Frustrated to tears. 2 months - no loss in lbs. or inches

BabyFishMouth · February 2013

I've been strength training 2x a week for 1.5 years (I swing a mean 55lb. kettlebell) and I finally decided to get serious about supporting my hard work with a couple big steps toward a healthier lifestyle.

I started C25K in December and I'm about to graduate (walking jogging over 2 miles 3x/week). Next up "Zombies, Run!" and the 5K Color Run in May.

I aim for 100g. of protein in my 1,400 to 1,600 daily calories (between my BMR and my TDEE) over the past two months. After the protein, my caloric allotment is filled out with vegetables, fruit, healthy fats, and some whole grains.

I lost 6 pounds right away around Thanksgiving - presumably water, for the most part. I eased up over Christmas week (not month), and I've had 3 nights out where I went over my calorie goal. Three. Since Christmas. And the scale has not budged since the original 6-pound loss, except the normal slight ups and downs. Every week I weigh in and no loss.

I'm not losing inches either. I measure my waist, belly, hips and thighs. Nothing.

I am 47, 5' 5" and hovering in the area of 152/153 for the last two months. My BF% and my BMI are both in the "overweight" range. I wear a size 12, but can squeeze into some vanity-sized 10s. I don't always see it in the mirror, but I have a spare tire in every photo. The point is, the pounds are not made of muscle.

My husband says he can see a difference in my face, my posture is better and I just "look better." But that's a heck of a lot of work to have no measurable results. I didn't just start last week. I'm not underestimating my calorie intake - I weigh and measure. And I am most assuredly eating significantly healthier than I used to. Oh, and drinking a lot less wine - I used to have one or two glasses a day; now I have one or two a week, and stay within my calorie goal. I also work hard in the gym and when I walk/jog.

I know it's great that I'm taking care of my body and I'm sure I'm healthier in some way, but I'm not doing this just for the health benefits. I've dramatically improved my lifestyle, but I feel like I have almost nothing to show for it. I certainly appreciate the value of the health gains, but I'd really like some tangible results too. I'm sure that spare tire isn't any healthier than it is attractive.

I had a ton of blood work done in November, so I know my thyroid is fine. I'm so frustrated and angry I'm in tears.

I don't know what I'm looking for by posting all this. I know there is no magic solution, but at this point I'm not even sure I believe there is ANY healthy solution to make my body occupy less space.

So why am I doing this again?

/pity party

MaraDiaz · February 2013

Are you possibly over-estimating your calorie burn? If you eat back exercise calories this could be an issue.

tsdaughe · February 2013

1400-1600 calories a day? Are you eating back exercise calories? Are you doing the stength training and the cardio? If so you may acctually be eating too little. It would depend on if you are eatin back your exercise calories or not.

tsdaughe · February 2013

Also, if you want, make your diary public so we can see it and offer possible suggestions about your diet.

BabyFishMouth · February 2013

I'm just eating 1,400 to 1,600 per day. I'm not eating anything above that for exercise. The things I do don't really burn that much anyway; 150-225 at the most. MFP says I should net 1200, but I think that's too low - it's below my BMR based on every calculator I've used.

ausped · February 2013

I feel your pain. It sounds like you have been doing everything right. I had been stalled or gaining for 6 months.
On January 1 I decided that something had to change so I decided to start small.
What has worked for me this month is to stop logging exercise...still do it...just don't log it and stay within my calories.
I also cut out all kinds of soda including diet.
I cut out processed cheese and yogurt. (I do still have milk but cheese and yogurt don't agree with me).
I drink tons of water.
I have stayed under calorie goal.
I have lost 12 pounds since Jan 1.
Maybe try one small change for 2 weeks and see if it will help.

BabyFishMouth · February 2013

I feel your pain. It sounds like you have been doing everything right. I had been stalled or gaining for 6 months.
On January 1 I decided that something had to change so I decided to start small.
What has worked for me this month is to stop logging exercise...still do it...just don't log it and stay within my calories.
I also cut out all kinds of soda including diet.
I cut out processed cheese and yogurt. (I do still have milk but cheese and yogurt don't agree with me).
I drink tons of water.
I have stayed under calorie goal.
I have lost 12 pounds since Jan 1.
Maybe try one small change for 2 weeks and see if it will help.

