I don't lose weight- scientific miracle?

fullercorp

Hello, i searched the boards but i am not finding exactly what i am looking for (as everyone's experience is different, of course). I have been changing my eating over the course of years but during all of my adult life, my weight has stayed the same. I just saw a post wherein someone said 'if you create a calorie deficit you WILL lose'.....but what if you don't. ever. lose? i have been a vegetarian for 23 years, I gave up diet soda 10 years ago, i became a vegan about 4 yrs ago(i occasionally eat cheese but PARSE it out but NO other dairy), i eat a plant based diet that i supplement with two protein bars a day (they have whey but they are the only low carb, low sugar, tasty ones i liked), i drink water all day, eat little meals- try to eat every three hours or so. i don't snack, i don't binge, i don't eat out. i work out but inconsistently (like everyday for a month, then not for two weeks, then again for 3 weeks, etc and this has been the case since i was 20- i am now 44). i have logged my calories to be 1200 to 1400 cals a day. I am rarely hungry. I went to a nutritionist because i started to GAIN- she said i was eating too little, so i ate a little more.....and my weight is still the same. i been around 160 exactly my whole adult life (i am 5'4"- so yes, i am decidedly overweight and no, i am no big boned. i was a chubby kid and teen for reference BUT i ate JUNK JUNK JUNK until i was about 23 and had an ED until i was 28. now i eat like a monk and no change. my blood panel was totally normal. i take no medications (except starting this week Qsymia, which i know gets no love on this site). i have been thin at two points in my life (ha!) post breakup in which i basically became manically obsessed and all i did (LITERALLY) was work out all day and drink protein shakes. Science and MFP tells me nobody should have to live this way to lose some weight. (but it illustrates it IS possible for me- just not sustainable). I am not vying for the role of Wolverine in Xmen.
so, any suggestions that i haven't heard ? has ANYONE else experience this? Made massive lifestyle changes and experience NO weight loss?

sodakat

You certainly are disciplined. But it sounds like you don't enjoy yourself very much. Are you eating the way you are because you are genuinely a vegan or are you punishing yourself? I guess what I'm asking is, if some cheese and some whey are okay, why don't you enjoy other foods from cows like yogurt, cottage cheese and milk?

Also I noticed that your ticker on your profile page shows you have lost 10 pounds. That seems odd since you say you cannot lose weight. How did you lose those 10 pounds? Was it calorie counting using MFP?

Deipneus

'if you create a calorie deficit you WILL lose'.....but what if you don't. ever. lose?

Then either there was no calorie deficit, and it can be tough to know for sure, or the laws of science have been repealed.

A calorie is simply a unit of heat energy, the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C. So yes, it's calories in minus calories out.

I know, scientific theory is of no help. That part is easy, the actual implementation is more complicated and definitely hard. I would consult a doctor and a dietician.

ravenmiss

Open your diary?

aledba

If you're consuming dairy or its by-products, hate to burst your bubble here, but you are not vegan.

BrainyBurro

Hello, i searched the boards but i am not finding exactly what i am looking for (as everyone's experience is different, of course). I have been changing my eating over the course of years but during all of my adult life, my weight has stayed the same. I just saw a post wherein someone said 'if you create a calorie deficit you WILL lose'.....but what if you don't. ever. lose? i have been a vegetarian for 23 years, I gave up diet soda 10 years ago, i became a vegan about 4 yrs ago(i occasionally eat cheese but PARSE it out but NO other dairy), i eat a plant based diet that i supplement with two protein bars a day (they have whey but they are the only low carb, low sugar, tasty ones i liked), i drink water all day, eat little meals- try to eat every three hours or so. i don't snack, i don't binge, i don't eat out. i work out but inconsistently (like everyday for a month, then not for two weeks, then again for 3 weeks, etc and this has been the case since i was 20- i am now 44). i have logged my calories to be 1200 to 1400 cals a day. I am rarely hungry. I went to a nutritionist because i started to GAIN- she said i was eating too little, so i ate a little more.....and my weight is still the same. i been around 160 exactly my whole adult life (i am 5'4"- so yes, i am decidedly overweight and no, i am no big boned. i was a chubby kid and teen for reference BUT i ate JUNK JUNK JUNK until i was about 23 and had an ED until i was 28. now i eat like a monk and no change. my blood panel was totally normal. i take no medications (except starting this week Qsymia, which i know gets no love on this site). i have been thin at two points in my life (ha!) post breakup in which i basically became manically obsessed and all i did (LITERALLY) was work out all day and drink protein shakes. Science and MFP tells me nobody should have to live this way to lose some weight. (but it illustrates it IS possible for me- just not sustainable). I am not vying for the role of Wolverine in Xmen.
so, any suggestions that i haven't heard ? has ANYONE else experience this? Made massive lifestyle changes and experience NO weight loss?

use paragraphs.

