No weight loss in months! Help!!!
I should probably preface this by saying that I’ve always struggled to lose weight throughout my weight loss journey. Even when I was sticking to my calories and exercise perfectly I would rarely lose more than 1 lb per week - yet I was putting enough effort in to lose 2lbs.
In total I’ve lost about 79 lbs and I have a further 28 lbs to go. Given that I’ve already lost so much weight, you’d think that is easy, but for the last year or so I’ve been finding it incredibly difficult to shed any weight. In the last year I’ve probably lost ten lbs - certainly no more and possibly a little less. What makes this incredibly frustrating is the fact that I’m putting a huge amount of effort into it. This is what I’m currently doing (and have been for the last twelve months):
Eating 1800 calories a day (2000 on weekends)
Running x 5 per week (which includes three pretty intense interval training sessions which last 20 minutes each.)
Weight lifting x 3 a week
I have a sneaky suspicion that it could be the weight training that is affecting things. The reason being, if I ever slack off on weight training, the lbs start coming off again. However, it makes absolutely NO sense that it would be this - weight training is supposed to help your metabolism and burn some extra calories. I am aware that it can cause water retention, but a whole year later? What’s more, I would find the lack of weight loss (on the scale) acceptable if I thought I was losing fat, but my body has hardly changed at all and my measurements have changed very little. So it’s not like I’ve stayed the same weight but lost 10% body fat.
What’s also odd is I’ve found - if I ever go through a stage where I don’t do any exercise (such as a holiday,) I try and keep my calories slightly lower and again I notice a weight loss. It’s almost like my body just isn’t registering any exercise I do, but when the calories are lowered, I am able to lose. I don’t want to do this on a permanent basis, because I know it’s healthier to lose weight via exercise and a healthy diet.
I’m really at the end of my tether with this - I feel like my body has just decided to quit losing weight. Like I said, I’ve tried to throw in pretty intense interval training (HR going up to 190) in the hope of kick-starting things, but I’ve seen no results. To give you my stats:
I’m 20 years old
171 lbs
Female
5 ft 8 inches
If anyone has any suggestions I would be glad to hear them! I'm getting quite desperate.
10lbs since Jan isn't the worst; I only managed 15lbs since Jan, I am same height and when I was around the same weight I had a terrible plateau just before the holiday season and just after losing 30l bs. I was just barely in the the healthy BMI range and nothing for like a month and a bit, I fell off the wagon sorta (I decided to take a break and just maintain during the holiday season). The mid Jan after losing the holiday water weight gain I started CC. And finally started to lose past the weight I couldn't break past.
But anyways after just getting into healthy BMI my weight loss (I went from 10lbs a month to 5lbs a month and now even 3-4lbs a month) everything was much slower and I aimed for 1lbs loss a week the whole time. I started having mini plateaus every month surrounding my TOM 1.5-3 weeks of gain or plateau, but then whoosh 2-4lbs lost.
Though I am on track weight wise, I am behind inch wise (as in last 10lbs and still want 5-7 inches lost off my measurements) cause I started late on exercising (I did only counting cals and almost no activity for almost more than 1/2 my time losing weight, and my strength training was stalled too on top of that with injury and illness). So if you are making good inch progress (1-2+ inches lost on any or all measurements monthly) and meh weight loss results (2-3lbs lost monthly) you should be more than fine.
Also water weight could be playing havoc on you too, exercise is a water retainer. Some links.
Water Weight/Water Retention:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of- whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html
http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/how-to-deal- with-water-retention-part.html
http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/how-to-deal- with-water-retention-part_28.html
Original Post by hollowness:
10lbs since Jan isn't the worst; I only managed 15lbs since Jan, I am same height and when I was around the same weight I had a terrible plateau just before the holiday season and just after losing 30l bs. I was just barely in the the healthy BMI range and nothing for like a month and a bit, I fell off the wagon sorta (I decided to take a break and just maintain during the holiday season). The mid Jan after losing the holiday water weight gain I started CC. And finally started to lose past the weight I couldn't break past.
But anyways after just getting into healthy BMI my weight loss (I went from 10lbs a month to 5lbs a month and now even 3-4lbs a month) everything was much slower and I aimed for 1lbs loss a week the whole time. I started having mini plateaus every month surrounding my TOM 1.5-3 weeks of gain or plateau, but then whoosh 2-4lbs lost.
Though I am on track weight wise, I am behind inch wise (as in last 10lbs and still want 5-7 inches lost off my measurements) cause I started late on exercising (I did only counting cals and almost no activity for almost more than 1/2 my time losing weight, and my strength training was stalled too on top of that with injury and illness). So if you are making good inch progress (1-2+ inches lost on any or all measurements monthly) and meh weight loss results (2-3lbs lost monthly) you should be more than fine.
Also water weight could be playing havoc on you too, exercise is a water retainer. Some links.
