Weight Loss FAIL

[Nitya_Eternal]

Hi all! Sorry for the long post but I want to make sure you have background on my situation. I've entered a few sample days in my food diary here if that can help as well.

I'm a 30 year old female, 5'4", and weigh 180 pounds. This is the most I've ever weighed in my life... for most of my adult years (18+) I hovered between 145 and 155 and was a small size 10. I realize according to BMI standards this is still high, but BMI standards can... I'll keep this post clean and leave that thought there =) Lets just say I do have visible muscle mass, although my arms could use a bit more toning, and the only time I've EVER been within BMI "normal and healthy weight" standards was during a phase in my life where I was on drugs 24/7. That phase has long since passed, so don't worry about that =)

I met my partner this time last year and as these things usually go, I packed on the pounds as we went out to eat often and spent all of our time mooning over each other instead of staying active. I jumped up to a size 14 and my current weight within about 6 months. The past few months I've been desperately trying to reduce this back to where I was...

When I was at my earlier weight, I feel like I was pretty unhealthy. I knew it then too, I just didn't care. I skipped breakfast, rarely had dinner, ate light snacks multiple times a day, and pretty much lived on coffee, tea, and water. My calorie intake was roughly 1,200 per day, and I worked out (cardio - running/walking/hiking) 3-4 days a week. I was always hungry, and simply ignored it and drank more coffee to suppress my appetite.

[Jaquta]

When I'm going through a healthy phase my diet is probably pretty similar.
I have cereal and fruit and maybe yogurt for breakfast.  A mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack of fruit.  Evening meal.  Plus loads of tea (which is very bad for me).

At the moment I'm just eating non-stop and eating lots of high-fat, high-sugar food.
The other day I made a lemon meringue pie for some reason and ended up eating most of it myself.
I checked out that basal energy expenditure calculation and it said intake would be higher for stress, illness, activity and several other factors.
I must be quite stressed to lose 400 g after eating a whole pie (it wasn't small either) plus other food.  I guess I should be grateful I am not heavier than I actually am.

Feeling deprived will almost certainly ensure you don't continue with your plan.

I think talking things through with your doctor would be a good idea.  Thyroid, pco has also sometimes been mentioned to hinder weight loss.

I would do as Dr Beckerman suggest and cut out the splenda.

I would look at how much you're exercising and what you're eating.
Exercise:  Intensity, duration, etc.
Food:  What are you having for breakfast, lunch and dinner?  What are your portions like?  How are you cooking your meals?  Are there hidden calories?  You don't mention alcohol.  Alcohol has heaps of calories.  Drinking water is good for weight loss.

You might need to play with what you're doing a bit or if you're not prepared to do that get some professional advice.
I'm not sure what's going on.  You say you're hungry, yet are not losing weight.  It could be phantom hunger.  You could try posting on the emotional eating expert forum.

Another idea.  Check out Dr Beckerman's first blog.  I forget the title.  Eat less.  Do more.  ??  Not sure.  You'll find it.  He has some additional tips there.

Good luck!!

[Nitya_Eternal]

You're welcome, and I'm glad I could help! I posted my food diary (April 25th through the 27th are my "sample days") if you want a few ideas.

I still have no idea what to do though... I know Dr. Beckerman says to cut back even more on calories, but I don't know where or how. I haven't lost a single pound through cutting back, and I try to make sure I get the proper nutrition throughout the day - I have the right amounts of protein, fiber, and carbs, and I eat grains and veggies/fruits daily. I know there's that mental hurdle of feeling deprived to overcome when it comes to weight loss, but I also feel deprived physically. Like I said, at 2,000 calories a day I still get shaky and irritable from overwhelming hunger, just like I did when I was eating terribly and hitting 1,200!

Another member on MedHelp suggested I ask my doctor to test my thyroid levels as well as possible insulin resistance, to see if either of those might be contributing factors.

[Jaquta]

Hey, thanks for your post.  I figured that if you can make changes then I can too.
I decided to make some changes today and to stop making excuses.

Thanks for inspiring me to cut back on the mammoth portions I am consuming.

