Not losing weight

e_spriya
e_spriya Posts: 47 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all, So me female 28 5.3' 150 lbs mother of a 2 yr old. I have been trying to lose weight for some time without any success. A little background about me. I have always weighed heavy than my peers. To be clear when I weighed 130, I looked 120. I am stronger, again compared to my friends and others my age where I could easily carry my 100 pound friends around with me at 125 #. I never did any weight lifting. so after marriage I got up to 145 # and at my highest pregnant weight I was at 172 #. Lost 13# in a week postpartum and struggling to lose the rest for two and half years. Also I am big now. I guess I lost the muscles due to inactivity and gained fat. I recently started working out with cardiovascular and strength training for the past four months and lost zero pounds. I used to eat 3 meals a day Lot of vegetables and some snacks before but I didn't gain weight I just maintained at 150. Now I have cut snacks much. weight didn't change. So I thought maybe I am still eating maintenance calories and for the past 20 days cut out lunch and instead of staple rice I started eating fruits and vegetables . I workout at gym five days a week with 3 days strength With heavy weightsand two day cardiovascular. Still haven't lost a single pound. I am just confused. Why am I not loosing any weight? Any help would be appreciated. I am not starving neither am I over eating. I have always eaten moderately and I don't drink alcohol. Honestly I don't know what I am doing wrong. I had a 36 27 36 figure and now I look like a barrel.

Replies

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Are you tracking in the diary? If you open it, people can offer insight.
    Are you weighing your food?
    It is confusing that to hear that you cut rice for fruit. Depending on how much fruit you are eating, you might have increased your caloric load. It is great that you are having success at the gym.
  • e_spriya
    e_spriya Posts: 47 Member
    No I am not tracking in diary but I eat traditional south Indian food. It's not much on calories unless u eat boatloads. Also I eat a fruit or two not much along with veggies. I tried tracking but it's hard as every recipe is different and weighing is not possible at the moment. I estimate it to be around 1000 to 1300 cal. My TDEE was around 1800. So even if I eyeball it I think I am safe. Most probably I am overestimating my intake.
  • e_spriya
    e_spriya Posts: 47 Member
    Bump
  • jaqfisher
    jaqfisher Posts: 2 Member
    Hi,
    Reallocate important that you track what you eat. If you cannot weigh food (why not, exactly) then measure it some other way. So Indian can be healthy, but oil in cooking is quite calorie dense. Also, fruit is not necessarily good. You should eat vegetables steamed, roasted or sry-fried and go for no more than 2 servings of low again fruits.
    Until you start measuring & accurately tracking your food intake, you will not lose.
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    Start tracking. That's the only way you'll know for sure. People think they are not eating much. I'm not that familiar with traditional indian food, but from I did see a few times, it appears some of it might be high in fat (from it's preparation). Calories add up fast when the fat content is high.
  • goldfinger88
    goldfinger88 Posts: 686 Member
    First off, are you taking any medication? There are some medications that actually make you gain weight and still others that make weight loss almost impossible (though it can be done as I have done it.) Also, how much meat are you eating? You need to eat about 25% or even a bit more of protein and you need good fat. Protein and fat fills you up and you end out eating less.

    If you are not losing, it's because you are eating too much and not burning off enough.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    No I am not tracking in diary
    You don't know how many calories you're consuming.
    It's not much on calories unless u eat boatloads.
    If you don't track you don't know if you're eating too little or boatloads.
    I tried tracking but it's hard as every recipe is different and weighing is not possible at the moment.
    You can enter your own recipes. Yes, this will take some time, but once you have the recipes in the database it's helps reduce the guesswork. Buying a scale is small amount of money to spend on yourself.
    I estimate it to be around 1000 to 1300 cal.
    You're taking a guess.
    So even if I eyeball it I think I am safe.
    Still a guess.
    Most probably I am overestimating my intake.
    Most likely.
  • e_spriya
    e_spriya Posts: 47 Member
    Thanks everyone... I guess I should put in my own recipes and buy a scale.
    I eat poultry or fish once or twice a week. South Indian food is mostly rice and vegetables with lentils. So vegetarian for most of the days with no more than 5 teaspoon oil for the whole day.. no other source of fat other than oil and yoghurt.
  • scrounger888
    scrounger888 Posts: 17 Member
    5 teaspoons of oil is over 200 calories on its own before you add food to it. I think you are having the same problem I have, with underestimating what I'm actually eating. I have started weighing food this week and have surprised myself a lot with the size of an "actual" serving (tends to be smaller than I thought/hoped it was). The food scale cost under $10, and it's a useful educational and cooking tool.
  • freshstart180213
    freshstart180213 Posts: 170 Member
    Have to agree u have to track whatnu are eating to ensure that one u are not eating too much and too are not eating too little which can also mess with u in terms of the degree of exercise u are doing weighing and measuring ur food isnt as hard as it seems and worth it for results

