Never been this frustrated before!

I started working out again more than a year ago.   My dr. tests my blood and all the other stuff she can and tells me there is nothing wrong with me. She tells me to work harder...... *sigh*

So why am I still gaining weight and not losing it!    You'll think I'm crazy... or maybe I'm just missing something but I cannot seem to lose ANY weight.  All my clothes fit the same too!  I was 189 about 5 months ago.... and I'm at 197 today.  That is weight gain... which would be fine if my clothes were fitting differently.... but they are not!!! 

An average day is breakfast of 200-350 calories.  Special K cereal or an egg and whole wheat eng. muffin  on some days it may be a slim fast shake blended with a tsp of peanut butter and a banana.   I have a ton of options but never eat more than 400 calories for breakfast.

snacks are usually fruit but once in awhile I'll eat a fiber one bar if lunch is going to be late.

lunch is usually a half a sandwich and carrots or veggies.  fat free mayo and mustard with reduced fat cheese or turkey meat is a usual lunch.    If I'm in a hurry it may be just veggies and a snack of fruit and cheese later.

Dinner varies a lot but I never eat more than 500 cal. for dinner either.

My exercise now..... I work out a minimum of 4 days a week for at least an hour each day.   Some weeks I work out all 7 days even if it's just walking for an hour. I recently quit smoking and started running too.    A typical workout is 20-30 minutes on the treadmill always with an incline.  usually walking and running combo's    then it's 20-30 on the elliptical with resistance.    There is always stretching, sit ups, weighted sit ups, lunges, weighted lunges and tons of dumbell exercises for arms, back etc. 

So now that you have read that.... what am I missing?????   I don't have the time to exercise much more... but I feel like I must need to if I'm not losing ...

so much frustration.... but not ready to give up!!!  I am concentrating on my lungs healing and running further each time.... but I need to drop some weight to feel better and actually feel like I'm a healthy person!! 

Any motivating thoughts are welcome... and if you have any suggestions..... I'm ready for them!!!

Thanks!

First and foremost, congratulations on quitting the cigarettes.  That is a huge bonus to your overall health, your lungs and your future. 

Not knowing your stats (age, height etc) I cannot venture a guess on your proper caloric intake.  From the sound of your meals and snacks...my guess is that you are taking in around 1500 a day. 

Congrats on the exercise as well.  Moving your body every day is critical to overall health and fitness.  You may want to vary your cardio...try different things to get your heart rate up.  If you have access to a stairmaster, try that out.  Have you cruised the Fitness Forums for ideas?  Have you read any posts on HIIT? 

Another idea is to log your exercise.  What exactly are you doing and at what weights? 

Keep an eye on your nutritional intake,  keep an eye on your water consumption.  Try and vary your exercise routine and give yourself a day off once a week as well.

You have the right mindset of not wanting to give up.  That's excellent.  Those lungs will be thanking you for many years to come.

Keep that positive attitude and dont let a momentary frustration cloud your overall goals!

Hi there.  I can understand your frustration but its good that you aren't giving up.  Congrats on quitting smoking too! 

What I would suggest (worked for me) is to diligently start tracking what you are eating and the activities that you are doing.  I did it for a couple weeks before I made any radical changes.  Use the tools on this site to figure out (based on your stats) what you should be eating and what you are burning based on your activity level.  That will give you a recommended number of calories you should be eating.  I aim for 500-1000 calorie deficit daily to lose 1-2 pounds a week.

You could actually be not eating enough - that's what was happening with me.  It took a bit of experimenting but my daily intake worked out to about 1500.  If I'm more active then I up that to keep the deficit no more than 1000.

Good luck - sounds like you're on your way to a healthy lifestyle!

I guess stats may help...  29 female,  5'8, currently 197 lbs. Would love to be at 160 !

I eat between 1200 and 1800 calories depending on what I'm doing that day... if it's a lazy Sunday... it's 1200     and if I'm going hiking in the afternoon it's closer to 1700.     I vary the cardio.  I play with HIIT   I run inside and outside.  I hike, bike, swim and hardly ever do the same thing two days in a row.

I have a log of the exercise on the wall in the workout room and try and log the miles spent outside too.    I have a food journal and have used the logs on this website too!      More frustration... cause it seems like I'm doing exactly what I should be....

I would say you have a thyroid issue - that is basically IMMPOSSIBLE what your describing

Honestly you probably have the same problem I have.. which is that I eat sensibly "all" the time.. and I work-out several times a week. The result left to it's own devices would probably be a weekly calorie delta of -1000 or -1500.. enough to slowly (but surely) lose weight. I mean after a year of that you'd be down 20 pounds.

My problem is that... once a week.. or maybe even once ever two weeks... there will be that one meal.. or that one snack. And it doesn't seem like much, a couple slices of pizza (ya know because I'm so good all the rest of the time) or maybe a donut that someone brought into the office turns into 2 or 3... Anyways, this "snack" will erase almost an entire week (or multiple weeks) of caloric loss in one go.

I know a lot of people (and books, and doctors, and friends, and family) all say that "It's okay to treat yourself once and a while..." But the truth is, it's not. It's really not. One day, one meal, one snack even... can wipe out days and weeks of hard-work and effort.

I agree that once you are at your target weight and no longer need to lose any, it's okay to snack at one time, and then cut back the next: this is fine, this is balanced parity. But when you are seeking a negative difference between calories burned and calories consumed, there really is very little room for error.

What is your doctor's advice?

Also, if you are estimating your foods you may need to spend a week or so being especially diligent.  Weigh everything, check you portion sizes, and make sure you count absolutley everything. 

