not losing ANY weight ARGHHHHHHHH

newyorklover91

Hello fellow MFP'ers... I am in crisis mode.

I have posted a few times before (feel free to go back and have a look).

Here's my situation:
- I currently weigh 64kgs, 171cm, female, desk job, exercise 45 mins a day (Using Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels DVD's)
-I am trying to lose 8kg before Christmas (I started exactly at 6 months before Xmas)
-I have not lost a single KG since starting this and am getting very frustrated as others seem to just melt it off straight away
- I have however noticed alot of muscle definition esp. in my arms and thighs, some days I think my belly looks flatter but then I get bloating really badly and it just balloons all over again.....
-I try everything possible to add more to my daily workout (parking car further away from work, taking stairs, going for a walk around the block at lunch)
-I have been on 1200 calories for the first 2 months and now have gone to 1300 but no change whatsoever to weight loss, Have been eating back most of them (except for the first week when I started at 1300 when I was too scared to eat them back)
-I have increased my water intake from little to no water to 1.5litres a day
- I have been eating quite healthily (compared to what I used to eat, yuck!) with the odd treat here and there, but I really dont think that tiny treat once a week would hold me back from weight loss...

SO............... Many people have suggested upping my calories, eating/not eating back exercise calories, drinking more water, etc etc etc... So I am just wondering whether someone has been in a similar position to this or someone who is maybe a nutritionist or personal trainer or something, anything, someone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please help me

Hendrix7

open your diary.

newyorklover91

And....? I thought it's already open?

Hendrix7

nope, maybe it's only open to your friends.

evanesco

Please go here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 and get your numbers figured out. You're not eating enough to fuel that kind of workout regime and so are actually burning muscle, rather than building it.

newyorklover91

Ohhhh yes it is. Sorry. Will do that now

newyorklover91

I went and read that once before when I very first started but it's all a bit confusing for me, I will sit down and read through it again tomorrow and write everything down. Thank you

evanesco

Rough calculation, you need 1840 - 2050 calories each day, to fuel that kind of work out regime and loss weight/build muscle. Don't count exercise calories, and don't eat them back. read the Road Map and it'll all make sense.

evanesco

It is confusing at first, but you need to trust in it and give it at least 4-6 weeks to allow your hormones to settle. Your BMR is about 1490, this is what you would be given to keep you alive if you were in a coma. You're not in a coma and are working your body, but your not even eating this amount, so your body is eating itself instead, but it'll be eating muscle mass.

butterfly10398

Ask your doctor to have your thryoid checked!

newyorklover91

1800+ Calories to me sounds so scary, I am worried that If I eat that much I would put on weight! Anyway I will take this on board and read through it again, thank you

TavistockToad

i have had a quick look at your diary, and firstly, you dont eat enough. you need to make sure you NET 1200 cals by eating back your exercise calories.

what worried me most was the comments you wrote with each day. one day you ate 1200 calories and said you felt 'so bad' for eating so much. 1200 cals is not 'so much' in any way, shape or form... please consider speaking to a professional about your diet and your feelings towards food before you make yourself really sick.

bathsheba_c

You're not eating enough to fuel that kind of workout regime and so are actually burning muscle, rather than building it.

THIS. You are already pretty slim (I know this because you are about the same weight as me, but 6 cm taller), which means that your body is probably not all that interested in losing weight to begin with. If you are eating like you want to lose 2 lbs a week, your body will be even less happy with you.

By the way, how did you choose your goal weight? It seems a little too low to me, especially if you want to be more muscular.

newyorklover91

i have had a quick look at your diary, and firstly, you dont eat enough. you need to make sure you NET 1200 cals by eating back your exercise calories.

what worried me most was the comments you wrote with each day. one day you ate 1200 calories and said you felt 'so bad' for eating so much. 1200 cals is not 'so much' in any way, shape or form... please consider speaking to a professional about your diet and your feelings towards food before you make yourself really sick.

Okay, I never really thought of it that way... seriously I have no idea about weight loss or eating healthy. I honestly am not sick or anorexic or anything bad.. far from it! eek. I hope I haven't given you that impression... Is it best to see a doctor or do you know if you can go to a nutritionist or dietician straight up or would you have to get a referral?

VAMommyAgain

Nobody EVER got fat eating 1800-2200 cals per day...ever. You should NET at least 1600 cals per day and make sure you log ALL exercise and eat back at least most of those cals. It really really does work!

