Frustrated...

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vanlew66
vanlew66 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello Fellow FitnessPals!

WHY CAN'T I LOSE WEIGHT?!?!?!?! :grumble: :explode: :sad:

I am a 30 year old women struggling to shed some pounds. In my teens and early twenties I was a toothpick; could eat whatever I wanted and NEVER had to worry about gaining a pound. I started putting on weight in my mid twenties (which was a good thing) and eventually got the point where I was embarrassed to be seen in a swimsuit. That certainly made things difficult, living in Hawaii.

Motivated by not so distant wedding bells, I started really taking a look at what I was eating and focused on making better choices. Granted, there were/are times when I splurge but I feel that the good greatly outweighs the bad. The improved eating combined with a splash of yogic movement helped to transform my figure into something I could be more proud of but still didn't budge the scale. Now I know that muscle weighs more than fat, but what about the overall shrinkage factor? I've gone down about one dress size but is that really all I get for 3 years of hard work???

I must be doing something wrong...but what? I am hoping that someone who has been in the same predicament as I see this and share some inspirational tips/ideas on how to get the pounds to shed.

-V-

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    We can say unless you have tracked your food. It's possible too little or too much food, a lot of process foods, etc... Have you tracked calories lately?
  • 86_Ohms
    86_Ohms Posts: 253 Member
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    Some people benefit from different types of diets. Usually eating to your BMR, which a tool is available under the "Tools" tab at the top of the page, should have you losing about 1 lb/week or so.

    You can try a low carb diet as well mixed with exercise. Psulemon brings up a good point about not eating processed foods either as their sugars/carbs are simple and the body can quickly store them away instead of working to break them down.
  • Wicklatpr
    Wicklatpr Posts: 10 Member
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    You could maybe do some circuit weights a couple of times a week. Light weights with high reps will strip some more fat without bulking you up. You'll end up more toned and increase your bodies ability to burn calories.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    You could maybe do some circuit weights a couple of times a week. Light weights with high reps will strip some more fat without bulking you up. You'll end up more toned and increase your bodies ability to burn calories.

    Light weights work on muscle endurance. Heavy weights work on burning fat. And women can NOT bulk up, unless they are on steroids. It's not genetically possible. BTW, below is a link to a girl who power lifts and eats 3000-4000 calories a day. Tell me if she looks bulky.

    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 753 Member
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    Do lots of cardio!
  • nicolewalker245
    nicolewalker245 Posts: 5
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    Have youhad a complete physical with bloodwork lately? I was facing the same issues and found I was insulin resistant which adversely affected the way my body handles carbs, sugars etc... and my pancreas overproduces insulin to feed my body...so it made it very difficult to lose weight but not impossible. I started eating low glycemic index foods, taking some supplements my body needed to support my metabolism and was able to start losing weight - slowly at first but it improves as you lose.

    I'd suggest keeping a VERY accurate meal and exercise log and sharing with your doctor. Also - take measurements - many times even though the scale isnt moving...you are actually losing inches. I was skeptical of that at first but it is true and not just one of those things people tell you to make you feel better!
  • joec63
    joec63 Posts: 56 Member
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    Hang in there. If you want to shed fat you need to get strict with the diet and be consistent in tracking everything. Don't allow yourself to cheat . Some people think just one little bite of this wont hurt but it snowballs and sets you back to square one. You have to plan your meals out ahead of time and eat 5 times a day. It's all in the planning and it's hard work until it becomes routine. Morning/snack/lunch/snack/dinner. Concetrate on your nutrition consisting of 50% protein, 30% Carbs , and 20% fats. Stay away from processed food and white breads/pasta. Whole wheat and only in the morning and afternoon. I cut it out all together. Ate a lean meat/vegetable for lunch and dinner
    I just finished my 2nd round of P90X and now I'm onto Insanity. And before anyone says anything I'm not trying to sell you on these programs : ) They are tough. Walk briskly for an hour in the evening if possible. My point is that diet is around 80% of the equation in losing weight. I lost 12 ibs of fat in one month sticking to the fat shredder plan. A lot of people aslo try to lose weight by eating too little, dont fall in that trap.

    my two cents
  • vanlew66
    vanlew66 Posts: 2 Member
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    Wow...thank you all! Great feedback. I just signed up with myfitnesspal yesterday and have been trying to keep up with the diary. I just so happen to have had a bunch of blood work done and it all came back normal, so that's a plus.

    This weekend I'm taking your tips, my husband and our healthy cooking cookbooks and building a plan for weight loss success!!!

