Not losing pounds or inches

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tarynsanford
tarynsanford Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
Some background: in the past two years I've steadily been gaining weight and going up in size measurements, totaling almost 20 lbs at at least an inch everywhere with no change in diet or exercise. I'm 5'8.5" tall, 39 year old woman and my BMI the last I was measured was around 27. In fact I have been eating healthier than ever in the last 3 or 4 years total, used to eat whatever without worrying. I've always been thin and tall and never had weight issues until recently. The weight is pretty evenly distributed, with slightly more around the gut. This gain coincided with taking Zoloft and getting Mirena, so I thought they were the culprits. I stopped taking Zoloft a few months ago (under a doctor's supervision) and had the Mirena removed almost a year ago. Still, I continue to stay the same size.

I started tracking and lowering my calorie intake and doing a form of intense fast-paced Pilates, and walk about 20 minutes a day during my commute five days a week. I do notice more firmness in my muscles but still the inches aren't budging. I recently started cutting carbs and haven't noticed any change, other than some water weight fluctuations. I've had my Thyroid tested every year and even though thyroid issues run in my family I've been testing normal. My diary is public, any advice? I know I haven't been super consistent with logging but I assure you there is no binge eating going on. Oh, and I drink at least 2 liters of water a day, sometimes more. I have a black coffee every morning. Any advice is sincerely appreciated.

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  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    You've logged 5 times in the last 30 days. Unfortunately, it's really really easy for us to go over our calorie limits without realizing it if we aren't tracking well. At the very least, getting more accurate with your logging will give you better information to go by when deciding what to try next.
  • tarynsanford
    tarynsanford Posts: 3
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    I guess I had unrealistic expectations of the low carb diet - after reading so many posts from people going into ketosis and losing 2 or 4 pounds just in the first week. I've been doing it for a week even though I missed a couple of logging days. I'm also having hard time adjusting to this new middle age spread or whatever is going on after a lifetime of not having to worry about it :).
  • mdboss10
    mdboss10 Posts: 15 Member
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    Despite your efforts (which are good, so don't get discouraged) you just are not creating the calorie deficit that you need to lose weight. Some other things worth noting are; the older you get, the harder you have to work. Women at your age really start to lose muscle mass. That muscle mass reduces the amount of calories you burn just sitting at work all day. So its more crucial then ever to start lifting weights.

    I also do Pilates and Yoga and I've worn a really sophisticated heart rate monitors and found out that you really don't burn that many calories doing it, or doing most exercises for that matter. (unless you are a long-distance runner training in the desert). So I suspect that you are not burning as many calories as you think. I see some people logging a calorie burn of 400 or 500 calories doing 90 minutes of hot yoga. I only burned 200. That's like one cookie. 90 minutes of intense sweaty yoga to burn one lousy cookie.

    My advice is to religiously log every single morsel that goes in your mouth for a whole week. No skipping, no lying to yourself, no cheating. And then get a heart rate monitor and get a more realistic idea of what you are actually burning. That experience might answer all your questions.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    I guess I had unrealistic expectations of the low carb diet - after reading so many posts from people going into ketosis and losing 2 or 4 pounds just in the first week. I've been doing it for a week even though I missed a couple of logging days. I'm also having hard time adjusting to this new middle age spread or whatever is going on after a lifetime of not having to worry about it :).

    Some people lose weight very quickly in the first couple of weeks of a diet. Others see little loss for a couple of weeks and then a big whoosh when their body settles into the new routine. It's disheartening, I know, but probably nothing to worry about.

    If the exercise is new or you've increased it this week, that can cause your sore muscles to retain some water, which can mask any fat loss that's happening. That's one of the biggest causes of early stalls and it just takes some patience to get past.

    See if you can log more reliably (the app is great if you have a smartphone, or just carrying around a pen & paper can help) just to help keep you accountable and keep you on track, but I would give it another week or two and see what your body does. That's never the answer anyone wants to hear, but sometimes our bodies just need some time to adjust.
  • tarynsanford
    tarynsanford Posts: 3
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    I was using the calorie guideline by My Fitness Pal to lose 1 lb a week. So should I ignore that and go for 1,200 a day? Thanks for the help! Also the pilates I'm doing is reformer but it's done like a cardio class - fast pace, more intense reps. I leave super sweaty, tired to where my muscles are quivering, and sore the next day. But I was thinking I need a heart rate monitor to find out what I'm truly burning. One of the instructors said it was a 500 calorie burn in 55 minutes, there's no way it's that much!

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