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Old 07-17-2008, 08:06 PM   #1  
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Default Really struggling

Ok last year I lost 48 lbs. At 164 I stopped. Over the last few months (Dec to March) I gained back about 6 lbs and then started dieting again. But I couldn't lose. I spent about 2 months trying and didn't lose anything.

I tried exercising more. Nada. Tried eating more carefully... Nada. Finally a few months ago I tried eating more in an attempt to wake up my metabolism. I slowly ate a bit more daily over some months. I tried not to gain weight but managed about 3 without really knowing it.

Now up 9 lbs. Started again, still nada.

But now my mind is going bye bye. It is starting to think I am never going to get there. I feel like maybe I can up the exercise but I am just too tired at the end of the day. If I do more in the morning, I struggle during the day not be exhausted. But it seems like something has to be done, drugs; a lot more exercise... something.
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Old 07-17-2008, 08:22 PM   #2  
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Gosh, AnnRue, I've been struggling, too.

Tell us what has worked for you in the past and what you've been trying that results in nada. Maybe we can see something you can't.

By the way, I have never believed that eating more revvs up metabolism. How did I get fat, then????? I think that the only way to increase metabolism (other than drugs, or if there is a thyroid problem) is to increase physical activity. Strong, often-used muscle is what burns calories.

So--more details, please?

Jay
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Old 07-17-2008, 08:30 PM   #3  
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Can you post your height and what you're actually eating and exercising?
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Old 07-17-2008, 08:45 PM   #4  
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Yeah, what they asked!

Give us an example of what you're eating and what kind of exercise you're doing. That will help a lot in being able to offer good advice.

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Old 07-17-2008, 08:53 PM   #5  
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Quote:
I tried exercising more. Nada. Tried eating more carefully... Nada.
I'm just wondering, what does TRIED exercising more and TRIED eating more carefully mean? That sentence really stood out to me. I know for me eating more carefully, "watching" myself never worked. I needed to CAREFULLY track my calories or I would over spend them, therefore not creating a calorie deficit, thus not losing weight.

Exercise is certainly vital to keeping ones weight off. But I could be exercising for hours a day. If I don't keep my food intake firmly in check, the weight doesn't budge.

So, yeah, maybe a little more info and we'd be able to guide you better. Hang tight. Help is on the way!
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Old 07-17-2008, 09:20 PM   #6  
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I agree with what Robin said about tracking, but I have another question. Are you getting enough sleep? I have found that makes a difference for me. I will always stall if I'm not getting a good night's sleep regularly.
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Old 07-17-2008, 09:32 PM   #7  
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Ann,
That was such a great achievement to lose 48 pounds. Ok, so a few crept up back, but you surely don't want to give up? Don't stop exercising. I personally like doing my cardio very early in the morning because it actually keeps me going all day but I do realize that we are all different. Perhaps you can change your routine and try something new. Since it's summer now, do you have an easy access to a pool?
Hang in there!
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Old 07-18-2008, 06:35 AM   #8  
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Honestly I hate to post what I am doing because too often people get bogged down in the details and if I don't say something in the first post they get all *shes lying*. I feel like I have done all the usual. Anyhoo... my diet is relatively easy. About 170 cals for breakfast - 1/2 bagel. 2 eggs. 1/2 muffin.
Lunch is almost always Tuna wrap or turkey wrap. (with mayo but when I was trying to cut back I cut that out) Dinner usually 2 to 3 oz salmon and a bag of veggies (brussle sprouts / califlower). Total eaten calories about 800 to 1200 per day.

When I was cutting the cals, I cut the spread on these things. / Mayo.

My usual exercise is 15 minute walk to work in the morning -- 15 minute walk from work at night. When I upped the exercise I did 30 minutes in the morning on the bike-- walked to and from work -- and did 1/2 hour walk at lunch. My job is also very active. I work on the second floor west wing, my boss is on the 7th floor east wing. I make about 18 trips up there per day.

I have been working on the exercise but often hurt myself or exhaust myself so much that it hurts my job -- which is a very active one. The secret to my success the first time around was that the exercise didn't have to be strenuous to lose.

Now I am at the point where it has to be... and I just don't have the life ability to get that done.
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Old 07-18-2008, 07:12 AM   #9  
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Well, I don't think anyone thinks you're lying... anyway, I don't!

If you're averaging 800 to 1200 cals a day, that's too low--and that could account for the stall.

I would try raising your calories to an average of 1300 or 1350 a day. I'd also try not to let the high days go too high, or the low days go to low. Add in some snacks, and make sure you have a little protein every time you eat. Keep your nutrient proportions around 30%/40%/30% protein/carb/fat.

I'd add back that 30 minutes on the bicycle, but only 4 times a week. You could even make it only 20. Skip the walk at lunch; keep up with the walking to and from work.

You're exhausted because you're not eating enough. This isn't a matter of upping your metabolism--you simply don't have enough fuel to work with.

Don't worry if your weight goes up a bit at first. You've been running on empty. Try this change out for at least 2 weeks, and a month would be better. Then you can re-evaluate.

So, that's my 2 cents...

Jay
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Old 07-18-2008, 07:25 AM   #10  
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If you're averaging 800 to 1200 cals a day, that's too low--and that could account for the stall.
Well here is the thing... I added the cals back and I gained. I did it slowly in an attempt to avoid a gain. Went slowly up to 1500cals over 4 weeks. That says to me that my body naturally needs less calories than what most people think is right. And now that I have tried that, I cannot take another chance on it being the wrong route.

