Weight Loss Support Give and get support here!

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 03-27-2007, 03:27 PM   #31  
Senior Member
 
FatToFitVirgo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: the Midwest
Posts: 165

S/C/G: 211/200/165

Height: 5' 2.5" (HW: 222)

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by sumisan View Post
Hi everyone, I have been seeing other forums but still am not getting anywhere. I went over to calorie count to see if they could help and they are all at a loss.

I feel like I am beating this to death but I am STILL not losing!

I am eating healthy. Eating more fruits and veggies. Nothing refined or sugary. Started calorie counting with my spreadsheet on 1/27 but started low calories on or before 1/25.

1/27 - 2/8 I average 1184 calories a day.
2/9 - 3/3 I averaged 1322.

Still not losing I decided to take others advice and up the calories a little.

STILL not losing I am now calorie cycling at 1500 and 1800 and this is day 13 of that.
By all means I should have lost something like 14 lbs by now. I have lost a whopping 5.
I am at my WITS END. I am by no means giving up EVER but it sure would be nice to see some results. And yes I am measuring waist and hips. NOTHING is changing!! (not to mention I measure to the gram on my food!!)
Am I too low still on calories? The workouts are pretty intense but not very long. My body is SERIOUSLY resisting me. And the weird thing is I can EAT more and still not lose or gain.
Warm hello to you, sumisan! How very frustrating for you!

The expression "being stuck in the doldrums" refers back to when sailing ships were the primary fast means of traversing the globe. The doldrums were the areas where there was no wind, which meant no travel. The sailors were literally at the mercy of the elements, waiting for the wind. They could be stuck there waiting for any length of time, from days to weeks. There was nothing else they could do. So they used their time as productively as they could by taking care of the ship: mending ropes, nets, fixing whatever needed to be tended to. And finally, the wind would come back, and they could continue their journey to wherever they were going.

It sounds like you, too, are stuck in the doldrums right now. Looking up at your post, I took the liberty of highlighting a few of your statements. Taken together, they would read:

I feel like I am beating this to death
I am at my WITS END!
My body is SERIOUSLY resisting me.

These three statements show that you do have some inkling as to the underlying wrong in your situation.

So let's see: You're starving yourself, you're giving yourself grueling physical activity. You're finally starting to notice that your body isn't at all happy at being in this punishment. From your body's perspective: It feels like it's starving to death, it's trying to keep you alive in a harsh environment, and all you're doing is trying to punish it more. What else do you want--to die in this famine?! it must be wondering.

Yes. Your body IS resisting you, because it was designed to hold on to calories when there aren't many coming in. Your overzealous rigor has put you into starvation mode. Think of it as human metabolism default position. Your body's metabolism doesn't know you're trying to lose weight. All it knows is that there hasn't been much food for a couple of months, it doesn't know when it's going to get better nutrition, so it had better hold on to what it's got.

The well-meaning souls advising you to eat even less are leading you in the wrong direction. That's what got you into trouble in the first place. It'll sound counterintuitive, but here it is: you must eat more--and better--food. Your body needs to know it can relax--there's enough food coming in, the metabolism can speed up again. Eat a lot of salmon, other Omega-3 fatty acid fish, hummos, whole grains, tofu, dairy. When you exercise, don't go for harsh and short. Go for gentle, but a long time. That is the better way to burn fat--and that's what you're after.

Our bodies are our animal selves: very basic, very simple, very trusting. But just because they are so, doesn't mean they can be abused. There are basic metabolic rules (regarding body chemistry, our genetics, how they all function together), and the rules are physical laws that cannot be broken, no matter what our minds wish to impose.

Sometime when you're alone, go to the mirror over your bathroom sink. Look your reflection in the eyes, and apologize to yourself. You really didn't know you were hurting yourself, so you already know your honorable intentions; forgive yourself, and vow you'll treat yourself more gently, feed yourself better. Then give yourself the next week off. I don't know what your goal is (I saw something about the beginning of May in something you wrote), but getting your body's metabolism back in line is more important than some date.

And if you live in an area where there's a teaching hospital, you should see if you can find a genuine registered nutritionist to advise you on regulating your metabolism. You need the services of someone who really understands these things beyond what any of us can advise you.

FatToFitVirgo is offline  
Old 03-27-2007, 04:24 PM   #32  
Skinny Chick in Training
Thread Starter
 
sumisan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mo
Posts: 192

S/C/G: 191/178-182???/145

Height: 5' 9"

Default

thank you fattofitvirgo I have no idea where to find one of those calorie machines or a nutrionalist out here in the country though LOL My goals are for when ever LOl I joined a may challenge but thats pretty much shot at this point LOL

I admit my goals at first were to lose 2 lbs a week, you know push the envelope and go for the max, after all "they" say that you can safely lose 1-2 lbs a week. But I never knew you could go into starvation mode above 1200 calories (yes I know I went under that so I guess that is a pointless statement, I was aiming for 1200 though)

But what you are saying is what they say on calorie count, but like you they dont know what I should do to kick into losing. When I brought my calories up I didnt really gain anything, like everyone said I might. So I have no idea who to believe LOL It enough to drive a person MAD.

