Apparently my metabolism is dead

crobert
crobert Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Curious if anyone out there has found the solution to this: I am a 41 year old female. I would like to lose 15-20 lbs. My BMI is just barely over "healthy" and into "overweight". I started logging food and exercise into this site about 2-3 years ago on and off, but began to seriously track everything January 5th. I eat 3 healthy meals and a few snacks every day and keep my caloric intake around 1400 daly. I don't eat anything fried or too sugary... I eat some products that are low fat or fat free, which I have recently learned are not necessarily good either. I drastically cut down on alcohol to only a few beers on a weekend night. When I mark my entries as "complete" this site tells me if I keep it up, I should be about 5 lbs lighter in 5 weeks. I run on the treadmill for 45 min 5-6 days a week, I do ab ripper x every morning and I do some weights. In all, I exercise for a minimum of an hour 6 days a week since January 5th. Here's the kicker.... After 15 (fifteen!!!) weeks, I have not lost one single pound. I feel a tiny little bit more toned and my waist feels a tiny teeny little bit smaller, but my clothes basically fit just as tight. How on earth is this happening?
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Replies

  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Is that gross 1400 or net 1400?
  • crobert
    crobert Posts: 10 Member
    1400 gross and work off a few hundred calories. I know it seems low, but I am in no way starving myself. I just obsess with looking at calories on everything I eat ... I also started taking gnc women's multi vitamin packs for energy and metabolism. I eat as much protein as possible so my hair won't fall out.
  • fuselighter
    fuselighter Posts: 40 Member
    I am right there with you. I'm 42 years old and weigh about 180, so have at least 40 pounds to lose. I tried netting 1200 calories a day for a while. Recently I switched to grossing approximately 1600 calories a day. I've been at this for a few months, and have actually put on a couple of pounds.
  • gabi_ele
    gabi_ele Posts: 460 Member
    I have a feeling you are not counting your exercise calories. If you can get you a body bug or one of the other fitness trackers and see how much calories you burn you might find out that your body is starving and there for holding on to every ounce it can. There are a lot of threads out there that you can find more info on BMR and TEE and all that other good stuff.
    Good luck
  • judtod
    judtod Posts: 85
    You might want to get your thyroid levels checked. I was having similar problems and it turned out I have hypothyroidism. Now that I have addressed that, I am losing weight again.
  • sarab99
    sarab99 Posts: 134 Member
    Go get some blood work. Mine came back normal and I ended up doing some research and added some supplements. I seems to be helping as that's the only change between my other attempts and this one, but it's still too early to say for sure. Also, make sure you're getting enough water as being dehydrated can interfere with metabolism. Unfortunately, it's not always a matter of calories in vs. calories out. The body runs off of chemical, electrical and mechanical systems. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what piece isn't working right, so start with your Dr.
  • Kmsnomaha
    Kmsnomaha Posts: 167 Member
    I would say your calories are too low for all the calories you burn. You should check out the eatmore2weighless group here on fitness pal. Have you figured your TDEE?

    Maybe less cardio and more strength training.

    This is just my opinion. :)
  • aronao
    aronao Posts: 112 Member
    Hi

    I'm not sure how tall you are or how much you weight but I'm 42 and 5ft 5inches and currently weight around 180lbs. My daily calorie goal is 1460 after exercise. I think you might be eating too little. You need to calculate your calorie requirements - check out this thread http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/943139-weight-loss-cheat-sheet-ipoarm. In the first post is how to work out how much you need to be eating.

    I was in a similar position to you a few weeks ago - eating about 1200 cals and exercising like crazy but not losing weight. I have since upped my calories and have lost weight since.

    Good luck.
  • MamaHewes
    MamaHewes Posts: 1 Member
    I am right there with you, sister chick! I am also 41, taking in anywhere from 1400 to 1700 cals a day, and also on Week 7 of the Couch to 5k program (so I am running three days per week, then also doing some other form of aerobic activity and strength training twice a week). I ran for 28 minutes STRAIGHT today! I use a FitBit tracker, which syncs to my food/exercise log with MyFitnessPal, and I was wondering if maybe it told me I could eat more calories than I actually needed--??? I am a big snacker, and I know I probably eat too much sugar, but I do eat lots of fiber, fruits, and veggies every day. Probably not enough protein. When I complete my entries every day, I am also told that I would be about 152 pounds in five weeks--but I have lost only about TWO pounds. I am at 163, trying to get down to about 145. Very frustrated about this!!! Anyone got any ideas as to what we should do? Exercise twice a day? Cut out all flour and sugar?
  • donnaleighh
    donnaleighh Posts: 178 Member
    I had a similar issue - I am generally a healthy eater - rarely eat processed foods, junk food or sweets - my vice is a couple of glasses of wine an evening. I am also active. The turn came for me when I started doing more things...

