Any Recommendations Would Be Appreciated :)

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Rebeccawks
Rebeccawks Posts: 61 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey Guys!

I know this gets redundant, but I really think I need some help with my weight loss. I will open my diary after writing so that you all can look at it, and make some suggestions that may help me. As of now, I feel that I'm out of ideas that will help.

Back story:

23 year old female.

At 18, I was at my heaviest weight: 386 lbs. I have been losing steadily for the past 5 years (with a few maintenance breaks/plateaus but no real gains).

Currently: 190 lbs

Height: 5' 9"

Healthy BMI: < 171 lbs.

I am a medium framed (borderline larger framed, if we go by wrist circumference) and realize the density differences between muscle and fat. I am 100% ok weighing more than the allotted BMI but my body fat is about 26% and I would like to lower it by at least 7%. It is for this reason that I want/need to lose weight.

I know that I have lost a significant amount of weight and that these last 25 lbs will be slowly removed. I don't want a miracle but I have literally been within the same 3 lbs for almost 4 months.

I workout pretty hard (burn around 500-600 cals) about 6 days a week. Breakdown: 45 minutes cardio (jogging around 5.5 mph for 3 miles, fast walk afterwards) Weightlifting- alternating muscle groups 4 days. I'm really strong and continue to improve this. I lift heavy. I don't think I'm losing lean muscle mass. I eat plenty of protein. I have recently upped my protein to about 50% of my cals.

I eat clean about 95% of the time. It's not like I'm eating my cals at McDonalds, even though I want to sometimes.

I eat right, I exercise, I try to do what's right for my body. I have been taking measurements (haven't lost more than a 1/4 in anywhere in the past 2.5 months).

If you guys can recommend something to help with these last 25 lbs/6% I would be eternally grateful.

I've tried the "eating more" thing that I'm sure some of you will say I need to do if I'm working out like that. I went up to TDEE-20% for a few weeks and gained TONS (like 11 lbs). It was absurd. I'm sure my metabolism is a bit slow from constantly losing weight, but I don't know what to do. I've done maintenance for a week or two, then gone back to "dieting". That works a bit, like 2 lbs lost. But then plateaus again for months. HELP.

Thanks!

Becky

Replies

  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
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    Honestly, I'm not sure the TDEE-20% works for former morbidly obese people. If you did try it, I would increase your calories slowly. When you gained 11 lbs, were your clothes tighter?

    Other than cutting calories (which based on your exercise levels, I wouldn't recommend), slowly adding calories seems like something that I would suggest at least trying. You could also try calorie cycling where you eat higher calories some days and lower calories other days. You could also switch up your exercise routine if you have been doing the same routine for a while.
  • Rebeccawks
    Rebeccawks Posts: 61 Member
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    It wasn't "tighter" in the sense that my pants didn't button but I definitely felt bigger. (it could have been mental). Even if it were "water-weight", 11 lbs is not normal.

    I agree about the TDEE and obesity. I've never really done any fad diets or pills that would have messed up my metabolism but I truly think that it is slower than normal.

    Lab work done: no thyroid issues or anything. I know that's not why I gained weight (I just ate too much/didn't move much).

    I'm willing to put in the hard work. I just find it EXCESSIVELY aggravating that I have been on this journey for all of my adult life and still can't really wear shorts (still bottom heavy) and feel comfortable. I already will need some skin removal surgery (chest/possibly thighs and belly) and I accept this as something that is cheaper than medications for illnesses later on in life. Doctors tell me that they won't consider these surgeries until I am in a healthy BMI range and maintain it for 6 months. I can't seem to get to even that point. GAH! It's like my plans are at a standstill because of the scale.

    :(
  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
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    Well, I've had 5-10 lb fluctuations within a week which isn't unusual when you change your diet. The scale is very good at telling you your weight, which is mostly composed of water, its not good at telling you how much fat you have. If you upped your calories dramatically, I would expect a temporary weight gain. That is why you might need to up your calories a bit slowly and change your workout routine as your body gets very good at doing something if you keep repeating it. The general advice is to make sure you switch weight training routines every few months and I'd even say the same for cardio routines.

    I know how frustrating it is but you just have to do a bit of trial and error to get you where you want to be.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Wow, well done on that fantastic loss so far! Your diary looks really good, a healthy mix with lots of fresh fruits and veg. The only thing I might suggest is tracking your sugars.

