What am I doing wrong?

Hi everyone!  I am new here.  I am 36, 5'3", and about 140lbs.  I have been trying to lose 15-20 lbs for about 5 months now.  I just can't seem to get it off!  Actually, when I started the weight loss effort i was 134lbs!  I am not losing, but gaining! 

 I have tried a variety of daily calorie intakes.  I started out averaging 1400 a day.  That didn't work, so 1300.  And so on!  I was working out at the gym 2 or 3 times a week, like kickboxing and spin classes, things like that.  I even went to the doctor to have myself checked out because i was sure something is wrong with me!  He just said I need to eat less and burn more.  DUH! 

Sooooooooo,, here i am back into running ( i was a runner up until a year and a half ago,,, was averaging 20-25 miles a week).  The first week I walked/ran a total of 10 miles.  The second week 13 miles.  The third week 17 miles.  Last week 20 miles (that had me working out about 45 minutes 6 days a week).  I have not lost any weight.  I refuse to get on the scales at this point,, but i know i am conitinuing to gain because i am running out of clothes that actually fit!!

I have a pretty sedentary job,, i sit in front a computer most of the time.

 Does anyone have any suggestions? Or any ideas as to what the problem could be?

 Oh, and I am currently maintaining 1200-1500 calories a day because of the increase in exercise.

 Ann

Gaining weight doesn't necessarily mean you're getting unfitter. To me, it sounds like your diet and exercise are great. I think your weight gain is due to the fact that you're building muscle which weighs more but is much healthier than fat.

 

 

no,, i am actually getting BIGGER.  I'm not going by numbers at this point,, for all i know i could weigh 150.  I am down to 2 pairs of pants that actually fit!!  I don't think muscle would do that, would it?

If you're running that much, 1200 to 1500 isn't enough.  You need to eat more or your body will think you're starving it.

I wondered about that myself, but my doctor's response to that was, "You didn't see anyone come out of the holocaust fat did you?"  And he then preceeded to tell me that my body cannot gain weight by going into "starvation mode".

What an unusual thing for a doctor to say...

Anyways, I think the real question is what happened to those survivors when they started eating normally again.

I can't imagine why you aren't losing weight with that much running.  Sorry, wish I could be more helpful!

Yes it is a strange thing for the doctor to say. . . i decided almost right away that i would not be going back to him.

 Thanks for the response.

Ok, so maybe there weren't a lot of holocaust victims who were fat, but how many also DIED from starvation. I think your doctor is crazy, I'm a nurse and that sort of thinking is not normal. I am 5'2 and when I started three weeks ago i was 140, now I'm 136.5. I usually eat around 1500-1600 calories a day and workout 5 days a week doing 45 min cardio and 45 min weights.

"You burn 1700 calories during a typical day. Remember that this estimate is based on your body weight, height, age, gender, and your average level of activity. "

Your highest safe deficit is 500 a day. (1200-1700)

This is what I calculated on your expenditure for Sedentary.

The problem here is that you definatly need to be eating more than 1300-1400 calories everyday.  1200 is the minimum for a fully Sedentary female, you sound VERY active.

If I would to just guess and say you burn 500 calories per gym work out, you need to eat at least 1700 calories on a gym day.

Your doctor was not trained as a dietition or nutritionst, so there is no way his points are valid or even close to accurate.  At this rate, you'll lose your hair and organs before you get thin. 

Holocaust Victims average daily intake was 400 calories.  They also didn't go to the gym.  Sounds like a nut job who is ill informed with zero tact to me.

Based on what you said, you have been lowering your calories to try to lose more weight, I would recommend that you look at a post that was posted earlier by someone here that just visited a nutritionist.  Also, maybe trying upping your calories a little bit at a time to find your personal best balance.

 I am going to past that post from earlier here, it is a wonderfully long..... post but very informative.  I am not taking credit for this, only passing on wonderful information.  It was posted by "2beittybitty"

