Not seeing results...not sure why

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carly0287
carly0287 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

So I don't know if my body works differently or what, but I literally do not see results of any kind no matter how much "work" I put in. I'm a 5'10" female, 27 y/o, and weigh approx. 155 lbs. I want to lose 10-15. I'm currently sticking to a 1200-1300 daily caloric intake diet, which seems to only help me maintain my weight. If I go over this calorie amount at all, I gain weight...and FAST. For instance, this past week, I shed 4-5 lbs by sticking to my diet. I went out to eat twice this weekend, and weighed myself this morning...FOUR of those pounds are back. It's so frustrating! I don't feel like I ate super unhealthy. I ordered salads, lean meats, and lots of veggies. It's just very frustrating to have to "starve" myself to see any weight falling off, and then gaining it all back when I live a semi-normal life and eat what all of my friends/family are eating! Anybody struggling with similar problems!? Tips!? Advice!? I'm starting to feel like it's not worth it.

Carly
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Replies

  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    You can get morbidly obese by just eating salads.

    Its not what you eat, its how much of it.

    I can easily go out to eat and get a 2000 calorie salad.

    Weigh your food and track your calories.

    Its the only way.
  • ssl0905
    ssl0905 Posts: 57 Member
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    I have the same problem, it's so frustrating!!
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    You can get morbidly obese by just eating salads.

    Its not what you eat, its how much of it.

    I can easily go out to eat and get a 2000 calorie salad.

    Weigh your food and track your calories.

    Its the only way.
    on top of this, realize that most of that 4 lbs gain is water weight. its not uncommon for me to gain 5+ lbs from one night of drinking, but its all gone within a few days
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    I have the same problem, it's so frustrating!!

    Then do something about it!
  • carly0287
    carly0287 Posts: 4
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    I understand that. I feel like I'm pretty careful about how much of it I'm eating, and how nutritious it is for me. I do everything right it seems...ordering the dressing on the side...only using half of it, portion control, etc. It just feels like it shouldn't take THIS much effort. I have friends who all they did was cut out pop (which I NEVER drink) and lost 15 lbs by just doing that. It doesn't make sense why some have such a hard time with weight loss and others can lose all kinds of weight without even really trying.
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    You can get morbidly obese by just eating salads.

    Its not what you eat, its how much of it.

    I can easily go out to eat and get a 2000 calorie salad.

    Weigh your food and track your calories.

    Its the only way.

    on top of this, realize that most of that 4 lbs gain is water weight. its not uncommon for me to gain 5+ lbs from one night of drinking, but its all gone within a few days

    Yes absolutely! However by her claiming "oh hey I eat healthy" it insinuates she is not tracking what she eats.

    You can get huge off of lean meats, veggies, "healthy foods"
  • carly0287
    carly0287 Posts: 4
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    I definitely track what I eat. Every last bit. Lol.
  • LaneB89
    LaneB89 Posts: 93 Member
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    Hi all,

    So I don't know if my body works differently or what, but I literally do not see results of any kind no matter how much "work" I put in. I'm a 5'10" female, 27 y/o, and weigh approx. 155 lbs. I want to lose 10-15. I'm currently sticking to a 1200-1300 daily caloric intake diet, which seems to only help me maintain my weight. If I go over this calorie amount at all, I gain weight...and FAST. For instance, this past week, I shed 4-5 lbs by sticking to my diet. I went out to eat twice this weekend, and weighed myself this morning...FOUR of those pounds are back. It's so frustrating! I don't feel like I ate super unhealthy. I ordered salads, lean meats, and lots of veggies. It's just very frustrating to have to "starve" myself to see any weight falling off, and then gaining it all back when I live a semi-normal life and eat what all of my friends/family are eating! Anybody struggling with similar problems!? Tips!? Advice!? I'm starting to feel like it's not worth it.

    Carly

    Your body doesn't work differently than anyone else's. The majority of the 4-5 lbs you shed were water weight, and the majority of the 4 pounds you put back on were also water weight. Fat doesn't fluctuate that much in the span of a few days. Wait one full month before making any determinations about the efficacy of your current diet.
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    I understand that. I feel like I'm pretty careful about how much of it I'm eating, and how nutritious it is for me. I do everything right it seems...ordering the dressing on the side...only using half of it, portion control, etc. It just feels like it shouldn't take THIS much effort. I have friends who all they did was cut out pop (which I NEVER drink) and lost 15 lbs by just doing that. It doesn't make sense why some have such a hard time with weight loss and others can lose all kinds of weight without even really trying.

