Not losing weight! Help!

w1llowwisp
w1llowwisp Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm down to my last 14lb and I can't shift it, been stuck now for 4 months having lost the first 28lb fairly easily.

BMR is 1520
TDEE is 2310

I don't eat processed foods being raw vegan (allergies). I've tried (roughly 4 weeks each before trying something different) just skimming over 1520 cals, 1900 cals, 2150 cals, switching some carbs for protein & fat so carbs under 50, protein 1g per lb body weight and nothing so far has shifted even a fraction of a lb in either direction.

I have weighed, measured and logged EVERYTHING religiously, been completely honest. In reality I'm one who struggles to eat enough calories owing to the baulk required on a raw vegan diet, it was a horrific struggle to get to 2150 cals and I felt like I was force feeding myself. I'm drinking 4 litres of water by sipping all day, no juices or alcohol so I'm not missing calories. I've also tred having 5 smaller meals verses 3 per day.

I've had my thyroid, insulin and cortisol tested, all normal.

Any suggestions for what to try next? My doctor seems to think I'm missing calories, but unless air as calories and I 'm breathing them in I truly am logging everything.

Replies

  • kyleekay10
    kyleekay10 Posts: 1,812 Member
    Do you work out?
  • almasters90
    almasters90 Posts: 38 Member
    How tall are you and how much do you weigh now if you don't mind me asking?
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
    Then you are eating too much & not burning enough. Drop your calories down to 1500 daily by removing some protein. There is no need for 1g of protein per lb. anyway. Drop that into half, and if need be, increase your fat intake slightly.

    Exercise will make you look good naked, but if you want to lose fat, it's kinda hard to workout past a diet slightly too high in calories.

    Try for 2 weeks eating what your resting rate is and go from there... If you have enough fat in your body, it will use that for energy and convert it into ketones for the brain. I give this suggestion b/c if you are healthy in all other ways, it's def calories in vs. burned.
  • BHKLEIN
    BHKLEIN Posts: 104
    If your not working out: you'll most likely need to. If you are working out, you'll need to step it up. Try doing different exercises, working different muscle groups or work out with resistance like bands or free weights. Try increasing your exercise time or intensity a little. Try swimming or biking. Those are fun and they're really great forms of exercise. Also, relax!!! Stress and not getting enough sleep can contribute to how much weight you lose. I would stop worring about it so much and try focusing on exercise! :)
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
    Doing what I said should have you losing 1.5ish lbs per week.

    When studies show people on a calorie diet of say 2000 cal. +/- 100 it's usually +/- 200. Weighing and tracking everything is important. Especially if there is no processed foods- you can greatly over estimate natural food consumption.

    Also make your dairy public :)
  • BHKLEIN
    BHKLEIN Posts: 104
    Make sure your tracking your liquid cals too!!!!! Those can add up fast. Some people only track their food intake and forget about the things they drink.
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
    If your not working out: you'll most likely need to. If you are working out, you'll need to step it up. Try doing different exercises, working different muscle groups or work out with resistance like bands or free weights. Try increasing your exercise time or intensity a little. Try swimming or biking. Those are fun and they're really great forms of exercise. Also, relax!!! Stress and not getting enough sleep can contribute to how much weight you lose. I would stop worring about it so much and try focusing on exercise! :)

    Working out more (if she is) could also result in eating more as well...

    I have heard people on here saying they are burning 1000 calories from their hour long weight workout... When the most I've done was around 300 from a weight workout. I think the calorie burn is over estimated by many on here, and for her to burn an extra 3500+ calories a week in exercise would be much more effort than lowering her calories all together... Working out to burn 3500 calories would result in over 5 extra hours of spin class per week or 12 extra hours of weight training. <- and those are conservative numbers from MFP for a 230 lb. male! The hours would be longer for a smaller woman...).

    I am using weights 2-3 times a week to simply prevent muscle loss during low calories times. It seems to work the best and is most effective.
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
    Make sure your tracking your liquid cals too!!!!! Those can add up fast. Some people only track their food intake and forget about the things they drink.

    ^ this
  • bhannana
    bhannana Posts: 22 Member
    Another thing many people forget is sleep. Everyone needs a different amount, but we all need it. If you aren't sleeping enough or sleeping well your body doesn't get a chance to reset and plus being tired leads to poor diet decisions and not enough energy to work out. There are various studies on the hows and the why's, but suffice to say it's important to be well rested if you are trying to lose weight :)
  • w1llowwisp
    w1llowwisp Posts: 4
    I'm 5'6 and 160lb
    BMI is 25.8

    Doctor wants me to aim at BMI 23 which means 14lb to go.

    I do work out, I do 2x cardio, 2x strength and 1x yoga per week for about 60-90 minutes per time. TDEE was done by personal trainer to average out my workouts/lifestyle over the 7 days.

