Why is my weight NOT melting off?

Just based on the mathematics involved, I should be losing weight at a decent pace.

Here's a profile of the OLD me:

Breakfast was typically a bagel with a pile of cream cheese, or a bacon or ham, egg, cheese on a bagel.

Lunch was either chinese food, burger deluxe, pizza (2 slices).

Dinner was anything I wanted. I would eat chinese food (yes, I was addicted to chinese food)...the greasier, the better, fried cutlets, loads of fries. Basically I had NO restrictions.

Snacks throughout the day included a steady diet of chocolate bars, potatoe chips, or vending machine goodies. EVERY DAY!!

Evening snack included my favorite ice cream (approx 1 cup), with syrup, and sprinkles.

I would then hit some chips or cookies while I watch my favorite sports teams.

PLUS a WHOLE loaf italian bread EVERY Sunday!!

THIS WAS MY TYPICAL DAY, EVERY DAY!!

Here's the NEW me:

Breakfast:

Oatmeal, or 3egg whites, with peppers, onions, or a small bowl Kashe friends cereal with skim milk, and a small apple.

Lunch:

Turkey burger, over green salad with some olive oil, vinegar. OR Sashimi (8 pcs) with salad and (sesame dressing, (2tbl sp) OR Fresh turkey slices over green salad w/ olive oil / vinegar.

Dinner:

Steamed fish (4-6oz), or chicken, with veggies, salad.

I gave up red meat, ice cream, all "junk snacks", all white breads

Snacks allowed are apples, melon, pears, and grapes.

I've been very strict with this meal plan.

**I've also added 3 days a week of cycling for about 45 minutes to 1 hr each ride.

Based on the calorie counter on this website, my typical day is around 1300-1600 calories.

Here are my results:

2 months ago, I weighed 227 lbs. The first month, I dropped to 216.

(I'm 50 yr old male, 5'11") White collar businessman.

In the last month, I lost a total of 1 more pound!

I'm doing something wrong. I feel that I should be losing the excess weight at a steadier pace, than I am.

Feel free to chime in.

Ah, to melt off weight...

Fat-Buster Blowtorch! Melts off the fat like butter! Now new and improved with less third-degree burns!

If only it were simple.

The more mass you carry and the more you exert yourself, the more calories you need. Per this About.com calculator, as a 50 year old, 5'11 male at 216lbs, you have a BMR of 2466 calories a day when sedentary. A healthy maximum deficit is 1000 calories from your BMR, meaning you wouldn't want to go under 1500 calories roughly. And you are clearly not sedentary! As such, your body may have entered what is known as "starvation mode".

• Dieting & Metabolism

This is what happens when you undereat for an extended period of time. Your body clings onto what it can get because it believes it is starving - and that may sound silly to you, but as said: the more mass you carry, and the more you exert yourself, the more calories you need. To help kick your metabolism in the bum, try upping your calories to a maintainance level for two weeks (or longer, depending on how long it takes you to get there) and then lowering it accordingly if required. During this time, stay off your scales! You may see a water fluctuation that would be inaccurate, and is why it is a good idea to stay clear of scales for two weeks during a calorie increase. The water will flush out, particularly if you keep hydrated; believe it or not, water helps get rid of excess water.

We have a thread in Health and Support titled Upping cals to LOSE. This is a group of people upping their calories from low amounts to help them get back on track, whether in maintainance or to then lose weight there after. I am sure anyone there will be happy to support you along in this!

Good luck! If you have any more questions, please ask, including if you want food ideas.

 - Ellie. :]

It sounds like you're eating well. Are you still counting your calories? I've been caught up in that before. I thought I was doing everything right but I was over-indulging on the healthy food. It wasn't until I made sure to restrict calories that the weight started to come off.

I'm no expert here but I wonder if also you're getting stronger from the cycling. You could be gaining muscle in your legs and so the scale isn't budging because it's also weighing your muscle-y legs. It couldn't hurt to mix up your workouts with different activities or HIIT training that a lot of people highly recommend.

Congrats on your significant changes! I'm sure you feel a lot better already than the "old you", don't ya?

Sorrry, I'm not a huge help but I wish you the best of luck in your healthy quest.

Actually, I think that starvation mode is thrown around too frequently here.

It takes months, not days, for your body to enter starvation mode.  While a healthy deficit is only 500-1000 calories per day, I would think its actually more of a manner in which you lose the weight... I mean, those first 10ish pounds were obviously not ALL fat. Some was probably simply water weight, etc.  I'm guessing that you gained back some of that "body-I'm-in-shock-what-the-H*#$-are-you-doin g-to-me" water weight, but most likely lost some more fat in that process.

Have you taken measurements? How do your clothes fit? I would start paying attention to these things, especially if you have recently started a new exercise routine.

