Weight won't budge!

tgraven74
tgraven74 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is probably more of a vent than anything else, but in the past 4 years my weight has gone up & up for no apparent reason & now I've tried the 5:2 diet, then regular calorie restriction, added 4 days a week of working out and can not seem to lose a pound. I'm easily 35lbs over my healthy weight, and when I was in my mid 20's (now I'm 38) I weighed 50lbs less than I do now. My lifestyle & diet could have warranted a 5-10 lb gain, but 50 - no way. I've had my thyroid checked twice & apparently it is fine. My doc discovered I'm very Vit. D deficient, so now I'm on supplements for that & hoping somehow it helps. But unlikely it's the magic answer & I will just shed weight.

I am SO SO frustrated! I write down everything I put in my mouth and have been aiming for 1200 cals a day. My BMR says I should eat 1756 to just maintain my weight. I don't always stick to 1200 but I rarely go over 1600. Some have suggested to eat more, but before I was this careful, I'd assume (based on my understanding of my portions, calories, etc.. now - that I was very likely in the 1500-1800 range per day when I wasn't even trying to be. 2000 would be a very rare and major splurge day for me.

Did I mention how frustrated I am?

Does anyone have any ideas as to why I can't seem to lose despite my calorie counting & exercise? I'd be thrilled with a pound a week even, but zero loss, week after week, is getting old quick. : (

Replies

  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
    You will need to open your food diary...
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    What are your height and weight?
    What is your body fat percentage?
    Do you weigh your food?
    Do you do any exercise, what kinds, how often?
  • tgraven74
    tgraven74 Posts: 9 Member
    I'm not comfortable opening it (may be silly just not bc I know people on here). I'm not being a time-waster by saying I'm sticking to that calorie range, I truly am. I don't eat tons of junk food, I do allow myself the occasional few squares of chocolate, 1 cookie etc... I'd say I average 1 snack per day that's in the 100-150 cal. range. I have had cheat days on weekends, but the highest of all cheat days has been 1800 cals. I wasn't cal. counting consistently on non-fast days when I did 5:2 but I know I was in the 1200-1400 cal range on the vast majority of non fast days. Did that for 5 weeks and didn't lose a pound.

    Even if somehow I'm off - assuming a margin of error in counting, portion size etc... It wouldn't bring me to my average BMR of 1750 a day. I am definitely creating a deficit from that & have been for a long time.

    I would think sticking with 12-1400 should result in definite & relatively quick results, but that has not been the case.
  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
    No one is going to judge you...It's very hard to help anyone when you havent a clue what they are eating, what you're macro's are set at, sodium levels, water intake.
  • tgraven74
    tgraven74 Posts: 9 Member
    I'm 5'2" - prefer not to put my weight (I'm new to posting on these forums & it just feels too personal right now & I do have friends on this site). Don't know my body fat but I'm guessing it's way too high. I only weighed my food when I was doing 5:2 - not anymore. Now I go by portion sizes. I did WW many years ago so I feel I have a pretty good handle on portion sizes. My exercise has always varied, but lately I work out 4X a week with a trainer & we do a mixture of cardio, weights, squats, lunges, planks, push ups, etc....
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    I'm not comfortable opening it

    No one can actually help you if you don't.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    I'm not comfortable opening it (may be silly just not bc I know people on here). I'm not being a time-waster by saying I'm sticking to that calorie range, I truly am. I don't eat tons of junk food, I do allow myself the occasional few squares of chocolate, 1 cookie etc... I'd say I average 1 snack per day that's in the 100-150 cal. range. I have had cheat days on weekends, but the highest of all cheat days has been 1800 cals. I wasn't cal. counting consistently on non-fast days when I did 5:2 but I know I was in the 1200-1400 cal range on the vast majority of non fast days. Did that for 5 weeks and didn't lose a pound.

    Even if somehow I'm off - assuming a margin of error in counting, portion size etc... It wouldn't bring me to my average BMR of 1750 a day. I am definitely creating a deficit from that & have been for a long time.

    I would think sticking with 12-1400 should result in definite & relatively quick results, but that has not been the case.

    I see.