But I think this was my last ditch effort to find help. I had already started to realize I just need to find someone who can help me offline. I live way out in the country though so I have no idea where to even start looking LOL I am going to call my doctor and ask her if she can recommend someone, I know my insurance wont cover it, so she wont refer me
sumisan is offline  
Old 03-27-2007, 04:42 PM   #33  
3 + years maintaining
 
rockinrobin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 12,070

S/C/G: 287/120's

Height: 5 foot nuthin'

Default

sumisan, nobody can tell you what will work for sure. NO ONE or nothing. Not websites, nutritionists, people who have been through it, doctors, dieticians, calculators, witches, genies or psychics. NO ONE. We are all such individuals with different circumstances and bodies. People can only suggest things to you. Calorie calculators can only estimate what will work for you. The only tried and true method is TRIAL and ERROR. A little tedious and time consuming and frustrating at times, no doubt, but that's really what it will boil down to in the end. I personally don't think you are in starvation mode. Of course that's my opinion. I would stick to the 1200-1300 calorie range, measuring everything for a few days just to be certain, eat every 2 1/2 - 3 hours, eating veggies, lean proteins and lots and lots of fiber, like 50 grams worth, drink tons of water and add some non-strenuous activity to your day in addition to the exercise you are currently doing. Again, all you can is try things out. Stick with it, something is bound to give. I really admire your perserverance. Good luck. It'll happen for you.

Last edited by rockinrobin; 03-27-2007 at 05:01 PM.
rockinrobin is offline  
Old 03-27-2007, 04:50 PM   #34  
Just Yr Everyday Chick
 
JayEll's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Florida
Posts: 10,852

S/C/G: Lost 50 lbs, regained some

Height: 5'3"

Default

Yeah, what rockin' said!

Jay
JayEll is offline  
Old 03-27-2007, 05:29 PM   #35  
Skinny Chick in Training
Thread Starter
 
sumisan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mo
Posts: 192

S/C/G: 191/178-182???/145

Height: 5' 9"

Default

I was talking about before when I first started and was under 1200. I agree its something I guess I have to figure out. I just don't get why it is easy for some and seems impossible for me. I am at the point where I want to drop back down but then again I am thinking about the whole to low thing. The only time I have ever lost weight is either after my pregnancies or by starving myself on less than 500 calories. So I am a bit paranoid as I dont want to do THAT again.

I appreciate everyones opinion Thank you!
sumisan is offline  
Old 03-27-2007, 08:23 PM   #36  
Senior Member
 
baffled111's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Washington State
Posts: 1,986

S/C/G: 209/209/160

Height: 5'9

Default

My two cents: Reduce your calories. Go back to 1200-1300 a day. Increase your exercise intensity, duration and frequency.

I'm about the same height as you, and was at about your weight a couple of years ago. I ate 1200-1300 calories a day (usually with one 'undocumented' meal a week) and did 60 mins of cardio 4 or 5 days a week. I lost steadily (about 2lb a week) until I got to 142lb, which seemed low enough to me. All bodies are different, but as JayEll said, if you're not losing weight, you're consuming too many calories and not burning off enough calories. 1200 or 1300 calories a day isn't starvation--just a nice deficit.

Good luck!
baffled111 is offline  
Old 03-27-2007, 08:36 PM   #37  
Senior Member
 
Mami's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 671

S/C/G: 167/140/128

Height: 5'2"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JayEll View Post
Mami and I disagree about exercise. I always watch my heart rate when I exercise because I want to be in the aerobic range.

Max heart rate for females = (210 - 1/2 your age - 1% total wt) + 4
("Heart Zones" method.)

The aerobic range is 70% to 80% of the max heart rate.

There are other calculations one can do as well--check out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate

The slim types can do cardio full-on because they are slim. I would drop dead if I tried to do that at my weight (and age).

Jay
Jay I meant heart rate, which is what you were talking about, not necessarily how you get to the heart rate; I thought you were discussing the theory that we burn fat when we have our heart rates at a lower "fat burning zone". So while you're heart rate may be at 75% from fast walking a fitter person (not saying you're not fit of course ) would possibly be running with the same level of exertion of 75%. So I was not suggesting, using this analogy, that Sumi start running, but more that she get her heart rate up as high as possible, even if that's higher than that moderate fat burning zone (so the theory goes).
Mami is offline  
Old 03-27-2007, 08:58 PM   #38  
Moderator
 
Heather's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 10,704

S/C/G: 295/225/back to Onederland

Height: 5'5"

Default

I don't have any stunning advice about going higher or lower or doing less or doing more...

