Why can't I lose weight?

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  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
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    The idea that you can drink all you want on the weekends as long as you work out makes me think things aren't getting logged right. I can tell you I could spoil a whole week's worth of deficits with drinking on weekends, fairly easily.

    There can be as many calories in a cocktail as a big mac. You are annihilating your diet if you binge drink on the weekends (and with binge drinking usually comes binge eating when you're drunk). That's why when people quit drinking they lose quite a bit of weight without even trying. You rest need to log everything you ingest or this doesn't work.
  • IStop4Stamps
    IStop4Stamps Posts: 17 Member
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    I'm going to disagree with some people on here: first of all, as little as you have to lose, and without any other issues, it is highly unlikely you have a thyroid issue. Secondly, where are your measurements? Weight is not always the best indicator of weight loss. If you did insanity for 9 weeks, it's very possible you lost 3lbs of fat, and then gained back 2lb of muscle. That's a great thing! Eating as little calories as you are, and the intense workouts you are doing, tells me you are very healthy. If anything, I would suggest eating MORE to weigh less. The longer you restrict your calories so much, the lower your metabolism drops to conserve energy. If you keep dropping your cals, eventually you will hit a plateau because you body is going to hold on to everything you eat. Have you tried calorie cycling? Basically, you alternate high and low calorie days. Example: 2000 one day, 1200 the next, 2000 the next, etc. I have done this before with success. May be worth a try!! Here's a great article on calorie cycling:
    http://lifehacker.com/5827154/vary-your-calorie-intake-to-break-through-a-weight-loss-plateau

    http://www.answerfitness.com/316/zig-zag-dieting-fitness-nerd/

    I would also limit your alcohol intake to less than 5 drinks per week. That can definitely ruin your efforts to lose! Hope I helped!

    GREAT ANSWER!
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
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    For the OP, could be birth control. I had big issues with implanon and as soon as it was removed I started to lose the weight
  • ImKindOfABigDeal40
    ImKindOfABigDeal40 Posts: 807 Member
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    If you're not losing weight you're consuming more than you're burning. The answer is likely that you consume more than you track (an example being the drinking you do). With such a low net calorie consumption goal you can't miss at all on consumption and expect to make progress. Also possible you overestimate activity, best way to do things is set your activity level to sedentary and then use a Nike Fuel Band to track your exercise calories, not the estimates on sites like this one.
    Not necessarily true. Weight loss is not a one size fits all scenario. Our bodies are all different. What works for you and others may not work for everyone. I personally have not lost weight since Feb of this year. I have tried lowering my calories, I have tried increasing my calories. I have been patient at both extremes and nothing is breaking the plateau. So it is not an issue of me eating too many calories.
  • Krismarie24
    Krismarie24 Posts: 25
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    The other thing is most people usually respond to EITHER a low-carb or a low-fat diet (and I just mean what you're eating, not diet as in a gimmicky plan). I would try one for a couple of weeks and see what happens. If it doesn't help, try the other. It's not just how many calories you eat, it's the quality of the calories as well.

    Good luck!
  • senyosmom
    senyosmom Posts: 613 Member
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    HI Dazzle!

    Im sorry you are having a hard time.... make sure are doing strength training and not JUST cardio when you work out. Muscle burns fat (or as someone on here said "Muscle eats fat for breakfast") Also, eat back some of your exercise calories but not all of them. Lastly, take measurements and not just your weight on the scale --- you may find that u are losing inches and getting smaller even if the scale is not reflecting your hard work.

    Hang in there hon and GOOD LUCK!
  • apriltrainer
    apriltrainer Posts: 732 Member
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    I feel your pain. I went from October to about a month and a half ago of not losing. I found out I have metabolic syndrome. I changed my macros to cut down on carbs, ate more protein and healthy fats. And I cut back on my exercise. I finally started to lose weight. It's frustrating. You have to find what works for you.

    I actually did this(the cutting down on exercise part!).

    I did a few other things with my diet as- didn't eat back my exercise cals. At the same time I cut out my cardio. It worked for me. 135 in May. 120 today.Who would have thunk??? I also was working TWO stressful jobs during my rollercoaster weight gain this winter/spring. combined with intense cardio...my body was too stressed .
  • CChandler81
    CChandler81 Posts: 100 Member
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    It looks like you're at a healthy weight for your height...so maybe loosing weight shouldn't be your goal, but instead building muscle. Cardio is great but try interval training instead. I've been doing 30 Day Shred for 4 days and already seeing/feeling results.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    See a doctor for blood work. If you have insulin resistance you won't lose on high carb diet.
  • jshinoff
    jshinoff Posts: 25 Member
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    If you're not losing weight you're consuming more than you're burning. The answer is likely that you consume more than you track (an example being the drinking you do). With such a low net calorie consumption goal you can't miss at all on consumption and expect to make progress. Also possible you overestimate activity, best way to do things is set your activity level to sedentary and then use a Nike Fuel Band to track your exercise calories, not the estimates on sites like this one.
    Not necessarily true. Weight loss is not a one size fits all scenario. Our bodies are all different. What works for you and others may not work for everyone. I personally have not lost weight since Feb of this year. I have tried lowering my calories, I have tried increasing my calories. I have been patient at both extremes and nothing is breaking the plateau. So it is not an issue of me eating too many calories.

