Fit, fat, female, forty-four and feeling frustrated...forethought?

I am a clean eater, I exercise regularly and I just finished week 5 of the arbonne 30 day cleanse: no gluten, no sugar, no dairy, no alcohol. I was 2 weeks in with my cohorts having lost 5-8 pounds and my scale unchanged when I logged on to MFP for the first time. I have been very diligent, weighing to the gram and mentally committed. I have not cheated and I am not fooling myself and eating too much, I know this. I bought a new digital bathroom scale and my weight went up 4 pounds, I am now maybe 1 pound down after 5 weeks. I am not giving up, I have 30 pounds to lose and I will not quit, but I need some positive advice. My friends think I need to go get my blood checked for cortisol and thyroid levels, others think I'm premenopausal. Any other suggestions???
«1

Replies

  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,110 Member
    I’m also 5’7” with a goal weight of 150-155lb. I joined this site after gaining some weight back, I went from 145-150 back up to 184 in a year. 1200 cals would be way too low for me. I’m losing eating 1500-2000 based on how active I am that day. I got stuck with no scale movement for about 4 months when I hit 165. I’m still not sure why but I stayed the course and am losing again without changing what I was doing. This week I am 159.

    If you are 100% positive you are weighing and logging correctly and using your calorie goal set by this site you will lose. It just isn’t always fast or linear as water weight fluctuates.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    I've had plenty of plateaus while trying to lose weight. When you get close to an optimal weight I think your body just decides to stick there for awhile. Could you already be at a healthy weight? (You don't say, just that you want to lose 30). As we age our bodies do change and things slow down - i.e. we need less calories for maintenance and it does become harder to get the scale to move.

    My maintenance calories are right around 1700-1800 with moderate daily exercise. When I eat more than that the scale starts to creep up. If I want to lose then I have to stop eating back my exercise calories. Then I will begin to lose slowly at around 1400-1450. That's not a lot but it is what it is. It's taken me over 2 years to find that sweet spot but I'm in no big hurry. Just focusing on health and fitness with a little slow weight loss as a bonus.

    You mention an Arbonne cleanse. Is that associated with supplements or special products for the cleanse part? Or is that just a specific recommended way of eating? As I recall Arbonne was a beauty products company, but perhaps they've expanded their horizons into the diet products industry.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,570 Member
    cwdelaney wrote: »
    Thanks for the tips and advice. I realize that the two scales weigh differently and I weigh about 1.5 pounds lower than I did 5 weeks ago on the old scale. As for this being my maintenance caloric intake, I think that it's already pretty low at 1430 calories and I was at 1200 for a few weeks with no loss, just fatigue and lack of energy, 1200 wasn't enough. I think my body wrnt into starvation mode. I am 5'7" and not petite. My goal weight is 155, at that weight I am strong, lower than that I feel weak and emaciated and I know I cannot maintain it. I could try maybe eating less of my exercise calories back and I am getting a fit bit to keep better track of my expenditures. Thanks again. ☺

    No such thing as "starvation mode" ... at least not in the way you're thinking of it.

    Pick a number between 1430 and 1200.
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
    You're probably really close to losing mode--I'd knock off 150 calories a day and see what happens. I'm around your age and also very active, and I am amazed by how low I have to go to see the scale move. For me (5'4, 135ish) that's 1350 calories a day WHILE exercising 40-60 minutes 60 days a week. No fun.
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    Water weight can mask small losses particularwith things like periods and new exercise.
    Are you using s weight trend app?
  • cwdelaney
    cwdelaney Posts: 17 Member
    Thanks so much everyone. I am down 1.5 today from 3 days ago, so the cleanse maybe the reason for the fluctuation. I'm going to stick with the 1430 calorie goal and the daily workouts and see what happens. Thanks again.
  • cwdelaney
    cwdelaney Posts: 17 Member
    amtyrell wrote: »
    Water weight can mask small losses particularwith things like periods and new exercise.
    Are you using s weight trend app?

    No, which do you recommend?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    OP, am I understanding right that you are currently 185 with a goal of 155 and that you are 5'7"? I went back through the posts and that is what I have gleaned. What is your activity level like--both outside of exercise and what kind of exercise do you do?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    open your diary
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    cwdelaney wrote: »
    amtyrell wrote: »
    Water weight can mask small losses particularwith things like periods and new exercise.
    Are you using s weight trend app?

    No, which do you recommend?

