Struggling to Lose Weight/Consume Enough Calories
brcann
Posts: 18
Hi guys,
I've been a long time lurker and this is my first actual post because I'm so stuck I have no idea what to do!
I used to be extremely overweight my freshman year of high school- my record high was 300 lbs. I finally got my life together and by the time I was a senior in high school I got down to 160 lbs. But, unfortunately, I was diagnosed with an eating disorder and was forced to change my lifestyle so that I wouldn't die. I started eating more and playing sports and got my weight up to 180 lbs. But, that was three long years ago, and after my first year of college I gained 35 lbs due to being too comfortable with my lifestyle, and have been on a quest to get back down to 180. I currently am at 208, and I keep teetering between 208 and 212 and I just can't seem to lose any weight!
I know I'm not eating enough calories for the amount that I work out (7 days/week) but as a person who was diagnosed with an eating disorder, I still have minor relapses here and there, and I'm having an incredibly hard time adding more calories to my diet now that my brain has the lose weight switch on. I have gained 5 lbs since I've started my diet and I stress out about it almost every second of every day. Does anyone have any tips/suggestions to help me get back on track?
Thank you
I've been a long time lurker and this is my first actual post because I'm so stuck I have no idea what to do!
I used to be extremely overweight my freshman year of high school- my record high was 300 lbs. I finally got my life together and by the time I was a senior in high school I got down to 160 lbs. But, unfortunately, I was diagnosed with an eating disorder and was forced to change my lifestyle so that I wouldn't die. I started eating more and playing sports and got my weight up to 180 lbs. But, that was three long years ago, and after my first year of college I gained 35 lbs due to being too comfortable with my lifestyle, and have been on a quest to get back down to 180. I currently am at 208, and I keep teetering between 208 and 212 and I just can't seem to lose any weight!
I know I'm not eating enough calories for the amount that I work out (7 days/week) but as a person who was diagnosed with an eating disorder, I still have minor relapses here and there, and I'm having an incredibly hard time adding more calories to my diet now that my brain has the lose weight switch on. I have gained 5 lbs since I've started my diet and I stress out about it almost every second of every day. Does anyone have any tips/suggestions to help me get back on track?
Thank you
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Replies
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You have to take into account that if you are working out as aggressivly as 7 days a week, you are likely gaining muscle.
have you tried monitoring your body with a tape measure instead of a scale?
I had never used a tape measure when trying to lose weight till this year... when i started working out (this time around) i went from May to July, working out 5 days a week, and the scale didnt go down, i actually gained 2 pounds!
One day i pulled out the tape measure that came with my work out program, and took some measurments... i had lost 11 inches!! three from my waist alone!0 -
it's difficult, normally people who work out a lot, eat a lot, but as long as they have a calorie deficit they lose weight. Now I tend to gain weight when I work out, because my appetite goes through the roof (like working off 200 calories and wanting to eat an extra 1000). On the other side of the coin, if you don't eat properly whilst working out, you actually burn less during your workouts, because you have less energy, you don't give it your all.
The fact that you have gained 5lbs actually suggests that, unless this is water and that is always a possibility if you start a new exercise regime, you are eating more then you think you are. Since you are recovering from an eating disorder though, I wonder whether a dietician who perhaps deals in this field can help you create a menu/plan that you can follow and start rebuilding a good relationship with food.
have you seen this link yet? It was a bit of an eye-opener for me and I realised I ate about 250 calories a day more then I logged, simply by not weighing and using measuring cups instead.
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode0 -
Thanks for the advice, I will start using a tape measure to monitor progress! And the article really helped, I guess I'm eating too much? Or not burning as much as I thought?
This is a really frustrating topic for me, and I'm doing tons of research on TDEE-20%, but my TDEE-20% would be about 2,100 calories which, I 100% know that I am not eating per day, not even on cheat days. I have accurately tracked my calories for about a week now, religiously logging every single thing that I eat, and each day reaching no more than 1,600 calories and my net being no more than 1000. I guess I'm just not burning as much as I thought I was?
I'm seriously going so crazy about this!0 -
be very careful with TDEE and your exercise net. It's common for people to overestimate their TDEE, especially when using online calculators that are extremely inaccurate for many people. It's also common for people to overestimate their caloric burn. Not everyone messes this up, but enough do that there are daily threads just like this one.
