On the verge of giving up! Help?

Okay, so here's the deal.

I'm 5'9", 20 years old, and have been calorie counting since mid july.  By eating 1500 calories a day, biking one hour a day for five days a week, and running occasionally, I was able to go from 182 pounds to 169 at the first of August.

Since then, my weight has been stuck at 170 pounds, so I incorporated weight lifting into my routine at the beginning of the month as well, still nothing, so I thought maybe I was eating too much, even though my deficit was already at 1000 cals + a day, SO i reduced my intake to about 1100-1300 a day, and still nothing.

I searched for help in other forums, and from what i gather I was starving my body hardcore, so I upped my calorie intake to about 1700-1850 calories a day last wednesday, added  high intensity work out 3 times a week, increased the amount I ate in the first part of the day, and even allowed myself to have a couple sweets a day (as in 2, 40 calorie cookies as opposed to one), as well as an increase in peanut butter to about 2 tablesppons a day.  I'm vegan, so the protein increase I've incorpoprated is mostly peanut butter/soy based.

Anyway, I weighed myself today, and now i'VE GAINED WEIGHT AGAIN!!! And am back to 173.  i have no clue what to do anymore because I feel I've tried anything, and feel like i MIGHT as well just stop calorie counting, or even trying to be active.  Please help.

Well done on losing that weight.

You are perfectly right to increase your calories.  A deficit of over 1000kcals per day is not healthy, and your weight loss will stall - as you have found.  So you have sensibly increased your calories, and now you need to give your body a week or two to adjust to the fact that it's now getting adequate energy. 

So stick with what your are doing...in a few weeks, with a sensible 500 - 800kcal deficit, you will be back to losing again.  I know it's a bit of a frightner to see the number going up, but they will start to go down again.

Good luck

Ax

switch from biking to brisk walk or slow jog

Thanks Ax! It's comforting to know other people have gone through this...

Docmatt77, I can't really 'stop' biking, it's my way of getting to work...so should I do another couple days of different cardio as well?

oseya:  Congratulations on a super job to get to where you are.

For me, I found out the following things about losing weight:  (I have done a lot of research on exercise, diet, weight loss, eating healthy, and maintenance.  But I am no expert, as many of my posts indicate.)

1. drink a  20 oz glass of water to start off the day
2. eat a lot of protein in your first meal of the day (not eating meat, you have figured out what foods give that to you)
3. eat a reasonably  high protein meal around 30 minutes after your hardest exercise/workout; again, it should be, as I understand it, protein that is readily absorbed by the body (red and black beans, nuts like almonds and walnuts, whole grain pastas)
4. weigh-in every day when possible at about the same time, under about the same circumstances.  Never be concerned about brief gains here and there, unless the gains are an every day thing, showing that you are, indeed, gaining weight.
5. record accurately your daily calorie consumption
6. pat yourself on the back once in a while for having done such a remarkable job of losing weight and living healthy

You have been calorie counting about 6 weeks, right?  I know that seems like a long time, but in the scheme of the rest of your life, it isn't very long.

You are pretty close to a healthy weight, so that also makes it more challenging to lose weight.

Find an exercise routine that you enjoy doing, and do it regularly.  It is great that you already incorporate movement into your life by riding a bike to work.  Every exercise program should be something you really enjoy and can imagine doing for the rest of your life.

Pick a calorie target that isn't too restrictive (maybe about 500 calories deficit per day), and not too different than your burn once you are at a goal weight that is healthy, appropriate to your frame and muscle mass, and you can live with for the rest of your life.

Choose foods that are full of good nutrition and that you enjoy eating.  Eat up to your calorie target (I am guessing that you could easily eat up to 1800 calories/day and still lose).

Repeat all these choices (except the calorie deficit, you will drop that once at maintenance) for the rest of your healthy, and hopefully, long life.

ETA:  clarify that 500 calories should be the deficit, not the total calories per day.

Don't give up whatever you do! You've achieved so much...remember that! :D

You are doing the right thing by upping your cals in the long run, especially since there is the chance that you may have been starving yourself.

Have faith, although the scale may be going up right now, it will go back down again with a little tim and patience since it is probably mostly water weight.

Good luck, keep going :)

Oh my goodness, all this support is absolutely amazing and uplifting!! Thank-you so much!! To think I was about to quit this morning, and all of you have motivated me to stay on track.

I'll give my body another week or two to adjust to my calorie increase and start eating more protein instead of fruit after my workouts.  I guess it is harder to lose weight once you're closer to your target.

I think that after my first 10-12 pounds that I lost I stopped noticing any changes with my clothes because they were all falling off me, and I haven't had time to go get ones that actually fit!  So I think I'm relying heavily on the scale to see changes rather than seeing if my weight lifting is actually making me more toned.

