I'm not losing weight :'[

liltenji

I'm at the end of my tether. I started my weightloss journey in august and i lost 7lbs within the first two weeks. And thats it. nothing since.
i fluctuate between those 7lbs and i cant seem to lose anything else. No matter what i eat, no matter how much exercise i do.
I'm not turning on my diary because of reasons i dont want to go into.

But ive tried everything. my calorie intake is set to 1200. I've tried eating over that, under that. ive tried eating back my exercise calories, ive tried not eating my exercise calories. Ive upped fruit intake, ive upped veg intake. i cut out junk, i tried reintroducing bits of junk to shake things up.
NOTHING IS WORKING.
i go to the gym 3 times a week. Ive not been in a couple of weeks because of work but even that job im not snacking and im on my feet all day.
I dont know what to do. I know my metabolism is shattered because of ED habits and awful diets when i was younger but i cant see why all this healthy eating and effort isnt doing anything.

im not expecting to have lost 50lbs but after 3 months i was hoping for at least a stone!!! Ive not even lost any inches!

sick of sobbing about this.

kassiebby1124

Maybe it's the work out you do? Your body can get used to a specific work out or exercise. Also, depending on you weight, you should probably eat more. I say start at 1500. Don't give up honey. You can do it.

AndyStanford

I can't offer any advice, but I can at least offer moral support. I've gone through period where no matter what I tried, I gained weight rather than losing it, so I know how demoralising it can be to not lose despite your best efforts.

healthylife56

Hiii. I know it's hard but don't give up. Sometimes it takes awhile for your body to adjust and for you to lose. Are you measuring it in terms of something other than the number on the scale? like inches? I don't like following for the scale because it fluctuates so much that it can play with your head when the number goes up and down. I find many people start obsessing over that number. My suggestion would be to increase your calories and keep at it. It might take a month before you start noticing weight loss. Increase your calories, exercise (add strength training), and remember to keep a positive attitude. Eating right + exercising is making you healthy and that's the main important thing. The number on the scale or the inches lost is a bonus. That's how I look at it

Jamespm1762

hi, a good way to lose weight is to walk more. the brisker and further you go the better. if you do too much your body will go into starvation mode and you will struggle. also try replacing carbs with proteins. don't cut them out but just opt for less. too many carbs and the body will convert them into glucose and then when you don't use that your body will store that as fat. my advice really is just to lower your carbs and try and be out and about more. good luck and try and be positive. (-:

FitBeto

Maybe it's the work out you do? Your body can get used to a specific work out or exercise. Also, depending on you weight, you should probably eat more. I say start at 1500. Don't give up honey. You can do it.

Negative on the exercise, its definitely the diet.

csuhar

My question (and you don't need to answer with specific numbers if you don't want to) is what *should* you be consuming as far as calories? I know you've posted 1200, but that's generally just a guideline which may not be the best for you. I'd suggest you make sure you're as honest as you can be with the calculators so they can give you the best suggestion.

For example: I'm 6'2" with a BMR of 2000 calories that, when you add in activity levels, goes up to 3000 a day. If I arbitrarily went to 1200 a day, I'd be in a world of hurt.

liltenji

csuhar: The thing is 1200 is a huge amount of food for me. I struggle to eat more than about 1500 to be honest. Whenever i hit 2000 or more calories i get very anxious and upset but thats just due to eating issues im trying to overcome. I eat when im hungry rather than just filling myself with calories. Sometimes it does go over 2000 if its a **** day [no one gets to my weight eating 1200 calories of veggies afterall!] but im eating less at the moment and ive found im actually eating more in my portions to make it to 1200.

fitbeto: any tips on foods to eat? im sorry my diary is closed but ive just closed it due to growing anxiety about letting people know what i eat. Ive been gearing myself up to go to the doctor to discuss my diet but even thats making me nervous.

jamespm1762: im already walking and on my feet for about 8 hours each day! I love walking! might have to totally cut carbs though and then ease back into them.

healthylife56: i might have to start checking inches rather than the scales then! i did start monitoring inches but it didnt seem to move and i thought i wasnt doing it right. haha.

andystanford: thank you for the support, it means alot and yes its rather disheartening at the moment!

