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Old 07-02-2012, 05:06 PM   #1  
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Default Why Can't I Lose Weight Anymore????

I'm starting to think I'll be fat for the rest of my life? I don't even want to be skinny or thin. I just want to be a decent weight. Get rid of a lot more of my stomach. I have done well. Pat myself on the back. Ok yes I have lost a lot of weight but now it's time to move down some more. I have been STUCK at the same weight since end of Feb/beg of March. Actually I have been stuck in the same 10 pound range roughly from 239-231 currently around 236-237. I have been losing and gaining but here past few weeks it's been steady. At first I thought it was the med I was on so I got off of it and I'm still making no progress. Ok so I thought let's check the thyroid. Nope it's fine the doc says. What is it? I drink water. I drink at least 4 of the 16.9 oz bottles per day and maybe more depending on my thirst. I exercise 4-5 days at the Y WITH strength twice a week. Various Cardio is in between all of that. I eat roughly 1900 calories a day which is according to my weight and activity level. I eat vegs, avoid fried foods, no pop not even diet pop. Why is it so hard for a 236 lb woman to lose a few lbs??? I do not understand. A plateau?? Why am I in a plateau for this long being THIS big? I would totally understand if I was you know maybe 150lbs or 175lbs but I am not. I still have a lot to lose. I really want to get to 199 but it's not looking very good for me. Really. I count my calories, weigh, measure to make sure I'm staying within range so I begin to think well since I've lost all of this weight do I start eating like a 199 lb person? I put the calculation in and it said a 199 person with my activity level should eat around 1500/day. Is this what I have to do to lose some weight again?? I was so happy losing weight even if it was a litle bit, I was still losing. Not losing and gaining and losing and gaining. I ALMOST would rather be fatter. AT... 350 (starting out).. 320 lbs.. 300 lbs.. 280lbs.. I was steadily losing weight.. what I was doing.. was working, it was paying off... it wasn't for nothing.
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:13 PM   #2  
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We're all different. When I was stuck and unable to lose any more, my doctor told me "Cut your carbs in half." I did, and I lost 15 more pounds in a month. Sometimes it's a medical issue, sometimes it's a tweak to what you eat, sometimes it's a tweak to how much you eat. Have you tried a different dietary strategy? What type of diet do you eat? You mentioned your overall calories but what do you eat?
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:36 PM   #3  
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Why are you eating 1900 calories a day when it is suggested you eat 1500 calories a day ? You said you put the calculation Where did you put the calculation. How tall are you ? What is your goal weight ?
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:40 PM   #4  
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How are you tracking your calories? Are you weighing/measuring your food?

If your tracking is accurate, if it were me I'd cut calories by a few hundred for a couple months and see where that left me.
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Old 07-03-2012, 08:28 AM   #5  
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Yes I pre plan meals and measure/weigh food. I have a lot of foods that I eat on a regular basis so I know how much is in what so pre planning has become pretty easy now. Does it matter What you eat as long as you're eating your calories daily? I'm not talking about eating 1600, 1800 or 1900 calories worth of junk food daily. I'm just saying... I have really changed my eating habits for the most part. a lot better than what they used to be. I eat vegs every day. My fav are broc slaw, spinach and aparagus. Typically a breakfast for me would be a fruit, yogurt, a meatless patty with regular shredded cheese 28 g. Lunch would be maybe a salad with all of the fixiings. Dinner would be something like Rice with meat, cheese, side salad. I like to incororate "snack" type items in my meals too so I don't feel like I'm not getting any sweets. I try to stay away from the candy bars and stuff like that and eat like fiber bars and the sweet rice cakes or those fruit snack type things. I have been adding 2 days a month of "free" days to eat "freely" I did a tracking thing on spark people to see what my daily calorie intake should be. I put in my height which is 5'3 and weight 236 (currently) and my activity level which is 5 days of at least 45 min cardio with 2 days of atleast 30 min strength training and it said I should be eating 1500-1900/day. Well I thought I couldn't do the 1500 so I have been doing the 1900 so I think I need to just cut calories and see if that helps?
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Old 07-03-2012, 09:38 AM   #6  
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I would agree to go down to 1500 and see if that helps. I know for me, personally, regardless of the the calculators say, I don't lose on 1900.

Everyone's body and metabolism is different, so I think those calculators should just be used as a general guide and adjusted to your personal experiences.

