am I odd?

tinareet

Hiya,

I have been trying to lose the same 25-30lbs for about a year now. I know that to maintain my weight I can eat up to approx 1700cals, So I thought to lose approx 1 lb a week I could eat at 1200cals, this didn't work, I just stayed the same weight. So after about 2 months of doing that I tried eating 1400-1500cals(which is my BMR) and exercising approx 3-4 times a week burining approx 400 cals each time. Tried this for about 2 months again and nope nothing, diddly squat. So out of desperation I tried 800-1000cals to eat, and I started losing just under a 1 lb a week on this.I have just started I exercising again because I miss my zumba classes so on those days I eat 1000-1200cals.
Does this make me odd that I can only lose weight eating less than 1200cals?
My current weight is 150lbs and my GW is 125lbs, and my height is 5'5 and I'm 21. I feel like i might be doing something wrong, belows an example of what I probably eat in a day.
B: porridge with whole milk and cinnamon or if im in a rush a small tin of fruit in fruit juice or water
S: 2 rice cakes
L: jacket potato and tuna or whole wheat pasta and some cheese
S: an apple
Chicken stew with lots of veg and pulses(homemade in slowcooker) or salmon with roasted veg
S: 50g lemon sorbet
And normally at weekend I'll allow myself a cheat meal and I drink 6-7 glasses of water a day(more if i exercise) and I take a multivitamin after breakfast
Any advice is welcome
Xxx

bugnbeansmom

Please have your thyroid checked. I have a lot of the same issues and my thyroid is surely an issue for me. There are other signs but this is a big one! Just a few signs to look for: fatique (not sleepy but really fatiqued), memory issues (can't remember where you put your keys, forget one time appointments, things just slipping you mind), any hair loss, short temper, depression like symptoms etc.

So no you are not odd, but you want to get this checked out!

Starrotts

i found i could not cheat for awhile till i lost at least 8 pounds and then be careful...i try to stay under 1200 cals and dont eat my exercise cals..its taken my 3 months to lose 8 pounds ..its just the way it is for some of us...

paleonyx

Since you only have a small amount of weight to lose you should be eating closer to your BMR calories, but exercising more. I read that you should be doing more weight resistance exercises the closer you get to your goal weight. at 5'5" your body may not WANT to get down to 125, especially if you have a lot of muscle tone. You could have your body fat measured to figure out an appropriate goal weight and then up your workouts to 5-6 times per week with weights.

Atlantique

Hiya,

I have been trying to lose the same 25-30lbs for about a year now. I know that to maintain my weight I can eat up to approx 1700cals, So I thought to lose approx 1 lb a week I could eat at 1200cals, this didn't work, I just stayed the same weight. So after about 2 months of doing that I tried eating 1400-1500cals(which is my BMR) and exercising approx 3-4 times a week burining approx 400 cals each time. Tried this for about 2 months again and nope nothing, diddly squat. So out of desperation I tried 800-1000cals to eat, and I started losing just under a 1 lb a week on this.I have just started I exercising again because I miss my zumba classes so on those days I eat 1000-1200cals.
Does this make me odd that I can only lose weight eating less than 1200cals?
My current weight is 150lbs and my GW is 125lbs, and my height is 5'5 and I'm 21. I feel like i might be doing something wrong, belows an example of what I probably eat in a day.
B: porridge with whole milk and cinnamon or if im in a rush a small tin of fruit in fruit juice or water
S: 2 rice cakes
L: jacket potato and tuna or whole wheat pasta and some cheese
S: an apple
Chicken stew with lots of veg and pulses(homemade in slowcooker) or salmon with roasted veg
S: 50g lemon sorbet
And normally at weekend I'll allow myself a cheat meal and I drink 6-7 glasses of water a day(more if i exercise) and I take a multivitamin after breakfast
Any advice is welcome
Xxx

Well, that diet is 90% carbs, so that may well be part of the problem!

Your poor body is in a constant state of protein deprivation and high insulin response. Insulin tells your body to STORE FAT. Your nearly 100% carb diet is not allowing you to lose weight.

At 150lbs, you should be getting AT LEAST 75g of protein per day. If you can get that in, your carbs will naturally decrease and things should start moving.

hpsnickers1

You are losing weight but you are losing quite a bit of muscle mass. Calorie restriction and cardio exercise cause lean muscle mass loss along with fat loss. That muscle mass is what makes and increases our metabolism and our metabolism is what burns fat during rest and normal daily activity. The weight loss will slow and possibly stall because your metabolism will slow down.


http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TPAdaptation.html (please ignore the website push. I like the way he explains things. And the site has more very interesting articles).

The law of unintended consequences

Your body is an amazing feedback system aimed at balance and survival. Humans are at the top of the food chain because they are able to adapt to their environment. Every action produces a reaction. Every change in its environment triggers a survival response. It's important to keep that in mind when you plan your fitness program. If you treat your body as an enemy to be conquered, you'll produce unintended results.

For example, if you severely cut off the supply of food to your body, it will defend itself by slowing down its metabolism to survive starvation. The body will shed muscle mass the same way that you would throw cargo from a plane that was low on fuel, and it will reduce its thyroid activity to conserve energy. The body will also actually defend its fat stores. In anorexia, muscle loss can be so profound that fat as a percentage of body weight actually rises. Extreme carbohydrate restriction also causes muscle loss, dehydration, and slower metabolism, which is why even successful Atkins dieters can have a significant rebound in weight after they stop the diet (don't worry – the advice on this site will prevent that from happening).

As another example, if you put your body under stress through overexertion and lack of sleep, it will respond by slowing down, reducing muscle growth, and increasing your appetite for junk food, carbohydrates and fat. If you feed your body excessive amounts of sugar and quickly digested carbohydrates, and it will shut off its ability to burn fat until those sugars are taken out of the bloodstream.

This website will show you how to work with your body to quickly produce the changes you want. In order to do that, you need to take actions that push your body to adapt – to build strength, burn fat, and increase fitness. You need a training program, not an exercise routine. You need a nutrition plan, not a diet. You need a challenge, not a few good habits you usually try to follow except when you don't.
Setting the right goal

John Dewey once said that a problem well-stated is half-solved. If you want to reach your goal, you have to define it correctly. See, a lot of people say “I want to lose weight.” Well, if losing weight is your goal, go on a no-carb diet. You'll lose a lot of weight – some of it will be fat, a lot of it will be water, and a dangerous amount will be muscle tissue. You'll lose weight quickly, but you'll slow your metabolism and gain fat more quickly once you go off the diet. Trust me on this. I've been there, done that.

The problem is that you've set the wrong goal. If you want to look better, have more energy and enjoy better health, the goal is not simply to “lose weight.” The goal is to improve your fitness level and body composition. That means losing fat, improving your aerobic capacity, training your strength and defending your muscle tissue. You can't do that with a no-carb diet. You will do it using the approach you'll learn on this website. Trust me on this one too. I know what it's like to feel fat, tired and helplessly out of shape. The whole point of this site is to help others avoid that, by sharing lessons that I had to learn the hard way.

jk051861

A goal of 125 pounds for 5'5" is a bit low, I think. 130 - 135 pounds would be quite reasonable. As another responder commented, muscle weighs more than fat for the same space, so you could easily weigh more but be the same size as someone else. it just depends on your body composition.