The best way to figure out your TDEE is by tracking your weight and body composition over time. If you are not losing weight at the rate you like (or at all), reduce your caloric intake. It's really that simple. If you cannot or do not want to reduce your intake, then look at your exercise routine. Long bouts of cardio and any other exercise that repeats the same motion and uses the same workload will not burn as many calories once your body gets used to the work. Muscles will become stronger and more efficient, and you really will be burning far fewer calories than you are likely estimating. A good example of an exercise that does not suffer from this problem is heavy lifting. Consistently increasing your workload ensures that you are always stressing your muscles, at a relatively constant rate and your caloric burn will remain mostly constant. Not only that, but you will gain strength (and possibly a bit of muscle) that will make you more physically capable overall.0 -
the reason why I suggested a dietician is because depending on what sort of eating disorder you had and for how long, your metabolism may not work like others do. You could get one of those bodpod analytics done and that would tell you your BMR i.e. the amount of calories your body consumes in a resting state over 24h (meaning the calories it needs just to keep itself alive even if you are simply sleeping all day). If your measured BMR is vastly lower then the amount that the BMR calculators that are available then you really need to check and see how other people who recover from an eating disorder handle that.0
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I must be overestimating caloric burn. I have been doing the same exercise regimen for about a year now, but I've recently added in three more days of cardio, upping it from 4 days to 7, and adding in the stair master in place of the treadmill to give my knees a bit of a break. But I just found it really odd because I lost 7 lbs in three weeks after I increased my cardio and decreased my intake, then all of a sudden I gained back 5 in a week. I legitimately thought it was from my TOM but one week later here I am, still at the same weight and more frustrated than ever!
I've been lifting 2x/week but nothing really too heavy, just moderately heavy weights and a lot of reps. I guess my next step would be to add in some heavy lifting! I'm a huuuuge fan of the squat rack haha. I'm gonna try and up it to 6x/week and see if that produces results! Thank you ^__^0 -
the reason why I suggested a dietician is because depending on what sort of eating disorder you had and for how long, your metabolism may not work like others do. You could get one of those bodpod analytics done and that would tell you your BMR i.e. the amount of calories your body consumes in a resting state over 24h (meaning the calories it needs just to keep itself alive even if you are simply sleeping all day). If your measured BMR is vastly lower then the amount that the BMR calculators that are available then you really need to check and see how other people who recover from an eating disorder handle that.
I will definitely look in to seeing a dietician, I was just talking with my mother about seeing one. I had one when I was going through my ED but once I got back to a healthy weight again, I stopped going. I realize now that I could probably solve a lot of my problems by seeing one. Thank you!0 -
Why are you working out so much? Your body needs rest and recovery time! Working out puts serious stress on the body and will increase cortisol levels if you're doing too much, which promote holding on to fat. It also sounds like you need to eat more. Your body is probably freaking out if you're stressing it that much but only netting 1000 cals. If you struggle to eat more, then back off on the cardio. Strength training is great, but you should have at least 2 rest days or very low-intensity days (like walking, yoga, or a low-intensity elliptical session). Your muscles need to repair to get stronger!
I lose weight faster when I work out less, weirdly enough- I think because my body isn't so stressed! I've only been running 2ish miles twice a week and losing a 2 lbs a week, netting 1400 cals/day. I'm 5' 4", 24 years old. I used to go to Bootcamp and Zumba classes 6+ times a week and I got so stressed, exhausted and burned out from that.0 -
One week?0
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Why are you working out so much? Your body needs rest and recovery time! Working out puts serious stress on the body and will increase cortisol levels if you're doing too much, which promote holding on to fat. It also sounds like you need to eat more. Your body is probably freaking out if you're stressing it that much but only netting 1000 cals. If you struggle to eat more, then back off on the cardio. Strength training is great, but you should have at least 2 rest days or very low-intensity days (like walking, yoga, or a low-intensity elliptical session). Your muscles need to repair to get stronger!
I lose weight faster when I work out less, weirdly enough- I think because my body isn't so stressed! I've only been running 2ish miles twice a week and losing a 2 lbs a week, netting 1400 cals/day. I'm 5' 4", 24 years old. I used to go to Bootcamp and Zumba classes 6+ times a week and I got so stressed, exhausted and burned out from that.