    Thanks again :happy:
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Hang in there. If you want to shed fat you need to get strict with the diet and be consistent in tracking everything. Don't allow yourself to cheat . Some people think just one little bite of this wont hurt but it snowballs and sets you back to square one. You have to plan your meals out ahead of time and eat 5 times a day. It's all in the planning and it's hard work until it becomes routine. Morning/snack/lunch/snack/dinner. Concetrate on your nutrition consisting of 50% protein, 30% Carbs , and 20% fats. Stay away from processed food and white breads/pasta. Whole wheat and only in the morning and afternoon. I cut it out all together. Ate a lean meat/vegetable for lunch and dinner
    I just finished my 2nd round of P90X and now I'm onto Insanity. And before anyone says anything I'm not trying to sell you on these programs : ) They are tough. Walk briskly for an hour in the evening if possible. My point is that diet is around 80% of the equation in losing weight. I lost 12 ibs of fat in one month sticking to the fat shredder plan. A lot of people aslo try to lose weight by eating too little, dont fall in that trap.

    my two cents


    I love BB products ( I am doing P90X2 right now, have done P90X and CLX). I do want to point out two misconceptions you stated. You can eat 1 meal a day or 5 meals a day, but your body still burns the same amount of calories regardless of how many meals and what time you eat meals. So you can eat whole wheat carbs minutes before you go to bed and it will have the same metabolic affect. Other than that, I agree.
  • mabrywynn
    mabrywynn Posts: 64 Member
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    I completely understand where you are coming from. I was also a toothpick in high school/college...started putting on the weight in college but in a good way. Then I got pregnant with twins and gained over 80lbs (worth it because my babies were healthy and full term) but it did a number on my body. I am turning 31 and still try to deal with that last 10 lbs...and my kids are almost 3! It is such a battle. Last year I started myfitnesspal and a serious workout regimen but i really didn't watch my calorie intake as much as i should have. I saw results in my body but not anything to write home about. I work out really hard too...this year with the help of my husband (who is also trying to eat healthy) we are tracking calories and eating healthy at least 80-90% of the time and making sure we get to the gym 4-6 days a week along with training for some races. After just two months i have already lost 3 lbs. Sadly I know that even if I am working hard and eating calories that show I should be losing a lb a week that I actually will not. I have the goal of losing 1-2lbs a month right now because that is how my body seems to process it and literally just focusing on that small number each month instead of the bigger picture. Keeping up with your diary daily and focusing on small goals will help out a lot.

    and some wicked cardio and weight training does wonders too.....btw - I allow myself to have only ezekiel bread as my carbs - some for breakfast and some at lunch if i trained hard enough. Otherwise all my other carbs can only come from fruits/veggies... eat clean and train dirty :)
  • SteveTries
    SteveTries Posts: 723 Member
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    Granted, there were/are times when I splurge but I feel that the good greatly outweighs the bad.


    I must be doing something wrong...but what? I am hoping that someone who has been in the same predicament as I see this and share some inspirational tips/ideas on how to get the pounds to shed.


    You "feel" like the good should outweigh the bad but are you actually tracking that? Measuring and monitoring and proving with the data that it does indeed?

    Many people swap high caloric diets of junk food with equally diets of healthy food in quantities that are still too high for weight loss. They haven't done the math to realise they aren;t in caloric deficit and just assume that swapping burgers for big bowls of fruit will make it happen. Could you be one of those?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Also, here are some guidelines to use based on goals. So if you only have 10 lbs to lose, you need to aim for .5 lbs per week.


    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • joec63
    joec63 Posts: 56 Member
    Options
    Hang in there. If you want to shed fat you need to get strict with the diet and be consistent in tracking everything. Don't allow yourself to cheat . Some people think just one little bite of this wont hurt but it snowballs and sets you back to square one. You have to plan your meals out ahead of time and eat 5 times a day. It's all in the planning and it's hard work until it becomes routine. Morning/snack/lunch/snack/dinner. Concetrate on your nutrition consisting of 50% protein, 30% Carbs , and 20% fats. Stay away from processed food and white breads/pasta. Whole wheat and only in the morning and afternoon. I cut it out all together. Ate a lean meat/vegetable for lunch and dinner
    I just finished my 2nd round of P90X and now I'm onto Insanity. And before anyone says anything I'm not trying to sell you on these programs : ) They are tough. Walk briskly for an hour in the evening if possible. My point is that diet is around 80% of the equation in losing weight. I lost 12 ibs of fat in one month sticking to the fat shredder plan. A lot of people aslo try to lose weight by eating too little, dont fall in that trap.

    my two cents


    I love BB products ( I am doing P90X2 right now, have done P90X and CLX). I do want to point out two misconceptions you stated. You can eat 1 meal a day or 5 meals a day, but your body still burns the same amount of calories regardless of how many meals and what time you eat meals. So you can eat whole wheat carbs minutes before you go to bed and it will have the same metabolic affect. Other than that, I agree.


    True, however, eating one meal a day isn't realistic to achieve results over the long term. For me anyway. A person could eat junk food and as long as they create a calorie defict will still lose weight. Muscle and all. So yes you can eat carbs late into the night and as I stated, for me personally, I chose to cut them out for the most part while I was in fat loss mode. Kept my glycemic index in check. I think we agree more than not.

    BB products, that I have tried, are top shelf and are sound in good principles as far as I'm concerned. They give the uninclined some structure and a plan. The workout of about an hour a day is the easy part. It's the stuff that goes in your mouth the other 23 hrs that most struggle with. Not you personally!

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