wahmx3

you have only been trying to lose weight for a few months and you said you tried so many different things... eating more, eating less etc... but you haven't tried any of those things long enough to see if it works for your body. Not opening your diary is up to you but it is often hard to give good suggestions without seeing that. First of all, I don't think you are eating enough, especially if you don't eat back your exercise calories. Your body is hanging onto every single calories you consume as you aren't eating enough to properly fuel it. Get your BMR done so you know a good range at which to eat daily. I am 46, 5'4", exercise 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes and my BMR range is 1383-1643 and I aim for 1500 calories a day, a bit less when I don't exercise and a bit more on exercise days. Do you weigh and measure your food? How much water do you drink? Do you drink diet soda, tea, coffee or other flavored drinks? Do you track sodium? If I go over on that, I always gain even if my calories are within my range.

Firefox7275

If you don't fuel your workouts or daily physical activity your body may burn muscle instead of fat, this causes your metabolism to drop like a stone. If you then eat a normal diet you can regain much of the weight as fat not muscle which makes you larger for the same weight. 1200 is far too low for anyone who is at all active unless they are absolutely tiny (in which case no dieting required). Losing seven pounds in two weeks could well indicate you lost water weight, ie. you underate/ overexercised, the glycogen (carb fuel) in your muscles was depleted. 1g of glycogen is stored alongside 3g of water. You haven't tried everything because it's only been a few months, you have only given every change a couple of weeks which is not long enough to reset your metabolism and tell your body it is not surviving a famine.

Walking is not going to lose you a significant amount of weight, it burns an average of 100 calories a mile (more for a larger person, less for a slimmer person) and you get no afterburn. You'd therefore have to walk an average of 35 miles to lose one pound of fat which at a brisk three and a half miles an hour will take you ten hours. You need to build lean toned muscle to boost your metabolism long term, and do high intensity interval training/ serious strength training to get a short term boost to your metabolism (up to two days after a workout!).

If you have anxiety issues stop tracking calories, you can change the settings. Start tracking nutrient intake and number of portions. Base your day around nine or ten portions of non starchy vegetables and low sugar fruits in the full rainbow of colours. This is a huge amount of food so you will need to train your body to accept it, loads of nutrients and relatively few calories. Try to include olives, coconut or avocados within that for a little healthy fats.

Then add in three portions of reduced fat dairy a day and oily fish several times a week preferably daily, calcium and omega-3s are linked with lower fat mass. Protein (meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, low fat soft cheese, cottage cheese) at every meal and snack which helps you maintain/ build/ repair muscle and all the cells in your body, also a percentage of the calories are wasted simply in digestion.

Be sure you are getting enough healthy fats from the aforementioned oily fish, nuts, seeds, olives, coconut, avocados and cocoa powder/ low sugar dark chocolate if you like that as a treat. These are all nutrient dense foods, supplying vitamins minerals and antioxidants as well as the fats. Lastly check you are eating enough mineral rich foods - nuts, seeds, beans, lentils give you more quality nutrition than grains/ cereals.

Pynkklady

Have you had your thyroid checked? I have hypothyroidism and during times when I wasn't on medication, I could eat nothing for days and not lose, I would gain. Maybe a visit to the Dr. is in order?

Hang in there, you will get there!

TavistockToad

if you wont open your diary then its hard to really help too much.

you say you are on your feet 8 hours a day? if that is true then 1200 cals is nowhere near enough....

and as someone esle has pointed out, you need to stick to one thing for at least 6 weeks at a time to see if it works!

maddieprice87

I agree, if you are working out 3 x a week and you are on your feet all day then 1200 isn't enough- you should try to eat more! I know there's this mindset that lower cal=quicker loss but if it's not currently working for you at 1200 you probably need to go up a little.

I don't know what you're eating but try to cut down on sodium and processed food and try to eat lean protein, whole grains, and as much veg as you can stomach!

Maybe ask someone at the gym regarding nutrition?

MinnieInMaine

if you wont open your diary then its hard to really help too much.

you say you are on your feet 8 hours a day? if that is true then 1200 cals is nowhere near enough....

and as someone esle has pointed out, you need to stick to one thing for at least 6 weeks at a time to see if it works!

Agreed! Make sure your activity level is set at least at lightly active and set your weight loss goal to 1 or 1.5 pounds a week - don't try for the two pound since that's a fairly unreasonable goal with the amount of weight you have left to lose. (I know it seems like a lot but it's not compared to someone who's morbidly obese.) Not sure what you're eating but try cutting out those light/diet foods and eat real stuff taht has more nutrients and calories. This will get you over that 1200 mark and your body will thank you.

