Looking for extra experience--In a tough spot

connorsludge

Hello everyone,
I am a lurker around these boards--Always looking for someone like me to work as an example, but haven't found quite the person yet. I'm wondering if any of you have had my experience as a slow/non-loser! If so, please let me know what worked for you. I've tried a lot of different methods and haven't been able to get the scale to move yet.

I am 30 years old and have been very slender and active for most of my life. I gained weight after a sports injury about two years ago. Paired with a switch to a less-active job, I was about 15 pounds over what I consider my "ideal" ceiling.

In January 2011, I tried Weight Watchers with a friend. She lost, but I didn't. I tried online meetings for the first 12 weeks and wasn't losing, so I thought I'd try the brick-and-mortar meetings to keep me accountable. I became very sick while doing WW because it just wasn't enough food. On top of that I didn't lose a pound in 12 more weeks!

In fall of 2011, I went to my doctor and had all of my blood tests. They came back normal. I went to a nutritionist (a Ph.D. at our local university, so it was very high-tech) and had a metabolic test. The nutritionist recommended that I stop eating 1200-1400 calories/day and start eating 1800-2000 based on my measured metabolism, size, age, and activity level. She also recommended that I stop weighing my self so much, as I was just driving myself crazy.

I followed her recommendations using a different calorie tracker. I GAINED 20 POUNDS IN TEN WEEKS! Not good. I attended another nutrition class and had private consults with the same nutritionist. Throughout the January-March program I did not lose weight.

Since March I've been using MFP. I have to say it's my favorite of the four I've used in the past 18 months. I have lost, but at the whopping rate of 1 pound per month. I haven't lost any weight in over four weeks.

My current stats: TDEE: 2600 calories. Current goal is 1460 calories + eat back some of exercise. To get back to my previous weight (two years ago), I need to lose 35-45 pounds. I run 4-5 miles three days per week, I do 30 minutes circuit training (with heavy weights) three days a week. I am always increasing time, mileage, and weight to keep myself challenged. I usually bike, swim, garden, or hike on rest days, or sometimes on workout days, too. I am a longtime lacto-vegetarian, no medications, and healthy as a horse (some consolation). I'm not exactly sure what a "clean eater" is, but I tend to eat foods with just a few ingredients. I eat only whole wheat, no super-processed foods, and a lot of fruits and veggies. I just had bloodwork done again and it's all normal. My diary is open, too.

Do I have a "twin" out there who can tell me what he/she did? Please? I have a closet full of size 4/6 and I'd like to be able to wear it again!

Thanks in advance!
Lindsay

cmriverside

I'm not your twin, but it seems that 1460 is too aggressive. Were you weighing and measuring all your food and drink intake at the 1800-2100 goal? It is very easy to make a miscalculation of several hundred if you aren't. Buy a $20 digital food scale and lots of measuring cups and spoons.

Then,
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 set your goals here to "Lose 1 lb per week". It seems you have set it at lose 2, and you are back at the calories that didn't work for you before.

With 2600 as your TDEE, you should have been okay at 1800-2100 - it was 20%-30% below your TDEE - as long as you were exercising regularly and measuring all your food and drink.

Go to "Groups" and search for "Eat more to weigh less"....there is a lot of good info there.



....

connorsludge

Thanks, CM! I'm pretty precise with the food scale and measuring cups, so I don't think that's what the issue was. I did not exercise quite as much then--maybe only four days per week--so maybe that was it.

That said, I have also been lurking the "EMTWL" group and I even picked up and read New Rules of Lifting for Women, which suggested that I eat about 2000 for weight loss. Right now I'm hungry all the time, even after I eat, so eating more sounded like a great idea! I even went so far as to change my settings on MFP, but I'm having a hard time going there. I was so burned by the "eat more" philosophy-- All signs continue to point to 1800-2000 calories, so I may have to reconsider.

cmriverside

...

cmriverside

So I looked at your food diary. In the last two weeks (the days you even logged....), you have left hundreds of uneaten calories every day. Lots of cheeses and carbs (which are fine - but you need more protein and veggies). Don't leave those uneaten calories! You're defeating all the talk above. You're still undereating by a LOT. Eat until you get to "0" at the bottom of your food diary, don't leave 300, 400, 600 calories uneaten. :grumble:


...and maybe shoot for that 1700-1800 on your rest days, and 1900-2000 on your exercise days.

...

ekrysiak

I am a former college athlete. I gained a lot of weight after getting injured in college and then took it back off again playing sports. But now that I am done playing, I gained that and more back. I am taking it off now and its a slow process. The biggest thing that has helped me when progress is slow is not focusing on the scale and enjoying other victories. I train for races (half marathons) those are my motivation instead of weight loss. I eat better and work out more with that goal in mind instead of weight loss. While the weight loss is still slow, my body is changing to become more fit. Try making other fitness goals and focusing on those instead of the scale.

dsjohndrow

I have been doing this for a year. Supposedly I am supposed to eat 2200 calories a day or some crap like that. I lost weight at 1400, a lot of weight; 60 pounds. Enter the experts. They put me up to 1800-200 and I gained 10 in 30 days. Back to 1600 and its coming along nicely. You know your body, just do it.

BigDaddyBRC

It all starts with your diet. Looking through your Diary, you are too inconsistent on tracking to offer any direct help. So...

Find your BMR, Set your loss goals, eat well (to 95-100% of caloric goals), exercise.

melbaby925

You said your blood work all came back normal? Mine did too. Until we went beyond that and looked at my full liver panel, and my fasting Insulin levels. Not fasting glucose - which was fine - but fasting Insulin.

My detailed liver panel came back with low AST - which signals malnutrition, possible celiac disease and low vitamin B6 levels. Also, my ferritin levels were low, signaling iron deficient anemia.

Fasting insulin levels were 16! Optimal is <=3.

Until we did these tests, I was told I was fine and to eat less and move more. Once we did these tests, I was told to cut all grains and sugar for 6 weeks. I dropped 15 pounds, my AST and Ferritin levels are normal and I dropped my insulin 6 points.

I now eat what people refer to as a more primal diet and have never felt better! I finally am losing about 1-1.5 pounds a week, which is a nice comfy rate for me.

Hope that helps - and that you find an answer!