my turn to rant..

iamMaLisa

When I joined my gym I was down 30 pounds and in the Oklahoma heat of 114 I couldn’t run outside any longer, this is what I told the representative who was showing me what this gym had to offer.. He asked me questions and since I have never been apart of a gym before he asked what type of goals did I have in mind.. I told him I wanted to lose an additional 15 to 20 pounds and tighten everything up.. maybe even add some muscle, I mean who wouldn’t want a little bragging muscle to show off to friends and family to show my hard work. He asked how long did I want to take to do this, and I said how about my 40th birthday. That is 18 months away October 21st to exact, he said perfect that is definitely a reasonable goal. He then set me up an appointment with a personal trainer and I went over the same goals. To be in my healthy body fat % range I would need to lose 20 more pounds. OK he was excited, easy he said anyone can lose 20 pounds in 18 months it’s a crazy goal he said, and you should move it up to like 6 months instead. OK whoop whoop I was excited too…. So I had thought….

Training 3 days a week with a trainer and two extra days alone each week, hiring a nutritionist/dietitian and 17 months later I am not down 20 pounds at all…. Infact all I did was gain muscle under my fat, making me appear fatter all around. Now on to my mistakes….

First mistake was listening to the trainer tell me I should be eating 1500 calories a day with the type of workout that we do… kickboxing, boxing, running, HIIT, circuits.. you name it we did it. …. That added 6 pounds with my measurements going up 2 inches in my waste and hips nothing else changed…., I maintained that for about 4 to 5 months….
Second mistake was listening to the eat more to lose on here people, that little stint add 11 more pounds in one month. Mind you I am still with my trainer and still at the gym 5 days a week.

So dropping my calories back to 1300 I was able to maintain, not lose any of that weight gain from the first two mistakes.

So off to the dietitian now, almost a mistake number three… when she took one look at the logs from my trainer and the logs from the gym of what machines I used and reps and weights she told me I should be at around 1500 to 1600 calories to just maintain my current weight… I laughed and told her I wasn’t going back to that high of calories again because of the last 11 pound gain. She said what I ate was good and to continue to just do what I am doing lol so I walked out and didn’t see her again..

So now I am at plateau again for almost 8 months now, so I went to see a weight doctor…. Not sure if that is mistake number three or not he told me to take my calories and start dropping them by 100 a week until I start showing a loss. I am down to 950 calories a day now and finally am showing a one pound a week weight loss.

To close this rant I started my weight at 154 and I am now at 163 weighing more then before I started the gym, this site and changing what I eat. I am 5 foot 4 and still in a size 14/16 at which I never got out of, by the way.

It is September 18, 2012 and my goal date of October 21st…. my 40th birthday. And I am farther away from my goal weight now, but slowly losing a pound here and there.

Yanicka1

You messed up your metabolism really badly. You have 2 choices. Eat less than 1000 calories a day for the rest of your life or accept that you will eat a decent amount, that you will gain weight then be healthy enough to shed fat.

I am 4'11'' and 120 pounds......I eat 2000 calories to maintain my weight.....so you can guess what decision I took.

What ever your decision, I wish you the best of luck.

PS since you saw the DR I hope you had blood tests done?

itsuki

You were probably eating 1500 calories a day and burning a lot, and netting too little. 1500 a day is a deficit for most people, unless you're super short and super thin. You were either not netting enough, not logging correctly (under estimating calories burned, etc), or you have a legit medical problem. I second Yanicka's question - did you have blood tests done?

skinnynerd

omg. I have no words. You poor thing. There has to be a medical issue going on.

EnchantedEvening

Time for blood work. You may have a thyroid issue, insulin resistance, or some other thing going on. I had the exact same issues with my weight going up (or maintaining) no matter what I did for sixteen years because the doctors never did blood work or listened to a word I said. Now that I have a good doctor and medication, my weight has been dropping at a steady rate.

iamMaLisa

Yes i have had all the test done, i own a scale and measuring cups. I have all the posters hanging in my kitchen showing me how much a portion size is compared to everyday objects.... like a deck of cards for a portion of meat...... but yes my metabolism is in the toilet... i have been at this for awhile now, i know how to portion my food. As far as what the hell is wrong.... no idea, we all just shake our heads at it.... i think it might be give up time, meaning to step away from everything and just eat healthy and not be so wrapped up into all this mess that makes no damned since to me.

rose313

I did a metabolism reset (without even realizing it, actually) and I lost weight when I never could before. You'll probably have to eat at TDEE for awhile and accept that you'll gain a bit more, but it'll come off once you drop your calories again.

