Eating 1300-1700 Cals a day. Pants are tighter than ever

ashleybarkley

Hello all...
I am a 27 year old female looking to get back into shape after two really hard years (grad school, deaths in the family, etc.) However, it is proving to be a lot harder getting back into shape at 27 than it was at 20. I only need to lose about 15 lbs, but dang it is hard! I am a former athlete, so I thought it would be a snap! I am 5'6", a size 8+ . I do not weigh myself due to a past eating disorder and stepping on the scale is a huge trigger for me.

Due to allergies, I am gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar free and have been for 4 years. I wake up at 5am and vigorously jump rope for 30 minutes. After work, I run 3-6 miles and lift weights. I have been trying to lose the weight since February of 2013 (yes, almost a year), and I have tried EVERYTHING. I weigh and measure every piece of food I put in my mouth. I don't drink alcohol. I don't drink coffee. I don't eat gluten-free pasta, or bread, I just don't eat that stuff at all. I was on Weight Watchers for 3 months. Nothing. Not a pound gained or lost. I am not eating after 7pm. I also have IBS, so I can't eat fried foods or lots of oils. My diet, without labels, is basically the Paleo diet. I eat 1300-1700 calories a day. (1300 on no workout days, 1400-1700 on workout days). If I eat more, I try not to beat myself up about it.

I work out 5-6 days a week. I have tried everything. Tabata. CrossFit. P90x, yoga. I lifted heavy-low reps for 2 months. No change. I lifted light-high reps for 2 months. No change. I've done cardio only. I've done weights only. I just want my clothes to fit me. A friend recently told me that "this is just the way you are and you can't change it, so just accept it", which nearly broke my heart. I change it up all the time. I am not just going through the motions either. I sweat profusely, and I am sore often.

Keep in mind, that I have been doing this for almost a year now, and I have been giving each of these methods the good ol' college try. I know change does not happen overnight, but I seriously cannot believe that I am having such issues. I have had my hormones tested and they are fine. As well as thyroid, which is fine. I sleep a solid 8 hours a night.

I have a desk job, but I move around often, and I am in the construction industry, so site visits happen often during the day.
I am getting to the point where I am feeling my eating disorder creep up because I am not seeing results, and I feel like I need to take some extreme measures. I really don't want to get to that point.

Has anyone gone through this? What else can I possibly do?

jlabbe12

Have to had your thyroid tested?

RGv2

Open your diary.

mccindy72

To be honest, either you are overestimating the calories you are burning, or you are underestimating the calories you are eating. If you were burning more calories than you were eating, you would lose weight. I also have a GI disorder and have to eat gluten-free, dairy-free and no corn, legumes or corn syrup. I have a very strict diet, but my problem is maintaining my weight without losing. It can be challenging either way.
I'd recommend you drop the number of calories you are consuming for a bit and see how that goes.

Holly_Roman_Empire

Open your diary.

This. What are you using to estimate calories burned while working out?

afat12

Could be you need to go to the doctor

Could be you over estimating calories burnt - you need a personal HRM / calorie tracker

Could be the weight will start coming off soon it takes time

:flowerforyou: good luck to you OP!

TavistockToad

do you know your body fat % if you dont know your weight? do you take measurements/progress pictures? any difference in those?

if you have been eating at a deficit consistantly for a year there is no way you havent lost weight unless you have a medical condition?

WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr

Get a complete lab work up done by an endocrinologist.

I spent a year eating 1700 calories (went to an RD for a food plan, and weighed and measured everything), working out 6 days a week and I gained 40lbs in a year. I am also gluten free due to food allergies. Went to an endocrinologist, got every lab test they could possibly think of and it turned out that I am early stage hypothyroid and I have insulin resistance. My RD adjusted my food to that I eat 2000 on the days I work out and and 1700 on the days I don't and I've been put on medication for both problems, after the last dosage adjustment I started losing weight (I've lost 5 lbs in the past three months, it's not much I know, but it's a start.) So there may be something going on internally that needs to be treated that you don't know about yet.

TipTopMMR

Yes, open your diary, get a fitbit and see your doctor.

msf74

Edited: I see you don't want to weigh yourself.

However, it could simply be you are light and your wiggle room for a workable deficit is low.

psuLemon

How much do you weigh?

ashleybarkley

My thyroid tests came back in fine. As did all hormones. I do not know how much I weigh, but I think it is somewhere between 150-155, if I were guessing. I take measurements 2x a month for progress, and take progress photos, but no changes. I lost .5" from my waist, but gained it back plus some by the next measure. I do not know how to "open my diary"? Also, I DO work out 5-6 days a week, I just don't always record it because I don't want to think "Oh I burned 300 calories today, I should eat that cake." I just notice that I am (naturally) hungrier on days I workout.

psuLemon

My thyroid tests came back in fine. As did all hormones. I do not know how much I weigh, but I think it is somewhere between 150-155, if I were guessing. I take measurements 2x a month for progress, and take progress photos, but no changes. I lost .5" from my waist, but gained it back plus some by the next measure. I do not know how to "open my diary"? Also, I DO work out 5-6 days a week, I just don't always record it because I don't want to think "Oh I burned 300 calories today, I should eat that cake." I just notice that I am (naturally) hungrier on days I workout.

Do you use a food scale?


To open diary: home<-- settings <-- diary settings

WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr

My thyroid tests came back in fine. As did all hormones.

You may still want to get your thyroid test done a couple times. I only say this because I kept seeing (I'm a lab tech) that my thyroid levels were normal, well the endo did my thyroid several times over a couple months and it turned out that my thyroid levels are normal "most" of the time then they will suddenly go out (widely out, not just a few points out) stay out for a bit then go back to normal, it kept getting missed because I was only getting my thyroid levels done at my annual physicals, it took her testing it at intervals to find it. She said that this is because my thyroid is starting to have problems. Just a suggestion.

ashleybarkley

Yes, I use a food scale. I also use measuring cups and teaspoons. Diary is now open. Again, I don't always report my working out, but I do work out 5-6 times a week. I try not to take my workouts into account of my calories, so I don't feel the need to "be rewarded"

hawaiival13

I have heard that it is possible to work out too much, maybe your body needs a rest. You are doing about 1 and a half hours of cardio/workouts a day. Your body needs rest days to equalize everything. Try that possibly and see if that helps. This happened to me, and i cut down on my crazy exercises and the weight came flying off. You def need an over haul of some sort. Sometimes the same routine can do it too, changing it up may be helpful too. Good Luck, i hope you figure it out!