can't lose weight

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If this was anyone else I'd say you must be cheating. I'm forty and weigh 215lbs, male, work 12hr night shifts, bf% is either 25% or 33% depends on which scale I use, and a 40 inch waist, around 5' 11. I've been eating low carb clean for weeks, actually measuring and monitoring calories and weight, plus one cheat meal a week and lifting weights three times a week. Typical day, breakfast three boiled eggs around 8am when I get in from work, gym, lunch a salad with olives, leaves, pickled beetroot and either salmon, steak, our chicken breast, dinners the same, snacks 2 oranges and maybe a handful of monkey nuts. No bread, no soda, no potatoes, no pasta, no chocolate or sweets or crisps. 2 litres of squash with no added sugar, 2 cups of green tea with lemon no sweetener and about 4/5 cups of normal tea no sugar. When I cheat I keep a count of calories and so far I'm below a target of 1800 daily, I've stopped using dressings other than balsamic vinegar and stopped using honey in my green teas, my weight lifting is light due to a shoulder injury and I'm upping my cardio to twice a week. I've weighed the same since new year and an at my wits end, what am I doing wrong. I swear that there's no late night snacks, no sneaking the odd chip of the kids plate, just what you see above. My personal belief is that I'm not sleeping enough and there's a hormonal reason but I need some help, things aren't changing and that's the definition of madness, any help, idea's or criticism greatly appreciated. Feel free to not believe me because I wouldn't.

Replies

  • jdad1
    jdad1 Posts: 1,899 Member
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    Dedication, hard work and time.


    Be patient and keep at it. Don't keep giving up and quiting MFP. Stay the course. Have more good days then bad.
  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
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    Agree with above comment - takes patience. I found my body seemed to take a bit of time to 'get in the groove' of losing. You didn't say (or I missed it) how long you've been trying. This is about the path to better health - not about what a set of scales say. Keep at it, weigh/measure everything, eat at a deficit and exercise - if you're doing that (looks like you are) it has to work. Ignore the scales and go by how you feel - I reiterate - it can take time!:smile:

    ETA - I meant 'eat at a sensible deficit'
  • Wilhellmina
    Wilhellmina Posts: 757 Member
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    I couldn't lose weight either, so feel your pain. What ever I tried nothing worked, but I discovered it are underlying health issues why I can't. I have been listening to webinars ad pod casts about thyroid issues and leaky gut syndrome. It helped me a lot. So maybe you should check in your health as well, maybe there is something going on which makes it impossible for you to lose weight.
  • feedmedonuts
    feedmedonuts Posts: 241 Member
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    I work 12hr night shifts too. I totally believe it! Let alone mine is a desk job which does not help. I'm impressed you work out after work! Aside from days off, if it doesn't happen for me before work or if I am ever so lucky and get to sneak out for fit time during work, it's not happening at all :P

    Wilhellmina makes a good point. Aside from the struggles of shift work/excuse making there was more to it for me. I went to the doc for several issues to include my 20lb sudden weight gain that I could not rid myself of. Come to find out I'm hypothyroid and am being treated for that now. Mind you I still haven't lost the 20lbs which I've read complaints the meds don't always help with that, but honestly my diet needs a little sprucing up so might just be me ;) If you are doing everything in your power and still not seeing changes after giving it a little time, perhaps a visit to the doc is in order to rule that out or get some answers.

    Seriously though from what you've stated you're on the right track. Don't give up!
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    This takes time. Your diary isn't open so can't check your logging for accuracy. Do you pick recipes made by other MFP members, do you verify the nutritional information on the items you select.

    Also, why cut out bread, pasta, etc??? You are making this much harder on yourself than it needs to be.

    Also I would change your mental attitude... if you believe you can't do something than you are usually correct. Believe in yourself, You can do this.

    Patience, accurate logging, complete honesty with yourself.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=accurate+logging+step


    Good luck
  • fknlardarse
    fknlardarse Posts: 210 Member
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    You mention a handful of monkey nuts, do you weigh them? I was shocked when I decided to have a 'small handful of nuts' I weighed out 40g and it was TINY and they came in at over 200cals (I think) but my point being without the scales I would have had twice as many and then been 200cal over! It's so easy to think your portions are right yet end up have several hundred calories over. Are you counting oranges etc? It all adds up.
    I would spend a day weighing absolutely everything and see if you are logging as accurately as you think.
  • razorblade73
    razorblade73 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thanks for the support and info guys. I've had a little success and would like to update you all. I have been on again off again since the new year, going low carb hence the lack of bread pasta etc, I feel like I may have an intolerance to wheat and keeping free of it I've had no more attacks of indigestion and heartburn, plus I don't have the slow fog and tiredness feel that seemed to follow me all day long. I put in extra effort before writing here to ask for because I felt like I was doing everything I could and nothing was working. Since Saturday I've added a 6 story building staircase walk 4 times a day, and added accupedo step counter to get above 10000 steps a day. I've cut breakfast from 3 to 2 eggs every other day and have one medium-large meal mid afternoon with a couple of oranges for snacks in the late afternoon/evening, I've upped my water intake to 4+ litres a day and increased the intensity of my weight training...... 3lbs loss on the scale Tuesday am. First loss all year and by george I've had to work for it. I do not believe that the food is sustainable but I'm sure a maintenance level is what I was eating and my BMR is just low. Also a half inch on my waist dropped so a move in the right direction.
    I do have a question though. Any other night shift workers or three shift workers going through a similar thing, when do you eat and when do you sleep, does one affect the other. Reason is I feel better now and more awake than I have for ages but I'm literally starving myself.
  • negator5543
    negator5543 Posts: 36
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    You should start logging EVERYTHING you put in your mouth...your daily calorie intake is probably more than you think. Logging on cheat days only doesn't make any logical sense, if you're "cheating" all week and only maintaining a Defecit twice a week you're probably going to gain weight.

    Weigh and measure everything and see how many calories you are actually consuming, they all add up.
  • razorblade73
    razorblade73 Posts: 4 Member
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    1 month since last post and ring not a lot has changed. Eating lower and lower carbs drinking 6 litres of water. Doing weights 5 x a week cycling 45 miles per week and now I've gone to a weight loss clinic. Measured at 15st 30% body fat, questioned my eating habits told me to avoid bread lol, haven't had a slice in 6 Months told me to eat more protein. That's all I eat. Then prescribed me phentermine! To help reduce my appetite, seriously! I'm measuring everything and the fat is not coming off, or it's glacially slow. Still stick with it and we'll see. 4 more weeks then I'm going to my GP to get tested. Feeling more motivated than ever before and hoping I stumble upon something that works
  • errorist
    errorist Posts: 142 Member
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    You say that you don't think you sleep enough - this is probably the case. Have you tried to change this? I notice that you're working out after work. Could you try swapping things around, eating a light meal after you get in (or nothing at all, having eaten enough separate meals while working) and then just go straight to bed. Get up and then work out before work? I would have zero energy doing things that way round, personally...