    Also remember this hormones water intake etc all have an affect on u reaching ur goal
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
    5 teaspoons of oil is over 200 calories on its own before you add food to it. I think you are having the same problem I have, with underestimating what I'm actually eating. I have started weighing food this week and have surprised myself a lot with the size of an "actual" serving (tends to be smaller than I thought/hoped it was). The food scale cost under $10, and it's a useful educational and cooking tool.

    5 teaspoons of olive oil would be 600 calories, actually. :wink:
  • fattymcrunnerpants
    fattymcrunnerpants Posts: 311 Member
    I agree with the others, you're probably underestimating your intake.

    That being said, there's another advantage to actually tracking your cals. If, by chance, you are right and are eating as few of calories as you think you are you can take your diary to your doctor and ask for them to test your hormones. I was exercising rigorously and eating between 1200-1800/ day and gaining weight like mad. had no clue why. Took my diary to my doctor who didn't believe I wasn't stuffing myself and was able to find out that I have a major hormonal imbalance.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    5 teaspoons of oil is over 200 calories on its own before you add food to it. I think you are having the same problem I have, with underestimating what I'm actually eating. I have started weighing food this week and have surprised myself a lot with the size of an "actual" serving (tends to be smaller than I thought/hoped it was). The food scale cost under $10, and it's a useful educational and cooking tool.

    5 teaspoons of olive oil would be 600 calories, actually. :wink:

    It's a tablespoon of oil that is 120 calories, not a teaspoon.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    5 teaspoons of oil is over 200 calories on its own before you add food to it. I think you are having the same problem I have, with underestimating what I'm actually eating. I have started weighing food this week and have surprised myself a lot with the size of an "actual" serving (tends to be smaller than I thought/hoped it was). The food scale cost under $10, and it's a useful educational and cooking tool.

    5 teaspoons of olive oil would be 600 calories, actually. :wink:

    It's a tablespoon of oil that is 120 calories, not a teaspoon.

    There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    No I am not tracking in diary but I eat traditional south Indian food. It's not much on calories unless u eat boatloads. Also I eat a fruit or two not much along with veggies. I tried tracking but it's hard as every recipe is different and weighing is not possible at the moment. I estimate it to be around 1000 to 1300 cal. My TDEE was around 1800. So even if I eyeball it I think I am safe. Most probably I am overestimating my intake.

    That is the problem. If you are not losing weight you are not in a deficit. Buy a food scale, and start logging.
  • e_spriya
    e_spriya Posts: 47 Member
    Thanks again everyone for ur input. I will start logging and buy a scale.
    Also the hormonal imbalance thing intrigues me... I don't have regular TOM . BUT when I had regular periods I did drop around 6# without anything extra. Guess I have to see a doctor too....
    Also is it possible I won't lose weight if I eat less. Because I once used to eat four times a day never gained a single pound. It started when I went to college and ate irregularly. I am not going to blame everything on outside circumstances. I have a fair part of blame in all that but wondering if those I get have any effect.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Thanks again everyone for ur input. I will start logging and buy a scale.
    Also the hormonal imbalance thing intrigues me... I don't have regular TOM . BUT when I had regular periods I did drop around 6# without anything extra. Guess I have to see a doctor too....
    Also is it possible I won't lose weight if I eat less. Because I once used to eat four times a day never gained a single pound. It started when I went to college and ate irregularly. I am not going to blame everything on outside circumstances. I have a fair part of blame in all that but wondering if those I get have any effect.

    Yes, it's possible. Losing weight is all about calories in calories out. Before college you were likely moving more, hence you could eat more without gaining weight. Also it's good that you are ruling out an endocrine disorder as that can cause a slower metabolism.

    An actual metabolic disorder is pretty rare. It is much more likely that your weight gain is the result of a few years of eating just a little too much. Eating less and moving more will reverse it, if you stick to it. You didn't put the weight on overnight and it won't go away overnight either.

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