need help...active, count calories and still...no loss.

jstbeachy

I am 40, somewhat active and run a couple miles 2-3 times a week (bout a 10:00 pace average). Some weeks I run more...but right now not enough to count it. I eat anywhere between 1200-1450 calories most days with one "cheat" day a week where I still don't go over 1600 most of the time. I can hold this out for a few weeks and then become totally discouraged as I watch the scale stay exactly the same. Even worse...I gained 1lb over Thanksgiving and now that is my new weight.

My goal is 135...and I am now 158 and was 157 for 2 years...including while I was training for a marathon. (was 135 3.5 years ago after a stress loss...and until 10 years ago I never topped 130 outside of pregnancies)

I never really eat badly...my only real weakness is salty foods and even when I indulge it is about once a week. I average about 2 sodas a month. Occasionally I will indulge in a fast food burger and fries...again...1-2x a month if most and I adjust my eating for the day if I do that.

I have no clue of why I am not losing....the simple math....more calories burned than consumed is not really working for some reason. Any suggestions?

Oh..and every single check up (the last 1 yr ago) says I am in perfect health.

jstbeachy

I am 40, somewhat active and run a couple miles 2-3 times a week (bout a 10:00 pace average). Some weeks I run more...but right now not enough to count it. I eat anywhere between 1200-1450 calories most days with one "cheat" day a week where I still don't go over 1600 most of the time. I can hold this out for a few weeks and then become totally discouraged as I watch the scale stay exactly the same. Even worse...I gained 1lb over Thanksgiving and now that is my new weight.

My goal is 135...and I am now 158 and was 157 for 2 years...including while I was training for a marathon. (was 135 3.5 years ago after a stress loss...and until 10 years ago I never topped 130 outside of pregnancies)

I never really eat badly...my only real weakness is salty foods and even when I indulge it is about once a week. I average about 2 sodas a month. Occasionally I will indulge in a fast food burger and fries...again...1-2x a month if most and I adjust my eating for the day if I do that.

I have no clue of why I am not losing....the simple math....more calories burned than consumed is not really working for some reason. Any suggestions?

Oh..and every single check up (the last 1 yr ago) says I am in perfect health.

songbyrdsweet

What is your body fat percentage? Weight tells us little about body composition. You may have very little to lose.

ruesinger

yes body fat % means a lot. you may be 158 but how much of that is muscle. has your clothing size really increased and if so where? tops or bottoms? and also have you had a hormone test done in recient years. no offense but you are about to hit a new stage inyour life in the next few years you may be an early bloomer. again none of this is ment to discourage. understanding how your body is work is a huge key to over comming weight issues.

dewassel

I'm with you beachy...I have had a personal trainer since December and no loss. I gained 20 pounds this year and 5 in a week! I am going to a dietician in a few weeks (the soonest I could get in) and am hoping for some answers.

jstbeachy

:-) no offense taken at all. I don't know the fat % but I am "chunky" . I am carrying it in my waistline (fun part...lower belly pouch..eeek), arms and a bit on the back...even can see the chunk in my face. My legs and backside are fine. To put it in clothing terms...I am a solid size 10 ...can't go bigger at all...but not smaller either. If I could slim the arms and waistline I would be in proportion.

I can see a drastic difference in pictures from 3 years ago and now.

I never even considered a hormone test...and will be doing that...along with figureing out my fat percentage....has to be pretty high.

The part that confuses me though is that 10 years ago I was thin...gained up to about where I am now and then lost it all very fast due to stress....only to climb back up even with all my healthy efforts to keep it down a bit. (didn't plan for that original loss but once it happened I wanted to keep it). It is almost as if my body is fighting to keep this size. I know I am not truly heavy...but I am also not comfortable where I am.

At 5ft 7 I am still going toward a healthy goal at 135 it is just that there is an invisible wall there and I would like to figure out how to bust it down. :-)

jstbeachy

Good luck Dewassel!

songbyrdsweet

As you approach menopause, your estrogen levels decrease and testosterone levels increase. This promotes more fat storage in the waist rather than the hips.

