[suecs]

Hi,
I'm new to this forum and I was hoping to get some advice. I'm a female, 34 yrs old, 5'4'' and currently weight 145lbs (down from about 155). I'm trying to lose about 15-20lbs to get to my goal weight. Problem is I've tried so many different things and I never seem to get anywhere.

I was at my goal weight when i got married many years ago. At the time my comfort zone was about 140lbs and basically starved myself to get to my goal weight. That was something I obviously could not sustain and gained the weight back. Three kids and about 14yrs later my body seems to be comfortable between 150-160lbs. For most of my adulthood i've been pretty sedentary...desk job, not a lot of excersize, etc. During this time I basically ate a low-fat but high carb diet ranging anywhere between 1200-1600 calories or so per day.

My husband is at the gym 5 days and week and is very conscious of his diet....he does not have a weight problem. This past November I decided I was going to do the same and try to change my lifestyle a bit to get to my goal weight the right way instead of through starvation. For the past 3 months I've been going to the gym religiously an average of 3 days per week for about 40-45min. In addition to that I've tossed all the frozen lunches and snacks and have been trying to eat more whole foods lower in carbs, higher in protein and good fats, and less processed foods/sugar. One of my problems is that I don't like a lot of different foods, so i find my diet consists of a lot of Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice frozen sausage, almonds for a snack, ham and swiss cheese (no bread), vegetables and i've even started to try to take in some fruits (hate fruit for some reason). I'm currently eating about 1200 calories per day.

Right out of the gate over the first few weeks i dropped from from 150lbs to about 137lb but then platued. I have a friend who is very into fitness and she told me to take in more calories as i wasn't eating enough. I tried that but it didn't work...if anything i started gaining weight again. For a couple weeks I tried going to the gym more...like 4 or 5 days instead of 2 or 3... and that didn't work either. My time at the gym has mostly been cardio (treadmill), but I even tried doing more weights and either way doesn't seem to matter. I tried cutting calories as well but then i felt like i was in starvation mode again and not only wasn't that working but being so hungry was not good as there was a potential for me to fall off the wagon. I'm at a complete loss.

My husband recommended getting some blood work done and having my thyroid checked but i doubt that's the problem as I consider myself a healthy person and don't really feel like I have a health issue. He also suggested i try to get in the gym more ...and i would but it's tough to stay motivated if i'm going and not seeing any results. I guess I'm not sure what to do to next. I see others around me go on a diet and lose weight. I feel like no matter what i do stay the same; it's frustrating to think you're the only person who cannot lose weight. I know i'm not terribly over weight but I'd like for once in my life to be able to put on a 2 peice bathing suit and not feel self concious. Being comfortable in my own skin would do wonders for my self esteem as well as my relationship as I always feel i need to be covered up or in the dark.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Looking for some advice.

Sue

[DietVet]

Given that you seem to be fighting with your body on this one, I would second the suggestion that you take up weights. Building some muscle and losing some fat would help you to look and feel better, regardless of what the scale says. Doing some bicep curls and tricep extensions won't do it, however: you want to be lifting heavy weights in big compound movements: think barbell squats and lunges, dumbbell presses and rows. A really good place to start is with one of the New Rules of Lifting books. I loved the program in the New Rules of Lifting for Women and I've heard great things about the New Rules of Lifting for Abs too. Both of these programs focus on large compound movements that help you to build muscle and that shake up your system so that you burn fat too.

[puneri]

I also have same problem. I was always eating healthy foods. I lost 20 lbs in 8 months by doing 17 day diet and exercise. Then I got new trainer and he told me I am having fewer calories and he changed my diet. It continued for 3 months and my weight increased from 158 to 162.8. Then I told him only thing that works for me is 17 Day Diet. So back to 17 DD and lost 2lbs in first 17 days.
The weight loss is slower because I am 59 years old. I do 1 hour work out 5 days a week.
The book costs about $17, try if you feel like.

[DiabeticDiva]

I don't know but I'm 5 ft tall and they want my goal weight to be 108 lbs and trust me If I weight 108 I'd look sickly! When I was at 135 way back when I was 19 yrs old I wore a size 8. I looked healthy. Now I'm 53 yrs old and 108 lbs is just not my ideal weight. You might be gaining muscle instead of losing weight. Try measuring your body I'll bet you've lost inches instead of pounds. 145 lbs at 5'6 is not a bad weight.