Not losing any weight, losing hope. Ideas?

xnovalentine
xnovalentine Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
First, I'd like to point out that I have not readily logged my food/exercise on fitness pal in some time. However, it doesn't mean that I haven't been continuing my dieting and exercising. I stick to a 1200 calorie limit (not always perfect, but generally within the range).

Here's my deal:

In May, I found out I gained 16lbs. I normally weigh from 125-130ish give or take. I've weighed 150lbs once, when I was on prednisone, but managed to lose that without much effort. A couple of those pounds stuck around afterwards, but nothing i was concerned about. When I saw how much weight I gained in May, even though my diet and exercise hadn't really changed, I decided to tackle the problem before it got out of control. I went from 130lbs to 146lbs, and this concerned me. So i made a change in my diet. I quit drinking soda, increased my water intake, and in general was watching what I was eating (1200 calories a day). No weight loss. Not a pound.

In August, I joined a gym. In addition to my diet change, I generally go to the gym at least 3 times a week, if not more (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and sometimes thursdays and fridays if time permitted). I routinely run on the treadmill for 20 minutes, on the elliptical for 30 minutes, and swim laps for 45 minutes. I do more when I have time and energy.

I understand that I probably have gained muscle weight from the increase in exercise, but i have not lost a pound. When i step on the scale I weigh from 143-147 every time. I even quit weighing myself daily and go for it every couple of weeks. Nothing has changed. I am discouraged, and hungry. If anything, I feel like I'm gaining more weight as my clothes continue to not fit me and seem to be getting even more snug.

My clothes continue to not fit, and I am lost as to what the reason for the lack of any weight loss after such a long period of time. Since joining the gym I have learned that I have Hyponatremia which is lack of salt, it makes me dizzy and my heart rate to skyrocket and if i'm not careful I will pass out (this is how I learned I had the condition). I have arthritis as well, but that has not bothered me too much. I will slow down and not do as much if it is bothering me.

Do any of you have any ideas as to why I am not losing any weight? Could lack of salt have anything to do with it?

Replies

  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    I would ask the Dr to test you for insulin resistance. Years ago I was trying to lose 20lbs on weight watchers and going to a women's gym ( sort of like curves) several times a week. I think I was the only woman in the history of the place to GAIN 30lbs and lots of inches :( Turns out I was pre-diabetic. My doctor put me on a lower carb diet (50g net per day) with no calorie restrictions. In roughly 2 months I lost 17-20lbs, despite the fact that I conceived my youngest child 6 weeks in.

    I also think that 1200 calories probably is not enough for you, especially if you are doing an hour of cardio 3x a week. You should probably be closer to 1500-1600 calories....
  • miriamwithcats
    miriamwithcats Posts: 1,120 Member
    You definitely need to see a doctor. There are many things that can cause weight gain, like low thyroid, diabetes or prediabetes, other hormone imbalances.

    Low salt can be a symptom of stress- adrenal burn out. That definitely can cause weight gain. See a doctor!
  • alexroet
    alexroet Posts: 65 Member
    How did the gym tell you you're hyponatremic?? Your symptoms (dizzy with standing, etc) sound like you're hypovolemic (i.e. dehydrated) and your blood pressure is low. Unless they did bloodwork on you, I wouldn't go trying to replace salt or anything.

    Next- Every time I start to think "this doesn't work" and get really frustrated- I have to step back and re-assess. And when I do, I generally find that the problem is not the plan, it's me. Usually I've gotten lazy. i start eating a couple pretzels here and there and thinking they "don't count" and not logging them. I get complacent and start eyeballing my portions instead of measuring... I find if I start over fresh and log every single thing that goes in my mouth (even if it has zero calories), and measure portions accurately, I get back on track.

    Another thing that might help is a fitbit/bodymedia fit/heart rate monitor- none of them are perfect, but it's possible you're overestimating your calorie burn...