MB_Positif

Interesting.

Mainebikerchick

Hmmm..can't say as I've ever heard of not EVER losing....it comes off really slow for me since I don't have much left to lose...but it IS still coming off....

dakotababy

I stopped losing weight because I was not eating enough. How many calories a day do you eat? Maybe you have been on like a life-long plateau?

gypsy_spirit

1) I just saw a post wherein someone said 'if you create a calorie deficit you WILL lose'.....

2) i have been a vegetarian for 23 years, I gave up diet soda 10 years ago, i became a vegan about 4 yrs ago(i occasionally eat cheese but PARSE it out but NO other dairy), i eat a plant based diet that i supplement with two protein bars a day (they have whey but they are the only low carb, low sugar, tasty ones i liked),

3) i drink water all day,

4) eat little meals- try to eat every three hours or so. i don't snack, i don't binge, i don't eat out.

5) i work out but inconsistently (like everyday for a month, then not for two weeks, then again for 3 weeks, etc and this has been the case since i was 20- i am now 44).

6) i have logged my calories to be 1200 to 1400 cals a day. I am rarely hungry.

1) This is accurate. Staying in a calorie deficit makes weight loss possible.

2) Being a vegan, a vegetarian, giving up soda, eating low carb, low sugar, etc. does not mean you are in a calorie deficit.

3) Drinking water all day is okay - if you're that thirsty.

4) Meal timing, size, etc. are not needed - you just need to have a calorie deficit for the day. You can eat out, eat a large meal, and snack - as long as you stay in your calorie deficit for the day.

5) Working out is really good for staying healthy, but not necessary to lose weight. It helps some people keep their deficit.

6) Logging is a good start. Do you weigh with a scale & measure with measuring cups/spoons all the food you eat?


ETA: Making "massive lifestyle changes" will certainly improve your health - but doesn't mean you're in a calorie deficit.

Cranquistador

6) Logging is a good start. Do you weigh with a scale & measure with measuring cups/spoons all the food you eat?

zoeysasha37

1) This is accurate. Staying in a calorie deficit makes weight loss possible.

2) Being a vegan, a vegetarian, giving up soda, eating low carb, low sugar, etc. does not mean you are in a calorie deficit.

3) Drinking water all day is okay - if you're that thirsty.

4) Meal timing, size, etc. are not needed - you just need to have a calorie deficit for the day. You can eat out, eat a large meal, and snack - as long as you stay in your calorie deficit for the day.

5) Working out is really good for staying healthy, but not necessary to lose weight. It helps some people keep their deficit.

6) Logging is a good start. Do you weigh with a scale & measure with measuring cups/spoons all the food you eat?


ETA: Making "massive lifestyle changes" will certainly improve your health - but doesn't mean you're in a calorie deficit.
[/quote]

This!!#!!

neandermagnon

It's unfortunate that there are so many people out there that claim that eating in a particular way (paleo, low carb, vegan, raw food, etc etc etc) will result in weight loss even if there's no calorie deficit. The result is that some people put in a ton of effort to eat this way, then experience no weight loss, and get extremely frustrated. These diets work for some people because they make them feel full while they're still in a calorie deficit. I.e. they eat less than they burn off, and stop eating because they're full. But this doesn't work for everyone, some people will still manage to eat enough to be in maintenance, or even eat a surplus, no matter how strictly they follow these diets. I'm guessing that you're one such person.

