Stuck in a rut

Hi everyone,

I have never really done this sort of thing before, but I was reading some of the post here and everyone seems really nice and supportive so I figured I would give it a shot. I am 25, 5 foot nothing and have been stuck at 160 for two years. Before that I was about 120 which was a good weight for me and all of a sudden with in a year I gained 40lbs and it won't go away!! I am to the point that I just want to give up cause I can lose about 4-5 lbs and that is it. I don't lose any more. I can increase working out, limit calories, improve eating habits and I won't lose any more weight. In fact when I do these things I end up gain the 4-5 pounds back like I just recently did. It's as if my body is saying "you are going to weight 160 for the rest of your life and there is nothing you can do about it." If anyone has any advice, or knows what I am talking about please reply. I could use all the help I can get.

You and I are in the same boat.

I'm 34 and five foot nothing (funny...I say that all the time when referring to my height) and started at 160.  I'm down so far to 148.4lbs since July 4th.

Two years ago, I started at 168 and got down to I think 123 at my lowest, maybe 125.  I only gained back because I stopped eating healthy and I stopped exercising.  Basically, it's a lifestyle change you need to make.

I count all my calories, make sure what I'm eating is healthy and throw in 3-4 days of vigorous exercise for about an hour and a half.  

Once you start, you can't stop otherwise you will gain the weight back.  And...I found, the older I get, the harder it is to lose.  I figure....I don't want to be starting again when I'm 40, so....this is it for me.  I've completely changed my lifestyle. 

Did anything change in your life/routine the year you gained? New medicines? Pregnancy? Anything else noticable? Have you seen your doctor in the last two years?

If you're doing everything right and still not loosing, it could be related to any of a number of underlying medical conditions or prescription side effects.  Based on the calculator here getting back to 120 should be a very realistic goal, obviously it's not perfect, but it does help.

Personally my weight was put on because of a medical problem, but for the most part that's been dealt with and after 4 years of being much heavier then I used to be or want to be, I'm finally loosing.  I've found this site very helpful in keeping track of what I'm really eating, and for improving those food choices.  Since starting here in mid June I've lost about 20lbs and man does it feel great after fluctuating in a 5lb range for the last 3 years.  I'll be starting with Pilates and Yoga soon, and I'm hoping that I will be able to loose more inches with toning thanks to that.

Good luck!

My doctor told me that also. I started counting calories about six months ago. Every now and then I lose track, or get lazy about it, but for the most part I get it done. I find that my eating habits are not that bad, and I average about 1000 calories per day.

Yes, actually it did. I had start going back to school, working 45 hours per week and had a brand new serious relationship beginning. It was a lot of stress and I ended up pretty depressed. Everything is the same today except that the doctor put me on Wellbutrin so I am handling it a lot better. He said that this medication is suppose to help me lose weight, but it hasn't yet. I've been on it for about 5 months now. He was also concerned about my rapid weight gain and tested me for many different problems that could cause it. I tested negative for all.

 I do know that when my boyfriend and I got together 2 years ago, my lifestyle did change. I used to go out 3 to 4 times a week drinking and dancing at clubs. I danced so much that I believed it kept the weight off me. My boyfriend did not like to go out at all. He never stopped me from going, but over time I just stopped. It was basically after we hooked up that I gained all the weight. We are still together, and I doesn't mind the weight, but he knows that it is the only thing that is still getting me down. 

Thanks for the reply, I havn't thought about some of these things before. 

I noticed in your other reply that you said you were eating about a 1000 calories a day, technically by everything I've read under about 1200 for an adult female your body is going to want to store whatever it can.  I'm personally eating in the 1300-1400 range, though there are some days I fall below and others I go over, that's what I average over a week. I ran your stats in the tools here and using a light activity level you should burn on average 2100 cals a day, so a similar calorie range should still get you around 1.5 lbs lost a week.

Also, especially with your depression issues, trying to fit in even 20-30 minutes of exercise, cardio's probably easiest (even a brisk walk), should not only help with the weight loss, but with mood issues as well. Exercise brings elivated endorphin levels, which is a proven mood improver. I do yard and garden work in the summer which helps me there, but with the weather changing that tapers off, it's part of the reason for the timing of my new Pilates/Yoga routine. It also helps relieve stress which I'm sure would be an additional benifit for you.

And since I realised it hasn't been mentioned yet, how much water or other beverages do you drink? Sodas and coffee don't count, they only provide enough water to offset the dehydration they cause. Water intake actually can have a dramatic effect on whether or not you're able to loose weight.

Yes, exercise is something that I haven't been able to do a lot of. I walk about a mile to class and back everyday, but that is about it. I actually brought a change of clothes to work with me today so that I can go walking right when I get off. I work write out side a really nice area of town, so walking around the blocks are really pleasant. As far as beverages, I don't drink enough. There is no denying that. I do well to drink a bottle of water a day. I know it is crazy, but when I drink more than that, my stomach starts to hurt. I think it is all in my head though.  Lately I have really been in to pure plain grapefruit juice and tea. But my doctor told me to lay of the grapefruit juice because of the meds. So now I don't drink much at all. I don't even drink sodas all that much, probably one every other week.