    I'd keep it around 1200 for a few weeks, but try to vary your exercise routine a bit. If you keep doing the same things, your body gets used to it. Are you at a gym where there might be different classes you could try - zumba or spinning maybe?

    Keep the faith!
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    It seems like I read this before.

    You might have to experiment with calories to find what is right for you by tapering up or down. Some people need to eat less to lose weight (me) and others more. No one here can tell you, only your body can. Listen to it, give it what it needs.

    I eat less, I'm healthy and strong and I don't get sick. If others ate what I did they might get sick and it won't work for them. I'm short. I'm small. I workout hard. I have a lot of muscle.


    Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale though: water retention, digestion, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose weight when they eat more because of these fluctuations.

    If you have a lot of body fat reserves you would be surprised at how little you can eat (unless you have emotional eating issues or disorders). The leaner you get the less your body has to draw from and then you have to taper up your calories. There is no such thing as starvation mode for women over 12% body fat or men over 6% body fat. I am a living breathing example of that. I went from obese to now under 12% BF and I've maintained for one year and built muscle the whole time. You don't BUILD muscle in starvation mode, so I proved everyone wrong.

    The bottom line is you must experiment to find what works for you. There is no answer that anyone can give you, not even a doctor, and most PT's will tell you to eat more and that might not work. But it might work according to some people here.
  • joecollins9385
    joecollins9385 Posts: 355 Member
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    try changing your workouts. do a different weight routine, cycling or elliptical instead of jogging, maybe even try a sport or two. this is most likely a plateau that can be surpassed with some changes to your exercise
  • hilarysgiants
    hilarysgiants Posts: 132 Member
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    Have you calculated your BMR and TDEE? I am just shocked that your daily goal is 1300 calories. That seems low for someone that is taller. I am only 5'3" and my daily goal is 1380. Where did you get your numbers from?
  • melsmith612
    melsmith612 Posts: 727 Member
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    Maybe a different kind of scale would help you to adjust the rest of your diet better.

    I did Medi-Weightloss for 6 months and they used Tanita brand scales (you can find them online or in some retail stores for ~$100-$200) which tell you how much of your body is fat mass, muscle mass, water, ... even how many calories you would need to eat to maintain your current weight. I'm not sure how advanced the retail versions of these scales are but I do know they're available and sometimes what they tell you can be a lifesaver for your motivation.

    I've been considering whether to buy one myself or if I should get FitBit and the matching Wifi scale.
  • pumpkins793
    pumpkins793 Posts: 1 Member
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    Are you drinking your water? Just noticed that you haven't tracked it. Are you drinking something that's making you retain water?
  • doitforabby
    doitforabby Posts: 137 Member
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    Stupid ? -- What is TDEE?
  • jbella99
    jbella99 Posts: 596 Member
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    Okay hun, First off you are not eating enough. According to my calculations you should be eating about 2200 calories a day which is tdee -15%.. You say you work out hard 5 days a week, you are 5'9 and 190 lbs correct. Just to healthily maintain your bodily functions you need to eat 1691 calories (your BMI). At 1300 calories per day your body is in reserve mode. If you are scared to up your calories that much then raise it to BMI and eat your exercise calories. At the level you at to maintain that weight you'll have to eat about 2600 calories.
  • darlilama
    darlilama Posts: 794 Member
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    Big congrats on your success so far! That in itself is simply amazing! I admire your obvious commitment, even in the face of such frustration. I've never been morbidly obese (and I am grateful for that), so maybe my thoughts won't work for you, but I think they are worth a shot…

    Food - You might want to add more nutrients to your diary. I would suggest Sat Fats because even though you may be within your overall Fats goal, you might be overdoing Sat Fats. I doubt it from the scan I did of your diary, but it might be good to track for a week or two just to know for yourself. Also, two other big diet variables are ADDED sugar and sodium. MFP isn't good at tracking added sugars… sugar is just sugar whatever the source. Granted, sugars are sugars to your body, BUT it makes a big difference how they are digested… fruit is good, candy is bad. :) I suggest you got to the American Diabetes Foundation website to learns lots of good information, even if you are not diabetic. I am not, but it is in my family history, so I do try to be careful. Lastly, it's obvious that if you are taking in excessive sodium, that could impact your water retention. None of these things may be a problem for you, but it might be good for you to track them just to be sure and to know for yourself!

