Can't loose weight

LauraC1516
LauraC1516 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was doing my 1200 calorie a day for a month plus 30 to 40min of excercise a day & i am 70 yrs old with hypothyroid. Did not loose weight. I then tried a very low carb diet which in 2 months lost 7 lbs but i feel i should have lost more being that before i started dieting i never excercised & i feel i have made some pretty drastic changes. Right now i am very discouraged because i had cut out all pasta, bread,rice & potatoes on my low carb diet & i am feeling very deprived And just to have lost such a small amount of weight. Any tips out there would be very appreciated!!!!

Replies

  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    7 pounds in 2 months is considered a healthy rate of weight loss. Be happy you have lost something. Are you weighing and logging everything you eat?
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
    What is your starting weight and what is your goal weight?

    What kind of progress where you hoping to see? Like 1 pound a week? 5 pounds a week?
  • LauraC1516
    LauraC1516 Posts: 6 Member
    cathipa wrote: »
    7 pounds in 2 months is considered a healthy rate of weight loss. Be happy you have lost something. Are you weighing and logging everything you eat?

    Thanks, your telling me the same thing my son told me. I have been logging everything i eat. It's just that i have cut out all refined carbs & not even eating fruits, just meat, fish & vegies plus excersing which i never did 7times a week. so i expected to have lost a little bit more
  • LauraC1516
    LauraC1516 Posts: 6 Member
    ugofatcat wrote: »
    What is your starting weight and what is your goal weight?

    What kind of progress where you hoping to see? Like 1 pound a week? 5 pounds a week?

    My starting weight was 200lbs then went down to 193. I was hoping to have been losing about 5lbs a wk. I'm desperate because i never weighed this much in my life & i really feel all this excess weight. I know it will be harder for me being i am 70 & was dx. with hypothyroid issues about 7yrs ago. I was really determined & really sticking to my diet & excersize but am getting discouraged to the point of maybe going to see a nutritionist.
  • LauraC1516
    LauraC1516 Posts: 6 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    LauraC1516 wrote: »
    cathipa wrote: »
    7 pounds in 2 months is considered a healthy rate of weight loss. Be happy you have lost something. Are you weighing and logging everything you eat?

    Thanks, your telling me the same thing my son told me. I have been logging everything i eat. It's just that i have cut out all refined carbs & not even eating fruits, just meat, fish & vegies plus excersing which i never did 7times a week. so i expected to have lost a little bit more

    Weight loss is about CALORIES.....so unless eliminating carbs lowered your calories more than before (1200)....then weight loss should still be the same with or without carbs.

    5 pounds a week takes a HUGE deficit that only very large people can pull off. 5 x 3500 = 17,750 calories. Divide that by 7 / 17,500 = 2,500. You would need a 2500 calorie deficit every single day.

    I don't know your height but a 5'5" - 70 year old woman - 193 pounds - very active exercise - only uses 2,793 calories per day. So if you ate only 293 calories (extremely dangerous).....you could lose 5 pounds a week.
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Really aggressive dieting makes it harder for your body to support existing lean muscle mass. If you want a lower body fat %......accept slower weight loss as a good thing.

    I'm only 5ft tall. Thanks so much for all the advice. I know it's better to slowly loose the lbs. I just thought maybe i wasn't doing things right.
  • LauraC1516
    LauraC1516 Posts: 6 Member
    MikilouB wrote: »
    I know this is tough and once you have committed you would like to lose more and faster. However, 5 lbs a week is totally unrealistic, even for someone younger and taller. 7 lbs in 2 months is great!!! However, don't make your diet so unrealistic that you become discouraged and can't stick to it for the rest of your life. This journey is not just about losing weight, but about creating a healthier you! Ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist and have them help you create a meal plan using foods you like within your calorie goal. I am 61, with thyroid and adreanal issues along with some other medical problems. Over the course of the past year I have lost 85 pounds using MFP and logging all my days (even the bad ones). I choose my foods based on calories, macros and whether it is something I like. Found out that there are more veggies that I like! But I also include pasta, fruit and even cookies and ice cream...all within moderation and generally in my calorie count. You can do it and it seems you are on the right track. Stick with it and make the plan work for you.

