New here - trying to figure out why I'm not losing!

icyazaleas

Hello,

I've been using this site for about two weeks now. I'm 31, and I had been using weight watchers for about 3 years. I started at 137 (5'4'') and eventually went down to 115 lbs. Since then, my weight has been slowly climbing. I started doing Jillian Michaels DVD's and definitely gained some muscle and was thrilled with 122 lbs for my June 18th wedding.


Immediately following my wedding, my weight climbed to 125lbs probably due to indulging a bit on the honeymoon. I quickly fell back into my old routine of weight watchers and circuit training. After my weight wasn't budging, I joined the gym and started running on the treadmill 3 days a week for an hour, and still somehow managed to gain three lbs. Now at 128 lbs, I no longer fit into any of my pants. I have an entire wardrobe for a size 2-4 person and now I can find nothing to wear and can't afford to buy a whole new wardrobe. I've been trying everything... a cheat day, no cheat days, different exercises, etc.

I might add that stress may be playing a part -- I completed my masters degree in May, and now am substitute teaching - hating it and not making much cash.

I'd love any insights or advice from anyone.

erickirb

since you don't have much to lose your goal should be to lose 0.5 lbs/week, and make sure you eat back what you burn. This will help you lose fat, and not just weight, as well as help prepare you for maintenance.
No top of that make sure you are measuring and weighing what you eat to ensure you are not eating more or less than you think,
Use a HRM to calculate calories burned, ovether wise you may be eating too much (if no HRM just eat 75% of what you burned).
If you have been doing the same workouts for a while, switch it up.

fitaliciag

well a lot of it has to do with your diet. what are your meals like?

Jana9559

Gosh, I would just love to have my weight "climb" to 125 lbs. At 5'4", your target weight is between 120 - 140 lbs. I think your weight in right on target. But if being a size 2 or 4 is your goal, I would look at your diet. It looks as though you are getting more than enough exercise. I lost weight (30 lbs.) by walking only 30 minutes a day. I lifted weights 3x a week and I drastically reduced my calories. I didn't starve myself, I just ate foods that are low in carbs and high in vegetables and protein. So I guess my advice is to look at what you're eating. See where you can trim off any bread, cereal, sugary drinks, etc. And let me know....I'm interested how you succeed in getting to where you want to be. But, honestly, I think at 128 lbs, you look just fine.

Meg2012

An hour on the treadmill... what pace, what incline? An hour walking, vs an hour running at a steep incline are very different hours!

Make sure you're challenging your muscles and not doing the same old thing. It may be time to kick it up a notch!

SueInAz

I understand completely about needing to fit back into your clothes rather than buying new ones; it's what got me here, too.

I can't see your diary, so I'm not sure what or how much you're eating but here are a few pieces of advice:

1. Be sure you are logging absolutely everything you eat. Unlike Weight Watchers, MFP doesn't advocate that fruits and veggies are "free". Everything has calories and it all needs to be logged.
2. More exercise isn't always the answer. If you aren't eating enough, more exercise can actually hurt your weight loss.
3. Set your MFP goal to .5 pound per week and be sure to always eat above 1200 net calories (calories eaten - calories burned)

Let us know if you're already doing all of these things, of course.

iceshark26

Stress can cause your body to release the hormone cortisol, which tells your body to hold onto fat. If you think you may be either A. overtraining or B. stressed from your personal life, then the answer is the same......get adequate rest. Nap, go to bed early, meditation, or a week off from the gym may be what you need to get back on track. Not sure if this applies to you, but you did mention that you dislike your work situation right now. I hope this helps!

icyazaleas

My diet is varied, I usually eat a light english muffin with spray butter and coffee for breakfast, but sometimes switch that up on the weekends. For lunch I usually eat albacore tuna in water (2oz) with a little light mayo and special k crackers, or vegan boca burger with a 100 calorie wheat bun and a slice of weight watchers cheese. I almost always include a Kellogg's fiber bar.

For dinner, I eat pork tenderloin, or chicken with lots of steamed veggies, and sometimes a couple slices of pizza with a salad or chicken tacos (2) with soft shells, shrimp cooked with cilantro and lime juice, etc. I usually have a snack of a vitatop, low fat icecream, weight watchers cheese stick, organic cereal and fat free milk.

I never eat: french fries, drinks with sugar, alcohol, candy, etc.

I always: watch my portion sizes.

My cheat snack: Soft serve ice cream with rainbow sprinkles

Note: I do know that 128 lbs is healthy - believe me - but I spent some serious cash on my wardrobe while I was student teaching, pre-wedding festivities, etc. and I'm MAD that my clothes don't fit. It's very frustrating.

