Weight loss problems with spouse
 

Hello,

I am asking a question today for my wife.

She has been struggling her whole life with weight, now she has decided it is time to make a change and I fully support her.

We did research and thought we had a good grasp on what was needed. She has been working out for 8 weeks now and has not seen any time of weight loss.

Her stats are as followed: 5'4" 210 pounds. She has completely went to a clean diet. She runs each morning and does weight training each night. She is on a supplement plan of: Whey Protein, Opti-Women, MRM Smart blend, C4, glutamine and BCAA's.

She eats 1,500 calories each day. She never breaks from this routine and diet.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The one question that comes to my mind is: are the calorie counts of the "Whey Protein, Opti-Women, MRM Smart blend, C4, glutamine and BCAA's" included in the 1500 calories, or in addition to? I don't know what any of those items are other than the whey protein, but I do know that my whey protein has 140 calories per scoop. And a scoop could be actually be much larger than 140 calories, depending on how full it is -- which leads to my second question -- is she weighing everything out on a scale or is she eyeballing / using measuring cups? I find that even if something says 1/4 cup has 100 cals, for example, if you go by weight not measure, you get a more accurate count.

Originally Posted by newleaf123:
The one question that comes to my mind is: are the calorie counts of the "Whey Protein, Opti-Women, MRM Smart blend, C4, glutamine and BCAA's" included in the 1500 calories, or in addition to? I don't know what any of those items are other than the whey protein, but I do know that my whey protein has 140 calories per scoop. And a scoop could be actually be much larger than 140 calories, depending on how full it is -- which leads to my second question -- is she weighing everything out on a scale or is she eyeballing / using measuring cups? I find that even if something says 1/4 cup has 100 cals, for example, if you go by weight not measure, you get a more accurate count.

Yes - this!


How much is she running? How long is she doing weight training? How does she figure the calories burned for those activities? On the days she works out harder/longer is she eating more? You don't have to answer directly, but those are things my husband and I look at when we're stuck in a plateau.

Are her clothes getting bigger? Fitting better? Did she take measurements too? For myself, I bloat up like crazy when I start any sort of exercise routine and it takes a few weeks for me to lose that bloat and see a difference on the scale.

Anyone else REALLY uncomfortable with "tell my wife what she's doing wrong"?

Both the third party and the gender thing sit uncomfortably with me.

She has a digital kitchen scale she uses. Yes the whey protein is 140 a scoop which is part of the 1,500. C4 is the only other supplement that has calories which I believe it is 10.

She has an app on the phone called 5k. It slowly builds you up to a 5k at the moment I believe she is doing 10 minutes walking and 18 minutes running. She does this every other day.

Her workouts are around 45-50 minutes. She does this 5 days a week.

The fitting of her clothes has not changed and yes she took measurements, no change there either.

She has a Polar wrist monitor to gage how many calories she burns.

@MariaMaria

I completely understand where you are coming from. I wouldn't want to either. It's just at this time it's important. The lack of weight loss has caused her depression to come out. That's why I'm asking for help. I just want my wife back.

Then she needs to see a licensed medical professional, not answers from an online forum. Best of luck.

Originally Posted by MariaMaria:
Anyone else REALLY uncomfortable with "tell my wife what she's doing wrong"?

Both the third party and the gender thing sit uncomfortably with me.

Me, too. It has to be her decision.

Has she thought about not using those supplements and instead relying solely on food for nutrition? If she's relying on counting calories then getting a kitchen scale would be a good idea. She can also download a calorie counting app like MyFitnessPal or LoseIt on her phone.

Has she ever had her thyroid tested? Her vitamin levels (I just read that vitamin D plays a role in weight loss and many people are vitamin D deficient)? Her cortisol, etc.? If she's doing everything that she should be doing to lose weight but isn't losing any, it could be there's a medical reason why. Have her doctor run a few tests for things that might affect weight loss. It's never a bad idea to get a check-up before any weight loss program anyway.

Check for a gluten allergy! Apparently some whey proteins are not gluten-free? http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/to...luten-problem/

If she's been struggling with her weight for a long time, it's probably thyroid or gluten related... also, with all the supplements you listed... she really should see a PROFESSIONAL dietician, who is likely to check for allergies etc to see what would work for her.

I think it's great that you are so supportive of her goals :)

If she's new to exercise, she could be retaining water. It should taper off soon.

She's also taking a lot of supplements designed for bodybuilders. I don't know that products like that are necessary for her, and they won't help her weight loss. Naturally I don't know anything about her current body condition, habits, or long term goals. If she's eating a balanced diet with lean protein, she shouldn't need to take anything else. Most successful dieters don't take anything other than a simple multi-vitamin. Some of the ingredients in the products listed worry me.

Have you asked her to join us? Hopefully she'll give our community a try and seek personal support when she needs it. Good luck!