    Thanks so very much for your great advice & inspiration. I feel better now knowing that someone else with thyroid issues is able to loose a decent amount of weight & that your also able to incorporate some starches & still loose weight. I find when i incorporate starches It doesn't help me with my weight loss. For me to loose weight i feel like i have to take drastic measures with what i eat. I do plan on speaking to my PCP to refer me to a nutritionist so wish me luck for i am desperate to loose weight.!!!!
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    I've lost my weight so far at 2lbs a month.
    Weight loss is a patience game.
  • bc2ct
    bc2ct Posts: 222 Member
    The reality is that people who have been overweight their whole lives have a hard time losing weight. Your body is going to try and hold on to the fat you've had for decades. This isn't to say it's not worth trying, just that stasis is going to be your enemy at this point. A great goal for you might be improving your cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, and flexibility. Make sure you are getting sufficient nutrients (fat, carbs & protein) and don't starve yourself (I mean this in the psychological sense, 1200 calories isn't literal starvation but it may feel that way)... it's not worth it!
  • fiona12345fiona
    fiona12345fiona Posts: 1 Member
    You can do it!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,393 Member
    edited March 2017
    I've been hypothyroid for at least 30 years. I am also older.

    I lost my weight (70 pounds in 8-9 months) by just staying under my calories, logging my food, taking a 45 minute walk 3-4 times a week. I didn't cut out any foods. Five pounds a week is unrealistic for you to expect and will lead to you feeling awful and likely just giving up.

    Set your goal here to lose one pound per week, log all your food. Learn from your food diary. Start exchanging high calorie/low nutrient foods for other foods with more nutrients and that are more filling. Don't cut out fat. Fiber and protein are your friends. Baby steps. It's the only thing that works, believe me. I've been on these forums for ten years reading peoples' stories and learning from their success and failures. I've kept my weight off for ten (almost) years. If I had cut out entire food groups I would have been unhappy and I would have never stuck to it. A treat now and then is essential to mental health, in my opinion.

    Calories are King. Give it time, and take it slowly.
  • Michellelynn219
    Michellelynn219 Posts: 62 Member
    I am 49, I have Hashimoto's. I have never been heavy. I got married at 34 and weighed 125. Once I had my first baby I developed Thyroid disease. I have been 40 lbs overweight for 12 yrs. I have tried MFP many times and didn't see any weight loss until now. I lost 6 lbs in a month. The only way for me to lose is to weigh all of my food, strict logging, stay 1200 calories or slightly under like was mentioned in a previous post and exercise. You can do this :)
  • LauraC1516
    LauraC1516 Posts: 6 Member
    Michellelynn219 wrote: »
    I am 49, I have Hashimoto's. I have never been heavy. I got married at 34 and weighed 125. Once I had my first baby I developed Thyroid disease. I have been 40 lbs overweight for 12 yrs. I have tried MFP many times and didn't see any weight loss until now. I lost 6 lbs in a month. The only way for me to lose is to weigh all of my food, strict logging, stay 1200 calories or slightly under like was mentioned in a previous post and exercise. You can do this :)

    Hi, i also was never heavy it's been 7yrs since i was dx. with thyroid disease. I do weigh my food & exercise 7 days a wk. but i am a senior which also doesn't help that much ,my metabolism is not like you young folks
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,393 Member
    edited March 2017
    LauraC1516 wrote: »
    Michellelynn219 wrote: »
    I am 49, I have Hashimoto's. I have never been heavy. I got married at 34 and weighed 125. Once I had my first baby I developed Thyroid disease. I have been 40 lbs overweight for 12 yrs. I have tried MFP many times and didn't see any weight loss until now. I lost 6 lbs in a month. The only way for me to lose is to weigh all of my food, strict logging, stay 1200 calories or slightly under like was mentioned in a previous post and exercise. You can do this :)

