Doing everything right and not losing an ounce!

Anyone having this problem? I'm 46 years old, weigh 137 and seem to be stuck there like cement. I work out 6 days a week, combining strength training and cardio (mainly doing Brazil Butt Lift, which I LOVE), I'm a very healthy eater - balancing my carbs, protein and healthy fats, keep my calories right where they should be but I can't lose an ounce! My workouts are varied, so I'm not doing the same thing everyday. I eat no fast food, I do not drink soda or coffee, only water or green tea. I do not smoke. I've tried upping my calories to no avail. I've tried cycling my calories to no avail. I don't go hungry at all, I eat 6 times throughout the day...I"ve tried everything! I just want to lose about 8-10 pounds, but my body is not responding to anything. HELP!
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Replies

  • Art63
    Art63 Posts: 87
    It sounds like you're doing everything right. Good for you. But it also sounds pretty frustrating not to lose weigt when you're doing all the right things. Our bodies are odd sometimes, eh? It must be comfortable where it is. Wish I had some answer for you but I'm sure you know all the things about muscle weighing more, etc. Sounds like you're just going to have to eat just a little less.
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    Keep up the great work! The weight loss will come in time.
  • taramaureen
    taramaureen Posts: 569 Member
    I have the same issue. Turns out my hormones are out of whack. Go get checked out by a doctor.
  • ImaSongbird
    ImaSongbird Posts: 126 Member
    Maybe you don't need to eat 6X/day. This approach does not work for everybody; maybe it does not work for you.

    Also, as women approach menopause it becomes more difficult to lose weight. Not for everyone - but for most of us!
  • vilmy51
    vilmy51 Posts: 3
    Hey!! I was stuck in 119 for almost 6 months. Since I've started Turbo Fire 2 months ago I broke the plateau and lost 11 pounds!!! Do Turbo Fire or Turbo Jam, they are great to break a plateau and start losing weight again.
  • Morgan803
    Morgan803 Posts: 56 Member
    I too have been stuck for awhile now im about 148 down almost 85 pounds but recently i started to read this book called the drop ten diet its all about adding food to your plate that helps your body to burn fat and the times of day you should/ should not eat certain foods you sound very successful and knowledgable about weight loss so maybe you have tried this butt it has worked really well for me i have lost 2-3 pounds per week the last couple weeks:) give it a try.
  • theoriginaljayne
    theoriginaljayne Posts: 559 Member
    You'll get more (and better) feedback if you make your diary public.

    Edit: not that you haven't already received good feedback – we just can't tailor our responses to your exact situation unless we can see your food and exercise diary entries.
  • KelliW_runner
    KelliW_runner Posts: 150 Member
    Have your measurements or body fat % changed during this time?
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
    How long have you been stuck at this weight? Are ou clothes fitting differently?
  • FireTigerSoul
    FireTigerSoul Posts: 268 Member
    Your post sounds like one I created a few weeks after I started. I wasn't losing any weight...but I WAS losing inches. Are you checking your measurements? Losing inches is a better indication of loss, in my opinion. The scale weighs everything and can vary from day to day from a number of different factors, none of them related to fat loss.
  • badapdos
    badapdos Posts: 132
    Are you just starting out? For my first few week I didn't lose any weight, I actually gained 2 pounds. Then, it dropped after a week. Give it some time :)
  • cloud2011
    cloud2011 Posts: 898 Member
    I agree, if you open your diary, or see a nutritionist, maybe you can tweak your food. Or, try interval training for the cardio, or upping your weights on strength training (do you use free weights or machines?).
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    Anyone having this problem? I'm 46 years old, weigh 137 and seem to be stuck there like cement. I work out 6 days a week, combining strength training and cardio (mainly doing Brazil Butt Lift, which I LOVE), I'm a very healthy eater - balancing my carbs, protein and healthy fats, keep my calories right where they should be but I can't lose an ounce! My workouts are varied, so I'm not doing the same thing everyday. I eat no fast food, I do not drink soda or coffee, only water or green tea. I do not smoke. I've tried upping my calories to no avail. I've tried cycling my calories to no avail. I don't go hungry at all, I eat 6 times throughout the day...I"ve tried everything! I just want to lose about 8-10 pounds, but my body is not responding to anything. HELP!

