What am I doing wrong?
I was losing weight just fine for the first 2 months. Then suddenly my body isn't responding to anything I do. I've been doing a 1,500 calorie for 2 weeks and lose 1 lb every 2 weeks. Then I went down to 1,300 to see if that would kick things into gear and still nothing, instead I gained. So now (2 weeks ago) I'm back at 1,500 again and still 1/2 lb a week.
I've been running and have recently switched to a brisk walk for 4 miles every other day. My husband suggested not working out like he's doing (successfully losing weight not being active) and I lost an extra lb....which brought me to a whopping 2 lbs in one week.
My husband checked my calories consumed (on my "Lose it" application) to see if I under estimated on my foods. He found a couple of errors (that were 5 calories too low) but nothing that would be considered going way past maintanence level.
I know I have PMDD (which causes me to gain 2-4 lbs then lose while on AF) but when my AF comes and I expect to see at least a lb for every week I was on PMDD (2-3 weeks) I only see 1 lb.
What's been really frustrated is that (I'm 34 y/o) its taken me 5 months to lose 21 lbs, when a young friend (26 y/o) of mine lost 20 lbs in 2 months counting calories. I was the one to encourage her to go on a low Calorie diet. and have been motivating her to keep going.
I think that she thinks that because my weight loss has slowed could be due to me falling off the wagon or not trying hard enough. Because she will give me encouraging advise to keep going and I tell her that I'm busting my butt everyday to do this but my body is resisting me.
I feel like I will never reach my goal weight. I just past my pre-pregnancy weight (160) and I feel like my body wants to stay there or that its digging its heals in the ground resisting to go any further.
I'm crying as I'm writing this. I feel like a failure even though I'm doing everything short of using the pills, which I've been tempted to do but have read reviews by the Mayclinic advising not to. So now I have no where else to go. I won't quit but I just feel flat out stuck.
Don't give up! I'm totally with you - here in TX too, for that matter. I'm stuck at 157.
1/2 pound per week doesn't sound like much - but add it up over the course of a year and you'd be at goal.
When I plateau, I usually just "give up" for a few weeks. I relax and quit trying to diet. I still try to eat healthy foods, but I have more treats built in, and my focus is on not gaining. I'll do that for a few weeks, sometimes a couple months, and then something will happen to kick me back into gear. When I do start again I'll see much better results.
I figure I'm just getting in early practice for maintenance.
I just think you need to adjust your calories...I have had to several times.
You gain 1 to 5 lbs then it comes right back off within a few weeks and your loss keeps on going) Just remember though the smaller you get the slower it will come off also.
My first few months I lost an average of 10 lbs a month now I lose 4 to 6 a month.)
Those are very cool calculators - thanks Lori! I've always struggled with how much to eat with my workouts and how much of that should be carbs, proteins, etc.
Thanks, Lori
I'll adjust my calories according to my activity.
I haven't noticed a weight gain when I adjust the calories. The only weight gain is due to the impending AF.
I'll try no activity with lower calories until I figure out what I'm going to do....running or tae-bo.
If you've lost 21 pounds in 5 months, then you are losing about a pound a week which is a good rate of loss in terms of being able to maintain your weight loss over time. I am in a similar situation as you with the same rate of weight loss, a pound a week since January, but have recently hit a plateau for the last few weeks and the scale just doesn't want to take the plunge down into the 150's for me. I tried upping my exercise, adding an extra hour of walking in the evening on some days and that only seemed to make things worse. I've tried to drop my calories a little bit on some days but that is hard as I already feel like I am depriving myself of snacks, treats, etc. This is the longest plateau for me since January but I'm sticking with it and I know eventually the weight loss will start again. It's hard to keep plugging along but also keep in mind that the lower your weight becomes, the harder it is to keep up the same level of weight loss as your body is now burning less calories to stay alive than it did when you were 20 lbs. heavier.
I also know what you mean about age being a factor. My last major weight loss attempt was about 9 years ago when I was in my early 30's and I was able to lose 2 lbs. a week consistently - I ended up losing 60 pounds in about 9 months. It was great while it lasted but the changes I had to make to lose the weight that quickly were not changes I could live with permanently and thus I ended up putting almost all the weight back on over the next few years. My weight loss this time has been slower partly due to my age, and partly due to the fact that I'm only making changes I can live with permanently. That means I'm still eating certain foods if I want them, and I'm not commiting myself to some ridiculous exercise plan that I will never be able to stick with in the upcoming months and years. I've lost more weight in total this time and I feel much more confident that I can keep it off.
When I hit a plateau I increase my calories to maintenance levels for a while, then cut back down to the lower levels. For me that's eating 1600 or so and then back down to my 1200-1300 range.
You are under 160lbs at almost 5'5 so I wouldn't expect much faster weight loss than what you already are. It took me one year at that stage. It is a lot easier for a very overweight person to lose at a rapid rate than someone who is just slightly overweight.
Also, at your size (which is getting fairly close to normal/average), you may need to kick up the exercise. A four mile walk every other day may no longer sufficient for you. I would suggest starting to jog or weight train.
Last edited by sacha; 09-09-2009 at 04:31 PM.
Reason: edit
Well, In the earlier phase of my weight loss I lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks. and was also losing 2 lbs a week some weeks after that. But in the last few weeks since then its been a snail pace of 1/2 lb a week.
Tina, I can totally relate to what you said. When I tried increasing my workouts, it only made things worse. If I decrease my calories to 2 lbs a week (1,100 a day) then I'm barely making it.
This week I'm at 1,280. But I'm still 2 weeks from seeing AF so who knows what I'll lose. At this point the scale says I'm 2 lbs over.
You are too small to expect anymore than 1/2 lb per week though. This is totally normal. Dropping your calorie count even further down to 1100 calories is only going to eat away at any muscle you have, not fat. It is counterproductive. Be patient with your lifestyle change.
The plateau finally broke today - I am finally 159! And to add to the excitement, I went shopping for new jeans today and was able to buy two pairs of size 10 (in addition to one size 12). I almost can't believe that I am finally doing what I have been trying to do for the last 20 years, get to 150 pounds and a size 10. Of course getting there is only half the battle - staying there will be the other half.
Just some things to consider--first of all, there is nothing wrong with 1 pound a week, or even less, say, 4 pounds a month. Everyone is in a hurry, but it's better to lose more slowly.
Second, if you increase your workouts, you shouldn't decrease your calories at the same time. Keep calories the same or increase them slightly. Or, keep your workouts the same and decrease your calories.
I'm thinking that under 1300 might be too low for you if you are actively exercising. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories you burn just breathing--and although estimates based only on numbers can be off, you might want to check what yours is. Here's one calculator:
My BMR comes out to 1350, and I treat that as a lower limit on average. I have read that one shouldn't go below the BMR, or weight loss can stall. Of course, that's on average--a few days here and there aren't critical.
That's just BMR, though. Your total calorie burn for the day is higher, on average. That's the number you want to use to calculate a calorie deficit for weight loss.
I just checked my BMR, and it is 1696. I have been exercising 4 and 5 times a week for an hour each time (step aerobics with weights, zumba, toning with weights, and water aerobics). I had been sticking to 1500-1600 and wasn't losing and sometimes I gained. Tried 1700-1800, and didn't lose then either. Planning to give 1900-2000 a try for a week and see what happens.
Sacha, I don't know where people get the idea that it is easy for very overweight people to lose weight. I must be the one that doesn't lose easily. lol
Sloooow weight loss ?