I think I am exhausted because I have a stressful job. Which it has always been, but it worked for me at first. Now circumstances have changed.

I take a multiviamin and when I am not upping the exercise I am not exhausted.

I am getting sleep (I take Ativan). I am considering trying Alli or something else to give just a slight boost.
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Old 07-18-2008, 09:35 AM   #11  
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I heard what you said about adding in calories and gaining. But that doesn't mean it was wrong to do it. 1500 is more than 1300 or 1350, isn't it? Believe me, you are not going to be "struck fat" on 1300 cals a day. Your weight may go up simply because you actually would have enough food for muscle and tissue repair!

Give my idea a try--do it for 2 weeks or 1 month before you worry about the gain.

Or, don't! But you can't cut calories any lower or you'll get even more tired and sick than you are now. And increasing your exercise when eating too little isn't the answer, either. IMO.

Jay
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Old 07-18-2008, 10:16 AM   #12  
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I have to agree with Jay....1300 is less than 1500. In a weeks time, the difference is 1400 calories. In a months time, the difference is 5600. That's a pound and a halfs difference. I agree you must be tired from eating 800 to 1200 calories a day. If you average that out in a week (which your body does naturally for you) that comes to just 515 calories a day. That is not enough!!! I don't know how many days you only eat 800 but you got to have more snacks in your day. I love bananas as a snack because it gives me the potassium i need for my legs. I also love yogurt because i think it has the right balance of proteins/carbs and calories ( i always get the one with only 80 calories).

And just as a side note, i don't think you'll ever get a "she's lying" response on this board. This is a wonderful board. Very supportive and very encourageing. And we want to help everyone succeed the best we can.

I think you have done a great job so far with your weightloss. And it can be soooo discourageing to see some weight creep back up...but it does happen to the best of us. And really tracking your food is the absolute best way to see what you're eating. I write down (when i track my food) every little morsel that i eat. No matter how much it ends up hurting. lol. Sometimes i have to guess so i try to over guess rather than under-guess.

By the way, how tall are you?? I didn't see where you mentioned it.
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Old 07-18-2008, 10:35 AM   #13  
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Ok stepping aside from the whole .. you should add more calories thing ... I just added up what you said you're eating and I think your calorie counts on individual items are waaaaayy off, although your total seems to be close.

Quote:
About 170 cals for breakfast - 1/2 bagel. 2 eggs. 1/2 muffin.
1 egg is 70 cals. (I know this because it's my pre-workout snack most days). If you're eating 2 eggs, that's 140 cals, plus 1/2 even a small bagel will be another 60 cals (if it's a plain, unflavored, unbuttered bagel and it's SMALL), plus 1/2 a muffin - is this a sweet muffin like a blueberry muffin, or are you talking english muffin? Either way, that's another 60 cals minimum (a plain english muffin w/out butter or jam is 120 cals, so 1/2 of that would be 60). So your breakfast appears to me to be somewhere between 250-320 cals - it could be higher depending on the type/size of muffing and bagel we're talking about.

Quote:
Lunch is almost always Tuna wrap or turkey wrap. (with mayo but when I was trying to cut back I cut that out)
If you make a turkey wrap yourself with some kind of tortilla or wrap bread, turkey, and mayo, that's a minimum of 250 cals (the mayo alone will be 100 cals)

Quote:
Dinner usually 2 to 3 oz salmon and a bag of veggies (brussle sprouts / califlower). Total eaten calories about 800 to 1200 per day.
I love salmon, but it's the most calorie rich of fish because it's so full of oils. 3 oz of salmon is around 240 calories. A bag of veggies - depending on how much you eat - 1 serving is around 70 cals, so the whole bag would probably be 3x that, or 210 cals. That would bring dinner to a total of 450 cals.

That's assuming that you don't drink anything but water, so there are no beverage calories, and you don't eat anything else ever to snack on and that your measurements are 100% accurate and you're measuring everything that you eat exactly.

Now all of that adds up to under 1000 calories. So if this is EXACTLY what you're eating, then it's waaaaay too little. You cannot lose weight on that few calories. And if you have beeneating that way for a long time, then you've trained your body to deal with being in near starvation mode, so if you raise calories even a little, it's gonig to gain back. You're going to have to retrain your body to lose and then maintain on a healthy amount of calories.

BUT. Here's the other thing - given that you way under estimated the calories in your breakfast, I'm seriously wondering if you might be underestimating all of your calories by a lot. It's possible that you're taking in a lot mroe than you think you are.

I dunno ... it's still hard ot know for sure. But I do think that the way you're eating right now has the potential to be unhealthy if that really is all you're eating ever.

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Old 07-18-2008, 10:39 AM   #14  
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Originally Posted by AnnRue View Post
Anyhoo... my diet is relatively easy. About 170 cals for breakfast - 1/2 bagel. 2 eggs. 1/2 muffin.
.
I agree with the other ladies that you are not getting enough calories, though I wonder how you determine the calorie count of what you are eating.
I am not a calorie counter but there is no way 1/2 bagel, 2 eggs and 1/2 muffin equal to 170 calories. I recall that the label on the egg carton that I buy says 1 egg = 70 calories.
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