All was going well, but then...

[oneonthefence]

First post - here are the basics:

I'm 34, 5'2, and 164 pounds. I'm looking to get down to 128 (a reasonable weight for my height and build - that was my former weight in 2010, when I was on stage and had to look a certain way) by the end of the summer. Considering that I started at 188 on January 5th, I don't think my goal is completely unreasonable. Even at a 750-calorie per day deficit, I should lose the remaining weight (6 pounds per month) by the end of August.

I should. But I'm stuck. I haven't lost any weight in almost 2 weeks now.

The first 6-7 weeks were amazing. I dropped 2-3 pounds per week without doing much - I just reduced my sugar intake (from 6 tsp of sugar per cup of coffee to 1 tsp - and I've stuck to that) and walked a bit more. I also started biking for 20 minutes per day at a low intensity. I should note that I have severe RA, Lupus, Crohn's disease, as well as thyroid cancer (so I don't have a thyroid, and all of my hormones are replaced synthetically by a pill), so as much as I want to run, lift heavy weights, and really move about, I'm sort of restricted by illness. Not that that's stopped me, but it does slow me down. But again, the first 6-7 weeks were great. I would eat about 900 calories a day, burn 2000 (BMR and exercise), and the 1100 calorie deficit created the results I wanted.

Now? I really haven't lost anything since February 24th. I think I've lost a pound, but depending on the day, that pound comes back. And I'm frustrated. I can only eat a few things (protein bars are my main meals due to severe dietary restrictions), and at this moment, cannot eat fruits or vegetables. I'm also allergic to wheat (I have Celiac disease), so I mostly just consume protein bars, water, and coffee. That's it. So my average intake is 873, and average output is 2000. I'm never really hungry, and to be honest, about 600 of my 850-900 calories are consumed between 8 pm and midnight. I go to bed around 3 am, but don't eat in that three-hour window before doing so.

And nothing. No results. I'm still walking 6000-10000 steps a day and biking 20 minutes a day (at a higher resistance level now - 3 instead of 2), but nothing is happening. Yes, my pants are falling off my waist, and I can feel muscle coming back in my legs, but that scale won't budge. I feel as though I'm looking a little better, but nothing is reflected on the scale.

Any ideas? Tips? Thoughts about light weight-lifting that won't hurt my joints? Could this be thyroid-related since I don't produce the correct hormones to help with weight loss? I'm so frustrated. I don't want to give up, but after such a great start - I feel as though I won't (or don't know how to) break this plateau.

Thank you so much in advance.

[mlaccs]

The clothes feeling better is exactly what you should be measuring.  As you convery fat to muscle you will not lose weight but you will lose inches.  Sounds like you are doing everything right and just need to focus on all the metrics rather than just the one that is going to upset you (and the rest of us).  Good job!!!!

[oneonthefence]

Thank you for saying that. I just keep feeling like I'm doing something wrong - eating too much, not eating enough, not walking quickly enough, and so forth. The clothing getting looser is a good sign, but the plateau is just so frustrating.

I didn't mean to cause upset by mentioning any numbers or scale stuff - apologies if I did. I'm more venting my frustrations about myself. What I should do is start taking measurements and see if those change every week or two. I want to be healthy and fit - which is the main goal, after all, on top of the weight loss.

Thank you again!

[WendyB]

Only eating 900 calories is not enough. No one should go under 1200 calories a day.

You need to eat to lose weight. Could very well be why you are not losing.

[oneonthefence]

@WendyB - That makes sense (I guess my body is storing fat since I'm not eating enough, perhaps? It seems odd that you have to eat to lose weight, but it also makes sense since I'm exercising on a daily basis), but it feels as though I really cannot eat anything else. I'm already eating 3 190-calorie protein bars per day, and since they are low glycemic, they keep me feeling full. Since my food choices are so limited, I don't know what to do to get up to 1200 calories without making unhealthy choices (adding more milk back into my coffee, etc.). I've been very light-headed while exercising, so I wonder if 873 calories per day as opposed to the 1100 or so I used to consume pre-Fitbit is indeed the issue. Perhaps just going from 873 up to 1100 (since I don't know if I can hit 1200 a day yet) would be a good start? Then I'd still have a deficit of 800-900 a day, putting me back on track to lose 1.5 a week.

