HELP! Only lost 1 pound in 3 months!

[BlazingSolstice]

I'm 27, 5ft 6in and weigh 165lbs. I'm trying to loose at least 35 (if not 45) pounds. I don't have set deadline since I believe as long as I'm loosing consistantly, I'm not going to stress over a encroaching date. 

I count my calories, weigh portions and I have few "cheat days" though I never go overboard.  I don't work out hardcore but I try to squeeze in 2-3 mile walks every other day and lift light weights at the gym every few days. I've been keeping up a 1200 - 1300 calorie diet, whole grains, lots of leafy greens like spinach with little to no dressing. On occasion, I'll have a starchy vegetable like a baked potato with a teaspoon of butter, pepper, a tiny dash of salt, reduced fat cheese with a dollop of plain greek yogurt. I try to drink plenty of water but when I need the boost, I'll have an unsweetened iced tea. Once or twice a month I'll have a true cheat day when I have a girls night but nothing to would cause too much damage.

Keeping everything in mind, I should be loosing 1-2lbs a week. However, despite all of this, I have only lost 1 lb, only one flubbing pound in over three months.  My mother, who's been dieting with me, has lost over 30lbs in the same time and while I am so proud of her, I can't help feeling a little bitter, since I would be nearing and possibly meeting my goal weight by now if I was loosing like her.  

I'm running out of motivation and my fustration is only growing. My mom mentioned it might be something medical and that I should go to the doctors and get some blood work done, since the size of my gut literally changes by the hour BUT unfortunately, since where was work was sold to a different management company, my new insurance card has yet to arrive. So, until I get the card in the mail, I'm stuck stewing about my inability to loose weight. I decided until then, to find advice from people who may have faced the same thing.

Any advice that can be given would be greatly appreciated. 

The hopeful (and possibly disillusioned) side of me is hoping that it's mainly stress and since I literally just got out of a 8 year relationship (literally, as in last Wednesday) that I had been unhappy in for the last 2 years of it, and now, that I'm once again single and can focus on my wants and needs, that maybe I'll magically start loosing the weight.  Realistically, I'm doubtful, but I girl can hope, right?

[Heybales]

So true, once a month is probably infrequently enough to actually be a bad effect.

In that case, you eat over maintenance, body is going to store it as fat no matter what.

The difference is people with healthy metabolism can have it increase and not actually end up with much overage at all.

Unhealthy metabolism will likely get it all, the extra isn't going to help it speed up in one day high enough to wipe out the excess. Body is thinking if the craziness continues with big lack of food, I'm storing it as fat.

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/44/6/718.full.pdf

Some metabolic effects of overeating in man

[CCHH]

Are you journaling? tracking every bite you take?  As a WW member and a successful one.. tracking often shows that people are eating more than they think.. that their binge days are worse than they think.. also WW also says that eating too little will cause slow the metabolism...Although you say you and your mother are eating the same.. are you really?  does she cheat too?  Cheating is ok if its planned and controlled.  Write everything done and definitely see a dr. Maybe try eating less sodium.. 

CHH

[BlazingSolstice]

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@CCHH wrote:

Are you journaling? tracking every bite you take?  As a WW member and a successful one.. tracking often shows that people are eating more than they think.. that their binge days are worse than they think.. also WW also says that eating too little will cause slow the metabolism...Although you say you and your mother are eating the same.. are you really?  does she cheat too?  Cheating is ok if its planned and controlled.  Write everything done and definitely see a dr. Maybe try eating less sodium.. 

CHH

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 Yes, I'm tracking and measuring everything and when I can, I always weigh my portions since I've heard that's more accurate than simply measuring. I may not log it on my fitbit account but I have a small notebook I carry with me and I count and write down everything, this is mainly so when I see my doctor I can show her literally everything I've put into my body, including water.   My cheat days are controlled and for example, this past Saturday I had a cheat day and I kept with my diet all day until dinner and I had 6 peices of sushi and then a couple of bud lights at the bar. I went over my calorie budget but not enough to undo a month of watching what I eat and making healthy decisions. 

