6 months and no weight loss!

gisele246

I'm so miserable lately. Dieting is alI I think about. It consumes my day. I even listen to weight loss podcasts in the car on the ride to work. I've been actively dieting for 530 days now. I'm still not losing any weight. Am I just broken??? I cut out all bread, cereal, pasta, and starchy vegetables in january and upped my lean protein. every single meal except breakfast, i'm eating vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans with 3-4oz of chicken or fish. I got protein shakes for the morning and am eating a special k breakfast sandwich. I'm barely eating fruit because of the carb content although I did have an apple last night. i try not to even eat greek yogurt because of the sugar. I don't even know what to eat anymore. i just look at my fridge and pantry and shrug. sometimes i eat 10 almonds for a snack. i'm still counting calories and now i'm tracking my water (since beginning of february). i have the fitbit on everyday and use my HRM during workouts so I know what activity I've been doing. I stopped counting it toward my calorie total because my nutritionist advised that might be why i'm not losing weight. i've been drinking green tea, which i hate because it's been recommended so many times. I have green tea supplements too because i don't like the taste. my dinner every night is a spinach salad with egg whites, 1oz cheese, 1tsp olive oil and 2tsp balsamic vinegar. Alcohol is pretty much gone except for the times where I feel like I'm going to go insane if I don't relax. I cut out chocolate completely. This is week 6 and nothing . I'm down 2lbs total which can completely be attributed to water weight associated with cutting carbs. I'm still exercising too, weight training and interval runs 4x's per week. I even started exercising during my lunch breaks for 5 minutes doing crunches, squats, planks, whatever I can fit in in the last few minutes. I don't even know if I'm hungry anymore; I'm just resigned. I don't understand. It was only a couple years ago that I was 25 pounds lighter and now it's like I'm destined to be fat. I don't even know what I can do to work any harder. Even while I'm taking care of my kids, I'm doing resistance training and stretching on the floor, throwing them around, and doing dance parties with them. I don't even know if it's possible to work any harder. I devote hours a day as a full time working mom. My husband doesn't even want me to mention my weight or diet anymore. Last night he told me I need to accept being fat because it's not going to change. I have MFP set to 1800 calories and I'm mostly eating that, some days higher and some lower. I'm 5'3" and 175lbs. I weight everything on a digital scale. Any help?

tricksee

Wow, I've no idea what to tell you...

All I can say is that I really hope you reach your goals as you seem to have a lot of determination.

bearsmom82

Have you seen any movement in body measurements? Any difference in how your clothing fits? The scale is a great tool - but it's only one of the many tools you can use to track your success.

I've heard from a lot of people who don't see much change on the scale, but note big changes in their waist measurement or pants size.

I'm not an expert on the calorie setting - and I know there are a lot of people who criticize the 1200 calorie setting assigned by MFP as "too low" - but maybe 1800 is just a bit too high for your body for weight loss? Try decreasing it - even by 50 calories less a day.

It sure sounds like you are really diligent about eating good quality food and incorporating lots of exercise!

pmmiller10

Go to the Dr. and get your thyroid checked. Very common for women after having kids to have hypothyroid.

jenbk2

I would go to your Dr and have your thyroid checked.

nauticaboo

Another vote for thyroid. That's how mine started (as you can see, I've only lost 6 pounds in almost a year of being here), and now after 12 - 18 months of being untreated, my hair has been falling out, and I find it hard to stay awake.

Grigg88

You need to just take a step back, stop worrying about what you eat and what's in it. Stop thinking the weight lose or lack thereof and just enjoy food (in moderation). Enjoy the things you've cut out and clear your mind. It's alright to eat all the things you have cut out, you just need to be aware of your portions. It seems that you are possibly not eating enough fatty foods and your body is now storing the fat instead of burning it.

mnobles1970

I'm not an expert, but for what I read I think that the problem is that you are not eating enough. You have cut down on sooo many things that your body actually needs (in moderation) that you have put your body on starvation mode (it slows down to the bare minimum to use the little it gets to function) Also, thinking about dieting should not consume your day, it will just stress you out and make you miserable and make you crave for things you think you can't have. You will have headaches and stuff... don't cut chocolate out.... bad choice... i gave it up once for lent and was soooooo miisseerrraaabllee that my husband forbid me from giving it up EVER again. I learn to have it in moderation. love the dark chocolate now, but the good one, no the cheap one.
You don't mention if you exercise or not. I just started this journey 2 days ago, and have lots of weigh to lose (over 100lbs) and have never been this heavy before. I started by just logging my foods and seeing where I was at on the first day. Yesterday I actually planned my meals (had french toast for breakfast with strawberries and blueberries, clam chowder for lunch - and some chicken nuggets I stole form my son, and made chicken cutlets with panko bread, ceasar salad and corn on the cob for dinner) amazingly I only went over 75 calories for the day. Let's join forces and get this done. You don't have to be fat, I don't have to be fat. I hate the way I look and feel. I started taking Zumba and hip hop classes, I also ask my husband to get me the zumba for the Wii because anything I do around the house will have to be with a 3-yr old attached to my hip. drop the dieting podcasts, start listening to inspirational ones instead. You are getting too obsessed with it.

