frustrated and confused!

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baker288
baker288 Posts: 2 Member
in Motivation and Support
I was a restrictive eater for about a year (800 - 1000 calories a day) and then became bulimic for about 8 months. I stopped around last May, with only a few purging episodes during the past year. I decided I was finally ready to be healthy FOR LIFE, not just to lose weight or look good during the summer, and I started eating very well and exercising. I just ran a marathon two weeks ago, which has been a goal of mine for 7 years and I"m extremely proud of it. BUT...in the past year, since I've started working out (3-5 times a week), and eating much better, I have lost 3 pounds. That's all. I weigh 162 and am 5'7". I have no idea what I am doing wrong, and it's getting to the point that it depresses and slightly worries me. I'm hoping that someone will read this who has been in the same or a similar situation, and can point me in some direction as to why the weight won't budge. I know I've gained muscle, so I need to account for that, but there is definite fat still hanging around that won't go away. I eat around 1500 - 1700 calories a day, most of the time that's fruit, veggies, whole grains, etc. I do eat sweets, they are my downfall but extremely hard to escape from as I am a full-time pastry chef, and tasting what I make is part of my job. I do cardio 45 minutes a day, at least 3 days a week, and I usually do a day of weights. I am also on my feet ALL day long...I work 10 - 12 hour shifts and am a pretty busy person outside of that as well. I've maintained this exercising/healthy lifestyle a year, with barely observable changes. What am I doing wrong??

Replies

  • AdrieneJ
    AdrieneJ Posts: 141 Member
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    Firstly: Congratulations on moving past the bulimia. That is an amazing accomplishment, and something you should be super proud of.

    I think it might be worth trying a few changes in both your exercise routine and your diet to see if anything changes for you. If you are not losing weight, it's because you're not truly eating at a deficit, even though the numbers in MFP might say you are. Your body might have just become more efficient with using the calories you ingest, and you need to shake it up a bit to get it to adapt and change again.

    You say you eat a lot of fruit and veggies and whole grains, which are great, but maybe you should make sure your protein levels are nice and high, too. You can do that by adding some beans, chickpeas, or lean meats and fish to your meals. And you say you do a lot of cardio and "one day of weights" but maybe you should change it up and try some high intensity interval training with weights and really challenge your muscle strength. You could do that by finding some videos on YouTube (search HIIT) or trying some classes. They're usually only 20-30 minute workouts, but they can be super effective (they were for me). Change is what keeps the weight off.
  • baker288
    baker288 Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks for the reply! I actually do eat a lot of protein, I just forgot to add that :) I usually end up with a 40-40-20 diet by the time I calculate everything. And by weights, I meant HIIT exercises. I will definitely try to increase that, though. I've tried dropping my calories but I was extremely hungry all the time, and it started bringing back binging cycles. The nutritionist I was going to said that because of my eating disorders,, this is how my body will respond if I try to drop too low :/. But from every calculation I've done, I should be maintaining at 2300 because of my activity level (especially the past 6 months marathon training - I was probably closer to 4 or 5 hours of cardio a week), so 1600 calories shouldn't be too high I was thinking. But I'm always paranoid that the online calculators are way off...am I really burning 2300 calories a day or are they wrong?
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,702 Member
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    I did a total diet break for 3 weeks in an attempt to re-set my metabolism to pre dieting levels. Ate at just under TDEE for a few weeks. Happily didn't gain during the period, though I did fluctuate up a kilo or two in the beginning. The scale started moving again after i restricted again afterwards, albeit slowly. Search the forums for re-feed or diet break.
  • cherrytm
    cherrytm Posts: 13
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    Step away from the scale and give yourself a break. It sounds to me like you are really stressing out about this. Stress = cortisol = weight gain and other bad things (there are studies on this subject, I didn't just make that up).

    At 5'7 and 162, you are not overweight. You are exercising and now eating better, you are doing great things for yourself and should be proud. I challenge you to hide the scale and stop stressing out about it for 2 weeks and see what happens. What's the worst that could happen from that?
  • anewlife1980
    anewlife1980 Posts: 225 Member
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    Step away from the scale and give yourself a break. It sounds to me like you are really stressing out about this. Stress = cortisol = weight gain and other bad things (there are studies on this subject, I didn't just make that up).

    At 5'7 and 162, you are not overweight. You are exercising and now eating better, you are doing great things for yourself and should be proud. I challenge you to hide the scale and stop stressing out about it for 2 weeks and see what happens. What's the worst that could happen from that?

    I agree, you need to give yourself a break. Also have you been doing your measurements. I've done ALOT of reading on the forums since I joined earlier this year & one of the most consistent things I've read is to do your measurements because when the scale stops moving this will show the progress you've made in other areas. It really is worth it.

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