I also drink between 72-88 ounces of water a day, so I don't think that factors in. At least I think I'm doing that part correctly.

Thanks for the info. I'll see what I can do to increase my intake by another 250-300 per day for now, and go from there.

(This is where I should say that I wish my insurance company would cover the cost of a dietitian, especially since I have pretty severe health issues, but alas. I'm grateful for the knowledge of the users on this board, though!)

[WendyB]

You need real food.

Ditch these 3 190-calorie protein bars per day or just have one.

You need a good breakfast. A decenct lunch and dinner. As well as snacks.

You need lots of veggies, some fruit. Protein and healthy Fats like oils, avacado, peanut butter.

You need a well rounded intake of all foods.

For breakfast I have either eggs or Oatmeal with some kind of fruit.

Lunch sandwich with veggies or a salad

Big salad with protein and oils

Dinner is protein Veggies and Rice

I have snacks of Yogurt and String cheese. I pretty much eat every 3 hrs.

[oneonthefence]

@WendyB - The problem is that I can't eat real food (I think I mentioned that in my main post, but perhaps I didn't mention it clearly). I can't ditch the protein bars because I have severe digestive issues, along with Celiac disease and Crohn's disease. I've been on bagged nutrition (TPN) simply because my body doesn't know how to break down food. It will break down the protein bars - we don't know why - but for three years, that (and sometimes eggs, but only once or twice a week) is all I've eaten. It's boring, it doesn't help me, and I dislike it. I thought peanut butter would work once, but I spent two days in the hospital after trying it.

This is seriously why I wish I could just hire a dietitian, but I don't know if one could change the inner workings of my body anyhow. 😕

Unfortunately, veggies make me disgustingly sick, and my schedule - which I should have mentioned - is a bit upside-down. I go to bed at 3-4 am and am awake by noon, so I actually weigh less at night (8 pm or so). I just stepped on my scale at 9 pm, and came in at 162.5, not 164. Maybe I need to shift the time settings on FitBit to reflect that I exercise at 1 am and eat dinner at 10 pm, since it kind of assumes everyone runs on a "typical" schedule where eating stops at midnight/the day resets? I don't know if that makes sense, but I'm just trying to say that I'm a nighttime person, so weighing in at 10 am is probably going to reflect a higher weight - so I don't know if I should weigh in every week instead of every day, or weigh in at 9 pm and make that the "start" of my weight day.

I want to be able to eat every 3 hours, but all of my food is consumed within a 6-hour window of time. I really don't know how to break that habit without hurting my body. I can certainly try, though.

Thank you so much for your suggestions, and if I CAN do any of those things, I will. I really want to change how I eat, even if my body isn't happy about changes.

[WendyB]

Then you need to talk to your DR. They should be able to give you an eating plan that will work for you.

[oneonthefence]

@WendyB - probably so. I've tried (I have 12 doctors), but my body is in a weird state right now, so there are dissenting opinions within the medical ranks.

Anyhow, I think you're right in that 873 calories per day isn't enough, especially if I'm burning 2000+ a day. I'll up the calorie intake, keep at the exercise, weigh in at night (which is more like a typical morning for me), and speak to the next doctor I see (on Thursday).

Thanks for the advice. I really do appreciate it, and will see if I can slowly - even if it takes months - incorporate some different types of food back into my diet. I want to keep this weight off for good, and feel healthy again. I spent almost two years in a hospital bed. I can't allow that to happen again.

Thanks again for the good tips.

[WendyB · Accepted solution]

Please keep us posted. But your DR are you best bet in your diet. With all you have going on you won't get the right info here.

But I do believe you are not eating enough

[oneonthefence]

I will, and thanks. I'll see what my docs say, see if I can find a slightly better food plan (that will allow me to vary what I can ingest and digest), and will try to eat the 1100-1200 per day that I need just to keep moving. I also should keep track of measurements, since I can tell my clothing is getting quite loose. With all of those things, perhaps I can get back on the right path again.

I'm so glad I came here for advice. This has been very helpful.