95 days and Fustrated

MollyDukes

I have been on MFP for 95 days now and my weight just keeps playing with the same 7 lbs over and over again.
I decreased my calories when 1st joining and gained back the weight I had preciously lost. I then tried increasing my calories, no luck, then I've tried eating back my exercise calories and still no change.
I eat fruits and veggies and lean meats (9/10 home cooked meals) and have recently substituted all my white rice/bread/pasta for whole wheat and still no change.
I eat 5-6 meals a day, 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks. My sodium is always low, 1200mg, and I drink all my water. I exercise 5-6 times a week and I am on my feet all the time.
I had my thyroid checked and it came back fine....I have another doctors appointment in a month to discuss this but if you have any other helpfull advice before then that would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You in advance.

soccermom004

Hard to give any advise without seeing your meal diary.

pcbta

i can totally relate! what else can we do? i feel like there is not one more thing i can do- the weight just doesn't budge.

MollyDukes

Hard to give any advise without seeing your meal diary.

I opened my diary...keep in mind he numbers are a little screwed up from always changing my goal. Thank you

dmc11831

FINALLY!! Someone other than myself who is experiencing this!! I even work out 5x per week. I stay within my calories and still...I either stay the same or gain. Jan. is when I started...lost 5#'s...now this month, with my gaining/losing...my total loss is only 2#'s. Do you work out too?

patsyanne

You sound like the perfect weight loss person by the way you eat and exercise. Wish I had advise but do suggest that you keep at it and to not get discouraged---do you feel healthy? If so then that is the main thing.

tabinmaine

what are you doing for exercise ?

SassyCalyGirl

my only advice is too change up your workouts-you should never have a "routine" as the body will adapt.

EmilyMarieMo

Have you had blood work taken to check your thyriod levels? B/c IF you are truly eating healthy, reduced cal and exercising... and still not losing... then I've heard the only other problem could be hormone levels like your thyriod. I'm not a Dr., but my best advice would be to go get an anual physical done and see what your Dr. says.

m_wilh

I had the same problem as you. The first 7 months (from Dec. 2010 to July 2011) I lost 7 pounds (and gained 4 pounds back) and was strict with my eating like you but the weight was going nowhere. I had a thyroid test done and it said normal also, but eventually found out I DID have an underactive thyroid. Also, have your leptin and insulin levels checked. Those were my two biggest problems. If you have any kind of sugar issues, thyroid issues, etc. the results will be what you are experiencing. Start there and see if your doctor can get to the bottom of what's really going on with you. If you find out you do have any of these problems, the first thing I was told to do (by an MD) was to cut out eating all fruits. Also, A LOT of veggies are off limits such as sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, corn, brown/white rice, pasta, breads, etc. I know that others on here will say that natural sugar is okay, but for someone with sugar issues, they are not. Your body will see it as sugar no matter what type it is. It's important to get it out of the diet. Good luck to you. I really hope those are NOT your issues, and if so, I hope you get to the root of what is causing you to be stuck.

One last thought. Even if you are staying under calorie, it is very important not to eat processed foods. I realize you said you do most of your cooking at home so that's great, but be careful about how much you cook out of a box or can. Fresh and/or frozen is much better.

pauljsolie

A few questions for everyone struggling:

1. How often do you weigh yourself?
2. When do you weigh yourself?
3. Is your "routine" up to your weigh-in the same each week?
4. How much water are you drinking per day?
5. How strenuously are you exercising?
6. How much of the weight is fluid retention from intense workouts cardio or strength?
7. Have you ever tracked the above information so you know what is going on with your body?

There are other signs you should watch for that will help you to decipher what your body is going through during your weight loss, these are just a few.

kirstyg1980

exact same here!!!

I keep well within my calories, even eat half of my exercise calories back and I am yo yo up and down with the same 6-7lbs that I lost in january

I work out 5x a week, drink plenty of water

I also since the new year cut out fizzy juice, chips, crisps anything that was bad for you. I cook 9 out of 10 meals from scratch using fresh whole foods. I drink 100% fresh orange with breakfast and a banana a day and try get 2-3 veg in my diner

Could really do with some tips

One that I am trying is upping my strength training, going from 1 x to 3x a week body pump and will be upping my weights on a regular basis, continuing with 2x spin and a body attack class

I do know that when you exercise and especially use your muscles that your muscles hold water to help repair themselves, so I'm holding onto that

Antigone

Have you taken measurements? You could be losing fat but gaining muscle.

frugalmomsrock

Are you NETTING at least 1200 calories?? From what I see (didn't go back all that far), you aren't.

My advice is to NET 1200 calories (or 1300) for two solid weeks, whilst continuing the exercise, and then see if you've progressed...

nutandbutter

Do you weigh your food? I've found that nearly all fruits are twice the expected size (ex. avg apple according to here is 100g, yet an actual medium sized apple is closer to 200g). That can add up to several hundred calorie difference by the end of the day. This is especially important when eating calorie dense items (nut butters, etc).

kristinL16

How much do you have to lose? What is your current weight? Maybe you are at a good weight for your body.

jonesdav254

I too have struggled with the up/down challenges.

You might find some insight in this article.