How about having a dance night at home with your bf?  Put on some rocking music and just have fun?

I was like you with the water before I started changing my eating habits.  And I do understand what you mean about your stomach not feeling well, I tried suddenly increasing my water intake and my stomach did bother me.  What I found worked well was trying to increase it by a cup a day every week or two instead of all at once.  It might be worth a try for you, being hydrated enough flushes out both the liver and kidneys which aids weight loss.  Also, ironically you retain more water when you drink too little because like with when you don't eat enough calories, your body hordes it.  I actually found my weight was coming off faster during the weeks I was increasing water intake then the ones where I wasn't.

I really hope some of this helps you, I realise how frustrating it can be to be 'stuck'.

Wow, thanks. I really appreciate all the advice I got today. Ya'll are great. The dance night at home is a great idea. It maybe even more of a work out trying to drag him up and around (he hates to dance). And as for the water, as much as I don't want to, I will try to increase how much I drink. I think I will try the increase per week though. I have heard about water helping you loss weight and about retaining more water when you don't drink enough, but I never really listened. Hearing it from someone who has experienced it actually helps. Thanks again.

Hey, I just wanted to write to you too. Freshman year in college, I went from 110 to 135/140.  I didn't even really notice it until the end of the year, and I did try to deny myself that it was happening because I was on a sports team and I exercised regularly.  Since then, I've realized that it's true what they say about weight loss--you really can't expect all of it to go away in less than a year, or even more.  I've basically been on my own workout regimin for the last 4 years.  It was SO hard to get started but once I started seeing results, and noticing that I had more energy for everything else, being active became extremely fulfilling and now, if I don't work out for more than a week, I notice I get moodier.  
Basically, I read up on what I could do in terms of exercise.  I knew how to exercise because I played sports in high school and part of college.  The only thing was self-motivation.  I first started going to the gym on a regular basis, got rid of most of the junk food in my house, started making great meals for myself--even at school.  You might want to try alternating exercises everyday.  I started out with 1/2 hour of cardio (not necessarily the same thing the entire time) and then adding weight lifting gradually.  The lifting REALLY helps--start off light, get a trainer to help you.  It's silly but I also got a lot of good tips from magazines like Shape, Fitness, etc.  I started trying the work outs they suggested and they actually do work.  It's addicting after awhile.  For meals, I started eating more fruits and veggies, but adding my own twists, i.e. a chicken salad pita sandwich with raw spinach leaves, sprouts, raisins/cranberries, tomatoes.  Adding dried cranberries to salads always make it taste better.  Eventually, eating fatty foods started making me sick to my stomach.  
Also, I started drinking less.  I was the same as you, going to parties/clubs and dancing a lot, but cutting the beers alone REALLY helped.  A while ago I was drinking b/c of social reasons and noticed that even though I was still exercising regularly, I developed a noticeable gut.  I lowered my intake and the gut went away.  
It's taken me 5 years but I average 115 on the scale now.  The last 2 years of regular exercise (I'd say at least 4x/week) have really paid off.  Good luck to you!  I know you can do it!  

To be honest weight loss can be done efficiently and without all of the added stress many people place on themselves. They continuously jump on the scale and check their weight three times a day and wonder why pounds aren't shedding off.

Many things that people have said here are accurate. You need to think of your body as a complete organism. It's going to try to survive. Keep status quo. When you diet it notices a change and attempts to counter the loss in calories with additional efforts to retain food. When you walk the body will get better at what it does so it's not a strain.

The hard facts are that after 20 minutes of elevated exercise where you produce a light sweat (not killing yourself) that is when you begin to burn fat. The first 20 minutes will burn stored energy.

This does not make the process that much harder. You don't have to walk each day. You just have to trick the body.

Here are the steps I take and they work every time:

1. Eat breakfast. Mandatory - 1-2 bowls of cereal, eggs, toast.

2. Don't be afraid to snack on junk food as a treat if before 10am. (Once or twice a week)

3. Good sized healthy lunch. Eat before 2pm.

4. Light lunch. Buy prepackaged salads, and have a salad for dinner.

5. No snacking past lunch.

6. Ramp up to 40 minutes of exercise 3 times a week. If you have a treadmill try to maintain a light jog, enough to get your heart rate at 135 for 30 minutes 3 minute walking warm-up, and 7 minute walking cool-down. Increase the speed as your heart tells you. You should be sweating and breathing heavy but not feel like your hurting yourself.

You won't starve your body if you eat big in the morning and lunch. Changing this will keep the calories in, but burn them throughout the day as you are not in starvation mode. Then you will burn more fat while you sleep.

This was long winded, but you can not avoid the exercise, and you MUST feed the body to lose weight.

Hope this helps!

 

James