There is honestly something wrong with me

ginamaria724

Ok. I'm practically fed up. I've been stuck around the same weight since March 2012, and now ever since May 2012 I've been GAINING WEIGHT. What the hell is going on? I'm seriously about to cry right now. I know I'm freaking out and I need to calm down but seriously this is just ridiculous. I literally can not lose weight. It's a miracle that I went down from 152lbs to 145lbs, which is why you see on my ticker it starts at 145lbs because thats when I started MFP. But honestly, I just weighed myself, and I'm back to 144lbs.

Just really name every weight loss trick in the book. I guaranteed I've done about 99.9% of them and it HAS NOT WORKED. Please help. Just name every trick or tell me what could be wrong because I don't get it =\

(Here's what I'm currently doing: I play tennis about 3-5 times a week. I've been strength training five times a week with 10 pound weights since I'm a beginner and do my weight training at home. I mix up my cardio ALL THE TIME. I mix up my strength training moves ALL THE TIME. I've tried low carb high protein diet. I've tried eating a 1200 calorie limit, a 1400 calorie limit, and even just did the whole "listen to when youre body is hungry.") I'm stuck.

EDIT: I am 18 years old and 5'6". If you read my reply post on the second page I HAVE BEEN TRACKING CALORIES from January 2012-April 2012. Then I took a little break and started tracking again from May 2012 til this week.

thomassd1969

I might suggest opening your diary so others who are successful can give you advice.

ginamaria724

I might suggest opening your diary so others who are successful can give you advice.

I haven't been tracking lately because everyone has been telling me so many different things to do that I just do not know what to eat and how much to eat anymore.

cholibear

BUMP

I'm in the same boat and it sucks.

Oliviamarie05

Keep going. I recently gained almost 8 pounds back over a two month period and it's just starting to away now. There are times when I needed to just take a week where I did NOTHING and it helped my weight loss. Right now, I eat healthy during the week and Saturdays I usually pig out. It seems to work. I think it's called calorie zig zagging or some such thing.

mcarter99

Lose the scale. It lies. 2 lbs. isn't necessarily a gain of fat. You're doing well. It never comes off in a straight linear fashion. It takes a long time to make big changes. Keep trying! You're probably doing everything right and are about to have a big scale breakthrough soon.

pdj1220

I might suggest opening your diary so others who are successful can give you advice.

I haven't been tracking lately because everyone has been telling me so many different things to do that I just do not know what to eat and how much to eat anymore.

Hmm, wonder if this could be your problem. Seems like making a single change and giving it time to work or fail might be better. With lots of changes at once you have no idea what is helping or hurting.

BrianSharpe

How tall are you? How old are you?

Judging by your profile picture, the activity level you describe and the fact that you have some team pictures on your mirror I'm going to guess that you're reasonably athletic. Is it possible that you may have increased your lean muscle mass? Are you still growing? How did you pick your goal weight of 130?

gurlygirlrcr80

Are you keeping track of your measurements? gaining weight doesn't always mean fat gain...

cmriverside

I might suggest opening your diary so others who are successful can give you advice.

I haven't been tracking lately because everyone has been telling me so many different things to do that I just do not know what to eat and how much to eat anymore.

Hmm, wonder if this could be your problem. Seems like making a single change and giving it time to work or fail might be better. With lots of changes at once you have no idea what is helping or hurting.

yep. QFT.

iWaffle

Ok. I'm practically fed up. I've been stuck around the same weight since March 2012, and now ever since May 2012 I've been GAINING WEIGHT. What the hell is going on?

You're consuming more calories than you're burning. That's the heart of the matter plain and simple. While it's normal to have a 1 - 2 pound change day over day due to water retention if you're not seeing results after 2-3 weeks then you need to either alter your diet or add more exercise.

You could be:
A. Underestimating the food you're eating.
B. Overestimating calories burned during exercise.
C. Not logging all your food.

Are you keeping track of your measurements? gaining weight doesn't always mean fat gain...

This as well. Take measurements every week or two and see if there are any changes.

thrld

Lose the scale. It lies. 2 lbs. isn't necessarily a gain of fat. You're doing well. It never comes off in a straight linear fashion. It takes a long time to make big changes. Keep trying! You're probably doing everything right and are about to have a big scale breakthrough soon.

This. Stop weighing yourself.