7 Ways to Pass Your Weight Loss Plateau
What to do when you hit the weight loss wall, and how to get over it.


Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health/Weight-Loss-Advice-Fitness-Plateau-Dr-Katz#ixzz1nJVCscp0

pauljsolie

I do know that when you exercise and especially use your muscles that your muscles hold water to help repair themselves, so I'm holding onto that

Yes, but you need to know when your muscles and body give up that fluid. If you weigh yourself at the wrong time, the scale will drive you nuts.

niclan724

It's not listed, but by looking at your foods it seems like you eat alot of sugar. Even though it's coming from fruit, it's still seems high. I know when my sister was on the verge of having gestational diabetes, her doctors told her she should not being eating bananas or oranges....they are very high in sugar.

H_Factor

try sprint interval training., 3x a week. here's what each interval consists of:

(a) the sprint...10-20 seconds of pounding the pavement as fast as you can go, pushing from your rear end.

(b) the bodyweight exercise...I alternate upper body and lower body exercises, generally compound exercises, and do as many reps as you can immediately after the sprint. I usually start with decline push-ups...then jump squats...and work in burpees, jumping kickbacks, single legged squats, spiderman push-ups, and other goodies.

(c) the rest period...rest until your heart rate drops to 120-135.

repeat the above for 8-12 total intervals, using a different bodyweight exercise each time.

m_wilh

Just saw your diary. First, I PROMISE I'm not trying to criticize. You asked for help and I'm really trying to be helpful. There are A LOT of processed foods on your list (I only looked at one list). Even though a lot of foods are touted as "healthy" doesn't mean that it is. If you can, try sticking to one ingredient foods, and see if that makes a difference. When I say one-ingredient foods, that doesn't mean chomp on carrots and celery. This is what I mean. If you make a beef stew, use all fresh or frozen veggies (no cans) to put in it with your meat instead of buying a canned stew or putting canned ingredients into the pot. Anything packaged is going to contain lots of sugars and ingredients that are NOT good for you for shelf preservation. Clean eating is much better.

I completely changed my diet to natural foods (no boxes, cans, processed anything) and from July 2011 to now, I've lost 47 pounds. I really hope this helps. Again, I'd still see a doctor to see if you can get to the root of your problem.

SERinDC

Here's some of my advice from personal experience, but everyone's different, so take it with a grain of salt. I have been doing this for 9 weeks and am now down 6.5 pounds. I spent about three weeks hovering around the -4 pound mark. I exercise 6 days a week doing both cardio and weights and usually burn about 500-700 calories a day. This week I decided to set my base calorie goal to my BMR and then on exercise eat over that by 200-300 calories.

I have found that since I exercise a lot, it all comes down to my diet. I am now in a healthy BMI range, so it's really hard to keep the scale budging in the right direction. I always see results through measurements before I see results on the scale. Before when I was stuck, I was eating a lot more processed foods and was not as good at counting calories. For instance, I'd constantly have a bite here or there of granola and log improperly, so that's a very high calorie food that adds up quickly without noticing. I have also paid more attention to sodium and sugar intake while increasing protein. Hope this helps...

Joannguido

don't know how much you need to lose, but working out (strength training) 5 days is a lot. you are gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat. Strength train every other day and go for a long walk or jog on the off days. I also agree that you need to shake up your routine. upper on day lower one day, and abs. I usually go by how my clothes fit, because I too am having trouble with those last 5 pounds. I just blame it on my scales, they are ALWAYS both different. Good luck and don't give up. And don't weigh every day

hope516

Have you taken measurements? You could be losing fat but gaining muscle.

I agree with the above....but also if you have never tried "spike" days it might help. Be super good for 6 days in a row and then have one day of no logging and eating to your hearts content. It works for me :flowerforyou:

suziecue66

Can't see your carb count but I think it's high. Decrease carbs and increase protein. You may also be eating too much. Some days you eat less but mostly more.

salsera_barbie

I'm feeling the same too. I do everything right and still nothing. In a little over a month, I'm still pretty much where I started. I extra frustrated this morning because I weight myself on Tuesday, 134.5, today 136. I was doing P90X for three weeks saw no difference, so this past weeks I've only been doing intense cardio, still nothing. I feel like crying!

Joannguido

I agree. all this "healthy diet packaged food" is not really healthy. Stick with fresh. It tastes better and is better for you!

paigemarie93

Hard to give any advise without seeing your meal diary.

I opened my diary...keep in mind he numbers are a little screwed up from always changing my goal. Thank you

If you're always changing your goal, then that's probably why, you should try sticking to one goal.

nashtyone

I would add SUGAR into your food diary. I think you will be shocked at how much sugar you are taking. Just changing up something like that can break the cycle and get your metabolism cooking again.

MollyDukes

A few questions for everyone struggling:

1. How often do you weigh yourself?
2. When do you weigh yourself?
3. Is your "routine" up to your weigh-in the same each week?
4. How much water are you drinking per day?
5. How strenuously are you exercising?
6. How much of the weight is fluid retention from intense workouts cardio or strength?
7. Have you ever tracked the above information so you know what is going on with your body?

There are other signs you should watch for that will help you to decipher what your body is going through during your weight loss, these are just a few.

1) Daily which is a little depressing cecause one day I am down 2 lbs and the next up to pounds
2) 1st thing in the morning usually around 9 am every weigh in
3) ??
4) 8-12 cups a day
5) sweating within in 5 minutes
6)I don't know
7) yes

psuLemon

How much weight are you aiming to lose? If your goal is too aggressive, you may not be eating enough. Also, can you add carbs to your diary. Additionally, do you know if you have anything like PCOS?