Water Weight/Water Retention:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of- whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html
http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/how-to-deal- with-water-retention-part.html
http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/how-to-deal- with-water-retention-part_28.html
Thank you for your reply.
Sorry - I should have been clearer. I meant 10lbs since last year (i.e. twelve months.) I would be thrilled if I'd lost 10lb since January. I've lost none since January - in fact, I was lighter during the holidays!
I'll definitely check out those links. The thing with water weight is surely it would not be affecting me 12 months later to the point I haven't lost any weight and very few inches? (I've probably lost a total of 3-4 inches in a year.)
I aim to lose 1 lb a week or 3-4 lbs a month. In recent times I have got nowhere near that target despite putting a huge amount of effort in.
Ah, in that case re-crunch your numbers, we easily can fall into maintenance ;cals if we don't properly weight/measure our food and of course some workouts/activities are over estimated with cals burned and this is a big reason for a lot of month+ plateaus.
You could try a short period of time (1-3 weeks) a smaller intake like minimum your BMR 1596/1600 or even 1700 and keep up your same activity and 1800 on weekends and see if you start to loss then. Or just not up your cals on the weekends (maybe this are the reason you balance out and not lose, lots of people who do cheat weekends actually eat more than they say or know). If you still need cheats/maintenance days once in a while try 1 a week or 1 every 2 weeks (at least to see if this is the cause).
I contantly cross reference calculators and average out their conclusions:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calc ulator.htm
http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expend iture-advanced
http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/
But trust me I know from going from overweight to healthy BMI which is for us around 164/160lbs range was very hard to cross for me too X / But I swear once that hump was out of the way (and I realized I was actually eating maintenance) I though slow and harder, things were fine again for loss :)
Have you had a medical checkup to make sure there is nothing hormonal that is messing with your weight loss like your thyroid? Also, are you getting enough sleep and are you under a lot of stress? These two things can slow down/stall weight loss or actually cause weight gain due to cortisol production.
Original Post by hollowness:
Ah, in that case re-crunch your numbers, we easily can fall into maintenance ;cals if we don't properly weight/measure our food and of course some workouts/activities are over estimated with cals burned and this is a big reason for a lot of month+ plateaus.
You could try a short period of time (1-3 weeks) a smaller intake like minimum your BMR 1596/1600 or even 1700 and keep up your same activity and 1800 on weekends and see if you start to loss then. Or just not up your cals on the weekends (maybe this are the reason you balance out and not lose, lots of people who do cheat weekends actually eat more than they say or know). If you still need cheats/maintenance days once in a while try 1 a week or 1 every 2 weeks (at least to see if this is the cause).
I contantly cross reference calculators and average out their conclusions:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calc ulator.htm
http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expend iture-advanced
http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/
But trust me I know from going from overweight to healthy BMI which is for us around 164/160lbs range was very hard to cross for me too X / But I swear once that hump was out of the way (and I realized I was actually eating maintenance) I though slow and harder, things were fine again for loss :)
Thanks again for the replies!
I had been thinking of doing this - and I’m definitely going to give it a try for three weeks just so I can rule out the possibility that it’s my calorie-intake that’s causing the stall. I was thinking of doing 1550-1600, keeping up my normal activity and see what happens. When I was losing around 1-1.5 lb per week (when I was much heavier) I was eating 1900-2100 a day and exercising for over an hour every single day. And even then it was a struggle. So I do think my body is a bit strange and possibly burns off slightly more slowly than the average person. I know many people would dispute that possibility – but I’ve always said my body doesn’t work like the machine it’s supposed to be. I feel like I cannot break the 160s barrier!
Original Post by tina0367:
Have you had a medical checkup to make sure there is nothing hormonal that is messing with your weight loss like your thyroid? Also, are you getting enough sleep and are you under a lot of stress? These two things can slow down/stall weight loss or actually cause weight gain due to cortisol production.
I do have a complicated medical history. My thyroid has been tested many times over the years and it’s never shown an issue on the blood test. I also have suffered from anemia on and off. I’m not sure whether that could be a contributing factor.
Original Post by wastedink:
Original Post by hollowness:
Ah, in that case re-crunch your numbers, we easily can fall into maintenance ;cals if we don't properly weight/measure our food and of course some workouts/activities are over estimated with cals burned and this is a big reason for a lot of month+ plateaus.
You could try a short period of time (1-3 weeks) a smaller intake like minimum your BMR 1596/1600 or even 1700 and keep up your same activity and 1800 on weekends and see if you start to loss then. Or just not up your cals on the weekends (maybe this are the reason you balance out and not lose, lots of people who do cheat weekends actually eat more than they say or know). If you still need cheats/maintenance days once in a while try 1 a week or 1 every 2 weeks (at least to see if this is the cause).