    welcome to my world :-( last week I actually gained 6lbs..I can think of more fun ways of gaining 6lbs than working my *kitten* off running and circuit training and eating like a pauper :-(

    but I guess we are here for a long time and not a good time, right?
  • femme62209
    femme62209 Posts: 327 Member
    How to Take Off Those Last 10 Pounds
    By Jillian Michaels

    You know what I like to call those last 10 or 15 pounds that won't come off no matter what you do? Vanity pounds.

    The term describes our desire to lose weight that, as far as our bodies are concerned, actually feels healthy. Today's society pressures us to want to look a certain way, so for aesthetic reasons we try to be thinner than our bodies want us to be. Personally, I have gained and lost the same 8 vanity pounds more times than I care to admit.

    Losing your first 50 pounds might have been tough, but believe me, dropping those final few stubborn pounds is a whole different challenge. The body struggles to hold on to that last bit of fat for survival purposes.

    Now, don't get me wrong — you can lose the weight if you want to, but it will require you to muster a tremendous amount of restraint and willpower. If you're really up for it, do the following for 30 days:

    Cut your sodium to 1,000 mg a day.
    Drink at least 80 ounces of water daily.
    Cut out processed foods.
    Abstain from alcohol.
    Train at 85 percent of your MHR (maximum heart rate) for 1 hour 5 times a week.

    You can do a lot in 30 days — in fact, I can pretty much guarantee you will lose at least 5 pounds. And you'll feel like a rock star!
  • kunibob
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
    I have the same issue. Turns out my hormones are out of whack. Go get checked out by a doctor.

    Came here to say this. I'm mildly hypothyroid, and it makes losing weight a real pain.


    Also, agreed that you should check your measurements if you haven't already. Weight loss is a strange and mysterious science -- sometimes the scale doesn't reflect what's really going on.
  • Keep at it!! but does anyone know what to do for exercises? to lose weight?
  • pmkocis
    pmkocis Posts: 6
    Thanks, but I'm doing all of the things you have listed and have been for the past 4 months!
  • pmkocis
    pmkocis Posts: 6
    OK My food diary is public. I recently went back to work, so I don't get in there everyday, but it should give a better idea of how I'm eating. I probably drink more water than I record because I always forget that part in the food diary. For those of you who've asked, my measurements have changed a little. I've lost 8 inches overall in 3 months. I just keep gaining and losing the same 4 pounds.
  • Argent78
    Argent78 Posts: 151 Member
    Anyone having this problem? I'm 46 years old, weigh 137 and seem to be stuck there like cement. I work out 6 days a week, combining strength training and cardio (mainly doing Brazil Butt Lift, which I LOVE), I'm a very healthy eater - balancing my carbs, protein and healthy fats, keep my calories right where they should be but I can't lose an ounce! My workouts are varied, so I'm not doing the same thing everyday. I eat no fast food, I do not drink soda or coffee, only water or green tea. I do not smoke. I've tried upping my calories to no avail. I've tried cycling my calories to no avail. I don't go hungry at all, I eat 6 times throughout the day...I"ve tried everything! I just want to lose about 8-10 pounds, but my body is not responding to anything. HELP!