Really at 5'7 I think your weight sounds healthy, but it could be your body comp that needs changing. I'm 5'0 and 130. :laugh: I have a lot of muscle mass though. I still have fat to lose but I don't think I'd even call myself chunky. So it really is about body composition, not weight. :flowerforyou:

jstbeachy

ok...just did a tape measure and fat percentage calculator thing... although not perfectly accurate I am over 30% body fat. (navy estimates about 31%...YMCA...not even going to type their estimate). this was off of http://www.healthstatus.com but I backed it up with another site and it was really close to the same.

songbyrdsweet

ok...just did a tape measure and fat percentage calculator thing... although not perfectly accurate I am over 30% body fat. (navy estimates about 31%...YMCA...not even going to type their estimate). this was off of http://www.healthstatus.com but I backed it up with another site and it was really close to the same.

Oh I wouldn't use the circumference measurements. You will get the same values from different sites, but that doesn't mean they're accurate. You need to go to a trainer and get a skin fold test done.

jstbeachy

:laugh: I guess we all know where I will be tomorrow!

humboldt29

Try lifting weights...use low weights & do lots of reps. But still do your cardio on the days that you don't lift. I lost 3 dress sizes doing this.

jstbeachy

Thanks for all of the advice!

I probably do need to weight train...I know that if there isn't a health issue keeping me from losing that this would help a little...I just hate it so much.

I have a home gym and a bunch of other exercise tools and the only one that is not gathering dust is my treadmill, I have tried and failed to go to a gym regularly. I will try again....and again and again....one day it will stick..hopefully.

After some thought last night I plan to go to a physician that can help with weight...we have a few specialists in our area....if nothing else just to get a real answer to why I am not losing. Everything I read says I am on the very very outside of my healthy range....a lb or two will tip that to overweight...but this may be why my primary physician has never mentioned a problem or probably even checked for issues revolving around it and just sends me off with a clean bill of health.

Thanks again...the journey continues....

cherapple

Hi, jstbeachy. I just turned 40 a couple weeks ago. I have had the same positive experience as others with the weight lifting. I've been doing it for over two years, and it has changed my body (and the clothes I can wear) completely. I am 5'2".

Two years ago, I was:
125
Size 12, and that was getting tight :grumble:
I saw my mother's body when I looked in the mirror :noway:

Today I am:
119
Size 6-8 because of strength training
I feel better than I did at 20, and I see a youthful, strong body in the mirror :happy:

I've lost body fat and gained muscle. No more bulges of fat on my back. No fat hanging over the sides of my pants. My hips are narrower and my shoulders are wider. Clothes are comfortable, and exercise is fun because I've seen what it's done for me. You don't need to kill yourself or burn yourself out, either (I've been there). I lift weights 3-4 times per week, and I do cardio 3-4 times per week, mostly on alternating days. For cardio, I like running, step, and elliptical, but the main focus of my exercise is now strength.

My other thought is that you are not eating enough. You are taller than me, and you are active, and I found that the 1200 calories a day that MFP suggests for me were not enough. Believe it or not, I was flabbier when I ate less because my body was hanging onto the fat for dear life. I'm now eating at a fat-loss level of 1550 and a maintenance level of 1900. (I zig-zag my calories so as not to go into starvation mode and lose muscle.)

If I can do it, you certainly can! I began at a worse place than you are. I got sore going for a walk because I was so sedentary. :frown: Being 40 doesn't mean you have to look or feel old, or that your metabolism has to hit a brick wall. Strength training is the way to keep the clock turned back. But you also have to feed those muscles you create.

jstbeachy

:-) Totally inspiring Cherapple! Thank you.

I sucked it up and joined a gym this weekend....Lifestyle Family Fitness. They offer a month to month membership so I am not stuck if I still find that this isn't for me. This will also be enough (hopefully) to give me a jumpstart to use my home gym.

