Originally Posted by Coondocks:
I am on the 'not eating enough' wagon.
That's a lot of activity for 1200 calories a day. I would try upping calories but not by 400 a day, try 100 - 150 a day first, give it a little longer than a week and see what happens then.

Best of luck to you!! Keep at it, you'll find the right formula for your body as long as you keep trying :hug:

LOL apparently I should have read this before posting!!

Honestly, I'd cut back on the exercise for a few weeks and see what happens. It would solve the issue of not taking in enough to cover what you're burning without actually having to eat more. You are eating a reasonable amount of calories...just not for someone who is as active as you are.

Or just wait it out. I've heard of plateaus lasting months before they budge.

I would also consider the factor that what you're doing IS working, and that it just isn't showing on the scale.

At the weight I am right now I am usually a smaller size. The difference is exercise. I'm not really doing any this time around. In other words, even at the same height and weight I can be two different sizes due to how much current activity/muscle mass.

I think you look great. Don't focus too much on that number on the scale, even if you aren't losing you are toning.

dragonlady1978- No way I am not going to exercise. My workout time is MY time, it is the ONLY time that I spend on myself. The rest of my time is dedicated to others. I am a mother a wife, and I work in hospice. Exercise has completley cured my depression, stress, and anxiety. Absoloutly no way will I stop. Not even for a week! :) thanks for the suggestion though!

Have you been to the doctor to have your thyroid checked recently?

I have Hypothyroidism, but I take Levothyroxine(generic for Synthroid) everyday.

First off- :hug:

I know you said you were eating good, healthy whole foods-- but what are those? I've found that when I just count calories I don't do as well as when I cut out certain types of food, or watch how much I eat of them - (sugars, grains... I'm on the South Beach Diet). I tried just "eating well" for a couple weeks and lost maybe half a pound.. but when I do south beach I see a drastic loss in the first 2 weeks, and then a consistent loss after that in phase 2. My body just seems to hold on to certain foods more than others.

Just my two cents. :) you'll get through this!

BTW, you're absolutely gorgeous!

"If you don't eat enough, the brain thinks the famine is coming and holds onto every single calorie. For the amount of exercise you do, you aren't eating enough."

I hear this a lot. I hear this from people who have "upped" their calories & then started to lose. But it makes no SCIENTIFIC sense. Scientifically speaking, you eat LESS food (calories) then you LOSE weight. Less calories than you burn = weight loss. But clearly that's not true for everyone. And it's not true for everyone that increasing caloric intake will "rev your metabolism" & you'll lose weight.

For me, what seems to work - I mean REALLY work - is extremely low caloric intake. I did the MediFast diet a couple years ago. Lost 20 pounds in a snap - didn't feel hungry/deprived, etc. But it was expensive, & when my husband became a victim of the 2008 economic b*tch slap, I had to give it up.

Doing this (losing weight) the "old fashioned" way isn't working for me. I've tried increasing my caloric intake before and ended up gaining eight pounds. So I think my frustration with that is understandable. :(

Originally Posted by WendeeLou:
I have been on a 1200 calorie diet for nearly a year now. I just dont get it! I am scared to up my calories, as the last time, I gained!! ugh. I just dont know what to do.

^^^^
I think that is your answer.
Your body has adapted, metabolically to running off of 1200 cals a day. You know longer burn the calories you used to because your boy has learned to operated on 1200, thus putting you at maintenance. IT SUX. and INCREASING workouts is DEFINITELY not the way to do it.... it will only stress your body out more, raise cortisol levels more, and make it THAT MUCH HARDER to lose fat.

MY ADVICE?? you arent going to like it


YOU NEED A DIET BREAK. YOu need to eat at what your maintenance SHOULD BE or HIGHER for at least 1 week to 10 days. minimum. ANd you need to eat a lot of High glycemic index carbs......... this will help to reset your falling hormone levels and raise your metabolism *some*

talk to your traininer about a diet break. im absolutely serious

The only other explanation is that you arent reallly eating 1200 cals.... after 1 year, maybe you have gooten sloppy with your counting? i dont mean this in a mean way...... do you weigh and measure EVERTHING you eat still? are you eyeballing portions or even using cups to measure? you cuold be way over on your calories without realizing it

I don't know how long you've been stuck at this weight but if you've been eating 1,200 calories for a year and exercising quite a bit and now your weight is stuck it is clearly time for a break. Since you don't want to take a break there is nothing to discuss. I do believe that your adamant refusal to take a break from dieting or exercise is a sign of things to come.

I predict problems in your future. Right now a 2-3 week break would probably do it but where you're going it might take six months or even longer. Eating too little while training too hard leads to overtraining and hormonal depression. I'm not an expert but this subject but I've read enough to know that what you're experiencing is only going to get worse if you keep pushing it.

I would advise you to spend a few bucks and join Leigh Peele's forum. I believe it is $10 a month. She is an expert on this subject and can tell you better than I if you're headed for a massive train wreck, or not.

Originally Posted by WendeeLou:
I tried it once, I went a whole week with 1600 calorie days, and I gained 3.5 pounds back,

If you were maintaining at 1,200 and over a week ate an additional 2,800 calories that weight gain was mostly water. Probably all water.

Originally Posted by WendeeLou:
I have Hypothyroidism, but I take Levothyroxine(generic for Synthroid) everyday.

Why not go in and get your numbers checked? I know a lot of people on here don't agree with medical science (although I'd rather err on the side of science) but things like this can hurt your progress with weight loss. If you are doing everything according to your plan and seeing no progress, it's worth a check. Don't let internet people's opinions ever dissuade you from having an actual medical professional check you over, especially when you already know you have this particular challenge! You should fact check everything with your own trusted Doc who treats your body!

