Rapidly losing heart.

miriamtorason

Okay, here's the lowdown.

At the onset of puberty (~14), I went from a size 6 to a size 10. Within 3 years, I was a size 16, capping out at a high point of 22/24 around age 30.

While pregnant with my son, I lost approximately 45/50 pounds. Within eight weeks of delivery, it had all come back. I currently am sitting oddly in an 18 (it's a hips/thighs/stomach thing - nothing fits all three right!).

Being pregnant has been the ONLY WAY I have lost any significant amount of weight in the last ~20 years.

Then I started here. Tracking calories told me I was drinking most of them via PepsiCo, and as far as real food, I was taking in maybe 900-1000 daily, with a grand sum total of all calories consumed of about 1200. So, of course, I rejoice. I've *found* my problem! I'm not eating enough! This is wonderful news, now I can fix the problem, and get to a point where I feel worth something again! HOORAY!

Week one, only four days long, but I tried really hard, I stayed close to calorie counts no matter how I have to get them in, I exercised, and I was THRILLED. I'd lost 1.6# in my abbreviated week! I could TOTALLY do this!

Now, I'm on week two. I weighed in today, and am going to try it again tomorrow in the hopes that I'm having a weird day. Why? Because today the scale told me that despite spending the last week with an average of 50cal under, exercising six days a week for more than three times the goal in both time and calories... the scale says I gained back that 1.6 pounds... AND 2.4 in friends.

It's possible that it's a sugar thing. I'm over on sugar daily, as by the time I get to after-dinner, the only way I can find to get the 500 cal I'm inevitably under into me is with something fizzy and sugary. If I eat any more, there will be no point to having eaten it, as it WILL come right back up. I'm within reason (which is to say I average within about 10g of goal) on my fats, and I'm already hitting a point of "See? No matter what I do, I'm stuck this size." I don't get it, I don't want it, and I'm bored of this. I'm not sure if it's better for me to be under in calories by triple digits to stay close on sugar, or if it's better to blow sugars to kingdom come to try to get within single digits of calorie goal.

Basically, all the TL;DR there sums up to be:

I've been fat since puberty. Having a baby, I lost a lot of weight that came right back. I'm working hard, and really trying, Why Am I Gaining?

BeautifulScarsWECHANGED

Are you drinking enough water? Also, are you eating back your exercise calories? Those are two things that come to mind. If you're eating 1,200 calories a day, but not eating back your exercise calories you're coming in under which slows your metabolism.

Also, if there's any way to kick the soda habit, that will definitely help!

FaeFae

to get my extra calories in I eat 1/3 cup of raw almonds. Im not sure of how many sugars they have compared to what you are eating that is sugary. They are super healthy though as long as you dont eat too many!!

FaeFae

you should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces!! (water) As for the eating back your calories that you burned everyone on here says you have to although my personal trainer said NO!!!

BeautifulScarsWECHANGED

to get my extra calories in I eat 1/3 cup of raw almonds. Im not sure of how many sugars they have compared to what you are eating that is sugary. They are super healthy though as long as you dont eat too many!!

Exactly! Almonds are a GREAT way to add healthy calories. I do the same thing. 28 almonds = approx 160 calories.

HMKan

How's your sodium? Sugar and sodium make a big difference. So does, I've found to my dismay, drinking diet sodas that have no calories. It's also possible that your working out is producing muscle which weighs more. You need to take your measurements. Sometimes that's better to go by than the scale. I weight myself daily (which a lot of people on here seem to disagree about) and I record my measurements once a week. Short of a medical issue, science does not allow for taking in less calories than you expend and NOT losing weight. If it persists after a few weeks (more than just 1 or 2), then maybe get checked out with a doctor just to make sure all is well. Good luck and don't give up! We all are here to rely on each other. It WILL happen. Sometimes it just doesn't happen in the timing we want (which is a lesson I am still trying to learn).

cjnorman

How much protein are you getting? Try adding protein or replacing carbs snacks with protein snacks. You might also not want to weigh yourself every day or even every week. Give yourself a break and a chance to make progress. Remember you want to change how to eat for life not just for a few months.

