Diet Not Working....please advise

gdiane04
gdiane04 Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone,

I had a baby 9 months ago. I am a working mother/student as well, so I have very little spare time. Usually I am on the "fitter" side of things. I decided in the beginning that I would try and stay fit so i would not have to dig myself out of a mountain of extra weight. However, after I had my child I am finding it harder to loose weight.

I was fairly active three months after delivery. At least 3 workouts a week, (and some brisk run/walk workouts with my son if time and weather allows). My Weight is 149 lbs. I was 147 after giving birth, which means I gained weight even though I was active and eating right. (I could not cut calories due to breastfeeding). Now that I can legitimately have a "diet" after weening my son i still have not loss weight. (not an ounce) I am on a strict 1400 calorie diet (not going any lower than that because its needed) and I exercise aggressively four times a week, with the occasional brisk walk or run after lunch if possible. Can anyone give me any advice on how to speed this along or give me a boost? I tried Rasberry Ketone and that has helped suppress my appetite (which is useful since I am a "foodie") but I have not seen weightloss results. (These are result after a month of dieting and exercising)

Please note: I am not interested in negative responses, I am looking for help so please only post helpful comments.
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Replies

  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    Hi there!

    We're going to need a little more information than just your weight to help you out.

    Please post your height and age as well =)
  • gdiane04
    gdiane04 Posts: 7 Member
    I am 5 ft 5 inches, Age 28
    THANK YOU!!
  • lizardcave
    lizardcave Posts: 42 Member
    Do you have a food log we could view... and do you track your food? (Also... do you weigh your food? I know that might seem like a weird question, but I know from personal experience that my idea of a serving size of ice cream is very different to that on a food label.)
  • francsull
    francsull Posts: 3 Member
    I never gave birth but I heard it is hard afterwards, This is going to sound weird and not what most people would say but try it, don't excercise, Just try it for one week and keep your food plan the same minus the exercise, I used to be in weight watchers and some of the people who exercised had less weight loss, Muscle weighs more, I know a lot of people would not agree but if you try if for one week what have you got to lose? That is the only thing I could figure out. Good luck and let us know how you are doing.
  • gdiane04
    gdiane04 Posts: 7 Member
    I don't have an food log for the past month. I was counting calories without the website. I recently joined yesterday as a result of my own calorie counting not working and I needed help. I will change my setting so you can view my log tho. thanks for the help
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    put down the raspberry ketones and any other products as such.

    you may very well not be eating enough. If you're only eating 1400 calories and working out super hard, you're probably at too large of a caloric deficit.
  • kittyhasclaws
    kittyhasclaws Posts: 446 Member
    *double post
  • kittyhasclaws
    kittyhasclaws Posts: 446 Member
    1) Ensure you're weighing and measuring food to be sure you're getting accurate servings.
    2) Be very honest in your logging of food.
    3) Do not over exercise.
    4) Eat back exercise calories.
    5) Get your thyroid checked to ensure your levels are good, as it can cause metabolic problems if it's out of whack.
    6) Make sure you're getting enough sleep (very hard with a little one, I know)
    7) Give up the ketones. Waste of money (tests have only shown improvement on rats in labs at extremely high doses)

    There are probably more things you could do, but my brain is burned right now.
  • Sparlingo
    Sparlingo Posts: 938 Member
    The most helpful things for me:


    1) weigh/measure your food
    2) use a HRM to assess the calorie burns on your cardio so you don't over/underestimate the calorie burns.
  • gdiane04
    gdiane04 Posts: 7 Member
    I didn't weigh my food. I ate alot of soup that was already potioned and babycarrot bags. for breakfast I always eat oatmeal and a cup of coffee. I only eat one carb a day, (a sanwich and soup for lunch) and I do this so I have carbs to work off in the evening when i workout.
  • coco3382458
    coco3382458 Posts: 296 Member
    I lost quite a bit of weight after giving birth by breast feeding and pumping. You burn a ton of calories doing that. Not sure if you do but that is what helped me get below my pre pregnancy weight. Also just be patient because I have heard it can take a year for our bodies to heal after giving birth
  • DebLark52
    DebLark52 Posts: 5
    I disagree with the post that recommended that you not exercise. Keep that up! I've noticed that myfitnesspal gives a large amount of "calorie credits" for exercise. I've lost weight by sticking to my calories (1200/day) and not using the "extra credit" from my exercising. I should add that I'm in my early 60's and have finally lost the 15 lbs that I've been struggling with for ages, by following this plan. I also walked on a treadmill at a 3mph pace for 30-45 minutes a day, six days a week. I'm sure that made the difference.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    I didn't weigh my food.

