Slow Metabolism

carol4onetom
carol4onetom Posts: 4
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm pretty new to this sight but have been keeping track of everything I eat and all of my exercise. In 7 weeks, I have only lost 4 pounds. I have an under active thyroid and am taking 100mcg of synthroid. Most day it seems I am within my calorie limits. As far as my exercise goes, I am working out 30 minutes in the morning and 30 in the evening 5 days a week, 30 minutes on Saturday and Sunday is my rest day. I do a little strength training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well. When I add in my exercise, it seems that the site shows that I am burning a lot of calories but I'm not sure it is that many. I find it hard to stay motivated when the weight loss is so slow. Any advice will be much appreciated.

Replies

  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
    If it is truly your thyroid causing the slow weight loss then maybe your doctor is the best bet for advice. As far as the calories burned, MFP seems to over estimate on a lot of the exercises. A better indicator of calories burned would be with the use of a heart rate monitor that calculates cals burned. Maybe open up your food diary for people to see and make suggestions. Good luck hun!
  • MyYing
    MyYing Posts: 13 Member
    For me I've come to realize that you have to exercise your metabolism just as much as your body. This is just a theory but it has been proving itself to me. I keep my metabolism active throughout the entire day and right up even 30 minutes right before I go to sleep. I eat the whole day long whenever I get hungry. The meals are very moderate/minimal and I eat just enough to satisfy my hunger and then I stop. Even if I feel hungry 30 minutes after, I will grab a fruit or cracker to help subside the feeling. Doing this took a while for me to perfect and I've been losing weight consistently and have yet to hit my plateau. So all in all, I average (3) main meals, and 1-2 snacks between meals. I hope this helps you out. Oh, and it's very easy to maintain your allotted calories as well in case you wondered.
  • crc822001
    crc822001 Posts: 19 Member
    When you exercise are you using treadmills and ellipticals? Machines like this allow you to enter your weight and tell you how many calories you are burning. Then when you post to MFP you can play with the exercise to get the accurate amount that you burned. Just a thought. Also, I would listen to my body. If you don't feel like you are burning enough try and increase your exercises by 5, 10, or even 15 minutes. Over the course of the week this can add up to be a lot and will help you out on calories burned for the week.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,033 Member
    I too have low thyroid and am on meds for it. Just keep hanging in there. Even though the weight is slow it is coming off. so just think if you throw in the towel a yr from now you will probably weigh the same or more then when you started. If you stick with it. you will be at least 20lbs lighter in a yr. Even though 20lbs in a yr would be a slow loss , it is a great accomplishment in the right direction. Next time I need motivation remind me to read my own advice. LOL , Hang in there you can do it
  • carol4onetom
    carol4onetom Posts: 4
    Thank you all for the suggestions and motivational tips. I do use treadmill, bike and eliptical but the ones I use don't allow you to enter any information. I usually eat my 3 meals per day, but have been avoiding snacks. Maybe something mid morning and mid afternoon would help. I will keep plugging away, not ready to throw the towel in yet. LOL I hope to lose weight, but more importantly I want to keep my heart healthy as my Dad passed away from heart disease. Good luck to all of you, as well.

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  • sunshine79
    sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
    I too have exactly the same problem and it took me ages to stop gaining weight. I have now turned a corner and am losing about a lb a week which is very slow but still a huge achievement for me. Here are some thngs I did which have really boosted my metabolism

    - eat little and often every 3(ish hrs) 5 times per day
    - include lean protein with every meal & snack
    - increase water consumption
    - reduce the endless cardio and do strength training instead (building more muscle increases metabolism and causes you to burn more calories whilst your resting, for several hours after you finshed working out)
    - HIIT (high intensity interval training) instead of endless cardio (the benefits are the same as my last point)
    - zigzag calories to stop the body from going into starvation mode - I do 3 days of low calores e.g 1400 cals which is my BMR and 1 day of high calories about 1900 (obviously you'll have to set yours according to your BMR)
    - eat as clean as possible, try your best to redce the amount of processed foods you eat

    All of the above really work and I am now making progress. I haven't updated my weight loss on here as I'm now only weighing every few weeks rather than evry few days but I can see and feel the difference.

    All the best, feel free to look at my food diary if it's any help :smile:
  • dgroulx
    dgroulx Posts: 159 Member
    You may want to adjust your calories. MFP is only one website. I got better luck using calculators on body building web pages. The seemed to be more accurate for me. I gained weight using the calculator on this site. It obviously works for many people, but not all bodies are the same. Try reducing your intake by 100 or 200 calories per day just for a week. See if it makes a difference. If you start losing, then set your daily goal to that number. It worked for me.
  • carol4onetom
    carol4onetom Posts: 4
    Thank you all so much for the advice and suggestions. It helps to know others can relate to how I feel. Good luck to all of you, as well.
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