    Excerise - Variety, variety, variety. Whether I'm trying to lose weight or maintain, I personally have to switch up my workouts pretty significantly every 30 days to keep my body from becoming "accustomed". I really think this is a block for other people, too. I know you're into strength training (yeah for you!), but you might try a 30 day program of heavier cardio, less strength… just flip your routine and maybe do strength two days a week and intense cardio 3-4 days a week. It could be the breakthrough your body needs. Only you'll be able to judge, but could be that flipping your cardio v. strength every 30 days is just what works for your body. Just a thought!

    Best of luck to you. With your dedication, you will figure it out, I am sure!
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
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    If I were you, I'd set my calories to at least my BMR -- in your case, 1,681 -- and I'd shoot for that number every day as my total intake.

    Given your exercise regimen, I'd set my macros to 35% carbohydrates (588 kcal), 35% protein (588 kcal), and 30% fat: 147 grams of carbohydrates should be sufficient to support your exercise and prevent gluconeogenesis from amino acids; 147 grams of protein (1.7 g per kg of body weight should spare your muscle); and 56 grams of fat (healthy hormonal balance and increased satiety).

    I'd be very surprised if this didn't work.

    I'm rooting for you.
  • Rebeccawks
    Rebeccawks Posts: 61 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your responses! You guys have some great ideas. :)

    In response to some of the questions:

    - I definitely drink enough water. Not including hot tea and coffee, I drink at least 12 cups a day.
    - When I increased calories, it was slowly. About 100 per week. I accepted that weight gain was common but by the time I got to around -20% of TDEE I had gained 11 lbs already. I got scared. That's too big of a number for me when I'm still about 25 lbs from "goal".
    - TDEE stands for total day's energy expenditure.
    - I do change my exercises pretty often, but I've recently gotten the "running bug". I'll switch it up, and see how that goes.
    - my macros are at 35% carbs, 50% protein, 15% fat. This fits into how I eat foods. I don't really make 15% fat most days. I know there are nuts and such that can change this, perhaps I will work on it.
    - I do add about 2 packets of Splenda to my hot teas, I'm sure that, in conjunction with all the fruit I eat, definitely makes my sugars higher than normal. I have a problem viewing fruit-sugars as "bad". I know I really don't eat sugar otherwise, so I don't look at these numbers. I will try to be more vigilant. :)

    Thanks again guys!!

    Becky
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Congrats on the weight loss its pretty hard to lose all that weight. Now for the bad stuff!
    For your calorie burns how are you calculating that? If you have a HRM your getting a pretty decent idea, if you are using MFP or the machines that is a estimate that is usually way off, why do I ask this question? Your netting some days below 1000 calories, that was probably ok to do when you have 100 lbs+ to lose but as you get closer to your goal you need to start eating normally.. I seen one day you netted around 150 calories.. You may need to slowly increase calories to stabilize your weight, because even when you hit goal you are still going to gain back 10 lbs that you said you were putting on before.. This is why fad diets or diets where you starve yourself just result in the person gaining back all the weight they lost, cause you can't maintain not eating enough to fuel your body.
    As for your macro's I would probably just leave them where they are, and to lose BF% I would switch up your workout routines to something Completely different than what you have been doing to target different parts of your body.
  • columbus27
    columbus27 Posts: 178 Member
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    Your diet is good. Do you ever get hungry. Or do you not let yourself get hungry. For me when I wake up in the morning and I don't feel hungry. I know I'm not going to loose weight. Try to move your sweet and complex carbohydrates to earlier in the day. And green card for the afternoon.
  • Rebeccawks
    Rebeccawks Posts: 61 Member
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    If there is a day that says 150, that means I didn't track for the day. I rarely eat below 1300. Although I do frequently net below 1300 (I don't eat back exercise cals.) I consider movement part of a healthy life, I only track it to make sure I am meeting a personal goal that I set for myself for frequency.

    I do use a Polar HRM, it is accurate. I don't trust MFP's numbers.
  • jbella99
    jbella99 Posts: 596 Member
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    I wou strongly recommend you take a look at the group eat more to weigh less. Unless you are happy eating 1300 calories a day for the rest of your life of course. Cuz once you lose that 25 lbs your not gonna be able to up your calories with out gaining weight. You have trained your body to survive on 1300 or less calories a day

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