4 months, changed lifestyle, and nothing. why?

I can only share what has worked for me in the past. When I wanted to drop 1-2 lbs a week, I would replace meals with 250 calorie protein shakes. I'd have a protein shake for breakfast and usually for dinner again. That way, I would hit my protein goals (180 grams) and still be under on calories (1800). I would couple this with an hour walking on the treadmill or elliptical.

Having meal replacement shakes worked wonders for me. I've heard great things about Shakeology, but I've never tried it before.

Don't get discouraged....
Remember our weight creeps on far faster than it decides to slide off.

As I've been futzing with my medications for about a year now, I completely understand what you are going through. Glad to hear your doc is running a few more tests just to check up on things.

I know it takes time and that alone can be frustrating, but you can do it!
Think of all the great healthy choices you've been making!

Also- make sure you are drinking A LOT of water. It sounds like you are working out fairly vigorously and with muscles the body needs water to keep itself functioning.

Let me know if you want advice/help/support!

I understand and am a bride to be myself. Stick to it! You can do it!

Eating healthily in itself won't make you lose a single pound if cals in still equal cals out. Are you meticulously weighing and measuring and recording absolutely everything? Remember you need to consume 500kcal less than what you expend every single day to lose a lb a week.

If your thyroid isn't working correctly, it will be almost impossible to lose weight, so that could be an issue. If you're on antidepressants, depending on what kind, ditto. Those are my two ideas, but like other posters said, you're making positive changes inside your body, like preventing diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions. Hang in there...you'll figure it out!!

All I can do is share what worked for me. I achieved my goal at age 50 after beating my head against the wall for 15 years. Yeah anyone can do it, but I can tell you that you are up against a lot when you are older and I believe females have some unique issue to face with hormones and such. The sooner you can get a handle on it the better. DO NOT GIVE UP. As I got older and the weight piled on (and I didn't feel I was eating too much!) everyone kept telling me to give up, this is what happens when you get older. I'm small, and I didn't realize how small I was until I lost the weight. Everyone said I had big bones. I looked hefty because I worked out. Once I lost the weight I realized how small I really was and that small people don't need to eat as much as big people. HINT: If you are short you are probably small.

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 if 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; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

To say eat more is wrong.

To say eat less is wrong.

To find the exact calories needed for YOU to be in a healthy sustainable calorie deficit is the right answer. Wait, if you need to adjust by 100 do it, wait, adjust, wait, adjust, wait. The tortoise wins this race.

All that matters is calories. A healthy balanced diet within a calorie budget for a deficit that is right for YOU is all that matters for weight loss. Don't make it complicated.

It really depends on your RMR. If you are short like I am then your RMR is really just above the 1200 limit so you really don't have much room for a calorie deficit and going up is less likely to work. If you are taller you will have a higher RMR and can go up or down and still be in a deficit so you can lose no matter what. All that matters is a calorie deficit.

Some people can eat at a big calorie deficit and some people can't. Everyone is different. Even a small calorie deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones as such, add a new workout routine, and those will make more spikes. This is a huge waiting game and requires much patience. Add in emotional eating issues and then you have more complications.

Also people play mental accounting games with calories just like with finances. Make steps to make sure you are making accurate measurements. Packaged foods can have MORE than they say but not less (they get in trouble if less so they would rather error with MORE).

If you typically intake sodium at a certain rate your body adjusts, but if you make a sudden change then you will see a spike.

Exercise is for making your lean body mass pretty (especially lifting weights) for when the fat is gone. Losing fat with no muscle is ugly and cardio alone will not make you pretty. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

What is the exact number of calories for you?

We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.

This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.

-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)

The good thing is you don't have to worry about the starvation mode myth if you are fat. Only skinny people have to worry about starvation mode. It does not mean you have the capability to eat at a large calorie deficit if you have emotional eating disorders or other issues going on, but at least you don't have to be afraid of it anymore.

The Theory of Fat Availability:
•There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
•The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

-Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)

Lifting weights is KEY. I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am.