TarotTrish

Soda water with a dash of lime or orange juice is a great replacement for soda as it has the bubbles but no calories... doesnt work all the time... but i use to drink LOADS of fizzy drinks a day maybe about a liter and now i dont anymore...hope this helps!!

motherhippo

Also remember that muscle weighs much more than fat. So if you are exercising a lot you may be gaining muscle. You may want to try measuring yourself to see if there is an inches difference.

BeautifulScarsWECHANGED

you should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces!! (water) As for the eating back your calories that you burned everyone on here says you have to although my personal trainer said NO!!!

Yes yes, this is a heated subject, but at this point it sure can't hurt to try it.

MsFitnFabulous

Don't give up just yet. You have to stick with it. Those roughly 4 lbs could be water, or maybe a bm waiting to happen. Or it could have been the clothes you had on. Give it 30 days and then see. Worse case scenario, you don't do anything and stay the same. I've been over 200 lbs since 12 so I totally feel your pain. I topped off at 328...now that's a big girl lol. But I have faith I can do this, once and for all. I'm worth it to be healthy and this I haven't tried yet, but you can bet I won't throw in the towel after one day.

miriamtorason

Puberty came and brought a period with it at about two months shy of 15. By the time I was 17, I had gone from about 115 (or so) to 175. Then the yo-yo dieting cycles brought in another bunch of pounds. I've been going back and forth with this for the last 12 years (minimum) and have consistently been within the same fifteen pound range (233-220) for all that time BUT for the time I was pregnant with my son. The week after he was born, I was approximately 170#, and gained every last lost pound (~50 of them!) in seven weeks. I have no idea how or why.

I do eat back my activity calories, on the theory that if I've been eating So Far Under for so long, I probably need them to help bring my metabolism back on track. Water... I do try. But I do know there is very likely no realistic chance that I will take in 110 ounces of water daily. I don't drink that much in a day even if all my beverages are combined.

These first couple weeks, I've been watching what I'm doing, and using all that to try to sort out what I need to do grocery-list wise. Almonds, being so highly recommended, will certainly be right up on the list - I need to find ways to bump calories without bumping sugars. However, even trying to boost calories with soda is a significant decrease from what I would usually intake, so... still at a bit of a loss there. ^_^

I really don't expect to lose weight by the bucketful. Honestly, I don't. But gaining five pounds in a week? That just hurts. Giving up? No. But disheartened? After spending the past while doing a couch to 5k on Th/Sa/M and both 200 sit-ups and 100 push-ups on F/Su/Tu... Yeah, a gain like that is sort of like a punch in the gut after so much work. I'm not planning to stop trying, not at all. I'm just trying to sort out why it is that I'd lose like woah in the first week, then gain back-plus-near-double in the second, and still keep motivated, you know?

darlachristine

Everybody's body is different, you have to see what works for you. I know no matter how under my calories I am if I drink soda I gain weight so it's a no-no for me (not only that it is terribly unhealthy for you and my main goal is to stay healthy) Don't be discouraged it may take some time but if you're exercising and staying within calorie goals by eating the right foods you will lose weight. I think the key is healthy foods, I believe it's detrimental not only how MUCH you eat but WHAT you eat.. Sometimes it's not as quick as we'd like but word is that slower is better for the long term and keeping it off. Some suggestions are, more fiber, more water, limit sodium intake, if you're going to eat all your calories (even exercise) try more calories at meals~ instead of soda~ or have a smoothie. Have you considered clean eating? thegraciouspantry.com is a great place for info on that.

dlaplume2

It is really hard to work all week and not see a result on the scale. It sounds like you are trying real hard. I think if you have been up and down with dieting, your metabolism isn't sure what to make of the change right now. Make sure you are eating well balanced calories spread out over the day. Make sure you are getting enough protien.
I started the C25K last week and I noticed a difference in my legs when I went to shave them. Have you noticed a difference in how you feel both physically and mentally.
Try almonds, greek yogurt has calories but not a lot of sugars, oat meal. I make omletts with one whole egg and 2 egg whites, use whole grains,

I think you should give a few solid weeks even a month for your metabolism to right itself. If that doesn't work print your food journal and take it to your doctor. Maybe you do have a medical problem. If you bring him your food journal with the exercise tracked he can see exactly what he is dealing with.
Best wishes. I hope it works out.

esteemacalm

I know the feeling, we want to be skinny right now!!! All this waiting around and not being able to eat the fun stuff for days at a time (days which feel like months!) and for what...still fat!!?? I don't know why you're gaining. Since you have been exercising so much, perhaps you have gained some muscle. I have heard that gaining muscle during a period of fat loss actually makes the scale INCREASE instead of decrease.

