Not sure where to go next

shazzlemonster

So, for the past year and a half I've been tracking my calories, weighing my portions and working out five days a week. Once a week, I may go over in calories, to the tune of 100 - 200 calories, but other than xmas time, never much more than that.

I've lost and gained the same 4lbs.

I've tried increasing my calories, decreasing them, increasing my workouts, decreasing them. I've talked to my doctor, and a nutritionist and noone can figure out why I can't lose weight.

Any thoughts? I'm fairly certain that my trackers are open to view so feel free to go through them. Any day that wasn't tracked on here, was tracked manually.

ETA: Thanks! (How rude of me to forget!)

danagunsallus

The Fist thing I want to say is- DONT GIVE UP! Weight loss can be such a struggle and sometimes its hard to find out exactly how your body ticks, but once you do, it's worth it all! This is about your health and your life! So keep going.
I looked at your food log. The only thing that I noticed was the high calorie intake. How many calories are you allowed in a day? Did this MFP give you this #? Maybe try eating smaller meals-more often. Add in more Fruit and Veggies. And take a walk every chance you get. I live in the country with a pretty long hilly driveway. So everytime I have a free moment I walk it. OR if my kids are driving me nuts... its a good way to get out! :laugh: :laugh:
Have you taken all the metabolic testing, thyroid checks ect? If the Dr.'s say your clear... just keep pushing until you find what is the right plan for you!
You will succeed! Never give up on yourself!

mscocoa30

I'm not by any means an expert on this. But I did take a look at your food tracker and the only thing I could possibly come up with is your sugar intake. Diet containing too much sugar can quickly cause weight gain according to an article http://www.womenfitness.net/deit_sugar.htm Also, I couldn't see your sodium intake but, daily sodium intake increases water weight gain in high sodium foods.

I noticed that the tracker really limits the amount of sugar intake. For me I think it was 28 or 30 grams. I was watching it and kept going over the limit. So I adjusted it to 40g and really started limiting my sugar intake, so far so good. I was really surprised at how much sugar was in everyday regular stuff. For instance if I eat a banana and a yogurt for breakfast, it adds up to about 35 grams of sugar. That's almost my limit. So I try to choose one or the other each day instead of both.

This is just my guesstimate. Hope it helps. But, keep going at it though, keep adjusting until you figure out what works for you.

~J

ali258

Well, I'm not an expert, but I've been playing this weight loss game almost 20 years (and I'm only 27).

What about your sodium? That probably wouldn't have a long-term effect, but it still might be really high if you're eating a lot of processed food.

There are also a lot of things that affect weight loss that have nothing to do with food and exercise. How is your stress? Do you sleep enough? Are you on medications that have a side effect of weight gain or that make it harder to lose weight? Have you quit smoking? I personally have depression, and when I am having a low time, I really can't seem to lose weight no matter how well I eat and then I end up giving up.

As far as exercise, have you tried the Couch to 5k program? The program takes you from not doing any jogging to jogging/running a 5k in a couple of months. That could be a good way to increase your workouts in a healthy way. Just be sure if you're burning too many calories working out that you eat the calories so your body isn't starving.

The only other thing I can think of is the accuracy of the nutritional information. Have you confirmed that the nutritional information you're using on here is accurate with the information on the package of food you're eating? Sometimes if it's something another person has entered, I notice that all of the information is off but it's been confirmed by others, so either I live in a different part of the country or world where they process the food differently or the company may have changed the recipe of the food, which changed the nutritional information.

With all of that said, good job sticking to this for a year and a half even though you aren't getting the results you want. I'm sure your body appreciates you living a healthy lifestyle even if it won't cooperate and just drop the weight off.

danagunsallus

One more thing! Drink LOTS of water! You have to flush out all the toxicity from your body that is released during diet and exercise. And on a Personal note** Make sure your using the restroom alot ** You cant get rid of the excess fat cells and toxins if your not.
Your gonna do great!

shazzlemonster

Thanks guys.

Calorie intake - yup this is the number set by MFP. I've tried other levels at various stages, lower and higher, and I must admit, I feel best right around here.

Sodium - I have been watching my sodium, but after it had been about right for over a year, I decided to start watching my sugar instead. I occassionally double check it now just to be sure, but I'm pretty confident that it's become habit by now.

Other factors - I am using the implanon BC, so that might be a factor. We'll have to wait and see there, cos I love it and am unwilling to remove it before I have to. (Any day now my SO with get a vasectomy and WAAYHAY I don't need BC anymore) My thyroid and metabolism are all AOK. Stress, not too bad and I get pleanty of sleep.

Sugar - You're dead right there....I'm working on it. It's moving in the right direction. I find it hard to make big changes all at once, so I'm cutting what I can here and there.

Accuracy of nutritional info - I could start double checking that actually. I may find problems there.

As for giving up - NO WAY. My indigestion has cleared up, my fitness has improved 10 fold and I no longer get the painful stomach cramps every damn day. You're right, this is about more than weight for me. I wanna see it go down, but it's secndary to the health bit.

rtmama

As for giving up - NO WAY. My indigestion has cleared up, my fitness has improved 10 fold and I no longer get the painful stomach cramps every damn day. You're right, this is about more than weight for me. I wanna see it go down, but it's secndary to the health bit.

I seem to be at a plateau myself, but I am trying to have the same attitude. I feel awesome, my clothes feel better, and I just feel healthier. If I dont' lose anymore weight, well, it's okay!

I wish you luck! The only thing I can add (or repeat) is drink more water. I think it does help!