Crossing fingers!

hmo4

Hey Ladies! I'm 41 and in the same boat. The darn scale won't move, but I'm definely looking better and fitting smaller clothes than before. I also have an altered body image problem, but that's me. My dumb scale says I have 30% body fat. It just won't lower. So, I plug along, knowing I'm doing my best, and have changed so much with eating habits, supplements, fitness variety and knowledge. Growing older sucks in more ways than 1!:flowerforyou:

cherapple

Hey Ladies! I'm 41 and in the same boat. The darn scale won't move, but I'm definely looking better and fitting smaller clothes than before. I also have an altered body image problem, but that's me. My dumb scale says I have 30% body fat. It just won't lower. So, I plug along, knowing I'm doing my best, and have changed so much with eating habits, supplements, fitness variety and knowledge. Growing older sucks in more ways than 1!:flowerforyou:

hi, hotmomov4!

I have a crappy scale like that, too, which says I have 26-27% bodyfat. :grumble: I just ordered a new one that I'm hoping will be more accurate. I have calipers, but my measurements with them are all over the place. :huh:

I'm proud to be growing older and of the fact that I'm not letting it all go! I refuse to feel like crap all the time due to aging. Nope, not gonna happen here. :bigsmile: Been there, and I'd rather risk having aches and pains due to exercise injuries than have aches and pains due to lack of exercise and aging. Either way, life hurts. :laugh: But at least when I feel good, I feel REALLY good. :happy:

cherapple

:-) Totally inspiring Cherapple! Thank you.

I sucked it up and joined a gym this weekend....Lifestyle Family Fitness. They offer a month to month membership so I am not stuck if I still find that this isn't for me. This will also be enough (hopefully) to give me a jumpstart to use my home gym.

Crossing fingers!

Good luck with the new gym membership. Have someone there show you how to use all the machines. I belong to Planet Fitness, where help is minimal, but they will briefly show you how to use everything. It's nice to be able to get out of the house two or three times a week, and just change my routine a little. You have both options -- home and gym -- to help keep everything interesting! (I have free weights and videos at home.) Challenges for me are always motivating and fun, so I love starting something new. :happy:

jstbeachy

I really like this gym so far. Two days in a row....yesterday was abs and arms just to get my feet wet again...today was everything else. Of course I had to sit in the sauna and use the hydro massage machine before I left. :happy: That alone might motivate me to go on a consistent basis.

I get 3 personal training sessions with the membership and my 1st appointment is Wednesday. I pretty much have it planned out...I run Tues, Thurs and Sat so those are no gym days...Friday is rest from it all day which leaves the other three for the gym.

songbyrdsweet

I really like this gym so far. Two days in a row....yesterday was abs and arms just to get my feet wet again...today was everything else. Of course I had to sit in the sauna and use the hydro massage machine before I left. :happy: That alone might motivate me to go on a consistent basis.

I get 3 personal training sessions with the membership and my 1st appointment is Wednesday. I pretty much have it planned out...I run Tues, Thurs and Sat so those are no gym days...Friday is rest from it all day which leaves the other three for the gym.

If you are getting your bodyfat taken, try to stick to these guidelines if possible.

Do it early in the morning.
Do it before eating/drinking.
DEFINITELY do it before working out (this is almost non-optional because it'll throw your measurements way off).
Wear shorts and a t-shirt.

The next time you have your bodyfat taken, follow the same procedure.

cherapple

Oh, yeah, you're gym's definitely nicer than mine. :laugh:

jstbeachy

ooopss....guess I need a retake on the stats then..I broke ALL of those rules. :blushing:

songbyrdsweet

ooopss....guess I need a retake on the stats then..I broke ALL of those rules. :blushing:

LOL that's okay, just don't be alarmed if they change a lot. :flowerforyou:

jstbeachy

lol....the best part..it is reasonable in price in comparison to other gyms in the area. It is actually cheaper than the Y.

I have to admit...it is a brand new gym too so that might make a bit of a difference.