why am i not losing weight!!!!

[dani_doot]

hey all, im feeling very frustrated at the moment as i have been being good for a few weeks now, and ive not lost any weight.

i can only assume its because i have done faddy diets (cabbage soup etc) in the past and lost like 7lbs in my first week, that i feel so disappointed that im not losing any at the moment.
you see i had major brain surgery in january this year, and because of lack of exercise etc i have put weight on. and i have tried these lose weight quick diets, that have worked temporarily, but they make me feel soooooo horrible. So i have been informed by my doctor that the only way i can lose weight is to do it the long "healthy" way, because my body is still healing from the surgery and i need all the nutrients i can get.

so i have been calorie counting and eating very healthy good food for 3weeks now, and exercising every other day (thats all im allowed to do) and i havent lost even 1lb of weight. is this normal?? is healthy weightloss this slow?? i feel like giving up.

 

[munkypooh]

If you hadn't exercised as much before, you could have gained a few lbs of muscle and not noticed losing a few lbs of fat as they had been replaced by the muscle?
How many calories are you having each day?
Your BMI is already quite low, so it can be harder to lose weight in this range (I know!!)

I did 1100 cals a day for 4 weeks, and only lost 5 lbs, when all the 'science' was saying I should have lost 8-10 through the calorie deficit. Everyones body is different.

 

[dani_doot]

hey munky, thanks for the fast reply. well i checked my bmr and its approx 1800 cals for maintence, so i have dropped my calories to 1300 a day, which theoretically means i should lose at least 1lb a week. Also ive reduced my carbohydrate intake as i can eat way to much of them.

i didnt exercise much at all before, i was just luckily quite slim (well apart from a podgy tummy) so it could be muscle, but i just dont feel any thinner or trimmer. im just hoping that because i am doing it the healthy way that it is natural to lose weight slow and steady...

 

[nexangelus]

Yeah, what Munky said, you are in the healthy BMI range (not that I take any notice of this particular figure now) and weight is harder to lose...well possibly no harder than anyone else, but if you are near healthy weight for your height it tends to stick around and be more difficult to shift. Try playing about with carb and protein ratios...you'll need the extra protein to heal I presume...easier if you're not vegetarian of course, but there are plenty of sources out there for low carb vegetarians.

Also take it easy on yourself as you've been through something quite serious at the beginning of the year....slow and steady...one or two pounds per week is healthy. That is the rate and slower that I have been dropping the excess fat this year.

 

[dani_doot]

yeah ive tried in switching the carbs and protein about but not having enough carbs make me feel ill, so i can only limit them so much. and the doctor says i should be having a heatlhy portion of food groups per day.

i just feel like its gona take me months to lose weight this slow. do u think that maybe my body is just adjusting and will soon catch up?? or maybe i wasnt retaining that much water, so thats why im not losing anything, cuz i know you lose mainly water weight in your 1st two weeks of dieting.

ps. sorry for the rant, im just very frustrated.lol

 

[nexangelus]

Could well be the glycogen loss (water loss)...and that you have put some muscle on and that is registering as no weight loss...I go by how my clothes fit and measurements (boobs, hips, waist, etc) more than what the scales say now (unless I want to shift fat specifically, which I am trying to do again now)

If it does take months (it took me a few months to 'lose' 6 pounds in weight but I also toned up (gained muscle) and dropped a dress size and a bit) then that is also good in a way as you know it will be permanent if you take the time to adjust your lifestyle.

Don't be disheartened...small steps...

 

[preetone]

i know how u feel, my weight is stuck atm. i got birthday celebrations this weeken, so after this is over i think i mite so extra healthy exercise kick.

 

[krazykaz]

Me 2 I have been the same weight give or take a pound for a month now!!! gotta lose 1/2 stone by christmas!!

 

[nexangelus]

C'mon peeps we can do this...I need to lose the last 6 pounds by Xmas too, not imperative, but it's a mini goal for now...

 

[coley144]

I lost 3 stone calorie counting then plateaud for over a year! Partly it was because I got injured and couldn't exercise. Partly it was because (I think) I wasn't averaging my calories over a week or a month.

