1 yr diet/exercise w/ NO results (females & birth control)

Supertact

I don't use a food scale

...

Guess what...

PRMinx

If you don't have any issues with ED, then you should try a food scale.

Also, I would make sure your goal is realistic. I'm 5'4 and 134. When I started I was 145. I started counting here at 140. I set my goal at 125. After loosing the first 10 pounds, it became pretty clear to me that 125 was not going to be a sustainable weight for me. I'd be miserable. I lift heavy weights and I think I look good at 134. I'm pretty much maintaining here.

TavistockToad

It could be multiple things like you say, and as other people say I may be over consuming food and need to use a food scale (who seriously has time for that??) I guess the main thing is to not give up and keep trying! Every person's body has a different formula and I still haven't quite figured mine out. Women's bodies are such complicated things...:explode:

It's only complicated if you make it complicated. You freely admit you don't weigh your food or log accurately (can't see the point of using a food diary if you're just eyeballing) but you think the least complicated thing would be to come off the pill??
There are thousands f us here who find the 30 seconds per meal it takes to weigh our food, it's not difficult :flowerforyou:

this!

7elizamae

I don't use a food scale but I would say I average between 1200-1500 calories per day. .

My workout routine consists of a mixture of cardio and weight training. I wear a heart rate monitor and burn anywhere between 450-700 calories per session.

Here are your problems--you're not measuring, so you're underestimating how much you eat. And even with your heart rate monitor, you may be overestimating how many calories you're burning.

Get a food scale and start weighing what you eat. I guarantee you're going to be surprised.

This.
I did not want to get a food scale. Nope. I was stubborn.
So glad I did because my estimations were waaaay off.

I say get off the birth control pill and try something non-hormonal for a while. Get your food scale. Commit to precision logging. I bet you'll see some results!

levitateme

I don't use a food scale

...

Guess what...

Ain't nobody got time for that!

JK - OP get a scale, it's not only more accurate, but faster than using cups and spoons.

allieO3390

I'm going to tell you that I know what you're going through. I gained 80 pounds in less than a year when I was put on depo provera. At least 15 was water weight as I dropped 25 lbs after I didn't receive my last shot. But those other 55 pounds were real fat. And for a really long time I blamed the birth control. But once I started counting calories I realized that although the birth control made me hungrier, it was my fault for not watching what I was eating. You may not see it but I bet the pill is increasing your appetite and you are eating more than you once were. It's not that hard to add a little extra each day and never realize you're doing it. I'm telling you now, even though I am still on birth control (mirena) that contains the exact same hormone as depo, I am weighing my food, tracking my calories, and I am almost back to where I was pre depo. Please really take a hard look at how much you are eating. I bet you are underestimating how many calories you eat. I know it's frustrating but going off the pill will most likely not help, if anything it will mess up your hormone balance even more and make you more miserable before the wedding.

freckledrats

Birth control might affect your appetite, but it's not going to wreck your metabolism and make it so that eating at a 500-1000 calorie deficit does nothing. If you're seeing no results, get more serious about tracking your food. You're more than likely underestimating intake and overestimating your exercise calories burnt. (If you're using MFP to track daily ordinary stuff like walking around your house or cleaning or standing around watering your garden, stop now. Those entries are generally highly inaccurate.)

Get an HRM if you exercise a lot and want to eat back some or all of your calories, so you don't overeat too many back. Or instead of eating them all back, scale back to a post exercise snack like an apple with a 2 tbsp of peanut butter or something (and measure it!!!, peanut butter is calorie dense as hell, so you don't want to be all teehee what's an extra half tbsp).

Measure your food. Weight loss is 90% diet. Exercise helps but don't treat it like it's the key to victory. It's a fantastic tool and it'll help get the party started, but doing 2 hours of cardio every day so you can "eat whatever you like" isn't how to do this and is actually counterproductive. Measure your food. All of it. Log it all. Make it yourself and count every calorie in every ingredient, including the oil/butter you cook it in, because yes, that gets absorbed.

Don't skip logging days. You're only cheating yourself if you do.

psuLemon

Please read me...:blushing:

I am 32 taking birth control Lo lo estrin fe - (yes two LO LO) it has less hormones in it to reduce common side effects. From my experience and this is just my own, it takes about 3-6 mths for the side effects to go away - mine were breakout spotting for 1-2 weeks. The other side was i got acne when I came OFF it, and had to see a dermatologist. On the up side No period (1 day spot) No pms, no cramps, no moodiness.

As far as weight loss I was 178 , before MFP & 5'8.5 height I struggled for 2 yrs to lose weight and now that Im down to 158 I have to say it was NOT the birth control it was STRESS , I too had my thyroid checked out it was normal. but the biggest STRESS in my life was my Job. Not everyone is in a situation where they can just up and quit but my health comes first and so I did started a new job that was probably even more stressful plus a longer commute, had just moved to a new place and had a miscarriage.

Then the other STRESS was working out TOO much, I was going way over my Heart RATE range for my age, just because I thought it was OK to be Panting, dizzy, out of breathe, but for my lifestyle - Sedentary - I should of started working on my endurance and work my way up, as a result I was releasing the STRESS hormone Cortisol(check spelling) which was preventing me from losing weight. :sad:

I lost 20 lbs, it took 1.5yrs to lose just 7lbs, but once I changed those factors I manage to lose 13lbs just in the last 3 mths. Average calories 1200 - 1400. Last year I could not get below 1600, since I reduced starch its been easier.

I use to be a VEGETARIAN, I have since STOPPED, I was doing more damage since I was OVERcompensating with Soy, Fake meat (GLuten), Tofu (still processed), Starch, rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, etc Your body NEEDS PROTEIN , its the Quality of the food thats important(Local and/or organic)....even more when trying to lose weight if you cut out the MEAT how have you replaced your recommended daily amount????

I am not a big MEAT eater but I love Salmon, eggs, greek yogurt, high protein hemp , Nut butters , and Seeds. I REDUCED STARCH, not carbs, Vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts and seeds are Good carbs. I did this mainly because I feel I have a gluten intolerance, but since you already cut processed food this may not be your main concern.

Hope you find some help in this really long post, but I am very passionate about this and I have struggled from stress related weight issues most of my adult life and I think I finally found something that works for me.

So evaluate your PROTEIN, STRESS, Environmental Factors, Target Heart Rate. Good Luck:flowerforyou:

Stress does not make you gain weight, nor does cortisol. If anything, stress will cause you to binge eat, which will cause you to gain weight but in and by itself, it doesn't. Many of us have stressful jobs and still make to lose weight through meticulous logging of calories. The issue here is the OP does not accurately log her calories or consistently log them. That is the reason she is failing. Also, target heart rate has no effect on weight loss too.. that is a myth. A calorie deficit is the only thing required to lose weight. Exercise will increase your fitness and allow you to eat more calories and potentially maintain or reduce the amount of lean body mass lost (through protein and resistance training).