Sorry to hear that your weight loss has stalled. It may be that your eating plan would be a great maintanence plan but it could well be that you are not managing a 500 calorie deficit. The only sure way to know is to weigh and log everything that passes you lips. Get some very accurate postal electronic scales that measure in 1 gram increments. Set your activity level to sedentary then log your exercise sessions. If you have a 500 to 700 calorie deficit between intake and output you will lose weight.

Four months in I still religiously weigh and log everything. I am down 21 lbs, losing just one pound every week after the first 2 or 3 weeks when it was 2 or 3 lbs. I hope you persist as it can be a great way to mange your weight.

Best of luck.

Original Post by lalabanana:

Ah, to melt off weight...

Fat-Buster Blowtorch! Melts off the fat like butter! Now new and improved with less third-degree burns!

If only it were simple.

The more mass you carry and the more you exert yourself, the more calories you need. Per this About.com calculator, as a 50 year old, 5'11 male at 216lbs, you have a BMR of 2466 calories a day when sedentary. A healthy maximum deficit is 1000 calories from your BMR, meaning you wouldn't want to go under 1500 calories roughly. And you are clearly not sedentary! As such, your body may have entered what is known as "starvation mode".

• Dieting & Metabolism

This is what happens when you undereat for an extended period of time. Your body clings onto what it can get because it believes it is starving - and that may sound silly to you, but as said: the more mass you carry, and the more you exert yourself, the more calories you need. To help kick your metabolism in the bum, try upping your calories to a maintainance level for two weeks (or longer, depending on how long it takes you to get there) and then lowering it accordingly if required. During this time, stay off your scales! You may see a water fluctuation that would be inaccurate, and is why it is a good idea to stay clear of scales for two weeks during a calorie increase. The water will flush out, particularly if you keep hydrated; believe it or not, water helps get rid of excess water.

We have a thread in Health and Support titled Upping cals to LOSE. This is a group of people upping their calories from low amounts to help them get back on track, whether in maintainance or to then lose weight there after. I am sure anyone there will be happy to support you along in this!

Good luck! If you have any more questions, please ask, including if you want food ideas.

 - Ellie. :]

Interesting.

Do I simply eat MORE of the "good stuff"? Or do I do a eat some "junk" along the way?

 

Original Post by trendstudent:

It sounds like you're eating well. Are you still counting your calories? I've been caught up in that before. I thought I was doing everything right but I was over-indulging on the healthy food. It wasn't until I made sure to restrict calories that the weight started to come off.

I'm no expert here but I wonder if also you're getting stronger from the cycling. You could be gaining muscle in your legs and so the scale isn't budging because it's also weighing your muscle-y legs. It couldn't hurt to mix up your workouts with different activities or HIIT training that a lot of people highly recommend.

Congrats on your significant changes! I'm sure you feel a lot better already than the "old you", don't ya?

Thank you.

Yes, I am counting calories on the calorie counter on this website.

I feel terrific.

On a bright note....I had a complete physical this week, and the doctor did comment that I looked "healthy". He also said that my blood pressure is now a normal 120/80

Sorrry, I'm not a huge help but I wish you the best of luck in your healthy quest.

 

Well, it's possible to do either way. For the main three food groups:

Example Sources of EFAs, or essential fatty acids:
Oily fish - eg salmon, pilchard, mackerel
Seeds - eg sunflower, flax, pumpkin
Nuts - eg walnuts, almonds
Nut butters - eg peanut, cashew, almond
Oils - eg extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, rapeseed (canola) oil - there is a massive list of EFAs in oils here. http://efaeducation.nih.gov/sig/esstable1.htm l
Avocado.

Example Sources of Proteins:
Oily fish - eg salmon, pilchard, mackerel
Red meats - (in your case, aim for lean cuts) eg beef, lamb
White meats - eg chicken, turkey
Legumes, pulses - eg chickpeas, beans of all types, lentils
Seeds - eg sunflower, flax, pumpkin
Nuts - eg walnuts, almonds
Nut butters - eg peanut, cashew, almond
Certain grains - eg quinoa, oats
Soy - eg tofu, soy beans, soy derived products
Dairy - (in your case, half-fat or no-fat) eg cheese, milk, ice cream

Example Sources of Healthy Carbohydrate:
Wholegrains - eg oats, whole grain bread, brown rice, quinoa, corn (to name just a few!)
Starchy vegetables - eg sweet potato (or yam), other variations of potato, radishes
Fruits - eg bananas, apples, pears, berries, plums, peaches, pineapple
Dried fruits - eg figs, dates, prunes, apricots, raisins and sultanas
Other natural sugar sources - eg honey

And of course, your veggies come along too. Aim to have a carb, fat and protein with every main meal, along with a fruit or veg serving, and make up your remaining areas (dairy, any other fruit/veg servings, or if you're low on a food group) in your snacks. You also want to make sure you are getting plenty of fibre, though this is usually easily done by eating a well balanced diet. Do still monitor your salt if you can. Variation and moderation is key! Remember to let yourself have treats once in a while as I know it can leave someone feeling deprived not indulging a little once in a while! You can have your cake and eat it too, just not all the time. ;]

You need to eat more! If your body doesn't get enough calories you can't loose weight. You might gain a little back when you do, but then you'll start loosing again. According to this sight you burn 2700 with light activity, so if you cut back 500 calories (2100 calories) you should loose a pound a week. (:

patience my little grasshopper............LOL

Seriously you look great in that picture..maybe you are almost at your ideal weight and that makes it almost impossible to lose fast

~H~

Hi Anthony8858:

For what it's worth, some folks tend to stay at one weight for weeks and then drop 5-7 on that 5th or 6th week weight in. This is the case for me, and I recently discovered, for my brother-in-law as well.