Get a tape measure. Use that to track your fitness, not the scale.

therealangd

You need to track, otherwise you can't pinpoint what is wrong. Whether you are underestimating food calories, overestimating exercise calories. You also need to stick with something for a few weeks to determine if that will work for you.

It's a sure bet though that 1400 daily calories will not make you gain fat.

ironanimal

Do one thing for 2 months. If it doesn't work, change it. Cut down processed food, eat plenty of fruit and veg. Cut back the exercise a bit. Working out 5 times a week is plenty, let alone 10. Calculate your TDEE and deduct 10% (you don't look like you have much to lose).

Barbellsandthimbles

I might suggest opening your diary so others who are successful can give you advice.

I haven't been tracking lately because everyone has been telling me so many different things to do that I just do not know what to eat and how much to eat anymore.

Hmm, wonder if this could be your problem. Seems like making a single change and giving it time to work or fail might be better. With lots of changes at once you have no idea what is helping or hurting.

^^^ this. Choose one thing and give it 3-4 weeks to see how it works for you. First, start tracking again! Second, make sure you're eating at least your BMR. Then you can try cutting carbs, or upping your cals...just choose one thing and stick with it for a while to see if it works or not.

MeliciousGibson

I'm in the EXACT same boat - in fact, I was wondering if my alternate ego created an MFP profile and started posting - until I saw that you were only 144!

I got down to 145 at the end of February. I started teaching Zumba classes in April and have now gone up to 154 pounds. Yes, you read that right - 9 mother-loving pounds!

I've also not been as diligent as I used to be on my eating due to my new schedule. I work an 8-5 job and teach Zumba 3 nights/week. This leaves my eating habits a little wonky, whereas before I would get home from work at 6:00, eat by 6:30 and be done with it. Now I get home at 7:30, eat at 8:00 (and a little more than I used to because I'm usually hungrier).

I have seriously considered going back to the absolute beginning and starting at the 1200 calories again.

Let me know if anything begins working for you.

minkakross

I might suggest opening your diary so others who are successful can give you advice.

I haven't been tracking lately because everyone has been telling me so many different things to do that I just do not know what to eat and how much to eat anymore.

Hmm, wonder if this could be your problem. Seems like making a single change and giving it time to work or fail might be better. With lots of changes at once you have no idea what is helping or hurting.

^this

Shannon2714

Have you tried using the TDEE calculator to see what it recommends? You may not be eating enough, even at 1400 calories.

scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Mayor_West

Ok. I'm practically fed up. I've been stuck around the same weight since March 2012, and now ever since May 2012 I've been GAINING WEIGHT. What the hell is going on? I'm seriously about to cry right now. I know I'm freaking out and I need to calm down but seriously this is just ridiculous. I literally can not lose weight. It's a miracle that I went down from 152lbs to 145lbs, which is why you see on my ticker it starts at 145lbs because thats when I started MFP. But honestly, I just weighed myself, and I'm back to 144lbs.

Just really name every weight loss trick in the book. I guaranteed I've done about 99.9% of them and it HAS NOT WORKED. Please help. Just name every trick or tell me what could be wrong because I don't get it =\

(Here's what I'm currently doing: I play tennis about 3-5 times a week. I've been strength training five times a week with 10 pound weights since I'm a beginner and do my weight training at home. I mix up my cardio ALL THE TIME. I mix up my strength training moves ALL THE TIME. I've tried low carb high protein diet. I've tried eating a 1200 calorie limit, a 1400 calorie limit, and even just did the whole "listen to when youre body is hungry.") I'm stuck.

Lemme see if I get this straight....

You've been working at this since March of this year? A little more than 3 whole months? And you've tried "every weight loss trick in the book" during that time? It sounds like you want instant results and when you don't get them quickly enough for your tastes, then you change things up only to have the same unrealistic expectations not being met.

The only secret to long-term weight loss is THERE IS NO SECRET. It takes time and consistent effort.

kgprice11

Honestly with how active you are, you are going to need a lot calories than 1400. When I was as active as you I was taking in around 2800 and still losing weight. I heard some BC pills also make you gain weight (Idk about this because I am a guy)

srp2011

I might suggest opening your diary so others who are successful can give you advice.

I haven't been tracking lately because everyone has been telling me so many different things to do that I just do not know what to eat and how much to eat anymore.

