Why am I not losing any weight or body fat?

I think i have reached a road block.

I haven't lost a single kg, i haven't lost a single % of body fat, nor has my BMI reduced.
I work hard, I work really hard. I have a personal trainer who advices me on my nutrition, but nothing. nada. zero. To the point I feel that my partner is so embarrassed of being out with me.


WORKOUT SCHEDULE:
i push myself really hard sometimes i just want to break down and cry in the gym. i feel good after each work out, but i struggle i feel the pain. but no pain, no gain.

Mondays:
- Run intervals for 30-45 minutes: alternating between high speed and slow.
- 30 ab crunch x2
- 30 cross crunches x2
- 20 leg raises x2
- 20 cycling cross crunches x2
- 30 flutter kicks x2
- 20 heel touches x2
- 60 sec plank x2
- arms training x8 reps x3 times
- (this week: trying to restart Kayla Itsines)

Tuesdays:
- Run 5km (some days treadmill some days out)
- 30 ab crunch x2
- 30 cross crunches x2
- 20 leg raises x2
- 20 cycling cross crunches x2
- 30 flutter kicks x2
- 20 heel touches x2
- 60 sec plank x2
- GYM: alternate week KICKBOXIGN
- GYM: Every week HiiT class called Power me On (in my gym) --> high intensity circuit training for 1 hour

Wednesdays:
- Run intervals for 30-45 minutes
- 30 ab crunch x2
- 30 cross crunches x2
- 20 leg raises x2
- 20 cycling cross crunches x2
- 30 flutter kicks x2
- 20 heel touches x2
- 60 sec plank x2
- arms training x8 x3times

Thursdays:
- Personal training for 1 hour --> circuit, high intensity, interval fat burning training
- 30 ab crunch x2
- 30 cross crunches x2
- 20 leg raises x2
- 20 cycling cross crunches x2
- 30 flutter kicks x2
- 20 heel touches x2
- 60 sec plank x2
- GYM: KICKBOXING 1 hour + Interval training class called Ultimate Interval (in my gym) 1 hour

Fridays:
- Run 5km
- 30 ab crunches x2
- 20 leg raises x2
- 20 cycling cross crunches x2
- 30 flutter kicks x2
- 20 heel touches x2
- 60 sec plank x2
- arms training x8 x3 times

Saturdays:
- 1 hour pilates basic (a new thing i'm trying)
and/OR
- alternate weeks: long distance cycling with my partner

Sundays:
- Rest day

ON TOP OF THAT, i am a regular 10km race runner - just completed 3 10km races in the month of July.




NUTRITION
Breakfast:
- I avoid carbs except breakfast - have either oats or wholemeal bread
- 1 hard boil egg
- 1 kiwi
- 1 banana
- 1 cup organic honey + warm water and lemon
- -> I generally have to take a bit more in the breakfast like these because i have problem with low blood sugar levels and low blood pressure. i get dizzy very very easily - to the point i can faint

Lunch:
- some days i'll have salad - hoping to make it 3 times a week
- i avoid carbs - just have lightly stirfried vegetables with minimal oil and pinch of salt (i'm not big on salt)
- either Chicken breast OR i'll usually have fish - i'm a fish lover

Snack:
- apple
- i am troubled by snacks because i have severe gastric problems and i'm advised to eat as often as i can and sometimes apples just make me feel so awful in the stomach
- so sometimes i'll have a bowl of soup and a small bread bun wholemeal

Dinner:
- i'll usually dine out with my partner - but i'll avoid carbs
- e.g. last night i had grilled fish with salad and mash potatoes (sometimes i reward myself a little when i have worked hard for the day)
- or Chinese dishes
- Sushi - my biggest weakness is sushi - raw fish


Weekends vary, and i know there must be cheat days - and i do allow myself to let go VERY little - because i'm way too worried about the calories and oil and salt.


I'm Asian, so having communal dishes, or having rice is a big part of my culture though i have learnt to control my portions.


I take at least 3 litres of water every single day - no sugared drinks unless freshly squeezed juice like watermelon occasionally once a week, or apple-beetroot-carrot which is my favourite juice.