Thanks so much for your great ideas. I really appreciate it. I actually do most of those already. I do still eat Greek yogurt. The weird thing is that I don't even feel like this is a plateau because that would imply prior progress. I never even got started! :bigsmile:

tsdaughe · February 2013

Do you have a HRM? Because I know when I run for 25 minutes, I burn over 300 calories. If you are eating say 1400 calories but exercise and burn 200 calories you are netting only 1200 calories or under if you burn more. What is your TDEE? What acitivity level did you use to get the TDEE?

mslisatm · February 2013

i am right there with you. I am really sticking to my diet, 1200 to 1400 cals and 5x a week exercise...3 strength training and 4 cardio HIIT workouts a week. I do have cheat days and cheat meals but I very very rarely go over 1700 cals. Im 43 5'5' and stuck in the low 170s. I feel like I kill it for every work out but see NO EVIDENCE of it working. I eat very clean too. no change in measurements and no weight loss. I am trying what ausped suggests and changing a few things. I am trying to actually eat a little more, eat more healthy carbs. Also no drinking during the week and more cardio. I think it our age things start to change and our bodies hold onto every pounds. Hard for me to face sometimes (I am also perimenopausal which doesnt help!) I'll friend you and maybe we can help and motivate each other!

Oh also get a Heart rate monitor. I was waaaaay overestimating my cal burn on my rowing machine. The machine calc said I was burning almost 100-150 more cals than my HRM said I was! I will try not logging my exercise cals too.

fitfreakymom · February 2013

how many calories are you burning ?

fitfreakymom · February 2013

Do you have a HRM? Because I know when I run for 25 minutes, I burn over 300 calories. If you are eating say 1400 calories but exercise and burn 200 calories you are netting only 1200 calories or under if you burn more. What is your TDEE? What acitivity level did you use to get the TDEE?

what is TDEE?

Sabine_Stroehm · February 2013

Are you peri-menopausal? I am, and BOY do I know how you feel!

neandermagnon · February 2013

how are you measuring your food?

if you're eyeballing portion sizes, your estimates could be inaccurate by about 50%. Even volume measurements can be out by 10-20% because people tend to overfill measuring cups and spoons.

this can basically cancel out your deficit. Weight measurements, i.e. digital kitchen scales, are a lot more accurate because a gram is a gram. they're easy to use too, because you just stick your plate on it, zero the scale, put the food on the plate and note down how much it weighs, or log it straight onto MFP if you have the phone app. If you're not using weight measurements already, I'd recommend switching to them. You get a much more accurate picture of what you're eating, and you can adjust your calories to suit your goals.

If you are already using weight measurements, then maybe your activity factor isn't calculated right. Eating way under your required calories can also be counter-productive, although with that you tend to get fast weight loss in the beginning followed by a plateau. If you haven't lost anything at all then it's more likely you're eating the same as you're burning off and that's why you're not losing weight.

islandmonkey · February 2013

How did your doctor test your thyroid? Did they just test your TSH? Did they give you the actual numbers or did they just say "it's normal"?

TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid one, but it's the first test done. Most doctors also use the incorrect range for TSH, telling people they are "normal" when they may not be.

BabyFishMouth · February 2013

Using Katch-McArdle my BMR is 1332. That puts my TDEE at:

Lightly active: 1929
Moderately active: 2175

Other than my workouts, I am pretty dang sedentary, I have to admit, which is why I think "Lightly active" is accurate. Using the numbers above with a 20% reduction, I should be consuming an average of 1543/day. I keep it between 1,400 and 1,600.

laurabell1960 · February 2013

I am feeling very frustrated as well; I started a new workout routine - running 5-6 days a week (anywhere between 3 - 7 miles a day; I am training for my 3rd 1/2 marathon so those miles will start to increase) plus I have been doing strength training 3x a week, additional cardio (Chalean Extreme series) 2 - 3 x a week. I am always under my calorie goal and I will have a week where I lose 2-3 pounds and than - BAM I gain it right back. Sooooooooooooooooooooooo frustrated! I have a feeling I am not calcuating my calories correctly so I am going to be more diligent about that. I wear a HRM so I feel my exercise calories are correct. My only suggestion I can give you is to really shake up your exercise routine.

WinnerVictorious · February 2013

unless you're part of the small minority with a legit medical issue complicating your efforts, there are only a couple of possible reasons you can go 2 months with no effect. off the top of my head...

1) you are eating below your BMR and have been for a long time, while exercising like crazy. this gives you a large deficit from TDEE over a prolonged period of time, leading your body to slow its metabolism to the point where it takes a long time to see results. this is NOT starvation mode. this is a metabolic slowdown due to the stress you are putting on your body and increased levels of cortisol.

2) you have a history of yo-yo dieting and your BMR is lower than you think it is.

3) your BMR/TDEE calculations were done incorrectly and you are actually eating at close to your maintenance.

4) your logging is not complete or accurate.

5) you are close to your goal and proceeding with a small daily deficit that takes a long time to see on the scale.