    In its simplest forum, weight loss is extremely simple. Its calories in vs calories out. Create a deficit and you will lose weight.

    However, we all like to make weight loss much harder than it is. We don't track what we eat. We overestimate how much we burn. We forget that one binge meal. We are all guilty of it, including myself.

    Log what you eat. Write it down, use this site, whatever helps you do it.

    You will see the weight come off. Unfortunately, you are eating more than you think.
  • carly0287
    carly0287 Posts: 4
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    That's probably true. I weigh myself daily because I'm terrified of gaining weight and not realizing it. Maybe I should weigh myself bi-weekly, or even monthly. Hmm...
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    I definitely track what I eat. Every last bit. Lol.

    Then make your diary public.
  • glitznglamour15
    glitznglamour15 Posts: 54 Member
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    OMG I know exactly how you feel! I am literally the same exact way! What it really comes down to is your excersise routine. Its essential to do high cardio activities and weights. I find that when I work out a lot, thats when I lose weight. But if I just eat normal like normal people do, I will gain. Like last week I was 145 and I went out twice this weekend and just had regular meals but I did not work out at all, and this morning I weighed myself and I am now 147.6. Just keep going and don't give up!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    The 4 pounds you gained were probably from water weight from all the sodium. You're eating so little, unless you ate 5000 calories of food, I highly doubt you gained any fat.
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    OMG I know exactly how you feel! I am literally the same exact way! What it really comes down to is your excersise routine. Its essential to do high cardio activities and weights. I find that when I work out a lot, thats when I lose weight. But if I just eat normal like normal people do, I will gain. Like last week I was 145 and I went out twice this weekend and just had regular meals but I did not work out at all, and this morning I weighed myself and I am now 147.6. Just keep going and don't give up!

    Diet is for weight loss
    Exercise is for fitness.

    You cannot out exercise a bad diet.
  • Anonycatgirl
    Anonycatgirl Posts: 502 Member
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    Either your friends were drinking gallons of pop, they were very active...or they're exaggerating. (Or they're guys. Sad fact: most guys have an easier time losing weight once they get started than most women do.)

    Also, keep in mind you're not clinically overweight, you're trying to lose when you're already at a reasonable weight for your height. It's recommended to lose slowly when that's your goal, like .5 lbs a week. You may be pushing too hard and then sabotaging yourself.

    Log your food carefully and be patient.
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
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    At your height and weight you are in the healthy weight range (on the lower end). You may want to reconsider the amount of weight you want to lose. This can be a big reason your body doesn't want to lose more weight.
  • Pipsg1rl
    Pipsg1rl Posts: 1,414 Member
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    My weight on Friday and my weight on Monday can vary by 2-4 lbs. By Friday I'm low again.

    I swear I'll only weigh on Mondays, but ... I just can't... stop! I do only weigh 1x a day though.

    Sodium
    Alcohol
    Eating outside of the home ANY food
  • ashleyinthecold
    ashleyinthecold Posts: 89 Member
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    As others have said, you're at a good weight for your height. If you don't like the way your body looks, why not try doing some strength training? Yeah, the scale won't say what you want it to say, but your body will look a lot better! Do some searching on girls that have put on 10lbs on the scale, but look so much leaner because of the muscle they built.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    For instance, this past week, I shed 4-5 lbs by sticking to my diet.

    No you didn’t. You can’t lose 4-5 lbs of fat in a week when you’re in the normal weight range. You may have dropped 2 lbs, but I doubt it. It’s more likely that you fluctuated with your water weight.

    As for your 1200-1300 diet, unless you’re sedentary, you’re probably eating more than you realize. Try weighing and logging everything you eat for a few weeks. I mean everything- cooking oils, nuts, salt, everything.

    After that, if you’re eating X calories and you’re maintaining, it’s time to create a larger deficit. If you’re already eating under 1300 calories a day, I recommend creating a larger deficit through exercise, not further dietary restriction.

    As for eating healthy food… you can become morbidly obese eating anything in too great a quantity.
  • gerard54
    gerard54 Posts: 1,107 Member
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    At your height and weight you are in the healthy weight range (on the lower end). You may want to reconsider the amount of weight you want to lose. This can be a big reason your body doesn't want to lose more weight.

    makes a good point...

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