I'm sure some will poo-poo this suggestion but I'd like to see you break up your meals and try to eat something every couple hours. You say you don't snack but snacking can actually be really good, not the evil wrong that so many think of when dieting. I'm not talking cookies, chocolate, etc but something healthy, filling and nutritious. It doesn't have to be much, just a handful of nuts or a fruit with some peanut butter or a couple hard boiled eggs... And I know this is seen as a myth to many people but for those whose metabolism has nearly shut down due to eating issues it can help. A friend of mine did this and it really helped with her weight loss. Worth a try anyway...

Also keep on eating those fruits and veggies - don't think of it as something to help you lose weight but as soemthing to help you be healthier. Try switching your focus up and maybe set fitness goals instead of weight loss goals. Especially considering your ED history, this may be helpful to you. It's less obsession about calories and more about making sure you get the right foods in every day. More lean protein, healthier carbs (natural, whole grain), healthier fats, fruits and veggies and plenty of water.

Good luck!

SweetlyVague

It honestly sounds like you may not be eating enough to fuel your workouts, especially if you're on your feet for 8 hours daily. That alone burns a ton of calories.

beachlover317

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

Hi! Check out this site and figure out what you SHOULD be eating. Hunger, when we are in calorie restriction, is a misguided way to determine if we need to eat or not. Google leptin and read how this can screw up your hunger sensors in the brain. This is especially true for people who have been restricting calories for a long time or yo yo dieting.

Good luck with losing. It's hard to up your calories to fuel your body properly. I know, I didn't do it for years. Fortunately, I have hooked up with a group of 'road mappers' that understand how the body works and how to make it lose weight to keep it off! :flowerforyou:

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Do you mind giving your height and weight?

I also wonder if you've tried a lot of things but haven't really given them a chance to work. Also, are you weighing/measuring everything? Even things like coffee creamer and butter/oil can really add up if you're just estimating.

Also, agree that hunger is not the best way to gauge what you should be eating, at least not in the beginning. When you've been chronically restricting it really messes up your hunger signals (or lack thereof).

twinmom01

I found for myself - it really depends on the TYPE of food i was feeding my body vs just the calories in and calories out...

I know for me personally in order to see any difference on the scale I have to sustain a eating style of 80 carbs or less a day...

Every person is different - so you have to find what works for you...for some people they can simply restrict thier calorie intake and they can loose weight...others can eat a ton of junk and simply up thier exercise and loose weight...others like myself have to really watch a certain set of macros in addtion to calorie intake and calorie burn...genetics is a fickle *****

ninerbuff

Consistently changing your routine isn't giving your body a chance to adjust. Stick with a program CONSISTENTLY for 2 month and see how it goes from there.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

carlayyy2308

I’m not sure if my advice may help but I can only say what my experience has been.

Like you, when I was younger I did various ‘fad’ diets – the most serious being the atkins which actually took me down to around 124 pounds. Loved it at the time but when I started eating normal food again the weight (and a lot more) piled on.

I have tried weightwatchers and it didn’t work.

I tried counting calories and it didn’t work.

I tried counting carbs and it didn’t work.

I literally thought my body was screwed and non-responsive due to the fad diets.


MFP HAS worked for me and I honestly think that it’s because it calculates how much sugar I’m allowed and I never go over my sugar limit. I have an incredibly sweet tooth and always thought that if I have low calorie sugary snacks then I’ll be okay cos I won’t go over my calorie allowance but in fact I was probably wayyyyy over my sugar intake.

On your diary monitor your sugar – try to eat veg rather than fruit and DO NOT cut out any food groups. Cutting out carbs will only lead you to binge on carbs – and the main carb is in fact sugar so that’s what you don’t want.

I’ve lost 20 pounds in 10 weeks and I want to lose 22 more. And I can honestly say I am now aware that for my body, carbs aren’t the enemy – sugar is.