    Then there really isn't an accurate count on intake. Plus, soup is typically astronomically high in sodium.
    I disagree with the post that recommended that you not exercise. Keep that up! I've noticed that myfitnesspal gives a large amount of "calorie credits" for exercise. I've lost weight by sticking to my calories (1200/day) and not using the "extra credit" from my exercising. I should add that I'm in my early 60's and have finally lost the 15 lbs that I've been struggling with for ages, by following this plan. I also walked on a treadmill at a 3mph pace for 30-45 minutes a day, six days a week. I'm sure that made the difference.
    ...then you're not using MFP as designed. The 1200 calories that you're sticking to is already with a huge deficit in place. Not eating back your exercise calories is making that deficit even bigger. While you may lose weight now, it's going to stop after a while.. and you'll be stuck with a "why am I not losing now?" post in your future. If you're working out six days per week, you need to change your settings on here and stick with it.
  • trigger2354
    trigger2354 Posts: 25 Member
    Read this http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/not-losing-fat-at-20-deficit-what-should-i-do-qa.html

    Then read this http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adjusting-the-diet.html
  • DebLark52
    DebLark52 Posts: 5
    Correct, breast feeding burns a lot of calories. I returned to my pre-pregnancy weight after having both children in my mid-30's, but just a note: your body may not return to it's former shape. At four months after delivery, I weighed less than when I started, but my hips never returned to the same size. I also gained a half-shoe size with each child. I eventually gave away my skinny jeans :(
  • gdiane04
    gdiane04 Posts: 7 Member
    I changed my setting so you can view my food. This is just for tha last two days but This is very similar to what I have been eating the last month....especially breakfast and lunch.....dinner, I rarely have a carb just meat and veggies....unfortunately I usually eat after 730 due to a number of reasons (commuting, school, parenting, etc)
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    Your estimated BMR is: 1,407 calories/day - This means if you were stuck in bed in a coma, you would burn this many calories to keep your body alive.

    Your TDEE is 1759 calories/day - This is what you burn being up and about normally at work, at home, cooking, just normal activity, no exercise.

    Most people recommend eating 20%(351) less than your TDEE(1759) to lose weight which would be 1408 calories a day.
    **So if you do exercise, you will need to eat 1400 PLUS what you burn exercising.

    I know a lot of people think BMI is BS sometimes, but I wanted to let you know that you are technically a healthy weight and may want to consider setting your goal to losing closer to .5 of a lb a week to lose more healthily.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Are you eating just 1400, or are you eating 1400 PLUS exercise calories?
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    I changed my setting so you can view my food. This is just for tha last two days but This is very similar to what I have been eating the last month....especially breakfast and lunch.....dinner, I rarely have a carb just meat and veggies....unfortunately I usually eat after 730 due to a number of reasons (commuting, school, parenting, etc)
    sodium is pretty high and you're undereating/overexercising.

    stop focusing so hard on carbs and figure out how to eat enough first.

    and I'm not sure the double chocolate cupcake / quick add calories are going to serve you well, either. I'm not knocking cupcakes, eat whatever you want, but make sure the numbers are accurate.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    You are withing 10 pounds from a healthy weight for your heigt - so you will not lose it all in three weeks...
    Eat more, if you are not eating your exercise calories back, you are not eating enough and over exercising....
    And you can eat at midnight too - no influence on weight loss...Save the money you spend on rasberry whatever magic pills - it's a waste...
  • Kelley528
    Kelley528 Posts: 319 Member
    put down the raspberry ketones and any other products as such.

    you may very well not be eating enough. If you're only eating 1400 calories and working out super hard, you're probably at too large of a caloric deficit.

    exactly.

    When you are on a restricted calorie intake you cant just exercise and not eat more. My guess would be your deficit is too high because you are burning off way below 1400 calories so your body is stalling/saving up its energy because you are not eating enough.

