I called an end to my weight loss at 160 pounds back in July. I started upping my calories slowly, but kept losing. At 150 I was still happy, not too thin...then I hit 145 and got stable. Or so I thought.

This week I'm weighing in at 138. My ribs are showing, and I'm too thin to be 5'9" with my body. I know for some people it's not too thin...but on me it certainly is. I've gone from 38D bra size to 32B-C...size 16/18 pants to 6/8. XL shirts to medium. It's time to stop.

Only it's not stopping. I'm working out 20-30 minutes a day (cardio), five days a week, and weight training moderately 3X a week. When I was TRYING to lose I was doing weights three times a week and 45 minutes of cardio five times a week. When I was losing I was consuming around 1,450 calories...now I'm at 1,650-1,750 on normal days.

What's crazy is that I've been snacking a LOT recently (and going over that daily limit) and have lost weight rather than gaining any.

So...are my calories too low? Work out less? Is something WRONG with me that a doctor needs to test? Any advice would be wonderful!

I think some of us wish we had your problem. Seriously, I think you would just need to eat more.

Maybe you should see a physician for a thorough physical. I can only dream about being your weight right now. I will join you though. Ribs sticking out I can seriously not even fathom.

Hey Mindi. It just sounds to me like you're one of the lucky ones who is able to maintain at a higher calorie count. Good for you!!!

Perhaps add on a few extra calories with some calorie dense, nutrient rich foods. Like avocado and almonds.

Also wondering when was the last time you had a physical? Just to rule any medical reason out, I would go for a check up. Certainly can't harm and it would put your mind at ease.

Thanks, y'all! I probably could use a checkup. I know something's wrong, due to other problems I've been having (numbness in my elbow, pain under my arms, swollen lymph nodes, etc.). But I'm still paying off the LAST round of tests my insurance didn't cover all of. Maybe I'm due for another checkup.

I wondered if it was a metabolism thing, Rockinrobin...I'll add some more calories starting today and see what happens. I guess I've been scared to do that too much. For a year I was meticulous about meeting a certain number, and I wanted to keep meeting a number that may be too low.

We'll see what happens!

Hey Mindi -
I'm still losing weight on maintenance, too, but I think it is finally starting to slow down. I'm down to around 119.5 and am eating the same 1650-1750 calorie range as you, exercise 5-6 days per week. The last couple of weeks I've been up to close to 1800 average per day, I'm going to see where that puts me tomorrow. I'm hoping to still be at the same 119.5, or even back a little above 120. I seem to be maintaining it so far this week, and last Friday I hadn't lost any from the week before. I also feel like I've gone a little farther than I need to so I have to do something. I don't want to stop the exercise because I like the feeling I get from it and I'm really trying to reshape some spots that I'm not thrilled with (poochy tummy, for example...)

I'm hoping I can maintain on more calories than I expected, I just have to find what those calories are. I know it is scary to add them back in - I just kept thinking to myself that if I added in 100 more calories per day I would go crazy and eat everything I got my hands on. So far I've been able to control my eating still. Well, except for homemade pumpkin cookies. I'll admit it, the cookies beat me. But, they aren't usually around so I don't see them as a long term threat, and I'm not craving any other cookie or snack food. I do weigh myself every day right now - it helps me feel better about adding the extra calories. Gives me the feeling of more control.

Good luck sweetie. Going to the doctor might not be a bad idea for the other symptoms you mentioned, though.

I am still playing around with maintenance too-- trying to figure it out-- such a balancing act-- up, down, up, down...

But.... you need to see a doctor hon. Please listen to your body. If you have insurance, hopefully everything will be covered. Perhaps your thyroid is out of whack or something, but regardless, you need to go in. Swollen lymph nodes mean something-- could just be a virus, but they should go down after a few days....

Shannon - Thanks so much! It's good to see I'm not the only one with this problem!

Michele - I'm working on a doctor's appointment ASAP. Yesterday my husband and I went to a graveside funeral service for a guy he knew in high school, and I randomly nearly passed out. Very scary, and obviously something's up.