I'm losing hair, i'm breaking out in acne, my body doesn't seem to be cooperating.


i love food. i must declare that. I cook a lot, i experiment a lot with food, with cooking, heck, my favourite show is the Masterchef. But it has come to a point whereby i'm too afraid to even eat. i miss my hawker food, but i try to banish those thoughts out of my head. i don't take any sugared things anymore for a long time - at most a little at each time which i will allow myself.




So, what gives? I'm gaining more weight - my body analysis just doesn't seem to improve just constantly gets worse - i have about 40% body fat which is so alarming to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i'm gaining weight, fats, i can't fit into my dresses, i'm fighting with my partner every single day about this - he wants me to be healthy and not overweight, and i need to try harder but i am trying so hard so hard.

i'm never skinny, to be honest. BUT i am NEVER overweight my whole life. Until i started dating about 8 years ago. i agreed, back then, i let myself go a little - but i was never big BIG if you get what i mean. i've been trying to go back on track and lose now, but i'm failing miserably. I'm so sick and tired of doctors making assumptions that i am sitting away in a room snacking on donuts and sugared drinks or eating lots of carbs. I'M NOT.

help.
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Replies

  • bluefish86
    bluefish86 Posts: 842 Member
    How long have you been working with a trainer and are you logging your food?

    Chinese food and sushi are notoriously high in calories.... my guess would be you are overestimating the calories you're burning and underestimating the calories you're consuming.
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    oh wow, thats a lot of exercise. how tall are you and how much do you weigh?
    are you in a position were you can weight your foods so you know exactly how much you are eating
    also you need to stop stressing, you will make yourself sick.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Gaining more weight = eating too much. You just are. Stop focusing on how sure you are that you're doing it right. You are caught in the "I eat healthily / I'm watching carbs" trap of reasons and have no idea how many calories you're consuming

    Weigh and log your food. Everything.

    Weigh...on a scale

    Log with care and double checking entries

    Hit your calorie defecit across the week

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

    Do it for 4 weeks ...I guarantee your scale will move
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    You never say if you're actually counting calories, and all weight loss comes down to is calories. Do you accurately count calories? Do you use a food scale to weigh as much as you can? Also, how long have you been doing this without losing weight?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    open your diary
  • mangrothian
    mangrothian Posts: 1,351 Member
    edited July 2015
    I'm sure this has been said by multiple others whilst I'm writing this post.....

    The first thing I suggest you do is buy yourself a food scale, and weigh and log all of your food, and measure all your liquids, as accurately as you can. No serves of '1 banana' and 'a salad' and '1 bread roll'; you need to weigh it all.

    In the end, weight loss comes down to Calories in < Calories out. Unless you truly feel you need to, you don't need to cut out carbs (or anything else for that matter). Just don't go over your Cals each day, and it should slowly happen. Not overnight, but slowly.

    That also begs the question: how long have you been following this current eating/exercise regime?
  • smotheredincheese
    smotheredincheese Posts: 559 Member
    Are you weighing all your food?
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »

    i really enjoyed that. especially when she said she loves cream cake.
    had a good laugh watching my fellow brit. thanks
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »


    Her eating habits, if you listen, are so telling. She probably reads a label and 'it has to be accurate' in order for her brain to accept what her intake is versus. . . . 20% up or down from the label, so eat less labeled food. She reminds me of so many people when they arrive here. It has to be "X" because I am doing everything else right. I like when the doctor tells her 'it is your metabolic rate, which is good' and then she dismisses it in the end. Great link.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Also, sorry OP for the minor meandering in your thread, I thought it was interesting how the doctors plainly said a calorie is a calorie and it's down to how many you're eating and yet her take-out was different.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    OP, how long have you been exercising like this? Do you know your BMR? How tall are you?
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    edited July 2015
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Also, sorry OP for the minor meandering in your thread, I thought it was interesting how the doctors plainly said a calorie is a calorie and it's down to how many you're eating and yet her take-out was different.

    I think your videos fit the post, and will hopefully help others who might open this thread up.
    I did laugh at the video just because she kinda reminded me of me. I blamed it on the type of foods i ate not the amounts. then i joined mfp and i realised just how much i ate.
  • KeairaSedai
    KeairaSedai Posts: 138 Member
    Totally agree with everything above.