Hi! I had nearly 100 lbs to lose, and have been losing very slowly, so I decided to see a Nutritionist for advice. I've averaged 1 lb. a week or less ever since the 2nd month here, doing all I'm supposed to do- including heavy weights and walking, etc. This is a laboriously copied hand-out that was given to me by this professional Nutritionist/Dietitian/RN as an aid to help me lose better with my slow loss rate. She was very happy with my current loss-rate, as very healthy and likely to be more successful over time, as it caused me to learn new habits for a longer period of time vs. a fast loss that might not teach me how to maintain or sustain my losses. Her experience was that slow was more lasting, which is what I want! However, she understood my desire to try to lose a healthy 2 lbs. a week if I could, while I still have about 65 lbs. to go. I understand slowing down as I lose... but not so soon, lol!!! This is copied word-for-word from her, not me, so please don't take offense at her strong feelings! I seriously wanted help, and paid for it as a sacrifice at this time for my resources, and I wanted to share the advice I received with anyone else who is frustrated like I was. I added a few thoughts, and marked them with (*...) so it is clear, I hope, that it is me at those points.I may have a slow metabolism and/or a low-acting thyroid, she agreed, but understood that I couldn't afford testing at this time. As long as I am still losing, she said I'm fine. Also, as my metabolism is probably slow-as proven by over 6 months of low loss rates- I'm not burning as many calories as the burn rate tools here say for me, so my true deficit is guess-work. She wants me to get a heart rate monitor to help me with this. As long as I'm not losing over 2 lbs. a week and eating 1200 calories or more daily, I won't be in danger of starvation mode- which was a major reason for my visiting her. That really troubled me- and hindered me from increasing the cardio she has now said I should increase. As CC has taught me so much already, cardio was the only real change she could tell me to make! Now I can, without fearing a over-sized deficit or starvation mode, as long as I am sensible, of course!!! CC got GOOD GRADES!!!! I don't know if this will fit in the text allowance, yet, so I'll see what happens when I try to post it!!! Here is the 4 pages, 3 hours of typing, labor-of-love! Burn Fat Faster! ONE or TWO meals a day is a disaster. If you haven't been eating at least three times a day, you are causing serious damage to your metabolism.True, calories count. But the amazing thing about eating frequently is that IT MAKES YOU BURN MORE CALORIES! Five or six meals a day accelerates your body's natural rate of burning. If skipping meals is the cardinal sin of fat burning and muscle building nutrition, then skipping breakfast is a capital crime suited for the death penalty! And yet "everybody" is doing it! When I analyze nutrition programs for my clients, one of the most common errors I see is skipping breakfast or eating it late, around 10:00 a.m. or even later. "I don't have time" is usually the excuse justifying this unforgivable blunder. ( She's REALLY TOUGH on this, isn't she!!!) Let's take a close look at the devastating impact this lack of planning and discipline has on your fat loss efforts:If you're still not convinced yet that eating six times a day is worth the effort, then this ought to hammer the point home for you: Here are the seven reasons why frequent meals of the proper quantity and quality will turn your body into a turbo-charged fat burning machine!1. Frequent eating speeds up your metabolism due to the thermic effect of food. 2. Frequent meals prevent binges and control cravings. 3. Frequent meals help maintain high energy levels by regulating blood sugar and insulin levels. 4. Frequent meals are ANABOLIC: They help promote muscle growth by regulating insulin levels and providing a steady flow of amino acids into muscle cells. (*This may be why she said I could grow muscle, and encouraged me to maintain my heavy weight lifting efforts!, though I'm in a calorie deficit- but, I do believe it can't be much muscle growth?) 5. Frequent meals are ANTI-CATABOLIC: they help promote muscle growth by preventing muscle breakdown (you stay in positive nitrogen balance). 6. Frequent eating promotes better utilization of nutrients. 7. Eating smaller meals more frequently reduces fat storage through portion control.* whew! I'm NOT a typist, lol! *The perfect meal sizeOk, so now you know all the reasons why you must never skip meals and why you must eat small meals every three hours. The next question is, "What is the definition of a small meal?" Well, if you've done your calorie calculations already then this is very easy to figure out.On average, the optimal intake to lose fat is about 2400-2500 calories per day for men and 1500-1600 for women. (* I was recommended 1200 here at CC and by the Nutritionist, as I am 45 and small framed, usually sedentary, so she said adjust these figures to 1200 calories for me, and agreed with my 1350 +/- on my gym days. Adjust as you need to for your own calorie level.) Naturally if you are a serious athlete or bodybuilder with high activity levels, these calories will be higher. To get your ideal calorie intake per meal is easy; simply divide your total daily calories by the number of meals you are aiming for (preferably five or six).Men:Average optimal caloric intake for fat loss=2400Desired number of meals=5 or 6Target calorie intake per meal=400 to 800 calories per mealWomen:Average optimal caloric intake for fat loss=1500Desired number of meals=5Target caloric intake per meal=300 calories per meal(* She loved my mid-morning Fiber One cereal mixed with 7 raw 'chunked' almonds and a Tbsp. of dried fruit for about the ideal 150 calories snack. With my 1200 calorie level, 150 for a snack is what she recommended for me.)As you can see, these are fairly small meals. Now let's take a look at the calorie contents of some sample meals you might encounter while eating out:·    Big Mac and large fries=980 calories ·    Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast=1100 calories ·    Porterhouse steak, steak-house size portion (one pound)=1150 calories ·    Spaghetti with tomato sauce, restaurant serving a93 1/2 cups)=850 calories ·    Medium movie theater popcorn with butter=1100 (*Wow!) ·    Chinese/Kung Pau chicken with rice (1 order)=1620 calories (*Wow!!!)The problem is obvious: Most people are over-eating, big-time! (And these examples aren't even including drinks or desserts.) An average restaurant meal, whether we're talking steak, breakfast, Italian, Chinese, or fast food, can easily top 1000 calories. An average sized meal for fat loss is 300 calories for women and 400 calories for men, based on five or six meals per day, respectively. Even if you have a large frame and you're highly active, the upper end of the calorie range for fat loss is usually around 400 for women and 550 for men. Your objective is to never, ever eat huge meals- not even on a "cheat day." It's permissible to enjoy cheat foods occasionally in small amounts, but NEVER binge or stuff yourself-EVER! Always spread out those calories! (* Wanna eat the whole cake??? I guess you need to freeze it and take at least a week/month/year? One small piece at a time...lol!!! She's SERIOUS!!!)