How come I'm not losing weight?

Vaisaxena

You are not eating enough, your body is in starvation mode and it refuses to let any more fat leave.

So not true. Your body will not be in starvation mode.

agree with this- at over 300lb, i doubt that starvation mode is responsible here- the body has plenty of back up energy stores (i did a degree in this so i know what im talking about :P) what i would agree with is to change your diet up a bit more- change what your eating, if your eating lots of salty things it could be water retention- hard to know with a closed diary, but lots of good ideas for you on here

Incorrect. Starvation mode is not defined as "having enough fat to feed your body"... it is defined as "the stress of not being able to fuel your body to maintain the status quo". Regardless of your bodyweight, your body will down-regulate your metabolism via T3 and Leptin after chronic calorie restriction....

What boosts T3 (thyroid hormone)? --- Calorie surplus.
What boosts Leptin? --- Carbohydrate overfeeding.

the answer?... you need a CHEAT DAY (or two). I always recommend my clients to cheat every week regardless of their bodyweight - it works.

puddy29

i'm 5'6 311 pounds and mfp gives me 1650 cals. per day. i think you are not eating enough and you are working out which gives even more calories. i say try eating more.

WinnerVictorious

You are not eating enough, your body is in starvation mode and it refuses to let any more fat leave.

So not true. Your body will not be in starvation mode.

agree with this- at over 300lb, i doubt that starvation mode is responsible here- the body has plenty of back up energy stores (i did a degree in this so i know what im talking about :P) what i would agree with is to change your diet up a bit more- change what your eating, if your eating lots of salty things it could be water retention- hard to know with a closed diary, but lots of good ideas for you on here

Incorrect. Starvation mode is not defined as "having enough fat to feed your body"... it is defined as "the stress of not being able to fuel your body to maintain the status quo". Regardless of your bodyweight, your body will down-regulate your metabolism via T3 and Leptin after chronic calorie restriction....

What boosts T3 (thyroid hormone)? --- Calorie surplus.
What boosts Leptin? --- Carbohydrate overfeeding.

the answer?... you need a CHEAT DAY (or two). I always recommend my clients to cheat every week regardless of their bodyweight - it works.

i think you are wrong in her case.

she's nowhere near a point where her metabolism will slow down due to eating at 1200 calories.

also, starvation mode only occurs in people with very low BF%, like the poor folks at Auschwitz.

Helloitsdan

I'm eating 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day. I'm working out for 20 to 30 minutes a day. I'm 5'8" 330 pounds. I've lost 40 pounds since September but I stopped losing weight 3 weeks ago.

Can someone please please please please please help!!! I really need to lose at least another 10 to 15 by the end of this month.

You dont eat enough.
At 5'8" you should be eating 1600-2k a day with that type of activity.


A few things about fat....
The 4 major biological functions of fat tissue are
(1) energy storage
(2) toxin storage
(3) protection against insulin resistance, and
(4) protection against estrogen decline in women.
Eliminate the functions of fat tissue also eliminates the reasons for its existence.

How to get rid of it....
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

mrseelmerfudd

You are not eating enough, your body is in starvation mode and it refuses to let any more fat leave.

So not true. Your body will not be in starvation mode.

agree with this- at over 300lb, i doubt that starvation mode is responsible here- the body has plenty of back up energy stores (i did a degree in this so i know what im talking about :P) what i would agree with is to change your diet up a bit more- change what your eating, if your eating lots of salty things it could be water retention- hard to know with a closed diary, but lots of good ideas for you on here

Incorrect. Starvation mode is not defined as "having enough fat to feed your body"... it is defined as "the stress of not being able to fuel your body to maintain the status quo". Regardless of your bodyweight, your body will down-regulate your metabolism via T3 and Leptin after chronic calorie restriction....

What boosts T3 (thyroid hormone)? --- Calorie surplus.
What boosts Leptin? --- Carbohydrate overfeeding.

the answer?... you need a CHEAT DAY (or two). I always recommend my clients to cheat every week regardless of their bodyweight - it works.

i'm sorry, but you are wrong.

she's nowhere near a point where her metabolism will slow down due to eating at 1200 calories. also, starvation mode only occurs in people with very low BF%, like the poor folks at Auschwitz.

^^^ agreed here's one for you- what happens when doctors tell patients at a very high bmi to diet- provide them with a plan of say 900 cals a day (yes it can happen and does happen)- if they are supposedly going into starvation mode- why oh why would a doctor be recommending it?! as said in my pp, the poster's bf % is v high- starvation mode is not the problem here.

Vaisaxena

she's nowhere near a point where her metabolism will slow down due to eating at 1200 calories. also, starvation mode only occurs in people with very low BF%, like the poor folks at Auschwitz.

