I am not losing, what am I doing wrong?

LosingJenn

I am being told two different things by two different nutritionists. My Dr is confused, my personal trainer says stick with it and things will happen, but so far nothing...

I started out in January going from not tracking anything to eating about 2000 calories on average a day. I was not losing at this point I was swimming and running 3 days a week.

I saw a nutritionist at my Dr's referral. She said to drop my calories so I did to 1600-1800. After about 3 months I was still not losing weight so she said drop the calories again this time I dropped to 1200-1400 calories with an average of 1300 and I added in strength training to my cardio, stopped swimming because of some hormone imbalance issues that made it impossible to go into the water.

Currently been doing the 1200-1400 calories for 2 months and still not losing. I am working out with a personal trainer and we are doing interval training 3 days a week I walk one day and do cardio and yoga one day, but I want to add swimming back in if my hormone imbalance stays in check.
Dr had my thyroid checked because he said on paper I am doing everything I need to do in order to lose, but the scale is not moving.

Met with an different nutritionist who says I am not getting enough calories and that is why I am not losing.

I thought this was supposed to be a simple calories in < calories out = weight loss, but this is proving to be very confusing and frustrating. I can't say I have not lost anything but since January it has been 7 pounds and that is less than 1 pound per month and my goal is 2 pounds a week.

Larius

You need to be using a tape measure. Scales lie. Tape measures don't.

We can't see your diary, which limits our ability to help. It is a setting in MFP.

MikeSEA

Scales lie, but I don't think they lie that much with that situation. If you're seeing a doctor, trainer and multiple nutritionists, I'm not sure anyone here is qualified (if for no other reason than we don't have all the facts) to give substantial help.

The only advice I can give is that perhaps you need a second opinion from a different doctor?

Alchemiss11

You might also want to consider purchasing a calorie counter of some sort.... It's not for everyone but I personally like knowing how many calories I'm actually burning (or atleast a rough estimate). I use the bodybugg which I find to work nicely but once again, it's not for everyone. It's just another option you may want to consider. There are many devices out there too so you are not only limited to the bodybugg if it is something you do want to try.

Good luck!

MaryStregger

Hi - for me, I find that it's not just about how many calories, but what kind of calories they are. I have to stick to eating at least some protein with every snack and meal and all my grains are whole grains. I try to avoid drinking any of my calories (ie. pop or booze) except for the visalus smoothie that I have for breakfast. I also avoid processed food whenever possible. I recommend educating yourself with literature on dieting as well - I have taken cues from many different authors, although I never take one book as gospel truth, but take bits of everything and make it work for me.

Also, at least you're losing. You're not gaining, and there is something to be said for that - especially if you are having hormonal issues. Hopefully you will get some good medical advice on that and get it sorted out, because trying to lose while that's going on may feel a lot like banging your head against a wall. But don't give up!

lanenalatina

I am with you I am on the same boat as you very frustraded and comfuse too. I can't wait to see what people have to say. :sad: :sad:

MIMITIME

For me, following MFP to a t works better without outside interferences. I am sure you have entered weight, height and activity level and seen what MFP reccomends calorie wise plus adding your calories back in from exercise. You may not be eating enough. I have a thyroid problem which is part of why I gained 40 pounds. Nothing worked for me until I found MFP and I am on track with my one pound a week. Also, like others said, you may have to track your success with a measuring tape instead of scales.

ygiron

Did you get your thyroid results? Because that could very well be it. It really is as simple as calories in and calories out so their must be something going on with you biologically. I would not rest until figuring out what that is exactly. Maybe your hormone imbalance is contributing to the problem? (just a thought).... Also did you track when you lost the weight and what you were doing at that time. If yes, stick to the routine that lead to more weight loss.

