Can't lose weight. Did I screw up my metabolism?

nastasyk
nastasyk Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I want to lose 5 kilos, but nothing I do works.
I have always eaten less than 1500 calories, I have never been a big eater. I weighed 65 kilos 2 years ago, and then i got depression and lost 13 kilos within 3 months because i barely ate. I weighed 52 kilos. I also started doing drugs on the weekend for a little while.

At the start of last year I got better, stopped taking drugs, and started weight training. I gained muscle - I now weigh 62 kilos. But the fat never went away, I just gained muscle with the fat still there, so i look bigger, and flabby not lean. No matter how much weight training I do the fat never goes away.

I eat roughly 1200 calories i physically cant eat any more. Is my metabolism screwed? Is it used to eating less than that so should I lower my intake? I am a waitress 40 hours a week so i do a lot of physical activity.

I know muscle weighs more than fat but even when I dont weight train and eat less, i still gain fat.

Replies

  • silenceinspace
    silenceinspace Posts: 142 Member
    I want to lose 5 kilos, but nothing I do works.
    I have always eaten less than 1500 calories, I have never been a big eater. I weighed 65 kilos 2 years ago, and then i got depression and lost 13 kilos within 3 months because i barely ate. I weighed 52 kilos. I also started doing drugs on the weekend for a little while.

    At the start of last year I got better, stopped taking drugs, and started weight training. I gained muscle - I now weigh 62 kilos. But the fat never went away, I just gained muscle with the fat still there, so i look bigger, and flabby not lean. No matter how much weight training I do the fat never goes away.

    I eat roughly 1200 calories i physically cant eat any more. Is my metabolism screwed? Is it used to eating less than that so should I lower my intake? I am a waitress 40 hours a week so i do a lot of physical activity.

    I know muscle weighs more than fat but even when I dont weight train and eat less, i still gain fat.

    There are a few possible suggestions here, I think:
    1. You're unintentionally eating more than 1200 calories and have no idea.
    2. Based on your activity level and age, you are eating far too few calories and your body is starved and holding onto every calorie it gets.
    3. Your body likes the weight it's at now and has settled there.
    4. The fat did go away and you're struggling with body image issues, or haven't adjusted to really see your changed self yet.

    I don't mean to be insulting by offering any of these suggestions, but I would be surprised if it wasn't one of them.

    EDIT: Have you figured out your BMR? You don't have to post it if you're not comfortable doing so, but again, you have a high activity level.
  • Mewcenary
    Mewcenary Posts: 66 Member
    You are eating just 1200 calories a day yet weight training? Plus a day job involving a lot of physical activity?

    You are not eating enough, or you are kidding yourself with your logging and in reality you eating more than you think.
  • florentinovillaro
    florentinovillaro Posts: 342 Member
    136.6 lbs
    BMR: 1366
    Intake: 1500 calories
    Deficit: +134 calories/day or +938/week
    Projected weekly GAIN: .27 lbs

    This does not take into account your exercise calories burned or other daily activity.

    Studies (not theory) have shown that the body will start to slow it's metabolism down starting at a 50% deficit or higher.

    For you, that's 683 or less calories daily.

    It's either your weight is not right, your calorie intake is more, or your exercise calories burned is less.

    Calories in, calories out.

    Constipation is another reason, and so is water retention. More fiber and water will fix that.

    IMO
  • nastasyk
    nastasyk Posts: 16 Member
    My BMR is 1468 according to the calculator. My bodyfat % last time it was measured was 18%.

    My job requires me to be on my feet for 40 hours a week. On top of that i weight train about 3 times a week. I dont do cardio maybe thats the problem.

    I have tried eating more before, and all it did was cause fat gain! I was eating healthy foods too so i dont know why.
  • seamonster1203
    seamonster1203 Posts: 118 Member
    cardio! bingo! mystery solved. Believe it or not, you can actually trick your mind to enjoy card after about 3 weeks or so. I don't know a single person who runs consistently, and has extra body fat. It's not just good for weight loss, its good for everything.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    My BMR is 1468 according to the calculator. My bodyfat % last time it was measured was 18%.