>>> Taper your calories: Make breakfast your largest meal and dinner your smallest.Although these "average" caloric amounts were divided evenly in each meal, there's one small adjustment that can increase your fat loss even further; it's called "calorie tapering." There's an old saying, "Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince and dinner like a pauper." This arrangement of meals from largest to smallest is wise advice. The typical eating pattern of the average American is; no breakfast or skimpy breakfast like a bagel or doughnut, then a big lunch, usually fast food or cafeteria food, concluding with a huge dinner and a late night snack. (* ouch!)>>> Start eating early in the day and eat your last meal at least two or three hours before bedtime.Ideally, you should begin eating early (6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. or earlier), so you can fit in five or six meals and your last meal falls two to three hours prior to going to sleep. If you sleep in and miss your first meal, or wait until late morning or early afternoon to start eating, you're leaving a gaping hole between meals. This gap can be 16-20 hours long if you haven't eaten since six or seven the night before. This sends you into starvation mode and causes an incredibly catabolic (muscle-wasting) state. Yes, this means you must become a morning person if you're not one already. (* pitiful wail!!! I'm a 'Night-owl!!!') Brian Tracy, one of the world's leading experts on personal achievement said, "In my studies of successful people over the years, I have never found any highly successful person who was a late riser." Get up early and start eating early! (* snif! )So, with our slight adjustment for a smaller evening meal and a larger first meal, our sample day might look like this:Men/2400 calories/six meals:·    Meal 1: 500 ·    Meal 2: 400 ·    Meal 3: 400 ·    Meal 4: 400 ·    Meal 5: 400 ·    Meal 6: 300Women/1500 calories/5 meals:·    Meal 1: 375 ·    Meal 2: 300 ·    Meal 3: 300 ·    Meal 4: 300 ·    Meal 5: 225* Me/1200 calories/5-6 meals:·    Meal 1: 300 ·    Meal 2: 150 ·    Meal 3: 300 ·    Meal 4: 150 ·    Meal 5: 300 or split into a meal and a snack=300 ·    Meal 6: 150 for gym days, protein shake>>>Maintain a consistent eating pattern seven days a weekConsistency is the hallmark of all people who successfully lose body fat and keep it off. Because most people work on a regular schedule Monday through ?Friday, it's often easier to follow the meal frequency guidelines on the weekdays. On weekends, it's tempting to sleep in, miss meals or fall off your regular schedule.>>> How snacking fits into the fat loss-eating planMost people's snacks of choice are refined carbohydrates and fatty foods such as crackers, cookies, candy, muffins, potato chips and pretzels. This is largely because "carbo snacks" are so readily available (it's not like you can grab a chicken breast or Salmon steak at the checkout counter of a convenience store!) Eating "carb snacks" by themselves is not a good idea. On the fat loss-eating plan, usually you won't want snacks because you'll be eating meals so often that hunger and cravings between meals will be a thing of the past. If you make healthy choices and stay within your calorie limits, snacks are perfectly acceptable if you want them. Some of the best snacks include fruit, raw vegetables (carrots, celery, cauliflower, etc.), nuts and seeds (in small quantities) non-fat or low-fat cottage cheese and non-fat or low-fat sugar free yogurt.>>> Transition gradually into five or six meals a day if you find frequent eating difficult.If you find it too difficult to eat five or six meals a day right from the start, you may need to use a transitional period. If you've only been eating two or three times a day, there's a simple way to get started on the habit of frequent eating: Continue to eat your three full meals per day, properly combined with a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate. Then simply add two or three snacks; one in between each full meal.Transitional menu plansMen/2400 calories/six meals·    Meal 1: 575 (breakfast) ·    Meal 2: 225 (snack) ·    Meal 3: 500 (lunch) ·    Meal 4: 450 (mid aftern. meal) ·    Meal 5: 425 (dinner) ·    Meal 6: 225 (evening snack)Women/1500 calories/5 meals·    Meal 1: 400 (breakfast) ·    Meal 2: 175 (mid morning snack) ·    Meal 3: 400 (lunch) ·    Meal 4: 175 (mid aftern. snack) ·    Meal 5: 350 (dinner)(* adjust to your own calorie level!)A "snack" such as a piece of fruit, is only 60-110 calories, and does not by itself constitute a full meal by the standards of this program(it's not a full "meal" without protein). However, it does get you into the habit of eating frequently, and that would be a start. (Snacks such as non-fat cottage cheese or non-fat yourt with a scoop of protein powder would provide more calories and a solid serving of protein). As you get accustomed to eating more often, you can progress to four full meals and finally to the more effective habit of eating five or six meals, each containing a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate.FAT BURNING AND FITNESS TIPS·    Increase aerobic activity (cardio) for at least 30-45 minutes, 5-7 days a week! Increase your intensity in spurts during your work-out for even more fat burning powder. ·    Watch less T.V. and do less of other hobbies that require you to sit on your behind, especially if you have a desk job. (* Lol!!! Typing this has taken me over 2 hours now!) ·    Use metabolism-stimulating exercise such as weight training exercises that utilize large muscle groups like the back and legs. High rep compound leg exercises (squats, lunges, leg presses, etc.) are particularly effective for this purpose. ·    Restrict refined carbohydrates (i.e. white bread, white rice, sugar, chips, cookies, cake, etc.), and eat more whole grain products. (i.e. whole grain bread, brown rice, oatmeal, barley, whole wheat pasta, and other whole grain products. Kashi makes good whole grain cereals, granola bars, and other whole grain products). ·    Be consistent and persistent. You must be very consistent and diligent in eating and exercise habits 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Going on and off diet and exercise programs will never work for you to achieve your goals. Make it become a part of your lifestyle. Even if it takes you longer to lose weight than others, stick with it. Remember, patience is a virtue that you must cultivate!I hope this helps!!! I'm working for a Happy, Healthy New Year!!! Wooo Hooo!!! Love CC!!!!Sincerely, 2beittybitty  