    My guess is, reading your general diet, that your dinners are what's putting you over a calorie goal (if you had / have one).

    "I usually dine out with my parents", eating out meals generally contain a lot more calories than when you make it yourself (no scientific fact, just something I noticed through logging). Point is, when you eat out you have no idea how much of anything you're eating.

    "I know there must be cheat days", acccording to what? Cheat days aren't a necessesity at all. I eat more than my goal some days, but I know that that will either slow down my weight loss, or I need to make up for it on another day. If you feel you need them, that's different, but they're not in any way vital, if not detrimental to weight loss.

    Your post is filled with explanations, excuses almost. (Sometimes I reward myself.. I know I should eat apple but they make me sick so I have soup.. Explanations on why you have a big breakfast..) The point is, it doesn't matter when you eat, or what you eat, only how many calories you eat.

    I love the videos, they say it all. Accurately log your food and you will see you're eating more than you think. Even without knowing your weight / height. Have MFP set you a calorie goal based on current weight, desired weight and deficit and stick to it. You will lose weight.

    Sorry if my post in any way seems harsh, I did not mean for it to be, I just know that I used to do similar things. For every time you say 'I know I'm better off eating an apple than a wheat bun', 'I know I am better off eating a lean salad than a chunk of salmon' (not necessarily true, but calorie wise, yes), or in the extreme 'I know I should eat carrots instead of french fries, I just don't like carrots'. Well, you don't need our advise, it's just about actually doing it.
  • KeairaSedai
    KeairaSedai Posts: 138 Member
    Oh and on a warmer note.. please don't stress so much over it, if you lose sleep over it, it won't help your weight loss.

    As for pushing yourself so hard in the gym.. it will earn you some extra calories to eat, and it will give you a great overall condition, but weight loss is for like 70% diet and 30% exercise. So if you like.. don't push yourself so hard in the gym and focus a bit more on eating right.. you may feel better. Pain is not necessary for weight loss.
  • Thank you very much for your responses.

    I do not take more than 1,200 calories a day, i only take sushi without rice hence sashimis on my once a week cheat day. I load up on a lot of apples and bananas and kiwis. when I know a certain food is too much, I'll be mindful n limit that. it's not that I don't know what I'm eating or just focused on that. I know exactly how many calories I eat a day, n never let myself go over. even on days I have events or activities that require me to gather socially n eat, I'll compensate back the next 2 days.

    I have been doing this for the past 4 months and nothing. zero.


    on a side note, the doctor who made that remark is my gynaecologist. I have pcos, and my consistent weight gain is a concern on my future for having a child.

    I'm 86.2kg, 40% body fat, 165cm tall.
    I'm always around 65kg which is acceptable n I'm happy hovering there.

    I don't want to be skinny, please don't get me wrong. I want to be healthy again and I'm doing more than what I used to. I was bulimic when I was 17, and it was found out when I fainted at a gym one day. that is why I m mindful very mindful of the kind of food I eat n how much each time I take. I'm not giving excuses that what I'm doing is perfect. no. I'm trying to find out where I can be better at.
  • snowflakesav
    snowflakesav Posts: 649 Member
    Working out like that with no carbs. Where do you get an idea like that? Intense exercise with no carbs is causing so much stress on your metabolism and hormones. Breaking out could be related to this. Your brain and your muscles do not like to run on only burning fat and protien.

    Don't get down on yourself it is hard to get this right. You might benefit from a little research. Matt fitzgerald's book race weight might help describe the hormone and stress component of weight loss for athletes.n
  • smotheredincheese
    smotheredincheese Posts: 559 Member
    I do not take more than 1,200 calories a day, i only take sushi without rice hence sashimis on my once a week cheat day. I load up on a lot of apples and bananas and kiwis. when I know a certain food is too much, I'll be mindful n limit that. it's not that I don't know what I'm eating or just focused on that. I know exactly how many calories I eat a day, n never let myself go over. even on days I have events or activities that require me to gather socially n eat, I'll compensate back the next 2 days.