Gee, this might be a big part of the problem... you're eating who knows what and who knows how much, and then wondering why you're not losing. It's really not rocket science. Eat fewer calories than you burn, and focus on healthy less processed foods - lean proteins, fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, limit processed sugars and flours. And do this consistently. Most people who get on here complaining that they can't lose weight don't follow a plan consistently for long enogh for it to work - they think taking a day off here or there won't hurt (sorry, those days off can often be enough to offset the good days), or they jump from one plan to another. Pick something healthy and stick with it. And make sure you are accurately measuring your intake and exercise calories.

Baybbee123

There is nothing wrong with you. It takes time to figure out what is going on. When I started in March 2012 I didn't even lose a single pound (may have gained too but don't know because I never had a consistent scale until recently) until May 2012. And every day and every minute sucked.

I agree with pdj1220. It takes a fairly decent amount of time to figure out what is working. I still don't fully know what is working other than I upped my calories. But now that seems to be backfiring so I am in the same boat.

I started a journal outside of MFP today & made notes to see what I am doing and what I'm trying. Like for instance, I put "higher sodium on ___ (whichever date I'm tracking)" to see if that impacts my weight gain. Also, I decided to try much lower carb & made a note that I am trying to do that to see if it impacts my weight loss. I am hoping it will help.

Give it time. Believe me, anyone who is dedicated to the process knows all the frustrations you are going through. My scale has been up 4 lbs since Sunday and this morning I literally wanted to cry. My birthday is tomorrow....and feels ruined by the thought of this. Not that I was expecting to lose, but to be up 4 lbs is just so frustrating and exhausting - and the opposite of what I had hoped for.

Be patient....trial and error. I think that's the best advice anyone could offer. It's such a long frustrating process to figure it all out. Maybe even try talking to a trainer to see what they recommend?

YOU CAN DO THIS! Don't give up on yourself!

Lithriel

Are you on hormonal birth control? Did you weigh yourself during your time of the month?

I quit hormonal birth control and dropped 10 pounds without even trying. It's also the reason why I gained 20 pounds within a year of marriage. I'm not going back.

Also, I weighed 170 last week because I was on my period. Today I weighed 162. Water weight can add pounds to the scale that "special" week and drop the next.

supplemama

How tall are you? What is your goal weight?

and I agree with everyone else, you need to track everything. What you eat, and exercise. I just joined MFP but I've been working on getting to a healthy weight for a while...every time I got stuck it was because I stopped tracking.

kgprice11

Ok. I'm practically fed up. I've been stuck around the same weight since March 2012, and now ever since May 2012 I've been GAINING WEIGHT. What the hell is going on? I'm seriously about to cry right now. I know I'm freaking out and I need to calm down but seriously this is just ridiculous. I literally can not lose weight. It's a miracle that I went down from 152lbs to 145lbs, which is why you see on my ticker it starts at 145lbs because thats when I started MFP. But honestly, I just weighed myself, and I'm back to 144lbs.

Just really name every weight loss trick in the book. I guaranteed I've done about 99.9% of them and it HAS NOT WORKED. Please help. Just name every trick or tell me what could be wrong because I don't get it =\

(Here's what I'm currently doing: I play tennis about 3-5 times a week. I've been strength training five times a week with 10 pound weights since I'm a beginner and do my weight training at home. I mix up my cardio ALL THE TIME. I mix up my strength training moves ALL THE TIME. I've tried low carb high protein diet. I've tried eating a 1200 calorie limit, a 1400 calorie limit, and even just did the whole "listen to when youre body is hungry.") I'm stuck.

Lemme see if I get this straight....

You've been working at this since March of this year? A little more than 3 whole months? And you've tried "every weight loss trick in the book" during that time? It sounds like you want instant results and when you don't get them quickly enough for your tastes, then you change things up only to have the same unrealistic expectations not being met.

The only secret to long-term weight loss is THERE IS NO SECRET. It takes time and consistent effort.

^^ I agree with you. You are not going to see a drastic change in weight loss especially weighing 145, its going to take time and effort ( I see you have with working out)

thescrumisfun

Have you seen a dietitian or consulted your doctor to rule out possible underlying causes, such as thyroid or hormone imbalances? Good luck, you can do it!

ginamaria724

Hmm, wonder if this could be your problem. Seems like making a single change and giving it time to work or fail might be better. With lots of changes at once you have no idea what is helping or hurting.

