Featherweights For those with just a few pounds, or trying to lose those last few pounds.

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Old 10-10-2012, 12:31 PM   #1  
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Default Dont often post for help, but

Hey all,
as my title suggests, i dont often post asking for help.. I have a complete and thorough understanding of fat loss, calorie deficits, counting, weighing, hormones, training, you name it...

I gained a bunch of weight back, over time. Ive been trying to lose since last June. I am exactly where i started at, with no significant gains or losses throughout this window to speak of... daily ups and downs, but all within that 6 or 7 pound range.

Im approx 150. goal is 135, which ive been, and maintained at for a couple years with minimal effort.

The problem is that fat loss (or scale loss is just not happening. my clothes are no looser, im not any more defined. weight stays the same.

A few weeks ago i started a fall fitness/weightloss challenge at work, and tried to dive in pretty hard. I started hitting 1000 to 1100 cals per day. Pretty much immediately my body said "screw this!" and my period waved bye bye.
So i know im in a deficit, or my period would not have up and left, but still, no scale weight change. I was eating over the summer, around 1300 or 1400 cals per day (no real loss) With fits and bits of binging. Now, since starting this new challenge about a month ago, i have not binged even once. Ive had a couple occasions where i over ate compared to what i planned to eat, but definitely not more than maintenance cals (whatever those are)

.Im a slow loser, and have always had to go pretty low to lose but its never been like this before. I also didnt lose on more than this over the summer. I am entirely 100% sure of my intake (at least, as sure as any one can be) as i weigh all my food on a digi scale. I eat lower carb, so im getting plenty of protein, i eat "enough" fat to get by, but really, 1000 cals a day doesnt leave much wiggle room for added fat cals.

Because my deficit is so harsh, i have backed off of any intense training. No Intervals, supersets or METCon workouts... just real basic steady state cardio and maintenance lifting a couple few times a week.
Ive seen a doc (too many, actually) theres nothing wrong with my thyroid or even reproductive system, despite its tendency to shut down when stressed.

I am at my wits end. I cant possibly eat less. Eating more doesn't make a difference. Ive done diet/training breaks multiple times over the last 4-5 months.
Do i have sever water retention issues that are masking fat loss? Even if thats the case, after a few months the scale STILL should have gone down. I SHOULD have seen some movement by now. I am not on any medications.

Im not even going to go into how desperate, depressed, shut in, and frustrated i am.

Anyone?

Thanks for taking the time
Meghan
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Old 10-10-2012, 12:45 PM   #2  
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As I was reading I kept thinking of questions to ask you, but then you answered them. Every time I had an idea, you mentioned you already did it (like going to the dr). I'm kind of stumped. Normall I'd chalk it up to not being honest about your cal intake, but that doesn't seem to be the case here!

What does your doc have to say about this? If anything. No concern over your period stopping?

It's actually like 0 loss? Not so much as a half a pound?

Definitely could be water. Exactly how many carbs are you eating? Is it possible to lower the carbs at all, replace them with a tad more fat or protein, and see if that flushes some water out?
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Old 10-10-2012, 01:05 PM   #3  
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Thanks for the response wasnt sure id get any

Um, one can always drop carbs a little more, i suppose, although all my carbs pretty much come from veggies. I dont eat sugar usually, not even fruit. Highest carb item comes from spaghetti squash :-P

All the tests showed my levels as normal. Even had an mri done because my endo thought i might have a tumor in my pituitary that was causing my amenorrhea.

The bain of my diet is a LOT of sugar free gum. ALOT. I do nothing in moderation, and its the only thing that seems to get me from one meal to the next, lol. and believe me, i do count those calories. I chomp down about 2 packs to 3 packs of sugar free gum a day, so 135 calories. This is an indulgent habit, but one ive not been able to break, none-the less. i cant help but wonder if the sugar alcohols are causing water retention.
But once again, even if thats the case, after months i should STILL see some loss, behind the water retention, know what i mean?
As far as scale loss, of course ive lost a little, but its very temporary (possibly dependent on the time of the month ( i still get hormonal fluctuations, pms symptoms, but no bleed)) and always rebounds up. The highs have not gotten any less, and the lows do not go any lower, which is the trend i would have expected to see by now.
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Old 10-10-2012, 01:53 PM   #4  
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Hey Mkroyer! When I was reading your post the first thing that came to my mind is that you probably would benefit from Leigh Peele's Metabolic Repair. You probably know her approach.

Another thing, if you have spent some months doing low carb and it hasn't worked for you, even if it has worked successfully before, it looks like it doesn't work in your current situation, so you could try a different approach. I'm currently doing Leangains and cycle carbs between training and rest days but you could also try carb backloading.

Another thing, are you stressed? Getting enough sleep? Those factors can work against you.