Last edited by Vex; 07-03-2012 at 09:38 AM.
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Old 07-03-2012, 10:39 AM   #7  
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OMG I'm in the same boat as you! I have been stuck between 233 and 238 for the past 3 months. It is driving me insane!
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Old 07-03-2012, 11:39 AM   #8  
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definetly cut the calories. id say 1400-1500 for you at first. Those calculators are normally for an average amount of fat/muscle ratio and based on ppl that havent lost weight so they have a normal metabolism. We all have different metabolisms and the calories you're eating is the maitenance for someone with a healthy metabolism. You need to eat below maitenance to lose. I'm 5'7 and 248 so im roughly your size and I maintain at 2000-2100 calories. If I ate 1900 calories a day and had free days I would maintain for sure if not gain . Just drop your calories below maitenance level to lose. You're not creating a deficit right now. good luck
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Old 07-03-2012, 12:17 PM   #9  
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I would try cutting calories a little bit. I too stagnated in the 230s (13 months) but that was mostly my fault because I was so pleased at having lost 40 lbs, I became a little lax in my ways and started eyeballing more than actually counting. There was a victory in this too, which was that I learned that I could eat comfortably without necessarily gaining weight and that I could maintain a weight range. This was an important lesson. So my time in the 230s wasn't simply time wasted.

Now about what to do. As I suggested earlier, cut your calories. It's probably true that people at your weight and activity level could lose weight on 1900, but it seems you're not one of them. It's a tough break but it's one that needs acceptance so you can move on with a plan of action. You don't have to go all the way down to 1500 just yet, although at some point in your journey, you might. You can try 1600-1700. If you're not already, make sure you're measuring your oil (in salads etc) and your marinades (for meat and fish)- those are two calorie-hiding hotspots. Throw in a few more steamed veggies like cauliflower or broccoli, it will bulk up your rice dishes, for example and make it seem like more food. Investigate low-cal snacks. As a big eater who likes a big plate of food spent 95% of their weight loss journey at 1200-1500 calories, I KNOW you can get a lot of food in there. Watch the fixings on the salad, those things add up. It's like if you think of entree salads at restaurants, they usually are one of the worst things calorie-wise on the menu. What about drinks? Are you watching what you drink and your condiments (ketchup, mayo, parmesan, tartare sauce etc)? Calories are sneaky little bugs and can creep in if we're unwary. Even if you're eating the right things, sometimes the condiments and dressings (ketchup, mayo, cheese, tartare sauce, relish, olive oil) really add up.

Another option you might want to try is low-carb. I personally don't eat this way regularly, but it might not be a bad idea to do a really strict low-carb week to jumpstart a little bit of weight loss whilst staying at your current calories. Low carb makes me crazy (ok I'll confess beastly) but it could end up being your thing or if not, jumpstart some scale progress.

Alternatively, you could try upping your exercise. Increase your activity even further and see if that helps. If you've lost a lot of weight at 1900, it may be that you now weigh too little to continue to lose weight at your current activity level with that intake. In my opinion, it's easier to just cut your calorie intake since you have wiggle room at 1900 but it may be preferrable to you to up your exercise.

Remember that the calorie intake guides are just suggestions. Every individual is different as is our usage and requirements for energy. I nearly wept the day I realized that maintenance was probably not going to be 2000 calories for me unless I was pretty active. Keep going. You can do this! Don't give up!
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Old 07-03-2012, 01:08 PM   #10  
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The calculators are all based on averages, and you may not be average. Metabolism can be quirky, and what you did to successfully lose weight, may not work forever.

I don't even tell people what I was eating when I started (not because it was so much, but because it was so little), because when I did, many people would say "that's impossible, you'd be losing a lot more if you were eating that little. Heck fifteen years ago, I would have been one of the people saying it was impossible.

The calorie level it takes me to lose a pound or two a month, is the calorie level that fifteen years ago would result in weight loss of 5 - 8 lbs consistently (and up to 11 lbs the first week).

I don't have that body anymore, and I've got to deal with it.

I would also recommend trying reduced-carb. When I don't restrict carbs, I have to restrict calories much more to lose weight, and the weight loss is less consistent. I can eat 300 calories more, if I eat reduced-carb (and I don't reduce very low, only to about 100 -125 grams of carbs - I use an exchange plan).

I am thinking of reducing carbs further, because I'm having trouble losing any more. I've been struggling with the same 5 to 10 lbs for months.

You may be able to stick with the 1900 calories if you reduce carbs, or you may have to reduce calories further. The calculators can't be trusted because they aren't measuring YOUR metabolism, they're just guessing based on averages.

