Cannot lose weight no matter how hard I try

olkw
olkw Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been trying to lose weight now for a while and cannot seem to do it.
I workout doing Jillian Michaels 5 times a week and my average day looks something like :

breakfast: oatmeal and smoothie (greek yogurt non fat, blue berries, spinach and protein powder)
lunch: stirfry (no sauce) with chick peas and apple/grapes
dinner: stirfry with chicken and spinach salad with fruit
snack: nature valley granola bar and fruit

I lose about 4 pounds but they always come back on, with my weight greatly fluctuating.
Do you think this would have anything to do with being on the birth control alesse?

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do ?

Replies

  • jrs1987
    jrs1987 Posts: 3
    Stop weighing, take photos daily instead.
    Seeing yourself get smaller and loosing inches is a better motivation than looking at the damn scales.
    If your exercing then your probably building muscle which weighs more. Your prob loosing inches rather than weight.
  • grubb1019
    grubb1019 Posts: 371 Member
    How many calories a day are you averaging? It sounds like you are eating too little, if you are active and exercising 5 times a week you are going to actually need more calories.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    Well, I cannot see your food diary, and I don't know how often you weigh, so i am just guessing here.

    Everyone's body will fluctuate from 3-5 pounds per day. If you weight every day without knowing that truth, it can be very frustrating. I weight only once a month, but when I had more to lose it was weekly (much less stress that way).

    As far as food goes, I think you should eat based on your TDEE. If you haven't calculated that yet, you can do it here: fat2fitradio.com

    Use the military body fat calculator first then the BMR calculator. Based on your activity level eat the amount of calories recommended. Remember this is just an estimate, but I find it to work.

    If you use TDEE, do not eat back your exeercise calories. i don't think your bith control matters...but I am not a doctor.

    I also agree that you should take measurements once a month to track loss other than actual pounds.

    Best of luck to you - don't give up!
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
    what are you drinking throughout the day?? if its only water, good, but if ur drinking soda or something that could be ur problem
  • olkw
    olkw Posts: 2
    On my fitness pal it told me to eat 1200 cals per day, but according to other sources such as the fat2fitradio its says to eat 1400.
    I am drinking water but maybe not as much as I should be. Besides water the only other thing I drink it green tea.
    Maybe I should up my calories?
  • Lily26Wal
    Lily26Wal Posts: 48
    In more or less exactly the same postion as you!!! I have done jillians 30day shred up to day 11 (sustained a running injury so needed to rest) and i had actually gained weight!! gained weight!!! eating under 1200kcal running 3miles three times a week and doing jillians vid each night. the way i have stayed motivated is i measure my body waist, hips, arms, thighs, bum lol. and thats the way i know im loosing weight. I know how demotivating it is after putting in all that work and getting on those scales and it looks like theres no progress just stick with it!! Add me hunnni if you like and we can work together if your up for it. good luck
  • yeshualovesme
    yeshualovesme Posts: 121 Member
    Up the cals to TDEE minus 15-20%. In the calculator (Scooby's is what I used), make sure you put moderately active. Unless you are slender and small, your BMR should be above 1400... I wouldn't eat below that!
  • Miss_Alishia
    Miss_Alishia Posts: 29
    I was also stuck for a while when I was eating too few cals. I upped my calories to 1500, for a 700ish cal deficit per day. I love MFP but the cal goals it set for me were not working either. So, do some research, eat more food, and stick with it! losing weight is a lot of trial and error!

    I like this site, http://www.superskinnyme.com/calorie-deficit-calculator.html - I found a lot of really helpful info!

    Good luck!!!
  • aaakayofmpls
    aaakayofmpls Posts: 20
    make sure you are food journalling,, something maybe hindering your workout hard work. Find it and work through it,, good luck
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    Yes, increase your calories by 100 or 150 and see how it goes for a couple of weeks. Water and green tea shouldn't be a problem. How many carbs are you eating? From your meal plan it's possible they are too high a percentage. I know that MFP recommends 65% of your calories from carbs, but most weight loss sites disagree there. That's for people who are already at or near their goal. Try eating more like 40% from carbs and 30% from protein and fats. If that doesn't work after a month or so, then you can always shake it up again.