If you're on Facebook I highly recommend liking the pages Eat More To Weigh Less and Go Kaleo...those are two awesome pages that focus on eating to lose by fueling your body.

newyorklover91

You're not eating enough to fuel that kind of workout regime and so are actually burning muscle, rather than building it.

THIS. You are already pretty slim (I know this because you are about the same weight as me, but 6 cm taller), which means that your body is probably not all that interested in losing weight to begin with. If you are eating like you want to lose 2 lbs a week, your body will be even less happy with you.

By the way, how did you choose your goal weight? It seems a little too low to me, especially if you want to be more muscular.

I really am not slim, I have a big bloated belly 24/7 (I have IBS also, probably should have mentioned that) I just want to be skinnier and not have the fatty belly and muffin top and flabby thighs so I can be comfortable in a bikini in summer. I was originally at 67kg and wanted to lose 8 to be in the 50's. I guess now that I re-evaluate it I would like to be around or below 60. In all honesty I am losing weight because I hate all the cellulite and want to fit into a size 10 and want to fit into a bikini in summer!

nxd10

Just some thoughts on your diary - I don't know how they affect you, I know how they'd affect me.

You're not logging everything every day. That is more important than anything else. Either that or you're skipping many dinners. Do you ever eat AFTER dinner?

Are you measurements accurate?

Do you drink anything besides water? I see a little tea, but nothing else. Is that accurate?

Do you eat vegetables? I saw some peas, a little pumpkin, and I'm not sure much anything else over a couple of weeks. Fruits are good, but they have different nutrients.

You have a lot of carbs. For me, lowering my carbs to be consistently down below 50% makes a lot of difference in weight loss. 40% would be better, but it's hard for me to do while keeping my meals pretty normal.

For fast, short term weight loss, very low carb should give you a bump. If you want to see results, you might try that. Once you get going after a week or two, you could transition into a more sustainable eating pattern.

LorinaLynn

Converting from metric... You're 5'7 and 141 pounds. That's pretty damn good.

It's not pounds you need to lose. It's bodyfat. Set your goals to lose a half pound a week, aim for at least 100g of protein a day, eat most of your exercise calories, and strength train with heavy weights. Toss the scale out the window and track your progress through measurements, how clothes fit, and photos.

nxd10

I just read your comment about bloating - my husband has that same problem because he also has serious issues with his guts.

As you know, what you eat makes a huge difference. For him, it is anything with a lot of salt, even one or two beers, or anything with a lot of grain.

If you are seriously worried about bloat, you might log your waist/bloat and look at your previous day's diary and see if there are foods you're just having trouble digesting.

Also, taking extremely high fiber - 35 g of Metamucil plus a regular diet - made a huge difference in his life. Your fruit may do that for you, but it's something to consider. (If you don't have Metamucil in Australia, it's a powdered dietary fiber supplement.)

nxd10

Converting from metric... You're 5'7 and 141 pounds. That's pretty damn good.

It's not pounds you need to lose. It's bodyfat. Set your goals to lose a half pound a week, aim for at least 100g of protein a day, eat most of your exercise calories, and strength train with heavy weights. Toss the scale out the window and track your progress through measurements, how clothes fit, and photos.

This

newyorklover91

Just some thoughts on your diary - I don't know how they affect you, I know how they'd affect me.

You're not logging everything every day. That is more important than anything else. Either that or you're skipping many dinners. Do you ever eat AFTER dinner?

Are you measurements accurate?

Do you drink anything besides water? I see a little tea, but nothing else. Is that accurate?

Do you eat vegetables? I saw some peas, a little pumpkin, and I'm not sure much anything else over a couple of weeks. Fruits are good, but they have different nutrients.

You have a lot of carbs. For me, lowering my carbs to be consistently down below 50% makes a lot of difference in weight loss. 40% would be better, but it's hard for me to do while keeping my meals pretty normal.

For fast, short term weight loss, very low carb should give you a bump. If you want to see results, you might try that. Once you get going after a week or two, you could transition into a more sustainable eating pattern.

Shall answer your questions in form:

-sometimes I miss sundays because I am out all day or just dont get time to get onto here 24/7. I am trying really hard though. I pre log, in the morning after my workout I log everything I will be eating for the day and then prepare it before I go to work. I hardly ever eat anything after dinner.

- Measurements have only just begun in the last 2 weeks so before that I have only measured once when I started and once last time I measured(cant remember when that was) but I have added it to my calendar for every monday morning will be weigh in and measure.