    Read these:

    https://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    There are two incompatible options that we cannot discriminate between because your diary is locked. One, you are eating more than you think--at maintenance or higher. Two, you are not eating enough to fuel your activity levels, which might have slowed down your metabolism or caused stress-induced water retention that masks weight loss. You will receive contradictory suggestions that echo these two possibilities. Good luck with your fat loss.
  • Joe7178
    Joe7178 Posts: 105
    Odds are you are eating way more than you think you are. You aren't weighing your food, that's crucial. Cheat days on weekends? shouldn't have one every week. Not to mention 1200-1400 calories is low.
  • sexymuffintop
    sexymuffintop Posts: 636
    You need to start by weighing and measuring EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth. Portion sizes don't cut it I'm afraid. It's very difficult to track without weighing. You may be under estimating your intake, that could explain no weight loss....
  • AmandaReimer1
    AmandaReimer1 Posts: 235 Member
    People can't help you properly if you won't share the important info. Good luck on your journey.
  • tgraven74
    tgraven74 Posts: 9 Member
    thank you @bumblebums - those two links are helpful. Sad thing is it's hard to be certain if I'm over or under eating. I lean towards thinking I'm under-eating but realize it's possible that my measuring is just not accurate enough & maybe I'm over-eating. Still, the consciousness about it plus adding in the workouts still confuses me regarding the no-change thing. I'll just keep at it.

    Apologies for not opening my info. & don't mean to be a time-waster. Thanks for the input everyone.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Are you perhaps going through an early peri-menopause?
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    thank you @bumblebums - those two links are helpful. Sad thing is it's hard to be certain if I'm over or under eating. I lean towards thinking I'm under-eating but realize it's possible that my measuring is just not accurate enough & maybe I'm over-eating. Still, the consciousness about it plus adding in the workouts still confuses me regarding the no-change thing. I'll just keep at it.

    Apologies for not opening my info. & don't mean to be a time-waster. Thanks for the input everyone.

    You're welcome. Try weighing everything you eat for two weeks and see if your logging is accurate, then reassess. You could also try setting your intake to what you think is maintenance for you and try to hit just that, while logging accurately. If you have really been eating 12-1400 calories a day for a while, you might need a full diet break. This would help the metabolic adaptation problem that I was describing in my earlier post.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html

    But I would go back to basics and work on logging accuracy first.
  • tgraven74
    tgraven74 Posts: 9 Member
    I will try - thank you. I eat in restaurants too often (I know that's a problem) so it's hard to weigh things there, That being said, I've always eaten in restaurants & lately I've been eating smaller portions there & making healthier choices, skipping carbs more often, etc... so I'd just think that would net in some small change even if I wasn't weighing or measuring. I've cut way back on things like fries, soda's etc... that alone (I would think) would make an impact. Just weird how nothing seems to make a difference. I'm keeping at it, just frustrated unless something starts to work.
  • Valkiraya
    Valkiraya Posts: 2
    I have weighed 140 lbs for over 2 years after losing 110 lbs (yes started at 250).....when i first reached 140lbs i was a size 10.....over the past 2 years i have gone from 5 km runs to a half marathon runner and working out over 10 hours a week. I am STILL 140 lbs, still watch what i eat however I am a size 2. My body, for whatever reason, needs to be 140lbs...i needed to let go of numbers and embrace how I feel.
  • tgraven74
    tgraven74 Posts: 9 Member
    You obviously have way more muscle now Valkiraya! Good for you for such an amazing loss & for feeling good & being healthy. So far my inches aren't changing either. I think I need more patience & believe me, if the weight is the same & I drop clothes sizes, I will be thrilled with that!! : )
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    I will try - thank you. I eat in restaurants too often (I know that's a problem) so it's hard to weigh things there, That being said, I've always eaten in restaurants & lately I've been eating smaller portions there & making healthier choices, skipping carbs more often, etc... so I'd just think that would net in some small change even if I wasn't weighing or measuring. I've cut way back on things like fries, soda's etc... that alone (I would think) would make an impact. Just weird how nothing seems to make a difference. I'm keeping at it, just frustrated unless something starts to work.

    I eat at restaurants all the time. Having worked in a restaurant helps log conservatively--I search for the closest thing to what I ate, locate the entry with the highest calorie count. When in doubt, I assume there is oil or butter in everything and throw in a tablespoon or two in the diary for that day.

    The more I hear about your routine, though, the more I suspect that accurate logging is the problem.
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
    Have you thought of doing something more structured and supervised for your diet? Like weight watchers or a diet plan that's pre-portioned? If that works, at least you can rule out some kind of medical issue or abnormality.
  • tgraven74
    tgraven74 Posts: 9 Member
    I did WW many years ago & I felt it taught me portion control, what foods were really high in points etc...
    It worked well for me, over a very long time (maybe 1.5 years, I lost 30 lbs). I kept it off for about 3 years, then slowly my weight crept up, but actually to a more normal/healthy weight as I had become a little too thin. Then I maintained that weight for a few years. The recent weight gain I just don't feel I can attribute to any change I can put my finger on. It did coincide with my dad being diagnosed with a brain tumor, then passing away 3 years later. Since then I've had other personal stressors as well. All that time I never felt my eating changed though. Not enough to warrant so much gain. I have read that stress can impact weight so maybe that's part of it.

    I am toying with the idea of starting weight watchers again

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