Not losing weight after MONTHS of dieting

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  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
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    Your goal weight is very low. You said that your actual aim is to drop a pant size and I assume that it's about looks rather than weight so perhaps you don't need to focus on weightloss but rather inch loss. I'm no expert and I'll be starting to learn how easy/hard this is in the next few weeks as I am 5' 9.5, stuck at 146lb feeling hungry but still wanting to drop inches. I'll be hitting the weights and trying to build muscle, increase BMR and drop inches in one go....any experts out there???
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
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    Your goal weight is very low. You said that your actual aim is to drop a pant size and I assume that it's about looks rather than weight so perhaps you don't need to focus on weightloss but rather inch loss. I'm no expert and I'll be starting to learn how easy/hard this is in the next few weeks as I am 5' 9.5, stuck at 146lb feeling hungry but still wanting to drop inches. I'll be hitting the weights and trying to build muscle, increase BMR and drop inches in one go....any experts out there???

    If your goal is to build muscle you will have to eat a calorie surplus while lifting weights. Muscle can't be built out of nothing, and it won't be built in a calorie deficit...
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    Couple of things - no clue how old you are, but I'm 45, an inch shorter, and went from 145lbs to 135lbs, dropping a full pants size, while eating 1800+ cals a day.

    The fact that you are sticking to 1200, exercising and NOT eating back exercise cals could be part of your problem. Sounds counter-intuitive, but food is fuel - your body doesn't want to let of of anything if you're not feeding it very much, and then burning off more in exercise. It adjusts to the low intake and metabolism slows to match it.

    MFP is set up so that your daily goal has a deficit built in already - meaning eat to goal every day, do zero exercise, and you'll lose weight. That's why they add the exercise cals back into your goal when you log workouts - you are supposed to eat those calories back to avoid a HUGE deficit, which can backfire on ya, stalling weight loss and causing problems. Your daily NET calories should be at or near goal.

    Another thing - MFP is an awesome tool, but can only do so much with the information you give it. With so little to lose, saying you want to lose 2lbs a week, or even 1.5lbs, isn't realistic - .5lb a week is more like it. Then go with the calorie goal it gives you, log your food and exercise, and eat those exercise cals back.

    I have had my best results with fat loss since eating the proper amount of cals. More energy, I feel great, look great, and am thrilled to see the fat and inches disappearing.

    If you really want to fine tune things a bit, have a read through this topic: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 Great info there, and links to tools and instructions for getting a more accurate idea of how much you should be eating, and what numbers to stay in between - not eating too much, but not eating too little either. Good stuff.

    ^^^^^^^^ this
  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
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    Your goal weight is very low. You said that your actual aim is to drop a pant size and I assume that it's about looks rather than weight so perhaps you don't need to focus on weightloss but rather inch loss. I'm no expert and I'll be starting to learn how easy/hard this is in the next few weeks as I am 5' 9.5, stuck at 146lb feeling hungry but still wanting to drop inches. I'll be hitting the weights and trying to build muscle, increase BMR and drop inches in one go....any experts out there???

    If your goal is to build muscle you will have to eat a calorie surplus while lifting weights. Muscle can't be built out of nothing, and it won't be built in a calorie deficit...

    Hope I'm not hijacking :flowerforyou: but I'm eager to find out more. I've had hints at what I should do but eating 'more' and lifting 'heavy' extremely subjective (particularly to someone who struggles to do a push up :blushing: ). Will there be a phase of gaining inches i.e. muscles growing while fat remains constant and then a need to cut back calories to push that additional fat off?

    OK...I'd better search the forum and make my own thread if I don't find the answer :laugh:
  • lightningblxnde
    lightningblxnde Posts: 16
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    health > career. maybe leave the entertainment industry so that you don't have to fight your body just to be a contender in the fight for a job.

    I completely agree that health is more important...which is why I'm trying to lose a bit of weight the healthy way! If it's not in the cards for me, then at least I can say I tried, and I still get plenty of work at the size I'm at.
  • lightningblxnde
    lightningblxnde Posts: 16
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    I've recently hit a plateau losing the last 5 lbs...I didn't exactly hit a wall, the weight loss is just .....S L O W E R R R R lol....I guess its true. Maybe you need to vary your exercise routine. Do more cardio like running or spinning for a longer period of time. I found that whenever I do a spin class, I drop some weight that week. I think your calorie intake is reasonable. Just don't go below 1200. The lighter you are, the harder it is to shed the weight, so you need to double the effort. Don't worry, you'll get there :-)

    Thanks for the encouragement! I have been trying to change up my exercise routine lately; I tend to jump around from dance, ellipticals, and stationary bikes. Unfortunately running hurts my knees terribly, so that's not my favorite thing in the world to do. If anyone has suggestions for cardio exercises to do away from the gym when you live in a big city, that would be great!
  • lightningblxnde
    lightningblxnde Posts: 16
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    Have you spoken to your doctor about this? Everyone is going to assume it has something to do with your food journal or your exercise routine....however it sounds like you have a food scale and you know how much you are burning so perhaps you need to figure out if there is something else going on.