    Bodies vary but with respect to weight loss this is mainly an issue of metabolic rate impacting actual caloric burn. It is possible that you have a significantly slower metabolism than average and weight loss requires a significantly lower consumption level than would be indicated by the estimates on sites like this one. Ultimately your body can't escape the fact that if you use more energy than consumed it has to use stored energy in the form of fat or muscle.
  • Racheldt87
    Racheldt87 Posts: 25 Member
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    Thank you all so much for your comments, I really appreciate them! And to answer some of your questions: I have had my thyroid checked and blood work etc and all is fine. When I drink it is only vodka or rum and diet coke or soda water and I log all the drinks and everything I eat (although I really do understand that alcohol in general is bad for weight loss. I usually have 4-5 drinks on Sat nights only and will work on cutting back). I am on birth control pills and have been for about 5 years. I think I am going to stop eating back all my exercise calories bc obviously either my food logging or exercise is not as accurate as i thought to be going months now on MFP's recommendations and no weight loss. At the complete the day it always says i will weight 5 lbs less in 5 weeks but then 5 weeks gets here & I still weigh the same. I feel like my metabolism should not be this slow since I have never been sedentary and have always been a pretty healthy eater. So that's what frustrates me the most :S. And my picture is old and at -7 lbs of what I weigh today. Which doesn't sound like a lot but I'm very petite so 10 lbs is 2 pants sizes different.
  • ablanchard7
    ablanchard7 Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm going to disagree with some people on here: first of all, as little as you have to lose, and without any other issues, it is highly unlikely you have a thyroid issue. Secondly, where are your measurements? Weight is not always the best indicator of weight loss. If you did insanity for 9 weeks, it's very possible you lost 3lbs of fat, and then gained back 2lb of muscle. That's a great thing! Eating as little calories as you are, and the intense workouts you are doing, tells me you are very healthy. If anything, I would suggest eating MORE to weigh less. The longer you restrict your calories so much, the lower your metabolism drops to conserve energy. If you keep dropping your cals, eventually you will hit a plateau because you body is going to hold on to everything you eat. Have you tried calorie cycling? Basically, you alternate high and low calorie days. Example: 2000 one day, 1200 the next, 2000 the next, etc. I have done this before with success. May be worth a try!! Here's a great article on calorie cycling:
    http://lifehacker.com/5827154/vary-your-calorie-intake-to-break-through-a-weight-loss-plateau

    http://www.answerfitness.com/316/zig-zag-dieting-fitness-nerd/

    I would also limit your alcohol intake to less than 5 drinks per week. That can definitely ruin your efforts to lose! Hope I helped!








    can you explain a little more abou tthis calorie cycling?? is it healthy?
  • ablanchard7
    ablanchard7 Posts: 7 Member
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    can you explain a little more abou tthis calorie cycling?? is it healthy?
  • jchrisman717
    jchrisman717 Posts: 780 Member
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    can you explain a little more abou tthis calorie cycling?? is it healthy?

    In my opinion - yes - you are still getting enough calories - you are just doing it over a week's time instead of daily. I was doing this before I started the Insanity program - but don't think I gave it enough time to really work.
  • vsay215
    vsay215 Posts: 44 Member
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    We are approx the same height and u are at the weight I would love to get down to. I can't get it right either I I have been battling since I was twelve.
  • ablanchard7
    ablanchard7 Posts: 7 Member
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    can you explain a little more abou tthis calorie cycling?? is it healthy?

    In my opinion - yes - you are still getting enough calories - you are just doing it over a week's time instead of daily. I was doing this before I started the Insanity program - but don't think I gave it enough time to really work.


    So what exactly do you do? how do you do it?
  • jchrisman717
    jchrisman717 Posts: 780 Member
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    can you explain a little more abou tthis calorie cycling?? is it healthy?

    In my opinion - yes - you are still getting enough calories - you are just doing it over a week's time instead of daily. I was doing this before I started the Insanity program - but don't think I gave it enough time to really work.


    So what exactly do you do? how do you do it?

    If you do a search for zig zag (I believe that is what it is under) or maybe the name of the thread was "Holy grail to weight loss" there is a pretty extensive article about it. There is a website that you put your stats in and it tells you to eat xx calories on Monday, xx calories on Tuesday, etc. It give you lower calories some days, higher calories some days. I liked it as I think most people naturally do this when they have a "cheat meal" or a splurge day. I started doing the Insanity program and just started using the calories that their formual gave me but I will still have a day where I will eat more than other days.
  • nasja1984
    nasja1984 Posts: 98 Member
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    I gained 10 lbs this past Jan-Feb and cant lose it :( I have been trying since April. I log my food and exercise pretty accurately i wear a HRM w/ chest strap while exercising and i weigh/ measure my food. I have been eating within calorie goals for the last few months & have lost 3 lbs, then gained back 2 lb. Every winter for the past 5 years I have gained 5-15 lbs and then took phentermine in the spring to lose it. Obviously those stupid pills are the reason I gained the weight back every winter which is why I have not & will not take them this year/ ever again.. But why cant I lose any weight on my own w/ diet & exercise??

    Keep an eye on your carbs. Keep them right around 100 and you'll lose. Don't eat anything white....white bread, potato's, rice, etc.

    I Personally err on the side of UNDER-estimating my exercise and log EVERYTHING. even boullion cubes or 5 blueberries. If that doesn't help, look up "insulin resistance"

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