I guess you could say I'm a cardio addict? Haha. Actually I legitimately can not live with myself if I skip out on the gym. I'll beat myself up for it all day and I'll hate myself and feel really unhappy, so I have to get myself in there for my mental sanity haha. I'll try and tone down the intensity of the cardio and see how that works! Right now it's strictly 3 days of Turbo Kick/Body Combat/other various group exercise classes, and 3 days on the treadmill/stairmaster. I'll give the elliptical a try for sure! Thank you!0 -
One week?
I'm sorry... but one week for what?0 -
Could you open your diary (settings - public) so that we can see what you're eating?0
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I've been lifting 2x/week but nothing really too heavy, just moderately heavy weights and a lot of reps. I guess my next step would be to add in some heavy lifting! I'm a huuuuge fan of the squat rack haha. I'm gonna try and up it to 6x/week and see if that produces results! Thank you ^__^
unless you are going to do different body parts each day, lifting 6x per week is a really bad idea... you need to rest in between workouts. a full body workout 3x per week is recommended0 -
Could you open your diary (settings - public) so that we can see what you're eating?
Sure, I'll open it now! Btw, if you're wondering when you take a peek, today looks super crazy compared to other days because I was told to try consuming more calories closer to TDEE-20% that was calculated. It was actually really difficult to eat that much today0 -
I've been lifting 2x/week but nothing really too heavy, just moderately heavy weights and a lot of reps. I guess my next step would be to add in some heavy lifting! I'm a huuuuge fan of the squat rack haha. I'm gonna try and up it to 6x/week and see if that produces results! Thank you ^__^
unless you are going to do different body parts each day, lifting 6x per week is a really bad idea... you need to rest in between workouts. a full body workout 3x per week is recommended
I would be focusing on separate body parts each day. I tend to only do legs on one day and arms on another because I absolutely hate chest, back, and shoulders haha0 -
I looked at your diary and can I just ask how you are determining your calorie burns? Cause yesterday you logged 1119 calories for exercise and that is A LOT. People have mentioned in other posts that mfp overestimates the exercise calories dramatically, so I just thought I put this out here.
other note I noticed all your food seems to be measured rather then weighed. Weighing is much more exact. Also I didn't notice any fruit and veggies logged. Do you just not eat them? Why?0 -
I looked at your diary and can I just ask how you are determining your calorie burns? Cause yesterday you logged 1119 calories for exercise and that is A LOT. People have mentioned in other posts that mfp overestimates the exercise calories dramatically, so I just thought I put this out here.
other note I noticed all your food seems to be measured rather then weighed. Weighing is much more exact. Also I didn't notice any fruit and veggies logged. Do you just not eat them? Why?
I do know that the calories burned are generally over estimated and I always mentally subtract at least 200 calories each time I log a turbo kick class, depending on my intensity for the day. When I run, I used the calories estimated on the treadmill itself, because it's always at least 50 calories less than what MFP said. And I do not own a food scale so I usually just use measuring cups if what I'm eating isn't packaged as one serving. And I love fruits and veggies! I have a lot of salad during the week, one at lunch and dinner almost daily, I just never really travel outside of that.0 -
You've gained 5 pounds! You're not struggling to consume enough calories!!0
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And I love fruits and veggies! I have a lot of salad during the week, one at lunch and dinner almost daily, I just never really travel outside of that.
I realise now that you buy a prepacked salads. The reason why I mentioned it is because some people don't log all their fruit and veggies (at least not those that would be free points under weight watchers).
If I were you I would invest in some kitchen scales, because I am a vegetarian and the difference between measuring veggies and fruit and weighing them amounted to 250 calories a day i.e. when I started I used to just measure and I consistently got about 1100 calories. Now that I am weighing stuff I eat the same and it comes to 1350 calories :-)0 -
You are overestimating your calorie burn and not measuring your food in a serious way.
Get a digital kitchen scale ASAP. Amazon has nice ones that fold up.