BabyFishMouth · February 2013

how are you measuring your food?

if you're eyeballing portion sizes, your estimates could be inaccurate by about 50%. Even volume measurements can be out by 10-20% because people tend to overfill measuring cups and spoons.

this can basically cancel out your deficit. Weight measurements, i.e. digital kitchen scales, are a lot more accurate because a gram is a gram. they're easy to use too, because you just stick your plate on it, zero the scale, put the food on the plate and note down how much it weighs, or log it straight onto MFP if you have the phone app. If you're not using weight measurements already, I'd recommend switching to them. You get a much more accurate picture of what you're eating, and you can adjust your calories to suit your goals.

If you are already using weight measurements, then maybe your activity factor isn't calculated right. Eating way under your required calories can also be counter-productive, although with that you tend to get fast weight loss in the beginning followed by a plateau. If you haven't lost anything at all then it's more likely you're eating the same as you're burning off and that's why you're not losing weight.

Measuring cups for liquids and scales for other stuff.

BabyFishMouth · February 2013

Are you peri-menopausal? I am, and BOY do I know how you feel!

I think so, although I haven't been officially "diagnosed." PMS is becoming "Everybody run for your lives!" at our house.

tsdaughe · February 2013

I would say that if you are exercising 5 days a week you are moderately active. Or do sedentary for your TDEE and do the 20% reduction from that and use a HRM to accurately see how many calories you are burning and eat them back. I think you are eating too little.

louisenash12 · February 2013

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to know its just not me! I'm the same......working out 60 mins plus a day, eating healthily, drinking water, sleeping well but no inch loss and the scales are telling me I have gained back the 8lb I lost! I don't drink alcohol, I occasionally have a small glass of coke a night. I'm 43 5ft 7 and half inches and 14 stone! My MFP has given me 1200 calories a day and I always try and eat back my working out calories. Husband said my legs look slightly more toned! But seriously all this work, effort, sweat, tears and tantrum have equated to zilch!!! I have my eyes firmly planted on this thread

and any friend requests appreciated.......< down in the dumps >

dawnemjh · February 2013

I can totally relate to what your going through!! I went through the same thing for well over a year. Now I am pregnant so its a moot point, but some things to consider:

Try increasing protein more and decreasing carbs a bit
Have you ever tried calorie cycling? Eating 1400 for a couple days, then a spike day of 1800 or 1900 then another couple days of lower cals. This may help boost your metabolism...
ALso what about changing up your workout routine...Try strongliftts program or New Rules of LIfting for women...
Weigh everything. I was shocked at the difference between 1/2 cup of dry oatmeal and 28g of dry oatmeal for example
Could you be insulin resistant?/ Maybe your eating too much fruit or high glycemic food??

Hopefully you figure this out! Good luck!!!

astrampe · February 2013

Are you peri-menopausal? I am, and BOY do I know how you feel!

Yep...that might be it....I feel your pain - doing P90X, not new to this - did Chalene X treme and running and kettlebells for years and all weight loss came to a grinding halt a year ago - together with some other crazy peri menopouse symptoms....

I have actually gained about 12lbs and it will not go away - although all my clothes still fit - so I suppose the weights at least keeps me from expanding with the number on the scale..... (exept for the inch extra around my always smallish waist.....:sad:

I've been eating anywhere from 2000 to 1450 (can't exercise if I go lower than that, and nothing....No inches, no lbs...But my clothes still fit well, and I am healthy and fitter than ever in my life, so I suppose we just need to "keep on swimming".....
Good luck - if you find the magic button, please let us know!

tsdaughe · February 2013

So you could probably eat easy at 1800-1850 calories a day and lose weight.

BabyFishMouth · February 2013

Do you have a HRM? Because I know when I run for 25 minutes, I burn over 300 calories. If you are eating say 1400 calories but exercise and burn 200 calories you are netting only 1200 calories or under if you burn more. What is your TDEE? What acitivity level did you use to get the TDEE?

what is TDEE?

I don't have a HRM. I'm just going by what I keep seeing over and over; 1 mile = approx. 100 calories. But I'm not using those numbers to figure out how much I should be eating. I'm going by BMR, BF%, TDEE, etc.

TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure = Basal Metabolic Rate (the calories required to keep your organs functioning) + daily activities that also require calories (the way you live your life).

astrampe · February 2013

unless you're part of the small minority with a legit medical issue complicating your efforts, there are only a couple of possible reasons you can go 2 months with no effect. of the top of my head...

1) you are eating below your BMR and have been for a long time, while exercising like crazy. this gives you a large deficit from TDEE over a prolonged period of time, leading your body to slow its metabolism to the point where it takes a long time to see results. this is NOT starvation mode. this is a metabolic slowdown due to the stress you are putting on your body and increased levels of cortisol.

