Not losing weight

AlwaysNevermind · May 2014

Hi all. I'm looking for some assistance about losing weight, only a few pounds.
I'm 21, 5'7", used to weigh around 136, but last two years I have piled on about 2 stone and can't lose it. My current weight is around 160 and I just wanna lose 20lbs or so.

I've calculated my TDEE at 1800 and BMR at 1500 (Scooby). I net around 1200/1300. If I eat ~more than this I find myself gaining.
I don't exercise more than going to the shops/household activities/a few squats and sit ups. I can't do regular exercise due to health issues. I'm vegan so there's a limit to how 'bad' the food I eat is; at least 4 portions of fruit/veg daily, no dairy, no starchy carbs. My sugar levels are quite high but I wouldn't think high enough to outweigh such a deficit.

But I'm not losing weight- nothing.

I have M.E. and I'm on several medications. I can't afford to go to a nutritionist or see those sorts of people who know stuff and I am desperate for help/advice.
Would it be worth investing in something like Ali? Does the key lie in exercise alone even though I'm eating a deficit?
Help

diannethegeek · May 2014

Would you be comfortable opening your diary for us to take a look?

The first thing I always suggest is to make sure you're working with accurate numbers. Are you logging everything? Including veggies, condiments, cooking oils, etc? Are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or eyeballing your portion sizes? Are you eating back any of your burned exercise calories? If so, what kind of activity are you doing and how are you estimating your burn (MFP estimates, gym machines, fitbit, HRM, etc)?

AlwaysNevermind · May 2014

Yeah sure *does so* I log EVERYTHING. Well, with the exception of maybe 200ml of soya light milk per day but that's barely 50 calories. Just looked at my diary archive. I may not log things after 8pm but I make a personal note. Definitely not above 1500/day.

nosebag1212 · May 2014

You aren't eating 1200-1300 cals, period. No 160 lb human on earth will maintain their weight on that 1200 calories, you are not a unique snowflake, that is even less than your bmr let alone tdee, you simply aren't measuring your calories accurately enough, the only reason you wouldn't lose on 1200 cals is if you have a thryoid issue in which case you need to see a doctor.

AlwaysNevermind · May 2014

That was the point of this post; I wanted to double check. I know I am not eating more than what I log. Best get a blood test.

AliceDark · May 2014

I took a quick peek through your diary, and I'm going to bring up your macro balance. You are consistently pretty low on protein and, some days, you only have 8g or 14g of protein logged. Everyone has a different macro balance their body prefers, and you may need more. I'm bringing this up because of my own personal experience -- when I went vegan and wasn't getting enough protein, I had major issues with inflammation and water retention, and couldn't lose weight no matter what I did. I'm absolutely not telling you to eat meat -- I don't, and I'm donig much better, but I had to drastically increase my protein intake. Everyone has a different macro balance that their body prefers, and it takes some experimenting to see what works best for you. Adding some beans/brown rice, or nuts, or other vegan protein sources other than soy could help.

Side note: they have vegan Starburst where you live? I'm jealous! The U.S. formulation includes gelatin

thesaraaah · May 2014

Are talking about Alli, the weight loss pill? If you are eating an already low fat diet I'd just save the money. All it does is make you poo out the extra oil from meals that contain more than 15 (or around 15 not completely sure) grams of fat, thus blocking that extra fat from meals from being stored on the body. I've heard some people have accidents from oil leakage that's hard to control. If you are logging everything and measuring and weighing foods then you shouldn't need any pills to lose weight.

You said you make a personal note of what you eat after 8, you need to log EVERYTHING.

diannethegeek · May 2014

I'm going to repeat some of my questions.

Are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or eyeballing portion sizes? It makes a difference: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1270280-food-weighing-scale-miracles

How are you measuring your calorie burns? If you're using MFP or gym machine estimates they may be overblown. If you're not burning as much as you think then you may be eating too much.

I agree with AliceDark that your protein is very low. I know that your protein sources are limited as a vegan, but try to bring that number up. MFP's protein goal is set too low, anyway, and you're not even meeting that.

Faye_Anderson · May 2014

Just from looking through the past few days I can see that you're either not logging consistently or are eating sometimes 800 calories per day. If you're not losing weight I'd go with inconsistent logging. How long have you stayed at the same weight?

liekewheeless · May 2014

Have you spoken to your doctor about wanting to lose weight?

I had to look up M.E. but with any medical condition that influences so much it could be hindering your weight loss, any medications could also be hindering.

You may need a special diet and only someone who is familiar with M.E. can help you with that.

Faye_Anderson · May 2014

I know that your protein sources are limited as a vegan

Not true, it's quite easy to reach reasonable protein goals as a vegan. OP try to add nut butter, quinoa, spinach, tofu, lentils, beans and tempeh to your diet

diannethegeek · May 2014

I know that your protein sources are limited as a vegan

Not true, it's quite easy to reach reasonable protein goals as a vegan. OP try to add nut butter, quinoa, spinach, tofu, lentils, beans and tempeh to your diet

Yes, there are lots of vegan proteins available, but there are fewer options than there are for us omnivores. That's all I meant by limited.

stephe1987 · May 2014

I would try to hit my macro goals. Accurate measuring is important, but it's also important to not consume fewer than 1200 calories (possibly slightly higher) per day or you risk going into starvation mode.

As for exercise, maybe go for short walks or swim slowly so it's not too much of a strain. Slowly add more over time. I don't know what your level of pain is so I can't really suggest anything. You'd have to talk with a doctor about that.

clairejoknee · May 2014

I have M.E too. I am 7 pounds down, current weight 160, height 176cm. My bmr is 1500. It has taken me 12 weeks to loose those pounds. Lots of trial and error. I aim to eat my bmr and net an average of 1400 a day. I had six weeks or more of no losses in the middle of this journey and it took 4 weeks for the first loss to show. I would say be careful of going too low, we need the fuel for energy. Also I swear our metabolisms are also chronically fatigued and we shouldn't compare ourselves to those without the condition. So be careful not to eat too low and be very very patient. Good luck.

AlwaysNevermind · May 2014

Thanks everyone for your comments

I log consistently in my little book to log ~everything~, cuz sometimes it gets to the end of the day and I don't want to log on to MFP. That's why my numbers on here are a bit squiffy some days. But I weigh everything by the gram/portion size. That's why I'm so desperate for help because I thought I was doing everything okay.
I use MFP to calcualte exercise calories but I always under estimate just in case. As it's getting warmer I'm trying to walk about a mile a day, which I know isn't much but it's better than nothing. I hope that helps too.

Yes, the protein is a big thing I'm trying to change. Do you think that will make a big difference?
On that note, I shall have kidney beans and quorn mince for lunch

Not losing weight

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