    My job requires me to be on my feet for 40 hours a week. On top of that i weight train about 3 times a week. I dont do cardio maybe thats the problem.

    I have tried eating more before, and all it did was cause fat gain! I was eating healthy foods too so i dont know why.
    Are you sure it was fat gain? Or was it the completely normal gain from having more food/waste in your system, and water retention from replenishing your glycogen stores?
  • nastasyk
    nastasyk Posts: 16 Member
    I am so bad at running how can i get started doing it?

    The most I do is 6 hill sprints or HIIT sprints after my workouts or some sledwork.

    I thought because i walk consistently at work 8 hours a day that would be enough cardio
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    cardio! bingo! mystery solved. Believe it or not, you can actually trick your mind to enjoy card after about 3 weeks or so. I don't know a single person who runs consistently, and has extra body fat. It's not just good for weight loss, its good for everything.
    Cardio is great for lots of things (cardiovascular fitness, general health, mental wellbeing etc), and I can't recommend it enough really, but it isn't the be-all and end-all of weight loss. In fact, it's not necessary to do any cardio to lose weight/fat. There are a lot of people around here who have had significant weight loss success with no cardio at all. A lot of serious runners actually find it hard to lose weight because running makes them hungry, and because cutting calories by too much interferes with their running. Doing too much cardio without eating enough to fuel it could actually lead to losing too much lean mass, which would make the situation even worse.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    My BMR is 1468 according to the calculator. My bodyfat % last time it was measured was 18%.

    My job requires me to be on my feet for 40 hours a week. On top of that i weight train about 3 times a week. I dont do cardio maybe thats the problem.

    I have tried eating more before, and all it did was cause fat gain! I was eating healthy foods too so i dont know why.

    18% bf for a woman is in the healthy range so you aren't fat but from your post I understand you might want to still lose some fat. Adding cardio isn't going to significantly change that.

    Track your food religiously. (Open up you diary) make sure you are getting enough protein and look into your weight training program to improve it.

    What do you do now?
  • jetlag
    jetlag Posts: 800 Member
    You don't need cardio to lose weight. I lose weight just walking 9000 steps a day.
  • nastasyk
    nastasyk Posts: 16 Member
    I walk about 10,000 steps a day at work.


    My training program is this :

    assisted chin ups 12x
    hamstring curl 12 x 28 kilo
    shoulder press 12 x 30kilo
    sled 1 lap with 20 kilo
    repeat 4x

    dumbell bench press 12 x 5kilo
    squats 12 x 30 kilos
    lat pulldown 12x 28kilo
    hill sprint on treadmill
    repeat 4x

    i do full body 3 times a week. this one is done once and the other 2 days is similar just different exercises.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    I walk about 10,000 steps a day at work.


    My training program is this :

    assisted chin ups 12x
    hamstring curl 12 x 28 kilo
    shoulder press 12 x 30kilo
    sled 1 lap with 20 kilo
    repeat 4x

    dumbell bench press 12 x 5kilo
    squats 12 x 30 kilos
    lat pulldown 12x 28kilo
    hill sprint on treadmill
    repeat 4x

    i do full body 3 times a week. this one is done once and the other 2 days is similar just different exercises.

    Is this a progressive program where you increase the weight or have you been doing this as a fixed program?
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    a 22 year old woman with 18% bf..really and you say you have lots of fat...hmmm yah no

    It is actually hard for a woman to gain significant muscle and out of the 22lbs you gained back it wasn't all muscle...esp if you aren't eating at a surplus of TDEE.

    As for eat 1200 calories are you sure? do you weigh your food?

    As for your program that is not going to lead to muscle gain either...the number of reps and the weight used means you are probably just building muscle endurance not strenght and if you are eating as little as you say definately not muscle.

    If you aren't losing weight you are probably eating more then you think...

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