    Hi, i also was never heavy it's been 7yrs since i was dx. with thyroid disease. I do weigh my food & exercise 7 days a wk. but i am a senior which also doesn't help that much ,my metabolism is not like you young folks

    That doesn't change your ability to lose weight. I've been on this site for ten years and have seen many older people (including me) lose significant weight. I'm hypothyroid too. I've been on thyroid meds for years.

    That's an excuse. You can lose weight. I did, and so did many others. Log your food accurately. Find an activity you enjoy, whether it's walking or something else.

    You say you're doing that. Then you are eating too much. How many calories a day are you eating? How much exercise are you getting? When was the last time you had your thyroid levels checked? Are you sure you are on an accurate dose? Can you please set your food diary to "Public" so we can take a look at it? It's in Food > Settings

    Click here, scroll down, click "Public" ~~>> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • reichertcarol
    reichertcarol Posts: 5 Member
    It is so much harder to lose weight for mature post menopausal women. I have just started My Fitness Pal, I have never tracked my food intake like this before. I have put on 20 pounds over the last 7 years. I got on a scale for the first time in 4 years, I was afraid of what it would tell me. I was not happy with what I saw. I am hoping the tracking of calories and macros will help me lose some weight. I do Crossfit 4 times a week, I feel great, but have not lost weight. I became very discouraged to be working out so hard and no weight loss. Now that I am tracking I think that mindless eating was putting me over my caloric needs, even with my vigorous exercise. I hope fitness pal is not allowing me too many extra calories for my exercise, I have been trying to stay under the revised total with the extra calories added. Wish me luck!
  • Mini_Medic
    Mini_Medic Posts: 343 Member
    You may lose all the weight being restrictive, but carbs are not the devil. They are higher in calories than protein, so bang for your buck they may not always fit your daily goal in the amounts you would like to eat (a whole potato, a big serving of chips, multiple rolls/biscuits or pasta) but they will not prevent weight loss if in moderation. You can eat 1,200 calories of chicken breast and green beans. Or you can have 1,200 calories of whatever you want, even ice cream (not recommended for satiety and feeling full), it's all 1,200 and you would lose the same amount of weight. So why punish yourself by eliminating what you like? If you do that and lose all your weight, are you going to keep eating that restrictive way to maintain the new weight? Most people don't and they regain like crazy because they cut out foods they enjoy thinking they were "bad" or kept them from losing weight, and then they reach goal and go right back to their own way of eating including the "forbidden foods" because you can only resist so long. Try to practice moderation now with starches and everything else so when you lose and eventually hit maintenance, you know portions that are ok and you can still enjoy the foods you love in smaller amounts to match your goals.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    LauraC1516 wrote: »
    Michellelynn219 wrote: »
    I am 49, I have Hashimoto's. I have never been heavy. I got married at 34 and weighed 125. Once I had my first baby I developed Thyroid disease. I have been 40 lbs overweight for 12 yrs. I have tried MFP many times and didn't see any weight loss until now. I lost 6 lbs in a month. The only way for me to lose is to weigh all of my food, strict logging, stay 1200 calories or slightly under like was mentioned in a previous post and exercise. You can do this :)

    Hi, i also was never heavy it's been 7yrs since i was dx. with thyroid disease. I do weigh my food & exercise 7 days a wk. but i am a senior which also doesn't help that much ,my metabolism is not like you young folks

    That doesn't change your ability to lose weight. I've been on this site for ten years and have seen many older people (including me) lose significant weight. I'm hypothyroid too. I've been on thyroid meds for years.

    That's an excuse. You can lose weight. I did, and so did many others. Log your food accurately. Find an activity you enjoy, whether it's walking or something else.