You're not serious, are you? So, people who weigh 300+lbs don't produce glucocorticosteroids??? Yes - they can last longer in a staved state but you're still way off-base - the body is always attempting to maintain homeostasis - chronic disruption to this is seen as "stress". It's very likely that this person has experienced muscle wasting which is the primary contributor to metabolism via chronic de novo gluconeogenesis... after that comes thyroid and leptin down-regulation. Keep in mind 40lbs have already been lost.

Have you not met anyone with hypothyroidism? They have an enormously difficult time losing weight and have to supplement with T3. Leptin supplementation is unrealistic but can be boosted by a high carbohydrate intake.

Reference: Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism 5e - good book.

lorindaleigh

Actually, I do need to lose 15 pounds by the end of this month. I have a very very important event that I've been waiting 5 years for.

at the risk of being rude, if it was so very very important and you had 5 years to prepare, then you should have started earlier instead of trying to lose 15 pounds in a month in a panic. If you go nuts trying desperately to lost those pounds so fast, statistics say that you will likely crash and burn and in most cases, go back to old habits out of exhaustion and/or frustration.

When it comes to weight loss, the old saying is so very true: slow and steady wins the race.

Its not like I have known for 5 years it was going to happen. I was just hoping it would. I found out last month that it was going to happen this month and I have been trying like crazy to lose weight since then....

I just finished going through everyones replies, thank you sooooo much! I'm going to try to eat more and see if that helps. I'll aim for 1,200 this week and then go up to 1,500 next week.

I do log my food on another site, I'm going to start logging on here today so that you can all see and help me figure out whats going on better.

Thanks!

manusaji

1000-1200 kcal per day food is not enough to meet your metabolic caloric needs (BMR). If you really want to loose weight on a steady and safe way, you have to let your body function properly (all organs functioning well by giving adequate energy source). the bare minimum food you need to eat for a sustainable and steady weight loss is 1200kcal (net). This will vary according to the age, weight and height of the person. Follow these steps;

1) First you need to work out what is your BMR (use a free BMR calculator available on net).
2) Then according to your lifestyle (sedentary, light, moderate, very active), find out your total calorie need to maintain the present weight.
3) Then create a plan for calorie deficit. For every 3500 kcal you will lose 1 pound and for 7000 kcal 2 pounds (approx 1kg). You shouldn't plan for more than 7000 kcal/week calorie deficit since anything above this is medically not suitable for a healthy life. Besides, sudden weight loss (more than 2 pounds/week) will affect your muscles and soft tissues to burn along with fat.
4) This calorie deficit of 1000 kcal/day can either come from your food intake (reducing 1000 kcal from your total need for the day) or
burning 1000 kcal thro' workout (if you plan to eat all that you need for your daily need) OR a combination of food+workout. For example: if your total calorie need for the day is 2500 kcal (from BMR and lifestyle), then you should eat 1500 kcal/day (net) and if you workout for 500kcal equivalent, then you should eat 2000 kcal. That way your net will be 2000-500 (burned from workout)=1500. If you maintain this 1500/day, you will lose 2 ponds by end of 7 days (1000/day or 7000/week calorie deficit)

Now you might wonder how you lost weight at the beginning without following the above method. That's because most of your weight loss has happened from water weight. And the rest of it came from fat loss. But unfortunately by eating less you put your body into what medically called 'starvation mode'. This mode stops body from having normal metabolism and stops reducing your weight. if you continue in this mode for longer time, you might reduce weight in an unhealthy way, and whenever you eat some extra food body will immediately convert that to body fat and cause further weight increase!

So please do not get over ambitious about losing quick weight!! That's not sustainable and healthy. As the old proverb goes, slow and steady wins the race. Eat healthy and sensibly, and be steady on eating patterns, you are likely to lose more weight and stay healthy... I am not a medical person... I am talking from my experience and learning hard way! all the best!!!

WinnerVictorious

she's nowhere near a point where her metabolism will slow down due to eating at 1200 calories. also, starvation mode only occurs in people with very low BF%, like the poor folks at Auschwitz.

You're not serious, are you? So, people who weigh 300+lbs don't produce glucocorticosteroids??? Yes - they can last longer in a staved state but you're still way off-base - the body is always attempting to maintain homeostasis - chronic disruption to this is seen as "stress". It's very likely that this person has experienced muscle wasting which is the primary contributor to metabolism via chronic de novo gluconeogenesis... after that comes thyroid and leptin down-regulation. Keep in mind 40lbs have already been lost.

Have you not met anyone with hypothyroidism? They have an enormously difficult time losing weight and have to supplement with T3. Leptin supplementation is unrealistic but can be boosted by a high carbohydrate intake.

