Dieting and exercising for 18 months and not lost weight!

Ok so before I go any further I just want to point out that this is not for me it is for my mum.
I feel very bad for my mum because she has been so dedicated to losing weight, she has done all the right things like eating well and exercising but after 18 months she has not lost any weight at all and I really want to help her!
Let me tell you abit about her, she is 59 years old (Female obviously lol) 5ft 8inches and around 213 pounds which is clearly overweight!
She exercises 3 times a week doing cardio work but am quite sure she can not push her self any harder as her balance is not very good, but she does say that her heart rate really gets going during the exercise!
This is what her exercise consists of,
Day 1 - 30 mins cardio (treadmill, bike etc) followed by 30 mins lunges, planks burpees etc.
Day 2 - 45 mins crunches, kettle bells, lunges, planks etc
Day 3 - 30 mins pure cardio.
I have no idea how many calories she would burn doing these exercises but I would expect it to be relatively high given her weight!
Now for the diet. A general day would consist of 2 slices toast with margarine for breakfast, tomato soup with half slice bread for lunch and fresh chicken and rice for dinner, no snacks in between.
I work this out to be around 930 calories for a full day.
Now just by looking at all this information that I have put it does look like she may not be eating enough!
Please tell me your thoughts.

Many thanks
Dan
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Replies

  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    Well she is doing it wrong then

    Shes either eating more than she is saying or she is not actually exercising
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    She's eating more than she's Telling you. No matter what after 18 months if she'd been eating 900 calories a day she would have lost weight. She needs to be honest with herself and the amounts she is eating that is the only way she will lose weight. She needs to weigh and measure accurately to get an honest picture of her food consumption
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    It could be she's not eating enough, but I would expect even a temporary loss if she has really cut down on her food, how much has she actually lost? Is she eating veggies and fruit?

    It doesn't add up, could it be she isn't being totally honest with you?
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    Not eating enough

    She be secret eating is what
  • sandi117
    sandi117 Posts: 445 Member
    Ditto on the other replies. Either she's eating way more than she's telling you (or she's a sleep eater, but I doubt that) or she's not exercising. Even then, like you said 930 calories a day is not enough. She should have had some loss at that deficit, even if only temporary.

    Are you sure she's not eating more than this?
  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
    What about drinks you haven't mentioned these - does she drink fruit juice or soda/fizzy drinks, alcohol every night etc - all these contain extra calories
  • classicalguitar1
    classicalguitar1 Posts: 27 Member
    Ditto on the other replies. Either she's eating way more than she's telling you (or she's a sleep eater, but I doubt that) or she's not exercising. Even then, like you said 930 calories a day is not enough. She should have had some loss at that deficit, even if only temporary.

    Are you sure she's not eating more than this?

    Ok let me clear a few things up.
    She is definitely exercising and for the amount of time that I stated, the reason I know this is because she goes to the gym with her best friend who I also have regular contact with.
    As for the eating, I am confident that she is being honest with me (and herself) about her calorie consumption as she is really so determined to lose the weight, she would only be cheating herself otherwise and she knows that.
  • whyhelloheart
    whyhelloheart Posts: 82 Member
    The bottom line: She isn't being honest. If she was, she would have lost weight. That is a very intense calorie deficit and she would CONTINUOUSLY lose weight on that until she was basically dead. Truly.

    Sorry.
  • Abscominsoon
    Abscominsoon Posts: 13 Member
    Im sorry, but even if your mom is NOT exercising, which she says she is... If she sat around all day, and only consumed 950 calories for 18 months, she would have lost weight. You don't need exercise to lose weight, with that deficit alone, at the weight you say she is she would have definitly lost something. Sounds like you need to have a heart to heart with mum, and tell her she needs to be honest about her diet. If she claims she is, i'd suggest seeing a Dr.!
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    What she needs to do is make her own MFP account and start logging, buying a food scale is a must as well, HRM is also a good investment.
  • CharleePear
    CharleePear Posts: 1,948 Member
    Wow all these replies are rediculous. Personally, I don't lose weight with calories in calories out. I would point out that she is not eating enough and she is not getting enough protein and vegetables. I would get her to try lower her carb intake at least with the bread, if I eat bread I don't lose weight. Also has she gone to the doctor to rule out anything medical?
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Wow all these replies are rediculous. Personally, I don't lose weight with calories in calories out. I would point out that she is not eating enough and she is not getting enough protein and vegetables. I would get her to try lower her carb intake at least with the bread, if I eat bread I don't lose weight. Also has she gone to the doctor to rule out anything medical?
    So what you're saying is that if you eat 900 calories for 18 months with that exercise you wont lose any weight? Don't be silly
  • rb16fitness
    rb16fitness Posts: 236 Member
    Your mother was only eating circa 1000 cals for 18 months? Hmm, either she's on some medication or has a condition such as a thyroid problem that has slowed her metabolism to a crawl (in which case she should see her doc for advise) or she's eating more that she's disclosing to you.
    People eating at a deficit lose weight. It's the law.
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    I like lamp
  • CharleePear
    CharleePear Posts: 1,948 Member
    Wow all these replies are rediculous. Personally, I don't lose weight with calories in calories out. I would point out that she is not eating enough and she is not getting enough protein and vegetables. I would get her to try lower her carb intake at least with the bread, if I eat bread I don't lose weight. Also has she gone to the doctor to rule out anything medical?
    So what you're saying is that if you eat 900 calories for 18 months with that exercise you wont lose any weight? Don't be silly

