I have been at it for 3 weeks now and have lost only 1 lb and even that fluctuates. I write down everything I eat and I mean everything and I know I have a slow metabolism compared to others for a fact but I'm only eating 1200 calories/day and I'm exercising (cardio...either running or tennis or both 3-4 times/week - burning an extra 250-300 calories on these days) and weight training 2-3 times/week.

Probably about 45-50% of my calories come from carbs. I get plenty of sleep. I just have no clue what to do anymore. My boyfriend is in the same situation only I keep him to 1500-1700 calories/day. What am I doing wrong? I don't think I can go lower than this and still function Thanks.

I only want to lose 20 lbs and I thought I would be well on my way by now.

Hmm. I'd suggest that you're too low in calories. No, I don't mean up them hugely--but I would say, 50% carbs isn't the best proportion. Here's one suggestion: increase your protein. Make protein 30% of your daily calories. While increasing your protein, don't necessarily restrict the other nutrients--you could probably increase to 1300-1400 per day and still lose. Likewise for your boyfriend--his calories may also be too low. It depends on your starting weights.

If your calories and your protein are too low, then your body tends to hold onto what it's got. You are doing plenty of exercise--and I wouldn't increase that.

Just my opinion!

Jay

I'd agree with Jay.

And also, how are you tracking your calories? Are you absolutely certain that you're not underestimating them?

One other thing, only having 20 lbs to lose, WILL make it more difficult. So try and have some patience. I know it's hard. But hang tough, keep on tweaking and keep on sticking with it. The weight will come off.

A couple of thoughts ... You don't mention your current weight - but is a 20 lb weight loss goal realistic for you? Maybe you are already at a normal BMI.

Are you measuring other factors -- inches lost or body fat percentage? Maybe you are making progress and it just isn't reflected on the scale yet.

Stardog: I'm in the same boat you're in sort of... Since I'm new to this, I've decided to first start writing everything down that I eat and total up the calories, then see if I lose weight or if I need to raise or lower the amount of calories I take in. Sadly, even though I've gotten a lot of great suggestions about what would be the lowest amount of calories to take in per day, I seem to do better losing weight when I eat much fewer calories (like around 800 or 900). The bad side of that is that I end up with terrible headaches. So I've upped my calorie intake to 1500 (give or take a few) and will see where that leads me. I'm not doing much exercise because I have a problem with my foot and will be having surgery soon. The pain gets pretty intense if I'm on my feet too much. So I guess what I'm trying to say in a round about way is listen to what people are telling you here and experiment with calories and exercise until you find the right mix. Hang in there!

P.S. I think I just rambled on there, but I think everyone can get the jist of what I'm trying to say...

You may want to check out Jillian Michael's book Making the Cut. It is about losing those tough 20 lbs. You might find some interesting ideas for ways to get that weight to budge. Just a thought! Good luck!

jasmine721--just wanted to say that 800 or 900 calories per day is way too low, and not just because of the body's "starvation mode," but because it is impossible to get enough nutrients at that level. Without enough nutrients, many bad things can happen.

- Muscle wasting (loss of muscle tissue)
- Osteopenia or osteoporosis (loss of bone tissue)
- Hair loss
- Periods stop
- Damage to heart muscle
- Stress on all organs of the body
- Reduced immune response

Please stay above 1200 calories unless you are under direct medical supervision, which means you are on a medical weight loss program in which you see a physician or other medical support person weekly.

Jay

Jay- thanks for the post. I am working at eating more than 800 or 900 calories a day. It's just discouraging when it seems the only way I lose weight is to eat only 800 or 900 a day. Actually it probably isn't even that much as I find that if I only eat once a day then I'll lose weight. I have gone round and round with my doctor who at one time told me to only eat 800 cal a day. Well, I sent him all this info about not going below 1200 so I'm thinking he wont' do that again. I'm not bedridden. I do exercise (although not as often as I should and probably not as intense as I should be) and my job keeps me pretty active throughout the day so I know 800/900 calories just isn't enough, hence the headaches.

I've only been doing this for about three weeks and I've been surprised at a) how many calories food has that I think is healthy; b) how little I was eating before; c) how much of my calorie intake is carbohydrates!!; and d) that I'm not constantly in "starvin' like marvin" mode!

After I have my foot surgery and get the okay from my doctor to start exercising again I should start seeing more consistent numbers because by then I will have the calorie count more closer to be correct and so on.

Thanks, again for you post and your concern. Believe me, all of this just gives me fuel to throw at my doctor should he ever suggest I only eat 800 cals a day!

Lots and lots of posts around here about poor weight loss advice from doctors (including some old ones of mine ) Good for you for standing up to him. Quite honestly, while there is always the standard disclaimer about not being medical professionals, I think you'll find the advice from the long time 3FC members to be more helpful (not to mention sometimes healthier) than what you get from most doctors.

Stardog - you may want to go check out the Featherweights thread. Lots of folks over there with 15 or 20 lbs to lose. From what I've read over there, there is a whole other set of challenges for those last few pounds.

He. He. You can say that again. Most doctors I have encountered aren't very well educated on the subject of weight loss. They can natter on and on about how a patient should lose X-number of pounds for whatever reason. But they can't tell one a whole lot about how to go about it. I have found that most people who have done this for any amount of time and been successful are incredibly well educated on the subject and I trust their judgement a lot more than I would most doctor's.

One of the problems doctors face is that there isn't a single solution for weight loss that will work for everyone. Each body utilizes calories differently and you have to find what works for you and this can involve some trial and error. Exercise is a must. If you can't be on your feet, get one of the chair aerobics tapes and exercise sitting down.

I notice a lot of doctors saying at your height you should be X number of pounds, when the doctor is obviously at a heavy/unhealthy weight. It's hard for them to tell you how to go about losing weight when honestly, they don't lead a healthy lifestyle themselves.

Stardog, I was remembering one of your earlier posts, so I have to ask:

Are any of your calories coming from alcohol?

If so, then maybe it could be stalling your weight loss, especially if you are having more than one or two drinks a night.

I know that whenever I drink I sometimes won't drop any weight for a week, even if I only had a few drinks on one night. If I was drinking a few times a week I might not see any changes at all. Alcohol does funny things to my weight loss.

So, if you are still having a few glasses of wine a night, maybe that could be a reason you aren't seeing any results.

I appreciate everyone's posts. A lot of good thoughts. I found one thing interesting. I counted calories again today and had a total of 1240 calories. When I was on weight watchers, it said I was allowed 21 points/day and if I ran for 30 mins, I could have 23 points per day. My 1240 calories is equating to 28 points on weight watchers. If that is right and I dont change anything, I'll have to drop down to about 1000 calories just to meet their goal for me. THat make sense? I would feel like I was starving all the time.

About the alcohol... I feel really energetic at night and so I do use a glass or 2 just to relax so I can get at least 6 hrs of sleep before I have to get up. Even so, I stay within my calorie range and I have cut down a lot.

The past 2 days I had no points so used Genac (an antihistamine) to sleep because it knocks me out but I can't do that every night.