HELP!!! Need to figure out what I am doing wrong

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luvs_choc8
luvs_choc8 Posts: 788 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello,
I am 46 years old, 5'9" tall and have been doing MFP for 2.5 years. In July last year, I was down to 167lbs, in Sept after a little holiday I had jumped up to 174, in Jan I was 176, and now I am 184. My regimen consists of eating 1300-1500 calories (BMR is 1415), cardio in the form of elliptical and treadmill at least 3 times a week (burning 450-600 calories as per HRM), and just started to greatly increase crunches, push-ups and squats (mainly squats with the 30 day squat challenge). I know some will say that I may be losing inches instead but today when I went to put on my jeans I could not get them on :cry: :cry: :cry: . I am at a loss of what I am doing wrong.

I spend hours reading what people are doing and everybody here may not have a degree in nutrition or exercise but we live it everyday and who better to ask than you. Can you please please give me some suggestions as to what I am doing wrong and what I need to change.

Thanks in advance for your time and concern. :love:

Replies

  • harris0324
    harris0324 Posts: 11
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    I understand how you feel , I to have been having a hard time . I blame the winter months for my extra pounds , hahaha just kidding. I know it is all me , I know every choice I made was mine.
    I was feeling in the dumps about the 10 pounds I had gained back so I needed a little kick start to help me out.

    I did a WHITE OUT for a week :) White out is cut all white out of diet. flour, sugar, dairy.. I won't lie, it is SUPER hard to cut all white out ( well for me anyway) so I found a method that worked for me. I love my coffee in the morn. I got rid of the sweet creamer and used 1/2 & 1/2 ( 1TBSP) and I also love my greek yogurt so I had one in the morning. That was my dairy for the day. On the second day I skipped the yogurt so I could have a turkey sandwich for lunch , the bread was my WHITE for the day. I weighted in 7 days later and was 4 pounds down :) I don't eat super bad on normal days , but I was think my body needed a change . Anyway, that was the motivation I needed .. I am back on track and feeling good.. '

    This journey we are all on is a long and hard one, I just remember nothing is free and you have to work for what you want ! Being happy, healthy, and feeling confident is a pretty good reward.

    good luck on your journey :)
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,215 Member
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    Thanks for having an open diary...it makes it possible to offer concrete suggestions.

    My first thought was high sodium and water retention. Do you know if you are sensitive to sodium? I am. If I go over 2000 mg/day I retain water very easily and the scale starts to creep up. Your sodium looks OK, a bit high but not too bad. You might try getting 5 or more fruits and veggies in your diet everyday. The extra potassium may help your body purge itself of any extra water that you've been unknowingly carrying around.

    Also, are you weighing all your food and confident you are eating the calories you think you are eating? Check out this 3 minute video. It's a real eye opener! Many of us unknowingly take in more calories than we think, especially those of us who have been trying to lose weight for some time.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
  • sue4981
    sue4981 Posts: 34 Member
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    Have you had blood work done to check your thyroid levels? Or to look for any hormonal imbalances? I'm 45 and gain weight way more easily than in the past. It's so frustrating to work so hard and see the scale either not moving or going in the opposite direction. I had some blood work done due to weight gain and was diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance. I'm now on natural supplements being monitored by my doctor to address insulin resistance and hope to start losing again.

    Just a thought... sorry you are having such a rough time.
  • paxbfl
    paxbfl Posts: 391 Member
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    Yours is a tough one because your numbers don't quite add up.

    I'd attack your problem on two fronts.

    First, go over your diet and make sure you're logging everything accurately. The strange thing is I'd rather see you eat a little more so you are at least eating your BMR, which I estimate as 1540 (Per this calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/). But just make sure you're not getting a TON of calories from somewhere, like "Oh I didn't realize that tea I drink all day has sugar in it!"

    Second, focus on getting your metabolism up. I'm 45 (male), and I definitely notice my metabolism is not what it used to be. Here are a bunch of ideas:

    * LIFT WEIGHTS and keep doing squats. Building muscle will help increase your metabolism. Make sure you eat plenty of protein to fuel your muscles.

    * Do more cardio. Do some kind of cardio 6X a week, not just 3X a week. In addition to the extra calorie burn, you'll give your metabolism a boost.

    * Do HIIT! I strongly believe in this one. Do High Intensity Interval Training with the goal of really getting your heart-rate up. So instead of going moderate for 30 minutes, you'll do intervals where you'll go slow, moderate, high, and extremely high. This gets your heart-rate up and gives your metabolism a serious kick in the butt. It also helps shake things up if your body has gotten used to your workout and you've plateaued.

    * If possible, consider working out first-thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Supposedly this jump-starts your metabolism and encourages your body to burn fat. I don't know if that's true, but it has worked for me.

    * Eat "mini-meals". Eat 5-6 "mini-meals" of 350 calories each so you're eating every 2-3 hours. This helps stabilize your blood sugar so you don't have ups and downs all day long. From what I understand, it also encourages your metabolism because you don't have periods where you're out of fuel. Your body is constantly burning fuel into energy.

    I hope that helps. As I said, your case isn't logical. I usually scoff at people who suggest medical problems like thyroid or hormones but in your case, if nothing else helps you might want to get checked out. The numbers aren't adding up to results the way they should.

    Above all, don't get discouraged. Use this to motivate you to punch through and start dropping the weight again.

    Good luck!
  • artex1024
    artex1024 Posts: 119 Member
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    You may want to go get a thyroid panel done. I had the same problem where no matter how much a cut calories or increased exercise, I gained weight. When I started to get really irritable and have anxiety attacks, I went to the doctor and lo and behold, I had hypothyroidism.

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