    I like this site for figuring BMR/TDEE, etc.:

    http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/
  • aaakayofmpls
    aaakayofmpls Posts: 20
    and try this ,, workout 3 weeks,, and only lose .6,, yep .6 th of a pound each week.
    then it broke and now its atleast 2 - 3 lbs a week
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    Don't think you are eating enough
  • sarahslim100
    sarahslim100 Posts: 485 Member
    I am the same. It wont budge despite being on a very healthy diet. I lost 6 kg on 1200 cal quite fast but not any more. Sometimes medicines do play a part. Research it and ask ur doctor about it. I find with excersise i need to be out of breath to make a change
  • lbesaw
    lbesaw Posts: 267 Member
    My suggestion is to journal everything that you eat and drink---everything--if you cook with 1 tsp of olive oil--make sure you don't leave anything out. After a few days you should be able to see what's happening. Make sure you are eating enough or your metabolism will "shut down". I watch the carbs and fats and just try to stay within my daily calorie allotment. My exercise isn't license to eat more at this point so I never eat back the calories I burn. You CAN do it---if you have trouble a good doctor visit couldn't hurt to make sure it's not something medical that's hindering your progress. Good luck!!
  • mtdubree
    mtdubree Posts: 19
    You probably have just hit a plateau continue your workouts and like others have said increase your calorie intake by 100-200 cause it does seem like your body isn't getting enough so it is holding onto everything. Just hang in there it will all come off all of a sudden and then you'll feel great :)
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
    I find eating is a fine tuned experiment. Can't eat too much. Can't eat too little. Have to eat the right things to be healthy. May I suggest you take a look at the Eat Clean series of books by Tosca Reno. Though I don't follow her exactly I do follow a lot of the things suggests. I just count calories where she suggests not too.
  • jillica
    jillica Posts: 554 Member
    NO EXPERT by far here, but here are some thoughts...

    Are overestimating calories burned?
    Are you underestimating calories consumed?
    Measuring yourself is a great idea to check your progress when the scale isn't moving like you think it should.

    As far a Hormonal Birth Control goes, I know it can affect different women in different ways. Mention it to your doctor.

    Good Luck!
  • seaKind
    seaKind Posts: 136
    i have that same trouble! i'm at an ok weight right now, but would Love to lose that Last 10 lbs... and just can't :(

    anyways, here's some food for thought on BC. This lil 12 minute video is profound!!!!!!!!!!!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auv6c0-FsjU&feature=g-all-u
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Sometimes the problem is trying TOO hard. IE, trying to exercise too much, trying to lose TOO many pounds per week. It's the equivalent of getting stuck in the snow and just gunning the engine. It's using up a lot of energy, but not making progress.

    Make sure your weekly goal is appropriate. You don't have much to lose, so you should be set to a half pound a week. MAYBE one pound a week, but not for much longer. If you're using MFP numbers, eat most of your exercise calories. Get good nutrition and adequate protein. And track your progress through more than just the scale. Progress photos are immensely satisfying for me.
  • fatmom51
    fatmom51 Posts: 173 Member
    It appears that you are pretty close to your goal weight. Those last few pounds are going to come off more slowly. It's possible you have too little to lose, now, to lose 2 lbs. a week, and I may be wrong, but it sounds like 1,200 calories are a little low, too, especially if you're doing such vigorous workouts. Hang in there! It's also possible you're just at a plateau or that you've reshaped/toned/added muscle, so your weight loss isn't reflected on the scale. Good luck!
  • kristy6ward
    kristy6ward Posts: 332 Member
    Perhaps you're hypothyroid? I could exercise and exercise, watch what I was eating and I would maybe lose two pounds at most after months, while my boyfriend had no problems dropping weight doing the same. I went to the doctor for a physical and a blood test came back as hypothyroid. It was a relief to finally have a reason why weight loss was so hard. It took a while to find the right dosage, but now it's all good.

    So if you find you have your calories in check and you're not under estimating your food or over estimating your exercise perhaps you should visit your doctor.
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
    I was initially on the 1200 set by MFP and found that I lost a bit quite quickly and then nothing for weeks. And I was hungry and grouchy. I changed my activity level up another notch without logging my gentle exercise and it helped with with hunger and the grumps and I had 1300 to consume.

    I did some calculations on the whole TDEE BMR abc 123 LOL and decided that since I am 'willowy' of build and needing to lose not a whole lot of weight, I would eat between the BMR and the TDEE of my goal weight so I manually set my calories to 1330. I set the protein/carbs/fat ratio to 40/40/20 which, I must say, I rarely take much notice of if I am close to or not - oops my bad. I have now been consistently losing weight and centimetres at a nice steady pace and I am no longer chewing the legs off the dining table.

