sick of not losing weight

fionarama

I really want to get down to under 60 kgs (currently 62ish) but am stuck and have been for ages. I put on a little weight in the weekend and then lose it during the week.
So the weekend just been I tried so hard, no alcohol really cut back on food maybe too radically, but thought it would mean at least for the first time in ages I had lost weight in the weekend instead of gaining - but still a slight gain, not as much as usual but still a gain.
I just wonder why why why??? I ate so clean!
so anyway any ideas.
I'm thinking its the protein shakes. Maybe I don't need them and should substitute the calories for something plainer like oats and milk, or some fruit. Has anyone cut the shakes out and seen more results ?

Sublog

Weigh your foods with a scale. Double check to ensure that the foods you log are correct. Try sticking to foods which are easier to calculate. Drink plenty of water, maintain stable sodium intake, get plenty of rest. If your weight hasn't budged after doing these things for 3 weeks, Eat less, move more.

fionarama

take a look at my diary! I can't eat less! I do measure! I eat natural plain food, no junk. I know all the answers thats the thing but why isn't it working for me!!!! so frustrated!!!!!!
I started doing 30 DS every day on top of my usual gym workout. thinking of renting a treadmill or exercise bike for a while.
I really don't know what else I can do!

Espressocycle

Whenever you go over maintenance, your body will replentish its glycogen stores and gain a little water weight. Since you're pretty much at maintenance now, you should only worry if you gain another pound the following week.

brimir

Weigh your foods with a scale. Double check to ensure that the foods you log are correct. Try sticking to foods which are easier to calculate. Drink plenty of water, maintain stable sodium intake, get plenty of rest. If your weight hasn't budged after doing these things for 3 weeks, Eat less, move more.

like!

sammys1girly

I'd try adding more cardio, for sure.

strocknar

It looks like you are cycling your goals, but your actual caloric intake stays steady. Might try hitting the goals (including the higher calorie goals) so that your actual caloric intake fluctuates.

d2footballJRC

There is no need for you to be drinking a protein shake. You aren't burning enough to warrant it. Looking over your diary, it's very highly unlikely you need the protein shake. Add in the fact you are trying to lose instead of gaining muscle mass. Cut it out and replace with simple grains.

You have to choose between cutting or gaining muscle. If you are cutting fat, then cut fat. You can't do both reliably.

hockey7fan

I'd ditch things like the protein powder and the rice and eat way more fruits and veggies. I just looked at one day in your diary and didn't see any fruit at all and very little veggies. If you are feeling hungry, add more fats.

erickirb

I am assuming your weekly weight loss goal does not match up with your stats. By that I mean you are trying to lose more than your body is comfortable with.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

So based on what you are saying your goal should be set at 0.5lbs/week, this will give you a caloric intake and on top of that you should be eating back what you burn from exercise. Having too large of a deficit will lead your body to burn a higher % of lean muscle vs. fat, than if you had a smaller deficit.

lulukan

Have you had your thyroid levels tested?

erickirb

There is no need for you to be drinking a protein shake. You aren't burning enough to warrant it. Looking over your diary, it's very highly unlikely you need the protein. Add in the fact you are trying to lose instead of gaining muscle mass. Cut it out and replace with simple grains.

You have to choose between cutting or gaining muscle. If you are cutting fat, then cut fat. You can't do both reliably.

This is bad advice, when you are in a caloric deficit you should have a higher % of your diet dedicated to protein to avoid losing muscle while losing fat.

dckim

i heard steady weight is better than quick loss or gain. whenever i lost a lot I quickly gained all back and more. :sad: now i just try to stay fit and feel better instead of being obsessed on the lbs (or kg). :drinker:

MamaBear57

Try HIIT training. It may be the extra push your body needs for cardio.

