Please help with advice

runfree78 · August 2013

This is my first post here and I'm just now doing research because I'm going crazy.

I am starting to get desperate. I currently weigh 120 lbs at 5'2" - age 35. It looks awful on me. I have a lot of belly fat that I CANNOT get rid of, and I feel very sad most of the time because of how much I dislike my body. It has become a big deal and not only is my self-esteem suffering but I'm starting to become a bit of a hermit.

I weighed 117 back in January, and I felt much better. I did get down to 115 once in April, but I can't figure out what I did differently!!! I am still eating the same way - I have a slimfast in the morning, 4 oz chicken (or grilled turkey burger) and 2 cups broccoli + 1 oz cashews for lunch - and then some sort of dinner, usually a whole grain or veggie pasta with chicken or a lean protein and more broccoli (my absolute favorite foods). I also usually have a snack like chex mix or peanut butter on bread later at night. I am very hungry all the time.

I run/jog/walk 4-5 times a week (12-17 miles a week), but even that has suffered. I was up to running a 38-minute 5k and now I can hardly do one in 50 minutes. And just today when I went outside to run, I could feel NEW fat on my thighs and backside! Since YESTERDAY! I could tell because I was jiggling in places I wasn't jiggling at before!

I also do planks, push ups, squats, lunges, light weights, crunches, and I can't lose even an ounce. I stay between 119 and 120.5 - I have weighed myself every morning for the past two weeks. Whether I eat my once-every-two-weeks fast food (Chick-fil-a nuggets; I can't resist, but no fries - I eat broccoli with them), or painfully restrict myself to three 300 calories meals plus a run, my weight stays the same and the belly fat just seems to get worse.

I don't know what to do or what to try. Please help.

amylynn1395 · August 2013

Hello there,
It might be helpful for you to use My Fitness Pal to record EVERYTHING that goes in (even things like drinks, candy, or dips). Do this for a few days and see how much you are actually eating. Be as accurate as possible while logging and make sure you log your exercises too. I sometimes overestimated the calories I burned when I exercised, mostly due to the display on the treadmill I used to use. It was super wrong. Try not to overestimate or underestimate. Once you have a good idea of the calories that you eat and the calories that you burn, cut this number by about 500 calories a day. Make sure you are eating at least 1200 calories a day though. It gets really tough to loose weight when you drop below 1200.
I also like to snack at night and peanut butter is one of my favorites!:))) Peanut butter is pretty caloric as well, I really like PB2 (I found it on Amazon and it tastes amazing!). It has 45 calories for every 2 Tbsp. vs. 200 for regular peanut butter.
Your body is your temple and taking care of it is super important. I am sorry to hear that you are sad about your body. I can relate but I have come to realize that my body does a lot for me and I am proud of it. If there is anything else I can help with, please let me know.

Ninkyou · August 2013

I'm sorry, I'm 5'2 as well and I'd kill to be 120.

^not meant to sound rude.

IMO, stop with the calorie restricting and eat at your maintenance level.

Go to http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013 to figure out how many calories you should be eating to maintain your current weight.
After you've done that, cut out the cardio and work on toning/weight lifting. This will help your overall body look and you won't need to lose weight.

Also, think about seeking help with your body image issues. It doesn't seem healthy.

This is just my opinion though.

cmriverside · August 2013

Using "I'm going crazy" & "desperate" my be a part of your problem.

While you have chosen to lose a whole five pounds, I wouldn't go crazy or be all-that-desperate about it. Doesn't sound healthy.

You will figure it out. Keep trying different things.

Mslmesq · August 2013

I'm 5'2" and feel most comfortable at around 100. I got up to 122 and know how uncomfortable it can be when you are small boned and used to being thin. Feel free to add me if you want.

runfree78 · August 2013

I actually have used myplate on Livestrong.com to track everything for a long time, but got so sick of not seeing results that I stopped. I don't drink caloric drinks besides pineapple juice (I have beer every so often, which I've always drank in the same amounts!), I drink around 100 oz of water a day with 17 oz of green tea in the morning (again, been drinking this in the mornings for years). I eat a low-salt diet as much as possible.

I try to underestimate the calories I burn because I want to make sure I don't eat those calories. I go by the treadmill display -100, so if the treadmill says I burned 350, I say I burned 250.