dakotababy

Intermittent Fasting.

triciareeves1

I agree with what is being said about not eating enough. If you go down to drastic caloric intake... Like 1000 calories, 1200 calories, your metabolism actually slows down to match it. You won't lose weight if you don't eat enough. Me personally, I have been there done that exact same thing and saw zero scale movement. It IS very discouraging. I am now at 1700 Calories a day and since Jan I have dropped 10 pounds, no exercise.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I think you ought to relax a bit on the restrictions. Weight loss is about calories, and while it's good to try to be as healthy as possible I don't feel like low-carb is necessary if it's going to stress you out, and you seem very stressed out (with good reason). Have you tried lowering your calorie goal just a bit? Say to 1600? Are you taking measurements? Are you weighing everything you eat? Entering your own recipes? Double checking calorie counts? Your diary is closed so it's hard to make any more specific comments.

And yes, see your doctor if you haven't already.

ETA: I see you do weigh everything and that you've been to the doctor. In that case try lowering your goal a bit. I started out at 169 lbs @ 5'4" and I ate an average of 1450 calories to lose weight. That's assuming you are eating 1800 calories average, which is an assumption since your diary is closed.

gisele246

I did that in January. They said my thyroid activity was normal.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I agree with what is being said about not eating enough. If you go down to drastic caloric intake... Like 1000 calories, 1200 calories, your metabolism actually slows down to match it. You won't lose weight if you don't eat enough. Me personally, I have been there done that exact same thing and saw zero scale movement. It IS very discouraging. I am now at 1700 Calories a day and since Jan I have dropped 10 pounds, no exercise.

She said she's eating 1800.

jharb2

No expert either, but you say youve lost nothing in 6 months? Yet your ticker tape says youve lost 24. 24 lbs in six months is actually pretty good, especially if you have a slow metabolism d/t possible thyroid issues. And I'm a little shorter than you and I have never had my calories at 1800. I started at 1200 and eat back my execise calories.
Its a lifestyle , not a race. So be patient. I myself have never lost at the rate that alot of people have. I'm lucky to lose .4 at a time., but in the long run I lose and thats all that matters correct?
I would also see your Dr. and explain the situation.

714rah714

Guessing game since we can't view your diary

jonswife0206

She said she's eating 1800 sometimes more and sometimes less. Personally I think you should relax, stress is not going to help. If you are seeing a nutritionalist, are they not giving you a meal plan or what caloric range you should be eating? I think if you are up and down and all over the place picking this food over that food, restricting others, not eating enough, eating too much, you are not giving yourself time to see the small adjustments you may need in order to get some weight loss. Figure out with your doctor what calorie range you should be eating at and stay with that for at least a month. Your body needs time to adjust. Stop cutting out foods and aim for a healthy selection of everything. I feel playing around too much is hindering your results. I know it's frustrating but it will get better !

wannatangle

That sounds like some drastic diet changes. I wouldn't be able to live that way for the rest of my life. I would check with a nutritionist. Seems like you are cutting a lot of healthy things out of your diet. I upped my calories and started losing slowly.

Oldtyme72

Funny this was on my front page. I share in your frustration. I haven't seen any change in a month & I've actually stepped up game (2 cardio sessions/day, lifting, watching calories,etc)

Surely not giving up, just sharing in your pain : )

My plans are too: Drink more water & not eat so close to sleepy time (lol)

curejenn

Is it 6 weeks or 6 months with no loss? I only just started in January but WHENEVER I start doing anything new to my body (counting calories, exercise, even a walking regime) it totally freaks out and just has no idea what to do. Often times, that means I stay the same weightfor 4 to 6 weeks. But, by the 8 week mark I start losing and I start losing BIG. Like, for the first couple of losses I will average 3 to 4 lbs a week. I would add back in some fats. Your body needs fats and protein (and in my case a limited amount of carbs coming from non refined sources). You have totally changed your eating habits in a drastic way and like I said, anything drastic and my body just goes bezerk. Hang in there.

duechristmas

1800 sounds pretty high to me, i'm 5,6, 190lbs and mfp suggested i eat 1350 a day, on that i'm losing 1.5lb a week. I'm no angel and eat what i want, including carbs if that's what i fancy, i just stick very carefully to the calorie limits. If i were eating 1800/day my weight would be stable as this is pretty much what i was on before i started. maybe go back and check your figures and if you're feeling miserable lighten up on what you eat and just eat a little of what you fancy.

