Dieting and Exercising supposedly correctly, and yet not loosing ...

I am 48, and I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The doctor took me off cholesterol meds, because they didn't help. The high blood pressure is new, probably related to my job requiring way too many 16 hour days (I'm a software engineer). I am 5'5", and was up to 183 lbs. I've jumped 3 dress sizes in 1.5 years. I am also in the middle of menopause.

5 weeks ago, I started counting carbs, calories and sodium and walking. I had only done 5 minute stints on the treadmill, because my knees and hips have been very very achie. I started at 1400 calories, and about a 1/2 3 or 4 times a week. It took 3 weeks to loose 2 pounds, and then another week to loose 1 pound. I have worked my way up to 1 mile 3 or 4 times a week, and on really nice days (there aren't many sunny days), I might walk twice in one day. I am just fighting to stay at 180 now. I keep going up and down 2 pounds. I've been fighting to stay at 1200 calories. I've gone below and above, and I've been trying to keep enough protein in my diet for the exercise.

I've been having leg cramps on and off, and cant' seem to get my body out of starvation mode. I think that I am putting muscles right on top of the fat. What do I do?

I wouldn't worry about it too much we all have weeks wherre the wieght doens't move then suddenly it all moves at once.

Life would be great if we could be sure the calculations on how much wieght per week we would lose, apparently i should be losing 2lb's a week and yet thus far ive only lost 2lb in 8 weeks(1lb of it just last week) but that just the way things go.

You can't build much in the way of muscle while ona diet to don't worry about it, but when we first start exercising after not bieng used to it our body's do store water in panic because its not sure whats going on.  

If you've entered your details into the calc correctly and are eating the amount it tells you i wouldn't worry it sounds like youve been doing great just hang in there somethings our body's get stubborn, keep your food healthy and push the exersice when you can ... things will sort themselves out.

I had to increase my calories to 1500 when I got down to around 180.  I was exercising more and my body was just unhappy with 1200.  About a week after increasing my calories I started to lose again.  5'5", 34, 187 starting, now 155.

What do you mean by entering my calories into calc correctly? And where is it suppose to tell me what to eat? I just put in the calories that I want to eat (limit), and then enter my log. Is there another way to do it?

I've done the analysis several times. Is that what you mean?

Many people do eyeball estimates.  They'll enter 3 ounces of chicken when it's really 5 or 2.  Either over or under will give you an inaccurate total.  Nuts, you really need to measure those suckers.  I can eat 1,000 calories of nuts without thinking about it at all.

You want roughly a plate 1/4 whole grains, 1/4 protein, 1/2 veggies and some fruit (by volume).

The analysis will ideally show 40-50% carbs, 20-30% protein, and 20-30% fats.  Protein somewhere inbetween .5g and 2g per pound of your body weight.  20-50g fiber is ideal.  Carbs should come mostly from whole grains and veggies and fruits, protein from lean sources, fats from fish, avocados, nuts, etc.

Ah, that is what you meant.

I am just eye balling it, but I am quite often a little under 1200 and have to add, so a little inaccuracy is okay. The calcuations of this sites tool says 1250 a day, so I think that I am okay. I know that if I try to be too strict on myself, I won't stay.

I do not believe in dieting, so this needs to be a change. I calcuated my old intake, and I averaged between 1000 and 1800 calories. At least I am more regulated now. And I am making sure that my dinners are 1/4 vegetables. I've also cut down on my rice, mashed potatoes and bread (carbs). I use to have 2 servinds and seconds.

Go for 1/2 veggies at every meal or 1/4 veggies and make all your snacks veggies.  They're really very good for you and they do fill you up.  You start acquiring a taste for them after a while.

I generally aim for a calorie range.  When I was aiming for 1200 per day I aimed 1200-1500 as that way if there was something that I truly wanted or I was hungrier one day I could easily have it without feeling badly.  It might slow down the rate of loss by a little bit, but I highly recommend it from a mental stand point.

Sharlie, I am 50, was 183 and am 5'5" (if I stretch my neck out some :-)

Your post caught my eye from the similarities of weight, height and slow start.  I am now 153 and in a plateau, but I am ok...those last 15 will come off later.  I ate 1500-1600 calories, went to the gym 6 days a week (3 cardio only and 3 weights and cardio).  I lost 30 pounds in 5 months doing that.  The key for me was to add strength training to my cardio and WEIGHING my food...I over-estimated by almost double...had no idea what a portion size was...now I weight religiously and I firmly believe if I didn't go out and buy a cheap scale, I would be wondering why I wasn't losing...it did take a month or so before the weight really started coming off, but when it did, I had a nice trend for the whole 5 months.  If you are SURE of what goes in your mouth and you get enough exercise, the results will happen...that intial period where it doesn't, is very discouraging, so also MEASURE yourself...I do it once a month and even when my weight stabilized, inches (or parts of them :-) were coming off...scale is great, but MEASURE yourself also...I lost 30" combined and that is VERY satisfying, even though the scale isn't moving now.  Good luck and stay strong.

Have you had your thyroid checked just to be sure? Also a kitchen scale is a must (at least for me) as well as measuring cups and spoons. It also makes it more interesting. I am so anal-litical anyway, so it is par for the course. Try it and see if it helps.

Get a kitchen scale and a measuring cup.  Foods in the logs are either per x-amount of grams or ounces or some items, like raspberries, cherries etc. measure out nicely in the measuring cup, i.e. half cup servings etc.

Everything I put in my mouth gets measured or weighed and then logged accurately.  Your fuel (calorie) intake must be measured accurately.

I count myself as sedentary and then I log activities like bike riding, swimming or walking. 

Most weeks I lose 1 or 2 lbs.  Of course it's discouraging you step on the scale and nothing has dropped in a week.  But that can have a number of reasons including more volume (and weight) of food in your digestive system at time of weigh in as well as if you have eaten something that has more sodium, which will result in water retention.

Sometimes muscle cramps are caused by insufficient potassium in your system. Talk to your doctor.  There is a prescription potassium pill available which is a mega dose of potassium.  This is usually prescribed for patients who lose too much potassium as a side effect of their BP meds.  This Potassium prescription strength is way more than you could eat in foods and way more than taking OTC potassium.

I'm afraid that buying a kitchen scale will ruin the effects for me. I am very anal in my job, because I have to be. I am very anal about how dirty I will let the kids get my house, cooking in a dirty kitchen, etc. Don't want to extend that to food. I think that I am doing okay. I can tell when I am too low, so I'm pretty sure that I am close at estimating. Estimating has always been part of my career.

My thyroids have been checked twice, because I went from a large 12 to a 16 in 1.5 years. My job is sedentary, but I have always done most of the cleaning and yard work. I have also been a full-time student and employee on and off for a long time. Menopause has just gotten the best of me. I'm just finishing my Bachelor's now, and then starting a part-time summer job as a bartender for the volcanos (baseball team) while programming as a day job, and then my Master's part-time in September.

I'll get there. I just have to be patient, and keep up the exercise. No money for a gym, otherwise I would swim. That is good for shoulders, and I have bersitus in both shoulders.

Since last week I have gone up and down on my calories and my exercise on purpose, but probably more increase in the exercise, and I have lost 3 pounds since Friday.

I also found that the smelly muscle cream is really good for tight leg muscles. I've used that, and no more midnight leg cramps.