    You say you're doing that. Then you are eating too much. How many calories a day are you eating? How much exercise are you getting? When was the last time you had your thyroid levels checked? Are you sure you are on an accurate dose? Can you please set your food diary to "Public" so we can take a look at it? It's in Food > Settings

    Click here, scroll down, click "Public" ~~>> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    I cringe every time that I read a post saying how hard it is for us "older" people to lose weight. I too have had no problem losing weight at 64 y/o. Yes we don't get to eat as many calories as someone in their 20's or 30's but we also don't require as many.

    In one sense I think it may be easier for us to lose. We don't have many of the social issues to deal with. My son (30) is trying to lose some weight. He constantly has to deal with office lunches, client lunches and going out with friends.

    OP...I eat between 1200 - 1400 calories and am losing on average 1 3/4lb a week. I have not cut out carbs but I do moderate them mainly because I have problems with water retention. I try to keep my carbs between 100g - 150g. I eat pasta and rice and occasionally bread.

    Someone at some point decided that us older people can't lose weight...sadly some of us older people believed them. Hint...it's not true.

  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    Annie_01 wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    LauraC1516 wrote: »
    Michellelynn219 wrote: »
    I am 49, I have Hashimoto's. I have never been heavy. I got married at 34 and weighed 125. Once I had my first baby I developed Thyroid disease. I have been 40 lbs overweight for 12 yrs. I have tried MFP many times and didn't see any weight loss until now. I lost 6 lbs in a month. The only way for me to lose is to weigh all of my food, strict logging, stay 1200 calories or slightly under like was mentioned in a previous post and exercise. You can do this :)

    Hi, i also was never heavy it's been 7yrs since i was dx. with thyroid disease. I do weigh my food & exercise 7 days a wk. but i am a senior which also doesn't help that much ,my metabolism is not like you young folks

    That doesn't change your ability to lose weight. I've been on this site for ten years and have seen many older people (including me) lose significant weight. I'm hypothyroid too. I've been on thyroid meds for years.

    That's an excuse. You can lose weight. I did, and so did many others. Log your food accurately. Find an activity you enjoy, whether it's walking or something else.

    You say you're doing that. Then you are eating too much. How many calories a day are you eating? How much exercise are you getting? When was the last time you had your thyroid levels checked? Are you sure you are on an accurate dose? Can you please set your food diary to "Public" so we can take a look at it? It's in Food > Settings

    Click here, scroll down, click "Public" ~~>> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    I cringe every time that I read a post saying how hard it is for us "older" people to lose weight. I too have had no problem losing weight at 64 y/o. Yes we don't get to eat as many calories as someone in their 20's or 30's but we also don't require as many.

    In one sense I think it may be easier for us to lose. We don't have many of the social issues to deal with. My son (30) is trying to lose some weight. He constantly has to deal with office lunches, client lunches and going out with friends.

    OP...I eat between 1200 - 1400 calories and am losing on average 1 3/4lb a week. I have not cut out carbs but I do moderate them mainly because I have problems with water retention. I try to keep my carbs between 100g - 150g. I eat pasta and rice and occasionally bread.

    Someone at some point decided that us older people can't lose weight...sadly some of us older people believed them. Hint...it's not true.

    Another older person here who's been steadily losing weight over the last year (66 yrs old, 35 lbs down). Seriously, I didn't gain weight because I got older, I gained it because I gradually started eating more (stress) and exercising less (longer commute). I lost it when I set a realistic calorie goal and stuck to it, just like anyone else at any other age. :)
  • ZephieC
    ZephieC Posts: 162 Member
    It would be a good idea to take some measurements or photos. You can measure weight loss in other ways besides the scale. If you went from not working out to being very active you may find though the scale didn't move, inches may have. I like to keep an article of clothing handy to "try" fitting into. It is encouraging. I will send you a friend request. I find having folks who log daily pop up in my feed motivating. My diary is open too so if you feel like poking through you can.

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