For the past month, I was doing a high protein low carb, 1400 calorie diet. And I tracked it (I just stopped tracking this week). I was gaining weight. My mom's friend who is a physical trainer told me I was eating way too little and the fact that I was gaining weight is because I wasn't giving my body enough fuel (food), therefore it was using my muscle for food, causing me to gain weight/plateau. Then from March 2012 to May 2012 I was eating about 1200 calories, so then I upped it a little in May. Did nothing.

This. Stop weighing yourself.
Get a tape measure. Use that to track your fitness, not the scale.

I have been using a tape measurement also. Apparently I've increased one inch in my waist and hips.

Just throwing this out there...are you pregnant?

Nope it'd be physically impossible for me to be pregnant due to the fact that I'm still waiting for that *~special guy~*. I'm also not on any birth control.

Lemme see if I get this straight....
You've been working at this since March of this year? A little more than 3 whole months? And you've tried "every weight loss trick in the book" during that time? It sounds like you want instant results and when you don't get them quickly enough for your tastes, then you change things up only to have the same unrealistic expectations not being met.
The only secret to long-term weight loss is THERE IS NO SECRET. It takes time and consistent effort.

Nope I've been working out and trying to lose weight since January of 2012. Trust me, I know this takes time and effort.

BleuTree

DON'T STOP. keep pushing. start tracking again and if all else fails go see your dr. there could be a problem with your thyroid which would prevent weight loss

maab_connor

DON'T STOP. keep pushing. start tracking again and if all else fails go see your dr. there could be a problem with your thyroid which would prevent weight loss

this.

log everything you put in your mouth for a month. if the scale doesn't move, and you're w/in calories and macros, print out the chart and take it to the dr.

arrow460

It seems crazy, but when my weight loss stops I can cut back on my cardio and it will resume in a day or two. Sometimes I think you have to show your body that your not really trying to break it!!!

darlilama

I can only imagine how incredibly frustrated you are. I would be. But, I think everyone needs more info before suggesting help. Obviously you're at least reasonably to very active. Hard to say because what one person thinks is "working out hard" isn't so much to another.

Barring any possible medical issues, here are my suggestions ... go back to square one with a few modifications perhaps...

GET A GOOD HEART RATE MONITOR. One with a chest strap. I have the Polar FT7 and I like it. Seems like a lot of other people have it and like it, too. They make a model a step down from it that's a little cheaper, not quite all the bells and whistles, but still what you need. WHY get a HRM? Because you may not be burning as many calories as you think you are... again perception of effort is different for everyone. Also, I can do the same workout twice, feel like I've really put effort into both times, but get enough differences in calorie burn to make me go "ahhh". Of course even HRMs are not perfect, but they are more perfect than not knowing or guessing or using MFP "generic" logs.

START LOGGING EVERYTHING YOU EAT again. Be completely honest... the good, the bad, the ugly. Second problem after many people overcalculating calories burned is underestimating calories consumed. Also, having it in front of your face and everyone else's face every day may help you make better choices. It does help me.

SET YOUR ACTIVITY LEVEL IN MFP TO SEDENTARY - UNLESS you have a very physical job. Then you will absolutely be able to see in your diaries your total intake and burn.

EAT SENSIBLY. Some personal opinion here, but still it's a fact that our bodies are not made to live "only" on one macro-nutrient or another. We're omnivores, so I feel it's perfectly fine to eat carbs and fats and protein. The types and the balance is what you need to strive for. THE GOALS MFP SETS FOR YOU AUTOMATICALLY is a good place to start. You may need to adjust it for your personal needs. For example, some people want to eat fewer fats overall if they have family history of heart disease - or carefully watch their sugar or sodium for health reasons.

OPEN YOUR DIARY to at least your friends. It's hard for people to make suggestions in the dark.

KEEP UP THE EXERCISE ROUTINE. What you outline seems pretty fantastic to me. For your strength training, you may not be lifting enough. I know you say you are new, but you should be able to move past 10lbs pretty quickly. It's good for you! It's good for your bones and your muscles... you will be healthier and live longer and stand up straighter!

DON'T WEIGH YOURSELF MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK and DON'T RELY ONLY ON THE SCALES. It will drive you insane. Your body has normal fluctuations. It's the long term trend you're looking for. Remember, scales measure weight. They don't measure fitness.

TAKE MEASUREMENTS ON A REGULAR BASIS. Maybe every 30 days. Maybe every 2 weeks. Up to you. This may show you more progress than the scale.

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!! I hope you can break through this barrier. I am so impressed that you are sticking with it and seeking help!