Nothing is working!

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brooke800
brooke800 Posts: 94 Member
I am 5'10" and have always been 140ish, but in the past year my weight shot up quickly to 156. No matter what I try I can't lose. I tried eating more, eating less, exercising more, exercising less. No luck. I currently exercise a lot. I am curious if anyone with not much to lose has tried eating more to lose. I did try it and my weight didn't change, but I'm wondering if I need to stick it out longer. I know that decreasing my calories to very low levels made me exhausted and my workouts sucked :(

Thanks!

Replies

  • iluvprettyshoes
    iluvprettyshoes Posts: 605 Member
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    Are you doing any weight training in your workouts? It can make a difference if you are because you may not lose as much weight on the scale but you are losing fat and building muscle.
    Also, if your weight shot up quickly could it be a medical reason? Hormones etc?
  • LiddyBit
    LiddyBit Posts: 447 Member
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    Everyone seems to say that weight training is what will make the difference, but for me it makes no difference. The only way I can break a plateau is with more cardio. And not, like, elliptical or Zumba cardio. Just straight up, boring, awful running.
  • brooke800
    brooke800 Posts: 94 Member
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    Yeah my weight gain was because of hypothyroidism. I'm now on medication, but still no luck. I don't do much weight training and I should. I've just never been able to see results (probably because I don't push hard enough). Running doesn't do it either. I gained running 60 plus miles a week. Errr. Do you think quality of calories matters a lot? And does eating more really work?
  • rjams
    rjams Posts: 48
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    Have you tired eating clean or even a paleo diet that helped me lose 20+ lbs and I'm still losing
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
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    I agree with the above poster- try eating more "clean" or paleo. I was eating in my calorie goals and working out a lot and for several months the scale still wasn't moving. I've cut out all grains (pasta, bread, oatmeal, quinoa), starches (peas, potatoes) and seriously slashed my sugars and now I've lost 4 pounds in two weeks. In the three months prior to that I had only lost a whopping 2 pounds. Now that I'm only eating meat, veggies, fruit and a little bit of dairy it makes it easier to stay within my allotted calories and has definitely seemed to help with the weight loss.

    Secondly, you said weight training doesn't work for you but I'm going to challenge you on that- you probably weren't doing it hard enough. Weight training works, but you have to lift heavy to a really get results and make a difference. Finally, the reason you are gaining weight running 60+ miles a week is because your body is used to it, so you don't burn calories very efficiently anymore. I'm no expert, but I really think you need to mix it up on the cardio. Try kickboxing- it's way harder than zumba and I always burn more calories kickboxing than running because my upper body is also involved.
  • iluvprettyshoes
    iluvprettyshoes Posts: 605 Member
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    My experience so far is that weight training seems to be slowing my weight loss some. That's why I asked if you were lifting. I assume it's because I'm still losing fat but now I'm building muscle.

    Maybe your medication just needs to be adjusted? I have a friend that has thyroid problems and it's very difficult for her to get her meds just right. Good luck to you on your journey! I hope things get better soon!
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    Losing weight is ALL about calories in calories out.

    Mixing up your exercise routine, and changing what you are eating is NOT going to make a difference to weight loss. It's ALL ABOUT CALORIES.

    It sounds like you flip around alot with what you are doing. If you get your goal set right, it is going to take weeks to start seeing progress.

    Also, eating more to lose more ONLY works if you are willing to WORK OFF MORE.

    There are no secrets, it is not magic. To truely lose weight your body has to burn more calories than you take in.

    That's. it.

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  • brooke800
    brooke800 Posts: 94 Member
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    Thanks everyone! You are probably right about the weights and changing up my cardio. I'm wondering if a trainer might help me more.
    My meds were just adjusted today so I'm hopeful!
  • jenomaha
    jenomaha Posts: 631 Member
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    Glad your meds were adjusted and hope that helps you. My husband has the same diagnosis and until his meds were right, he wasn't able to lose weight. He is doing great now! A trainer could definitely help you toward your goals!

    I just want you to remember, we all know different things work for different people, so all info you get needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

    There have been a couple of responses on here that have made me shake my head, but I am confident that you will do more research for yourself and find what works for you!

    Good luck!
  • rjandrey25
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    It's common people gain weight when training 60 miles per week. Your body is burning SO many calories, so you get super hungry. When you get super hungry, you eat. You also get into the mindset... I just ran 15 miles... I can eat whatever I want. The calories add up quickly though. One question - when you were running this amount, were you tracking your calories? I am guessing you weren't and that's probably why you weren't successful losing weight. If you were tracking your calories... just ignore everything I just said :). Good luck!
  • brooke800
    brooke800 Posts: 94 Member
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    Jen- I'm glad your husband is doing better! That gives me hope!
    Rjandrey- I was not counting calories or logging:) and you are right. After a 20 miler I definitely felt I could eat a lot. However I probably wasn't burning a ton more because the rest of the day I barely moved. I was running that much because I graduated from grad school and had no job so needed to fill my time. I've cut back and feel much better- more energy, less moody, not as hungry!