TavistockToad

take a look at my diary! I can't eat less! I do measure! I eat natural plain food, no junk. I know all the answers thats the thing but why isn't it working for me!!!! so frustrated!!!!!!
I started doing 30 DS every day on top of my usual gym workout. thinking of renting a treadmill or exercise bike for a while.
I really don't know what else I can do!

eating 800 cals per day is NOT a good idea.

given that you only have a small amount to lose, you should have your weight loss set to half a pound and eat back your exercise calories. its a very slow process, you need patience!

fionarama

just a note I eat LOads OF VEGES, BUT FREQUENTLY DON'T LOG THINGS LIKE LETTUCE AND BROCCOLLI/GREENS AS THE CALORIE amount is so small and one can never eat too many greens. So there is no day that I never eat any veges, in fact lunch and dinner are based on veges. Don't eat much fruit though.
Thanks for some interesting comments, I think I'll ditch the shakes and substitue with something really plain like an apple or some oats and milk.It wouldn't take long to see if thats the issue.

bcattoes

Why are you drinking protein shakes? Are you doing a lot of heavy weight lifting? I can't think of any other reason you'd need to add more protein than you would get through a healthy diet. I kind of question the need for shakes even then, but since I've never lifted heavy I can't personally speak to that.

erickirb

just a note I eat LOads OF VEGES, BUT FREQUENTLY DON'T LOG THINGS LIKE LETTUCE AND BROCCOLLI/GREENS AS THE CALORIE amount is so small and one can never eat too many greens. So there is no day that I never eat any veges, in fact lunch and dinner are based on veges. Don't eat much fruit though.
Thanks for some interesting comments, I think I'll ditch the shakes and substitue with something really plain like an apple or some oats and milk.It wouldn't take long to see if thats the issue.

That won't be the issue. Just change your weekly loss goal to 0.5 lbs/week, and eat all of your calories, and try to get 25-30% of your calories from protein to limit the amount of muscle you lose.

erickirb

Why are you drinking protein shakes? Are you doing a lot of heavy weight lifting? I can't think of any other reason you'd need to add more protein than you would get through a healthy diet. I kind of question the need for shakes even then, but since I've never lifted heavy I can't personally speak to that.

See my response above. when on a caloric deficit protein is even more important. protein helps retain the muscles you do have, if you are in a deficit and do not get enough protein you will lose a large amount of lean muscle along with fat. I don't think anyone wants to lose muscle.

diaryoffatdad

Just a little idea......don't put any value to the weight. so what if you didn't lose any weight, you ate clean, you had healthy habits, that alone is a positive.

weight is not the end all be all, focus in on the healthy behaviors. you can be healthy at any weight, not losing weight does not constitute failure.

Be happy with your healthy behaviors and keep it up! in sticking with healthy lifestyle choices you might concequently lose some weight too but thats not the important thing

fionarama

thanks, I have changed my goal to a boring 0.5lb loss. Which seems neglible to me ! I kind of think the issue with the protein shake may be more what someone else said, eating food which is easy to measure - maybe its something stupid like too heaped a scoop of the powder.
I do lift weights and do want to build muscle (my ideal body would be super muscley super low body fat) but I am more interested at the moment in losing the fat as I think I have some quite good muscle underneath there anyway, if I could ever get some definition.
the problem is I really can't see myself eating so much, i changed my setting and now I have to eat like loads, so thats a new challenge.

d2footballJRC

There is no need for you to be drinking a protein shake. You aren't burning enough to warrant it. Looking over your diary, it's very highly unlikely you need the protein. Add in the fact you are trying to lose instead of gaining muscle mass. Cut it out and replace with simple grains.

You have to choose between cutting or gaining muscle. If you are cutting fat, then cut fat. You can't do both reliably.

This is bad advice, when you are in a caloric deficit you should have a higher % of your diet dedicated to protein to avoid losing muscle while losing fat.