My calories are usually a little over 1200 a day, and up to 1500 I'd say when I exercise.

Hopefully that info will help.

kitkat415

So refreshing to hear this. I'm in the exact same boat. I'm 5'3", and before I began training for a half marathon in May, I was between 115-118. After completing the half marathon I was 130. I always gain some weight while training, but this was a lot even for me. After recovering from the half, I got serious about weight loss, got back on MFP, and began sticking to a strict 1200 calories a day. After a week, I had gained a pound! None of my clothes fit anymore either. It's very discouraging because I feel like I can't wear anything, but I also don't want to buy bigger clothes because it feels like accepting this new weight as permanent.

I can't offer anything other than my personal experience, but here goes:
- Long endurance like training (ie running for hours) has never helped me lose weight. It's great for your heart and lungs, but for me, the scale never moves. I have been trying interval training where I do high intensity cardio (elliptical, bike or treadmill) with brief cool down periods for 35 minutes 3 days a week. I do yoga/pilates and strength training twice a week, and once a week I go for a longer 4-8 mile run to keep my endurance up. I'm aiming to follow this plan for three weeks followed by one week of longer, lower intensity (45-60 minutes cardio at a "conversational pace") workouts just to switch things up. Remember too that when starting a new workout regimen, it's normal to gain a couple pounds at first as your muscles adjust. This should come off in a few weeks.
- As for diet, and I know this one is controversial, again it's just my opinion, I stick to 1200 calories a day (sometimes I'll throw in 1000 calorie days to mix things up) and don't eat back my exercise calories. I know some people firmly believe you should, and maybe that works for you, but from past experience, eating back those calories has never helped me lose. If I have an event or something and go over, I don't freak out, but I really try to stick to 1200 calories.
- When dieting, I cut out all refined and added sugars and most non-fruit carbs. Don't know why, but grain based carbs just make me hungrier. In maintenance, I will have some sugar now and then and some whole grains. I drink tons and tons of water and keep my sodium in check to try to keep from retaining.

I hope this helps a bit. I know how discouraging not fitting into your clothes is, but I've gained this weight and taken it off before, and I know you can do it!

icyazaleas

kitkat415-- so nice to hear I'm not alone. It seems odd to me that the more I exercise the more I seem to weigh. That's so not how it's supposed to be! Thanks everyone for your advice, it's much appreciated.

SueInAz

Alright, so given that you already seem to be following my earlier advice (and I was certainly hoping you were!)... I'm just a bit shorter than you and have never really been able to maintain your "normal" weight, but I spent most of the last 20 years around 125. After slowly working my way towards 140, it was time to get my butt back into gear. Literally.

While starting a running routine has been good, what has really helped me the most over the past 7 months was really watching my carbs. I started on a strict low carb diet and lost a relatively quick 10 pounds then plateaued. My gallbladder came out in Dec, so eating that way was actually causing me some issues, so I went super low fat/high carb (as recommended for those with no gallbladder) and not only didn't lose a single pound between April and August, but gained a few back. I bounced around between 129 and 131 all during that time all while increasing my run lengths and speed. Frustrating, to say the least. At that point, I decided to start watching my carbs again, but this time I didn't cut them back as far. I'm eating somewhere under 80 grams net each day, some days a lot less, some days a few more and mostly focused on just cutting out sugar, processed wheat, white rice, etc. I've steadily lost another 7 pounds since then and I feel pretty darn good. You might give something like this a try and see if it doesn't help you, too.

ETA: My calorie goal stayed relatively the same during the whole process: 1250 per day.

kevin3344

Make sure you log everything you eat. Go to Settings > Diary Settings > Diary Sharing and change it to public. Just 100-200 calories could make all the difference! My sister-in-law does not eat back all of her exercise calories and it has made a big difference. So try that and see if it works.

Jana9559

I don't know if this is true or not, but I was told that if you eat 1,200 calories a day, you'll weigh about 120 lbs. So if you're eating 1,500 calories a day, you're going to weigh close to 150 lbs. So, maybe just adjusting your diet to no more than 1,200 calories. And try adding a little protein to your breakfast...put an egg on that English muffin. it'll make you feel fuller longer. And I agree, sometimes too much exercise can make you weigh more. It makes you hungier. I never lost weight exercising that much. Like I said, I lost my weight it by merely walking everyday and lifting weights a few times a week. I think diet is more important when it comes to weight loss. Good luck and I hope you get back into all those clothes....we're all routing for you!