I am just so frustrated and sad. I quit drinking sodas almost altogether, I quit smoking (5 years ago), I took up running, I try to eat whole foods when I can, I am trying so hard to be healthy, but I'm stuck in this body I hate.

amylynn1395 · August 2013

May I ask how many calories you are consuming regularly (or maybe you could allow us to view your diary)?

runfree78 · August 2013

I'm sorry, I'm 5'2 as well and I'd kill to be 120.

^not meant to sound rude.

IMO, stop with the calorie restricting and eat at your maintenance level.

Also, think about seeking help with your body image issues. It doesn't seem healthy.

This is just my opinion though.

I know it sounds crazy; I know I should be happy at a decent weight. But I am very petite and to have these thin legs and arms and then this big flabby belly.... I'm ok with the stomach if I could do something about it, but I seem unable. My clothes fit weird and I have to have a completely different wardrobe between when I was 117 lbs and 120 because of how I'm carrying the weight.

I have talked to someone about my body image issues, but there's no improvement as of yet.

Using "I'm going crazy" & "desperate" my be a part of your problem.

While you have chosen to lose a whole five pounds, I wouldn't go crazy or be all-that-desperate about it. Doesn't sound healthy.

You will figure it out. Keep trying different things.

I know I need to relax because just the stress could be causing problems, but it's hard when I don't make changes but see weight gain.

Ideally I would be at 110; 115 is my "ok, this isn't so bad" weight. I woke up one morning in March I think at 113 and thought "ok, finally this is working" (I then got a bad cold right after and gained back about 4 lbs from not exercising and eating more once I felt better and never saw 113 again). I don't think I will ever be at 110 again, but that would be what I'd want.

When I gain 3-5 lbs like I have, I go up 1 1/2 sizes in pants. That makes me feel desperate, because not only do I feel like I look a lot worse, but I'm looking at having to change my wardrobe. I also am then at an in between size, which means either my stomach fat is spilling over my pants, or my pants are too big. I just want to be a normal size.

runfree78 · August 2013

May I ask how many calories you are consuming regularly (or maybe you could allow us to view your diary)?

I usually try to consume between 1000 and 1200 calories a day, and usually burn around 150-250 calories with cardio.

Maybe I will try to start recording everything on here so I can get some advice on my diet...

amylynn1395 · August 2013

Yeah, I would be more than happy to help!
Your metabolism might be slowing because of the low amount of calories that you are eating. My metabolism has done this once, or at least that is my suspicion. It can get kind of dangerous if you are eating about 1000 calories then going to the gym to burn off 250 (or maybe even 350 if you are "overestimating"). That leaves your body to run on 650 calories when it needs about 1500 to function normally (not including diet or exercise (BMR)). Increasing the times that you eat per day can speed up metabolism (maybe eat 5 small meals instead of 3). Make sure you are eating enough!!!

alikonda · August 2013

Eat more. You need to feed your body for it to be able to work for you. I suspect that part of the reason your strength and speed have atrophied so much is that your body is in starvation mode and breaking down muscle to preserve itself and maintain vital functions. This would also cause the "thin legs and arms and then this big flabby belly" issue since the vital organs that your body strives to protect are in your torso.

So Step 1 - eat more. (I mean it.)

Step 2 - add more strength training into your workouts. Most people on these forums are huge proponents of "lifting heavy." Whether or not you have the equipment/interest/motivation for that is up to you. I suggest either doing higher intensity body weight training (try a few HIIT workouts) or lifting heavier weights. By doing more strength training, you will reinforce the message to your body that you need to keep your muscles and thus it should stop breaking them down. Note - do not attempt step 2 without Step 1.

Step 3 - Don't focus so much on a number on the scale. I know it's easy to say "I felt/looked SOOOOO good when I weighed XX" but when it comes down to it, the number itself isn't important. The truth of the matter is that you may look and feel BETTER at 125 pounds than 110 if you focused on muscle development and allowing your body to function the way it's meant to. Read this article ( http://sophieologie.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/strong-is-the-new-skinny/ ). It's well-written and perfectly illustrates what I'm trying to say.

Don't fall into desperation. Don't let a few pounds make you crazy. Don't hate yourself. Your body is amazing. Be the best YOU that you can be, and please DO keep talking to somebody about your insecurities; many of the things you said in your original post are worrisome - please take care of yourself.

Please help with advice

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