Staying in my Calorie Goals, but not losing :(

tazzy_toon

I've been watching what I eat for the last 8 weeks. I lost 4 lbs the first week and haven't lost anything since. I have done some form of excercise most days, but can't excercise hard because I suffer from fibromyalgia, however I am still trying to work out as hard as I am able.
My husband has been pretty much eating the same as me, except he includes a bit more starch and sugars in his diet, no extra excercise (he suffers from a pinched nerve in his back and osteo arthritis in his shoulders) And he has lost 15 lbs and 2 pant sizes. lol

I have lost a small amount of inches, but it feels so frustrating to go through all this trouble and extra pain to not see any results (i've actually gained 2lbs back).

A diet has to be realistic for me, so I do allow a small amount of junk food a day. But I have cut out so much I don't see how it could make much difference.

I usually have yogurt with granola for breakfast, maybe a sandwich for lunch and a 4-6 oz of meat 1/2 cup of starch (rice or potatoe) and the rest vegies for dinner, I do snack after the kids go to bed, maybe a 1/4c of spitz and 6oz of gingerale, but not always. Or some thinsation treats. Depends on my mood. I do some light exercise before bed and stretches to burn some of it off and help me sleep.

Not sure what else to do. Any suggestions...

itsjustdawn

What's your calorie limit?

KrystieNye

Hard to say without being able to see your diary, but could you be eating too little? I know that when I upped my calorie intake from 1200 to 1500 (on most days) that I started losing again immediately.

bdp79

Try adding protein for breakfast. Eat 5-6 small "meals" a day. I have lost 58 lbs since January 4th by doing this. I eat oatmeal and a banana for breakfast with 1/2 cup of fruit. Between breakfast and lunch I eat a protein bar or fruit, for lunch I eat a sandwich on the round bread that has meat, mayo, tomatoe and chips and salsa. For supper I eat what my family eats using portion control. If I have enough calories left, I eat a skinny cow ice cream sandwhich (140 cal) or Purity ice cream sandwich (130 cal). Hope this helps. I am at a plateau now. Haven't lost in 10 days.

NoAdditives

Opening up your food diary will help us give you some real suggestions.

Heather_Rider

Im new, but thought i would share something with you.. when your veggies say "eat a cup" pack that cup in!!! for instance.. "one cup of shredded lettuce is......... (just guessing) 28 calories.. pack that cup FULL! get your calories out of that cup! Lessen your "packing" with cheese, pasta, ect.

make sure you are eating ENOUGH! i NEVER ate for 8 years.. and couldnt understand why i never lost weight! i was starving, LITERALLY, myself! You have to have at LEAST 1200 calories, (which i am having a very hard time doing.. i typically get to 1000 and cant take another bite!) but im supplimenting with a protein shake for 90 calories each, which helps fill the void.

Good luck!

tazzy_toon

I opened my food diary, but it's not fully accurate, I don't always add the super low cal foods like cauliflower or garden salad. This week has been bad because of anniversary, fathers day and 2 birthdays all in a week.

tazzy_toon

it was 1400, then I changed it to the Mfp calculation.

tazzy_toon

Hard to say without being able to see your diary, but could you be eating too little? I know that when I upped my calorie intake from 1200 to 1500 (on most days) that I started losing again immediately.

I was only eating 1200 when I was losing at first, then worried about starvation mode when I stopped lossing, then I upped my eating and gained a few and was hoping that if I stayed on track i'd start losing again, but nothing has happened.

Christine1110

A man has more muscle so they always burn & lose more then us. You might just have to wait and keep up what your doing. Drinking lots of water? Are you weighing or measuring your foods? We tend to eat more then the small amount we are allowed. Have you changed your eating or just trying to keep it under 1400. If you really want to lose without much exercise you need to stay around 1200 calories.

70% od weightloss is diet, so you can lose without exercising. It is much better for you if you do as much as you can, and will speed up your loss.

Good luck : )

NoAdditives

I opened my food diary, but it's not fully accurate, I don't always add the super low cal foods like cauliflower or garden salad. This week has been bad because of anniversary, fathers day and 2 birthdays all in a week.

Log your vegetables. If nothing else, it helps you keep an accurate record of what you're eaten. You need to cut down on the processed foods, fast foods, and snacks. If you can't get much exercise in, a healthy diet is that much more important. I suggest tracking your sodium, as excess sodium causes water retention, which could be responsible for your gain. Also, make sure you aren't over estimating your exercise.

TetsuKishi

Hard to say without being able to see your diary, but could you be eating too little?

I'm more of an expert on gaining weight than losing it, but I think Krystie may be right. You might actually be "starving" yourself. Depending on just what kind of sandwich you have for lunch, and what kind of "fats" you dinner is cooked with, you could easy be consuming less than 1200 Kcal/day on average, which is a big no no!