    But the most important thing- don't give up! Plateaus are discouraging and frustrating and make you want to quit- I get it. But keep on plugging. You'll break through.

    it's normal to have negative thoughts. You just have to control how you react to them. When you think "this doesn't work, I can't do it" - don't give up! Instead think "let me figure out what I can change, and keep trying!"

    Good luck!!
  • maqsmj
    maqsmj Posts: 697
    u are doing it wrong, 1200 i guess is too low and u r killing your self with cardio

    first you must find out what is your BF% ( Body Fat % ) the folks in your gym can find it out and then we can tell you what to do. but 1200 is so low and u need to him some basic macros, specially if u r eating too low, too low fat ( for girls it is essential to eat enough fat ) and too low on carbs etc

    long cardio doesnt help much, so find out what is your BF% and we will try to help
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
    First, I'd like to point out that I have not readily logged my food/exercise on fitness pal in some time. However, it doesn't mean that I haven't been continuing my dieting and exercising. I stick to a 1200 calorie limit (not always perfect, but generally within the range).

    Here's my deal:

    In May, I found out I gained 16lbs. I normally weigh from 125-130ish give or take. I've weighed 150lbs once, when I was on prednisone, but managed to lose that without much effort. A couple of those pounds stuck around afterwards, but nothing i was concerned about. When I saw how much weight I gained in May, even though my diet and exercise hadn't really changed, I decided to tackle the problem before it got out of control. I went from 130lbs to 146lbs, and this concerned me. So i made a change in my diet. I quit drinking soda, increased my water intake, and in general was watching what I was eating (1200 calories a day). No weight loss. Not a pound.

    In August, I joined a gym. In addition to my diet change, I generally go to the gym at least 3 times a week, if not more (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and sometimes thursdays and fridays if time permitted). I routinely run on the treadmill for 20 minutes, on the elliptical for 30 minutes, and swim laps for 45 minutes. I do more when I have time and energy.

    I understand that I probably have gained muscle weight from the increase in exercise, but i have not lost a pound. When i step on the scale I weigh from 143-147 every time. I even quit weighing myself daily and go for it every couple of weeks. Nothing has changed. I am discouraged, and hungry. If anything, I feel like I'm gaining more weight as my clothes continue to not fit me and seem to be getting even more snug.

    My clothes continue to not fit, and I am lost as to what the reason for the lack of any weight loss after such a long period of time. Since joining the gym I have learned that I have Hyponatremia which is lack of salt, it makes me dizzy and my heart rate to skyrocket and if i'm not careful I will pass out (this is how I learned I had the condition). I have arthritis as well, but that has not bothered me too much. I will slow down and not do as much if it is bothering me.

    Do any of you have any ideas as to why I am not losing any weight? Could lack of salt have anything to do with it?


    First, I'd like to point out that I have not readily logged my food/exercise on fitness pal in some time.

    This is most likely why you are not losing weight. You are not gaining muscle with the exercises you are doing, and since you aren't logging your foods, it's really, really hard to have an accurate gage of how much you are actually eating. Little things add up quickly, and if you aren't weighing/measuring them and recording everything, it's really easy to "forget" a few calories here or there and also be off on your portions. You *think* you had a 3 oz chicken breast and a 5 oz baked potato with only a little bit of butter for 300 calories but you really had 5 oz of chicken and 10 oz of potato with a T of butter for double the calories. Most peopel grossly underestimate their portion sizes AND how many calories they eat in a given day. THe only way to know for sure is to track, track, track.

    I also recommend that in addition to tracking, you make the effort to WEIGH each and every thing you eat for at least a while. I was surprised to learn that my favorite salad dressings and mayo, when weighed, were only just over one measure T for a serving, not the two that the bottle said. These little things add up...