    Happy Scale, Libra and Trendweight are the most popular.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Re-visit this chart, @cwdelaney, and do anything you aren't currently doing.
    seska422 wrote: »
    1.

    ksmddfltoz12.jpg

  • cwdelaney
    cwdelaney Posts: 17 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    OP, am I understanding right that you are currently 185 with a goal of 155 and that you are 5'7"? I went back through the posts and that is what I have gleaned. What is your activity level like--both outside of exercise and what kind of exercise do you do?

    I am 185ish yes. I mostly have a desk job, with some days more active than others as I'm in the field once or twice a week. I classified myself as sedentary though. I do 30 minute HIIT classes 5 times a week with a 60 minute spin once a week. I walk the dog, chase a 4 year old and maintain a house and garden, solo. I try to do push ups and squats and dips regularly usually while watching good ole Netflix. I hope to start training soon for paddling race that I compete in annually. I was much thinner before having a baby at the age of 40. ☺
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    you got this!, focus, willpower, strength! GO!
  • Cat3141
    Cat3141 Posts: 162 Member
    I think it would be worth getting a physical if you haven't had one recently. If your doctor doesn't turn anything up, it might be useful to see a registered dietitian (RD or RDN).

    If you can find a lab that does testing, it might also be worth getting your resting metabolic rate estimated--while still not perfect, lab estimates tend to be more accurate than estimates based on standardized formulas.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    edited October 2017
    cwdelaney wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    OP, am I understanding right that you are currently 185 with a goal of 155 and that you are 5'7"? I went back through the posts and that is what I have gleaned. What is your activity level like--both outside of exercise and what kind of exercise do you do?

    I am 185ish yes. I mostly have a desk job, with some days more active than others as I'm in the field once or twice a week. I classified myself as sedentary though. I do 30 minute HIIT classes 5 times a week with a 60 minute spin once a week. I walk the dog, chase a 4 year old and maintain a house and garden, solo. I try to do push ups and squats and dips regularly usually while watching good ole Netflix. I hope to start training soon for paddling race that I compete in annually. I was much thinner before having a baby at the age of 40. ☺

    I do the same thing while watching TV - squats, lunges, dumbbell exercises of all kinds, wall sits, leg lifts, calf raises. Before you know it you've got a strength workout on the books!

    Have you thought about having a body fat analysis? (a real one, not just a scale provided one) With that level of activity you might have more muscle and less fat than you think. At 5'7" a muscular 185 isn't that far out of the range of normal.

    And the possibility of entering peri-menopause being part of the issue is highly likely. Once the ovaries slow down on estrogen production, the fat cells start to fill that roll in the body. When I hit mid 40's my heretofore flat stomach started to get fluffy and the girls grew 2 cup sizes almost overnight. It's a real thing. If you end up at the doctor to check thyroid you might also ask for a blood test to check your levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and other hormones. At least that could be factored in (or out) of the equation.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    cwdelaney wrote: »
    I am a clean eater,

    I doubt it. You're a human, and neither your wealth nor your virtue is signaled thusly. Open your diary to public critique.

  • cwdelaney
    cwdelaney Posts: 17 Member
    RaeBeeBaby wrote: »
    cwdelaney wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    OP, am I understanding right that you are currently 185 with a goal of 155 and that you are 5'7"? I went back through the posts and that is what I have gleaned. What is your activity level like--both outside of exercise and what kind of exercise do you do?

    I am 185ish yes. I mostly have a desk job, with some days more active than others as I'm in the field once or twice a week. I classified myself as sedentary though. I do 30 minute HIIT classes 5 times a week with a 60 minute spin once a week. I walk the dog, chase a 4 year old and maintain a house and garden, solo. I try to do push ups and squats and dips regularly usually while watching good ole Netflix. I hope to start training soon for paddling race that I compete in annually. I was much thinner before having a baby at the age of 40. ☺

    I do the same thing while watching TV - squats, lunges, dumbbell exercises of all kinds, wall sits, leg lifts, calf raises. Before you know it you've got a strength workout on the books!

    Have you thought about having a body fat analysis? (a real one, not just a scale provided one) With that level of activity you might have more muscle and less fat than you think. At 5'7" a muscular 185 isn't that far out of the range of normal.

    And the possibility of entering peri-menopause being part of the issue is highly likely. Once the ovaries slow down on estrogen production, the fat cells start to fill that roll in the body. When I hit mid 40's my heretofore flat stomach started to get fluffy and the girls grew 2 cup sizes almost overnight. It's a real thing. If you end up at the doctor to check thyroid you might also ask for a blood test to check your levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and other hormones. At least that could be factored in (or out) of the equation.

    Thank you for this. I will check both.