Don't lose faith. Staying on track will pay off. I have lost weight and gained it all back, and the journey back to being slimmer is a long, tedious, boring, hair pulling, nerve wracking, I-want-to-be-done -with-this-already (!) journey.

I want to be skinny, I want to look cute in my clothes and turn heads. I want to look sexy in a pair of jeans, and I want it all today!! NOW! But it does not work that way, I'm about 270 pounds and I have to stick with it even on bad days to see results, just like you do. Stick with it and you will see results. We all have bad days and feel like giving up, you're not alone.

What you are doing will work if you don't give up.

miriamtorason

I'll check out the gracious pantry - is there another name for clean eating? That's one I haven't stumbled across.

At this point, I know I have issues with protein, and I definitely need to eat more through the day (as I'm making it to dinnertime with 1000+ calories available to me) so that I'm not trying to devour as much as I can fit in the last meal.

The other consideration I have is that we are a dairy-free household, so it's often difficult to find snack foods that will work. Again, probably something that will work out in time or with looking into gracious pantry, but, still a point of consideration.

miriamtorason

(oops, duplicate post)

modestyblaise

You are chronically undernourished! Now that you are feeding your body an adequate amount of calories you are gaining weight- but follow through - you WILL lose weight if you stick with 30 mins of physical activity daily plus a good balanced diet. Just be careful that you are not overexerting yourself so early as this will deplete your muscle glycogen stores (which will make you lose 'water' weight, however when your muscles are fed they replace glycogen and you'll stack on the 'water' weight with it)

I am a student Dr so in my head it all makes sense.. but here's an article that explains the theory quite eloquantly!

This article was posted back in 2008 here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

It's a long read but worth it:

Good luck!


Living With Obesity At 700 Calories Per Day!
By: David Greenwalt

I want you to consider a common female client. She's a woman about 5'5" and 185 pounds. A combination of a mostly sedentary lifestyle, quick-fix, processed foods and consistent excessively low calories has resulted in an incredibly stubborn fat loss scenario. Not only has it created a stubborn fat loss scenario but her ability to add body fat is remarkably strong.

Most would believe there is simply no possible way she could be 185 pounds eating mostly low calories. While it's true the average obese American created their own obesity by being a huge over consumer, a sedentary glutton if you will, many are able to maintain their level of obesity with the following formula in very precise ratios: starvation + binges + sedentary lifestyle.

An initial review of this woman's calories indicates she is just above starvation level in the 400-700 per day range. The food choices are mostly protein in this case (low-carb is all the rage you know) and there are virtually no vegetables or fruits to speak of.

Five or six days per week the calories remain low in this range, however, there are nighttime binges from time to time and weekend binges where carbs loaded with fat (doughnuts, rolls, cookies, pizza etc.) are consumed.

So while the calories are very low the majority of the time, there are one to two days per week where this isn't always the case. Even so, the nighttime binges and weekend slack offs don't amount to what you might presume would be thousands of extra calories, thus explaining the 185-pound body weight.

Very few foods are prepared from home. There are lots of fast foods being consumed. Convenience and taste rule.

I must say. Early on in my coaching and teaching career this woman was a real head scratcher for me. Isn't it calories in and calories out? Even if she's not active she's starving!

How in the heck does she stay at 185 eating an average, including all binges, of maybe 750 calories per day? She's frustrated beyond belief. She sees her friends and coworkers eating more and weighing less. Is she simply unlucky? Is everyone else blessed? And what in the world is she supposed to do to fix this, if it can be fixed?


Why Is She Not Losing Weight?


First, let me tell you why she's not losing weight. Then I'll tell you what she has to do to fix the situation. With a chronic (months and months) intake of less than 1000 calories per day and a 185-pound body weight her metabolism is suffering greatly. It's running cool, not hot. It's basically running at a snail's pace.

Think of it this way. Her metabolism has matched itself to her intake. She could, indeed, lose body fat but she's in that gray area where she is eating too few calories but not quite at the concentration-camp level yet.

If she were to consume 100-300 calories per day her body would have virtually no choice but to begin liberating stored body fat. This is NOT the solution. It's unhealthy and, in fact, quite stupid.