The calculators also are notoriously inaccurate (overestimating metabolism) for older, heavier folks and for people who've dieted multiple times - especially crash dieters. The more you've dieted in the past, the better your chances that you have a lower metabolism than people at your weight who've never dieted.

How far is your metabolism from the calculator's estimate? No way to tell except by trial and error. If you aren't losing at 1900 lbs, there's a good chance that you're at your maintenance calorie level, in which case you have to change something to lose more weight. More exercise, lower-carb, or lower calories. Maybe one, maybe all three.

I don't lose on 1900 calories of high-carb, at least not consistently, and I weigh about 50 lbs more than you. Some of the calculators tell me I should be able to lose weight on 2300 to 2800 calories daily - they're wrong.

If I trusted the calculators I would not lose weight (I don't know that I'd gain, but I definitely wouldn't lose - because I've tried it).

Hang in there and try some different strategies. You will be able to find something that works, but it may take some experimenting. Failing isn't not losing, failing is giving up. As long as you're still working, experimenting, or trying, you're succeeding, even if the scale isn't showing it.
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Old 07-03-2012, 02:14 PM   #11  
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Quote:
I have been adding 2 days a month of "free" days to eat "freely"
ugh... When you say "free" what do you really mean? Like a 1900 calorie day with maybe a slice of cake added... or do you binge on and all the crap you've been "missing out" on all day long?? How many calories do you consume in one of your eat "freely" days?

I can EASILY wipe out 2 weeks work with one day of binging. I think us formerly morbidly obease people have a hard time controlling free days. Mine usually turn into 10000 calorie plus days, so I have had to eliminate them except for a few days a YEAR. I can maintain 145 pounds eating 1900 calories a day as long as I am very active, but when I start the eat freely jazz, all h*ll breaks loose and I start gaining very quickly.

My advice is to either ditch the free days or lower all the other days to less than 1500 to make up for the extra calories. Hey, but great job with the current weight loss!! Very impressive!
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Old 07-03-2012, 02:25 PM   #12  
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I remember reading, that if you are stuck in a plateau, to try calorie cycling for a bit...eat your normal calories one day, then drop to say 1400 the next...back and forth for a while. I can't say it WILL work, it's just a suggestion
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Old 07-03-2012, 02:29 PM   #13  
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I agree with all the above posters and i go by the old Albert Einstein adage that changed my life: if you keep doing the same thing you've always done, you will keep getting the same results

You may just have to lower your calories or begin by changing out some of the things you're eating, like maybe drop the rice at dinner and instead eat more veggies. Check the amount of dressing you're using. Actually measure it. If all the "fixings" on the salad include croutons and heaps of dressing, then that could be a culprit. Try cutting your calories by 200 a day if 1500 isn't doable for you right now. And yes watch all the condiments and keep an eye on the amount of full fat cheese you're eating but make sure you're getting some good fats in daily.

One thing that helped me is incorporating HIIT (high intensity interval training) with my cardio. For instance i live on a dead end road almost at the bottom of a hill. i'll walk the hill four times, going down is my "rest" period although it is still very much cardio and going up the hill takes everything i've got when i'm nearing the middle and top of the hill and i repeat this about 4 times and i've noticed that is when i started slowly peeling off the pounds. You can do this on a treadmill or in the gym, Google HIIT and there will be plenty of videos, articles and see if it's for you.

Good luck You can do it.
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Old 07-04-2012, 07:19 PM   #14  
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This may be a bit strange and different from what you may have heard in the past. But, what has worked best for me is not focusing on calories alone but rather the quality of my food, particularly eating foods that are natural and unprocessed. I am talking about a diet of meat, fish, poultry, lots of veggies and fruits. No wheat or grain products at all. I have learned about this way of eating from what is called the paleo approach to nutrition that focuses on eating the way our bodies were designed to eat before agriculture and processed foods. If you are interested I highly recommend reading the Paleo Solution. It changed the way I view food and has helped millions of people like me and you to get fit and healthy.

I truly hope this helps,
Lulu
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Old 07-04-2012, 07:44 PM   #15  
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I would say reduce your carb intake. I struggled losing weight by calorie counting alone.. it was pretty frustrating. South Beach Diet and Atkins both worked for me. I think for some people it really matters what those calories are made of.

I would watch that salad for lunch too. Croutons, Cheese and Dressing can add up to a TON of calories fast.
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