Help, What am I oing wrong?

[SnappDragon77]

I'm feeling so frustrated. I bought my fitbit to track what im doing work out wise and im walking 8-12 miles per day and burning right around 3400 calories. I also work out at least 2x a week at the gym, ride horses 2-7 X a week (own two), and am vary active. My intake is 1/2 coffee cup of cereal in the am with 2 % milk. I usually have a coffee or tea at around 2pm with an egg or granola bar. Dinner time im careful about portions and chose healthy foods Im at around 1300 calories/ day. I drink water most of the time besides a coffee and stopped drinking soda when I was 16 (now 27 also im female) yet im not losing weight? I have been trying since December and nothing. what am I doing wrong? my biggest problem is my stomach.

I will add that I have thoracic outlet syndrome, frozen shoulder, and slipping rib syndrome, as well as a hip that pops out of socket. my weight came after I was hit head on by another driver which caused these issues. I was restricted from doing much for a few years. I was kicked out of PT but I refused to have surgery's to remove ribs, bones, and opted to ride once I got the ok. I know the weight came from stress, depression ect. However Im mentally and physically stronger and removing this weight will further me being able to get my life back.

[SophieGymBeast]

i think you are very stressed, stress can make you gain weight, and working out more than your body can cope can cause injury plus your body tends to know when to put defenses up to stop you losing body. I think body balance would be great for you, it is a mixture of yoda, tai chi and pilates, especially since you have many injuries plus they help with toning, pilates a lot with the abdomin area.  Doing a variety of exercise doesn't just mean just intense exercise.

[SophieGymBeast]

what do you eat for lunch? you said you drink a lot of coffee, do you think you are using this to supplement your appetite. Eat your calories don't drink them

[josephz2va]

Depends on what kind of cereal. Several cereals are very bad for dieting. Whole Grain cereal is better. It's best to eat at least one type of fruit a day and as many veggies as you can have. Maybe a tupperware set up for 7 days of premixed salads, portioned amount of nuts for 7 days. You can buy the Beachbody Portion Control tupperware online without a program or you can buy a program along with it such as 21 Day Fix which comes included.

Stomach toning doesn't have to be with an at gym personal trainer or physical therapist. I'd recommend buying an at home program which is cost affordable. Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 is light exercising for women with a modifier for 30-45 minutes a night.

[Rickm86]

Hi There!

I might come across abit nasty here but its not my intention.

You are clearly eating more than you think, weight loss or fat loss, we want to lose body fat not really over all weight is done by cals in v cals out.  Nothing more to it.

As a woman you will hold water more than us men but you should be seeing a trend in a monthly weight loss if you are on over a 2k calore deficit.  However you say you are not losing which leads me to believe you are eating more than you think.

Do you weigh your food using a food a kitchen scale?

Do you log every single thing you eat?

How are your weekends? filled with alcohol?

Do you drink alcohol in the week?

As for your stomach, there is no way to target fat loss to an area of the body, fat loss happens all over the body so it comes off where it comes off, you just have to keep losing bodyfat until you are happy with your problem areas, this may mean you lose fat from places you didnt want to!

Have a look on on bodybuilding.com, fat loss sub forum there is so much useful information on there.

[MRose]

Hi @SnappDragon77 and welcome to the forums!

It is incredibly frustrating to be working so hard and not lose weight, but I think there are a few things that you can change, at least for a trial run, that will hopefully help you. As @Rickm86 mentioned, alcohol is a huge diet-buster, especially with the mid-regions. However, I would have to politely disagree with him on the "eating more than you think you are" opinion. I honestly think you probably need to eat more than you are, maybe just different things. A half-coffee cup of cereal is very, very little as what should be your largest meal of the day, and offers very little protein other than what is in the milk. My main reason for thinking that you are likely eating too little is because you mentioned that your abdomen is your problem area. When our body senses that, over time, we are eating too little by comparison of our output, it saves everything deemed essential. Especially as females, we tend to hold abdominal (visceral) fat to keep our internal organs from playing bumper cars. Fun stuff.

If you are consistently moving as much and eating as little as you say, your metabolism has likely slowed. This is not to say that you are eating too few calories (although you may be with your body still working on healing), maybe just not the right kind. My doctor put me on a specific diet, and I end up eating about 1200 a day when I pay attention to it. However, I actually eat a lot and am rarely hungry, and I've lost about 65 lb... although - this is not normal! Most people do and should eat considerably more... My point in mentioning this is that the nutrition in a 100 Calorie Pack cookie snack doesn't compare to 100 broccoli calories.

With your body still working on healing, it's incredibly important to be giving yourself the proper medicine. I say this fairly often and it's true every time: Food is a drug! It can heal or it can harm. After going on a proper diet (I personally do the Zone/paleo combination), I was able to gradually get off of all 13 of the medicines I was taking. I've seen this happen for many family members and friends, as well. Our body can do amazing things if we give it high-octane fuel.

Speaking of medicine, though, look into the meds you have been taking since your car wreck. Sometimes those can play badminton with your metabolism as well. Mention it to your doctor next time you are in the office and ask them if there is anything you can do differently.

[Rickm86]

@MRose What i meant was unless you log and weigh everything most people think they are eating 1500cals but in reality its more the 3000cals 

I have helped alot of people lose weight and general feel better and the first thing people say to me is i only eat x amount.  We then sit down log everything weigh everything and most of the time its closer to double what they actually thought they were eating.

However if the OP is taking some serious meds for here injuries then yes this can play havoc with fat loss.  