Oseya,

Let us know how it works. I am kind of in the same boat as you. I was eating about 1500 calories a day and burning about 2300 with excercise. I didn't lose any weight for over a month, but I felt great and my clothes were getting huge. Then, I got sick for a couple days and only excercised 3 times last week. I was still eating normally since it was just a cold. Guess what...I lost 3lbs last week. Is it possible to over excercise?

Wow girl..Good work on the loss.

I am not really in the same boat, but sorta. hate when you work so hard to loose it all and it slowly creeps back up....

Hang in there, consistency is the key, dont let this out you down. You will definitely get back on track with your goal.

Good Luck

Hello,

I have been dieting since June of 2008 and I have lost over 50 pounds. I joined Curves and workout 3 times a week, drink over a gallon of water a day,walk 15 minutes a day along with alot of other activities (swimming, biking, kayaking etc) and saw a doctor to get me started on my weight loss plan. I am working on taking off the last 15 pounds and then I just want to maintain. My daughter also joined curves 3 months ago and has lost 30 pounds. I would like to suggest you buy a Calorie King book and re-assess your calorie counting, also invest in something to weigh your meat intake. I do not eat any red meat, but I  have learned many ways to fix chicken and to satisfy my hamburger craving I eat turkey sausage and I have learned to love salmon and tuna. I think 1500 a day is to high. As my doctor said eat what you want but don't eat over 1000 to start and you will lose weight and be honest with your calorie counting. I did and I lost the weight. After I eat my final meal of the day I give myself at leasts 3 to 4 hours before I go to sleep. I hope this helps.

"I think 1500 a day is to high. As my doctor said eat what you want but don't eat over 1000 to start and you will lose weight and be honest with your calorie counting."

Really?  Only 1000 calories?  Doesn't seem like very much.

Awesome job! I'm glad you've decided to stick with it. I didn't, and now I'm back here, trying to lose the same 30 lbs. that I lost last year.

I think you definitely did the right thing by upping your calorie intake and I agree how it will be more challenging to lose lbs. as you approach a healthy weight.. Also keep in mind that as a female, our weight tends to fluctuate. I only weigh once a week; I rely more on the tape measure. ;)

Good luck!

Original Post by pmcintosh58:

Hello,

I have been dieting since June of 2008 and I have lost over 50 pounds. 

I think 1500 a day is to high. As my doctor said eat what you want but don't eat over 1000 to start and you will lose weight and be honest with your calorie counting. I did and I lost the weight.

I don't know your height, but the OP is 5'9", and in my opinion, would be seriously undereating at less than 1500 calories/day.  I know that I am 5'8", and I have lost about 50 pounds since Jan 09, and I am eating between 1700 and 1800 calories per day.  Now, I weigh a lot more than the OP, so she may need to cut back farther than I did, but 1,000 would be punitive, and CC recommends that women not drop below 1200, 1500 if they are teens.

Just goes to show you each person's metabolism is different. 1000 calories a day is safe a person should not drop below 800 or you won't lose any weight.

I agree with dkenworthy, I've actually heard it's dangerous and ineffective to go below 1200 cals a day, and since I'm active, I think going under 1500 cals for me is a big no no ( and it probably should be for you too mcintosh58)

On the upside, I went and saw a nutritionist today, and she said I should be eating 1800 cals a day, maybe with a serving less of fruit ( i'm vegan so i mostly just eats fruits and veggies), and to incorporate more lentils and beans.

Thanks again for the support everyone! I'll start doing measurements tomorrow I think, and ditch the scale for a while! I definitely noticed a lot more muscle definition in my legs when I was working out today, so maybe it is water retention because I'm getting close to my time of month, and I might also be replacing fat with muscle.

It is good to see everyone sending helpful tips and suggestions. Please re read my comments the 1000 calorie each day was at the beginning of my weight loss. That got me going. Now I am consuming around 1200 per day. I look for things are filling and with protein. The food suggestions of ground turkey burgers, chicken and salmon are some of my favorites, however I do reward myself and eat a steak, spaghetti or what I want to eat. If I go over my calorie expectation for the day then I just go over that day and reel it back in the next day. I have fun with it and what someone else said here is so true enjoy the activity you are doing and it should be something you can do in the future.

Does anyone here have a suggestion for a bean recipe? Doesn't matter what type of bean I am just looking for a recipe.

Thank you to all of you I really enjoy reading your comments and suggestions.

Catch you later!

hi pmcintosh,

The only recipe I have that includes beans, uses cannellini beans to make white chicken chili. I will post it under the recipes section with nutrition information. Just search my username and all of my recipes pop up.

just wanted to update you folks..haven't looked at the scale in a while, but today i saw a friend who i hadn't seen since the start of july and she couldn't stop complimenting me on how great i looked, and how there was something different about me that she couldn't quite place, but that i looked amazing! yay! little victories!  and today i went for my first run in 3 weeks, and i can run for over 15 minutes now without stopping!, as compared to five minutes two months ago!