If not your thyroid, I would agree to incrementally increase your calories but I agree it should be more modest than an increase of several hundred. If you're gonna do those kind of increases, calorie cycling might be better for you. You might check to see if you're protein/carb balance could use a little tweaking too. It all depends on your body but you work out hard on very little calories. Don't bottom out your metabolism in an effort to lose weight, it's counterproductive.

Sorry sweetie, I have to agree with John. If you aren't going to lessen the exercise or up the calories, or change ANYTHING about your habits that haven't been netting you much loss, what advice do you want from us?

You're a thermogenic wonder if you can gain three pounds of fat from eating 1600 calories a day, as a young, active woman who is treating a metabolic issue. Famine mode is REAL, and you make your weightloss much more difficult, the more you overwork and underfeed your body. If you love working out, that is fabulous! Keep it up! But nourish your body for the level of activity you are doing. There has to be balance.

I strongly encourage you to check out the work of Dr. Amanda Sainsbury-Salis, her research on metabolism and weight regulation is groundbreaking.
http://www.dramandaonline.com/

Originally Posted by Beach Patrol:
I hear this a lot. I hear this from people who have "upped" their calories & then started to lose. But it makes no SCIENTIFIC sense. Scientifically speaking, you eat LESS food (calories) then you LOSE weight. Less calories than you burn = weight loss. But clearly that's not true for everyone. And it's not true for everyone that increasing caloric intake will "rev your metabolism" & you'll lose weight.

For me, what seems to work - I mean REALLY work - is extremely low caloric intake.

Your suggestion that someone who has been dieting at 1,200 calories for a year and exercising quite a bit lower calories further is absurd. Yes, she would lose weight but when her hair starts falling out and her TOM shuts off then where will she be. The body starts shutting down non essential functions when pushed hard enough. I've seen it first hand, my wife did it to herself dispite me telling her every day to eat more. What's the big rush???

Everyone looking at this thread should read this article. If you think there is no scientific reason for raising calories than think again. Pay close attention to the physiological reasons section.

The closer you are to your goal weight the slower you need to lose weight. If the OP was 30lbs heavier she wouldn't be having this problem. In my opinion she needs a hormonal reset and since she is taking medication things become a lot more complicated - thus my suggestion for getting input from an expert like Leigh Peele.

WendeeLou, what are your macronutrient ratios? Have your trainers given you any food plan to follow other than eating "whole?"

John P- The last time I talked about my plateau you told me to take a break. And I did, I upped my calories to 1600 a day, and I didn’t work out but three times for 30 minutes each that week…the result 3.5 weight gain and it took me this long to get that stupid 3.5 pounds off. Not so sure it was water weight. It is not that I am REFUSING to change anything about my efforts; I am willing to do whatever it takes (clearly) to just get into a healthy weight range. It is no longer about appearance, I know I do not look like a woman who weighs 170 pounds, but I do. And every time I go to the DR, whether it be a regular check up, ob/gyn, OR infertility, my weight ALWAYS is an “issue”. I do not want to be overweight any more. I don’t think that I have a “problem” the way you may perceive I do. I think that I workout just as much as most people my age with my goals. In fact, I am usually at the gym the same time, so amount of time, and just as often as half the people I see there on a regular basis. I am not a workout freak; I am just not willing to give it up. I love getting my workout in, and I like feeling energetic and fit. There is nothing wrong with that. I know if I was to take 2-3 weeks off, it would break my mode and I would have a hard time getting back in. That is just me. I know you are trying to help, but I feel like I am doing the right thing here.

Arctic Mama- I never said I wouldn’t change anything, I have already tried what John P is suggesting, and that didn’t work for me. I also wasn’t really looking for any advice per say, my post, as stated, was a vent.

Oddreee- I have been thinking lately about following a “plan” to help me. You say South Beach is working for you- Heck might as well give it a try. I eat clean- at least as often as I can. I eat everything made from scratch, we don’t eat out often and when we do… Salad with everything on the side or occasionally a steak or piece of chicken- grilled… I watch sugar, sodium and try to limit carbs!

Mkroyer- I do measure everything. I realize that my calculations can still be a little bit off, but I am pretty good and measuring, entering, and knowing where I stand for the day. I plan to talk with my trainer about upping my calories after our official weigh in (which is Thursday). If I try to go to him now- he will likely chew my butt for weighing before. :D


I know that this is a plateau for me, and I am willing to continue to keep working through it. I am not willing to drop my calories any lower, just so that’s clear. 1200 is the bare minimum for me. I logically realize that I am close to goal and it will be hard for me to lose, but that doesn’t mean that my crazy emotions don’t get the best of me from time to time. I mainly wanted to come here and vent! I wanted this thread to be more about the struggle, and not so much trying to fix it. We have done what we can… so if my body isn’t going to respond, then it isn’t. What more can I do?! I was hoping there were other gals (or guys) who feel this same way, and they could relate. Maybe a story of, “I was on a plateau for X amount of time, and then it broke”. That was my intent here.

I also wanted to mention, that I DO work with a trainer he is very knowledgeable and open to changing and trying new things, so what we have going on isn’t the end all be all so to speak. I work at a hospital with a dietician (Hospice and Home Care) So I am able to pick their brains and tweak plans to fit for me.

I must add that I DO appreciate all of the help and suggestions! It just shows how caring and supportive everyone is here! And I love that about you guys!

I think in the future I may write my post in word- and then read it a couple hours later, and if I still think I want to post it then I will. Sometimes I just need to get my Blah feelings out and just get them off my chest. I don’t really have anyone else to talk to about these things. :)

So your number is 1200 but you're not saying what you keep your carbs and proteins at. Any idea?