Weight loss: impossible?

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sarahb_1990
sarahb_1990 Posts: 7 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hey guys,

I have been eating super strict (no refined carbs (only carbs from veggies), no root vegetables, no red meat, no sugars, I limit my fruit to once a week.. I mean strict!), I wake up at 5:15 and go to the gym to run 3 times a week, in addition I walk to and from work (1.5km each way) Monday - Friday and I have been gaining weight!! I track my food (1200-1300 calories a day) my fit bit tracks my exercise (400-600 calories burned a day from exercise depending if I ran that morning). My fitness pal tells me everyday "If everyday were like today" I'd lose about 12 pounds in 5 weeks. EVERYDAY IS LIKE TODAY!
Please keep in mind that I have weight to lose! My BMI is considered obese. I have been doing this for a year. What am I doing wrong?! Even if my body is used to the exercise I do now, I should have lost weight in the beginning, right? Am I crazy or is something wrong with my body? I'm at my wit's end and I'm debating on buying a cake, saying eff it, and eating the whole thing.
Does anyone share this issue or have any advise?

Replies

  • mcginger1
    mcginger1 Posts: 128 Member
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    I think if I were being as diligent and strict as you have been (for a year?!), with absolutely no change in weight or size, I would've had 100 cakes by now. Seriously, check with a doctor and see if there's something else going on.
  • need2belean
    need2belean Posts: 356 Member
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    sarahb_1990 wrote: »
    Hey guys,

    I have been eating super strict (no refined carbs (only carbs from veggies), no root vegetables, no red meat, no sugars, I limit my fruit to once a week.. I mean strict!), I wake up at 5:15 and go to the gym to run 3 times a week, in addition I walk to and from work (1.5km each way) Monday - Friday and I have been gaining weight!! I track my food (1200-1300 calories a day) my fit bit tracks my exercise (400-600 calories burned a day from exercise depending if I ran that morning). My fitness pal tells me everyday "If everyday were like today" I'd lose about 12 pounds in 5 weeks. EVERYDAY IS LIKE TODAY!
    Please keep in mind that I have weight to lose! My BMI is considered obese. I have been doing this for a year. What am I doing wrong?! Even if my body is used to the exercise I do now, I should have lost weight in the beginning, right? Am I crazy or is something wrong with my body? I'm at my wit's end and I'm debating on buying a cake, saying eff it, and eating the whole thing.
    Does anyone share this issue or have any advise?

    Can you open up your diary for other's to see. The answer may be in there.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
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    How many calories are you eating each day, and how you measuring your portions? It doesn't matter what you are or are not eating, it's getting an accurate and real deficit.

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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  • 25lbsorbust
    25lbsorbust Posts: 225 Member
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    Are you weighing out your food? You'd be surprised how much your measurements can be off if you don't!
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
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    Do you use a food scale to weigh out your portions? Open that diary.
  • minime0424
    minime0424 Posts: 101 Member
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    You need to weigh your food out, that's the only way you will know for sure if you are eating what you think your eating!! If that doesn't work then try going to the doctor to see if there is something underlying going on that could be affecting your weight loss efforts. I wish you lots of luck!!!
  • rosejyoti55
    rosejyoti55 Posts: 12 Member
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    Damn, that's tough! One thing: make sure your scales are working!! I once got really upset that my scales said I was 10lbs heavier than I had weighed in 2 weeks ago - turns out they were just dodgy. You'll definitely be gaining muscle mass, which can account for more weight than you'd believe.

    I had pretty much the same issue for a while, and for me the only thing that seemed to work would be awful hard fasting. What can happen is that your body does not "know" how to burn fat from fat stores - you actually have to teach it. To do this you need to enter a stage called ketosis, which can happen from eating very low carb, but is more likely to work by water fasting.

    I tend to loose about 5lbs over a week, once every couple of months by fasting hard for a week, then just eat sensibly the rest of the time.

    Otherwise, check out your thyroid, or any other health complication (Chrone's Disease, for instance)
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited August 2016
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    rosejyoti55 wrote: »
    Damn, that's tough! One thing: make sure your scales are working!! I once got really upset that my scales said I was 10lbs heavier than I had weighed in 2 weeks ago - turns out they were just dodgy. You'll definitely be gaining muscle mass, which can account for more weight than you'd believe. - NOPE. WOMEN WORKING HARD AT IT CAN ONLY GAIN APPROXIMATELY 1/2 POUND OF MUSCLE A MONTH

    I had pretty much the same issue for a while, and for me the only thing that seemed to work would be awful hard fasting. What can happen is that your body does not "know" how to burn fat from fat stores - you actually have to teach it. To do this you need to enter a stage called ketosis, which can happen from eating very low carb, but is more likely to work by water fasting. - NOT TRUE

    I tend to loose about 5lbs over a week, once every couple of months by fasting hard for a week, then just eat sensibly the rest of the time. - NOT NECESSARY

    Otherwise, check out your thyroid, or any other health complication (Chrone's Disease, for instance) - NOT A BAD IDEA

    OP, try a food scale. Eating fewer calories than your body uses in a day is all you need to do. Everything else is just noise.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    One of my daughters used mfp. She said she failed to get her weight to 125 lb. She admitted that she never measured or recorded condiments. Syrup on waffles is a condiment. You have to measure everything. Every. Little. Thing.