Get serious about measuring things and you'll get it done! You'll probably have to eat more than 1200 net a day, but since you are eating close to maintenance now it will feel like less.0 -
Thanks guys! I will definitely look into getting a scale. But the most troubling thing about this is that I've been working out more and eating the same that I did since I was losing weight those first three weeks but all of a sudden gained weight... I've been tossing and turning instead of sleeping for a week now trying to figure it out but I guess it just comes down to my calories burned!0
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Thanks guys! I will definitely look into getting a scale. But the most troubling thing about this is that I've been working out more and eating the same that I did since I was losing weight those first three weeks but all of a sudden gained weight... I've been tossing and turning instead of sleeping for a week now trying to figure it out but I guess it just comes down to my calories burned!
Yes those burns are very very high,
And if you aren't measuring food right, how do you know you are eating the same?
Scale. Do it.0 -
Thanks guys! I will definitely look into getting a scale. But the most troubling thing about this is that I've been working out more and eating the same that I did since I was losing weight those first three weeks but all of a sudden gained weight... I've been tossing and turning instead of sleeping for a week now trying to figure it out but I guess it just comes down to my calories burned!
Yes those burns are very very high,
And if you aren't measuring food right, how do you know you are eating the same?
Scale. Do it.
i've generally been eating the exact same meals, lean cuisine, salad, cereal. same measuring cups, etc. i have even taken away calories, like i generally eat a salad with my dinner but i've taken that away and started exercising for ten more minutes 3 times a week but all i've seen is weight gain... i have been honestly recording my food and all that good stuff but i guess a scale will be my saving grace! counting calories and dieting seems to be taking over my life haha0 -
Thanks guys! I will definitely look into getting a scale. But the most troubling thing about this is that I've been working out more and eating the same that I did since I was losing weight those first three weeks but all of a sudden gained weight... I've been tossing and turning instead of sleeping for a week now trying to figure it out but I guess it just comes down to my calories burned!
Yes those burns are very very high,
And if you aren't measuring food right, how do you know you are eating the same?
Scale. Do it.
i've generally been eating the exact same meals, lean cuisine, salad, cereal. same measuring cups, etc. i have even taken away calories, like i generally eat a salad with my dinner but i've taken that away and started exercising for ten more minutes 3 times a week but all i've seen is weight gain... i have been honestly recording my food and all that good stuff but i guess a scale will be my saving grace! counting calories and dieting seems to be taking over my life haha
Simplify!
And I don't know how you can eat lean cuisine.
It is fantastically easy to put your oven on a very low temp setting and cook a roast that way (it takes 6 or more hours but you don't have to check on it!). Or make a big pot of rice and freeze individual portions. Boom you have 80% of your food for the next week.
Trying to lose? Salad is great, but dressing is not your friend. Learn to love vinegar, and have some extra meat instead of that dressing. Protein is your friend.0 -
Thanks guys! I will definitely look into getting a scale. But the most troubling thing about this is that I've been working out more and eating the same that I did since I was losing weight those first three weeks but all of a sudden gained weight... I've been tossing and turning instead of sleeping for a week now trying to figure it out but I guess it just comes down to my calories burned!
Yes those burns are very very high,
And if you aren't measuring food right, how do you know you are eating the same?
Scale. Do it.
i've generally been eating the exact same meals, lean cuisine, salad, cereal. same measuring cups, etc. i have even taken away calories, like i generally eat a salad with my dinner but i've taken that away and started exercising for ten more minutes 3 times a week but all i've seen is weight gain... i have been honestly recording my food and all that good stuff but i guess a scale will be my saving grace! counting calories and dieting seems to be taking over my life haha
Simplify!
And I don't know how you can eat lean cuisine.
It is fantastically easy to put your oven on a very low temp setting and cook a roast that way (it takes 6 or more hours but you don't have to check on it!). Or make a big pot of rice and freeze individual portions. Boom you have 80% of your food for the next week.
Trying to lose? Salad is great, but dressing is not your friend. Learn to love vinegar, and have some extra meat instead of that dressing. Protein is your friend.
[/quote
ah thank you, i will put all of your advice! i'm trying to stop eating lean cuisine cause i know there's a ton of sodium and all those preservatives but i just am on a time crunch and limited budget haha. will try vinegar next time i have a salad! thank you again so much! you've been incredibly helpful!0 -
Trust me, cooking big pieces of meat at low temp works really well and takes very little effort. Almost the same as microwaving some lean cuisine.
You need:
Oven that will go to lower temps (sometimes you have to use the "keep warm" setting
A temperature probe (they are cheap)
A big pice of meat
I'm talking low temps. Like. If you see bubbles, it's way too hot.