[AjmalH]

Can I suggest that you take CHIA seeds in your diet, these are very good for losing belly fat and have numerous other health benefits as well as keeping you full.

[Rickm86]

Seen as you can not spot reduce fat... how does CHIA seeds actually help lose belly fat?

[Bradio]

Your trying too hard.I can sit in a chair all day long and lose weight or remain the same weight as long as I don't consume more than 2000 calories.You are increasing you caorie demands by working too hard,chill and watch your calories.

[Heybales]

Wow, if your burn estimates and eating estimates are correct - please don't imagine a body likes getting less than 1/2 in food from what you burn.

Talk about stress, and body adapting.

Unless you are just dishonest with your food logging and not even trying to be accurate - I doubt you are erasing that huge of a deficit.

But you likely are wiping out some of it by eating more than you think - thank goodness, effects could be worse.

But what you burn with riding would be badly inflated too since it's not step based, and you mention nothing about manual logging of that time to wipe out the false steps and calorie burn.

But beyond that, I'm sure you still have too huge of a potential deficit for an unhealthy body, and you've made it worse, so the body does what it does just fine - adapts.

You no longer burn what Fitbit thinks a healthy body is burning, the math is all off.

So you can either keep eating ridiculously low and go lower, and hope you get no negative effects from even more stress on the body.

Or get as healthy a body back as you can get - and then take a reasonable deficit.

[sugarmagnolia]

I have been going through recovery from extensive injuries in a car accident and understand the frustration you are going through to get back to feeling like you again...body, mind, wholeness. All of this can be very stressful. I'm not sure how long ago your accident was, but the PTSD can last for a while; especially if you still have these syndromes that are staying with you.

The stress and the coffee consumption can increase cortisol levels that will cause you to store fat. In women, this happens in the stomach area. It is not surprising that this is where you are storing fat. The insulin and glycemic load of starchy carbs such as cereal can also add to the problem. You want to make sure to get a good blend of quality protein, fats and healthy carbohydrates. Consider switching from coffee to green tea for a while. You will still get some caffiene to prevent the headaches from withdrawal, but it doesn't take as much of a toll on your system.

Your body also needs a mix of vitamins, antioxidants and whole nutrition to help with the healing and inflammation. I would look at adjusting your diet and finding time to relax more and nurture yourself. Don't forgt to breathe and give yourself a break...you've already been through a lot. 🙂

[SunnyM]

Speaking of Green Tea- how do you drink it? Ive tried it before but it just tastes like muddy hot water to me. Can you tell me how to make the perfect cup of Green tea? Maybe I'm just doing it wrong? I mean very specifically, one tea bag- 2 tea bags? Sugar? Honey? Milk?  Ive always drunk coffee, not tea, but if the coffee is preventing me from losing this weight I will GLADLY give it up!!! Thx to anyone who can help!!!!

[sugarmagnolia]

@SunnyM - "it just takes like muddy water to me" - haha! I know...it is a definite acquired taste to get used to the green teas "purests" love. In Japan, green tea is considered an art and there are nuances of what time in the year the tea is harvested, blooming of the plant, growing method, processing methods, etc. In the U.S. there are so many varieties that a tea purest would likely scoff at, but certainly will overcome the muddy water flavor challenge. 🙂

In the grocery store you will find green tea and fruit combinations, white and green combinations, and a whole lot of other selections. Stores like Wholefoods (or other health food stores) will likely have a larger selection. Depending on where you live you might also find a tea shop with a huge selection of green, red and white teas. Staff there can help you find something to fit your palette.

There is also the option for mixing two teas. I just dealt with a bout of the flu and combined green tea with a lemon ginger tea (one bag of each), and added a few drops of Sweet Leaf liquid stevia. It was delicious and seemed to help with the flu symptoms too.

I can't say you will get the same richness as you might be used to with coffee, but you can find other options to overcome the flavor hurdle. I had to give up coffee due to stomach acid issues and went on a mission to find alternatives I could make work. You might also find it fun to be creative in coming up with the perfect concoction for you.

[sugarmagnolia]

Oh! One other thought in response to preparation. Many believe you should allow boiling water to cool down slightly before steeping green tea in it. Different teas can have different directions. Tea is typically steeped for about 6 minutes but that can vary too depending on the tea. Instructions come with every tea.

One thing is certain...if you leave any tea steeping in the water too long, the tea will begin to taste bitter. That can definitely play into the muddy water flavor you were experiencing. Never leave a tea bag in the cup.

You can add milk and honey if desired. I use the Sweet Leaf liquid stevia because it is calorie free and doesn't affect your insulin levels/glycemic load, but doesn't have the negative impacts that artificial sweeteners do. Some stevia can be bitter...the Sweet Leaf is good.

[Fifre]

I believe you should allow the water to cool to 85 C (185 F) if you're making green tea. I can't tell you why exactly, other than this being the optimal temperature for getting the most out of it.

For someone who don't much like the flavour of green tea (it's not my favourite either), I recommend getting something fruity and not letting the tea soak for too long, because that makes it more bitter. I let it sit for 4 minutes usually. And sweeten with a bit of honey.

[Bradio]

I'm thin so I don't need 2000 calories a day,and in order to lose a pound first I have to gain a pound.

The human body is not a car so weight control is not a science.

Why do you people want to lose weight anyway?

If you want to get in shape and healthy from diet then focus more on what not to eat as opposed what to eat.

N.W.Walker wrote a lot of great books on human physiology and he's the only man who's got enough of a sense of humor to try to sell his juicer for $3.000 cash money...Whoa! too steep for my budget.