Exact opposite what bodybuilding.com is saying. You either cut fat or you gain muscle. You have to choose what your goal is, you can't do both reliably. Looking at the diary there is no way the OP is lifting enough to warrant a protein shake over food. If she is she isn't logging it as 150-400 calorie burns is a pretty poor weight lifting session. Bad advice is telling someone to drink a protein shake when they are trying to lose weight as a protein shake itself goes against that theory. There is weight loss shakes and there is protein shakes. Muscle enhancing protein shakes not the greatest thing in the world to be chugging if you want the scale to go down. She is drinking a great brand of protein shakes though.

erickirb

There is no need for you to be drinking a protein shake. You aren't burning enough to warrant it. Looking over your diary, it's very highly unlikely you need the protein. Add in the fact you are trying to lose instead of gaining muscle mass. Cut it out and replace with simple grains.

You have to choose between cutting or gaining muscle. If you are cutting fat, then cut fat. You can't do both reliably.

This is bad advice, when you are in a caloric deficit you should have a higher % of your diet dedicated to protein to avoid losing muscle while losing fat.

Exact opposite what bodybuilding.com is saying. You either cut fat or you gain muscle. You have to choose what your goal is, you can't do both reliably. Looking at the diary there is no way the OP is lifting enough to warrant a protein shake over food. If she is she isn't logging it as 150-400 calorie burns is a pretty poor weight lifting session. Bad advice is telling someone to drink a protein shake when they are trying to lose weight as a protein shake itself goes against that theory. There is weight loss shakes and there is protein shakes. Muscle enhancing protein shakes not the greatest thing in the world to be chugging if you want the scale to go down. She is drinking a great brand of protein shakes though.

I would only suggest a protein shake is she is not able to get 25-30% with her regular diet. If it takes a shake to get her their then she should have one, if she can get there with clean food that is the preferable way.

d2footballJRC

I would only suggest a protein shake is she is not able to get 25-30% with her regular diet. If it takes a shake to get her their then she should have one, if she can get there with clean food that is the preferable way.

I agree, I still wonder since I read that said she is lifting that she is putting down her burns for the weight sessions. It might be beneficial to have a HRM if you don't and start recording those as well. I know I started doing that because on some heavy lifting nights it can get into 500-600 cals burnt pretty fast before I even hit cardio.

bcattoes

Why are you drinking protein shakes? Are you doing a lot of heavy weight lifting? I can't think of any other reason you'd need to add more protein than you would get through a healthy diet. I kind of question the need for shakes even then, but since I've never lifted heavy I can't personally speak to that.

See my response above. when on a caloric deficit protein is even more important. protein helps retain the muscles you do have, if you are in a deficit and do not get enough protein you will lose a large amount of lean muscle along with fat. I don't think anyone wants to lose muscle.

That hasn't been my exerperience after half a century of diet and exercise. I realize that you might not build much muscle, beyond the initial building of muscles atrophed from months/years of non-use. But I've never had a protein shake in my life and I've kept my weight down and eaten enough protein through diet to not get flabby. I didn't look like the pics of Jillian Michaels on this site but I was firm.

I'm not saying anyone doesn't need protein, but just that it's not hard to get enough through healthy eating to not lose muscle. If you are trying to build more that is something different, which is why I asked the question. I actually find it hard not too get more protein that is recommended for me.

rsratkie

Weighing and measuring food is so important. Keeping a diary is essential. Sometimes you lie to yourself about how much you eat.

Don't weigh yourself so often. Weight fluxes so much from day to day. It is the long term that you see the true results. Allow yourself to weight just once a week or every 6 weeks. Often times if we weigh one day and see a great lose, we might be tempted to reward ourselves with food. I am doing mine once a week. :flowerforyou:

jonzo21

take a look at my diary! I can't eat less! I do measure! I eat natural plain food, no junk. I know all the answers thats the thing but why isn't it working for me!!!! so frustrated!!!!!!
I started doing 30 DS every day on top of my usual gym workout. thinking of renting a treadmill or exercise bike for a while.
I really don't know what else I can do!