Good luck in any case. I really like your posts as I think you have solid knowledge about nutrition and training. I hope you can find what works for you.
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Old 10-10-2012, 02:21 PM   #5  
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Wow--you have my sympathy. It sucks when you work so hard, and don't get the results you deserve. Could you be pregnant?
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Old 10-10-2012, 09:57 PM   #6  
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Eat more, work out more. It sounds like you are at a point where your body doesn't have enough fuel to maintain a decent amount of activity, and as much as people think that most of it is food, I really think it depends on the person. I can cut back calories all I want but I will not lose weight as much as if I eat what I want but make sure I am active on a daily basis. So that would be my suggestion to try. Eat more so you can get some more high intensity cardio in, and don't skimp on some weight training (even if it's body weight) because more muscle means a higher metabolism even when you are sitting on your butt.

~Katy
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Old 10-10-2012, 10:44 PM   #7  
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I just want to chime in to tell you that I feel for you! I'm also a gum addict, btw. I chew about 1 pack of sugar free gum a day. That is also a bad habit and I worry about the chemicals that are in that gum. However, I'm a food addict and every night, I sit there and chew all this horrid gum because it helps me get through the night. I have recently gained 20 lbs. or so and over the last 3 weeks, I've been working my butt off and have lost only 4 lbs. That sounds ok, but I used to lose about 8-10 lbs. per month. I'm wondering if the gum is the reason but more likely, I think it's hormonal. I know you've had an MRI but could you maybe have your hormone levels checked? I'm sure you're a lot younger than I, but hormonal imbalances can occur at any time so I wonder if you dr. had you do a blood test as well as the MRI? Probably he did, but I thought I'd ask. Again, I really feel for you and hope you figure it out soon.
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Old 10-12-2012, 06:16 AM   #8  
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Mkroyer - I've always loved your input on this forum.

If I remember correctly, you love to run and work out in general - and you often are quite extreme when it comes to physical activity (I don't mean this negatively).

I'm not nearly as extreme as you are, but - here is my story:

I used to log about 20-25 miles a week jogging, + walking. I was calorie counting like crazy, always between 12-1700. I remember getting so hungry. I also remember that I literally stopped losing around 163. This went on for a long time.

I took a different approach which I have tweaked since January 2012. I eat low carb, whole foods, but I focus on fat and only eat moderate protein. I also take one teaspoon of fermented fish oil every day. I still walk and jog frequently, but just for fun. I also started lifting a bit just for fun. The key: lower stress.

Since I've been doing this, I keep moving down on the scale (last I checked, I was 150 - my all-time lowest weight). I'm fine with my weight right now, so I'm just going to see where I end up.

Anyway, I wish someone would have told me about the beauty of fat..... in all my years of dieting I avoided it. Now it eases any blues, it increases my energy, and my periods (cramps) have substantially improved.

Anyway, I'm just saying, if you haven't ever tried fat, maybe you should. I was very hesitant at first, but decided I didn't have much to lose. I eat slowly, and until I'm full (lovely things, like avocados, marscapone, full fat kefir and yogurt, homemade bone marrow broth, egg yolks, other rich cheeses, almond butter, salmon, coconut oil and milk....).

I know dieting is personal - our body constitutions are all different. I just can't believe how amazing fat has been for my well-being and maintaining a naturally lower weight. A good book is: The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable - RD, Jeff S. Volek PhD
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Old 10-12-2012, 07:27 PM   #9  
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My honest opinion? 1,000-1,110 calories per day is NOT ENOUGH. You NEED to increase your caloric intake. Losing your period should be a huge red flag. Your body is telling you that it does not have enough energy to function. You are not losing any weight because your body is trying to conserve energy.

I say this out of love. I, too, once lost my period because I was overexercising and under eating. As a result of trying to lose weight, I had developed an eating disorder. (Not saying you have- Just telling you where I'm coming from).

You need to eat more. Working out moderately and lifting weights is going to take energy. Your body is telling you that you don't have enough calories to maintain basic bodily functions (like a period) and your workouts. I know you are probably afraid to eat more, but that is exactly what you need to do.
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Old 10-12-2012, 07:50 PM   #10  
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All,
thank you for the suggestions and concerns! I wasnt sure if anyone would respond at all

Regarding needing to eat more food-- no eating disorder (although disorderd eating) I have no problem eating more (thats how i gained the weight back!) The issue is that fat loss, which is priority number one at the moment, does not like to occur for me at anything but sever calorie deficits! Didnt lose on 1700, didnt lose on 1400, didnt lose on 1200...... I am also very well aware of the implications of losing my period, and what it means.
in response to carpediem-- ive been talking to Leigh about my issues i posted.... ive completed her metabolic repair manual ( a couple years ago)..... she sadly hasnt given me any advice as far as not losing fat this time around. Her advice was more centered inon when i need to eat during the month (luteal phase) to keep my period coming back. Ive employed this strategy over the past year (to keep my period, and it worked) but it also lead to my almost 30 pound weight gain......