    But do you weigh your food? you still haven't said if you do or not, and if not, how can you be so sure you're not going over 1200?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited July 2015
    Thank you very much for your responses.

    I do not take more than 1,200 calories a day, i only take sushi without rice hence sashimis on my once a week cheat day. I load up on a lot of apples and bananas and kiwis. when I know a certain food is too much, I'll be mindful n limit that. it's not that I don't know what I'm eating or just focused on that. I know exactly how many calories I eat a day, n never let myself go over. even on days I have events or activities that require me to gather socially n eat, I'll compensate back the next 2 days.

    I have been doing this for the past 4 months and nothing. zero.


    on a side note, the doctor who made that remark is my gynaecologist. I have pcos, and my consistent weight gain is a concern on my future for having a child.

    I'm 86.2kg, 40% body fat, 165cm tall.
    I'm always around 65kg which is acceptable n I'm happy hovering there.

    I don't want to be skinny, please don't get me wrong. I want to be healthy again and I'm doing more than what I used to. I was bulimic when I was 17, and it was found out when I fainted at a gym one day. that is why I m mindful very mindful of the kind of food I eat n how much each time I take. I'm not giving excuses that what I'm doing is perfect. no. I'm trying to find out where I can be better at.

    You are lying to yourself but you don't realise ...sorry

    Apples are around 75 to 110 calories
    Bananas 100-150
    You load up on them?
    How many calories in your favourite juice?
    You eat out most nights ....you think you choose well, how big is the chicken or fish, how is it cooked, how much butter, milk, cream in those mashed potatoes? How big a portion ...mash can be highly calorific

    How are you measuring your food? Weighing everything?

    Your OP says you have an apple...but sometimes soup and a bun ..that could be a difference of 300 calories easily

  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    edited July 2015
    Basically, you suck at dieting. I expect you are inconsistent with your attempts, you are impatient and you allow your emotions to regularly derail your best intentions. You are in good company though. Most people start off that way. Some never get passed it.

    So:

    1) Set a realistic time frame - 3 months of solid effort
    2) Set 3 realistic goals - to be as accurate with your logging as you can without driving yourself nuts, to eat 2 servings of fruit per day but more vegetables (particularly leafy greens), to allow a sensible proportion of your calorie goal towards treats (say 20%)
    3) Your mission for these 3 months is to get confident in the process and become informed, not to lose weight (although I rather suspect you will.)

    Once you know what you are doing and can execute it well you will have skills that last you a lifetime. Invest in yourself, not your weight.

    Edited: in light of the recent post by the OP...
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    If you really want help start by opening your diary. Nobody here knows you and you have an excellent chance to create the life you want at 26. Well?!?
  • Kalici
    Kalici Posts: 685 Member
    I may have misread this and if so I'm sorry, but did you say you eat a cup of honey every morning along with your breakfast? I'm fairly sure that would be 1,000 calories right there.
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    Kalici wrote: »
    I may have misread this and if so I'm sorry, but did you say you eat a cup of honey every morning along with your breakfast? I'm fairly sure that would be 1,000 calories right there.

    oh wow, your so right, i just re read the OP.
    thats a lot of honey esp if done every day.
    OP get your scales out.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    edited July 2015
    Just your fruit and dinner could easily be 1200 if you're not weighing the food. I hope you consider the obvious answer that we all can see.

    Also, were you accurate with your intake calories, it's likely you could eat more than 1200 per day and lose weight.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I think that's probably honey and water drink ..so possibly a couple of teaspoons? I assume

    That's not such a high calorie hit

    But the breakfast itself is probably around 400 calories (who knows? How much oats, how prepared, how much bread what's on it?) plus lunch, snack and eating out each night

    Hopefully OP will realise we are trying to help her realise the patently clear truth that she is eating far more than she think she is
  • reallyregina
    reallyregina Posts: 62 Member
    Personally I think I'd speak with a doctor. Have you told them you are losing hair? I haven't had an issue with it but several friends had thyroid problems and lost hair and gained weight. Just a possibility. Also before you get too down maybe focus on the positives. Do you feel stronger? Faster? Then you are doing something right. Good luck.
  • KeairaSedai
    KeairaSedai Posts: 138 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I think that's probably honey and water drink ..so possibly a couple of teaspoons? I assume


