What magic piece am I missing??

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rizzod206
rizzod206 Posts: 18
in Motivation and Support
Hi. I gained 100lbs very quickly about 6 years ago after being in two car accidents (neither were my fault!). I went from about 135 to 235. I gained the weight in approximately 1 year mostly due to immobility and emotional eating. I've really made an effort in the past two years to lose, but none has come off. I feel like I am missing something, here is what I am doing.

1. I see a personal trainer for lifting / interval training 3x a week
2. I play tennis and/or cardio like walking for 60 minutes - 90 minutes 2x a week (tennis at a 4.5 level, so its good exercise)
3. I've changed my diet (although I personally think I've always eaten pretty well, we are down to the bare minimums here). Mainly protein balancing and eating clean whole unprocessed foods and reduced caloric intake. I tried low carb for 3 months and it gave me Gout so I had to get off that and integrate more carbs in.
4. I used to get around 7.5 hours of sleep a night, now I am consistently getting 8-8.5
5. Water has always been a problem for me. I've increased from 50-60 to about 100oz a day, 120 on high activity or heat days
6. No food after 8pm
7. Weekly 90 minute relaxation massages (they say stress halts weight loss, I am really not sure how to combat this so I've been getting massages for the last few years)

No one else in my family is overweight, so I know it's not genetic. I've tested negative for thyroid issues. I've been training and doing the above for just short of 6 months and so far gained 3.5lbs, but reduced body fat by 4%. I started at 230 31% now I am 234 27% and I am 5 foot 5- so morbidly obese at this point. I also get the feeling my trainer fudged this 4% number to encourage progress after 5 months and no results. I feel a little more tone but not much of a difference.

Also I've tried doing cardio only in the past. Doing fasted cardio in the morning and had really no lasting results, this is why I switched to a personal trainer and lifting more. I am just trying to figure out why after almost 6 months my body is not responding.

I consider myself a smart person, I have my life exactly where it should be except for this excess 100lbs. I also basically have unlimited funds to throw at this problem, but I want a solution thats going to work and not be harmful to my body. If anyone has some piece of the puzzle that I might be missing please let me know, heaven knows I'd appreciate figuring this out.
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Replies

  • beamer0821
    beamer0821 Posts: 488 Member
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    how many calories are eating a day?

    and also explore more your emotional eating, you can't track measure or weight it. but this definitely needs to be simultaneously understood and explored on your weightloss journey to have long lasting success. this is a critical key imo to not gain the weight back.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    Calories in, calories out. Simple, and effective. Check this link for more detail. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • mamafazz
    mamafazz Posts: 92 Member
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    One thing you could try and see if it helps is intermittent fasting. Not sure what else to suggest to you, seems like you are doing everything right. Just don't give up!
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    1. I see a personal trainer for lifting / interval training 3x a week
    2. I play tennis and/or cardio like walking for 60 minutes - 90 minutes 2x a week (tennis at a 4.5 level, so its good exercise)

    Good. Exercise is good for building and maintaining cardiovascular health.
    3. I've changed my diet (although I personally think I've always eaten pretty well, we are down to the bare minimums here). Mainly protein balancing and eating clean whole unprocessed foods and reduced caloric intake. I tried low carb for 3 months and it gave me Gout so I had to get off that and integrate more carbs in.

    Have you determined your BMR & TDEE to make sure you are eating an appropriate caloric deficit? "Eating healthy" will only get you so far...you have to take in less calories than you're burning.

    4. I used to get around 7.5 hours of sleep a night, now I am consistently getting 8-8.5
    5. Water has always been a problem for me. I've increased from 50-60 to about 100oz a day, 120 on high activity or heat days
    6. No food after 8pm
    7. Weekly 90 minute relaxation massages (they say stress halts weight loss, I am really not sure how to combat this so I've been getting massages for the last few years)

    All good things.
    Also I've tried doing cardio only in the past. Doing fasted cardio in the morning and had really no lasting results, this is why I switched to a personal trainer and lifting more. I am just trying to figure out why after almost 6 months my body is not responding.

    Find that perfect balance of cardio, resistance training, and calorie deficit and you will see the results!
  • pelleld
    pelleld Posts: 363 Member
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    I don't really have anything to add but I'm interested in hearing other people's thoughts on this.
  • timbrom
    timbrom Posts: 303 Member
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    Are you sure you're accurately measuring and weighing your food? Eyeballing it can lead to quite a bit of overconsumption.

    How is your bodyfat being measured? According to the numbers you gave you are packing 170 lbs of lean body mass on a 5'5" frame. To give a frame of reference I'm a reasonably muscular 5'10" male and I've just gotten my lean body mass up to 180 lbs. There is no way in hell that number is correct, which is causing me to suspect your trainer. What sort of things does he have you doing?
  • StephJC81
    StephJC81 Posts: 33 Member
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    After a quick check, the first thing I've noticed was that your sugar intake is extremely high. I bet if you cut that in half you'll notice changes right away with just doing that.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,732 Member
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    In that long list of things you're doing, I don't see any mention of counting calories. The key really is a calorie deficit. Period. There is no other way to lose weight. You could cut all your carbs, exercise 12 hours a day, or drink gallons of water, and it's not going to help if you're not maintaining a calorie deficit.

    1. Log everything that passes your lips. Logging glasses of water can help you get your water intake up, but the most important thing is to log anything with calories. Even small stuff, like if you lick the butter knife after spreading jam for someone's sandwich.

