I am not losing, what am I doing wrong?

Scales lie, but I don't think they lie that much with that situation. If you're seeing a doctor, trainer and multiple nutritionists, I'm not sure anyone here is qualified (if for no other reason than we don't have all the facts) to give substantial help.

The only advice I can give is that perhaps you need a second opinion from a different doctor?

Hi - for me, I find that it's not just about how many calories, but what kind of calories they are. I have to stick to eating at least some protein with every snack and meal and all my grains are whole grains. I try to avoid drinking any of my calories (ie. pop or booze) except for the visalus smoothie that I have for breakfast. I also avoid processed food whenever possible. I recommend educating yourself with literature on dieting as well - I have taken cues from many different authors, although I never take one book as gospel truth, but take bits of everything and make it work for me.

Also, at least you're losing. You're not gaining, and there is something to be said for that - especially if you are having hormonal issues. Hopefully you will get some good medical advice on that and get it sorted out, because trying to lose while that's going on may feel a lot like banging your head against a wall. But don't give up!

For me, following MFP to a t works better without outside interferences. I am sure you have entered weight, height and activity level and seen what MFP reccomends calorie wise plus adding your calories back in from exercise. You may not be eating enough. I have a thyroid problem which is part of why I gained 40 pounds. Nothing worked for me until I found MFP and I am on track with my one pound a week. Also, like others said, you may have to track your success with a measuring tape instead of scales.

I don't know if you are drinking diet soda, if you are stop...i lost 15 of my lbs just doing that, then I started actually counting my calories and have lost the other 22 that way. A friend of mine lost 171lbs by quitting pop and drinking water. Water is my best friend. Also common sense eating keep plugging away! And I agree use a tape measure, muscle weighs more than fat, so that alone could be your scales confusion!

It should be about calories in calories out when you have a lot to lose. Once you are down to the last few lbs eating more may help (though, honestly, that's never been my experience). Are you sure of your calorie counts? Do you measure your food?

You said Hormone Imbalance . . . if it is PCOS that makes losing weight extremely difficult. Your body can't properly process carbs and there is an overproduction of insulin. If this is the case, you need to focus on high protein foods. You don't want to avoid all carbs but I've noticed that the 230 carbs that MFP tells me to eat a day is WAY too much.

I posted this on your profile, too, but here's my advice after looking at your diary:

Up your fiber - A LOT (according to the Mayo Clinic, women under 50 should get a MINIMUM of 25 grams/day). Make sure you drink enough water, too, or the extra fiber will plug you up, if you know what I mean.

Up your protein on days you do a lot of exercise. I'm not a big fan of the low carb, high protein diet thing, but extra protein when you exercise is definitely a good thing.

And... watch your sodium intake. You have some good sodium days, but you have quite a few where you are consuming anywhere from 1000-2000 mg MORE sodium than you should, which makes you retain water and isn't good for you anyway.

So, to sum up - increase your fiber and protein, drink extra water, and watch your sodium intake.

And one more thing.... consume more fresh fruits and veggies and "real" food in general. Your body will thank you, regardless of what the scale says.

Your calorie intake seems pretty good, at least from my viewpoint, but those are some things you can work on.

This is exactly how I'm looking at it. I've been on a rough path from age 18-20. I lost weight, which I was proud of, but just because you are eating the right amount of calories doesn't mean those calories are good for you. I highly recommend you to make your own food when able to, like many people have said, protein, especially Corylda about eating protein the days you do work out.

I'm not an expert, and none of us are. I do have a thyroid problem, it was the "I lose weight, gain twice back" kind of life that I was on for roughly 2 years. I started this 4 week diet since I was just eating anything processed and anything I can get my hands on... That being said I took this 4 week diet only to completely change the way my body was accustomed to, which wasn't good at all. I now cook everything I eat, drink more water (I rarely drank soda/pop but I loved my sweet tea) and once every day 8oz. of pure green tea with no sugar (I've gotten use to it) which is not that bad and I actually like. I do eat chicken most days except Sundays, Mondays & Thursdays... I've enjoyed eating salad every day, I switch as much as I can with my greens.

Pretty much is just about eating things that are homemade, you'll be able to control the sodium in things (which was one of my biggest problems) and its really delicious. How I look at it, your up on your feed doing something good for your body, not going out and hoping that what they give you is good for you. I do recommend to plan out your diary a few days before, even a week like I do. This isn't for sure going to make you lose those 2lbs each week, but your body will get into a rhythm of things and thank you.

Also be stress free as much as possible, relax when you need time. That's all I can give you as advice.

Sounds like in your case, you may need to measure your inches...Inches matter more than pounds in some people. You may be toning what you have and losing nothing weight wise in exchange. Measure your self once a week for the next cpl weeks and let us know. Also, make your diary public so we can help that way where food is concerned.

What about your sleep and stress level? Not getting enough sleep will mess up your hormone even more. When stress level is high, so will be your blood cortisol level. My Dr. checked my cortisol level at 8am and 4pm on the same day. And the numbers were almost the same, which was BAD! The one at 4pm should drop to close to zero. I have both issues plus insulin resistance from Type II Diabetes, which makes losing weight is so hard, or at least not as quick as I want it to be.

I can't take sleeping pills to force myself sleep because I have a 5 year old at home and I need to keep my ears open at night. It is hard to relax when working on a high pressured job (which I like, not hate). So, I just keep doing the "right" things and hope the WL thing will happen. If you lack of sleep, try and do something to change that; if your stress level is high, try and take a nap or just lay down at noon for about 15 minutes to help your body and mind relax.

Good luck! (I need that too.)

I was having the same problem as you about 6 years ago. I had been to a least 4 different nutritionists, worked with a personal trainer with no weight loss results. Everyone told me something different but nothing was working. On paper my doctor told me I looked like an athlete (Ya, right :noway: ). I spent years telling the HMO doctors that it was my thyroid but no one would listen to me :grumble: . Every time I could get a HMO doctor to test for hypothyroidism my results would be in the "normal" range. It wasn't until I read the book LIVING WELL WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM by Mary Shomon that I realized I needed to find a specialist that would test not only my T3 / T4 levels but also my T3 FREE / T4 FREE levels. I was put on Natures Thyroid immediately and have never looked back. Testing the T Free levels is key and most HMO doctors will not test this. If your lucky enough to have a doctor that will listen to you and test your T Free levels you may find that you are borderline hypothyroid and need to be on medication.

I agree with all of the responses you've received so far in that your diet could also be hindering you. I switched my eating habits to a nutrient dense ( mostly plant based) diet back in December 2011and have lost 62 lbs. I only wish I would have found MFP sooner. :sad:

Don't Give Up . . . . . persistence is the key