Suggestions needed, don't know what's wrong

cuerpito

Hello All! I've read many of the topic and discussions here but it's actually the first time I decided to write.

I am lost. Long story short: about 2 years ago I lost 35 lbs. I've been able to keep the weight until last December when I gained about 5 lbs. Since then I started dieting again and instead of losing, I gained another 5 lbs. I don't follow a particular diet other than watching calories. On a good day I eat about 1200 kcal and on a bad I go up to 1600 kcal. That hasn't helped at all, even though two years ago it was more than enough to lose. While I watched my diet, I never really exercised. 5 weeks ago I decided to change that and started p90x. Since starting the program I gained another pound and haven't lost any inches.

What could be wrong? I'm just so disappointed. I work out 60 - 90 minutes every day, I watch my calories and nothing - if anything - I gain. This week I decided to increase my protein intake and decrease carbs but nothing happened. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm just completely lost. I have a LOOONG way to go - I am 31 years old 5'7" tall and weigh 234. You would think that what I do would help me lose SOMETHING.

momma3sweetgirls

Have you had your thyroid checked?

JMJohnson1005

Are you eating your exercise calories back? If not, that is probably your problem.

ladyhawk00

Probably want to open your diary so folks can see where you might be able to improve things. :flowerforyou:

robin52077

best guess without being able to see your diary:
since you are doing P90X, I assume you are not eating ENOUGH.

1600 is not a BAD day, that's my LOW day.
You should probably do that DAILY.
I eat 1600-1800 at 5'2" 107 lbs., not including exercise

Surely at your height/weight, and doing P90X, you should be able to eat exactly what I eat and LOSE weight.

"Starvation mode" is a real thing, just widely misunderstood. You are likely experiencing some of its effects.

But like we said, seeing your diary would help a lot to diagnose the issue.

cuerpito

Thank you so much for your feedback! I'm a bit hesitant making my diary public just because I usually eat the same foods and I admit that I'm not diligent tracking the same foods every day. I promise to keep up the diary every day for the next week or two and then make it public, so at least you know what you're looking at.

My doctor did tell me that my thyroid was enlarged but claims that the test levels are coming back normal. Should I seek another opinion? The truth is that I constantly feel tired. I get 8-9 hours of sleep every night and I still have a hard time getting up and sometimes take naps after work.

My foods for the most part are:
Breakfast (7:50 am) - 100% whey protein shake - 1 scoop of shake mix and 1 cup of skim milk
When I get to work (8:15 am) - large coffee with milk
Lunch (12:30 pm) - either a salad with tuna/chicken/cottage cheese or a 6" veggie subway grinder with no cheese and no dressing
Dinner (6:00 pm) - some meat with salad (I do eat all kinds of meat) or a frozen dinner with salad - no dressing. Once/twice a week I'll eat a cup of rice or potato, or some corn tortillas - my husband is Mexican.
Snacks - I usually eat one snack right after coming from work (usually between 4 - 5 p.m.) it's either a granola bar, or a fruit, and I admit - sometimes a fun size Twix or KitKat.

Every now and then either my students or teachers bring cupcakes to celebrate someone's birthday and I will have one - that's the "bad" day I was talking about.

I exercise every day at 8:00 pm. Other than the coffee in the morning I drink plain water, flavored water, and a can of coke zero.

What would you suggest changing? I'm am so desperate, I'll listen to any advice.

THANK YOU ALL!!!

LisaKyle11

Believe me, I know this type of scenario.... my first guess is that you are not eating ENOUGH. Just your BMR is likely close to your 'bad day' calorie-wise... You may want to still consider opening up your diary. I was hesitant too, but it's worth it. It keeps me accountable. It's possible that you've lowered your metabolism.

cuerpito

I tried eating more but I end up gaining weight in a matter of days. I have once gained 6 pounds in one single day. It was my birthday and we went out to eat at a restaurant. I had a mean AND a dessert and gained 6 lbs! Believe me, I tried eating more but with very bad consequences. I promise to keep up my diary and ask you then for an opinion. I have never been a good diary keeper.

robin52077

It is not physically or scientifically POSSIBLE to gain 6 pounds in one day. A pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. Which means you would have to eat 21,000 calories OVER maintenance level (about 2000?), so a total of about 23,000 calories in one day.
You would probably have your heart give out due to the spike in blood sugar before you could consume that much.

What REALLY happened is that you were over your recommended sodium intake and probably a little dehydrated which causes you to retain water and be bloated. All you have to do is drink a ton of water and eat healthy low sodium food the next day and it is magically gone.Water is very heavy. A gallon weighs 8 pounds....

cuerpito

Robin, that's probably what happened but it wasn't my favorite experience. It took a long time to lose that. I looked at your diary and I'll try to mirror what you eat. It looks amazing - I can't believe you have the will and power to track every little thing. I'll be drawing some ideas from it, if you don't mind.

robin52077

Feel free to look and get ideas all you want, just remember that I am in maintenance.
I eat exactly what I need each day to stay the SAME weight. If I still wanted to lose I would eat about 200 cals less per day than I currently do.
You will notice that I eat different amounts every day too, some days only 1500, some days 2200-2300, with most being in the 1600-1700 range.
It is better to mix it up than to eat the SAME amount day after day.