Starting to get very frustrated..help please!

cats01
cats01 Posts: 5 Member
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
I’m at a bit of a loss, maybe some of you can help me…

I’ve always been very conscious of what I eat, I have always eaten healthy, homecooked meals, never junk food and I have always exercised a little, mostly walking the dog, gym class and swimming in school, then I joined a gym in my late 20’s.

Over the past 2 years I’ve put on around 1 ½ stone (roughly 23lbs) even though I was watching what I ate and what I drank… I couldn’t really understand why as in my head I figured on average I was eating roughly 1600 calories a day… and exercising 3-4 times a week.

I found mfp about 2 months ago and thought great, maybe I’ve been doing something wrong and this will help me sort me out and get rid of the 1 ½ stone (23 lbs) that has crept on….

Well I’ve now been doing this religiously for 7 weeks (45 days or so) eating 1350 calories a day and exercising 6 days a week (on some of those days it’s a 40 minute walk in my lunch break at the weekend it’s a hike up the mountains or a cycle ride) and I’ve lost 1.7lbs (my ticker shows 5 lbs as I put my weight in wrongly to start off with).

I’m at a loss to what I’m doing wrong, what I think is that for some reason my body must only need roughly 1400 calories per day to maintain… but this seems ridiculous…!!!

I understand food, I understand exercise and none of it adds up, I’m just getting very frustrated….

Any help/or thoughts would be great…


Thanks a million

Cats:smile:

Replies

  • soze
    soze Posts: 604 Member
    Hang in there, if you are eating right and exercising right it will come off. I've known people to be stuck at 1 particular weight for a month and then just drop 9 lbs in a week.
  • joleanrook
    joleanrook Posts: 117
    IF everything you're charting is accurate there is no reason you shouldn't be losing weight as MFP calculates based on what you could eat without even exercising and lose weight, i.e. BMR vs consumption.

    That being said, if you've truly been at it 7 weeks and lost less than 2 lbs I would suggest you visit your primary care physician.
    You might want him to run a thyroid panel to check for hypothyroidism and maybe check your hormone levels for any signs of PCOS or other imbalance. There are a few other causes / diseases that can cause weight gain or prevent the natural loss of excessive weight, and your doctor will be able to rule those out with simple blood tests.

    In the mean time, KEEP AT IT, even if there is an underlying condition that's no reason to give up.

    I hope that helps, please let us know how it goes if you decide to go.
  • Pinky_Calhoun
    Pinky_Calhoun Posts: 125 Member
    Hope this helps! We've all been there!

    5 Ways to Break a Weight Loss Plateau
    By Jim F. 
    If you've ever tried to lose fat for any sustained period of time - you may have hit a plateau. You have changed nothing, but suddenly the fat no longer disappears. The human body is incredibly adaptive, and will do its level best to maintain equilibrium (homeostasis).

    The plateauing effect has to be the biggest motivation-killer there is. Unfortunately many popular diet books are strangely quiet on the issue -- I guess the concept doesn't sell well.

    The best single word of advice is to make a change. Don't make the mistake of doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result (Ben Franklin's definition of insanity).

    What changes can you make?

    1. Zig-zagging, or calorie cycling is the process of varying daily calorie intake, while maintaining the same weekly intake. Instead of consuming (for example) precisely 1800 calories each day - you can mix it up. Eat 1500 calories one day, and 2100 calories the next. This can be as simple as halving then doubling a portion size, or adding a post-workout shake into the plan. Just keep your body guessing. Further: Zig-zag calculator.

    2. Strength Training
    If you are not doing this as part of your program or lifestyle, then it's time to start. Working your muscles will help to strengthen bone tissue, increase lean mass, and ultimately boost metabolic rate.

    3. Change Your Exercise Routine
    So you go walking a lot? Then try jogging, or swimming, or cycling -- anything that will change the way your body is working. If you are doing low intensity cardio work, then try some high intensity exercise (such as HIIT). Need help? Check out these exercise ideas.

