Can't lose the weight

GirlPanda03
GirlPanda03 Posts: 44 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm eating a maximum of 1300 calories per day, as I'm physically very inactive due to M.E. I'm still not losing any weight and I have a lot to lose! I really need to start the weight loss for my health, ideally a couple of pounds a week, and I don't know what else I can do. I'm 5' 8" tall and 34 years old. I don't know whether to reduce my calories more. Forcing exercise, even just small amounts, leads to an M.E. 'crash' where I'm mostly bedbound for days. Can anyone please advise?

Replies

  • BabyNurseJen
    BabyNurseJen Posts: 64 Member
    Have you spoken to a doctor or (preferably) nutritionist/dietician? They should be able to help you with a diet for your special circumstances. I'm not sure what ME is. Google says something like chronic fatigue?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Can you explain what ME is, so we can do more research? Also, how much do you weigh? Second, are there any other medical conditions such as insulin resistance? And do you weigh and measure your food (like with a food scale) as it's very easy to under estimate? Lastly, can you open your diary?
  • princesstoadstool82
    princesstoadstool82 Posts: 371 Member
    i'm not a doctor, but maybe you should see one ?
    maybe try
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    you pop in all your details.. and it tells you how much you should be eating to lose weight, maybe even though your inactive, your still not eatting enough ?
  • floop1207
    floop1207 Posts: 194 Member
    i have ME too. most of my weight loss effort is through diet as, like you, even simple exercise can land me in bed for days. i've been logging everything i eat (weighing accurately on digital scales) since the beginning of august and aim for 1350-1400 cal per day but i have days where i go over and days where i'm under. i've lost 10lbs so far and it seems to be taking ages to see any movement on the scales/tape measure so all i can say is keep plodding on xx
  • GirlPanda03
    GirlPanda03 Posts: 44 Member
    M.E. is basically Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I'm exhausted all the time, sore a lot, and haven't slept well in about 15 or 16 years.

    I'd went with the guidelines on MFP, which said that to lose 2lbs a week I should eat 1310 calories. I haven't went over at all, although some days I'm under 1200 just because I'm in bed so much. I've been very careful to check the calories in everything I eat and drink so I know I'm not going over my calorie allowance.

    I weigh 18 stone 13lbs by the way, so really have a lot to get off.

    My other medical conditions are things like IBS, hiatus hernia, Fibromyalgia Syndrome and acid reflux.

    I've seen a nutritionist once before - she told me to eat 5 fruit and veg a day... :S

    PS. I've been reading about the 5:2 diet, where you eat a normal amount for 5 days, then have 2 days where you cut your calories to a quarter of normal. It wasn't something I was considering although a relative has found it successful, but I am getting pretty desperate to lose some weight and hopefully ease the strain on my body.
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    You are inactive. Setting a goal to lose 2 pounds a week without exercise is not very realistic. You are slowing your weight loss by not eating enough.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    I would highly suggest that since you have quite a few factors that could be potentially complicating the process you should seek professional help in the form of a registered dietitian. Given your weight, age and height I would also lean towards not eating enough but I am not a dietitian /doctor.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I'm 5'5", 35, and been losing at 1650 a day, pretty much from 213 lbs to now (153 lbs) and I'm just really lightly active. My guess is you're not eating enough by a long shot.
  • elsyoommen
    elsyoommen Posts: 155 Member
    has a health professional every asked you to try cutting out the gluten in your diet to see if that helps? others on the board seem to have positive results with respect to acid reflux and IBS by eliminating gluten.
  • KristinNicole82
    KristinNicole82 Posts: 164 Member
    I agree that you might not be eating enough, also make sure you are eating good calories. A poor diet will also effect energy levels.
  • init2fitit
    init2fitit Posts: 168 Member
    Eating more might actually help with your exercise-fatigue, but I'd still see a doctor.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    You are inactive. Setting a goal to lose 2 pounds a week without exercise is not very realistic. You are slowing your weight loss by not eating enough.

    This. Sounds counter-active, but it works.

    Do you weigh, measure and log everything? Drinks?
    I lost my first 20lbs not lifting a finger (I hated exercise).. just by following MFP's guidelines, weighing, measuring and logging everything I put past my lips.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    The only thing required to lose weight is to eat at a calorie deficit. Eating too little will affect your energy level, but you will still lose weight if you are eating less calories than you burn.

    Is there a possibility that you could be under-estimating some of your calories? Or, maybe you forget to log something in? It's all by trial and error, and believe me there was a period when I underestimated my calories and ended up not losing a pound (I didn't gain, though, which was good). Now I read packages as opposed to going by the calorie amounts in MFP, unless I know for sure that the calorie count is correct.

    Also, with chronic fatigue syndrome, can you do light exercise like walking?