    2. Weigh everything. A digital food scale is the single most helpful tool you can have. Knowing what a real portion looks like, and being able to tell how much you are actually eating is absolutely vital. Think about it: If you're measuring out a cup of cereal, and the cereal has larger pieces, not as many will fit in the cup. If they're really small, or they're the crumbled bits from the bottom of the box, a lot more will fit in that cup. A food scale will help you measure out a true serving and you'll know how many calories is in it without guessing.

    3. Plan your meals. Make veggies the centerpiece. Try to eat as wide a variety as possible, with as many colors as possible. Try lots of new things. It's winter squash season...sample some delicata and sweet dumpling squash. Try buying a bag of fresh spinach and throwing a handful into various things: omelets, soups, rice, beans, whatever (don't forget to weigh and log your handful!)

    4. Try some psychological tricks. Eat off a smaller plate, no more than 10 inches. Make it a dark color for even more benefit. For whatever reason, this tricks our brains into feeling more satisfied with our smaller portions. The food looks bigger on the plate.

    5. If you can afford it, try a fitness tracker like Bodymedia or Fitbit. It can give you a better idea of how many calories you burn each day, and therefore how many you can eat and still be in a deficit.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    A quick peek at your diary makes me wonder if you weigh your food. If you use generic entries like "medium banana" and "1 cup of strawberries" it's not very accurate. And while being off by 10 or 15 calories doesn't seem like a big deal, if you are for two meals, every week, that's over 100 calories not being logged. Some of your entries *seem* to be measured and some don't - that's why I'm asking.

    If you don't have a food scale, that would be my first recommendation.
  • mamafazz
    mamafazz Posts: 92 Member
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    Just looked at your diary, try going below 50 carbs a day.
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
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    Just looked at your diary, try going below 50 carbs a day.

    No. Just....no. Good lord.
  • FitFitzy331
    FitFitzy331 Posts: 308 Member
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    Looking at your diary, it looks like you're eating at a college or work cafe/dining hall. I know a lot of those places are terribly inaccurate with their calorie count.

    Example. my company has a cafe with a national catering company providing the food and they offered "low fat tomato soup" 130cals a cup. That was the intent of the soup however the person that made it locally used half and half instead of skim milk or water. The calories for a cup came out to be substantially higher with that "little" change.

    Basically you might be consuming more calories than you realize. It's easier to track calorie intake accurately with a scale, measuring cups and cooking yourself. I know this isn't always an option but little things like that in cafe's could add an extra 400+ calories to your day and you don't even realize it.
  • Karen_DisneyFan
    Karen_DisneyFan Posts: 130 Member
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    Just looked at your diary, try going below 50 carbs a day.

    She said she can't go low carb - she tried it and ended up with gout.
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
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    Assuming you are accurately logging your food you should be losing weight easily.

    Any chance that you've been sleep-eating?

    (I think I watch too much TV)
  • rizzod206
    rizzod206 Posts: 18
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    Wow thanks for so many great responses. I really appreciate everyone giving me some new ideas.

    1. For the weighing food I do use a scale for any item that's not fruit of vegetables. I have always wondered if the fruit could be the problem? I did go low carb (sub 70, and once sub 50) for a period of time but it gave me severe Gout and I could barely walk without medication. It doesn't seem to bother me if I eat fruits regularly. I try to keep all my carbs from unprocessed veggies or fruits (of course it's not perfect tho).

    2. I also tend to agree about the body fat percentages being wonky. I mean I have always been very athletic, but I do thinking I am being fibbed to on my 4% results. I am a size 14 so you'd think if I was that lean I wouldn't have the inches.

    Thanks again for all the positive comments I am going to read each and every one of them.
  • rizzod206
    rizzod206 Posts: 18
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    This is a good point. I've been assuming my work's cafeteria food has an accurate calorie count. The only thing I really ever buy from them is a chicken breast (grilled) or a fruit cup, but I am sure they use the lowest quality meat and I could probably figure out a way to go all home cooked. Right now I bring ezekiel bread, lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes from home and just buy the chicken breast at work.

    I've also considered going 100% organic, so that might be where I start.
  • rizzod206
    rizzod206 Posts: 18
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    5. If you can afford it, try a fitness tracker like Bodymedia or Fitbit. It can give you a better idea of how many calories you burn each day, and therefore how many you can eat and still be in a deficit.

    I tried the fitbit and Galaxy 5 software. It records like 1200 calories burned for a single tennis match or 800 for a PT session. I felt like it was giving me too many exercise calories I didn't truly earn. I do get around 20,000+ steps on a tennis day, maybe half that on a regular day. Who knows maybe I am actually burning that many?
  • rizzod206
    rizzod206 Posts: 18
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    You seem to be doing really well. Are you weighing and measuring food? Logging all that you eat? What is your daily calorie goal?

    Well my trainer says 1800 on workout days and 1600 on non... but to be honest I was gaining at these levels and I've tried to scale every day down to 1500 or less. My daily calculated amount was something like 2200 because my weight is so high, so 1800 was supposed to produce a deficit. I am thinking of maybe going further down to 1200 and rotating up to 1400 for workout days.
  • rizzod206
    rizzod206 Posts: 18
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    After a quick check, the first thing I've noticed was that your sugar intake is extremely high. I bet if you cut that in half you'll notice changes right away with just doing that.

    Thats always been a concern too. I get most of my sugars from fruit, I wonder if that could be causing my problems?

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