    I ate in deficit for years and worked out, so yes I am saying that.
  • Jkowals123
    Jkowals123 Posts: 133 Member
    She may be retaining fluid! Has she tried
    Low carb or fruits and veggies for a week?
    This sometimes gets rid of fluid retention
    And then pounds come off.
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    Wow all these replies are rediculous. Personally, I don't lose weight with calories in calories out. I would point out that she is not eating enough and she is not getting enough protein and vegetables. I would get her to try lower her carb intake at least with the bread, if I eat bread I don't lose weight. Also has she gone to the doctor to rule out anything medical?
    So what you're saying is that if you eat 900 calories for 18 months with that exercise you wont lose any weight? Don't be silly

    I ate in deficit for years and worked out, so yes I am saying that.

    :huh: If calories in vs calories out doesn't apply to you, then why are you even counting calories for?
  • (or she's a sleep eater, but I doubt that)

    I'm a sleep eater :( Its called Nocturnal Sleep Eating Disorder and hell it makes losing weight hard! I have to lose at only 1/2 - 1 pound a week or I'm am binging through the night on anything I can get my hands on! I don't even enjoy it because I am totally unaware until I get up in the morning and see empty wrappers etc lying around the kitchen.

    Much amusement to my friends, but family realise how awful it is and how dangerous (can cut yourself with knives or even start a kitchen fire!)

    The OP will discover if she is because there will be evidence of it :) ie wrappers, crumbs, cutlery out, missing food, cut hands, feeling mega full to the point of sick in the mornings etc :)
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode

    Do some people do better with high protein low carbs? Sure. Do some people do better with the other way around? Also true.

    That said after 18mths if she was truly eating 900 cals she would have lost weight regardless of what she ate, because at her weight her body burns more just to stay alive. If she is exercising, it'll be even more.

    Is she drinking only water or black coffee? No milk, creamer, alcohol, soft drink? No secret ice cream at night? No treats? The reason why I am asking is that I would have sworn my mother-in-law only ate about 1000 cals (she is extremely sedentary though). However I started to seriously count her calories one day and it turns out the small coffee that she had each morning was a flavoured sachet that contained some 250 cals and also she'd have 2 large glasses of wine a night so that was about 500 cals there as well. So she didn't really need to eat a lot of food to get up to her maintenance of 1800 cals. You ask her though and she'll swear she only takes in very little and she really can't see where the weight is coming from.
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    Your mother was only eating circa 1000 cals for 18 months? Hmm, either she's on some medication or has a condition such as a thyroid problem that has slowed her metabolism to a crawl (in which case she should see her doc for advise) or she's eating more that she's disclosing to you.
    People eating at a deficit lose weight. It's the law.

    This! And if she is being honest with herself and you and if she doesn't have a diagnosed condition and If she hasn't been to the doctor lately and if she isn't on medication, then she needs to go to find out what is wrong.
  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
    First, that level of exercise won't burn massive amounts of calories. I'm 5' 6" and 220lbs (so a fair bit more overweight than your Mum). I train using a HRM and 30mins of cardio with an average heart rate of around 145 will burn approx 320 cals for me going pretty hard (I run 5k in around 34mins). Weights are harder to track but I estimate around 170 for a 30min session lifting as heavy as I can for 10reps & 3 sets of each exercise.

    Second, is she weighing the rice, chicken & measuring margarine?

    100g of uncooked rice is 350 cals
    1 chicken breast with skin removed is approx 250 cals
    2.5 slices of bread (depending on slice thickness) 230 cals
    1 can of Tom soup approx 236 cals (dependent on brand & volume eaten)
    10g of margarine per slice of bread (2 slices) 130 cals

    So that's a total of approx 1200 cals, which becomes more if she has milk in drinks, has 1 slice of bread at lunch and puts marg on it. If she weere to have 1 chocolate that'd be 40+ cals etc. Uses oil on the chicken to cook it - another 60+ cals. All the tiny bits add up quickly.