    Given your special circumstances, I agree with others that talking to your doctor is a good idea. Ask him to refer you to a dietician who specializes in patients/clients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Keep looking for a dietician that makes sense to you (I'd steer clear of that one who said to eat five fruits and vegetables a day).
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Honestly, I would recommend adding another 300 to 400 calories. To see if that helps. Also, since you have IBS I would consider going gluten free. While I havent seen a lot of studies that link a gluten intolerance to IBS I have personally seen several people get better results. Also, I would look to get most of your calories from protein and fat sources and your carbs from fruits and veggies. I know there are a few gluten free and ibs groups that can provide more details. But I do honestly think 1500 to 1600 will be able to give you better results. I suspect you are just too aggressive on your weight loss goals.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    Honestly, I would recommend adding another 300 to 400 calories. To see if that helps. Also, since you have IBS I would consider going gluten free. While I havent seen a lot of studies that link a gluten intolerance to IBS I have personally seen several people get better results. Also, I would look to get most of your calories from protein and fat sources and your carbs from fruits and veggies. I know there are a few gluten free and ibs groups that can provide more details. But I do honestly think 1500 to 1600 will be able to give you better results. I suspect you are just too aggressive on your weight loss goals.

    actually people with medically diagnosed IBS are frequently prescribed a low FODMAP diet and that diet cuts out wheat and rye due to their fructan content. Having said that it is recommended that people are under the supervision of a dietician during the initial stage of the diet.
    http://shepherdworks.com.au/disease-information/low-fodmap-diet

    Personally, my IBS was caused by meat as I apparently don't digest it very well. I am currently on a year long hiatus of eating meat and after that we shall see about reintroducing it slowly.

    Anyway, how accurate are you when counting your calories? It was when I read the following article I realised I was actually eating more then I thought. I actually used cups to measure instead of the scale and it made quite a difference.
    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    You are inactive. Setting a goal to lose 2 pounds a week without exercise is not very realistic. You are slowing your weight loss by not eating enough.

    Where do these people crawl from? Unbelievable.

    Listen: I'm on 1200 a day, not active, have been sitting around at home doing nowt, and I have lost on average about 1kg a week.

    But: i have muscle there. So I imagine my metabolic rate is higher than yours.

    also: does your digestive system work fast or slow? without much exercise pushing things through, it's possible there's a fair bit of weight that can be accounted for sitting in your system.

    ditto water. See if you are retaining water.

    Other than that, just keep on keeping on, and it will eventually happen. If you find it too hard don't ask yourself to lose 2lb a week, as yourself to lose 1. You probably do less than most due to the ME, but it will happen if you hang on in there. It has to. :)
  • joshdann
    joshdann Posts: 618 Member
    You are inactive. Setting a goal to lose 2 pounds a week without exercise is not very realistic. You are slowing your weight loss by not eating enough.

    Where do these people crawl from? Unbelievable.
    I don't know where they come from, but I knew before even clicking on the thread that there would be people saying this.

    If, after eating a set number of calories daily, you are not still losing weight... you just used the best method possible to determine your *actual* TDEE. Eat less than that and you will lose weight. If your actual TDEE is 1200 calories, then your metabolic processes may already be depressed through any number of factors up to and including your chronic fatigue. You can try to add calories to your diet, but you will gain weight unless you change something else.
  • GirlPanda03
    GirlPanda03 Posts: 44 Member
    Thanks for all the replies. I've been really ill with IBS the past few days so haven't been up to coming online much. I'll try to reply tomorrow. Thanks again.
  • GirlPanda03
    GirlPanda03 Posts: 44 Member
    Thanks to everyone who gave me advice. I should have mentioned that I recently had both my Mitochondrial Function and my Adrenal Function tested - the Mito came back as poor, the Adrenal was appalling. The doctor said it was one of the worst Adrenal Functions she's ever seen, and she's a specialist in Chronic Fatigue. I'm waiting for a referral to be tested for Addison's Disease but I don't think it's likely I have that. I've bought a book on Adrenal Fatigue which I'm hoping will help me improve my function. That would allow me to exercise.

    I used a TDEE calculator and it said 2034. I'm guessing to lose 1 pound a week I'd be aiming to eat 500 cals per day less than that, so 1534 calories?

    The chronic fatigue specialist suggested cutting out gluten to see how it affects me, and also wants me to try a basic stoneage diet.

    I do check everything I eat so I'm definitely not underestimating calories or missing things out.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    My wife has ME and has been bedbound for years and I am her carer. She is also on mfp and is going to send you s friends request. She is losing weight even though we are unable to weigh her. The key is patience and eating enough. It will come off slowly but you will not lose a lot quickly. She has gone in 8 months from size 28 clothing to size 20 (UK sizes) staying between 1600 and 1800 calories a day and is 5feet tall and unable to walk /weight bear or even sit up in bed on Somedays
  • GirlPanda03
    GirlPanda03 Posts: 44 Member
    Thanks, that helps :) It can be difficult to find other M.E. people who are trying to lose weight.

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