    Also, after weighing and measuring and tracking everything religiously for a while, if you still aren't losing weight, then you will have a very detailed log to take to your doctor so they can help you figure out what is wrong (but I highly doubt there is a medical issue).
  • xnovalentine
    xnovalentine Posts: 3
    Thank you all for taking time to give me advice. :)

    To be clear, the gym did not tell me I have hyponatremia. I passed out while I was at the gym and was transported to the hospital and this is what they told me was going on that was causing the issues while I was working out. I had been otherwise asymptomatic before when I was not exercising. I am not a big fan of salt and generally don't cook with it or add it to my food. I've been increasing my salt intake (not without a fight) and have been feeling better while working out. I did notice tonight when I was at the gym I felt dizzy and as if I was going to pass out, and I had not had much salt all day.

    I was planning on getting a personal trainer for some help awhile back, but decided against it because I didnt want to discourage myself from working out (i figured they'd kick my butt and I wouldn't like it, LOL). It seems that I probably should go that route, just to try something else!
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
    Honestly, you don't have to work out to lose weight. Since it's causing you some potentially serious health problems, I'd just work on getting my food in order (and being honest about it) and do what you can exercise wise. As I've seen other people say, you can't out exercise a bad diet. Tracking will show you how well yuo are actually eating, how many calories you are eating, and can even help you make sure you get the sodium you need.
  • 10manda86
    10manda86 Posts: 229 Member
    hi there... i was on 1220 calorie intake for 6 weeks, lost a little bit of weight but when it stalled I freaked out because I knew if I wasn't losing I would lose motivation...
    last week I upped my intake to 1800 (i calculated the numbers using the fat2fit calculators) i ate at my sedentary BMR for a week which was about 1800... i exercised and counted them and ate most of them back... i was eating at least 2000 a day most days... and im not perfect so not all of it were healthy calories!
    but i stood on the scales at the end of the week... i had lost 3.5lb... i lost more this week then i did during any off my 1220 calorie weeks!
    that was all i change was intake, i didn't exercise more (in fact i probably exercised less)
    best of luck
    p.s. body fat loss this week was 1.1%
  • Retiredmom72
    Retiredmom72 Posts: 538 Member
    So if you haven't been logging your food, how do you know what your calorie count is? It is easy to misjudge portions and calories. Try just monitoring your food and water until you can see your doctor. Passing out and being dizzy are not good signs. Good luck.
  • jkcrawford
    jkcrawford Posts: 435 Member
    some times you have to re-calculate your scales. I grab something really heavy and jump on then get on again. Digital scales are good for this. But like others have said it would be best if you sought the advise of your doctor. I have arthritis and my body holds water like crazy, sometimes I can only drink a limit of 4 8oz glasses a day.
    Good Luck to you.
  • jadam6
    jadam6 Posts: 121 Member
    My grandmother suffered with hyponatremia when I was younger and now my mother does too. After being told so little by the doctor about the causes and merely told to eat more crisps and limit water consumption I have found that it is related to an under active thyroid which they both had too. I would suggest asking your doc for a thyroid check just to be sure. Hope this helps x
  • alexroet
    alexroet Posts: 65 Member
    Just one follow up comment about the hyponatremia- usually (not always) that's caused by too much water, not too little salt- it's generally safer to correct it with water, instead of salt. But, it's an unusual condition, and *could* be a sign of something more serious- so I'd definitely make sure you follow up with your doctor about that.

    And then like everyone else said- track religiously for a couple weeks and see how you do. I'd focus on food first, then slowly add exercise back in. It's hard to make too many big changes at once.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    MASSIVE amounts of cardio and eating very little.... of course you're dizzy and hungry.... my goodness.

    Doing cardio will not gain you significant amounts of muscle, so it is VERY unlikely you've gained much ground there.

    The most likely cause is that you have made your hormones go completely crazy by throwing exercises WAY up and calories WAY down.

    It is best to avoid extremes. Especially when you do not have that much to lose.

    Exercise a bit less and eat a bit more. Heck, you may need to eat a surplus for a week or two simply to let your body know its going to be okay.
  • medaud10
    medaud10 Posts: 20
    I cut out diet cokes when I got stuck. You didn't mention if you drank them but I think most dieters probably do.
    I also start measuring my food when I get stuck or gain a couple pounds. It is easy to fudge if you aren't holding yourself accountable by measuring.

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