Working out like a gerbil in an exercise wheel and I CANT LOSE A POUND-- HELP!!!

Hello Everyone:

I'm a newbie to this site.  I have been working out like a gerbil in a wheel  5 to 6 times a week and HAVE NOT SHED 1 BLEEPING pound. I've also been consuming 5 to six meals a day, which is nuts to me- its "supposed to speed up my metabolism". High protein diet, moderate weight training and aerobics is what I am about lately. I weigh weekly and have been 203 lbs. for the past three weeks. This week I found this delightful website and have been counting my calories, I'm hoping that wil l help. Any suggestions as to what in the Helman's mayonaise is going on 

Okay, so out of frustration I fell off the deep end!!!! It was fun doing it I will say that much. I drank friday and Saturday night like an addict, I felt like Amy Whinehouse. I ate cookies, and YESTERDAY I went to a carribean resturaunt and chowed like a cow, can any one say moooo. Shut the front door, if I am going to gain, I'm gaining for a reason. I had appertizers, entree and a fruity drink with an extra shot of 151. I SHOWED my weight gain, right? No guilt, I'm just going to climb back on. I'm sure I ate my calorie allowance for the week at that Jamaican Resturant last night. Now I'm sure I gained twice what I gained on Friday, but atleast it felt good doing it. I didn't even go to the gym  but I am back to my senses again.  

had to update something here.....Well after my PMS'ing...I weighed myself and i'm at an all time low....145 lbs!!!!  I havent been this low since high school.  I guess pigging out in Vegas for 4 days didnt hurt a bit! GO ME

Health.....A cheat dinner is this....I eat and count calories breakfast, lunch, snack and then at dinner.....we go to a local sports pub to watch Monday night football or whatever other sports are on....we order pretty much the same thing .  Start off with a couple beers (Coors light.....damn I'm in canada and I wish we had that new MGD64.  I had it in the states and it's GREAT!!!!!) then we order nachos/salsa.  (Sometimes a double order!)  THen I order 2 lbs HOT chicken wings and about ummmm 4 more beers.  HEy, I"m a really thirsty girl ok????

The next day.....start counting again and drink extra water to help rid of the excessive sodium and boozzzzze!  Btw, when it's beer/wings night, I do NOT add those calories to my log.  Why bother when I know i've exceeded by a long shot.....however moderation is the key.  Once a week at the most....try to go out once every 2 weeks.  I absolutely LOVE beer and refuse to give it up.

As for exercise, I ride my bike (usingmy heart rate monitor) and I ride on hardest gear for approximately 33 minutes burning 300 calories.  Since I'm only burning 1700 calories a day without exercise, I'm eating around 1200 calories to keep a 500 calories deficit.  Some ppl say that is hardly any food but you'd be surprised how much I eat for that amount.  (I'm also a shorty at only 5' tall)

Example.....when I eat veggies...I eat 500 grams of spaghetti squash for about 135 calores, 250 grams portabella mushrooms = 70 calories, 150 grams Baked Haddock Fillet (no breading) = 168 calories .  I dare you to measure out how much food all that actually is....I bet you couldnt finish it and that's only 400 calories for dinner!!!!!

If you dont have a veggie steamer, you MUST try those steamer bags.  THey are a tad expensive but I re-use each bag about 5 times before the zipper finally won't stick anymore.  I just handwash the bag after each use!  You don't have to add any water or anything.  These are perfect ifyou are buying frozen veggies!  I LOVE cooking frozen green/yellow beans in these bags and also frozen brussel sprouts come out PERFECTLY~~~  I've mastered cooking times for each veggie to perfection!

Another thing I have found which I really enjoy....again I"m in canada and we SUCK here so I've had to buy these from a lady on ebay in michigan.  SOUTH BEACH TIDE ME OVER drink mix.  YUM~  THey have protein and taste much like crystal lite.  I use these if I"ll be out and about and may be late for snack or lunch.  Also good to take with me to class at night to keep my tummy from growling out loud! LOL

~H~

Haley, congrats on all time low! I still remember the feeling I had 20 years ago after dieting and reaching my all time low. So, I am looking forward to get back to that or even 20lb more than that would be great! LOL

cheat concept sounds great, but I confess I am a bit worried to go for so much. As for beer, at least you are dinking light. I like wine and cocktail mixes, beer stuffs me up, can never drink more than 1 or 2. But my favorite drink, get this, is chocolate milk! I could have a gallon and still want more. Haven't had it for 6 months. Hey, I will have a chocolate milk cheat day! but 1200 cals! wow, I usually go around 1500, but now that it got colder I have already gone up to 1700 twice. And my goal is 1600. So worried about winter. But I do exercise often and as long as I burn more than eat it is ok.  I will give your system a try. Too bad I don't have my scale, my son took it to school for a project now I have to guess the amounts, not good. And the bags, have to put them on my grocery list. I didn't know you could reuse them.

