Trouble with Losing Weight

A few years ago, i lost about 40 pounds (the healthy way!) but now it's starting to come back on. I first tried putting my body in starvation mode and exercising but that didn't work. So now,I exercise every day (for 30 minutes) and try and eat as healthy as possible (between 1000 and 1250 cal), but it's still not coming off. I realize that this may be too little, but I'm worred that if I increase my caloric intake to a healthy amount, I'll gain even more weight. Please help! I'm completely confused over this.

Wed. Nov 28, 10:24am

I would definitely eat a little more unless you are about 4'-11". And to boost your metabolism, eat those calories in 5-7 meals spread throughout the day.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 10:53 AM

Huh? Just b/c you're 4'11 means you need less calories (under 1200)?

Yeah I would eat more calories. For me, I'm eating almost 2,000 cals and steadily losing. About 8 pounds lost in the past 12 weeks (about 15 to go). Of course I'm going to have to cut down on my calories eventually, but eating in a normal fashion has helped me lose weight. Just eat healthfully. I mean think about it...what caused you to gain back the weight...overeating? Just cut that out. Good luck.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 10:58 AM

no i'm 5'9..where does it say i'm 4'11?
i guess i should update that somewhere..

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 11:41 AM

no i was responding to the other poster lol

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 12:03 PM

ohh okay.
and thanks for the tips by the way :)
i was just worried that since i've been eating very little recently (slowing down my metabolsm) and then start eating normally again would cause the weight to come back faster.
so i just wanted to know if there was a way i can increase my metablolism, and slowly build it up.
thanks again!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 2:07 PM

op - are you doing strength training? I found I lost weight pretty easily when I watched my intake and I focused on doing weights (vs. cardio) And I got lean, as opposed to skinny and soft.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 2:30 PM

no i'm just running on the treadmill and using a stationary bike.
maybe it's the form of exercise that isn't helping?

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 2:34 PM

I agree about the strength training. Since I started the weights I've been dropping about a pound a week eating 1500 cal. a day. I do cardio, too, but the weights have made a major change. Just a caution though. The first month I actually gained a couple of pounds. I stuck with it though and after about five weeks I suddenly dropped 6 pounds. I learned much later that the muscles will retain water for awhile after a weight workout, necessary to repair themselves and especially in the beginning you are really taxing your muscles. Once they got used to it, the water weight dropped all of a sudden.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 3:33 PM

I totally agree with the pp. I was at it for over a month and had not lost 1 lb, but I was weight training and doing cardio on only 900 cals a day. so my body was on starvation mode. I upped my cals over night to 1300 and week later I dropped 3 lbs, now 2 more have come off and I was actually eating more.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 11:34 PM

I did the exact same thing. Lost a ton of weight and then some krept back on so I did what I did the first time, really limited calories and worked out a lot. Only to find the scale not moving. Then I started eating 4 to 5 meals a day with approximately 300 calories in each and small snacks, plus continuing to exercise. I am never hungry and I eat every 3 hours like clockwork! If I don't get enough calories I notice that scale doesn't move so I push the calories up a bit as I need adjusting! But the good news is that it works!

Thursday, November 29, 2007, 11:33 AM

Okay thank you!
That's weird how eating more actually helps lose weight along with exercise.
I'll definately try all these tips, because they make sense once I think about what I was doing, and why it wasn't working for me.

Thursday, November 29, 2007, 7:33 PM

so, will i start gaining weight if i all of a sudden increase my caloric intake?
that's what i'm worried about..

Saturday, December 1, 2007, 10:59 AM

Yes, you could see an adverse scale reaction if you leap from 1100 calories to 1600-1700 calories (which is probably where you should be, given your height and activity level). In your position, I'd do a week at 1300, then a week at 1450, then 1600 by Christmas.

However, I've made a 300-calorie leap from 1500 to 1800 a day without gaining because I have a really high activity level (12-15 hours a week of walking and working out, plus a physical job) so 1500 was borderline starvation for me.

And absolutely try to do at least 4 meals a day with a significant breakfast. I eat 3 big meals, one big late afternoon snack, and a small "delayed dessert" at 10pm to accommodate the urge to eat late at night. I am never hungry and never short on energy. And I'm shrinking (60 down, 30 to go) more consistently and less painfully than I was at lower calorie levels.

Good luck!

Saturday, December 1, 2007, 11:29 AM

okay thank you!
how long does it usually take to start seeing results?
I'd like to lose something by Christmas..I hope that's possible!

Saturday, December 1, 2007, 1:14 PM

Lose by Christmas?? Diet and exercise aside, it's usually a major accomplishment to just stay the same in December with all of the unavoidable festivities that involve eating and drinking!

Saturday, December 1, 2007, 2:03 PM

You can definately lose during the holidays. It is all about will power and determination!

Saturday, December 1, 2007, 8:29 PM

I lost 2 lbs the week of thanksgiving

Saturday, December 1, 2007, 8:29 PM

I heard if you want to loose weight you need to exercise for 60 minutes a day . . . .if you want to maintain 30 . . . Is that true? Perhaps carving a bit more time for working out may help as well. .

Sunday, December 2, 2007, 12:57 PM

i don't mean to be a pain, but how long should i wait to expect seeing results?
i tend to get discouraged easily, so i just want to now how long i should wait before i actually do start getting frustrated..

Sunday, December 2, 2007, 9:38 PM

I don't seem to be making any sort of progress.
This is really frustrating.
I think i'm doing something wrong, but at the same time, i don't..