BUT onto good news!

Maybe just posting this thread, or timing, or luck, or hard work, but two nights ago i whoosed a little 2.5 pounds and then last night ANOTHER 3 pounds! almost 6 pounds in 2 days came off!
I know, easy come easy go. But it WASNT easy... maybe those 6 pounds are reflective of all the hard work ive been doing, and it literally took a couple months for my body to agree to letting it go!

Anyway, i feel great today, and of course i know i cant expect those kind of loses to continue.... likely i will plateau out again for a long while... but at least i know that stuff IS happening, even if its not showing up for a REALLY LONG TIME

Knowing my body, and what it likes to do to lose fat, i know i cant exercise (train) and lose fat. I know i cant lose fat when im eating more. my body adapts incredibly quickly to ant stress, and even eating at maintenance but training hard for a marathon will make my period up and leave!

i agree that fat is EXTREMELY important to eat.... i dont have the calories to get in nearly as much as id like, but i do make sure to eat full fat items (like cottage cheese, greek yogurt, etc) when i do eat fat.. I need more, and i wish i had room for it......

Last edited by mkroyer; 10-12-2012 at 07:53 PM.
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Old 10-12-2012, 08:30 PM   #11  
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Count me in as another believer in:

1 Fish oils
2 Low carb, Higher protein and fats
3 Walking for weight loss.
4 Vitamin C

I believe low carb, when done correctly, alleviates insulin resistance. I advise everyone's nutritional plan based on the particular individual; that said, Atkins 72 plan tends to be the one that I've seen the most overall healthy outcomes from.
I also find that it is often wildly misinterpreted by those who have chosen to comment on it before reading and applying it.

Last edited by girl81; 10-12-2012 at 08:41 PM.
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Old 10-12-2012, 08:47 PM   #12  
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Eat more calories (not excessive of course) and workout with weights 5-6 days a week. Eat more and workout more is bottom line.
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Old 10-13-2012, 01:42 AM   #13  
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MKroyer - I can imagine the thirty pound weight gain was hard! If I did that on "someone's plan", I would probably be hesitant to keep following it. I hate the feeling of always wearing tight pants and remembering how loose they used to feel. But congrats on the loss - maybe your body stores water very efficiently and doesn't want to let it go! I agree with you that 'strenuous' exercise often prohibits weight loss, at least in many women that are closer to goal weights and that have been dieting for an extended period of time.


This part of my post isn't directly to you MKroyer, you seem to have a good handle on fat (except, really, just try one teaspoon of fermented cod liver oil everyday for a month and see if things change at all!) just general:

Whenever I first started eating more in January, I was eating too much protein and I think that was holding me back. Since tweaking the fat and protein requirements according to The Science of Low Carb, I just start losing and feeling great.

I really do believe now (after 16 years of failed dieting attempts) that fat loss, in the long run, has a lot to do with satiety. I mean:

Anyone can obviously restrict and restrict and battle hunger for so long, lose twenty pounds, etc. But then comes binging, plateaus, and a general fight from the body to stay alive.

I find it hilarious that now that I've started feeling satiated (not overly full, just like I've had enough fat), my body seems to be finding its way to a healthy, active weight. I don't count calories anymore. If I were to guess how many calories I eat, it would probably be somewhere around 2,000.

I think it is also important for women to accept that thigh fat, even some arm fat, is our natural condition. I would bet money that the majority of those female olympic athletes and the fitspo models on pinterest have lost their periods. Just because they look "fit" doesn't mean they are healthy - those are big differences. I think there is a good, moderate ground to find, where us women can be both fit and healthy.... unfortunately I don't think all of the fitspo is helping us. Although, I do like how the fitspo teaches women that lifting heavy is good and something that we all can do.

Anyway, sorry for the hijack. Interesting thread - everyone has interesting stories/suggestions!
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Old 11-25-2012, 01:05 PM   #14  
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Exercise, ESPECIALLY weight training, is never something you should give up!! When you lose weight while not weight training, you are losing a good deal of muscle along with the fat. And if you are eating a VERY low calorie diet like you are right now, once your eating habits stabilize the weight will come back as fat. The key to losing body fat is to GAIN lean muscle. You can only do this with resistance training and interval cardio workouts. To be able to do these workouts, you need to feed your body correctly - an adequate number of calories to support your RMR (Resting metabolic rate) with real, whole food.
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Old 11-25-2012, 01:17 PM   #15  
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My one question to you is, how much water are you drinking
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