[BlazingSolstice]

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You do realize that most these sites probably gave the same eating goal because YOU selected the same weight loss amount. You say subtract 1000 calories by selecting 2 lb weekly weight loss, you'll end up at the same figure.

When people say eating more to not make your body adapt slower - they mean don't take such a big deficit, which of course means eating more, but still losing weight.

Just slower.

Though, you are already slowed down it appears with your attempt to make a big deficit, so you didn't actually gain anything.

You didn't gain fat fast, don't attempt to lose it fast, or it'll include muscle mass.

Also be aware that you feeling full and your body being fully fed for level of activity are 2 unrelated things.

Most people are attempting to lose weight exactly because they ignored that principle but it worked the opposite direction then, gaining weight.

Don't use your stomach, use your head. Undereating does mess up hunger cues easily, not to be trusted.

1200 is minimum recommended to get adequate nutritients in eating average diet for a sedentary woman.

You really sedentary, you really want to work with minimums and get those kind of results?

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I am overall, pretty sedentary. Especially this last week since I moved out from the apartment that I shared with my now, ex-boyfriend, since I've been having to sit and sort through 8 years of junk I've accumilated. Now then again, I fit in a walk whenever I can and workout at the gym when I have a chance. 

When I do have more active days, I am sure to eat more. Even if I'm not feeling hungry, I still eat. I may have to force myself to eat to make sure I'm not starving myself, but I make sure I don't nutritionally starve my self. 

I don't expect myself to loose weight fast but it would be nice to see 1lb a week, or I'd even be happy with a half of a pound a week, at least I would be seeing progress. I'm not upset about loosing weight slowly, I'm upset that after three whole months, making healthy decisions and watching what I eat, I only had 1 lb to show from it. It's even more fustrating when my mom has already lost my entire weightloss goal in that time (I am so proud of her though.)

[BlazingSolstice]

Good news since I first posted this thread, I've lost another pound!  I'm really hoping that's a sign that it was the stress of being in a unhappy relationship that was causing me to not loose anything. 

Also, I was incorrect when I was doing 1200 a day, its 1600.  I burn around 2184 calories a day

My insurance company is going to mail another insurance card so hopefully I'll get that in the next week or so then I can go see my doctor and have them do some bloodwork to check my thyroid and hormone levels to make sure there's nothing that would be making it hard for me to loose weight.

Last night for supper, I had a pork loin which was 110 cal. for 4 oz. and then a Quinoa Pilaf for 250 cal for 1.5 cups and a cup skim milk for 91 cal.  I was roughly 222 calories low so I had a granny smith apple for 110 and then a mandrin orange for 32 cal. as my dessert.

Lunch was was Sweet and Sour Chicken for 420 calories. 

Breakfast was a sausage burrito for 300 and a probiotic juice for 120.

I had a couple 90 cal. cereal bars throughout the day at work as a snack, one mid-morning, the second early afternoon.

Overall, I was actually over my budget by 13 calories. I was kept full and satisfied throughout the whole day and drank 5 bottles worth of water and 1 large unsweetened ice tea, as my morning pick-me-up.

This is a pretty usual day as for as what I eat in calories and I try to burn a little over 2100 calories every day.

[Trooper]

I knew someone that went on a 7 day Cruise. They decided to splurge and go off their diet. That person told me they gained 17 pound in seven days!!!! It's possible that one day of "Cheating" will not hurt. But that one day might turn into two, three, and etc.....

[Heybales]

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@BlazingSolstice wrote:

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@CCHH wrote:

Are you journaling? tracking every bite you take?  As a WW member and a successful one.. tracking often shows that people are eating more than they think.. that their binge days are worse than they think.. also WW also says that eating too little will cause slow the metabolism...Although you say you and your mother are eating the same.. are you really?  does she cheat too?  Cheating is ok if its planned and controlled.  Write everything done and definitely see a dr. Maybe try eating less sodium.. 

CHH

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 Yes, I'm tracking and measuring everything and when I can, I always weigh my portions since I've heard that's more accurate than simply measuring. I may not log it on my fitbit account but I have a small notebook I carry with me and I count and write down everything, this is mainly so when I see my doctor I can show her literally everything I've put into my body, including water.   My cheat days are controlled and for example, this past Saturday I had a cheat day and I kept with my diet all day until dinner and I had 6 peices of sushi and then a couple of bud lights at the bar. I went over my calorie budget but not enough to undo a month of watching what I eat and making healthy decisions. 