Meisha, it happens, who has not been there? How many times we sabotage ourselves out of sheer frustation. But now back to sanity!!! Let's consider your escapade as a cheating weekend But for goodness sake don't weigh yourself more than once a week, especially not when you are on the red! Be more forgiving with yourself next time the scale shows increase and wait a few more days. Let's keep that bikini in mind! Even I, a serial weigher, am thinking of stoping weighing myself twice a day! It is making me anxious in the last few days. I weighed myself today and I will try to wait till next Monday to weigh again. You do the same, OK? Let's do this together!

Health, thanks. I'm back to sanity. We still havent come up with a plan that works for both of us. I'm back to eating almost regular, and have decided to lay off the gym this week and this week only. I'm going to go back to the gym on Saturday. I will shoot you an email later.

How you doing now, Meisha?  I'm the same... *sighs*

On the bright side, I have discovered the joys of sushi.

And my workouts have become a bit... lax.  I'm going to need a gym membership, because I can't hike anymore.  My roommate was on her way back from NYC and the bus dropped her off downtown.  She had no money on her and we live near a bad city.  For some reason the bus station happened to be on the absolute worst of all the streets in the city (we talked to the cops last night and asked which street was the worst and they named that one right off the bat) and she was threatened with a knife by a psycho teenager who said he raped girls and had shot a couple of people.  She is just lucky to be alive right now.  Our mountains are open to city people, so I won't be hiking alone back there anymore.  It really was a scary experience.  *sighs*  Time to shell out $60 and join the gym.  My Wii is nice but I don't think it's the most rounded of workouts sometimes.

Hey Kizzichan,

Unfortunately, I weigh about the same as well. I will say that adding the gym to my workout has turned this into an upwards battle. I work out four days a week and use my wii to weigh in.  I think I work out too much which is causeing my calorie deficit to be entirely too high.

That's unfortunate about your roomate. do you guys have a YMCA where you live. I live in NYC (brooklyn) the gym membership there is farely cheap. There is a pool and equiptment. The cool thing is you can register as a family and split the fee in half. My best friend and I at work said we were lovers and registered as a couple. So our kids go for free and we pay $24 a piece. Lucille Roberts is generally in expensive. I am a member of that gym as well.

I was wondering where you have been!  Keep up the good work and remember that Wii work out is better than nothing so dont give up!!!

Hahaha!  That's amazing about telling the gym people you're lovers.  We have a gym here on campus that I'm going to use with my roommate, it's just that I really enjoyed hiking.  It's hard to find anyone who wants to randomly hike at 10 AM though.  I can't go alone.  Today is one of those days where I feel like I've just been EATING all day but I'm at like 800 calories.  WOWWWW.  I like these days, but it's amusing because eating actually starts to become a chore after awhile!!!  Like, oh, I guess I should eat... *giggles*  I mean, there are others where I'm like WTF IT'S 11 AM AND I'VE EATEN 1100 CALORIES!  Eep!

hey, just saw this and thought id add,

i have been on a plateau of sorts for the past 2 months myself so i know what your up against i found that my daily intake was too high and i was eating the same amount as if you were not "dieting" so a normal persons diet. so i had to cut mine down to 1500 max a day and for women i think its supposed to be 1200 a day if you are trying to lose.  the way i see it if you blowout on cals early in the day say like 1000 or so you only have a certain amount left so if the only thing cal wise you can have is something equalling 200 ( in my case 500) so if you have to have just salad or toast or whatever thats all you should stick to, also its good to at least try and burn 500 calories a day working out and anything on top of that is a bonus.

hope tht helpd somewhat

Raz, what is so frustrating about this is I'm not even freakin plateau-ing. Ive been working out like a crack head on the grind for a vial and nothing is coming off. Ive been counting calories, eating dam$ near branches and berries and nothing is really coming off. I'm 201 pounds and take in 1600 to 1800 daily. CC suggest 1850, I burn at least 1200 at the gym and go 4 to 5 days a week. My problem, I think is that I burn way too many and take in far to few so my body holds on to the fat. That's what they say.  So if my deficit is over a thousand, which it is everytime I go to the gym I won't lose. That's freakin ridiculous to me. The more you work out the more you should lose, that makes sense to me. Thanks for the advice!!!

