Can NOT lose!! What's going on?

youngherron

I am female, 5'9", 160 lbs, 41 YO. My digital scale at home tells me my body fat is 26.5%. I am typically a thin person who carries her weight around her waist (apple shaped). Three years ago, I weighed (naturally) 148 lbs, so I KNOW I can weigh less and be healthy. I found daily cardio exercise wasn't helping me lose any weight, so I started MFP about a month ago. Since then, I eat between 1300-1600 calories a day, and I exercise daily to the tune of 400-900 calories (45 minutes cardio or commuter cycling for 29 kms round trip). I also weight train for 1/2 hour, 3 times/week. I occassionaly do 20-30 minutes of ab work in the evenings (when I can manage it....maybe twice/week).

Since starting to track my food, I've GAINED an inch around my butt and not lost ANY inches off my waist. I've not gained any weight, but I've not lost any either. I think the inch around my hips is due to cycling (muscles in thighs?).

It's driving me crazy - what am I doing wrong? I'm thinking of making an appt with my doctor to get my thryroid checked, becuase I just can't budge teh scale. I'm also thinking of hiring a dietician. I keep reading about how someone my size/weight needs 1600+ calories a day to survive - add in my exercise and I don't know WHY I'm not losing. I can't believe I'm gaining a signficant amount of muscle to make the scale stay put - my body fat %age hasn't changed over the last 6 months.

What is wrong? Ideas most appreciated! My profile is viewable if anyone cares to look.

caraiselite

well it has only been a month.

your doctor will know best though!

alltacht

If you're only eating 1300 and burning off 400-900 then youre barely giving your body any calories to work with. You should search for ''BMR and TDEE' and 'eat more to weigh less' on the forums theres lots of good advice on finding the right amount of cals you personally need. Good luck

rodneyderrick

I'm counting for life, so a month doesn't seem very long to me. Anyway, I stopped drinking crystal light and other diet drinks because they seemed to slow down my weight-loss, when I was trying to lose weight. I've never been an alcohol drinker, but I would cut that stuff out of my diet too.

HollywoodDJ

I'm counting for life, so a month doesn't seem very long to me. Anyway, I stopped drinking crystal light and other diet drinks because they seemed to slow down my weight-loss, when I was trying to lose weight. I've never been an alcohol drinker, but I would cut that stuff out of my diet too.

Anything with Artificial Sweeteners is TERRIBLE!!!! They are a huge trigger for me for Meniere's Attacks. Violent vertigo, ringing in the ears and vomiting....but...back on the subject. It does sounds like you are not eating enough and that you need to add more calories.

Lea_8D

Your diary isn't viewable, but my suggestion would be to up your calories by 100-200/day for a couple of weeks and see if that helps. If not, go up another 100/day, etc. When I suddenly increased my exercise by a bunch, I went into a plateau. I looked at my diary and saw that I was netting too low. When I upped my calories by 100-150/day, I started losing again. you just have to keep tweaking things until you find the right balance. Frustrating, I know!

lizziebeth1028

I am female, 5'9", 160 lbs, 41 YO. My digital scale at home tells me my body fat is 26.5%. I am typically a thin person who carries her weight around her waist (apple shaped). Three years ago, I weighed (naturally) 148 lbs, so I KNOW I can weigh less and be healthy. I found daily cardio exercise wasn't helping me lose any weight, so I started MFP about a month ago. Since then, I eat between 1300-1600 calories a day, and I exercise daily to the tune of 400-900 calories (45 minutes cardio or commuter cycling for 29 kms round trip). I also weight train for 1/2 hour, 3 times/week. I occassionaly do 20-30 minutes of ab work in the evenings (when I can manage it....maybe twice/week).

Since starting to track my food, I've GAINED an inch around my butt and not lost ANY inches off my waist. I've not gained any weight, but I've not lost any either. I think the inch around my hips is due to cycling (muscles in thighs?).

It's driving me crazy - what am I doing wrong? I'm thinking of making an appt with my doctor to get my thryroid checked, becuase I just can't budge teh scale. I'm also thinking of hiring a dietician. I keep reading about how someone my size/weight needs 1600+ calories a day to survive - add in my exercise and I don't know WHY I'm not losing. I can't believe I'm gaining a signficant amount of muscle to make the scale stay put - my body fat %age hasn't changed over the last 6 months.

What is wrong? Ideas most appreciated! My profile is viewable if anyone cares to look.