Afterall there is a science to it . . . more math.

I had the same problem for 4 months.. for me, it turned out that my portion sizes were off. Eyeballing a portion size doesn't cut it. You must measure everything.

Are you measuring everything?

I had a similar problem. 

When I was first moved to USA I was 120lb. Out of sheer laziness I used to eat frozen pizzas, chips and soda...in short fast junkie food.  In about a years time I realized the I had put on about 12-15 lbs.  So I started dieting and excercising (occasionally) and i gained another 15 lb.  I got all blood work done, which suggested that i was as fit as one can be. But my nutritionist said i was not eating enough and that I body had gone into a starvation mode.  I was taken aback by the statement.  For the last 1 year I have been eating properly (~1500 cal/day) and hit the gym couple of times a week. No weight gain, no weight loss.  Frustrating it is. For the past month or so I have seriously started counting calories and taken up serious running. Although there is not difference in my wt, my body has slenderized and is less flabby.  I would suggest increse your caloric intake and keep on running.

I agree with stepaway4me: are you sure you're measuring your calorie intake right? People tend to really underestimate how big a portion is or how much food is on their plate... For instance, my special K red berries cereal is supposed to be 100 calories/cup. I used to happily think I was only consuming 100 calories (ok, plus milk) for breakfast, not realizing that my large bowl held about 3 cups' worth of cereal...