    I spoke to my women's health practitioner, and she seemed pretty stumped and referred me to a nutritionist. She did think I was in great shape, though, so that was encouraging! Just waiting for some extra funds to come through before I make the trip!
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    5'9 and 137 lbs.. you probably need to start doing some resistance training to get the body you want.. that seems like a low weight number for your height.
  • lightningblxnde
    lightningblxnde Posts: 16
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    Hope I'm not hijacking :flowerforyou: but I'm eager to find out more. I've had hints at what I should do but eating 'more' and lifting 'heavy' extremely subjective (particularly to someone who struggles to do a push up :blushing: ). Will there be a phase of gaining inches i.e. muscles growing while fat remains constant and then a need to cut back calories to push that additional fat off?

    OK...I'd better search the forum and make my own thread if I don't find the answer :laugh:

    I hear ya over push ups...they are pretty challenging! My mom is in great shape and suggested I try to do as many push ups as I can every day, even if it is only 2 at first. Over the course of the summer, I was able to get up to 20! Working towards 25 now.

    Best of luck with your weight loss goals :)
  • lightningblxnde
    lightningblxnde Posts: 16
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    Your goal weight is very low. You said that your actual aim is to drop a pant size and I assume that it's about looks rather than weight so perhaps you don't need to focus on weightloss but rather inch loss. I'm no expert and I'll be starting to learn how easy/hard this is in the next few weeks as I am 5' 9.5, stuck at 146lb feeling hungry but still wanting to drop inches. I'll be hitting the weights and trying to build muscle, increase BMR and drop inches in one go....any experts out there???

    Inch loss (specifically clothing size loss) is my goal, and I guess I've kind of just used weight loss as a proxy for that. Many of the jobs I would like to submit to require 5'9" or taller, size 0-4, 100-120 pounds. I know 120 pounds would not be too healthy for me, but right now I'm a size 4 top and a size 6 bottom, so reducing that size 6 has been my number one goal. Only if I can do it in a healthy way, of course!
  • emilyisbonkers
    emilyisbonkers Posts: 373 Member
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    Start adding muscle the weight will go up but the size should go down!
  • angelinarun
    angelinarun Posts: 8
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    Ive hit the same problem, thanks for posting. Have you tried HIIT?
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
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    Look into "body recomposition" rather than weight loss. At your stats, the truth is that weight has less to do with clothing size than body fat % does. Try cutting back the cardio and increasing your strength training (be it lifting heavy,
    Pilates, whatever). You can still eat at a small deficit, but make sure to get plenty of protein. This should preserve your lean muscle (and "tone" it) while allowing for fat loss, aka inches. It's a slower road than just dropping weight, but it will more likely get you to your actual goal. For the record, I'm in the business side of entertainment and I can tell you that most casting directors I know care a lot more about how you look, sizewise, than what your weight on a scale is.
  • lightningblxnde
    lightningblxnde Posts: 16
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    Ive hit the same problem, thanks for posting. Have you tried HIIT?

    I have! I tend to do intervals with whatever form of cardio I'm doing that day. Alas, doesn't seem to be helping me.
  • lightningblxnde
    lightningblxnde Posts: 16
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    Look into "body recomposition" rather than weight loss. At your stats, the truth is that weight has less to do with clothing size than body fat % does. Try cutting back the cardio and increasing your strength training (be it lifting heavy,
    Pilates, whatever). You can still eat at a small deficit, but make sure to get plenty of protein. This should preserve your lean muscle (and "tone" it) while allowing for fat loss, aka inches. It's a slower road than just dropping weight, but it will more likely get you to your actual goal. For the record, I'm in the business side of entertainment and I can tell you that most casting directors I know care a lot more about how you look, sizewise, than what your weight on a scale is.

    Thanks, I'll definitely look into body recomposition! I already do a bit of Pilates, but I'll try upping my weights in other ways as well. I always make sure I get the recommended amount of protein MFP suggests each day, so that shouldn't be a problem.

    And thanks for the tip about casting directors as well! That's helpful to know. Unfortunately at my height, I feel a lot of pressure to be "model-type," and I don't quite look like that yet. I guess you never know what a given CD is looking for, though!
  • stephylove321
    stephylove321 Posts: 32 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies. I am a bit perplexed, I guess, because I really do weigh everything I eat and rarely miss a day at the gym. I use a heart rate monitor as well, but I know those are generally only estimates.

    Several years ago, I struggled with anorexia--is it possible I could have permanently messed up my metabolism or something like that?
    try upping your calories and do more intense exercise.

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