Reference: Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism 5e - good book.

if you're implying she might have a medical condition that is beginning to show itself, then i say that that is absolutely possible.

if you're saying that by eating at 1000-1200 calories for 13 weeks, during which time she's dropped 40lbs, that her BMR has suddenly dropped from 2600 to 1200 calories due to the metabolic slowdown, then i'm saying BS.

her 3 week "plateau" is not due to metabolism changes as a result of diet. the onset would be occurring too fast and the slowdown would be too drastic for that to be the case.

the body is a wonderful machine. designed to do things in ways that we don't fully understand. one of these things is burning stored fat reserves to keep the body working during famine. famines do not last weeks. they last months. many months. the body is capable of operating close to normal for a long time if you have sufficient fat reserves and no medical conditions that would interfere.

traceyfunk

-You are actually eating more calories than you think (make sure you weigh food, pay close attantion to labels, etc.); it is easy to underestimate calories at a restaurant.

This. Nine times out of ten, plateaus are caused because we are not being honest... with exercise, with calories, with water, or with the types of foods we are choosing to consume.

I have to agree with this one.
I worked my butt off for 7 months at the gym and lost all of maybe 5 pounds (and it wasn't a lose fat/gain muscle thing either - my measurements didn't change). I thought I was watching what I was eating, and had to be burning more than I consumed but then my sister introduced me to MFP in October and I've lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks, after having not been to the gym since last June.
Having to log everything I was eating was a huge eye opener for me - turns out I can eat a LOT of food!

And as hokey as it might sound, I looked inside myself and found that healthy, fit (and slim) person I once was, who didn't look to food to fill my every emotional need - even if it was when I was 5 years old. And I let her take over. I'm not remotely kidding when I say my emotional eating is all but gone. Maybe the person that's still running your life is the part of you that became 330 pounds, and she doesn't want to let go! You have to give yourself permission to be healthy if you ever want to get (and stay) there.

As for 15 pounds, is it really going to make that much of a difference in the short term? Get your self an outfit that looks fabulous on you now (or maybe in a realistic 5 pounds from now) and ENJOY this event you've been waiting so long for! I wasted sooo many chances to enjoy the moment because I was concerned about how I looked....You don't have to.

deb3129

You need to eat more calories. I started at 338 pounds, however I am now at 226. I am currently eating 1700 calories a day and still losing. 1000-1200 calories is not enough for many people. I did eat low calorie for a while, but then I hit a plateau that would not budge and started doing some reading. I learned that I needed to be eating more, and that is working really well for me.

FlaxMilk

OP, I know people hate this advice, but as you started out at 370 lbs, I think your best bet is to consult with some form of a medical professional to develop the right plan for you and your body. Normally I would say that 1000 calories is not enough (though I don't believe your body is holding onto your fat and not letting it go. I think it would be impossible for your TDEE to drop to 1000 calories at 330 lbs. I just think for health's sake.) But maybe your doctors would say that for now a bigger deficit is the healthier way to go. But I don't think you should trust a bunch of random people here who are going to debate about the right thing for you. If you don't go to the doctor, I'd say to follow MFP's plan as directed.

Womengineer

I was having the same problem 8 months ago then everything changed.

WinnerVictorious

You need to eat more calories. I started at 338 pounds, however I am now at 226. I am currently eating 1700 calories a day and still losing. 1000-1200 calories is not enough for many people. I did eat low calorie for a while, but then I hit a plateau that would not budge and started doing some reading. I learned that I needed to be eating more, and that is working really well for me.

i've given up trying to fight the "starvation mode" stuff that i see all too often on these forums, but i am interested in hearing your anecdotal story, as i'm sure would the OP.

can you tell me how long were you at the plateau? at what weight? how long you had been eating at 1000-1200 before you got to that plateau, etc.

the reason for my curiosity is i'd like some feedback on just when the metabolism in heavier people starts to get affected by these low calorie diets. i'm of the opinion that it's several months of continuous undereating before it happens, mostly because the body finds a ready supply of energy in it's fat reserves to make up the difference. i don't believe it happens in the span of several weeks, as i mentioned above. so i'd be curious to know what you saw yourself with your own experience. my experience informs my own opinion, but i never ate that low. i eat at 1400-1500 usually.

jennfranklin

You have hit a plateau, we all do it.. Try changing it up a bit, and by the looks of it, you probably need to up your calories. Could be starvation mode, where your body hangs on to everything! I up my calorie intake every fourth day! It seems to help!

SStrauss79

Good morning~ I started out at the same weight and excercise everyday. I have been eating about 1500 calories a day and choosing low glycemic, healthy, protein rich foods.

AngryDiet

Three weeks without a weight drop is pretty usual. Weight doesn't come off linearly. I once went two months between losses. I didn't change up my strategy - just waited it out. And then the weight came off, and faster than it should have. It averaged out. It's happened many times.

Keep at it and have patience.