Mindy , it is good that you are seeing a doctor. However I think you are not eating enough calories. I would think about 1900 calories a day is what you need to maintain. It takes a little experimenting to find the right amount.

Bargoo...I'm trying to add more...I just get full before I get there! I'm going to try hard to get higher and see what happens....

If you're getting full, I'd try adding in some more calorie rich foods - go for quality, not quantity.

You haven't really said *what* you're eating ... and I do think that's pretty important. Are you getting enough protein? Are you eating enough veggies?

The nearly passing out thing is scary, and I def think you should see a doctor, but I also think there's more to the whole equation than just number of calories. Quality of calories is important, too.

.

I keep track through sparkpeople...I'm low on protein most days...and higher on sodium. I'll eat a banana or apple for a snack every day, and we'll have at least two vegetables with dinner.

Snacks are my problem...I rely too much on "ready to go" foods like snack bars. They add calories but not always the nutritional value I need. I tried the South Beach high-protein cereal bars recently....blech. It was ok, but not anything I'll spend THAT much money on again.

I need to see a nutrition expert, really badly. I'm eating better than I used to...but not as well as I should. Maybe online research will help since I don't have access to an expert.

I know things like nuts are good for you and are higher in calorie...but I'm not really a fan. I'm bad about quantity over quality, I think...and that may be a lot of my problem.

What types of snacks (the good for you kind) do the rest of you have during the day?

I try to get some form of protein every time I eat. For snacks I rotate a lot between the following:

apple with cheese
apple with peanut butter
banana with peanut butter
cracker with cheese
cracker with peanut butter
veggies and hummus
protein shake
boiled egg(s)
v8 juice (my only really low protein snack)
tuna on wasa (sometimes for a snack, sometimes for lunch)

I will say that I believe most snack bars are the worst thing you can possibly eat when trying to be healthy. Most of them are chock full of artificial stuff and don't provide the nutrition you need, especially when you're on a diet and limiting your calories.

When you're counting calories, you need to make every calorie count as much as possible.

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I DO use peanut butter a lot...breakfast is usually on the go, and a lot of times is peanut butter crackers. I'll also eat peanut butter with a sliced up apple from time to time, and that wouldn't be hard to do since I tend to eat apples a lot. I've never considered boiled eggs...that's something easy and portable, as well. Tuna would also be do-able...

Thanks!!

I try to get some form of protein every time I eat. For snacks I rotate a lot between the following:

apple with cheese
apple with peanut butter
banana with peanut butter
cracker with cheese
cracker with peanut butter
veggies and hummus
protein shake
boiled egg(s)
v8 juice (my only really low protein snack)
tuna on wasa (sometimes for a snack, sometimes for lunch)

I will say that I believe most snack bars are the worst thing you can possibly eat when trying to be healthy. Most of them are chock full of artificial stuff and don't provide the nutrition you need, especially when you're on a diet and limiting your calories.

When you're counting calories, you need to make every calorie count as much as possible.

I had the same situation as mentioned, continuing to lose weight on maintenance, plus I started exercising a lot more since I wanted to run in 5K's, etc. (I have been stable for about a year now). I found I had to add more calories and now eat about 1800-2000 a day. I don't eat much meat, and I follow a diabetic diet, so carbs are hard to come by for me. I rely on peanut butter a lot, as well as hard-boiled eggs, cheese, and yogurt (more fat, less sugar, I like the Greek style). Also beans of all kinds, and some grains, as I can fit in the carbs. Since my diet has so many restrictions I try to make every bite count. I sometimes eat those energy bars but I don't like the ultra sweetness of them and much of the time, they aren't appropriate for my diabetes situtation, anyway.

But it sounds to me like something else is going on and I agree, a doctor's visit might be a good idea. And if you can find a nutritionist, that would be a great thing (maybe your insurance will pay?) Seeing a nutritionist was the first step I took in losing weight (as I had to for diabetes, anyway) and she straightened out my diet and gave me a good plan that I still stick with. I've managed to keep up my energy, not gain or lose weight, and stay pretty flexible with my eating to meet my needs. Good luck with your health.