My advice would be about patience.

You sound really frustrated that you aren't making progress, but when I read more closely, you ARE making progress! You're getting smaller and losing (albeit slowly).

You're weight training? How long have you been doing it? How hard do you train? The reason I ask is because if you've really kicked it up recently, a lot of your lack of losing as much as you want could be because you are gaining muscle, retaining water, etc. (As others have mentioned). Sometimes that compensates for the fat loss.

Remember that the scale is an imperfect measure. It's not showing all the ways in which your body is changing.

So, my advice is: patience grasshopper! You're losing slowly, getting smaller AND fitter! You've got it all going on! Try not to worry so much about your calories and all this other stuff unless you REALLY have a stall.

Remember that when you get to goal, you aren't going to be motivated by a moving scale and need to find other things to focus on. How about the new things your body can do??
Heather is offline  
Old 03-27-2007, 08:59 PM   #39  
Senior Member
 
Mami's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 671

S/C/G: 167/140/128

Height: 5'2"

Default

sumisan, how many pounds have you lost since beginning and when was that? I think you have lost something so I think you need to chill a bit. This is all becoming too scientific and obsessive. Eat healthy, try to generally count calories and get as much exercise as possible. The weightloss will definitely follow! My loss was slow at first too but I had returned to the gym and I think I put on muscle at the beginning as my measurements were going down. Sounds like the same has happened to you. Good for you..be patient and go with the healthy flow..but minus the extremism of "exactedness".
Mami is offline  
Old 03-27-2007, 10:14 PM   #40  
Just Yr Everyday Chick
 
JayEll's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Florida
Posts: 10,852

S/C/G: Lost 50 lbs, regained some

Height: 5'3"

Default

Hey Mami,

I guess I must be misunderstanding you--but I think it's dangerous to tell anyone to get their heart rate up "as high as possible." Sumisan has already said that she has had to stop during workouts because her heart is beating out of her chest--now that is just not a healthy level of exercise, especially for someone who is overweight and may not be really fit.

I used to see a few women at Curves who were pumping away like mad and gasping for air because they didn't understand or were never told that you aren't supposed to be exercising at maximum heart rate. "Gosh, I just can't get above 90%" one of them said.

So... I hope "as high as possible" isn't really what you had in mind.

Anyway--we're kind of getting off topic.

Jay
JayEll is offline  
Old 03-27-2007, 11:59 PM   #41  
Skinny Chick in Training
Thread Starter
 
sumisan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mo
Posts: 192

S/C/G: 191/178-182???/145

Height: 5' 9"

Default

LOL but still very imformative, I never let it get bad enough LOL I always slow down, I am not gonna kill myself that is forsure!

I am not sure of my start weight, I was on my TOM at the time and my high during my water weight spree was 188, but one day later I was 182.5, (trust me I really do gain THAT much in water during that time LOL) I stated 185 as a start just to be fair since I wasnt sure. So my loss is 2.5-5 lbs so far. My highest weight is on the ticker, but that was already down when I started just from not eating out, I gained all this weight VERY quickly while we moved last year, I weighed in last in October before our move at 165 and by the time January came I was at 191. (not this january by the way last january, it took me half a year to get into the doc about no energy and what not and another half to work on my anemia)

I have lost inches but I guess I am pesimistic, I just figure I measured wron in the beggining or maybe not in the same place now. But maybe its just to hard to believe since the scale is a bugger butt.

Well I guess its weight training, its using resistance bands and doing lunges and squats and push ups. Since its resistance bands its hard to say how much weight I am using. And I have to do the push ups of the wall since I am still to weak LOL. But all this is day 30 today Its 3 days strength(resistance bands or free weights) and 3 days sweat (cardio).

So just to clarify month number 2 on calories, month number 1 completed on exercise.

I never thought about the fact that there could be water with the muscle that could make up the difference. That fact really helped me.

Like I said I have never lost weight doing it right before, in fact the only time I consciously lost weight was when I was a teen, normally my weight wasn't a really big deal to make me really want to do anything about it. But getting up to my prego weight without a baby to lose LOL that is a bit unnerving. And I admit it, I dont think anything is going to work. I know I this is impossible though, it HAS to work. But still my devil sitting on my left shoulder keeps talking to me and the angel on the right is obviously on vacation LOL

Thank you everyone My plan is to keep up this higher level of exercise, try and get some low impact moving in as well and then if in 2 weeks or so I am still not losing, I will lower my calories a hundred to see if that will help as well. And then after that... well that should be it right LOL
sumisan is offline  
Closed Thread


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:23 PM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.