    Also, you need to weigh/measure food to get a true account of the calories you are eating unless everything you eat is prepackaged servings.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member


    Most people recommend eating 20%(351) less than your TDEE(1759) to lose weight

    Not at 10lb from goal weight, it's probably better to be around TDEE - 10%.
  • dittmarml
    dittmarml Posts: 351 Member
    OK - using calculators at fitnessfrog.com - all calculators are estimates (including MFP's) but just as guidelines:

    Entered your weight (149), age (28) , height (5'5"), your estimate BMR (basal metabolic rate, or the number of calories you require just to beat your heart, breathe, etc.) is 1476.

    You're eating below BMR; no wonder you can't lose weight. If you're exercising regularly, I entered same data plus rated you at "moderate exercise" and got a TDEE (total daily expenditure) of 2280 calories. If it's "light" exercise (1-3 days a week) your TDEE is around 2022.

    To lose weight you need to be between those two numbers. "Rule of thumb" around here is roughly TDEE - 20%, which in your case would put you around 1820 calories. But if you're only 10 lbs from goal weight you probably want to be around TDEE-10%.

    Depending on how fast you want to lose, MFP would probably put you around 1600 PLUS you would need to eat back all of your exercise calories, which is is going to land you around 1800 to 1900, I'm guessing. So they're in the same ballpark.

    My own two cents - I'd go to 1800 calories, 1900 if you're really exercising hard, for 4-6 weeks and see what happens.

    But will wait for the real experts here to weigh in (so to speak). In any case you are definitely not eating enough; that's why you're stalled.
  • Jaulen
    Jaulen Posts: 468 Member
    At 5'5" and 149 she probably doesn't have that much weight to lose.
    She should be aiming for a 0.5 a week weight loss.

    with your age and exercise levels 1400 calories a day is probably too little unless you are eating back a portion of your exercise calories.
  • LexiAtel
    LexiAtel Posts: 228 Member
    I looked at your blog, You're probably gaining muscle. You work out a lot, and you eat plenty of protein.

    Could just be a stab in the dark though. How long since you started this new lifestyle? You should give it at least a month before worrying about changing the routine.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member


    Most people recommend eating 20%(351) less than your TDEE(1759) to lose weight

    Not at 10lb from goal weight, it's probably better to be around TDEE - 10%.

    Agree with the -10%, or " lose 1/2 pound a week".

    Count, measure,weigh, record everything you eat.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    I looked at your blog, You're probably gaining muscle. You work out a lot, and you eat plenty of protein.

    Could just be a stab in the dark though. How long since you started this new lifestyle? You should give it at least a month before worrying about changing the routine.
    Not at that much of a deficit, they aren't gaining muscle.
  • gdiane04
    gdiane04 Posts: 7 Member
    I started this diet about a months ago. I started this profile yesterday after not seeing any results after the initial months.
    Since I have never had to loose weight before I decided I needed alot of help. The Food and exercise is basically what I was doing for the last month. (I workout hard 4 times per week). Thank you guys so much for the tips, I never realized that I wasn't taking in enough food.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    It looks like you just started logging here. Give it some time. If you log every bite (and measure portions to make sure) you should be losing weight soon.
  • Genesisluvsu
    Genesisluvsu Posts: 3 Member
    HI,

    I wouldn't rule out that your diet isn't working. Losing weight is a very body specific process. I know you are fustrated, but you have to get a any means necessary mind set. And make a commitment that you will do everything in your power to lose weight, while taking care of your family. You may have to troll weightloss and body buliding blogs specific to you. Its alway better to know why you are doing something, than to take advice because it sounds right. Research is key, cross check advice because it may be right for you or it may be very wrong. Know your body type and research. You may find out things that are sabatoging your weightloss progression.

    But in the end calories in, calories out. And you can always out eat your excercise efforts.
    You may have to check the quality of food you are eating, because a higher protien, lower carb diet at 1400 calories can be quite satistifying. It's about learning how to eat again. Is your diet high carb? Do you eat carbs close to your bed time? Every aspect has to be analyzed. A 2 lbs difference isn't what I would consider major weight gain, could be considered water weight.

    Just like another reader said, I would commit to weighing and journaling my food. And adding weight/ strength training to increase your fat burning metabolism.

    Good luck and stay focused...


    Have a plan and work the Plan

    Make Changes if neccessary

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