    But the breakfast itself is probably around 400 calories (who knows? How much oats, how prepared, how much bread what's on it?) plus lunch, snack and eating out each night

    Even if you're not being accurate..
    1 kiwi - 42 calories
    1 banana (Average sized) - 124 calories (and if you ARE watching carbs, 30 grams of those)
    1 boiled egg - 92 calories
    1 teaspoon of honey - 25 calories, so assuming you have a few teaspoons in a drink, 75 calories
    Total: 333 calories, BEFORE the oats or bread.

    Lunch (usually stir fried vegetables and chicken breast or fish, so let's guess, I'm being generous)
    Vegetables stir fried 1 cup - 60 calories
    Small chicken breast of 3.5oz, also fried - 164 calories

    Snack:
    If soup (assuming a vegetable no cream soup, 1 cup) and small bun: 240 calories

    Dinner, let's assume the salad, mashed potatoes and grilled fish:
    Mashed potatoes 0.5 cup: 134 calories
    Grilled fish, let's say a lean white fish, 4oz: 109 calories
    Salad: 200 calories (well, this can vary between 15 calories and 300 calories based on ingredients and dressing)
    Total 443 calories

    Total for day: 1180

    So yes, this keeps you below 1200 (if you have NO oats or bread for breakfast), but please take a look at the portions I've picked.. because chances are you are not eating as little as this. And my dinner is generous, too.. because eating out will be worse.
  • reallyregina
    reallyregina Posts: 62 Member
    I just re-read about you having low blood pressure. I do too. I find that eating a little something throughout the day helps. If I'm really dizzy then I go for a little orange juice or crackers. Doesn't take much. Just a few sips or one or two crackers.
  • ChrisJHudson
    ChrisJHudson Posts: 2 Member
    with all due respect you appear to have absolutely no idea what a low carb diet is - also counting calories is great for low fat diets like weight watchers but can be misleading when on a low carb diet. You need to decide what type of diet you are on and stick to it.

    Your narrative contradicts itself constantly e.g. after saying you're on a low carb diet you then describe a breakfast so loaded with carbs that you've over-consumed carbs for the entire day and you haven't even left the breakfast table! How many carbs should you consume? Atkins says 20g per day when you start; Dr Clark's diet is 40g per day; the Drinking Man's Diet allows you 60g per day. Now compare those with the carb grams in the breakfast above. Make sure your myfitnesspal food diary displays carbs for the food you eat - I think you can change it is settings tab.

    I think 6 days in the gym is counterproductive for you. Of course, exercise will make you more hungry and you are satisfying the hunger your exercising creates by consuming a diet loaded with carbs - which is just another name for sugar! BTW Soup and roll is full of flour = loaded with carbs, as is mashed potato, rice, sushi, chinese food (rice, noodles, batter, cornflour thickener, potato starch used as thickener, sugar in sweet n sour sauces). Also apple-beetroot-carrot, your favourite drink - you'd be hard pushed to find a 3 fruit/veggie combo that have more sugar in them, there's no way you can have that on a proper controlled low carb diet, sorry.

    I guess you drink 3 litres of water because of all the gym work - cut down the gym, try drinking less - a proper low carb diet will cure you of water retention, you'll probably lose 7lbs in weight just from that! :-)

    Get the low carb diet right first and then the gym may work for you - but until you do I see the exercise as making your problem worse. You train harder than we did in the Infantry and I never had a weight problem!

    I realise much of what I say may seem contrary to the advice you receive from your trainer and other people - but let's be honest I've never seen anyone work so hard at achieving nothing, zero targets, so what have you got to lose?

    Good luck whatever you decide to do.

    Oh, one last point: "I'm losing hair, i'm breaking out in acne, my body doesn't seem to be cooperating" and "i'm fighting with my partner every single day about this - he wants me to be healthy and not overweight, and i need to try harder but i am trying so hard so hard"
    Stress produces hormones that adversely affect your heart and body - so tell your partner you need encouragement and cuddles not endless criticism, otherwise dump the selfish **** :-)