That includes sauces, oils for cooking, condiments, that little piece of chocolate you grabbed from the bowl as you passed it,  and your cheat meals.  Doulbe check the labels of the things you "think" you know.

Sometimes, especially if we have been at this for a while we get complacent and start gesstimating our intake.  We almost always under estimate calories.  And sometimes we make mistakes.  I thought my lo-cal ice cream bars were 60 cals each -- Turns out that's the "fat calories" per bar.  They are actually 110 calories each.

Not saying this is what is happening to you, but it's something to think about at least. 

OHHH!!! and big congrats on quitting smoking.  I'm a little more than 2 years "clean" and it every day is easier. 

Could it be that you have gained muscle?

Muscle weights more than fat....

You might not want to spend the money but you could see a nutritionist.  I see a nutritionist/naturopathy for an intestinal condition but they also help with weight loss, weight gain, inflammatory diseases, depression etc. 

She tested me for foods that I have intolerances to and I found out that I have intolerances to some pretty common food items including vanilla, cow's milk, bananas, blueberries, pork, and more.  I've found that since I cut out all of these foods I've had a MUCH easier time with my intestinal condition and my weight loss. 

My nutritionist told me a very interesting tidbit about one of her weight loss patients, too.  A woman came to her complaining that she couldn't lose weight even though she was eating lots of salad, working out, drinking water, etc.  She ran some tests on her and it turned out that the woman has a severe intolerance to almost all leafy greens!  So, the woman was doing everything "right" but the salads were actually sabotaging her. 

It's something to think about. 

Your muscules probably too used to the routine- change it out-often!

Stop smocking and have your dock run a thyroid profile.

If all fails buy P90x- I definitely know people who benefited

I appreciate the feedback.  My thyroid has been checked and re-checked.  There isn't anything wrong with it.  My cholesterol and sodium and all that in my blood work is better than the healthy ranges.

My Dr's advice is :  Try harder.  She did tell me I could see the nutritionist... which I may end up doing.     The Dr also said she thought maybe I had PCOS and was insulin resistant.   All the tests there came back negative this year!!

So I guess I'll just keep at it.     .  And I do change up my exercise!  I never do the same workout twice!    I have different parks and trails, I have hundreds of exercise cards out of SELF magazine that I've saved, and I'm always online looking for new things to do!      I'm not giving up.  I finally bought a scale to see what's going on each week.  I'm missing something.... I just feel it!  :( 

Tonight when I get off work begins the "walking twice a day"    I must do something more!!  So midnight walks will begin tonight!

For what its worth I think your not eating enough.  My experience has been when I consume only about 1200 cal and get alot of exercise weight loss stalls.  (and creeps up). If I eat 1400 to 1600 when I'm exercising the weight comes off.

 Also you seem to have too little  fat in your meals.  Increase your calories a bit and add in some fat.  Try peanut butter!

I have had a lot of the same problems. I have PCOS. My blood sugars are ok but I still have it so it still causes weight problems. If you're periods are irregular, you have pain during intercourse, or some other symptoms you may still have PCOS. Even if your blood sugars and/or insulin are fine. Talk to your gynecologist or endocrinologist.

Also, get the actual numbers for your thyroid tests and get a second or third opinion. When I had mine tested, the doctors all said I was fine. However, when I changed doctors, she said that yes I was in the normal range but I was in the very low normal range and given my other symptoms (cold all the time, tiredness, dry skin) she put me on a low dose of thyroid meds. I lost 6 pounds the first week. I had energy and was not cold all the time. The weight loss has evened out but I feel so much better. You may need to find a different doctor who will be willing to try some things. Being the in the normal range isn't normal for everyone.

Its your body. If you're truly honest with yourself about your eating and activity and are still not losing weight, keep fighting for yourself. Its worth it.

Original Post by rufus_k:

For what its worth I think your not eating enough.  My experience has been when I consume only about 1200 cal and get alot of exercise weight loss stalls.  (and creeps up). If I eat 1400 to 1600 when I'm exercising the weight comes off.

 Also you seem to have too little  fat in your meals.  Increase your calories a bit and add in some fat.  Try peanut butter!

 had reduced fat peanut butter on my toast this morning and just finished eating some almonds.    I only eat 1200 calories on lazy sundays when no exercise is in my day  :)   I eat between 1400 and 1700 on days I exercise.

I may have a second opinion on the thyroid though.     Sigh    I am so ready to see a couple of lbs drop off!!   I refuse to quit ... I will find the problem and I will one day be able to say  "Yes, I live healthy and I am healthy!"   That's my goal!!!

Original Post by dmalenda:

Honestly you probably have the same problem I have.. which is that I eat sensibly "all" the time.. and I work-out several times a week. The result left to it's own devices would probably be a weekly calorie delta of -1000 or -1500.. enough to slowly (but surely) lose weight. I mean after a year of that you'd be down 20 pounds.

My problem is that... once a week.. or maybe even once ever two weeks... there will be that one meal.. or that one snack. And it doesn't seem like much, a couple slices of pizza (ya know because I'm so good all the rest of the time) or maybe a donut that someone brought into the office turns into 2 or 3... Anyways, this "snack" will erase almost an entire week (or multiple weeks) of caloric loss in one go.

I know a lot of people (and books, and doctors, and friends, and family) all say that "It's okay to treat yourself once and a while..." But the truth is, it's not. It's really not. One day, one meal, one snack even... can wipe out days and weeks of hard-work and effort.

I agree that once you are at your target weight and no longer need to lose any, it's okay to snack at one time, and then cut back the next: this is fine, this is balanced parity. But when you are seeking a negative difference between calories burned and calories consumed, there really is very little room for error.

 

 i agree with this.

Tjlo