For example, I had messed up my metabolism and maintained on 1200 calories for almost a year, wondering what was wrong with me and why I couldn't lose weight like everyone else. I upped my calories to 1600 and still maintained. I did it for a couple months, and as soon as I dropped back down to 1200-1400, I lost 10 pounds.

iamMaLisa

i stayed at 1500 for a month or more and i continued to gain with no stopping or anything, i didnt stop gaining until i stopped and went back to my normal 1300 and then the weight gain stopped.. and i stayed the same weight for several months.

iamMaLisa

i stayed at 1500 for a month or more and i continued to gain with no stopping or anything, i didnt stop gaining until i stopped and went back to my normal 1300 and then the weight gain stopped.. and i stayed the same weight for several months. until i tried something else that made me gain weight again.

p0rker

Have you looked into Intermittent Fasting? As soon as I get my sugar monster caged, I'm going to try it. I read about some body builders doing this to get ripped. Just a thought.

yoovie

You failed by dropping your calories again.

iamMaLisa

No my failures was the fact that i upped my calories in the first place, if i hadnt i wouldnt have gained the pounds to begain with.....i used to complain that i am the best at maintaining, i would take that back anytime over the gain.

yoovie

betting against science is never a good idea just so youre more comfortable. your body naturally gains and loses, its a cycle. Trying to force it to stay at one measurement regardless of hormones, cycles, activity and sleep is just plain unsustainable and a bit ridiculous.

LadyIntrepid

Curious... Were you netting 1300/1500 daily after exercise or was that your total daily calorie intake?

auroranflash

You were doing a ton of cardio as well as being in a calorie deficit. I would guess your body reacted by increasing stress hormones and holding on to the fat for dear life. It is not in a situation where it wants to let go of the weight.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

A good read which may explain some things.

Also,

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

Figure out what amount to eat at maintenance and do that for a month or so to help regulate your hormones. Your body hates calorie deficit and it hates change in general. Just like a healthy relationship, you have to give and take at times and be empathetic to basic needs.

Best of luck.

yoovie

i wouldnt bother, she doesnt really want to learn, she wants to stick to the 90s information and mindset, she thinks the number on the scale is the health indicator and still doesnt get that that is only her gravitational pull.

When she reaches her goal weight and looks awful naked, she will go find out whats wrong.

but I sincerely hope she decides much sooner to begin comprehending the entire process better, so she can have a bangin body and genuine strength and health instead of just a smaller number.

ahdimperio

that's pretty insensitive...pretty sure you ain't helping with that snarky comment

Briko3

i wouldnt bother, she doesnt really want to learn, she wants to stick to the 90s information and mindset, she thinks the number on the scale is the health indicator and still doesnt get that that is only her gravitational pull.

When she reaches her goal weight and looks awful naked, she will go find out whats wrong.

but I sincerely hope she decides much sooner to begin comprehending the entire process better, so she can have a bangin body and genuine strength and health instead of just a smaller number.

Blunt and slightly rude, but it's true. If you're going to do a reset, you can't be looking at the scale for at least a month. And you HAVE TO log food and make sure you're hitting your macros. You can't just eat anyhting you want to get the calories.

yoovie

that's pretty insensitive...pretty sure you ain't helping with that snarky comment

pretty sure if you only concentrate on tone of font instead of the info inside, youre doing nothing more than practicing the art of being offended for life and totally bored with looking for real answers cause thats not as fun as being a victim

vim_n_vigor

OP- how tall are you?

UsedToBeHusky

You messed up your metabolism really badly. You have 2 choices. Eat less than 1000 calories a day for the rest of your life or accept that you will eat a decent amount, that you will gain weight then be healthy enough to shed fat.

I am 4'11'' and 120 pounds......I eat 2000 calories to maintain my weight.....so you can guess what decision I took.

What ever your decision, I wish you the best of luck.

PS since you saw the DR I hope you had blood tests done?

This.

You never had much to lose in the first place. You did massive amounts of cardio, but how much actual strength training did you do. You went into this with the same yo-yo dieter mentality that you have always had. And because of that you sent your body into a tail spin.

Muscle is what drives the metabolism. You have to eat a certain amount to preserve muscle. You also have to eat a little more to build it. If you were expending too much energy and not eating enough calories to replace that energy, then your body resorted to using the existing muscle that you had. The method you used to lose works, but it only works for people with a lot to lose (50+ lbs). You never had that much to lose. Don't give up. Try something different and stay committed to it. This won't happen overnight. Unfortunately, you might not make your goal now, but I learned a long time ago that giving myself a timeline only adds to my frustration. Don't focus on doing it by a certain day. Just focus on doing it.

I suggest you eat at MFP's suggested maintenance calories until your body stops gaining (because you will gain). Then, cut calories by 300 eating a ratio of 40 carbs/30 fat/30 protein. Then, lift heavy 3 times a week and only do cardio for 20 minutes twice a week.

redredy9

Just wanted to chime in to say THAT SUCKS! I can't imagine how frustrating it must be OP. I am no expert and there are so many variables involved in weightloss that I can't even begin to offer advice. I can offer empathy though. I am sorry you aren't seeing the results of all your hard work. I hope something changes for you soon.

iamMaLisa

Ok, lets see if i can cover most of the questions since my last comment.....

i strength train also, with my trainer. What i do also know is that from all of the changes i have made based on what i am told to do has turned something i enjoyed (working out) into a science experiment.

Yoovie...... if i didnt care i wouldnt spend a better part of a year and a half at a plateau getting my *kitten* handed to me by my trainer and not seeing any results...

thanks everyone else i will take a look at the links that was sugested...

yes it does suck.... epic fail... comes to mind.