you mentioned the 30ds, also lifting weights. These are increasing your muscle mass, which in turn can increase your weight on the scale because muscle weights more than fat. Are you measuring your hips etc to see if you are actually losing inches? Here's something interesting from livestrong.com

"There are several reasons for gaining weight when you start an exercise program. One is that you are replacing fat tissue with lean muscle tissue, which is heavier than fat but takes up less space. Lean muscle tissue also has a higher metabolic rate than fat tissue. Another reason is that a higher energy output than usual can make you hungrier and you will eat more. Your muscles may not be used to exercise and may become sore. This can cause inflammation and water retention in the muscles, which can cause an increase in weight."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/399142-why-do-you-gain-weight-when-you-exercise/#ixzz1cODyZPwR

d2footballJRC

Have you had your thyroid levels tested?

She is already skinny, trying to lose a very small amount of weight. Eating low calories and see-sawing not straight gaining. Thyroid levels is very highly unlikely an issue.

fionarama

I like you! you called me skinny!!!
I don't log the weight sessions but I do about 40 mins 3 x a week, on top of a couple of 40 min cardio and now 30 DS 20 mins a day, hard to exercise in the w/ends as I can't get to the gym. (hence the see sawing)
I'm also not at all new to working out so its not anything like the sudden shock of weight training, have worked out at gyms for 20 years.
I think its gotta be the protein shakes, and its easy to see all I have to do is cut them out and if thats the issue the results should show up pretty quick, if everything else is as good as I think it is......I know you shouldn't weigh yourself every day but that said if what you are doing works I know from experience you will see a steady downward slide, if you have the balance right.
Just gotta keep tweaking to I get it but boy it does your head in sometimes!!!

d2footballJRC

I like you! you called me skinny!!!
I don't log the weight sessions but I do about 40 mins 3 x a week, on top of a couple of 40 min cardio and now 30 DS 20 mins a day, hard to exercise in the w/ends as I can't get to the gym. (hence the see sawing)
I'm also not at all new to working out so its not anything like the sudden shock of weight training, have worked out at gyms for 20 years.
I think its gotta be the protein shakes, and its easy to see all I have to do is cut them out and if thats the issue the results should show up pretty quick, if everything else is as good as I think it is......I know you shouldn't weigh yourself every day but that said if what you are doing works I know from experience you will see a steady downward slide, if you have the balance right.
Just gotta keep tweaking to I get it but boy it does your head in sometimes!!!

I see saw a bit, I was always told it's from the muscles repairing themselves and filling with water.

I do a lot of lifting and usually on my rest days I'll see a slight bump in weight (a couple pounds) then it'll drop for a few days. I weight myself same time in the morning. It's interesting.. Like this last week it went like this...

(I started the week at 303.2) Wed: 305.4, Thurs: 304.8, Friday 302.8, Sat 301.4, Sun 300.2.. today I'm back up to 301.6 and will probably gain more tomorrow morning even though I'll put 2 hours in at the gym tonight. Then most likely Wed. it'll start heading back down. That's just how the weight loss has went for me since really lifting weights the last 2 and a half months. I only log mfp once a week or so on my weight but I log my weight daily on my phone. I make a zig zag going down instead of a nice bell curve.

As for the skinny comment looking at your picture you look pretty solid skinny. I just call it how I see it :-D

superbman

Hey I understand your frustration. But we all hit a plateau if I diet and exercise are not up to the mark. I hit a plateau after losing around 40 pounds in 5 months. The weight came off fast, until the weight loss eventually stopped and I couldn't lose those last 12 pounds or so. The problem seems to get worse when you only have a few pounds left to lose. Anyway, I found out I wasn't losing way the right way and falling for the same trap that all of us do when we start out! I found the advice mentioned on this website very useful: http://www.learntolose10poundsfast.com/

The system they recommend helped me get rid of the last 12 pounds I wanted to.