One thing that may be happening is that you are increasing in muscle, so not loosing Pounds, but decreasing in size (i.e. losing inches).

Have you done a complete recording of your measurements? If not, go ahead and get those numbers. That way, if the scale doesn't move, you'll have another metric to check that might prevent you from feeling discouraged.

Also, as another member noted, make sure that you are keeping good track of your calories and basing the calories on exact portions - i.e. "about a cup of rice" could be anywhere between, say, 150 and 250 grams (CC says 1 cup = 195 grams) - things really start working well if you get complete clarity on your measurements (body and nutritional intake).

Of course, maybe you are near your ideal body weight which means that loss is going to slow w-a-y down.

Whatever the explanation for your loss speed, we should all give you a big loud shout out for the fantastic and positive changes you have made in your diet. Hooray for you!!! Seriously, a nutritionally well-rounded diet, with an intake that supports health is what this is all about :)

 

Take care

 

Original Post by anthony8858:

Yes, I am counting calories on the calorie counter on this website.

I feel terrific.

On a bright note....I had a complete physical this week, and the doctor did comment that I looked "healthy". He also said that my blood pressure is now a normal 120/80

 

That is what's important not the number on the scale. 

You feel better because it's working and your doctor thinks it's working.  Stick with it you are doing great. 

Maintenance: 

2632 Calories/day Fat Loss:  2105 Calories/day Extreme Fat Loss:  1816 Calories/day

Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs

I haven't read all the post so I don't know if you got an answer but this is a site I like to use for help and guidance.  According to their numbers you aren't eating enough

Hi, Anthony,

Use the burn meter tool on the site (tools/burn meter) to tell how much you burn. I get 2700 calories. 

You should be eating 1700-2000 calories per day to lose weight.  Use the logging tool on the site to log your food for the day, including quantities.  If that adds up to less than 1700 calories, which I suspect it does, then eating more will help you lose weight. It sounds paradoxical but it is true. If you don't eat enough to fuel your body, your body will hang onto fat and weight loss will slow or stop.

You don't need to eat junk food to eat more. Lala gave you some great suggestions of foods to add to your diet to increase calories to a level that will fuel your body.

Original Post by anthony8858:

:

2 months ago, I weighed 227 lbs. The first month, I dropped to 216.

(I'm 50 yr old male, 5'11") White collar businessman.

In the last month, I lost a total of 1 more pound!

the early weight loss is deceiving. Most folks lose a lot as first, and then things slow down as the body "consolidates" what has been changing--stabilizing water weight, tightening muscle mass while burning fat, etc. Your inches have probably shrunk; did you measure before and since? That is so reassuring when the weight loss seems to stall.

BUT the good news is, you've lost 10 lbs in about 8 weeks. That is a healthy, sustainable, weight loss. I agree that you should be upping your cals closer to 1800-2000/day (intake) to prevent any conservation mode (aka starvation mode) from kicking in; over time, too big a calorie deficit will cause problems. While I think the "consolidation" thing is the reason for your slow down, I do think you are at risk from undereating if you don't increase your cals.

.5-2lbs/week is a reasonable goal. Permanent weight loss can not be done at a higher rate--folks who undereat to lose always gain the weight back--and more--when they resume healthy habits.

"Biting the bullet" and accepting the slow, steady loss was the hardest part of this program for me. I can happily undereat, frankly, but now that I understand I was undereating and that's why I'd gain it back (lose 10 quickly and easily, regain it, lose 10, quickly and easily regain it again), I'm committed to long-term, sustainable weight loss.

Good luck!

It's all about the numbers.  You need to eat and exercise 3500 more calories more each week then you burn to lose ONE pound.  So depressing, yes I know. 

Increase the exercise and be honest about the amount of effort you put into it and count every calorie (regardless of how annoying).  Make sure you burn 500 more a day then you intake and you'll be on your way.

PLUS ... if your working out you could be building muscle which weighs more then fat.  Try measuring yourself from now on, you might see more results that way.  

Best of luck!

lalabanana said:

Ah, to melt off weight...

Fat-Buster Blowtorch! Melts off the fat like butter! Now new and improved with less third-degree burns!

OoOooooh! Less third-degree burns! Now I can spend the money that I save from not having a skin graft and finally buy that massive rhinestone-encrusted pink purse that I wanted! All the better to put a tiny, ugly dog in. :D