Friday, December 14, 2007, 11:57 AM

Depends on your starting point, the closer you are to the ideal weight, the longer it takes before you will see the scale change. If you start with a BMI>25, you will probably see results within 2 weeks. I was trying to lose weight starting with a BMI of 23, and didn't see anything untile 4 weeks. AND, definitely eat more, I am 5'8" and eat around 1,600cal for weight loss, and excercise about 4 time/week 1 hr each time. In addition, if you excercise a lot, in the begining you wouldn't see changes, because 1)body is adjusting to the excercise; 2) buliding muslce which weights more than fat 3) retaining water as body is going through the transition.

Friday, December 14, 2007, 12:27 PM

hi, this is the original poster.
i've noticed that i've begun gaining some muscle, but the fat is still there!
i don't know what to do anymore.
i think i'm eating enough (1500 calories) but maybe it's too much?
i'm getting really frustrated and feel like giving up.
i've been at it for a month now and NOTHING.
not even a pound lighter.
clearly i'm doing something wrong.
please help :(

Monday, December 31, 2007, 10:57 AM

If you don't mind, could you past the link or a typical one week worthy of daily food and excercise logs? so we can have a better idea of the background. Hight and BMI will be nice ot know as well.

Monday, December 31, 2007, 7:52 PM

my meals vary each day so i apologize if this ends up being really long.

breakfast:
a bowl of cereal with 2% milk
OR
cinnamon raisin bread with peanut butter, banana and milk
OR
scrambled eggs and whole wheat bread and orange juice

lunch:
bagel with cream cheese and an apple
OR
salad with chicken and vegetables and some feta cheese with homemade dressing

dinner:
always consists of chicken (it's the only meat i eat)
mixed vegetables or a salad
and either rice or potatoes or pasta.

snacks:
yogurt & fruit
i also allow myself a cheat food once in a while so i'm not depriving myself completely.

i'm 5'10 and have a BMI of about 20.1
i realize this is in the normal range, but i'm just looking to lose the little bit of weight that i've gained.
i didn't think it would be so difficult since it seems like the first time i lost alot of weight, it was easier.
i don't think i should be having any problems with this yet since i'm only 19.
that's why i'm so confused about all of this.
any help would be greatly appreciated!

Tuesday, January 1, 2008, 2:13 AM

sorry, i just realized i forgot teh exercise component.
i do half an hour of strength/weight training 3 times a week
and cardio also for half an hour 3 times a week with a day off to rest.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008, 2:16 AM

Have you measured yourself? Sometimes measurements tell us things the scale does not.

And do you measure your food? Our bowls, plates, spoons, etc. have all gotten bigger, which can lead to bigger portion sizes. Are you sure about your calorie intake? Are you eating plain pasta and potatoes? How much peanut butter or orange juice? What's in the homemade dressing? All of these little things can add up and may be just enough to keep your weight the same. I have a friend who ballparks everything and never loses b/c ultimately she's eating too much for weight loss. But she hates the idea of weighing and measuring her food...oddly she seems to hate her lack of weight loss more, but it's not enough yet to motivate a change! But I digress...

Is it possible that you're weight is perfect where it is?

Tuesday, January 1, 2008, 10:55 AM

Yeah I agree..maybe you're at your "perfect weight." I know BMI isn't necessarily a good indicator, but I wanted to see where I would be at, at a BMI of 20 and I would be 110 pounds, which is too thin for me. Maybe if you want to lose body fat, continuing doing strength training to build muscle. I read about a study that was done where overweight women strength trained for a year, without changing their diet (I'm not sure about the cardio part), and they lost 4% body fat. So maybe just continue working out.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008, 1:28 PM

okay.
i'll still keep doing what i'm doing, it's just that part of me feels like it'll be a waste of time since i'm not really seeing much results as of right now.
it's just the little bit of body fat that i'd like to lose & it's frustrating me.
could it maybe be because i'm only looking to lose about 5-10 pounds that it's taking longer than usual?

Tuesday, January 1, 2008, 3:41 PM

Yup it will take longer.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008, 6:25 PM

It becomes difficult once your BMI is about 20. I felt that I had to work extra hard to loss the last 5-10lbs. And, at this stage, I feel body fat is a better indicatior rather than the scale. So, keep track of of inches is definitely good idea. You can go to any gym and ask for body fat measure for like $15. If you have the money for a personal trainer, I think a good 3 months session will help. And, they are usually pretty good about come up with a program to reduce body fat. You can also try to increase the aerobic duration to about 50-60min. with extra 5-10min cool down in the beggining and the end and a very hard sweating 30min in the middle. If you already at a 15%body fat, then it'll take a lot of work to loss more.

Your basic metabolic requriment is about 1500cal/day. So, if you are sure that's where you are at, don't eat less. I also broke down my meals to 5-6times/day and eat about 300cal each time. Protein with each meal. lots of tea. No juice, no soda, lean meat (fish, chicken, turkey, egg white). When I had a BMI of 20, I lost about 1/2lb per week, and not to mention the monthly flatuations. So, snail pace weight loss. I use primarly tap measure now to keep track of my progress.

You can also check out the team Hotgrrls2 to see if you can find some tips there. Good luck.

Link

Tuesday, January 1, 2008, 7:15 PM

did you mean monthly flatulations or fluctuations?

Tuesday, January 1, 2008, 7:24 PM

to 7:24pm; it's more like monthly frustration...lol...thus, why I ditched the scale. My goal now is to eat healthier, workout harder, and run faster. The wieght can be where it wants to be, as long as my waist line is shrinking.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008, 9:15 PM

okay, thanks for all of your tips!
i don't know how to thank you.
i'll try and be more patient. i've also decided to just focus on fat reduction rather than the number on the scale.
i was just worried i was doing soemthing wrong.
but, hopefully, if i keep this up, i'll start seeing results soon.
thanks again :)

Tuesday, January 1, 2008, 9:23 PM

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