[Jaquta]

That basal energy expenditure calculator sounds interesting.  I'm definitely going to have to Google that.

My sense (woman's intuition not medical science) says the opposite to the doctor.  When I lose weight around my chest and face I know I am losing weight.  Maybe you have just plateaued and need to change things up a bit.  ??

Maybe the problem is that it is taking time for you to readjust to the fewer calories.
I have been binge eating very badly for a period and I am not looking forward to slashing my energy intake.  Emotionally I don't quite feel ready for that at the moment.

Maybe bulking up meals with salads and low calorie vegetables would help.

I think trialing the doctors recommendations may be helpful.

[James G Beckerman, M.D.]

Interestingly, my little basal energy expenditure calculator suggests that you might actually be eating too many calories - it suggests that 1600 calories a day is your baseline that you burn, and if you are burning an additional 400 by exercising, that equals about 2000, which is the same as what you are taking in.  You might need to actually cut calories further to make significant process.   Also consider stopping sugar substitutes - it may help you as well.  Take care!

[Nitya_Eternal]

I noticed during the holiday season last year how my weight had jumped up terribly fast, so on January 1st I started keeping a food and exercise diary to see what I was doing wrong. I was consuming around 3,500 calories a day, huge amounts of fat, and only exercising 2-3 days a week - no wonder I gained weight! For the first 2 months of keeping the diary, I simply tracked what I was doing and made minor changes to my eating habits...I read food labels and reduced my fat intake, I would try to eat 1 serving instead of 2 for dinner, things like that. Nothing major, but just trying to ensure my calorie intake was 2,500-3,000 instead of 3,500, and my fat intake was in-line with recommendations so I didn't shock my system and go into starvation mode.

For the past 2 months, I've been getting myself back onto the normal type of schedule I like with exercise - 3-4 days a week, and when the weather is nice, going out on the weekends hiking and such. I've been reducing my calorie intake again as well - I began at 2,500, and for the most recent month, have limited myself to 2,000. For the past month as well, I've increased my exercise from 3-4 days a week to 5 days a week, hoping to jump start my metabolism and weight loss before the inevitable plateau.

I try to eat a balanced and healthy diet - my fat intake is below the recommendations for a 2,000 calorie diet and I certainly watch out for the processed carbs. I noticed years ago that I felt about a million times better if I cut out those bad carbs and went on a low-or-no gluten diet, so that's a change that I've already incorporated easily. Brown rice & brown rice pasta, spelt bread instead of white, etc. etc. I consume less sugar (it was mostly in the coffee anyway), and use Splenda when I can. I eat regularly... I get up at about 6:15 and exercise for 45 minutes. Around 7:30am I eat breakfast, I have a snack of fruit around 10 or 10:30, I have a homemade lunch between 12 and 1. I have a high-fiber/low-fat granola bar around 3:30, and dinner is around 6. Dinner is homemade also, we rarely go out to eat anymore. My daily intake is: 1950-2050 calories, 30-40 grams of fat, and 25-35 grams of fiber.

Diabetes runs in my family prevalently. I was tested a few years back and am fine, although I suspect I may be hypoglycemic instead. Most everyone in my family is heavy and could lose 10-50 pounds, so genetics may play a small part, although rarely do people in my family exercise so that should be taken into account as well. I'm a mixed batch of heritage - European, Mexican, Native American - and I gain weight proportionally (all over, rather than only-stomach or only-thighs, etc).

I haven't lost a single pound since January. I know the number on the scale doesn't always tell the truth, so I also check how my clothes are fitting and if I've lost inches. I'm still a size 14, and the only places I've lost any mass on my body are my ribcage and my cheekbones. I am ALWAYS HUNGRY. My stomach turns in knots and grumbles at me well before all of my meals/snacks. Sometimes I even get shaky and have headaches and lose all my energy, so my the time I eat I'm RAVENOUS and NEED to eat (see "hypoglycemic" above).

I'm going to make an appointment with my doctor to see if she has any thoughts about this, or recommends tests to see if there could be a medical issue. What do you folks think? What am I doing wrong here?