Hi, you got some really great replies here. I'm no expert but I believe in trial and error. I suggest mixing it up a little bit. Perhaps you're doing too much cardio but not enough weight training. 30 mins of weight training before your cardio excercise can increase your metabolism and keep your body burning fat all day long. If you pick up weight training, do it until it hurts, if you're not sore the next day, you have not done enough. Also, you may want to try interval cardio excercise. Rev up your heart rate for a few minutes to 80% of your maximum and then slow down for a certain ratio of time. For example: Run as fast as you can for say 2-3 minutes and then run slowly for 5-6 minutes and do it about 8 times. Don't do interval training too often or more than 30 minutes at a time. But I think it works great as it uses different types of energy sources and balances things off. I have also heard that shaking things up a little bit and rotating your calorie types can burn more calories. If you're body knows exactly what type of calories you are going to give it at what times during the day, it steadies off. So change up when you eat carbs or their portions or your protein and/or its portions. For example, don't eat the same oatmeal cereal every morning. Or the same salad every evening. Overall, I also think you need to increase your calorie intake a bit. As the lower your calorie intake, the slower your metabolism. I hope this helps.

http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/7688 4.html

Hi!

I'm new here too and was shocked to see your e-mail, because I was going to basically post the pretty much the same thing!!!!!!  

I am 45, 5' 10" and currently weigh 176...AND CLIMBING.  I am also a desk jockey and watched my weight climb over the years.  When I hit 205, that was it!!!   It took me about 6 months, but I lost about 40 pounds and was down to about 165 pounds...still 15 away from my goal, but still damn good as far as I was concerned.   I managed to keep that weight off for over a year and it slowly started creeping back.  (never did lose that last 15).  Suddenly, I was back up to 180.  NOT acceptable.  So, I joined a gym, started watching what I was eating again etc., and nothing happened.  Well, then I quit smoking and decided that I would join a gym.  Everytime I wanted to smoke I would go to the gym.  Needless to say, I became a "gym rat."    I now work out 5 times/week, at least, for more than 1 hour/day, mixing both cardio and weights.  I also do yoga 1 day/week (in addition to the above) and nothing is happening.  Weight-wise anyway.   I know that I'm getting "fitter" because when I started, just walking the treadmill KILLED me (incline up to 12), now I run for at least half of the time, at 3 incline (running before was a joke) and the rest of the time I'm doing bursts of high incline and/or running/walking.   BUT, the weight refuses to budge.   My pants are getting tighter, not looser, so I can't imagine the whole "muscle weighs more than fat" deal. 

What is going on?????

Oh my Gosh, you sound exactly like my twin. I, too am 35, 5'3' and 140lbs. My goal weight is 115lbs. I've been struggling with no budge on the scale for about 8months. Quick story about me, I am smoke free 8 months and have gained 12-14 pounds since I quit smoking. The skinniest I have ever been was when I was 21-22 at 105 lbs, I do believe I was too skinny for my medium frame. I have definitely struggled with weight loss all my life. Up until 2006 I was 125-130. So this weight gain has frustrated me so much till this point. I also workout 5-6 days a week, been eating probably 1000 calories or so. After reading all the forums here, I have increased my calorie intake to about 1300-1400 and also added body sculpting/videos 3-4 x a week. I was doing cardio in the morning and my videos in the evening. I was doing that for 6-7months with no changes on the scale.  I just started doing the cardio in the evening after 5pm and my weight lifting in the mornings. No changes yet, but getting very frustrated because my clothes are getting tighter also and I refuse to get bigger clothes. I know my metobolism is whacked because of the non-smoking, people tell me, your metobolism will be back to normal, well it's been 8 months and NOTHING!!

I just started working with an online dietician who has me on a 1400 calorie diet. FYI, I do eat very healthy and pick the right choices in my meals.

My husband tells me not to focus on my weight gain too much because I am doing the right things and to be patient, it will come off.

I'm sorry, I sound like I am just rambling on and on, it's just very frustrating. So how are you doing with your weight loss? And have you achieved your goal?

I'm the same weight you are just ten years younger. I eat on average about 1200 cals a day and do 20-30 mins of low to high intensity cardio 4-6 times a week.

It seems to be working as I am gradually losing about 2 lbs a week, though I can go up 6 lbs in one day if I deviate and have saltier than usual foods it usually comes back off in about three days or so.