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Not only has her metabolism matched her intake, her body has maximized production of enzymes that are designed to help store any additional calories as fat. Anytime additional, immediately-unnecessary calories are consumed the enzymes are there and waiting to store the additional calories as fat. Her body is starved nutritionally and it has one thing on its mind - survival.

Being mostly sedentary, her metabolism (hormones play a large role here) can do a pretty good job of keeping things slow enough so that the pathetically low calories she's consuming are just enough to maintain.

But since certain enzymes are elevated, waiting for more calories so more bodyfat can be stored, every nighttime binge or weekend mini-feast will contribute to fat stores.

So on the days she's not bingeing her body does not lose fat, or if it does, it's very little. And on the few days or times she does binge a bit her body is quite efficient at storing fat. So, while she may lose a smidge of fat from starving it is quickly replaced with every binge.

Remember, these binges aren't a gluttonous 4000-calorie feast. Oh no, a binge might be 4-5 cookies worth about 500-700 calories. Nevertheless, since the binge foods are mostly carbs and fat it's very easy for the enzymes to shuttle the dietary fat into stored body fat. It's what they were designed to do.


So, What's The Solution?


Well then, now that we presumably know some valid reasons why she's not seeing a scale change and definitely no body fat change how do we fix her? We have to do something she's going to freak out over.

We have to get her eating more. Not only do we have to get her eating more but more of the right, whole foods need to be eaten. Foods lower in fat that aren't as easily STORED as body fat have to be consumed. And we have to warn her.

A Discouraging Start


We have to warn her that since she's been sedentarily living on protein with binges of carbs and fats she is likely to see a weight gain right away. It's true.
Once we begin really feeding her body with nutritious carbohydrates so she can become more active, her glycogen-depleted body will hang on to some of those carbohydrates (in skeletal muscle and liver) so she has stored energy for activity.

When her body hangs on to those carbohydrates it has no choice but to hang on to more water too. For every gram of glycogen (stored carbs) she stores she'll hang on to three grams of water.

This is not a negative response by the body but it will be interpreted by her as quite negative when she steps on the scale.

It's quite likely she'll see a five to seven pound weight gain when she really starts eating properly again. This weight gain will remain for one to three weeks before it starts moving in the other direction.

For argument's sake let's assume my Calorie Calculator and Goal Setter at Club Lifestyle suggests a 1500-calorie per day average in week one for a one-pound loss per week. First, she is going to freak out about this many calories.

For months she's been eating less than 1000 and usually around 400-700 in one to three feedings total per day. To her 1500 calories is a ton of food. And if she even begins to eat less fast and packaged-foods it will be a ton of food.

There is no doubt whatsoever that she will resist the increase. This resistance may take one to three weeks to overcome. During this period no weight loss will occur. She is too fat already in her mind and believes it will only hurt her to increase her food intake.

I mean, after all, isn't that how she got fat to begin with? In her early stages of fat gain this was probably true. She overconsumed. But as I've said already, that's not why she's staying heavy.

In addition to a freaked-out mindset about adding more food to her already overfat body she will simply find that it's all but impossible to eat four or more times per day.

She's just not hungry at first. Makes sense when you think about it. Why would she be hungry three hours after eating a 300-calorie, balanced breakfast? Her body is used to 400-700 calories per day!

So, even though she gets a plan and begins using my nutrition analyzer to log foods and meals she finds after having a balanced breakfast of 250 calories she couldn't force herself to eat meal number two on time.

It'll take several more days of realizing what is going on and being one-hundred percent honest and diligent with her logging and planning before she begins to eat her meals as planned no matter what - even if she's not hungry.

By now two to four weeks have passed and the only thing she's seen on the scale is it going up--not very encouraging if I say so myself.

Raising The Grade


After the first two to four weeks have passed she's probably beginning to consume her meals as planned although not quite like an "A" student yet. That is coming. She feels better because she's working out and is more active.
And she feels like she has more energy throughout the day because she's feeding her body more calories and the right kinds of calories.

She has finally begun eating the right kinds of fast foods (low in fat, moderate in protein) and less packaged food overall. She is making more meals from home and taking them to work for lunch rather than always grabbing something quick from a vending machine or the break room that always has some treat another employee brought in.

