Even then, like you said 930 calories a day is not enough. She should have had some loss at that deficit, even if only temporary.

Are you sure she's not eating more than this?

DR2501

What about drinks you haven't mentioned these - does she drink fruit juice or soda/fizzy drinks, alcohol every night etc - all these contain extra calories

classicalguitar1

Ditto on the other replies. Either she's eating way more than she's telling you (or she's a sleep eater, but I doubt that) or she's not exercising. Even then, like you said 930 calories a day is not enough. She should have had some loss at that deficit, even if only temporary.

Are you sure she's not eating more than this?

Ok let me clear a few things up.
She is definitely exercising and for the amount of time that I stated, the reason I know this is because she goes to the gym with her best friend who I also have regular contact with.
As for the eating, I am confident that she is being honest with me (and herself) about her calorie consumption as she is really so determined to lose the weight, she would only be cheating herself otherwise and she knows that.

whyhelloheart

The bottom line: She isn't being honest. If she was, she would have lost weight. That is a very intense calorie deficit and she would CONTINUOUSLY lose weight on that until she was basically dead. Truly.

Sorry.

Abscominsoon

Im sorry, but even if your mom is NOT exercising, which she says she is... If she sat around all day, and only consumed 950 calories for 18 months, she would have lost weight. You don't need exercise to lose weight, with that deficit alone, at the weight you say she is she would have definitly lost something. Sounds like you need to have a heart to heart with mum, and tell her she needs to be honest about her diet. If she claims she is, i'd suggest seeing a Dr.!

j6o4

What she needs to do is make her own MFP account and start logging, buying a food scale is a must as well, HRM is also a good investment.

CharleePear

Wow all these replies are rediculous. Personally, I don't lose weight with calories in calories out. I would point out that she is not eating enough and she is not getting enough protein and vegetables. I would get her to try lower her carb intake at least with the bread, if I eat bread I don't lose weight. Also has she gone to the doctor to rule out anything medical?

_Zardoz_

Wow all these replies are rediculous. Personally, I don't lose weight with calories in calories out. I would point out that she is not eating enough and she is not getting enough protein and vegetables. I would get her to try lower her carb intake at least with the bread, if I eat bread I don't lose weight. Also has she gone to the doctor to rule out anything medical?

So what you're saying is that if you eat 900 calories for 18 months with that exercise you wont lose any weight? Don't be silly

rb16fitness

Your mother was only eating circa 1000 cals for 18 months? Hmm, either she's on some medication or has a condition such as a thyroid problem that has slowed her metabolism to a crawl (in which case she should see her doc for advise) or she's eating more that she's disclosing to you.
People eating at a deficit lose weight. It's the law.

thebigcb

I like lamp

CharleePear

Wow all these replies are rediculous. Personally, I don't lose weight with calories in calories out. I would point out that she is not eating enough and she is not getting enough protein and vegetables. I would get her to try lower her carb intake at least with the bread, if I eat bread I don't lose weight. Also has she gone to the doctor to rule out anything medical?

So what you're saying is that if you eat 900 calories for 18 months with that exercise you wont lose any weight? Don't be silly

I ate in deficit for years and worked out, so yes I am saying that.

Jkowals123

She may be retaining fluid! Has she tried
Low carb or fruits and veggies for a week?
This sometimes gets rid of fluid retention
And then pounds come off.

j6o4

Wow all these replies are rediculous. Personally, I don't lose weight with calories in calories out. I would point out that she is not eating enough and she is not getting enough protein and vegetables. I would get her to try lower her carb intake at least with the bread, if I eat bread I don't lose weight. Also has she gone to the doctor to rule out anything medical?

So what you're saying is that if you eat 900 calories for 18 months with that exercise you wont lose any weight? Don't be silly

I ate in deficit for years and worked out, so yes I am saying that.

:huh: If calories in vs calories out doesn't apply to you, then why are you even counting calories for?

carlalovescake

(or she's a sleep eater, but I doubt that)

I'm a sleep eater Its called Nocturnal Sleep Eating Disorder and hell it makes losing weight hard! I have to lose at only 1/2 - 1 pound a week or I'm am binging through the night on anything I can get my hands on! I don't even enjoy it because I am totally unaware until I get up in the morning and see empty wrappers etc lying around the kitchen.

Much amusement to my friends, but family realise how awful it is and how dangerous (can cut yourself with knives or even start a kitchen fire!)

The OP will discover if she is because there will be evidence of it ie wrappers, crumbs, cutlery out, missing food, cut hands, feeling mega full to the point of sick in the mornings etc

gigglesinthesun

http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode

Do some people do better with high protein low carbs? Sure. Do some people do better with the other way around? Also true.

That said after 18mths if she was truly eating 900 cals she would have lost weight regardless of what she ate, because at her weight her body burns more just to stay alive. If she is exercising, it'll be even more.

Is she drinking only water or black coffee? No milk, creamer, alcohol, soft drink? No secret ice cream at night? No treats? The reason why I am asking is that I would have sworn my mother-in-law only ate about 1000 cals (she is extremely sedentary though). However I started to seriously count her calories one day and it turns out the small coffee that she had each morning was a flavoured sachet that contained some 250 cals and also she'd have 2 large glasses of wine a night so that was about 500 cals there as well. So she didn't really need to eat a lot of food to get up to her maintenance of 1800 cals. You ask her though and she'll swear she only takes in very little and she really can't see where the weight is coming from.

Jestinia

Your mother was only eating circa 1000 cals for 18 months? Hmm, either she's on some medication or has a condition such as a thyroid problem that has slowed her metabolism to a crawl (in which case she should see her doc for advise) or she's eating more that she's disclosing to you.
People eating at a deficit lose weight. It's the law.

This! And if she is being honest with herself and you and if she doesn't have a diagnosed condition and If she hasn't been to the doctor lately and if she isn't on medication, then she needs to go to find out what is wrong.