2) you have a history of yo-yo dieting and your BMR is lower than you think it is.

3) your BMR/TDEE calculations were done incorrectly and you are actually eating at close to your maintenance.

4) your logging is not complete or accurate.

5) you are close to your goal and proceeding with a small daily deficit that takes a long time to see on the scale.

Or you are part of an actually large group of frustrated hormonal females between 43 and 50 that might smack the next person who in his/her infinite wisdom tells us we are doing it all wrong...
And that will be blamed purely on hormones - at least some courts will accept that as a legitimate excuse for violence :bigsmile: :laugh: :laugh:

BabyFishMouth · February 2013

I would say that if you are exercising 5 days a week you are moderately active. Or do sedentary for your TDEE and do the 20% reduction from that and use a HRM to accurately see how many calories you are burning and eat them back. I think you are eating too little.

Great ideas. I'll try anything at this point. I'm nervous about increasing my calories because I feel like I will be forcing myself to eat when I'm not hungry and my brain says that must be wrong. At the same time, I really do want to give my body what it needs to the job.

Now I have a headache. :laugh:

Edited to clarify: I won't actually try ANYTHING. No starving, no pills, no crazy "eat this and only this for 12 weeks" plans.

tsdaughe · February 2013

Well part of TDEE is taking into account your activity level. Most people really aren't sedentary. If you work or do anything you are lightly active. If you are doing strength training and cardio you are probably more moderately active. I wouldn't go by what you have seen or read. I run 2 miles in 25 minutes (knee problems) and in doing so I burn 330 calories. Way more then the general estimate. When I do HIIT for instance I burnt 160 calories in 17 minutes the other day. So, you are probably undereating because you are underestimating your calories burnt through excercise and because you are not eating back exercise calories you are not eating enough.

So, your options are to change your TDEE to moderately active and date your deficit from there OR use sedentary and get a HRM so you know how much you are willing burning then eat back calories. If you are measuring everything then really your options left are eating too little because you are under estimating your acitivity level and calories burnt. Your body is holding on to everything because thats that they do will too little calories and alot of exercise.

BabyFishMouth · February 2013

unless you're part of the small minority with a legit medical issue complicating your efforts, there are only a couple of possible reasons you can go 2 months with no effect. of the top of my head...

1) you are eating below your BMR and have been for a long time, while exercising like crazy. this gives you a large deficit from TDEE over a prolonged period of time, leading your body to slow its metabolism to the point where it takes a long time to see results. this is NOT starvation mode. this is a metabolic slowdown due to the stress you are putting on your body and increased levels of cortisol.

2) you have a history of yo-yo dieting and your BMR is lower than you think it is.

3) your BMR/TDEE calculations were done incorrectly and you are actually eating at close to your maintenance.

4) your logging is not complete or accurate.

5) you are close to your goal and proceeding with a small daily deficit that takes a long time to see on the scale.

Or you are part of an actually large group of frustrated hormonal females between 43 and 50 that might smack the next person who in his/her infinite wisdom tells us we are doing it all wrong...
And that will be blamed purely on hormones - at least some courts will accept that as a legitimate excuse for violence :bigsmile: :laugh: :laugh:

Thank you for the laugh. I really needed that.

Joking aside, there are some great points for me to ponder in the post above and I will definitely look into the suggestions. I have figured out my numbers six ways to Friday, but I still wonder if maybe my BF% is off, or if I really chose the correct activity level. There are just so many variables.

danasings · February 2013

unless you're part of the small minority with a legit medical issue complicating your efforts, there are only a couple of possible reasons you can go 2 months with no effect. of the top of my head...

1) you are eating below your BMR and have been for a long time, while exercising like crazy. this gives you a large deficit from TDEE over a prolonged period of time, leading your body to slow its metabolism to the point where it takes a long time to see results. this is NOT starvation mode. this is a metabolic slowdown due to the stress you are putting on your body and increased levels of cortisol.

2) you have a history of yo-yo dieting and your BMR is lower than you think it is.

3) your BMR/TDEE calculations were done incorrectly and you are actually eating at close to your maintenance.

4) your logging is not complete or accurate.

5) you are close to your goal and proceeding with a small daily deficit that takes a long time to see on the scale.

Yes, this. (Please don't smack me. WinnerVictorious has made some very good points. And we are both in the 40+ age range.)

Also, I love your username. When Harry Met Sally is still my favorite movie of all time.

ambervaldez79 · February 2013

You sound like an active person. Why not try increasing your calories to 1800 per day for a week or two and eat back your exercise calories. See if this helps jump start your weight loss. It is worth a try since you haven't seen any results lately.

Frustrated to tears. 2 months - no loss in lbs. or inches

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