After another two weeks or so she's moved from a "B" grade to more consistent "A"s. She's planning her days one day ahead in the Nutrition Analyzer; she's consuming fresh veggies and fruits on a daily basis.

Her calories are almost ALWAYS in line with what is recommended by my Lean Account and she has seen her first signs of the scale moving in the right direction.

She is now dropping from 190 pounds (her high after reintroducing food and carbohydrates again) to 189.3! "Progress at last!" she says. In actuality, the entire process was progress. But that's not how she saw it in the beginning.






With a total of two to four weeks of increased caloric intake behind her and eating more consistently the right kinds of foods her metabolism has truly begun to rebound.

She didn't kill it as she thought. She only wounded it. And since our metabolisms are like kids (they are quite resilient) and she doesn't have thyroid issues or diabetes or any known wrench that could be thrown into the spokes of fat loss, she will begin, for the first time in months or years, to see results that make sense and that one would expect of someone who is active (30-60 minutes five or more days per week) and consuming a caloric intake of 1300-1500 calories per day.


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Avoiding Sabotage


This process is in no way easy. I think you can see a plethora of ways it could be screwed up, sabotaged, given up on too early and so forth.
A key to success for this very common woman (men too) is not giving up too soon, having faith in the fix, and moving sooner rather than later to the increased, quality food intake.

It's going to take effort to overcome the mental hurdles of eating more food as well as the increase in scale weight that is going to occur in weeks one to three or so. It's disheartening, however, to charge hard down the weight-loss field only to get to the one-yard line and decide it's time to quit.



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Many don't realize they only had one more yard to go and they'd have had a touchdown. You gotta hang in there with this plan. It's going to take some time for the glycogen levels to be replenished and level out. It's going to take some time for mental adjustments to occur.
It's going to take some time before hunger signals are restored to anything close to normal. It's going to take time for the metabolism to rebound and not be in its protective mode.

Giving A Stubborn Body The Message


In certain, very stubborn cases, it may be necessary to eat at a eucaloric (maintenance) or hypercaloric (over maintenance) level for a few weeks to ensure the metabolism does get the signal that everything is alright and you aren't going to kill the body.
Remember, your body could care less about your desire for fat loss. It just wants to survive.


Some Take-Home Points



The most common cause of obesity is Americans are sedentary overeaters/drinkers. Nothing in this article should be construed as to say that under eating is the root cause of obesity. It's not.

It IS common for many men and women to be under eating with sporadic binges as I described here. This creates a perfect environment for continued obesity even if total caloric intake is quite low on average.

Low-carb followers or "starvers" WILL see the scale go up when calories are consumed at reasonable levels again and carbohydrates are reintroduced. Live with it. Deal with it. It's going to happen. 98% of the gain will be water.

The time it takes for mental acceptance and other adjustments to occur will vary but one should expect a two to four week window for these things to take place. Being forewarned with an article like this may speed this process up some.

Once the right types of foods are consumed and the right caloric intake is consumed and the right ratios of carbohydrates, proteins and fats are consumed on a consistent basis, then, and only then, will metabolism begin to be restored and the key to fat loss be inserted into the lock with a noticeable drop in the scale resulting.
This may take an additional two to four weeks to occur. Your metabolism is never dead or broken for good. But it may take several weeks of proper eating and activity for it to be restored.


From day one, until the first, noticeable drop in the scale occurs may be four to six weeks--maybe one to two weeks longer. Those who give up on the one-yard line will never see the scale drop as will occur when intelligent persistence and consistency over time are adhered to.
David Greenwalt

Serenity79

What a fantastic article. It was like I was reading about myself! I will come back to this any time I'm starting to doubt myself. :flowerforyou: Thank you

LM_105

Extremely interesting post above. I hope that provides lots to encourage you to stick at it (along with all the other posts).

Well done for taking the first steps, remember, as so many people have said on this site

"if you always do what you have always done..... you will always get what you have always got".

You have already identified the sugary issue and this sounds a very sensible first thing to tackle, just let it go. It will be hard but I went from cakes, sweets and chocolate several times a day to zero when I joined a few weeks ago. I felt awful for a couple of days, it was like withdrawal but it made me reaslise how 'hooked' on sugar I must have been. It isn't easy but it is worth it.

The possibility for change is there, take it slow and steady, be kind to yourself.

Good luck!