    I think this works for me because I am wanting to lose a total of 7 kilos (about 15ish pounds) and my current TDEE/BMR and goal TDEE and BMR fall within a couple of hundred calories of each other so I guess I am eating in the zone for both my current weight and goal weight.

    I personally think I stalled out quickly at 1200 because I have always had a fast metabolism and I do need to fuel the furnace. When I was eating lower my body went 'nup that's not gonna happen'.
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
    sounds like you are eating too little. if what you're doing isn't working switch tactics to something else. Maybe if you aren't eating too little you should try working out even more. Without knowing you it's hard to say. But you have to have a positive attitude. Saying you can't won't get you there. Are you taking measurements? I was so mad in Sept when my weightloss slowed down to half of what I'd been losing before. I worked my @$$ off all month and only lost 7 lbs. But it was all crystal clear when I took my end of the month measurements. Lost only 7 lbs BUT I lost 19 inches! In one month. See, hard work pays off even when your scale is being a jerk.
  • AngieBee67
    AngieBee67 Posts: 16 Member
    NO EXPERT as well, but from experience I was NOT losing when I was eating certain foods I thought were good for me. I had to stop and reevaluate what I was eating. I stopped eating OATMEAL and that made a difference. My husband works out, weight lifting and all, and does the protein shakes. I think that puts on weight due to building muscle. Go online and start researching which foods are good and bad. Which carbs are good and bad. I workout an hour AFTER I eat dinner. If I know I'm going to have a harder workout that night, I'll eat more carbs because I know I'll burn them off. Good luck and DON'T give up. I used to always be a thin person. When I started struggling with weight loss I found MFP and it's worked for me ever since I started and I LOVE it. I haven't added anyone yet. But, if you need that extra motivation, ADD ME!!!
  • m1311
    m1311 Posts: 103 Member
    When I was on birth control, I kept thinking that it was putting on the pounds, and my OB Gyn kept saying it couldn't. When I got off the BC, I instantly dropped about 15 pounds. (Granted, I then decided I could eat like a horse and put it all back on within a couple years!) Later I heard that it can affect different people in different ways. It was good not to be getting pregnant though! That would have been worse than the weight gain.
  • boshankle
    boshankle Posts: 1
    I am another one who is not able to loose weight. I have been at the same weight for about three years now. I started my fitness and tracking my food and excercise has helped a little. Still not seeing good results. I am always below my calories, carbs and fat.
  • joybedford
    joybedford Posts: 1,680 Member
    I too think you are not eating enough. Your body needs enough energy to keep going especially if you are working out. I eat 1610 cals a day and eat back exercise calories. I need this much food it has become a bit of a joke at work how much I eat but everyone comments on how healthy my food is. I try to eat clean as much as possible my treats are protein bars and the odd glass of wine. My weight loss has hit a bit of a plateau recently but I am almost at target and currently focusing on weight lifting so i am happy with this. Keep at it anyone can add me for support.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    The scale gives us a number and indicator of progress. The tape is a better measure though. I wear the same size clothes I did when I was last 170 lbs in the mid 1980s. My weight right now is 233... The difference? I started working out at the gym ... Now, I recognize that those clothes don't quite fit the same as when I weighed 170 but there is not THAT much difference.. (The last time I weighed 199 after just running, I wore size 38 pants whereas now I wear size 34. Big difference.
  • samminister
    samminister Posts: 1 Member
    That was me! I tried to blame it on everything including birth control, and i got thyroid and diabetis tests, was on 1000 - 1200 cals and was sooo miserable.
    3 and half months ago I started using myfitness pal - recording absolutely everything and it allowed me to eat more than i was before. also got a couch to 5k running app so could finally fit exercise in when i wanted. finally realised I was not eating enough before so not only was I not losing weight but i was miserable and wanting to binge all the time. Have lost 17 pounds in 3 and a half months, very slow but steady even did it on a two week holiday to spain gaining no weight. i dont feel deprived so its easy to stick to and i treat myself to about half of my exercise calories i've burned so can have treats on these days.
    Am now slimmest I have been for 6 years and feel great. My emotional well being should not be so wrapped up in my size i know but the running has also made me fitter than i have ever been!
    Good luck!
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Are you eating back exercise calories?

    If so, how do you work that out?

    MFP is considered to over-estimate them, which can cause problems as you end up over-eating, especially if on a smaller deficit.

    Definitely another vote for making sure every single thing is recorded. A table spoon of oil for cooking is 125 calories, taking the above example to a bigger extreme.
    So just missing like that could add a big chunk to your intake.

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