Struggling with weightloss

abthomason09
abthomason09 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I don't post often, but I do keep track of what I eat. Every morning, for breakfast I have a coffee-grande, with 4 splenda and lots of lowfat cream, an oatmeal with brown sugar from starbucks and a banana. For lunch, I try to stick with just chicken, black beans and salsa from Chipotle. For dinner, I either skip, or I will have a chicken breast. I CANNOT LOSE WEIGHT. I have been at this since January, and I just cannot lose weight. I have had blood work done because I was so discouraged, to see if it was my thyroid, but it is now. I work out 3-4 days a week doing cardio. What am I doing wrong? Can someone give me some advice on what I should change, what I should eat, to see a weight loss? I have yet to get under 180lbs., and I am SO DISCOURAGED. Any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • Kitship
    Kitship Posts: 579 Member
    How tall are you? Are you male or female?

    You say "lots" of lowfat cream. Do you measure exactly how much cream? If not, you should start. Measure/weigh everything you put into your mouth!

    Good luck!
  • jdb3388
    jdb3388 Posts: 239 Member
    Have you cut out all drinks other than water? Many people forget to add the calories in what they drink. Even things that aren't soda have calories, like juices and sport drinks and such. You need to find your BMR, I prefer to use BMI-calculator.net. Go to BMR calculator, find your BMR, use the Harris Benedict Formula to determine how many calories you expend each day, and cut your calories according to how quickly you would like to lose the weight.
  • abthomason09
    abthomason09 Posts: 4
    candicelavon, I put 4 oz of cream in my coffee. I am a female, 5'4".

    jdb, I only drink water throughout the day, and I have my coffee in the morning. I cut out soda/soft drinks years ago. Strictly water and 1 grande coffee in the morning. I will look for my BMR...I generally try to stay under 1500 calories per day.
  • abthomason09
    abthomason09 Posts: 4
    ok, jdb, I went to that website, and here is what I found: BMI: 30-34.99, and my BMR is 2202.475 (after the calculation). So, I am trying to eat between 1200-1500 calories per day, but still maintaining. According this this, I should be losing. WTH am I doing wrong? Its just so frustrating....:sad:
  • jhenn21
    jhenn21 Posts: 2
    One issue might be the fact that you are skipping dinner or only eating a chicken breast. While you don't need to eat a ton of food for dinner, it is critical to eat and not just a chicken breast. I would start there.
  • Polarpaly05
    Polarpaly05 Posts: 74 Member
    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Would you be comfortable opening your diary for us? It really can help to have another pair of eyes look over your food log. You can do this by going to Settings at the top of the page, and then Diary Settings, choose Public, and Save Changes.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
    It looks like a lot of carbs to me, and it's possible that you may have a greater sensitivity to carbs than the average person if you're calorically low but not seeing a difference (for example, insulin resistance). So, you may benefit from a diet that is lower in carbs, moderate in protein and higher in fat. Overall, this is what I'd suggest:

    (1) log and measure everything to make sure that you're truly eating the calories that you think you're eating. When you rely on fast food/restaurants, it really can be all over the place. So, it's possible that you're eating a lot more than you think you are.

    (2) figure out your TDEE. Many people over estimate their expenditure and they're not really burning that many calories and so they aren't in the deficit that they think they are

    (3) Make sure you're getting sufficient protein. That will help you maintain lean body mass (i.e. muscle) or minimize its loss when in a caloric deficit. There is some debate on what that amount is, but I use 0.7 g per lb body weight.

    (4) Lift heavy -- like sufficient protein, this will also help you maintain/minimize loss of lean body mass. 3x5 (i.e. Starting Strength) and Stronglifts are examples. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    (5) Add weekly or twice weekly sprints into your routine -- this is a great fat burning exercise. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par46.htm

    (6) If you're really confident in your food and calorie burn tracking and not seeing results, time to go back to the doctor to see if there is another wrench in the system that's preventing the weight/fat loss. It sounds like you were checked for thyroid already, but there are other things out there like insulin resistance, PCOS, severe vitamin deficiencies, etc. Do you have any other symptoms other than the inability to lose weight? Fatigue, super dry skin, strong carb cravings, constipation, etc.?

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