Not losing, Doctor was NO help
Serafimangel
Posts: 174 Member
Heya,
I’ve been managing to maintain 160lbs (5ft9) for years now. I only started re-weighing myself a few months ago, was the same weight as 2011!!!
Thing is, over the years I have been reducing my calorie total and increasing my exercise, currently doing 5.5 miles on weekdays plus an hour of circuit training every weekday. On the weekends it’s one rest day (maybe a walk) and the other is either a run, circuit or long walk or hike (like yesterday, a 5 hour hike)
Went to the doc and explained everything, she said:
1. Some believe the people who massively calorie restricted in the past will struggle later on
2. Running probably won’t lead to weight loss (I pointed out I circuit train 5 hours a week as well and she suggested well maybe replace running too and do 10 hours a week circuits with no running?)
3. I’m not overweight and not rely on BMI (when I said but I’m really close, less than half a stone to over 25 BMI)
4. They don’t really want to recommend going to a nutritionalist and restricting and food groups
Sooo... I’m not FAT so I won’t get any help and I’m screwed with the weight I’m at?!?
I feel so lost, I’m trying SO hard. My husband actually pushed me to go to doc as he sees how much I do and me cooking, and he said he hates seeing me stress out at potentially missing a workout.
Any advice or kind words or anything would be so appreciated, I don’t know what to do, I just want some of my hard work to pay off!
I’ve been managing to maintain 160lbs (5ft9) for years now. I only started re-weighing myself a few months ago, was the same weight as 2011!!!
Thing is, over the years I have been reducing my calorie total and increasing my exercise, currently doing 5.5 miles on weekdays plus an hour of circuit training every weekday. On the weekends it’s one rest day (maybe a walk) and the other is either a run, circuit or long walk or hike (like yesterday, a 5 hour hike)
Went to the doc and explained everything, she said:
1. Some believe the people who massively calorie restricted in the past will struggle later on
2. Running probably won’t lead to weight loss (I pointed out I circuit train 5 hours a week as well and she suggested well maybe replace running too and do 10 hours a week circuits with no running?)
3. I’m not overweight and not rely on BMI (when I said but I’m really close, less than half a stone to over 25 BMI)
4. They don’t really want to recommend going to a nutritionalist and restricting and food groups
Sooo... I’m not FAT so I won’t get any help and I’m screwed with the weight I’m at?!?
I feel so lost, I’m trying SO hard. My husband actually pushed me to go to doc as he sees how much I do and me cooking, and he said he hates seeing me stress out at potentially missing a workout.
Any advice or kind words or anything would be so appreciated, I don’t know what to do, I just want some of my hard work to pay off!
2
Replies
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Did your doctor suggest that you actually need to lose weight?
If you have a good body fat percentage and everything else is good why don’t you just stay where you’re at.
If you circuit train five hours per week you likely have more muscle than the average person and the BMI recommendations are set around average.2 -
Forgot to mention.... if you skip or cut down your circuit training and increase running you’ll lose “weight” easily but it will be loss of muscle mass. Not my preference but maybe yours.0
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Stop stressing out. Take up a new exercise goal. Try Calesthenics and target achievements.
Most of the people I have suggested this too have either leaned out or recomped to where they wanted to be in the first place.0 -
Great job maintaining. There is a slight bmr decrease as we age (over ten years, is about 50 calories per day), so there is a need to adjust slightly, which sounds like something you've done. You mention decreasing calories - have you been tracking that in any way? Do you know about how many calories you eat per day? That might be a good place to start. Weight loss is very slow when you're already in a healthy weight range, so deficits are narrow and it's important to be very accurate in tracking calories to make progress.0
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Very true, if you have muscle that will raise your BMI. Can you do measurements in your arms and around your tummy instead?0
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Serafimangel wrote: »Heya,
I’ve been managing to maintain 160lbs (5ft9) for years now. I only started re-weighing myself a few months ago, was the same weight as 2011!!!