So I'd be eating 1500 calories a day or less most days but maybe 1 day a week I'd have 2000. I'd pretty much ignore that and stick to my 1500 the next day. The problem was that I'd then be 500 UP on the week as a whole.

Weight started creeping on and I couldn't figure out why. I'm doing CD now but once I go back to maintaining I'm planning on averaging out over a longer period so when I go over on one day I adjust the next.

This is probably obvious to you all but came as a bit of a revelation to me so wanted to share.

 

[nexangelus]

I was just marvelling at how different everyone is with regards to weightloss...what works for one person can be really horrible and not work for another...the calorie cycling thing is what athletes and bodybuilders use, they calorie count and then up the carbs or calorie count one day and then go back down again...it surprises the body or something to that effect and also keeps the body from feeling it is being cheated...it didn't work for you coley144, yet for others the same strategy could work well...

Maybe that is what gets frustrating about dieting, what works for many may not be the thing that works for you...experimentation is the key, but I must say that I never felt safe experimenting when I was overweight or obese, I just wanted a tried and tested formula to get rid of the fat...now that I am normal weight it feels safer to do these weird experiments...hmmm...

 

[Marianne]

I was just marvelling at how different everyone is with regards to weightloss...what works for one person can be really horrible and not work for another...the calorie cycling thing is what athletes and bodybuilders use, they calorie count and then up the carbs or calorie count one day and then go back down again...it surprises the body or something to that effect and also keeps the body from feeling it is being cheated...it didn't work for you coley144, yet for others the same strategy could work well...

I was just going to say the same thing, because that's what I do. I have a couple of higher calorie days a week, the days for which I like to vary, and it has helped me so much as far as losing weight goes.

It was when I stuck religiously to the same 1300-1500 calories a day that I hit a plateau and stuck there.

 

[radicore]

I do up day/down day. I find it's easier to lose weight that way, because my metabolism is always working at the rate of my "up" days (when I eat more), so on my down days, I'm still burning as much as I do on up days. If that makes sense. (I thought it sounded kinda iffy at first, but it does actually work). If you stick religiously to a certain amount, eventually you will hit a plateau. The fact you have a healthy BMI probably means you'll lose slower, too. I know that since I got my BMI below 25 my weightloss has slowed.

 

[dani_doot]

wow, never thought id get this many responses.lol. you know i didnt even think of having my calories staggered. thats a really good idea.

To be honest ive been trying to lose weight and have done soooo many different diets since june 2008 that i think i have been pretty much living on 1200 calories everyday , then at weekends i have been naughty and had over 2000 calories. So i think my body has got used to the low calories during the week etc so thats why i have maintained for so long, which i suppose is good that i havent put weight on, but at the same time its very frustrating. Also the fact that i have tried before to say ill have 1200 during the week and 1500 on a friday and saturday, makes it toooo tempting to over indulge.

so here goes...this is going to be new plan of action.

Monday- 1250 calories and 50 grams of Complex carbs
Tuesday- 1500 calories and 100grams of Complex carbs
Wednesday- 1250 calories and 50 grams of Complex carbs
Thursday- 1500 calories and 100grams of Complex carbs
Friday- 1250 calories and 50 grams of Complex carbs
Saturday- 1500 calories and 100grams of Complex carbs
Sunday- 1250 calories and 50 grams of Complex carbs

i will do this until christmas (4weeks) to see if this has any impact on my plateau. Along with this i will be doing at least 30minutes exercise 3 times a week along with some toning work.

Thank you for all your responses, you's have been very supportive and made me feel so so much better. x

 

[dani_doot]

oh forgot to mention my bmr is 1854 so with these calories cuts, i should be losing at least 1lb a week, and along with exercise, hopefully a bit more. x

 

[Marianne]

Oh! Another thing I forgot to mention which you just reminded of is that when I was doing the same exercise routine constantly I hit another plateau. Changing that around and doing some new things really helped.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[nexangelus]

Yep Marianne, it is suggested that you change your exercise routine every two to four weeks...good one!