I contantly cross reference calculators and average out their conclusions:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calc ulator.htm
http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expend iture-advanced
http://home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi/
But trust me I know from going from overweight to healthy BMI which is for us around 164/160lbs range was very hard to cross for me too X / But I swear once that hump was out of the way (and I realized I was actually eating maintenance) I though slow and harder, things were fine again for loss :)
Thanks again for the replies!
I had been thinking of doing this - and I’m definitely going to give it a try for three weeks just so I can rule out the possibility that it’s my calorie-intake that’s causing the stall. I was thinking of doing 1550-1600, keeping up my normal activity and see what happens. When I was losing around 1-1.5 lb per week (when I was much heavier) I was eating 1900-2100 a day and exercising for over an hour every single day. And even then it was a struggle. So I do think my body is a bit strange and possibly burns off slightly more slowly than the average person. I know many people would dispute that possibility – but I’ve always said my body doesn’t work like the machine it’s supposed to be. I feel like I cannot break the 160s barrier!
Original Post by tina0367:
Have you had a medical checkup to make sure there is nothing hormonal that is messing with your weight loss like your thyroid? Also, are you getting enough sleep and are you under a lot of stress? These two things can slow down/stall weight loss or actually cause weight gain due to cortisol production.
I do have a complicated medical history. My thyroid has been tested many times over the years and it’s never shown an issue on the blood test. I also have suffered from anemia on and off. I’m not sure whether that could be a contributing factor.
I started to feel that way too when I stalled, but I did it and so can you! ;D
Building muscle only increases metabolism when you build muscle (eat enough protein to build & sustain muscle growth). The amount you're eating sounds fine to lose at least .8 lbs a week if you have an office-type job. Even 2000 on a weekend if you're NOT working out should be a break even. I would look into the macronutrient portions. Since I started getting 30% of my calories from protein, i love my muscles as well as my ability to burn fat.
Your body will adapt and become very efficient at doing exercises if you dont switch things up so you'll burn less calories doing the same thing you used to burn more calories on if you're not constantly pushing out of your comfort (not saying you don't, you sound like someone who can push yourself). On the hard part of your intervals, are you out of breath, feel like you might throw up? (personal opinion: good for you for doing intervals. you're too good for steady cardio)
Original Post by akelley23:
Building muscle only increases metabolism when you build muscle (eat enough protein to build & sustain muscle growth). The amount you're eating sounds fine to lose at least .8 lbs a week if you have an office-type job. Even 2000 on a weekend if you're NOT working out should be a break even. I would look into the macronutrient portions. Since I started getting 30% of my calories from protein, i love my muscles as well as my ability to burn fat.
Your body will adapt and become very efficient at doing exercises if you dont switch things up so you'll burn less calories doing the same thing you used to burn more calories on if you're not constantly pushing out of your comfort (not saying you don't, you sound like someone who can push yourself). On the hard part of your intervals, are you out of breath, feel like you might throw up? (personal opinion: good for you for doing intervals. you're too good for steady cardio)
Yes - I am very sedentary most days aside from my exercise, but even factoring that in, I should still be able to lose something in the region of 0.8-1lb as you said. Yet I’ve seen practically no shift on the scale for a year. A few weeks ago I did drop 2lb on the scale, but a week later it was back up again. It’s infuriating. As I mentioned, even my measurements are showing very little progress and my body hasn’t changed much at all.
I do five ‘steady state’ cardio sessions x 5 a week and x 3 interval training sessions. Obviously I can’t do interval training everyday, so some days I just do steady state (still pushing myself though - my HR is usually in the high 160s/low 170s.) During intervals, I wouldn’t say I feel sick exactly, but I am utterly exhausted at the end of each interval and sweat like crazy. It seems like I’m doing more than enough exercise (in terms of time and intensity) to lose an lb per week.
One thing I am unsure of is how much protein I am getting. If I’m not getting enough, could that be stalling things?
The thing that confuses me more than anything is the stall for a year. It just seems crazy given the effort I'm putting in. It's one thing that makes me wonder whether my BMR has dropped and I may be (unknowingly) eating at maintenance with 1800 per day.
Thank you for the reply.
I wasn't losing any weight for over a year until someone told me i wasn't eating enough. I think you're actually doing it a very healthy way (so congrats for that). I didn't know anything about BMR and i was way over working out. I worked with a trainer who told me I should be lifting heavy weights 2-3x a week and interval training 3 times and i could do other stuff too but it wasn't necessary. I thought more was better so i did steady cardio as well until i read a book that showed me 2 important things 1 a larger deficit creates a larger loss of muscle mass 2. you have to eat enough protein to build muscle (the book is the New Rules of Lifting for Women book that a lot of people on here talk about). Ever since i stopped doing steady cardio and started eating more protein, I love what my body is doing. I think lots of cardio and strength training contradict each other. Not sure if that's true but what i have pieced together from my experiences.