    1. I started eating MORE... I had to force myself to learn to eat breakfast but a good breakfast (with some protein) made such a difference, I now have 3 meals and 2 snacks per day, it keeps me ticking over. I have protein at each meal.
    2. I started drinking masses of water
    3. I have my main evening meal earlier - I use to eat at about 8-9pm and now we eat about 6.30-7 AND I stopped eating carbs at night.
    4. I also made sure that aside from exercise I just simply tried to get in extra steps each day (I bought a fitbit and I love it!)
    5. I mixed up my exercise - i.e different types of exercise and different times of day - so now I do a heap of things - cycling, walking, elliptical, weights, body pump, yoga - basically whatever takes my fancy on the day.
    6. I got my psychology right - I know in my head I am not depriving myself! I know it takes time! I let myself blow it every now and again (I travel all the I time overseas for work and so there are times when just can't control my diet but I stay careful and I don't allow myself to binge just because I blew it for a day!)

    The other thing I did do was see my Dr and get a blood count done - I had a thyroid issue as a teen and here I am at 49 and it is again sluggish... so now I know why I gained....

    It's working for me - it has taken some time but after about 3 months of this I notice that the losses are now consistent and I feel that my metabolism is kicked back in.

    I hope this helps... and I wish you the best on your journey - happy for you to add me if you need someone else on your team :) Donna
  • BoyzMom520
    BoyzMom520 Posts: 5 Member
    Seems we have the same vise. Plz tell me you can lose while drinking wine. That has been my struggle. I have cut down, but still like a glass a night.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    You don't have a lot to lose, you are working out an hour a day, and only grossing 1400 calories?

    You need to eat more. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0
  • ggxx100
    ggxx100 Posts: 520 Member
    Two words: Eat More.

    Trust me, I know what it feels like to not see the scale move. I was at 148 (fluctuated to 150's) at 5'1" and eating 1300 calories a day w/exercise, and didn't see the scale budge. I was convinced dieting had ruined my metabolism, but I sucked it up and raised my calories. Slowly my body adjusted and the pounds melted off faster, can't explain it.

    I'm now maintaining 98 pounds with 1800-1900 calories (started weight training), so safe to say all my misconceptions about my metabolism were in fact, misconceptions. Just have a little patience and faith in your body's ability to properly use the correct and sufficient amount of fuel you give it.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    You need to eat back your exercise calories. With all the activity you are doing you are probably only netting around 1000 cals per day. Eating this low is only going to slow your metabolism further and make it more and more difficult to lose weight.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    yes, you killed your metabolism.... so eat more
  • Bettyeditor
    Bettyeditor Posts: 327 Member
    If you are worried that your metabolism is slow, you may be right (since you have been eating such very low calories). Why not get it tested? I just got my RMR (resting metabolic rate) tested earlier tonight. I was pleased that it was pretty high (1701). I have done a certain set of practices over the last several months to ramp it up, and I'm doing a metabolism reset right now (I'm on week 3 of my reset). So there is a lot you can do if your metabolism is slow.

    There are a LOT of things you can do to dial up your metabolism, but the top three are 1) eat MORE (I eat at least 2300 calories a day) 2) lift heavy to build muscle and 3) eat six times a day. :flowerforyou:
  • parisgypsy63
    parisgypsy63 Posts: 2
    Would you mind sharing which supplements you take?
  • michele_120
    michele_120 Posts: 6 Member
    I could have written this post myself! I'm 44 years old, work out 5-6 days per week (running x 3, spinning x 2-3, weights x 2), eat around 1500 calories per day gross, AND make good choices at least 90% of the time. I simply cannot lose any weight.....