Thing is, over the years I have been reducing my calorie total and increasing my exercise, currently doing 5.5 miles on weekdays plus an hour of circuit training every weekday. On the weekends it’s one rest day (maybe a walk) and the other is either a run, circuit or long walk or hike (like yesterday, a 5 hour hike)
Went to the doc and explained everything, she said:
1. Some believe the people who massively calorie restricted in the past will struggle later on
2. Running probably won’t lead to weight loss (I pointed out I circuit train 5 hours a week as well and she suggested well maybe replace running too and do 10 hours a week circuits with no running?)
3. I’m not overweight and not rely on BMI (when I said but I’m really close, less than half a stone to over 25 BMI)
4. They don’t really want to recommend going to a nutritionalist and restricting and food groups
Sooo... I’m not FAT so I won’t get any help and I’m screwed with the weight I’m at?!?
I feel so lost, I’m trying SO hard. My husband actually pushed me to go to doc as he sees how much I do and me cooking, and he said he hates seeing me stress out at potentially missing a workout.
Any advice or kind words or anything would be so appreciated, I don’t know what to do, I just want some of my hard work to pay off!
Are you logging your food and maintaining a calorie deficit? Do you use a food scale? Double check the database entries you're choosing are accurate?
I know this isn't easy, but try to let go of stressing over it
it's actually counterproductive.
Weight loss is a math problem, aided greatly by trial and error.
Check out the Most Helpful Posts threads pinned to the top of each sub-forum, lots of great info there. Hang in there!1 -
Do you need a recommendation from your doctor to see a nutritionist? Maybe look into working with a personal trainer. Ultimately weight loss comes down to your diet. Idk why you’re doctor would tell you to stop running? You can’t out run your fork but you can absolutely run and lose weight (I’ve lose 20 lbs training for my half in August).
From your post it sounds like you’re putting way too much emphasis on your exercise when your diet is probably what needs the work.2 -
For me whenever the scale didn't budge despite me working out and eating better it was because of hormones (pcos). The workouts I was doing were too stressful on my body. Now I do shorter bouts of workouts. I'm not saying that you probably have hormone issues but try to listen to your body. As you get older things change, it could be what (instead of how much) you're eating, something that is stressful, sleep quality. Try intermittent fasting, too.1
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Heya everyone!
Thanks for all the advice. I count calories, weigh everything, i don’t log generic but make sure I’m logging the brands. I was anorexic when I was a teenager so have been using a food scale for decades. I’m pretty militant with it. At moment I’m averaging 1650 calories a day (some more some less, try to keep a weekly average).
I have actually started Calesthenics (my mum used to have the original on vhs! Thank god for YouTube!). I’ve maybe not been concentrating enough on weight training and doing too much cardio?
I’ve been concentrating on exercise as I don’t really want to cut down on calories any more (should I?) my average calories used to be 1800 with less exercise (about 3-4 years ago) and I’ve upped the workouts and dropped the calories and my weight is exactly the same, which makes me a bit leery about dropping my calories again.
Good points in the sleep, and stress. I know I’m a stress bunny and I don’t get enough sleep. I have a really stressful job and I’m not sure how I can reduce stress to be honest?
Thanks to everyone who replied, mfp is such a supportive place and I was in a total slump yesterday about this, so you all have given me stuff to think about ❤️2 -
Serafimangel wrote: »Heya everyone!
Thanks for all the advice. I count calories, weigh everything, i don’t log generic but make sure I’m logging the brands. I was anorexic when I was a teenager so have been using a food scale for decades. I’m pretty militant with it. At moment I’m averaging 1650 calories a day (some more some less, try to keep a weekly average).
I have actually started Calesthenics (my mum used to have the original on vhs! Thank god for YouTube!). I’ve maybe not been concentrating enough on weight training and doing too much cardio?
I’ve been concentrating on exercise as I don’t really want to cut down on calories any more (should I?) my average calories used to be 1800 with less exercise (about 3-4 years ago) and I’ve upped the workouts and dropped the calories and my weight is exactly the same, which makes me a bit leery about dropping my calories again.
Good points in the sleep, and stress. I know I’m a stress bunny and I don’t get enough sleep. I have a really stressful job and I’m not sure how I can reduce stress to be honest?
Thanks to everyone who replied, mfp is such a supportive place and I was in a total slump yesterday about this, so you all have given me stuff to think about ❤️
Sounds like you're doing really great tbh.