Start lifting now, lift heavy and change it up often, find a lot of weight routines with free weights, make it fun, embrace it, make it part of your life. Only 3 days a week is all it would take. Crank up your tunes and learn to love it, because your body will love it and it will make your quality of life better in many ways, especially when you get older like me.

Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

If you are a girl you don't have the hormones to get big naturally. I lift heavy and I'm still really tiny. My lean body mass is only 104 lbs and that is fairly heavy for a 5'1" female, and quite a bit of this is due to my having very dense bones from 30 years of lifting, not all muscle, and I'm still quite tiny.

My muscles really are not that big, but they show a lot of definition because I'm quite lean. If I gained some fat then I would have a softer more toned look (which is OKAY too!). Then if I gained more fat I would look bulking and hefty like I did most of my life until last year. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Lean and ripped, soft and toned, or hefty, it all depends on how much fat you leave on your body. Calories are the only thing that changes fat. Exercise is for changing or maintaining your lean body mass only. Lifting weights will give you the best bang for your buck for shaping your body. I finally changed my shape by putting lifting first and cardio 2nd. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

I hope this helps!! -Bobbie

I Gained 25 lbs before my wedding. Stress maybe? But I believe it's more: happiness. I am happy. My doctor said it happens, I am back on MFP to rectify all of the damage this damn happiness caused. Because at a certain point, I'll be not happy with myself. Not cool,,,

I am hesistant to write this as I emotionally cannot handle anyone becoming argumentative or mean. I am looking for suggestions or ideas.

I am currently weighing 220 (ugh). Last March I was at 185. You do that math. I had some switches to medication I have to take and that caused for some of the weight gain as we had to go back to old medicine and try a different one. I am steady on my new meds and have been for a while, a side effect is typically not weight gain.

I moved out to CA to be with my fiance in June. I immediately joined a gym and even got a trainer. I have completely changed our lifestlye of eating...from complete garbage and meals out all the time to healthy homemade dinners consisting of grilled chicken and veggies, or fish. When we do eat pasta it's whole grain and I will make him the garlic bread that he loves and I will eat a delicious sald with extra veggies alomg side instead. When we do go out, instead of my favorite spinach dip I will ask for a side of celery or broc w a small side of ranch to crave that craving. I get fresh fish or to go crazy a piece of steak with veggies (but that is really rare, I would rather have ahi tuna, which I have trouble making on my own).

One would think with eating habits changed, doing 45-60 minutes of cardio and working out with a trainer who doesn't push me to do crazy weights (we do TRX and other strength training methods) that I would be dropping weight. 4 months and not a single pound. My goal was to be 185 again for thr wedding with an ultimate goal of 160. How am I ever going to get there with not a single pound in 4 months, It's not like my body has changed considerably with training either, I am still wearing the same clothes and they are not fitting different. I take pictures of my cardio machines to keep me motivated and I log and show them to my trainer. Her and I are both confused as to why I am not losing anything? She even tells me how great I am doing and that my cardio is amazing.

Went to doctor last week and she is concerned too. We are going to do thyroid tests and everything, I am trying to stay positive, but with all the changes I made to my lifestlyle and exercise habits, it makes me so sad that I haven't lost a single pound. The wedding is in 8 months...not a pound lost in 4...does anyone have ideas or topics of help fo rme? Please.

listen to californiagirl2012. she's got a compelling argument to make. try to find her long post about how/why she couldn't lose weight and what she did to change that without going to bed feeling hungry every night.

Do you feel healthier in yourself? Do you have more energy? If you can feel a positive difference in yourself, that is positive progress, and means the lifestyle change is worthwhile.

I don't know why you haven't lost weight, but if your doctor is doing tests then hopefully that will shed some light onto the situation.

Eating healthily in itself won't make you lose a single pound if cals in still equal cals out. Are you meticulously weighing and measuring and recording absolutely everything? Remember you need to consume 500kcal less than what you expend every single day to lose a lb a week.

This is exactly what I was thinking. Healthy is good, but your calorie goal is what controls weight loss. I completely get not wanting to open your diary, mine is open to friends only. To check your calorie goal figure out your TDEE and then subtract 20%. That should be your starting place.