    4. Alter Macro-nutrient Intake
    Although it sounds complicated, once again, the idea is to change what you are eating. If (for example) you are eating a moderate diet that is higher in carbs - try eating less carbs and more protein. There is no need to get super-technical over the whole thing. If you have a carbohydrate snack every day at morning tea time - change it to a protein snack. Whatever you are doing consistently - try mixing it up a bit. However if you want to get technical, use a nutrient calculator.

    5. Change Meal Frequency
    If you are eating three square meals a day - start adding snacks in between (which may mean reducing the portion size of the main meals). Eating often is an old and common style of eating - once again, you are trying to boost your metabolic rate.

    I know all that - What else is there?
    Some of us seem to have more adaptive bodies than others. I remember when I was eating a fairly rigid diet, having three strength training sessions per week, and as much as seven (often intense) cardio sessions a week. After 3-4 weeks - the fat simply stopped coming off. The frustration was enough to make me take my meal plans (stuck to the fridge), screw them up and throw them away in disgust. I was furious and disappointed. I felt that I was doing everything "right". So what was the answer?

    Chill out and back off... I was becoming obsessional. I started eating more, and gradually reduced my cardio levels. I gave my body and mind a break. In the process I have learnt to eat more intuitively. Every person is unique, and we must learn how our individual body responds - and how to work with that.
  • fitgirl4life
    fitgirl4life Posts: 111 Member
    I agree with pinky_calhoun. I was stuck at the same weight for nearly a month. Here's what worked for me:

    1. I upped my calorie allowance to "maintenance" level for one week and then dropped back down to "0.5 lbs/week" after.

    2. I added 2 days/week of strength training, one day lower body (squats/lunges/dead lifts/abs), one day upper body (chest press/lat pulldown/shoulder press/biceps/triceps). I used the heaviest weight I could manage. There are many websites that will show you the correct technique for lifting, or you can get help at the gym.

    Good luck!
  • Fatoshie
    Fatoshie Posts: 47 Member
    I've heard of people not losing a tiny bit for a long time and then suddenly losing weight all of a sudden so maybe thats whats goingto happen to you. i agree with the suggestion that says change your exercise system. when you continue doing the same amount of food and same amount of exercise your metabolizm gets used to it, it needs a change so its something that your body didnt expect and it will start burning. Also when you are watching your calories table, do you also pay attention to carbs, sodium and sugar? I think you need to pay close attention to those too. for some reason I cant drop my sugar intake :P
  • cats01
    cats01 Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks a million for all your reply's, really useful. I might try to start swimming next week, and I started jogging and strength training again last week so maybe I'll see a change next week... fingers crossed. I'll try and reduce the carbs a bit too and increase the protein...can't hurt...

    Sure, I'll keep on going and I won't give up... at least I'm not putting weight on anymore which is a bonus...!!!

    Thanks again everyone, really appreciate your reply's.
  • geicko
    geicko Posts: 151
    I’m at a loss to what I’m doing wrong, what I think is that for some reason my body must only need roughly 1400 calories per day to maintain… but this seems ridiculous…!!!

    How tall are you ? I'm 5'5'' and have a desk job which puts my maintenance around 1450 calories a day. Of course I exercise cause I prefer to have 1800-2000 calories available to chew on or drink along ;) but unless you're tall or have a very demanding physical job, 1400 might actually be what you need to maintain even though that seems so low.

    Slow and steady will get you there !
  • SharonsJetSet
    SharonsJetSet Posts: 159
    I agree with all the responses, the only things I'd add is to make sure you're drinking LOTS of water and if your calories are at 1350 and you're exercising - make sure you eat your exercised calories or at least some of them. If you go below 1000 calories, your body might go into starvation mode and not burn anything.
  • goldilocks007
    goldilocks007 Posts: 107
    There is a lot of great advice on the board so far I won't repeat. I would recommend going to your doctor and be checked for hormone imbalances (glucose, PCOS and thyroid for example). It seems you put weight on over the past 2 years despite healthy eating and excerise. It is possible this is the way your metabolism is naturally changing, but to be safe, check to make sure there are no other causes that are impairing your hormones
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
    I would guess you're in starvation mode. Listen to what Pinky posted. Number 1 thing is to eat more and zig zag. Your body got used to the 1350 everyday and now doesn't have to work so hard to process it.
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