Hope this helps xxx

alevett

I looked at your pics and you don't look like you need to lose another 51 pounds. Be sure you are shooting for a realistic number. As a person who has been putting on and losing the same 20 pounds my whole adult life, it doesn't get any easier. I joined MFP in October but didn't really get started until November. Never stop trying because when you give up, that is when real unhealthy things start to happen, ie, obesity and health issues. Good luck with your journey.

csuhar

csuhar: The thing is 1200 is a huge amount of food for me. I struggle to eat more than about 1500 to be honest. Whenever i hit 2000 or more calories i get very anxious and upset but thats just due to eating issues im trying to overcome. I eat when im hungry rather than just filling myself with calories. Sometimes it does go over 2000 if its a **** day [no one gets to my weight eating 1200 calories of veggies afterall!] but im eating less at the moment and ive found im actually eating more in my portions to make it to 1200.

If I may ask (again, feel free to not answer): What kind of "struggle" is it for you? Is it a personal / emotional one (you mention becoming anxious) or a practical one?

When I first saw the calculators saying I should be eating 3000 calories a day to maintain, I didn't believe it at first. It was a leap of faith for me to break away from the fact that, here in the USA, they're always talking about a 2000 calorie diet, which forms the basis for all our "nutritional information" on packaging and the general guidelines we teach our children. But, after making the leap and accepting that guideline, I've actually LOST a few pounds. It takes a lot of faith to go from what we've been brought up regarding as common knowledge or the "appropriate" way of doing things when these calculators tell us something different.

In the military, we see new recruits who sometimes have to make that leap. They don't believe us when we tell them they should be eating a lot when they go through training. They go from a civilian culture where we've often oversimplified things to say "if you want to keep a healthy weight, avoid eating" to one where their instructors are prompting them to eat more to maintain their health, a complete 180-degree turn from the path they originally followed. Even I was surprised when I went through training, loading my plate full and sometimes piling it high (something I never do on my own) for 3 meals a day for 4 weeks and I STILL lost 15 pounds.

But I've also come across a practical challenge. My schedule is one that makes it harder to prepare enough food. Most of the cookbooks I use that include the nutritional information usually keep each item to 300-500 calories, meaning I would need to make between 6 and 10 different items. This challenge will be an ongoing one, but the way I've been able to deal with it is to try to balance what I make from scratch with what I can buy in the store (I know we're ideally supposed to avoid procesed foods, but I'm still limited to 24 hours in a day).


Either way, I really hope you'll be able to dig deep and find whatever inspiration and motivation will keep you going. You may take a while to find what really works for you, but CAN do it. Remember, you've only been on this path for a few months. These things will take time, but it will be worth it in the end.

mdcoug

You mentioned that you've tried a lot of variations. How much time did you give each approach?

psuLemon

Well until you can stop relating food to emotional ties and until you get past that anxiety, we can not really help. Your asking to help you solve a problem but won't tell us the problem. But here are my thoughts based on experiences of working with people with ED's. First, you need to follow ninerbuff's advice by sticking to a program for several months. In fact, since you had an ED, you probably destroyed your lean body mass, so it could take longer to rehabilitate everything. If you are active and you workout 4-6 days a week, you probably need to eat 1800-2100 calories a day. Second, you need to weight train, it needs to be heavy and it needs to be around 3 days a week to help preserve what is left of your muscle. Also, constantly breaking down the muscles so your body is forced to repair will cause your metabolism to increase and eventually stabilize again. Essentially, you want to reset your RMR to where it should be as opposed to it's suppressed state. Also, you should have a diet high in protein. This will allow your body to recover and repair the muscles. Generally, I suggest 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats for macro's. It has worked for me as well as many others here and it lets you hit the rule of 1g of protein and .35g of fat per lb of lean body mass (pending you eat enough calories).


Outside of that, you need some help for the mental instability. And eliminate the scale. Start to take pictures and body measurements. If you eliminate the enabler of distress (the scale), you can just concentrate on getting stronger and more fit and you will see greater results. Weight is really meaningless. Weighing less doesn't mean you are skinnier either as demonstrated by the two below threads. If you work on being fit, then the rest will come.