    My guess is you're both over estimating exercise burn and under estimating calories eaten. Get her to weigh & measure absolutely everything, buy her a heart rate monitor for Xmas so she can track cardio exercise more easily and I bet in the new year she'll see the scales start to move.
  • Now for the diet. A general day would consist of 2 slices toast with margarine for breakfast, tomato soup with half slice bread for lunch and fresh chicken and rice for dinner, no snacks in between.
    I work this out to be around 930 calories for a full day.

    Okay I don't think she's eating enough therefore her body is going into starvation mode.

    In my low carb diet at the moment which has already helped me shift weight, she's eating too many carbs - 2x bread, marg, rice. Also is the tomato soup homemade?

    She can be eating loads more calories if she starts eating less carbs but more protein. I'm currently working to 1200cals/day (less than 100g carbs), feel free to add me if you want to nosey at my diary.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    either she eats when no one is around or she has a medical condition.
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    Ok so before I go any further I just want to point out that this is not for me it is for my mum.
    I feel very bad for my mum because she has been so dedicated to losing weight, she has done all the right things like eating well and exercising but after 18 months she has not lost any weight at all and I really want to help her!
    Let me tell you abit about her, she is 59 years old (Female obviously lol) 5ft 8inches and around 213 pounds which is clearly overweight!
    She exercises 3 times a week doing cardio work but am quite sure she can not push her self any harder as her balance is not very good, but she does say that her heart rate really gets going during the exercise!
    This is what her exercise consists of,
    Day 1 - 30 mins cardio (treadmill, bike etc) followed by 30 mins lunges, planks burpees etc.
    Day 2 - 45 mins crunches, kettle bells, lunges, planks etc
    Day 3 - 30 mins pure cardio.
    I have no idea how many calories she would burn doing these exercises but I would expect it to be relatively high given her weight!
    Now for the diet. A general day would consist of 2 slices toast with margarine for breakfast, tomato soup with half slice bread for lunch and fresh chicken and rice for dinner, no snacks in between.
    I work this out to be around 930 calories for a full day.
    Now just by looking at all this information that I have put it does look like she may not be eating enough!
    Please tell me your thoughts.

    Many thanks
    Dan

    Mums lie, trust me, shes eating more and just doesn't want to feel like she is letting her kid down.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    Wow all these replies are rediculous. Personally, I don't lose weight with calories in calories out. I would point out that she is not eating enough and she is not getting enough protein and vegetables. I would get her to try lower her carb intake at least with the bread, if I eat bread I don't lose weight. Also has she gone to the doctor to rule out anything medical?
    So what you're saying is that if you eat 900 calories for 18 months with that exercise you wont lose any weight? Don't be silly

    I ate in deficit for years and worked out, so yes I am saying that.

    Calories in, calories out works for everyone; physics isn't wrong. The problems almost always lies in the math. If you aren't losing weight over the long term, you are either taking in more than you think or you are burning less than you think. This is a universal truth. You can't argue with math.
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  • emilyisbonkers
    emilyisbonkers Posts: 373 Member
    she might be eating different stuff, or more than you tihnk
  • she needs to cut out the bread.. and eat atleast 5 smaller and HEALTHIER meals a day!
    NO BREADS, PASTRIES, REFINED CARBS, WHITE RICE - EAT A BIG BREAKFAST, MEDIUM LUNCH AND SMALL DINNER AND EAT DINNER BEFORE 5. ANYTHING AND EVERTHING AFTER THAT WILL TURN TO FAT. eat more protein, lean meat, eggs, veg, plain yogurt etc.. whole wheat rice rather than white rice. rye bread is she must have bread. small changes - HUGE DIFFERENCE. really make your dinner the smallest meal of the day.. and just enough to not be hungry. fill it up with water / tea.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    My mom has lost 26 pounds since July purely from my healthy eating habits rubbing off on her. She has lost more than I have, wtf? Lol, I am proud of her. Is it possible that your mother has some type of medical condition? She may want to consider looking into that.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    she needs to cut out the bread.. and eat atleast 5 smaller and HEALTHIER meals a day!
    NO BREADS, PASTRIES, REFINED CARBS, WHITE RICE - EAT A BIG BREAKFAST, MEDIUM LUNCH AND SMALL DINNER AND EAT DINNER BEFORE 5. ANYTHING AND EVERTHING AFTER THAT WILL TURN TO FAT. eat more protein, lean meat, eggs, veg, plain yogurt etc.. whole wheat rice rather than white rice. rye bread is she must have bread. small changes - HUGE DIFFERENCE. really make your dinner the smallest meal of the day.. and just enough to not be hungry. fill it up with water / tea.

    what!?