Kizzi

Are you familar with the Kid Robot store? I was in there yesterday and for some strange reason-- dont ask why because I don't have a clue-- that seems like somethign you would be interested in. Anywho, I do love those days when you seem to have been stuffing your face and your calorie intake is very low, but however, for me those days are far and few. And you are sure right counting is a freakin' chore, but it is what it is. That bites that you can't find anyone to hike with you. Are there hills on your campus? Try treking around there.

hey well if you are really worried you should ask you gym if they have any products that can help you start your loss off, at my gym they have a whole bunch of products for shifting stubborn fat, which i am starting to take btw, the ones i am on help to supress my appetite so im not wanting to eat much it gives me the option of choosing when i want to eat not having my body tell me oohhh your hungry when im really not. and over the past 4 days ive gone down 2 kilograms - not sure what that is in pounds - i think its like 4 pounds or something - dont get discouraged i was talking to one of the guys who runs the gym and he said the smaller you get the harder it is to shift your weight and by the sounds of things your not too big ;D he has to work out really hard for 3 months to shift 1% of his body fat........... crazy huh.

Raz, that is crazy. Nah, I look okay, but once the clothes drops there's a couple of flab folds that appeared out of no where. I know, that was too much information. Last week they tried to sell me a program where you drink to 100 calories shakes and a meal. The shake was freaking 80 and that was on sale. I know my lack of weight loss has something to do with my calorie intake and working out. In the past I was on weight watchers and did no working out what so ever. Now that I am busting my as$ the in the gym is not coming off. I have to find that perfect balnce. 

Bty the way congrats on the four pound loss that's BIG-- no pun intended ;)

OKAY ON LOOKERS OF HIS SIGHT THIS IS funny right here. Just another indication that I have a problem. I actually sent this message to Healthmd while I was on the elliptical machine. I forwarded it from my blackberry. I tried to post it from my elliptical but it didn't post here it goes:

So as expeccted it finally happened:

My crazy as$ dam* neared passed otu at the gym this morning during a cardio sculpt class. I decided that my usual 6 inch step wasn't enough fo me so I wanted to go to 10 but switched to a 12 inch and felt like I ws inhaling three cigarettes with no filter on them. This comes from a woman who doesn't smoke. Well knowing me for the past month do you think I stopped health? As Whitney Houston would say hell to the nah Bobby. I freakin kept my crack head chasin a vial speed up so I could out do the two bobbing blondes next to me with the flat abs that always admire my fancy foot work and who have at least fifteen more years of youth than I. I felt like I was about to cough up a dam* lung!!!

I have a problem. I'm typig this message to you form the elliptical this minute. This non weight loss thing is killing. Did I mention I'm light headed. Sent via BLACKBERRY from T-Mobile

Am I nuts or what. I did 45 minutes on the treadmil after I sent Health that message.

honestly yes that is a bit crazy but i do that at times also lol, never go for the shakes never good, the things i am on are just to go along with good eating and exercise so its all good - slow down a bit - give your body some rest - it will all come in time.

That's exactly what I also told Meisha, Razjockey. Take it easy, the weight will come off! by the way, could not help myself today, and I stepped on the scale and to my surprise I lost 1.5lb! Yay, it has been 3 weeks without losing, so this pound and a half feels like 4lbs! Not really but I take it. So I hope I'm off the plateau. Let's keep the work guys!

I was reading this thread about being overweight eating few calories a day and someone mentioned a very interesting article Living With Obesity At 700 Calories Per Day!

Check it out it has very interesting points. It mentions a sedentary woman that undereats with 1-2 days  of binge (mostly carbs) per week. Her body is in starvation mode with very low metabolism and her body has also maximized enzymes that would promote fat storage during higher calorie intake (binges), body is just trying to survive. However the woman in the arcticle is sedentary. I wonder if in your case Meisha your over working out might be resulting in a very low net calorie intake and triggering a "starvation" signal. In the article, he points out that in the beginning the higher calory intake results in weight gain but mostly in water and not fat. And although frustating it is important to restore the metabolism and signal that body is not starving anymore. His final point is:"Those who give up on the one-yard line will never see the scale drop as will occur when intelligent persistence and consistency over time are adhered to".

Well my take on it is: balanced food intake with moderate exercize, it may take a couple of weeks before you lose weight, you may even add some in the beginning but don't give up or freak out, stick to the plan and the weight will come off. Provided you don't have any endocrine issues. Don't give up, follow a more balanced plan and stick to it.

Read the article and tell me what you think.

Health, I'm back!!! Congrats!!!! 1.5 pounds is awesome. Keep up the good work. I had to step away from everything and regroup. I just read the article. I'm not quite sure how I fit into that profile but I an see where I might fit into that profile. I haven't counted calories since Thursday. Got tired of everything at once, but refuse to give up. I must say I haven't been on the scale in nearly two weeks. I am going to weigh again this Friday. We will see. I've been eating poorly and not working out.

 Raz- I gave my body a rest and now I'm coming back. I will take it down a notch and try to balance my work outs and eating. I will post progress.

Good luck, Meisha, I hope it works out for you!  Hopefully the weight starts to come off.

AND ZOMG I just checked out Kid Robot, you're so totally right it's awesome!  What hilarious things they sell!!

(edit: added)

Thanks, its going to have to come off some how. They do sell some cute things, though. How is your weight loss going?