I understand why one of your nutritionists said to drop the calories. And I also understand why the other said the calories where to low.
If to high and you're not burning them then there is no deficit=no lose
If to low than your body goes into starvation mode=no lose
Its confusing. Try tracking your food intake for a couple of days but only eat when you are hungry. Eat healthy and dont go over or under the 1200-2000 mark. Take your average calorie consumption and decrease it by 10%. This might help you get a better idea of what your calorie intake should be.

Hope this helps, good luck!
DONT GIVE UP!

cag1127

I don't know if you are drinking diet soda, if you are stop...i lost 15 of my lbs just doing that, then I started actually counting my calories and have lost the other 22 that way. A friend of mine lost 171lbs by quitting pop and drinking water. Water is my best friend. Also common sense eating keep plugging away! And I agree use a tape measure, muscle weighs more than fat, so that alone could be your scales confusion!

Espressocycle

The nutritionist would probably disagree, but it might be worth trying an Atkins-type diet. A friend of mine had the same problem as you, but finally lost weight by eating nothing but chicken. Not a healthy balanced diet, but it was the only thing that ever got her weight down. Of course, eventually she just decided to be fat and fit, so she just kept exercising and ate a normal balanced diet.

bcattoes

It should be about calories in calories out when you have a lot to lose. Once you are down to the last few lbs eating more may help (though, honestly, that's never been my experience). Are you sure of your calorie counts? Do you measure your food?

FitMissVicky

Are you eating enough protein? I have found the combination of calorie reduction (on the advice of my doc and after metabolic testing I am at 1800 calories a day) combined with increasing the frequency of meals and snacks as well as increased protein has made the difference for me.

So my program is: 1800 calories max total. 3 meals and 3 snacks a day (evening snack is optional). Eat every 2-3 hours. Make sure I have protein every time. Measuring helps a lot in determining more precisely the calories I am taking in. I do not eat back exercise calories.

I've lost about 16 lbs so far. And that is with inconsistent exercise.

kdseibel

You said Hormone Imbalance . . . if it is PCOS that makes losing weight extremely difficult. Your body can't properly process carbs and there is an overproduction of insulin. If this is the case, you need to focus on high protein foods. You don't want to avoid all carbs but I've noticed that the 230 carbs that MFP tells me to eat a day is WAY too much.

CoryIda

I posted this on your profile, too, but here's my advice after looking at your diary:

Up your fiber - A LOT (according to the Mayo Clinic, women under 50 should get a MINIMUM of 25 grams/day). Make sure you drink enough water, too, or the extra fiber will plug you up, if you know what I mean.

Up your protein on days you do a lot of exercise. I'm not a big fan of the low carb, high protein diet thing, but extra protein when you exercise is definitely a good thing.

And... watch your sodium intake. You have some good sodium days, but you have quite a few where you are consuming anywhere from 1000-2000 mg MORE sodium than you should, which makes you retain water and isn't good for you anyway.

So, to sum up - increase your fiber and protein, drink extra water, and watch your sodium intake.

And one more thing.... consume more fresh fruits and veggies and "real" food in general. Your body will thank you, regardless of what the scale says.

Your calorie intake seems pretty good, at least from my viewpoint, but those are some things you can work on.

LosingJenn

I made my food diary available.
I still have 70-80 pounds to lose.
I lost the first 40 with no exercise just dietary changes. I have added in exercise.
Dr just said too much male hormone and not enough female hormone, he did not actually diagnose PCOS, he said he would have to do more tests to confirm, but my guess is it is PCOS or at least similar as I know I have cysts and have had to have one very large softball sized one surgically removed.
My thyroid blood work came back in the normal range, although I have symptoms of low thyroid, but it could be the other hormone imbalance causing those symptoms. .

jabaa91

that is crazy!! i thought diet fizzy drinks were allowed, i go through loads of diet pepsi..will definitley stop and see if things improve!:)x

iElliie

I posted this on your profile, too, but here's my advice after looking at your diary:

Up your fiber - A LOT (according to the Mayo Clinic, women under 50 should get a MINIMUM of 25 grams/day). Make sure you drink enough water, too, or the extra fiber will plug you up, if you know what I mean.