Stress can make you hold onto water weight (I think it's through inflammation but I'm not sure) and so that could easily mask any loss.
In terms of reducing stress have you tried things like guided breathing or yoga?0 -
Shortgirlrunning wrote: »Do you need a recommendation from your doctor to see a nutritionist? Maybe look into working with a personal trainer. Ultimately weight loss comes down to your diet. Idk why you’re doctor would tell you to stop running? You can’t out run your fork but you can absolutely run and lose weight (I’ve lose 20 lbs training for my half in August).
From your post it sounds like you’re putting way too much emphasis on your exercise when your diet is probably what needs the work.
They have dieticians on the NHS, and doctors can refer you. I was also hoping to be referred as she basically told me they can do nothing else for my IBS on the NHS either (it has been getting worse, constant bloating, I feel like a balloon all the time).
I count my calories, I even have spare batteries for my food scale in case it dies unexpectedly. And we don’t get takeaways, 99% of the time it’s me cooking - I log everything. I know most people underestimate food and overestimate exercise (secret eaters is a fantastic show that demonstrates this). I think with the ibs-c on top of the scale not budging I just feel like I’ve put on weight, as visibly I’m really bloated all the time (which makes workouts harder).
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Is there any chance your routine is...routine? The body can get efficient at doing what it does. If your heart rate is lower over time doing those same activities, then it is conditioned.
Something else...the closer you get to your equilibrium, the harder it will be to lose the weight. It’s a numbers game, though.
Try adding extra weight to your body during those workouts.
Good job staying active!0 -
josh2452180 wrote: »Is there any chance your routine is...routine? The body can get efficient at doing what it does. If your heart rate is lower over time doing those same activities, then it is conditioned.
Something else...the closer you get to your equilibrium, the harder it will be to lose the weight. It’s a numbers game, though.
Try adding extra weight to your body during those workouts.
Good job staying active!
No, you don't burn less calories for an activity the fitter you get. It's still basic school physics: moving a mass over a distance plus a multiplier. You might become better at doing it and can do more difficult exercises/heavier weights or run longer and faster - and this increases calorie burn. But there's not really a strong correlation between heartrate and calorie burn. If there was then you'd just need to turn up the heating big time and work out.4 -
Throw some Yoga with Adriene into your exercise mix, and when she tells you to BREATHE - do it. You sound very stressed and that’s not helping you. She has many different level programs on youtube, and most importantly doesn’t take herself too seriously. You could use a spoonful of that, no disrespect. I wish you could see how great you’re already doing: at 5’9” 160lbs you’re already slim, you cook real healthy food, kick butt at a high-powered job and have a husband who supports, and most likely, adores you. Take a moment to take that in. When Adriene tells you to ‘smile’ and ‘find what feels good’ give it an honest chance. Most importantly give YOU a chance. You’re already hitting it out of the ballpark. All your routine needs is minor tweaks. Hugs!4
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josh2452180 wrote: »Is there any chance your routine is...routine? The body can get efficient at doing what it does. If your heart rate is lower over time doing those same activities, then it is conditioned.
Something else...the closer you get to your equilibrium, the harder it will be to lose the weight. It’s a numbers game, though.
Try adding extra weight to your body during those workouts.
Good job staying active!
I agree with this! Mix up the exercise and give the body something new to work on. Drop the calories slightly, but then you are in a good region on the BMI (which is not a very good measurement). You mention on your profile that you had anorexia when you were young, this may have discouraged the doctor from encouraging weightloss. Sounds like you are at a healthy weight.
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Hi I am having the same problem. Recently I have been reading up on reverse dieting. I have tried many diets and have restricted calories for so long. My body is in deficit. I have been increasing my calories slowly from 1200-1800 calories. And keeping track of my macros. I only just started this so haven't gained, but haven't lost yet either, and I do weight circuit workouts. It's worth researching. I follow the gym nurse on Insta and she has alot of info on this.
Good Luck💪0 -
Regarding your IBS look into Monash University's FODMAP diet. It's an elimination and reintroduction diet to determine what your digestive system is reacting to.0
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