    I ate at 1520 calories for 4 solid weeks whilst continuing to workout and the scales didn't budge. I naturally feel full and appy at the 1500 cal mark and it's what I chose if left to eat what I want but personal trainer said I must not drop calories below BMR. I started tracking owing to worries over not eating enough.
  • w1llowwisp
    w1llowwisp Posts: 4
    I only drink water. Nothing else.
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
    I'm 5'6 and 160lb
    BMI is 25.8

    Doctor wants me to aim at BMI 23 which means 14lb to go.

    I do work out, I do 2x cardio, 2x strength and 1x yoga per week for about 60-90 minutes per time. TDEE was done by personal trainer to average out my workouts/lifestyle over the 7 days.

    I ate at 1520 calories for 4 solid weeks whilst continuing to workout and the scales didn't budge. I naturally feel full and appy at the 1500 cal mark and it's what I chose if left to eat what I want but personal trainer said I must not drop calories below BMR. I started tracking owing to worries over not eating enough.

    Your PT is not a nutritionist, nor a doctor. & Not all doctors are nutritionists or fat loss experts either. In fact, anyone can be a personal trainer or doctor with little to no nutritional knowledge. I would experiment with going lower in the calories and taking more nutrient dense foods. @ 225 lbs. I occasionally eat under 1500 calories per day, and blood tests are always coming back great. I walk a minimum 10km a day & do weights 2-3 times a week without ever feeling light headed. Just make every single calorie count!

    Experiment. Also realize your brain will be your biggest enemy here... Which is why it's good to make sure it's fed - coconut oil works well when trying to reduce calories as it is used easily by the brain.
  • w1llowwisp
    w1llowwisp Posts: 4
    I love coconut oil, it gets weighed and put into my green smoothie every morning! It's one of my favourite staples, up there with chia seeds and sprouted lentils.

    The PT I saw did have nutritional training of some sort, a qualification, so I thought I was in safe hands.

    I sleep like a baby, I'm an 8 hours a night gal and I do a lot and workout hard. I have boundless energy at the moment. I have been so patient but 4 months now feels like forever without so much as the slightest wobble on the scales!
  • jjrichard83
    jjrichard83 Posts: 483 Member
    I love coconut oil, it gets weighed and put into my green smoothie every morning! It's one of my favourite staples, up there with chia seeds and sprouted lentils.

    The PT I saw did have nutritional training of some sort, a qualification, so I thought I was in safe hands.

    I sleep like a baby, I'm an 8 hours a night gal and I do a lot and workout hard. I have boundless energy at the moment. I have been so patient but 4 months now feels like forever without so much as the slightest wobble on the scales!

    You've got nothing but fat to lose :P So try the lowered calorie intake & see... Like I said, I dropped down to 1500/day and I'm eating them in a 6 hour window- weight is falling off at a rate of .5 lb a day at the moment... My energy is still great and feel awesome!

    I question people (even nutritionists) b/c many don't know how the body digests food. Being Vegan/Vegetarian I am sure you already know quite a bit about that (intestines, saliva, etc. exactly like a herbivore not an omnivore).

    Try to keep carbs under 50g. You can take your carbs and minus fibre to get the true carb value (consider fibre a free carb).

    This doesn't need to be forever, just until you get to your goal! Puts you in the optimal fat burning state in two ways - ketosis & through lower calories consumed than burned. You'll see the weight fall off! I promise! :)
  • BHKLEIN
    BHKLEIN Posts: 104
    If your not working out: you'll most likely need to. If you are working out, you'll need to step it up. Try doing different exercises, working different muscle groups or work out with resistance like bands or free weights. Try increasing your exercise time or intensity a little. Try swimming or biking. Those are fun and they're really great forms of exercise. Also, relax!!! Stress and not getting enough sleep can contribute to how much weight you lose. I would stop worring about it so much and try focusing on exercise! :)

    Working out more (if she is) could also result in eating more as well...

    I have heard people on here saying they are burning 1000 calories from their hour long weight workout... When the most I've done was around 300 from a weight workout. I think the calorie burn is over estimated by many on here, and for her to burn an extra 3500+ calories a week in exercise would be much more effort than lowering her calories all together... Working out to burn 3500 calories would result in over 5 extra hours of spin class per week or 12 extra hours of weight training. <- and those are conservative numbers from MFP for a 230 lb. male! The hours would be longer for a smaller woman...).

    I am using weights 2-3 times a week to simply prevent muscle loss during low calories times. It seems to work the best and is most effective.


    I don't think you'd have to work out a ton more that would result in a boost of your hunger level, just enough to get your body going again. However, I have to agree that people WAY over estimate how many cals they burn during exercise. Some are very unrealistic. It takes a lot of hard work and not over eatting to loss weight and I think people are going to be really disappointed and frustrated by not losing as much weight as they think they should considering how many cals they think they are burning. Honestly people, do you really think you'll burn 350 cals by walking a half hour or 1700 by doing 60 mins of jogging. That's crazy! For example: I walk every day on my lunch break at work for about 35 mins and burn about 93-95 cals or I go to the batting cage and burn about 125 cal for 30 mins. Granted you'll burn more or less depending on length and intensity.

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