You don't need to give up any foods that you want to eat. You do need to ensure that you're taking in adequate amounts of protein fat and carbohydrate, but not too much, so you're still in calorie deficit. You also need to ensure you're getting enough vitamins, minerals fibre and water......... the difficult bit is getting the right amount of protein, fat and carbs, and that's where MFP comes in... you need to *weigh* your food, and log it accurately. Log *everything* you eat or drink. Weighing is much more accurate than other methods of measuring foods - a lot of people come undone with cups and volume measurements as these can be out by 10% and that can obliterate your deficit and result in failing to lose weight. Eat all your daily MFP calorie goal, and set your macro ratios to 40% carb 30% fat 30% protein, and try to hit the targets for fat, carb and protein each day. If you don't hit it exactly, it's better to be over on protein and a little under on either of the other two. You can eat what you like to hit these goals, but try to include fresh fruit and veg somewhere along the line, and for some of the fat containing foods you eat to be foods high in essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins. Also try to get enough water to drink (can be in the form of other drinks, but if the drink contains calories you have to log the drink with your food). You need to eat back exercise calories, but this site tends to overestimate calorie burns so only eat back 80% of them.

Doing this ensures that you are eating at a deficit, as opposed to just hoping that the diet really will put you in a calorie deficit at the end of the day.

When you log everything like this, you can basically eat what you want so long as you're hitting your calorie goals (therefore are still in a deficit) and getting close to your macro (fat protein and carb) goals. It may seem like a real PITA logging everything, but when it becomes a habit and all your favourite foods are in your "my foods" categories and similar, logging becomes quick and easy. And you won't feel deprived because you'll be eating all the foods you want to eat, just maybe not in the same quantities as before.

Try this for a few weeks... if you're still not losing, then either subtract 100-200 calories and try again OR try to get more physical activity in for the same number of calories..... OR try only eating back 50% of exercise calories (in case the previous amount was an overestimate)... it's common to need to adjust the initial calorie estimate up or down, but you need to be sure you're logging accurately before there's any benefit in doing that, because inaccurate logging could put all your calories out by as much as 50% and explain why someone isn't losing weight.

note: if, after doing this, it transpires that you're not losing when eating a calorie number that's a lot lower than the estimates, then see a doctor because this could be indicative of a hormonal problem such as hypothyroidism. These conditions don't break the laws of physics - calories in v calories out is still true - what they do is slow the metabolism, i.e. make the calories out part of the equation lower than it should be, so weight loss isn't possible on the amount of calories you should be able to eat and still lose weight. Such conditions need to be treated, and the treatment usually results in it being easier to lose weight as the calories out side of the equation is back where it should be. BUT no-one should diagnose themselves with conditions like this if they haven't been logging accurately, because inaccurate logging is the main cause of failure to lose weight

3dogsrunning

1) I just saw a post wherein someone said 'if you create a calorie deficit you WILL lose'.....

2) i have been a vegetarian for 23 years, I gave up diet soda 10 years ago, i became a vegan about 4 yrs ago(i occasionally eat cheese but PARSE it out but NO other dairy), i eat a plant based diet that i supplement with two protein bars a day (they have whey but they are the only low carb, low sugar, tasty ones i liked),

3) i drink water all day,

4) eat little meals- try to eat every three hours or so. i don't snack, i don't binge, i don't eat out.

5) i work out but inconsistently (like everyday for a month, then not for two weeks, then again for 3 weeks, etc and this has been the case since i was 20- i am now 44).

6) i have logged my calories to be 1200 to 1400 cals a day. I am rarely hungry.

1) This is accurate. Staying in a calorie deficit makes weight loss possible.

2) Being a vegan, a vegetarian, giving up soda, eating low carb, low sugar, etc. does not mean you are in a calorie deficit.

3) Drinking water all day is okay - if you're that thirsty.

4) Meal timing, size, etc. are not needed - you just need to have a calorie deficit for the day. You can eat out, eat a large meal, and snack - as long as you stay in your calorie deficit for the day.

5) Working out is really good for staying healthy, but not necessary to lose weight. It helps some people keep their deficit.

6) Logging is a good start. Do you weigh with a scale & measure with measuring cups/spoons all the food you eat?


ETA: Making "massive lifestyle changes" will certainly improve your health - but doesn't mean you're in a calorie deficit.

All of this.

And

Open your diary?

This.

donyellemoniquex3

Open your diary?

mhm

emmanap91

....open your diary!

Deipneus

If you're consuming dairy or its by-products, hate to burst your bubble here, but you are not vegan.

Or eat honey. And then there's dietary veganism and ethical veganism. Religion is less complicated than veganism.

PinkyFett

Have you had your thyroid checked? I tried everything and anything just to have it be hashimotos keeping me from losing. Took a few more years to get on right meds and all that, but my first week back to this I've lost 6 lbs. If a hashi can do it, anyone can lose weight.