-I drink a cup of tea at morning tea time at work if I feel like it but other than that no, just water and a small glass of milk in the morning with weetbix if I feel like it.

-I HATE vegetables, however I am trying SUPER hard to incorporate them into my eating, sometimes I forget to add them to my dairy at dinner (yes, please dont shoot me I know I should log them) but sometimes I simply forget.) Are you saying I shouldnt eat so much fruit?

-I honestly have no idea about how many carbs/protein/etc etc I should be eating, I will admit to that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know I need to eat alot mor fibre, however as suggested by my doctor because I have IBS issues.

-Thank you so much for your help. It is all appreciated greatly.

cassiegal724

I calculated your Basal Metabolic Rate (http://exercise.about.com/library/blbmrcalculator.htm) and the result is 1485. This is the amount of calories your body needs to live and perform basic functions like breathing and pumping blood. By not consuming at least this amount of calories, your body goes into starvation mode which will prevent you from losing any weight. It sounds like you are doing great with your exercise program! My recommendation is to increase your calories to at least 1485 and NOT eat back exercise calories. I also recommend seeing a nutritionist to help you out with deciding how much/what to eat to lose weight in a healthy way and explain the science a little bit better.

newyorklover91

I just read your comment about bloating - my husband has that same problem because he also has serious issues with his guts.

As you know, what you eat makes a huge difference. For him, it is anything with a lot of salt, even one or two beers, or anything with a lot of grain.

If you are seriously worried about bloat, you might log your waist/bloat and look at your previous day's diary and see if there are foods you're just having trouble digesting.

Also, taking extremely high fiber - 35 g of Metamucil plus a regular diet - made a huge difference in his life. Your fruit may do that for you, but it's something to consider. (If you don't have Metamucil in Australia, it's a powdered dietary fiber supplement.)

Yes we have that, but I never use it because I'm always worried about the side effects......... lol!

I will take all this in and write it out and stick it on my wall tomorrow and adhere to it ASAP.

Thank you all for your help it is greatly appreciated.

rml_16

Are you on any birth control?

Slimat30

I'm losing at 2000 cals so def up your calories x

rherington

Consider going wheat/gluten free. Do a 2 week trial and see if that helps your bloating and IBS. A lot of people say it has really helped them. I found it easier to just remove all wheat and not try to replace it. I had the attitude it is only for 2 weeks, I can live that long without bread! And I did, it was no problem really.

After 2 weeks if the bloating stops and if you feel better it will make it easier to not go back to wheat/gluten. If you decide it helped and want stay that way then you can start looking to replace some of the things if you decide to.

Yes I went back to having wheat because i had no problems really before I tried it and did not see/feel any different so I decided it served no purpose for me.

a_new_dawn

I second that about the carbs.. I keep a very close eye on mine, trying to keep it around the 150 mark. If I overdo them I will feel so unbelievably bloated and sluggish. Sodium is one to watch too.

Up those calories! And try to aim for your macros. It will be a learning curve at first to see what food fits into the categories... Chicken for protein, wholegrain for fibre etc, but it will come with time. I didn't have a clue when I first started either!

I also changed my macros from the pre set mfp ones to 40 carbs/30 fat/30 protein.

I too, was scared about eating more.. I did 1200 calories and lost 18lbs without feeling hungry, but my body decided it needed more. I reached goal weight by increasing to 1500. If I wanted to lose more I would increase again. It IS possible to eat more and weigh less. Just give it a chance x

newyorklover91

Are you on any birth control?

Yes I am, It's called Brenda 35 ED. I have never had any side effects from it though.

rml_16

Are you on any birth control?

Yes I am, It's called Brenda 35 ED. I have never had any side effects from it though.

Make sure you're weighing and measuring your food to ensure that you're calculating it correctly. Also, take measurements and pay attention to whether your clothes are getting looser. Sometimes you will lose fat and get smaller even without seeing a change on the scale.

If you've checked all that and still no change, see your doctor. It could be a thyroid or other health issue or it could be the BC. Bodies change and if you've been on it a while, you could develop side effects you never had before.

jen_fitnhappy

I'm losing at 2000 cals so def up your calories x

Would you mind sharing your workout regimen? I have the same stats as you, but also the same problem as the OP. I however have a sedentary desk job so not much I can change with that. Still would love to see your workout based on that calorie intake!

columbus27

Go here http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ Try to do your cardio on an empty stomach like Sat. morning. Cycle your carbs in the morning in the afternoon cut them out.