There is honestly something wrong with me

TyFit08

I think you should go to your doctor to check for hormonal issues. One that can cause unexplained weight gain and make losing extremely difficult is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I gained 50lbs in less than a year, keep in mind I was working out and dieting the entire time I was gaining. I have finally lost 6lbs, but still getting my body back is a long road. Not trying to scare you, but often people will say just change your diet or eat more, workout more, sometimes its not that simple. So check with your doctor, better yet your GYN (since it could be hormonal) and ask about PCOS

ginamaria724

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

I have always thought about this... I looked up the symptoms though and I don't really have any of them... My body is just being stubborn :l

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.

Usually I would but, like I said earlier, everyone has been telling me so many different things to do. 1200 calorie, 1400 calorie, 2000+ calorie, high protein low carb, high carb, etc etc. I just don't know which one to follow.

***No matter how much I'm eating though, I am making sure it is as healthy and non processed as can be. Just incase anyone was thinking I'm shoving McDonalds and donuts into my mouth because I don't know how to eat, IM NOT.****

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!

THANK YOU SO MUCH. This is exactly what I needed. I really really appreciate taking your time out of the day to write all of this down, because I'm really grateful for it. It all makes sense and it all seems reasonable for the point I'm at. Thank you so much again.

ginamaria724

Don't know why this reposted 2 more times.

ginamaria724

Don't know why this reposted 2 more times.

carld256

I agree with darlilama, that's some spot on advice.

logicman69

Plateau's suck... I went through one right after I crossed the 200lb mark. For about 6 weeks I was stuck at 198. It was incredibly frustrating. Then I broke through, lost 1lb and then it started coming off steady after that.

Everyone here had given good advice. Keep pushing, track EVERYTHING, and figure out what works for YOU.

fittiephd

It is very strange to me that you have not had a period at 18 years old.. have you talked to your doctor about that? I wonder if that has anything to do with your weight loss problems.

I truly believe that you should stick to the 1650 calorie goal that you have in your diary right now. I'm 2 inches taller than you and eat 1800, so it seems reasonable. I don't think eating low calorie works for anyone in the long run.

But my best suggestion is to do some research, and decide what you think is best for you. Not best for your weight loss, but best for your health and fitness which will inevitably cause weight loss. Then once you decide, do this consistently for 1-2 months to see if it will work.

For example, I ate 1700 calories for 2-3 months and then realized I was still hungry often, so I switched to 1800. It's not easy to lose weight or be healthy or maintain weight or gain muscle. Nothing is easy. Just try your best and eventually it will work!!

RuthieCass

You are not going to gain fat by eating 1400 calories at your height and age. It's more likely that you were mis-accounting somewhere. Just to add to what @darlilama said:

-Get a food scale. Even if you log and use measuring cups, you are still likely eating more than you think you are. Don't forget to log every single thing. If you eat out, multiply the calories by 1.2 to account for possible error (better yet don't eat out).
-If you "eat back exercise calories," realize that MFP overestimates the burn. So eat back only 75% of them. Better yet, get a heart rate monitor to estimate your daily burns.
-It sounds like you work out an awful lot. Make sure you take at least rest day to let your muscles repair themselves. Weigh yourself once a week, in the morning, on the day after the rest day. Exercise (as well as high carb/sodium diets) causes your body to retain water, which can mask weight loss. Use measurements (waist/hip) in addition to scale to track your progress.
-Make sure your goal weight is realistic. I am your same height and definitely not "big-boned." But when I weighed 130, I was on pretty thin w/ very little muscle. Everyone's ideal weight is different, but keep your body type in mind when thinking about what you want to weigh.
-Be patient and don't give up. Give it a month and check your progress then. These things take time.
-Try to relax. Being stressed will cause your body to hold onto weight and mess with your appetite.

As for how much you should be eating: you want to find out first how much you'd have to eat to maintain your current weight (TDEE). To do that, you first need an estimate of your BMR (what you burn laying in bed doing nothing all day). Using this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator, your BMR comes to about 1500. Based on the description of your work outs, I'd say you're moderately active (this is assuming that you don't have a job where you're on your feet all day). So you multiply your BMR by the activity factor of 1.55 to get your TDEE, which will be around 2300. This is the approximate amount you would eat to maintain.

Now, to determine how much to lose, you set up a reasonable weekly goal. Since you don't have much to lose and you are fairly active, I'd suggest aiming for 1/2 lb per week. Since 1 lb=3500 calories, you would subtract 250 from your TDEE to get your diet calories. You can just make this an even 2000. You could probably bump this down a bit more (e.g. to 1800 for 1 lb/ week), but remember to fuel your body for your exercise and that faster losses typically mean more muscle loss. Using this approach you should NOT eat back exercise calories. Some people find they need to adjust things a bit after the first few weeks and that is fine.