Having said that, you might want to recheck your TDEE (now that you have actual data to figure it out more precisely) and eat 1000 kcal less than that. Just for the sake of your wellbeing.

Vaisaxena

if you're implying she might have a medical condition that is beginning to show itself, then i say that that is absolutely possible.

if you're saying that by eating at 1000-1200 calories for 13 weeks, during which time she's dropped 40lbs, that her BMR has suddenly dropped from 2600 to 1200 calories due to the metabolic slowdown, then i'm saying BS.

her 3 week "plateau" is not due to metabolism changes as a result of diet. the onset would be occurring too fast and the slowdown would be too drastic for that to be the case.

the body is a wonderful machine. designed to do things in ways that we don't fully understand. one of these things is burning stored fat reserves to keep the body working during famine. famines do not last weeks. they last months. many months. the body is capable of operating close to normal for a long time if you have sufficient fat reserves and no medical conditions that would interfere.

I'm not implying that at all, though it is very likely at that weight.... but you are only considering ONE of the things that happen during a calorie restricted state and that is fat loss... you have to consider some of the other mechanisms/pathways/functions of the body... you said it yourself, the body isn't fully understood - it's sole purpose isn't to burn fat.

because the body can go months during a famine doesn't mean it was meant to... define "close to normal"??? if you mean being deficient in EFAs and EAAs is normal to you then you need to a little bit more research. Though BMR is typically predicted by lean mass that is not to say that a hypoactive thyroid condition cannot be induced by chronic dieting. The root cause from all directions points to chronic calorie deficit. Especially in women where EFA and calorie levels control the production of key hormones. As such women are far more susceptible to GCS upregulation.

One of the biggest mistakes that people make is doing excessive cardio which exacerbates the condition and induces muscle loss. The solution IS a refeed and moderate weight training. It is very possible that in 3 months she has lost a significant amount of muscle - reducing the body's capacity to burn fat - reducing the implications of exercise to induce AMPk phosphorylation and beta-oxidation of FFAs.

I trust the science but I have seen this in real-world practice.

What was *your* solution to the issue again??

Briko3

You need to eat more calories. I started at 338 pounds, however I am now at 226. I am currently eating 1700 calories a day and still losing. 1000-1200 calories is not enough for many people. I did eat low calorie for a while, but then I hit a plateau that would not budge and started doing some reading. I learned that I needed to be eating more, and that is working really well for me.

i've given up trying to fight the "starvation mode" stuff that i see all too often on these forums, but i am interested in hearing your anecdotal story, as i'm sure would the OP.

can you tell me how long were you at the plateau? at what weight? how long you had been eating at 1000-1200 before you got to that plateau, etc.

the reason for my curiosity is i'd like some feedback on just when the metabolism in heavier people starts to get affected by these low calorie diets. i'm of the opinion that it's several months of continuous undereating before it happens, mostly because the body finds a ready supply of energy in it's fat reserves to make up the difference. i don't believe it happens in the span of several weeks, as i mentioned above. so i'd be curious to know what you saw yourself with your own experience. my experience informs my own opinion, but i never ate that low. i eat at 1400-1500 usually.

True "Starvation Mode" won't occur until you're waaay underweight as you stated earlier. (It's at the point where you will die if you start eating normal amounts again right away) BUUUUT, your body does downregulate it's metabolism (using hormones) if you eat at too severe of a calorie deficit for a period of time. A lot of people on here don't believe it because in their mind, it's another excuse to not stick to a low calorie diet. With that being said, I'm going to explain simply what happens. (no hormone talk or scientifc jargon)

Your body is smart (as you have stated). When you eat below what it needs to maintain itself at its current state, it simply gets rid of inefficiencies. The way it happens (as all dieters know) is to get rid of the one thing that burns the most calories that isn't necessary.....MUSCLE. Muscle burns a lot of calories relative to fat, so your body gets rid of the muscle to try to keep itself in line with the calories coming in. It's one of the ways you can end up being "skinny fat" where you still have a high body fat composition despite having lost a lot of weight.

This isn't a new concept and it occurs in other systems of the body as well. For example testosterone injections for body builder. Your body is smart. If you supply all it needs from an outside source, why waste the energy to make its own? Then when you go off the injections, the body is no longer making appropriate amounts and you develop things like breasts. (Ever watch fight club?...haha) Another that people experience is getting addicted to Chapstick. Supply the moisture and your body doesn't waste the energy to make its own. So if your body is unwilling to sacrifice the small amount of resources to make moisture on your lips, what makes you think it wouldn't do the same with your overall metabolism?

alpine1994

And you don't "really need to lose 15 pounds by the end of this month". It's not a race.

This. Setting time limits for yourself is setting yourself up for failure. Your body will lose weight when it wants to, even if you're doing everything "right".