    I NEED to lose at least 5 pounds (getting to the line between healthy and overweight on BMI), but really would look and feel better if I lost 10 to 15. None of my clothes fit because my fat now seems to collect in the midsection - ahh the joys of perimenopause ;)

    I think I've tried everything - eating 1200 calories per day, cutting out carbs, adding more fiber, fruits, and veggies, etc., etc.- at some point or another. I know there's no magic solution, but it sure would be nice if all this hard work would pay off....
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    bump
  • crobert
    crobert Posts: 10 Member
    I had blood work done last august and I have been taking levoxyl for my thyroid for almost 10 years. I called my doctor this morning and I am getting it checked again. Hopefully that helps...

    I am 5'1" and weigh 140.

    I am taking GNC womens ultra mega enery and metabolism and looking into buying the fitbit (doing research as I type this)

    Thanks to everyone who's posted on here. I am going through every post and clicking on every link and learning a lot. I really appreciate all the advice and support !
  • Cobwellac
    Cobwellac Posts: 75 Member
    For those telling the OP to eat more, she's already said she tried that and actually gained weight.
  • Broejen
    Broejen Posts: 414 Member
    For those telling the OP to eat more, she's already said she tried that and actually gained weight.

    Uh..l don't see that posted anywhere. Even so, she wouldn't have given it enough time if that happened. After eating VLCD for a while then starting to eat more your body gains some weight but starts losing again after a few weeks.
  • crobert
    crobert Posts: 10 Member
    @parisgypsy:
    I am taking GNC womens ultra mega enery and metabolism
  • Broejen
    Broejen Posts: 414 Member
    I am taking GNC womens ultra mega enery and metabolism and looking into buying the fitbit (doing research as I type this)

    I bought a FitBit Ultra in August but now have a FitBit One and it's helped me tremendously in my weight loss! Their customer service is awesome as well (they generally replace for free if something happens). I'd recommend FitBit to anyone!
  • crobert
    crobert Posts: 10 Member
    @Jennilyn76 :

    Question, is the app for fitbit on I-phone 5 free ? Do they advertise it as free and then try and charge you to get more info ? One web site I read said the app is free and you can track some info, but if you want the whole experience and all the info available, you have to pay a monthly charge....
  • crobert
    crobert Posts: 10 Member
    What is an OP ? Not sure if you were replying to my post... I have not tried eating more to lose weight. I've cut down drastically since January 5th. Apparently I've cut down too much though... But I really am not hungry. I feel properly nourished every day. I can't imagine eating more than 2000 calories in one day and keeping them semi healthy... I'd feel stuffed all day and night....
  • Broejen
    Broejen Posts: 414 Member
    @Jennilyn76 :

    Question, is the app for fitbit on I-phone 5 free ? Do they advertise it as free and then try and charge you to get more info ? One web site I read said the app is free and you can track some info, but if you want the whole experience and all the info available, you have to pay a monthly charge....

    Nope, it's all free! There IS a premium membership, but I have it (was given to me by the company because of some problems I had) and I wouldn't pay money for it. But to use the FitBit and app is free. :)
  • Broejen
    Broejen Posts: 414 Member
    What is an OP ? Not sure if you were replying to my post... I have not tried eating more to lose weight. I've cut down drastically since January 5th. Apparently I've cut down too much though... But I really am not hungry. I feel properly nourished every day. I can't imagine eating more than 2000 calories in one day and keeping them semi healthy... I'd feel stuffed all day and night....

    OP is Original Post(er). Your body has gotten used to the amount of calories you are giving it, that's why you don't feel hungry anymore. Check out the group Eat More 2 Weigh Less. It'll help you out. :)
  • Suzy_in_DE
    Suzy_in_DE Posts: 191 Member
    crobert - what a great post and a lot of positive feedback. Like many of the women who have responded, I too am in the same boat, just turned 50 and like to think I am very active. Work out 6-7 days a week w/running and elliptical and doing the Insanity work out when I can squeeze it in. On top of that I try to maintian a daily step goal of 14,000.

    I am currently 5'3" and 150 lbs, ideally would like to get to and maintain at 140. My great downfall is my appetite. I really have to be very diligent about my eating. Unfortunately, I go through cycles where I am very disciplined and get to my goal weight, but all that diligence and avoidence gets old and then I break the cycle and creep back up and then get mad at myself and re-start the cycle all over again. So for me, in order to maintain I need to balance both diet and activity.

    Not sure about the other ladies, but I also find I can not eat like I use to in my 20's, 30's and 40's. If I tried to eat like that today I definitely would be as big as a house!!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    For those telling the OP to eat more, she's already said she tried that and actually gained weight.

    So she should slowly increase calories.

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