My husband is 6'4" and weighs right around 400 pounds. I've been doing calorie counting since early August but he is just getting started (his doctor convinced him).....He started last Thursday and she told him to only eat 2800 calories a day. He's mostly been staying well below that.....more like 2000 a day. He got weighed today, 6 days later, and has lost NOTHING.

Now he's discouraged

The strange thing is, the doctor told him that he must have been eating around 5000 calories a day to maintain his current weight. I know what he eats and there is NO WAY he's eating that much in a day. He works odd shifts and sleeps at different times every week and really doesn't have time to sit and munch all day. On the weekends he might eat pizza or wings but I would still guess that he's staying around the 3000 calories, even on those days.

Since he started calorie counting, he really isn't eating much less, but he's eating more LOW FAT cheese or low cal breads....and even without changing his diet too drastically, he's staying around 2000 a day.

So, how is he maintaining his weight at that level, and why isn't he losing??

I would tell him to give it time and not to stress. Stress makes everything worse! The lack of sleeping patterns may affect weight loss too. His body has no clue what to do, is it day or night? Lunch or dinner? The body needs a schedule of rest.
I too am stuck with no weight loss in the last 2 weeks despite adding a lot of exercise. I am not stressing (too much) and I will give it a few weeks before I try something else. I am just trying to show my body that I am not depriving it.

Good luck.

Is he measuring? What we've convinced ourselves is one serving is often double or triple that. Also, how's his salt and soda intake? High amounts of salt and sugar can really trip us up. Is he counting the calories in his drinks? We get a lot of hidden calories there, too. I hope he continues and gets healthier for himself and you. Good luck!

How is his water intake...that makes a huge difference for me. If I don't drink I don't lose, but I know that's not how it is for all. I hope he sticks it out...he'll be so happy he did when he gets a whoooosh!

Hrmm...has his doctor checked him for thyroid issues or other metabolic issues? Maybe he has a really slow metabolism.

Meanwhile my hubby was over 400lbs and is 6' and he's lost 140 lbs since starting in Feb doing Atkins. I couldn't do it but he loves it and I think he just naturally eats less calories because he's not as hungry so i dont know if its the calories or the protien but its worth a shot. Basically my hubby did phase 1 with cheating once a week for a meal (pizza for instance) up until this month (which is healthy for someone of his size and he had no side effects except weight loss). He's finally starting to get sick of stuff so he's moved on to phase 2 in order to add more foods in.

Good luck!!!

He's eating way too little and his body is holding on for dear life to that fat. Why is he eating under 2000 calories if the doctor told him 2800?

And remember- eating some pizza and wings is enough to make you lose all your progress, he really has to track each calorie and say each day he eats 3,000 calories a day for 6 days, making a deficit of 6,000, but then he eats a large pizza (say 3000 calories) and then wings and soda (which can easily be another 500-1000 calories) he's already lowered his defict from a sold 2 lbs to less than a pound, and now he's retaining water from the sodium and sugar...

All these little things add up. I suggest he start using a calorie tracker like sparkpeople.com, stay away from eating out, and don't go under 2800 calories per day. Per pound you need 10 calories a day to maintain- for him he needs 4,000 calories to maintain and to lose it's 75% of that- which is around 3000 calories.

Remember, it's not always about eating less to lose weight, it's about eating enough to lose weight without starving yourself.

Yeah he is measuring out his portions, even counting out his crackers and things like that.

he does drink DIET soda every day, but still drinks quite a bit of water while working also. Thats all he drinks, so no sugar there. Would diet pop matter too much?

He did have alot of blood work done recently but now thryoid issues mentioned.

His work schedule is different every week. He goes from 1st one week, to 2nd shift the next week, and then a week of 3rd shift....and over and over again.

One thing though, when he was weighed at the doctor last week, it was late morning after he'd slept all night and didn't eat/drink much before the appointment.....This morning when he was weighed, he had been on the night shift so he had worked/eaten/drank all night long before the appointment. So I'm thinking he actually might have lost 2-3 pounds but because he was weighed at that time today (which was basically like "evening" for him) that might be why it's showing the same weight. Does that make sense? Cuz at night I usually weigh 2-3 pounds more than I did in the morning.

He isn't purposely eating under what the doctor said, it just happens LOL Like I said he works very strange hours and doesn't ever get to eat "normal meals".

And he isn't eating pizza and wings now. That was before he started the diet last Thursday. He has been tracking EVERYTHING he eats on his phone (my fitness pal)

Okay well as hard as it is- he needs to eat more- his body is hungry. If he could fit in over 4,000 calories a day before (to get to his weight he had to have been eating this on average) than he can get in 2800. Just eat more snacks and have more prepared food on hand.

Weight loss is a LOT of trial and error as well- just tell him don't give up- I think right now he's eating too little.

Oh and diet soda is really bad for weight loss- every person I know who has cut out diet sodas instantly saw a difference in their weight loss. Even though it's diet and says 0 calories and no sugar the fake stuff they use in the soda seems to slow down weight loss.

Google "weight loss diet soda" and so many people say it hinders weight loss.

Thanks for the tips everyone....Maybe I'll just show him this whole thread. Do men come on here? LOL