MinnieInMaine

Your calories are spot on for TDEE so that's good. All those dietary restrictions and forcing yourself to drink green tea when you hate it seem like a major source of stress to me. There really is no good reason to kill yourself about how you eat IMHO. These are the things I always used to do to myself and it always resulted in me failing on the diets eventually because I couldn't stand it anymore. If you like bread and pasta and chocolate, just find a way to make them work in your daily calories. Even on a low carb program like Atkins, you do eventually raise your carb levels to more higher levels and especially include lots of veggies and fruits. I mean, that's natural sugar and they contain fiber so they're good for you!

The other part of all these restrictions is thinking about whether you can really do them long term. Sure at some point they might help you lose weight (although obviously they're not working so far) but can you really live like that forever? When you do slack off you're going to put the weight back on. Better to find a happy medium that you know you can live with.

Just curious, where does the 24 pounds in your ticker come from? Was that lost before this six month stint started? If so, what's different between then and now? Were you more relaxed about your foods and exercise then?

TrailRunner61

Be honest with yourself.
Weigh your food! My container of oatmeal says that 1/2 cup equals 40 grams. Well, I weighed it and it was over 70 grams, nearly twice the amount of cals I had been logging. Cals add up fast, especially when the numbers aren't accurate.
Log EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth.
Don't cut out any certain type of food. Restricting what you can eat just makes you think about dieting and being deprived 24/7! Just try to eat healthy, have less processed food and make room for treats by upping your exercise cals. How would you maintain your weight if you go back to the way you were eating? You'd be on a 'diet' for life. Ugh.
I too, am 5ft 3, weighed 179 when I started and the above things helped me lose 40lbs.

yiffanarff

I'm not an expert, but for what I read I think that the problem is that you are not eating enough. You have cut down on sooo many things that your body actually needs (in moderation) that you have put your body on starvation mode

You are definitely not going into starvation mode at 1800 calories.

Now that that's out of the way, I'm sorry you're so stressed! I agree with others who have said you need to relax a bit! Sure, you want to lose some weight, but that doesn't mean you can't still enjoy life right now! Also, it sounds like you are eating quality foods, but I would try some variation. Eating the same thing for dinner every night gets boring- and unless you are planning on eating the same 3 meals for the rest of your life- you could easily end up putting on all your weight back on after reaching your goal weight.

It can be slow and frustrating, but you have to make changes you can keep up with for the rest of your life. And these changes should feel good! If I were your husband, I'd probably get frustrated if everything you ever talked about was diet and weight loss! What did you guys talk about before? Also- confidence is sexy, and maybe he's getting frustrated seeing you tear yourself down so much- because I'm sure he loves you regardless!

Now, I agree with others who said it's possible you're eating a bit too much. Not that you're pigging out or anything, but at 5'3, it's possible that 1800 is much closer to your maintenance level. Like someone else mentioned, maybe bring it down a little and see if that helps (1600 or 1700 or so?)

Good luck! Try not to get down on your self. Negative self-talk can become a habit quickly- and a habit that will stay with you even after you've reached your goal weight. You are a wonderful and beautiful person! Don't lose sight of that!

ApexLeader

I agree with what is being said about not eating enough. If you go down to drastic caloric intake... Like 1000 calories, 1200 calories, your metabolism actually slows down to match it. You won't lose weight if you don't eat enough. Me personally, I have been there done that exact same thing and saw zero scale movement. It IS very discouraging. I am now at 1700 Calories a day and since Jan I have dropped 10 pounds, no exercise.

this isn't true. even if her body went into starvation mode, she'd still lose weight with a calorie deficit. not losing weight in 6 months is something else. besides, her body's metabolism won't slow considerably until she's at or below her ideal weight.

LuciaLongIsland

See a doctor. I notice you see a nutritionist . Has she recommended a doctor? I am seeing an endocrinologist and due to the proper meds I am ok. I am no doctor but 18oo calories seem high to me.

allimac96

I would suggest a different meal plan. If you didn't want to spend money on something like Weight Watchers I would suggest Special K. They offer a variety of meal plans besides eating special k brand foods all the time. Following choosemyplate.gov is also helpful, at least it was to me. This is a good example too. http://www.hudsonhealthplan.org/communities/myplateplanner/

Hang in there! Keep reaching for your goals you will achieve them!

redragtop05

Don't give up!! I've been at it since August 6th and didn't start losing any weight until mid January. I did lose inches so that's what kept me going. I have since lost 10 pounds.

mazdauk

As others have said, have a bit more carb to give your digestion something to work on - possibly your metabolism has slowed down from shock.