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So one day of increased sodium over normal amount (and if eating low sodium normally even worse effect) can cause big water weight increase that can take all week to slowly come back off.

Usually because the body really wants that extra sodium.

It'll drop fast what it doesn't actually need.

[Heybales]

Great to see you doing things smart then, and likely was just the extra stress. Good deficit level then unless down to last 15 lbs left, then 250 would really be better.

Since diet is already stress, and may have other life stuff, then the BF stuff just added enough to help retain some water weight.

50 calories over is better than constant 100 below.

But if you have the room, a stiff drink has been known to help whoosh off that stress water.

Just saying, if you need one too.

[Lindaluvs2soak]

NOT if you don't let it, a cruise is one thing, they paid a lot of money to go and enjoy themselves, personally 17 pounds in 7 days is crazy they must of been stuffing themselves 24/7 cause I go to the carribean twice a year all you can eat and drink, and I don't gain anything, just because your on vacation don't mean you over eat........one day of cheat a month is not going to hurt anyone

[Heybales]

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@Trooper wrote:

I knew someone that went on a 7 day Cruise. They decided to splurge and go off their diet. That person told me they gained 17 pound in seven days!!!! It's possible that one day of "Cheating" will not hurt. But that one day might turn into two, three, and etc.....

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Fat is not fast loss or gain.

If anyone thinks this is literally fat weight gained - do the math.

17 lbs x 3500 cal/lb of fat / 7 days = 8500 calories in excess of their maintenance each and every day of the cruise.

I'd wager unless they had practice, they'd have a hard time eating close to probably 11000 calories daily for that to be fat weight.

Water weight easy, probably some fat too, because likely overeating and drinking perhaps.

[RichardM]

sodium helps retain water in the body, so any increase (excess) can have immediate effect. Remember the vast majority of fat is removed from the body through your mouth (as you breath out), so the best advice I have is keep breathing.

[DominicJ]

Heybales, oh how innocent you are 🙂

Last time I was on holiday, I was having three course breakfasts....

Cocopops with Lemon Yoghurt

A cooked breakfast, beef sausages, turkey bacon, three egg omlete, cold meats and cheeses and tunisian brick, basically tuna in filo pastry, deep fried

And then some pastries.

With fruit juice, glass after glass after glass of a sweet coconut milk drink.

I was probably over eating 8000 calories just at breakfast by the end of the holiday

[Lindaluvs2soak]

but you made the choice to eat that way, you don't have to on a vacation or holiday....you gotta own your own decisions, that's really the bottom line

[DominicJ]

Yep, I had a "cheat week"

[LoquaciousLo]

So I am watching this video (thanks for posting!) and I'm curious... If I've been at a lower weight for the majority of my life (by far!) does that mean that I will still struggle more to retain that weight when/if I return to it because I've been 15 pounds heavier for one year? Or is my weight now a new set-point that I will constantly be pushed back up to? because that is a horridly depressing thought.

[Heybales]

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@LoquaciousLo wrote:

So I am watching this video (thanks for posting!) and I'm curious... If I've been at a lower weight for the majority of my life (by far!) does that mean that I will still struggle more to retain that weight when/if I return to it because I've been 15 pounds heavier for one year? Or is my weight now a new set-point that I will constantly be pushed back up to? because that is a horridly depressing thought.

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15 lbs is not much over first, so the difference in hormones trying to get your body back up there isn't bad.

There have been other studies later than theirs that show while they got the same effect of body slowing down - it did recover it's daily burn speed back to expected level. It did not remain at upwards of 20% slower for rest of their life.

It took months eating at lab measured maintenance though to start to regain some, but then study was over, so don't know how long it might have taken in total. Other study it took folks a year to recover.

And during this potential time of reduced daily burn, it's trying to push back up by having you eat more.

Just don't. That's all.

Keep logging for awhile and meeting maintenance.