Are you eating back your calories earned through exercise? It would help it you open up your diary, you'll get more feedback.

mellyjonz

Your BMR (basal metabolic rate - the amount of calories you need to survive) is 1483. You should NOT eat any less than that each day. If you're exercising and adding that into the EXERCISE portion on this site it will tell you how many calories/day you can eat. You're probably not eating enough to support your exercise (i.e. starvation mode). If, however, you notice body composition changes - clothes are loser and fitting better...those usually come before the number on the scale budges - muscle takes up less room than fat). If you're using machines for cardio at the gym be sure to deduct 25% - 35% from the calorie burn as they are not accurate. Try eating more and keeping close track to what you are eating according to the site and see what happens. Good luck!

youngherron

Thanks everyone. I should have mentioned alcohol - I have one or two drinks, only on weekends. I started that back in January - until then, I'd been a 4-5 glasses a week drinker (one glass at a time!). Usually I drink red wine or mixed drinks with juice (vodka, gin). I've also been following a low-carb, high protein diet pretty regularly for the last year - no rice, potatoes, or bread, and essentially the only carb I'd eat is my morning oatmeal. I don't drink pop/soda. Artificial sweeteners have never agreed with me - they give me chapped lips, of all things!

I started tracking my food, not because I thought I was eating too much, but because I started wondering if the low-carb thing was a bad idea. In the last month, I've gone back to eating "normally" (lol - yes, I will now eat brown rice with my chicken and a sandwich on whole wheat at lunch!). I sort of wonder if I've deprived myself of calories (or a certain type of calories) for so long, my body is confused or in starvation mode.

I did google the BMR today and I get around 1450-1500 calories/day. I definitely feel I am getting stronger in my legs and upper back for all my exercising - but man, it's hard to keep it up! I do work fullt-time and have kids and a life outside of exercise....like we all do!! ha ha....

Until I was 31 and went through my first pregnancy, I was 125/130 lbs - always thin. I've never tried to lose weight so it's all new to me!

My thyroid and kidney function was checked 15 months ago by my doctor and it was all normal. But hey, you never know.

Thanks for everyone's support - it's most appreciated!!!

youngherron

Hum, I thought my profile was open. I've re-jigged and I think it's viewable now....

I suspect I need to eat more.

youngherron

OK, to be fair, i looked at my summary report and I eat 1600-1700/day.

_stephanie0

Hum, I thought my profile was open. I've re-jigged and I think it's viewable now....

I suspect I need to eat more.

follow this and you'll be golden.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

BootCampCrazy

Has it been a solid month? I went from couch potatoe to gym guru kind of 'overnight' and gained 5 lbs in a week ;/ I joined the gym May 17th, It wasn't until June 5th that I started steadily decreasing. For me, I think water retention from dehydration played a part, then overhydration because I was overcompensating thinking that'd do me good... it was hard for me to find a balance lol. Do you have a high sodium intake? I stopped sprinkling meals with salt and just generally eat lower sodium now too. I'm DEFINITELY not an expert and am not even posing to be, but my weight fluctuated significantly and has since stopped and started the downhill slope. (knock on wood) I eat back 1/2 of my exercise calories if that helps at all.

youngherron

I'm definitely good on the sodium intake (I have a high normal BP so I control it with diet). Encouraging to hear you didn't start losing regularly for a while after starting up the exercise. I've always exercised (cardio) but I have definitely ramped it up from every-second-day to 6x/week in the last month or so. I wonder about water retention - I tend to drink a lot of water, yes. I am NEVER thirsty!!

mcarter99

I think you probably just need to be more patient and watch for non-scale body changes. If you upped your exercise that makes the scale a bad indicator for a while.

littlepinkhearts

try this link....there's lottsa info on eating to make sure you fuel your exercise http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

BootCampCrazy

OH OH OH OH OH OH READ THIS!!!!!! Nailed it!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/595473-why-the-scale-goes-up-with-a-new-workout-program-must-read

half_moon

Since you seem to naturally not be an overweight person, it could possibly be that you are gaining muscle, which is heavier than fat? Not sure. I'm not a big believer of the "eat more to weigh less" fad. I think 1300 - 1500 sounds healthy.

Anastacia1119

1. You're eating a ton of processed foods. Processed foods are loaded with sodium. Instead of making packaged foods, try to make fresh. And contrary to what people think, fresh foods do not cost more than processed/boxed. They may save you time, but they don't save you money. I usually cook for the week when it comes to lunch and foods during work. This way I can control what I eat and don't need to go out.

2. Carbs- way too many. Up your protein intake and reduce your carbs. Look up BMR and TDEE. You need to calculate your macros. MFP usually calculates your protein too low and your carbs too high.

3. Try to eat more fresh vegetables.

Is there a reason why you aren't really keeping up on the weekends?

keyboardwench

Since you seem to naturally not be an overweight person, it could possibly be that you are gaining muscle, which is heavier than fat? Not sure. I'm not a big believer of the "eat more to weigh less" fad. I think 1300 - 1500 sounds healthy.

I'm not a big believer in the "muscle is heavier than fat" thing. A pound of muscle equals a pound of fat. A pound of lead is the same weight as a pound of feathers. Just changes in density, muscle takes up less space then fat by far and therefore looks better while weighing more/the same old fat that used to be there.

Maybe check your measurements for more progress, the scale isn't the only indicator of progress. If you're losing inches everywhere, going down in clothing sizes, the you're probably seeing more muscle develop while burning fat too rather than just simply losing weight. Another way to see your progress strength-wise is seeing if you're weights have moved up at the gym, can you lift heavier now?