    I'm EXACTLY in the same situation!!! exercising 3 weight lifting a week + cardio and spinning in other days. Eat VERY healthy, nothing processed, I cook everything... And haven't lost an ounce! Have to loose 10-15 pounds... and nothing yet :(
  • Lane1012
    Lane1012 Posts: 211 Member
    honestly, and there are tons of threads about this, you are not eating enough. If you're working out 6 times a week and only eating around 900 calories a day you are basically starving yourself and your body is saving up everything it can. Dig around on the forums and you'll find some great advice about what you should be eating .. below is a good one and the guy really seems to know his stuff.

    good luck

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    Hmm after seeing your diary..I understand that you work etc but perhaps being inconsistent with logging is the issue...some of your days are low calorie and some you have nothing in place you could be missing bits and pieces which could very well be causing a delay in weight loss.....try taking two weeks and really stick to logging everything and see if you get a loss then....if so then you know what the culprit is....also do you use a HRM when working out? if not MFP is more than likely overestimating your burn
  • TinkrBelz
    TinkrBelz Posts: 866 Member
    Are you sure you have 8-10lbs to lose? I just got BBL DVD, and I am telling you, you are going to build up your butt and leg muscles. So, that is going to offset any fat that you lose.

    If you did not have a scale and you just looked in the mirror....how do you look? What do you look like you weigh? I know that I am 10-15 lbs (depends on the day) more than what I was years ago, but I am wearing the same size clothes. If I focused only on the number on the scale, I would be frustrated...but I have a lot more muscle now then I did at 118!

    All of this advice is sound advice too. You and I are in our 40s, so I have heard it can be more dificult. Check your thyroid too, that could be an issue. For me, I have to eat less carbs than I did in my 20s and 30s. I try to consume around 100/day
  • PurpleLadyZ
    PurpleLadyZ Posts: 5 Member
    I don't see where you answered if you've taken measurements, if your clothes are fitting differently and if you've had your body fat measured - you know, with calipers. it could just be that you've gained lean muscle mass and you're at a low body fat percent which makes it difficult to lose the last however many pounds.
  • doggiesnot
    doggiesnot Posts: 334 Member
    Good for you for doing the right things! You may not have the reward of weight loss now, but in time, it will come. Let your reward be that you KNOW you are doing the right things for your body! You are healthier for everything that you do, regardless of the weight. I'll bet your measurements would have changed if you tracked those. It's frustrating, but stick with it! And congrats! :)
  • 0AmyMarie0
    0AmyMarie0 Posts: 315
    I would add more fruits and vegetables and less processed foods. I would also log more consistently (I've logged food every day except 2 in the 65 days I've been on here) Increase your water intake, lower your fat intake, and watch your sodium.
  • julekinz
    julekinz Posts: 80 Member
    I've been warned that when this happens it's good to eat red meat for a couple days...:smile: Hope it helps, I haven't gotten that far yet.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    I see your calorie goal is 1200. I think you may have some success if you raise it to between 1400 and 1500 a day believe it or not. I know it is hard to wrap your head around, but it really does work.

    I was not having any success at 1200 per day then I raised my calories to 1400 and started losing .4 lbs a week, and they were my last 5 lbs for a 43 year old to lose. I hit my goal on March 23rd, that is when I took this profile picture.

    Eating back exercise calories also helps a great deal.

    Give it 3 weeks, trust me, it really does work.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
    You should try to be more consistent when it comes to logging into your food diary, maybe the answer to your stagnation is in the days that you don't log.
  • Have you considered the fact you might be at the right weight? You say you don't have much to lose, I wonder if you can learn to love what you see as those extra ounces. You sound fit and healthy and if your BMI is in the right range then ask yourself if you can be happy as you are? If not good luck!
  • dyannajoy
    dyannajoy Posts: 466 Member
    OK My food diary is public. I recently went back to work, so I don't get in there everyday, but it should give a better idea of how I'm eating. I probably drink more water than I record because I always forget that part in the food diary. For those of you who've asked, my measurements have changed a little. I've lost 8 inches overall in 3 months. I just keep gaining and losing the same 4 pounds.

    Are you under more stress and/or getting less sleep than usual recently? Stress and lack of sleep can cause us to hold onto weight.....just a thought.