Up your protein on days you do a lot of exercise. I'm not a big fan of the low carb, high protein diet thing, but extra protein when you exercise is definitely a good thing.

And... watch your sodium intake. You have some good sodium days, but you have quite a few where you are consuming anywhere from 1000-2000 mg MORE sodium than you should, which makes you retain water and isn't good for you anyway.

So, to sum up - increase your fiber and protein, drink extra water, and watch your sodium intake.

And one more thing.... consume more fresh fruits and veggies and "real" food in general. Your body will thank you, regardless of what the scale says.

Your calorie intake seems pretty good, at least from my viewpoint, but those are some things you can work on.

This is exactly how I'm looking at it. I've been on a rough path from age 18-20. I lost weight, which I was proud of, but just because you are eating the right amount of calories doesn't mean those calories are good for you. I highly recommend you to make your own food when able to, like many people have said, protein, especially Corylda about eating protein the days you do work out.

I'm not an expert, and none of us are. I do have a thyroid problem, it was the "I lose weight, gain twice back" kind of life that I was on for roughly 2 years. I started this 4 week diet since I was just eating anything processed and anything I can get my hands on... That being said I took this 4 week diet only to completely change the way my body was accustomed to, which wasn't good at all. I now cook everything I eat, drink more water (I rarely drank soda/pop but I loved my sweet tea) and once every day 8oz. of pure green tea with no sugar (I've gotten use to it) which is not that bad and I actually like. I do eat chicken most days except Sundays, Mondays & Thursdays... I've enjoyed eating salad every day, I switch as much as I can with my greens.

Pretty much is just about eating things that are homemade, you'll be able to control the sodium in things (which was one of my biggest problems) and its really delicious. How I look at it, your up on your feed doing something good for your body, not going out and hoping that what they give you is good for you. I do recommend to plan out your diary a few days before, even a week like I do. This isn't for sure going to make you lose those 2lbs each week, but your body will get into a rhythm of things and thank you.

Also be stress free as much as possible, relax when you need time. That's all I can give you as advice.

Larius

Now that I can see your diary, I can see that you are not eating enough. I don't know about before, but you are currently eating under 1200 Net Calories, which is the commonly accepted minimum for healthy weight loss. All week you have been at about 900-1000 Net Calories which no doctor or nutritionist should be recommending, and I doubt that they are. You should be seeing warnings from MFP that you aren't eating enough.

"American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women" http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/calorie-intake-to-lose-weight.php

ACSM == Doctors

tiggerbounce411

Sounds like in your case, you may need to measure your inches...Inches matter more than pounds in some people. You may be toning what you have and losing nothing weight wise in exchange. Measure your self once a week for the next cpl weeks and let us know. Also, make your diary public so we can help that way where food is concerned.

chuluotababe

Have you been tested for polycystic ovarian syndrome? It seems as if it's something that often goes overlooked by doctors unless you mention it. My old roommate tried to lose weight for 10 years and nothing worked. To say she tried every possible diet known to mankind was an understatement. At this point she started going to every doctor possible to find out if there was a medical reason for not being able to lose weight. After seeing an endocrinologist it was discovered she had this disorder. It mimics diabetes so she had to control her blood sugars with a medication (some big horse pill), diet, and exercise. Basically the doctor had her on a low carb, lean meat, nonstarchy veggie, limited fruit diet (no watermelon, pineapple, etc.). After 1 year she lost 100 lbs. It was amazing! The weight literally melted right off of her. For the first time in her life she started dating and going out. It was truly life changing for her. Good luck!

LosingJenn

I usually cook dinner and sometimes lunch but this semester has been a major pain, I have so much on my plate. I work full time, go to grad school, and have a family (3 kids). Just adding in exercise has been an inconvenience to my family and I feel guilty about it.