    Your claimed calorie burn for your exercising looks realistic. Your picture does not look obese. Open your diary and let us have a look. If you have days without logging, you're not strict.
  • Coachjr29
    Coachjr29 Posts: 81 Member
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    I had a similar problem and realized I was just retaining water with the hot weather and supplements I was taking along with the 2-3 gallons of water I drank. It cooled down and I drank less and 3 lbs dropped off that week. I'm willing to bet you have more muscle building while burning fat than you realize. Keep up the good work!
  • JDixon852019
    JDixon852019 Posts: 312 Member
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    You are not logging correctly and eating more than you think.
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
    edited August 2016
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    It would also help if you could add your stats, and how much you've gained. If you've only weighted yourself once and seen a gain, that might have been temporary. If you've been consistently gaining weight, you're either overeating or overestimating your burned calories, which is most likely the case especially if you're eating part or most of your exercise calories back. This happened to me during the first year of weightloss when I was doing stationary bike at home. My burned calories were overestimated by the machine so my weightloss was almost unnoticeable. I'd also consider sticking to it for at least a month before judging: depending on how "aggressive" your weightloss plan is, it might take you longer to see noticeable results that are not significantly influenced by daily fluctuations. Even though weightloss is based on simple math, your body doesn't necessary show it, this doesn't mean you're not doing the right thing or actually losing weight. Stick to it longer and I'm sure in a month you'll be down a few lbs!
    p.s. I'd also check another scale just in case.
  • biggsterjackster
    biggsterjackster Posts: 419 Member
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    You are not eating 1200 to 1300 cals a day. Probably more. Be honest to yourself!
  • AbsurdParadigm
    AbsurdParadigm Posts: 7 Member
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    The flow chart that quiksylver296 posted covers most of the issues that people have with weight loss. Buying a food scale really helped me. Before that, I was just guessing weights and I am awful at that.

    The only thing I do not see suggested yet is sleep. Run a google search on sleep and weight loss and read up. Everything I have heard on the radio (NPR did a piece on it) and have read online cannot directly point out why sleep helps weight loss, but most studies have shown that it does.
    https://www.google.com/#q=sleep%20and%20healthy%20weight&safe=active

    One reason could be energy. If you don't get enough sleep, you may eat more to get that energy from food. Or it could just be a biological side effect of not getting enough sleep. Not really sure, but getting extra sleep keeps me happy and healthy and really helps with motivation to get out there and exercise.

    I know you're not a man, but with men's health, getting enough sleep is important to keep testosterone levels higher, which can help men lose weight, build muscle, and avoid depression.
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
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    sarahb_1990 wrote: »
    Hey guys,

    I have been eating super strict (no refined carbs (only carbs from veggies), no root vegetables, no red meat, no sugars, I limit my fruit to once a week.. I mean strict!), I wake up at 5:15 and go to the gym to run 3 times a week, in addition I walk to and from work (1.5km each way) Monday - Friday and I have been gaining weight!! I track my food (1200-1300 calories a day) my fit bit tracks my exercise (400-600 calories burned a day from exercise depending if I ran that morning). My fitness pal tells me everyday "If everyday were like today" I'd lose about 12 pounds in 5 weeks. EVERYDAY IS LIKE TODAY!
    Please keep in mind that I have weight to lose! My BMI is considered obese. I have been doing this for a year. What am I doing wrong?! Even if my body is used to the exercise I do now, I should have lost weight in the beginning, right? Am I crazy or is something wrong with my body? I'm at my wit's end and I'm debating on buying a cake, saying eff it, and eating the whole thing.
    Does anyone share this issue or have any advise?

    I really don't think you're miscalculating 1200 calories a day. I have been where you are many times and I was told that I wasn't logging correctly or even lying. I know it sucks but don't give up.

    How long have you been stuck and how much have you lost over the past year?

  • jayv85
    jayv85 Posts: 142 Member
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    If you've been good about it I'd discuss the lack of weight loss with your doctor and bring in the tracking you've done.
  • bianca616
    bianca616 Posts: 295 Member
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    I feel for you. I know it is frustrating to work so hard and not get the result you want on the scale but don't give up. I have been actively working on changing my lifestyle for 8 months now and have lost over 55 pounds. I was also "obese" at 220 pounds and am now currently 164 and less than 10 pounds away from being considered "normal" weight. Based on what you described it sounds like you are already active and limiting your food intake. For me, I maintained a calorie intake of 1,300-1,500 a day for about 4 months but I did not actively work to keep my carbohydrates to a minimum. Maybe you need to consider a total change of diet and start concentrating more on calories and less on carbs. Also I would make sure to include some fats in your diet because you won't lose weight without them. The 4 things I swear helped make this time different for me are water, meal prep, my Fitbit, and MFP. I didn't believe water helped you lose weight until I started tracking how much of it I drank everyday and realized I hardly drank any. You must drink at least 64 ounces a day but it works! Meal prep was a godsend and made breakfast, lunch and snacks so much easier. I love my Fitbit and competing with friends has kept me up and moving and finally weighing and logging my food everyday (cheat days and all). I also worked out 4 days a week and lost 40 pounds in the first 4 months. Try and change things up a bit but keep pushing. The one thing I have learned is that you have to keep pushing the whole way whether it's to push through that craving or impulse or to get up and workout when you REALLY don't want to. Don't give up. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and what seems impossible now is achievable.

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