Convert to Fahrenheit if you need to but:
beef at 60c
Pork at 65c
Turkey breast at 75c
Whole Chicken at 90c
When it is done, your beef will read 55c, pork 60c, fowl 65 c
YouTube: Heston blumenthal's videos for more precise info and ideas
For leaner stuff with no layer of fat to protect it, wrap it I in foil. Lots of ovens have delay timers on them, so you can throw it in when you leave rom work, and come home to a roast. Or, for beef and pork, throw it in when you go to bed and transfer to the fridge in the morning.
The pork, beef, and turkey breast are easier to track
For quick and dirty math, multiply the cooked weight by 1.2 to log it using the raw meat values.
The only thing stopping you from delicious and economical eating is imagination, determination, and information. You got this!0 -
i've generally been eating the exact same meals, lean cuisine, salad, cereal. same measuring cups, etc. i have even taken away calories, like i generally eat a salad with my dinner but i've taken that away and started exercising for ten more minutes 3 times a week but all i've seen is weight gain... i have been honestly recording my food and all that good stuff but i guess a scale will be my saving grace! counting calories and dieting seems to be taking over my life haha
that is one thing packaged (diet) food is good for it that it tells you exactly what's in it. Yes there are still variations (up to 20% apparently), but it's a bit more difficult with home cooked food. To transition from one to the other is however crucial for long term success, because ultimately you aren't going to live off lean cuisine for the rest of your life.
Good luck though and don't let it get you down :-)
PS.: I squeeze some lemon juice on my salads instead of vinegar0 -
I'm going to echo what has been said here already, I believe you are working out too much, your body needs some rest days to recover.
Your diet looks ok, fresh foods are equally nice and rather easy to cook. If you're just cooking for yourself, cook enough for 2 or 4 and put half in the freezer. It's going to taste much better plus you control the salt content. I did notice you typically don't go over any of the macros you are tracking but you did this week. Just one day of too much salt will cause your body to retain water. Also, make sure you are drinking plenty of water and getting enough fiber.
Take it one day at a time and allow yourself to have a few days off. I don't workout every day and I still have my treats and such. This is a lifelong journey and you need to be happy and this has to be sustainable.
God bless0 -
Trust me, cooking big pieces of meat at low temp works really well and takes very little effort. Almost the same as microwaving some lean cuisine.
You need:
Oven that will go to lower temps (sometimes you have to use the "keep warm" setting
A temperature probe (they are cheap)
A big pice of meat
I'm talking low temps. Like. If you see bubbles, it's way too hot.
Convert to Fahrenheit if you need to but:
beef at 60c
Pork at 65c
Turkey breast at 75c
Whole Chicken at 90c
When it is done, your beef will read 55c, pork 60c, fowl 65 c
YouTube: Heston blumenthal's videos for more precise info and ideas
For leaner stuff with no layer of fat to protect it, wrap it I in foil. Lots of ovens have delay timers on them, so you can throw it in when you leave rom work, and come home to a roast. Or, for beef and pork, throw it in when you go to bed and transfer to the fridge in the morning.
The pork, beef, and turkey breast are easier to track
For quick and dirty math, multiply the cooked weight by 1.2 to log it using the raw meat values.
The only thing stopping you from delicious and economical eating is imagination, determination, and information. You got this!
i will definitely try this! thank you so so much!0 -
i've generally been eating the exact same meals, lean cuisine, salad, cereal. same measuring cups, etc. i have even taken away calories, like i generally eat a salad with my dinner but i've taken that away and started exercising for ten more minutes 3 times a week but all i've seen is weight gain... i have been honestly recording my food and all that good stuff but i guess a scale will be my saving grace! counting calories and dieting seems to be taking over my life haha
that is one thing packaged (diet) food is good for it that it tells you exactly what's in it. Yes there are still variations (up to 20% apparently), but it's a bit more difficult with home cooked food. To transition from one to the other is however crucial for long term success, because ultimately you aren't going to live off lean cuisine for the rest of your life.
Good luck though and don't let it get you down :-)
PS.: I squeeze some lemon juice on my salads instead of vinegar
you make a great point that i won't be living off of lean cuisine for the rest of my life haha. thank you so much for all your help!0
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