Here is my typical weekday schedule.
5:30 am- get up, shower, get dressed/ready for work
6:00 am (husband get up and gets the kids up, makes sure kids get shower and get dressed, takes dogs outside)
6:30 am- (husband gets in shower) I take over getting kids ready, packing their school lunches and backpacks, feeding them breakfast, I feed the dogs and cat
7:30 am out the door, to school carpool
8:00 am arrive at work
11:30 am -1:30 pm home for lunch, let dogs out
Monday 2:00 pm -5:00 pm class
6:00 pm workout with personal trainer
7:00 pm head home, let dogs out, cook dinner/eat dinner
8:00 pm get kids ready for bed, do laundry, house work, cleaning, homework, etc.
10:30 pm-midnight (depending on how much reading and homework) go to bed

Tuesday I work until 5 and then at 6 I have class until 9 so I do not work out
Wednesday and Thursday, I work until 5 but workout with my trainer like on Mondays
Friday I work until 5 and try to either go to the pool or do a cardio class at the gym or do cardio at home
Saturday and Sunday I sleep in and mostly do home work, clean, run errends, ect. I do try to get a formal workout of at least 30 minutes in but sometimes it just doesn't happen.

iElliie

A good thing to do is basically plan ahead, when grocery shopping, make a list that can be multiplied among yourself and your husband and kids. Make more food during dinner that can last you at least 3-5 days and snack on something that doesn't have to cooked, raw almonds are good, I generally eat only 1 fruit a day... Basically for a hectic life that you have, planning ahead of time is a life saver. Do get the family to eat what you eat, only because that keeps from making more food than needed (since time isn't what you have) and hopefully that helps with your busy schedule, NEVER GIVE UP THOUGH!

This might now help, but it'll help you with a calorie intake problem, hopefully the simplest thing does help, but you make sure with a doctor about the question "Why am I not losing weight?"

RedPepper39759

What about your sleep and stress level? Not getting enough sleep will mess up your hormone even more. When stress level is high, so will be your blood cortisol level. My Dr. checked my cortisol level at 8am and 4pm on the same day. And the numbers were almost the same, which was BAD! The one at 4pm should drop to close to zero. I have both issues plus insulin resistance from Type II Diabetes, which makes losing weight is so hard, or at least not as quick as I want it to be.

I can't take sleeping pills to force myself sleep because I have a 5 year old at home and I need to keep my ears open at night. It is hard to relax when working on a high pressured job (which I like, not hate). So, I just keep doing the "right" things and hope the WL thing will happen. If you lack of sleep, try and do something to change that; if your stress level is high, try and take a nap or just lay down at noon for about 15 minutes to help your body and mind relax.

Good luck! (I need that too.)

LosingJenn

Stress is a big part of things, since I am working full time, in grad school, dealing with the kids and husband and house, and general life issues. I am going to ask my Dr to check my cortisol levels and see what come up...I have been wanting to ask him to check them anyway.

bellawares

I was having the same problem as you about 6 years ago. I had been to a least 4 different nutritionists, worked with a personal trainer with no weight loss results. Everyone told me something different but nothing was working. On paper my doctor told me I looked like an athlete (Ya, right :noway: ). I spent years telling the HMO doctors that it was my thyroid but no one would listen to me :grumble: . Every time I could get a HMO doctor to test for hypothyroidism my results would be in the "normal" range. It wasn't until I read the book LIVING WELL WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM by Mary Shomon that I realized I needed to find a specialist that would test not only my T3 / T4 levels but also my T3 FREE / T4 FREE levels. I was put on Natures Thyroid immediately and have never looked back. Testing the T Free levels is key and most HMO doctors will not test this. If your lucky enough to have a doctor that will listen to you and test your T Free levels you may find that you are borderline hypothyroid and need to be on medication.

I agree with all of the responses you've received so far in that your diet could also be hindering you. I switched my eating habits to a nutrient dense ( mostly plant based) diet back in December 2011and have lost 62 lbs. I only wish I would have found MFP sooner. :sad:

Don't Give Up . . . . . persistence is the key