I am a big fan of the "eat more to weigh less" idea. Seriously, check out the group
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

And give it a thought or two. It really sounds like you're very active and not eating enough for your stats and activity level. Run your numbers through a good BMR calculator ( http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ ) and get a better idea of what you should be eating. 1200 calories is not tailored to everyone, people have different lifestyles, weights, heights, genders, activity levels, etc.

Helloitsdan

I am female, 5'9", 160 lbs, 41 YO. My digital scale at home tells me my body fat is 26.5%. I am typically a thin person who carries her weight around her waist (apple shaped). Three years ago, I weighed (naturally) 148 lbs, so I KNOW I can weigh less and be healthy. I found daily cardio exercise wasn't helping me lose any weight, so I started MFP about a month ago. Since then, I eat between 1300-1600 calories a day, and I exercise daily to the tune of 400-900 calories (45 minutes cardio or commuter cycling for 29 kms round trip). I also weight train for 1/2 hour, 3 times/week. I occassionaly do 20-30 minutes of ab work in the evenings (when I can manage it....maybe twice/week).

Since starting to track my food, I've GAINED an inch around my butt and not lost ANY inches off my waist. I've not gained any weight, but I've not lost any either. I think the inch around my hips is due to cycling (muscles in thighs?).

It's driving me crazy - what am I doing wrong? I'm thinking of making an appt with my doctor to get my thryroid checked, becuase I just can't budge teh scale. I'm also thinking of hiring a dietician. I keep reading about how someone my size/weight needs 1600+ calories a day to survive - add in my exercise and I don't know WHY I'm not losing. I can't believe I'm gaining a signficant amount of muscle to make the scale stay put - my body fat %age hasn't changed over the last 6 months.

What is wrong? Ideas most appreciated! My profile is viewable if anyone cares to look.

5'9" 160lbs should net 2k a day.

sarahrbraun

Thanks everyone. I should have mentioned alcohol - I have one or two drinks, only on weekends. I started that back in January - until then, I'd been a 4-5 glasses a week drinker (one glass at a time!). Usually I drink red wine or mixed drinks with juice (vodka, gin). I've also been following a low-carb, high protein diet pretty regularly for the last year - no rice, potatoes, or bread, and essentially the only carb I'd eat is my morning oatmeal. I don't drink pop/soda. Artificial sweeteners have never agreed with me - they give me chapped lips, of all things!

I started tracking my food, not because I thought I was eating too much, but because I started wondering if the low-carb thing was a bad idea. In the last month, I've gone back to eating "normally" (lol - yes, I will now eat brown rice with my chicken and a sandwich on whole wheat at lunch!). I sort of wonder if I've deprived myself of calories (or a certain type of calories) for so long, my body is confused or in starvation mode.

I did google the BMR today and I get around 1450-1500 calories/day. I definitely feel I am getting stronger in my legs and upper back for all my exercising - but man, it's hard to keep it up! I do work fullt-time and have kids and a life outside of exercise....like we all do!! ha ha....

Until I was 31 and went through my first pregnancy, I was 125/130 lbs - always thin. I've never tried to lose weight so it's all new to me!

My thyroid and kidney function was checked 15 months ago by my doctor and it was all normal. But hey, you never know.

Thanks for everyone's support - it's most appreciated!!!

I just looked at the last week or so, and what jumps out at me the most is the HIGH carbs and LOW fiber. I ate according to the MFP suggestions for 3 months, and only lost 7lbs. Two of the months I lost and gained the same 3 lbs over and over. Because I was diagnosed ( briefly) with insulin resistance back in '04, my next step was to go back to my insulin resistance diet. On March 7th I started cutting carbs down to under 100g NET ( net is total carbs minus fiber grams). The first week I lost 4.8 pounds, and every week since I have lost ~1.25lbs. I am eating more now than I did back then, exercising LESS, and still losing on a steady basis. I'm going to be doing this for a while because it WORKS.

youngherron

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I am going to give it some more time and cut back on carbs (again - didn't work for me over the last 12 months but I've drastically upped my exercise so maybe that will make the difference). A note on the processed foods - the last 5 days are NOT indicative of what I normally eat. Because I've had high blood pressure in the past, I am very careful about avoiding all processed foods and now I managed my BP without any meds (just diet and exercise).

This week, I bought a lot of prepared dinners (lasagna, shepherd's pie, etc) because I was going to have to take care of my in-laws in our home, as my mother-in-law recovered from surgery (and my father-in-law is not capable of cooking - he's a stroke survivor so requires 24-hour care too). Turns out her surgery got bumped, so we ended up with a ton of food I don't normally eat.

I will keep trudging on...weight isn't down at all and measurements haven't budged either (except for my hips getting one inch bigger!!) but I will keep trying!

youngherron

PS: Summer is coming and with that, evening schedule changes for the family, so I will be able to cycle in to work a lot more (I work normal business hours). That should help on the exercise front - maybe do my 28 km/day on my bike (two half hour cardios) for four days each week, instead of only two.