DianeinCA

Since the exercise is inconsistent AND the OP is now in their 40s...it also sounds like muscle loss to me over the decades, simply from growing older. Less muscle = fewer calories you can eat.

vismal

If OP is 5'4 and 160, 1200 calories should cause weight loss. 2 things come to mind. Either OP is miscounting calories, which is extremely easy to do and happens to TONS of people, or OP has some kind of metabolic disorder making their TDEE obscenely low. The former is almost always the case as the latter is usually pretty rare. OP I'd look at this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101
If you are doing all the steps laid out in this guide and there is little likelihood that miscounting is a possibility, then I would have a full battery of tests done to assess for any medical conditions. An endocrinologist would be a good starting point.

neandermagnon

Since the exercise is inconsistent AND the OP is now in their 40s...it also sounds like muscle loss to me over the decades, simply from growing older. Less muscle = fewer calories you can eat.

this trend can be halted or even reversed by lifting heavy weights and eating plenty of protein.

tycho_mx

When people don't lose weight, the answer is simple: they are not incurring a caloric deficit.

Now, the cause of this is manifold:

1. Inaccurate logging/estimation of calories (this is awfully common since it's a lot of work to weigh and assess all your food. Most of us take shortcuts like using a measuring TBS of peanut butter instead of taring the scale every time)

2. Inaccurate estimation of expenditure. Sure, you walk the dog. Sure, you work out and lift. It still is bloody hard work to burn more than 600 cal/hour. In my experience, only people that have been at it for a while can do it consistently.

3. Inaccurate basal metabolic rate estimate: this is the part of the "scientific miracle" you might be alluding. The tables, equations, charts, etc. of BMR, TDEE, etc. are estimates for the average population. There's enough variance in healthy, normal humans that you might burn more or less than the model you're using tells you. I am a low burner, but I found it out after much frustration. I am one of those guys with very low resting heart rate (mid 30's) and low body temperature unless I am working out. So I had to reduce my base calorie intake from the original estimates when I wasn't getting the expected outcome. Most people don't know exactly what these rates are - they don't need to, the model works reasonably well for them.

4. Sure, you may have some thyroid/hormonal disease. It's unlikely (<5% population have these undiagnosed), but even then the math is still valid. Just the model is even more deviated from the mean so you need to make those adjustments.

No thermodynamic miracles

MelodyandBarbells

....open your diary!

Bottom of this page right here:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

:bigsmile:

SomeNights246

had an ED until i was 28

Op very well could have a metabolic disorder.

DanaDark

Knowing numbers helps a ton. Such as BMR, TDEE without exercise, etc. As well as an open diary.

Measuring by weight rather than volume is pretty much essential. The sheer difference amazes me at times. My favorite example was a single serving of cereal said X for volume and Y for weight as 1 serving, when in reality the volume was 50% larger.

Open your diary. Give us your numbers. From there, advice can be given.

Deipneus

Since the exercise is inconsistent AND the OP is now in their 40s...it also sounds like muscle loss to me over the decades, simply from growing older. Less muscle = fewer calories you can eat.

It's generally accepted that we lose muscles as we grow older, all other things being equal. But since all things aren't equal, this can be offset with diet and weight lifting. At 61, I'm more muscular now than I was in my 20's and 30's.

I'm sticking with the idea that this problem is beyond the scope of MFP forum advice. A medical exam is in order.

wilsoje74

Then you are eating more than you think

brower47

If you are a scientific miracle, you should go to a doctor and get it confirmed. If you truly can not lose weight, you can make a lot of money by letting the scientific community test you.

in_the_stars

Participate in clinical trials! There's several universities that will even pay for participants.


*Oh... and even if you are removed (because you are not showing the results they wanted) you will still have all your test results and are usually paid the full amount for participating.

jcolier

Contrary to what others may say, it sounds like your body has adapted to a lower calorie intake. Through many years of not eating enough, your body most likely used your muscles for protein, possibly other organs for nutrients if you were not getting enough vitamins. Your body stores and keeps fat when it can, assuming it wont get enough food.

There is a group here "eat more to lose weight". Read up what they have to say.

I'm assuming all your blood work is fine.

Deipneus

I'm assuming all your blood work is fine.

I wouldn't assume that.