I'm not a big fan of so-called "breakfast bars" - special K in a bar, rice crispies in a bar - as they have a,lot of sugar and are not really filling. Try porridge instead, or egg on toast - you will feel full longer and its healthy fullness! I'm also not a lover of shakes - rather have some real food.

Your diet does seem very strict - I couldn't keep to that (And I'm on 1240 calories) - need my exericse to turn into nice treats Eating needs to be a pleasure, not a pennance. Just not too much of a pleaseure!!

WinnerVictorious

I'm so miserable lately. Dieting is alI I think about. It consumes my day. I even listen to weight loss podcasts in the car on the ride to work. I've been actively dieting for 530 days now. I'm still not losing any weight. Am I just broken??? I cut out all bread, cereal, pasta, and starchy vegetables in january and upped my lean protein. every single meal except breakfast, i'm eating vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans with 3-4oz of chicken or fish. I got protein shakes for the morning and am eating a special k breakfast sandwich. I'm barely eating fruit because of the carb content although I did have an apple last night. i try not to even eat greek yogurt because of the sugar. I don't even know what to eat anymore. i just look at my fridge and pantry and shrug. sometimes i eat 10 almonds for a snack. i'm still counting calories and now i'm tracking my water (since beginning of february). i have the fitbit on everyday and use my HRM during workouts so I know what activity I've been doing. I stopped counting it toward my calorie total because my nutritionist advised that might be why i'm not losing weight. i've been drinking green tea, which i hate because it's been recommended so many times. I have green tea supplements too because i don't like the taste. my dinner every night is a spinach salad with egg whites, 1oz cheese, 1tsp olive oil and 2tsp balsamic vinegar. Alcohol is pretty much gone except for the times where I feel like I'm going to go insane if I don't relax. I cut out chocolate completely. This is week 6 and nothing . I'm down 2lbs total which can completely be attributed to water weight associated with cutting carbs. I'm still exercising too, weight training and interval runs 4x's per week. I even started exercising during my lunch breaks for 5 minutes doing crunches, squats, planks, whatever I can fit in in the last few minutes. I don't even know if I'm hungry anymore; I'm just resigned. I don't understand. It was only a couple years ago that I was 25 pounds lighter and now it's like I'm destined to be fat. I don't even know what I can do to work any harder. Even while I'm taking care of my kids, I'm doing resistance training and stretching on the floor, throwing them around, and doing dance parties with them. I don't even know if it's possible to work any harder. I devote hours a day as a full time working mom. My husband doesn't even want me to mention my weight or diet anymore. Last night he told me I need to accept being fat because it's not going to change. I have MFP set to 1800 calories and I'm mostly eating that, some days higher and some lower. I'm 5'3" and 175lbs. I weight everything on a digital scale. Any help?

step 1: de-complicate things. forget all that baloney about what you can and cannot eat.
step 2: get a medical checkup and make absolutely certain that there is no medical condition complicating all of this for you.
step 3: are you 100% certain you are logging all of your calories accurately? this is very important. log everything. make sure you are correct.
step 4: verify your BMR/TDEE. did you ever yo-yo diet in the past with VLCD diets? this can affect your BMR.

i compute 1873 as your TDEE without exercise (i.e. sedentary/office worker). you're not going to burn alot of exercise calories doing strength training or short duration cardio. my initial reaction is that you are not losing weight because you are eating at your maintenance level. you are likely burning fewer calories with exercise than you think you are and this is frustrating you. add some easy cardio and perhaps eat at 1650 or 1700 calories for a few weeks and see what happens. an example of easy cardio is a 1 hour walk each day. that should add up to 300-350 of burned calories every time you do it. don't eat those calories back. do this for a few weeks and see if your weight loss starts again at a rate of about 1lb per week.

LuciaLongIsland

I dont understand how that is 1800 calories?

Pookylou

1800 sounds pretty high to me, i'm 5,6, 190lbs and mfp suggested i eat 1350 a day, on that i'm losing 1.5lb a week. I'm no angel and eat what i want, including carbs if that's what i fancy, i just stick very carefully to the calorie limits. If i were eating 1800/day my weight would be stable as this is pretty much what i was on before i started. maybe go back and check your figures and if you're feeling miserable lighten up on what you eat and just eat a little of what you fancy.

I am 5 3 and 129lbs and I eat 1800ish everyday and am losing 1lb a week....................

I'd stop being so restrictive for a month or so, you're saying you're eating/drinking stuff you don't like, why?? Life is too short to be miserable, could you eat like this for the rest of your life?

edit - the 1800 is my TDEE BTW