Without knowing your current weight and age, no one can even guess how many calories you should be consuming per day to keep from falling off this metabolic cliff into starvation mode. If you would share more specifics with this community, I'm sure someone will be able to give you better guidance.

But until then, may I suggest searching Google with the phrase, "eating too few calories"?

Here's a link from the top of the results page that seemed to be a good overview of this problem of actually eating "too little" instead of "too much:"

http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/can-more-calories-equal-more-weight-loss.aspx

Besides, it's "inches" more than "pounds" that truly matter, isn't it? So the last two months of effort have not been in vain. Don't lose sight of this. And whatever you do, don't give up!

tazzy_toon

A man has more muscle so they always burn & lose more then us. You might just have to wait and keep up what your doing. Drinking lots of water? Are you weighing or measuring your foods? We tend to eat more then the small amount we are allowed. Have you changed your eating or just trying to keep it under 1400. If you really want to lose without much exercise you need to stay around 1200 calories.

70% od weightloss is diet, so you can lose without exercising. It is much better for you if you do as much as you can, and will speed up your loss.

Good luck : )

Ya, it's one of the only times I wish I was a man. You are probably right, I've done so much garbage to my body it will most likely just take time. I've even taught diet and nutrition many years ago, but things change. I measure mostly the high caloric foods and allow myself more freedom with low cal foods like lettuce and cauliflower.

I have changed my eating drastically, I have always ate "mostly' right, but didn't exercise and had trouble with portion control. Not to meantion pop and flavoured coffees being my weakness. So while I still drink them I make healthier choices and do so in moderation. I've added more fresh veggies to my diet as well as the daily exercise.
Thanks for the encouragement.

chatterbox3110

I also have fibromyalgia, and I know how frustrating it can be, as its a vicious circle. Exercise is hard, but exercise is also recommended to aid fibromyalgia symptoms.

I do a lot of aqua aerobics and swim when I can, its good for cardiovascular and resistance while being weightbearing and not straining muscles. I also walk, and I just did the Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research last weekend - I walked the 5k, there's no way I could run.

I also have a mini cycle - it's just a set of pedals on a base, but it means I sit on the sofa and burn calories while watching TV.

I'm going through a flare-up at the moment, so this week hasn't been the best for me, I've lost 1lb and I'm kind of disappointed, but at the end of the day it's still a loss and for that I'm grateful.

Just keep on doing what you're doing, don't give up, and don't look back - you CAN and WILL do it!

Good luck!

tazzy_toon

Log your vegetables. If nothing else, it helps you keep an accurate record of what you're eaten. You need to cut down on the processed foods, fast foods, and snacks. If you can't get much exercise in, a healthy diet is that much more important. I suggest tracking your sodium, as excess sodium causes water retention, which could be responsible for your gain. Also, make sure you aren't over estimating your exercise.

Thanks, now that my diary is public I will track more accurately, for the most part I was just trying to get a basic idea of what I was eating. Adding the sodium is a good idea as well. I would imagine it's pretty high due to the sunflower seeds. lol

Not sure if I am overestimating the excerise, i've been do 1.5hrs at the gym 3x a week, plus baseball on weekend and walking 30 mins a day. But at this pace I will surely crash, I was just hoping that if I went extreme on the exercise I could break through the plateau. I'm probably just stressing about it too much.

sarahann013

Hi there!
I was looking at your diary and I noticed you don't always hit your protein--that is what I really started focusing on and upping my exercise (I saw where you have a hard time exercising--I totally get that). I noticed a big difference in the first 24 hours. I drink a protein shake for breakfast and it keeps me full for a rather long time. The one I drink is 300 calories (with 2% milk) and it has 30+ grams of protein.
I've also been doing circuit training every other day--I'm not entirely sure what your fibromyalgia limits you to, but what have you tried when it comes to exercises?

Best of luck to you, I hope you can find something to work for you (maybe the protein? ). Feel free to message me if you need anything!

tazzy_toon

I also have fibromyalgia, and I know how frustrating it can be, as its a vicious circle. Exercise is hard, but exercise is also recommended to aid fibromyalgia symptoms.

I do a lot of aqua aerobics and swim when I can, its good for cardiovascular and resistance while being weightbearing and not straining muscles. I also walk, and I just did the Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research last weekend - I walked the 5k, there's no way I could run.

I also have a mini cycle - it's just a set of pedals on a base, but it means I sit on the sofa and burn calories while watching TV.

I'm going through a flare-up at the moment, so this week hasn't been the best for me, I've lost 1lb and I'm kind of disappointed, but at the end of the day it's still a loss and for that I'm grateful.

Just keep on doing what you're doing, don't give up, and don't look back - you CAN and WILL do it!

Good luck!

Way to go! It's encouraging to see some one so successful in their journey.