Also - if you keep a reasonable deficit to lose the 15 lbs, which is really 250 cal daily deficit, and incorporate resistance training, and eat enough protein, you won't get the slowdown in the first place to worry about.

Didn't gain it fast - don't attempt to lose it fast.

[Nerdofsteel82]

I posted this in another location but it will apply to you as well.

I have a few suggestions for you if its not too late? First is understanding the balancing act of exercise. It seems like you are doing everything backwards. 1 hour of cardio is too long. There is a point where your body will no longer burn fat and it will go into endurance mode. Doing an hour of cardio is only preparing you for distance running, not necessarily losing weight/burning fat. Lifting weights is great and that's what you should actually be doing for an hour. And here is why; when you exercise your body uses the first available source of energy available for the first 20 minutes, then it starts using fat. Muscle loves fat as energy. By lifting weights first you've triggered your body into fat burn mode and also build lean muscle the entire time. Therefore you haven't wasted 20 minutes waiting for your body. After weight training then do moderate intensity cardio. Something like a mild jog, fast paced walk, or walking an incline. So now you're burning fat the entire 20 minutes you're doing cardio. As it gets easier, increase the resistance or incline but try to avoid increasing speed too much so you avoid going into endurance mode. For weight training I suggest one muscle group a day. Doing a full body workout stresses the body too much and it can't concentrate on healing properly after exercise. I suggest chest on Monday, back on Tuesday, shoulders Wednesday, arms Thursday, legs Friday, two days of rest. with cardio at the end of each weight session. Rest days are rest days. You can organize this to fit your schedule but try to keep the order. Working your groups in this order minimizes the impact on the other groups which will help with recovery time. Don't worry you won't get big and bulky. A woman can only get big and bulky with a massive amount of protein and a testosterone supplement. You will lean out trust me. Two major things to remember as well is 1. Losing weight is a calculation, you need to burn more than you take in. 3000 calories burned beyond your intake is a pound lost over the course of a week. So for 14,000 calories a week intake you need to burn about 2500 calories a day. But that doesn't mean it's all exercise to burn it either. Your body burns calories to function 24/7/365. So go online and find a calculator to calculate your resting metabolic rate. This is what your body burns in 24 hours to function. To breathe, to pump blood, for organs to work. Subtract that number from 2500 and that's the least you need to burn off with exercise a day. You'll have to modify this as you lose weight because your resting metabolic rate will change as your weight does. Lastly, once you start doing exercise correctly your body needs 30 days to accept the change. It's not used to it so it goes into survival mode and tries to hold onto whatever is can. So in 30 days don't expect much progress other than feeling better and feeling experienced instead of lost in the gym. After 30 days you'll see fat and weight melt off. Don't weigh yourself often. Maybe once every 3 or 4 weeks. Good luck!

[MarianneM]

just curious where you're getting your calorie counts from...pork loin is 56 cal/oz so for 4 oz it would be 224cals, not 110, also quinoa pilaf is about 189 per 3/4 cup so 1.5 cups would be 378 cals...this might be why you're not losing weight, you may be under estimating your calories in each food, you could be eating way more than you think...just thought it might be worth checking out.  Good luck with your journey.

[NYCINNAMON]

Blazing:

I'm in the same boat....its driving me crazy. I was in Weight Watcher's and lost over 27lbs but now that I 

dropped out I'm been stuck. I'm too walking miles and all the good stuff. I'm going to watch my sodium but for 

me I do not think it medical problem. I'm also going to change my evening routine with eating, will let you know how that work, also I love my wine and can't give it up but just a glass at night.

[Xakka]

I agree with this, carbs are not the enemy, almost all foods have carbs. foods and vegi's are also carbs. It like most dietary success is based on the quality of the carbohydrates. simple carb's such as refined white sugars break down quickly in your body give you that rush of energy and then it is gone and your are left feeling hungry while having to deal with the extra calories from eating the simple carbs. What you want is to shift more of your diet to complex carbohydrates that exist naturally in fruits/veggies and less refined foods. These complex carbs will break down more slowly in your body, which will keep you feeling full for longer with less shock on the sugar balance in your body.

Pick foods for nutrition density and more diverse diet to make sure you get everything that you need nutitionally.