Should I be losing weight?
 

Im 5'9 and approx 15 stone.

I'm eating around 1400-1500 cals per day and running everyday of the week for 30 mins burning 300-350 cals so my net calorie intake is 1100-1200. I log everything on MFP down to the smallest glass of squash and it says I should be losing about 2lbs per week.

I've had trouble losing weight for about 3 years now. Previous to that I was on a diet where I ate around 1700 to 1900 cals per day and burning 600 cals 3 times a week and I lost 2 and a half stone in 4 months. Then one day it just suddenly stopped. I still had half a stone to lose, so I started decreasing my intake but nothing happened.

A year ago everything got worse and despite at that time eating around 1500-1700 cals and excersing for an hour and a half at the gym four times a week I started gaining. I went to the docs and they did thyroid tests but it came back negative - their answers were "try drinking more water".

A few months ago I was diagnosed with a prolactinoma (hormone releasing tumour) and I thought I finally had the answer but it turns out that the weight gain if any is mild and with my low levels there shouldn't have been any. I'm now on the tablets for it, my hormone levels are back to normal and it's only getting worse.

Now with the intake at the start of my post (net 1100-1200) I am gaining about 2lbs per week. I don't understand as surely to gain 2 lbs you need to eat 7000 cals too much and I barely even eat that.

Can someone please tell me if there is something I'm doing wrong? I don't think I'll be able to drop my calorie intake anymore without feeling dizzy all the time.

I'm seeing my endocrinologist again in April as he mentioned testing my thyroid again aswell as steroid levels but I don't think I can wait that long without going insane!

So sorry to hear about your difficulties!

At 5'9", eating 1400-1500 calories per day, and working out 30 mins. per day, you should definitely be losing weight, as you are in a calorie deficit. However, weight loss is not always predictable or linear. May I ask how long your current stall has been? I would give your current regimen at least 4-6 weeks before tweaking it.

But assuming that you do not begin to lose weight, then it does seem like something must be "up." Perhaps at that point you could call the endocrinologist's office and see if they can somehow get you in before April? (Maybe another patient will cancel and a slot will open up….)

Best wishes,

mackinac19 (pronounced 'mackinaw19')

I wonder if you need more calories, not less. It's a tricky thing, especially with potential hormone imbalances. I've heard that thyroid issues sometimes require extra calories (can't remember if it's hypo or hyper). Also, over-exercise might be causing inflammation in your body. I'm not saying you do over-exercise if it's just 30 minutes of running a day, but is that above your ability or perfectly comfortable? Maybe you just need to take a rest day once a week. I've found that the best middle ground for me is moderate exercise (i.e. walking daily) and eating only when physically hungry/stopping when full. It seems counter-intuitive to slow down, but it may just be what you need right now to get you over this hump.

How are you feeling overall (regardless of the weight issue)? Are you tired? Running out of steam? Are you happy/unhappy/stress/relaxed? What else is going on physically/mentally?

If you have symptoms of anything else, that could point you to other things, like vitamin deficiencies, etc. I know in my case, I get anemic and will pack on water weight if I don't take my iron, and then I'll be exhausted, etc.

We also don't know where the 1400 to 1500 calories are coming from. If they are of low nutritional value then you can be really hampering your body.

When I was 280 to 300 lbs I was probably 'starving' my body. My food had so little nutritional value my body was probably saying yeah you are giving me all this but I cannot use it, I can just store it or get rid of it. So I was always hungry.

If you are eating healthy whole foods, then maybe try more? Also I am bad at stones to lbs. But perhaps your body just 'wants' to be a certain weight? If your blood work is good would you be OK with this?

Perhaps you need to change up your fitness routine? Depends on what sort of shape you're looking for, but you might want to start some weight lifting. Try reading Strong Curves or New Rules of Lifting for Women.

I do know some women who have been long-distance runners and were expecting to lose or maintain a certain weight but were hampering their ability to achieve that due to a low level of nutrients. Once they increased their vegetable and protein intake and removed processed foods from their diets, they were able to lose more fat.

Mash, that sounds very difficult. I'm sorry you have to wait until April for your appointment.