http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat

drinkhorn2

I understand what your feeling, I have been dieting for 2 months and did so much homework on what is the right foods and wrong. I added exercise, and like you I ate my calorie count both ways before and after exercise. and ate less then allowed after exercise. I lost 10 pounds but the last week not one pound gone. It is very discouraging but I am determined to lose this extra weight. I read the ingredients before anything goes in my mouth. what the heck can I do to get past this platue. I even changed up my exercise because i read your bady can get used to the exercise. the only thing I haven't tried is starving myself. I know that is not what i need to do can anyone help

psuLemon

I understand what your feeling, I have been dieting for 2 months and did so much homework on what is the right foods and wrong. I added exercise, and like you I ate my calorie count both ways before and after exercise. and ate less then allowed after exercise. I lost 10 pounds but the last week not one pound gone. It is very discouraging but I am determined to lose this extra weight. I read the ingredients before anything goes in my mouth. what the heck can I do to get past this platue. I even changed up my exercise because i read your bady can get used to the exercise. the only thing I haven't tried is starving myself. I know that is not what i need to do can anyone help

Well weight loss isn't linear, so adjusting your expectations will help. Also, try not to eat under your goals. Also, keep in mind a calorie deficit is stress on your body, and when you don't eat enough, it will add more stress. And as many studies show, stress prevents weight loss (due to cortisol). But keep at it, give it time and if you can't figure it out, then post a thread. Most women I know eat 1700-2000 calories (if they are active). So there might be some thought if you are eating enough.

liltenji

Wow so much help! I would reply to everyone individually but it would take forever! haha.
Thank you so so much everyone, ive got some wicked info now so i will look into everything that everyone has said.

The anxiety about the calories is very much an emotional/personal one as i have struggled with food for the past 10 years. I know full well ive messed up my metabolism.

I know now from everything everyone has said that ive not tried everything for long enough! especially with my crappy metabolism! So i will give everything abit longer.
I'll also start tracking nutrients aswell, drinking more water, and try upping my calories [i am on my feet for a good few hours a day as i work as a support worker!]

to those who are worried i dont need to lose that much weight; i weigh 190lbs and im 5'4 so i'm pretty fat. The camera is deceptive and i only added the full length picture because i thought i looked ok in the jeans but two people in the city centre pointed out that i was too fat for them [one even asked if i'd had a baby recently]. Im aiming for about 135lbs because i'll be in a healthy range and its a weight ive not been since ive started hating my body.

thank you again to everyone who has replied to me and sorry i couldnt reply more personally [im in a mad rush at the moment]
if anyone wanted to add me or message me further that would be great.

Sorry for being 'that person' who cant understand why they aint getting any results when they're doing a crap job at doing so, haha. Losing weight healthily is all new to me and i'm pretty much a beginner. so thank you all for being so nice
xxx

AndyStanford

I'm sure some will poo-poo this suggestion but I'd like to see you break up your meals and try to eat something every couple hours. You say you don't snack but snacking can actually be really good, not the evil wrong that so many think of when dieting. I'm not talking cookies, chocolate, etc but something healthy, filling and nutritious. It doesn't have to be much, just a handful of nuts or a fruit with some peanut butter or a couple hard boiled eggs... And I know this is seen as a myth to many people but for those whose metabolism has nearly shut down due to eating issues it can help. A friend of mine did this and it really helped with her weight loss. Worth a try anyway...

This.

I started keeping nuts in my desk drawer at work, as I was snacking on chocolate bars etc during the day. Now I just have a couple of small handfuls of nuts instead, and I'm less hungry, and feel better for it. Plus the protein makes up for days when my meat intake is low.

JoeyTajzai

Cardio. This is the best advice I can give you. I plateaued so hard one time it almost made me give up. I'm not talking about normal cardio, I'm talking HIIT (High Intense Interval Training). Jump on a treadmill and walk for about 1 minute, run like **** for 30 seconds, walk for 1 minute, run like **** for 30 seconds. Do this for 15-20 minutes. You wanna get the heart pumping quickly. When you get more advance you wanna do 1 minute walk, 1 minute running. This worked for me so it might work for you.

SunnyLynnie

Honestly it sounds to me like you're having eating disorder issues and that you should seek medical attention to get you on the right road.

MadtownMadisonian

Not sure if others said this already, but if you really are eating properly and exercising for months without seeing even a small effect, it is time to see a doctor. Thyroid, hormone imbalances, insulin cycles - all these might possibly be in need of checking, to make sure there isn't something physiological that is in need of correction. Other than that, I hope you'll hang in there. Even without the weight loss, all the exercise is good for your health and your spirits. (I'm saying that because I am in one of my quite frequent plateaus and so must remember this is true for me too!) Best of luck, truly.