Why can I not loose weight?

[MilanMiller]

I am terriably frustrated.  I eat very healthy, exercise, and the weight just sits there or I gain.  I don't understand what I'm doing wrong.  I'm not terriably overwieght, but I am at the top of the appropiate weight for my height.  I'm 5'3 and 137.  I eat tons of salads, hardly any carbs, drink my weight in water, eat small meals 5 times a day, no sweets, cook my own meals, I eat a healthy breakfast, ...and only occasionally splurge with a glass of red wine at dinner.  My husband and daughter follow along only at dinner and they drop 5 lbs without even trying and they do not work out and they eat fast food frequently.  I've tried the south beach because they have great, quick recipies and an easy meal plan to follow, but nothing.  I've been trying faithfully for over 5 weeks to shed just a few pounds becuase my pants are getting too tight,  but nothing - not even a pound.  What is wrong!!  I would be happy with even just 1 lb a week - but this is rediculus.  Any suggestions?  I've even given up my much love for coffee in subsitute for green tea hoping that might help.  Nothing.  And my middle area just keeps growing.  My middle section is the problem area and it constently feels so large and out of proportion with the rest of my body.  I wish I could figure out what I'm doing wrong and how to fix it.

[nursegaby]

I woudl have your insulin levels checked or see a specialist that treats this, there two Dr. I know that I would recommend, Dr. Kerendian Or Dr. Charles Smith.....Check then out

[MilanMiller]

Thanks to all for the comments.  I'm now down to 132~133!  The Bikram Yoga has helped so much.  My diet is much the same - I eat very healthy - always have.  Good carbs, whole wheat, oats, very little sugar.. good veggies and that is still the same.  Bikram Yoga is really helping to level my appetite and I believe the yoga is lengthening my muscles in my quads that once where so "stocky" and heavy.  My pants are fitting so much better now and even my husband noticed a difference.  I'm still running but alternating it with Yoga.  And the yoga is so relaxing!  I love it and highly recomend it to everyone.  

[Killerpain]

Try cutting out wheat for a week and see how you feel.  I don't know if it really causes problems or just bloating, but cutting down on it seems to help me.

[salukigirl]

pcos? you mean ploy cystic ovarian syndrome? i was disgnosed with that also. i have had like 4 ultra sounds and they found several cysts in my ovaries and a polyp in my uterus that has sinced sloughed off. theyre taking me off birth control pills and giving me an IUD to lessen my hormones. do you think that could be why i never lose weight no matter what i do? because im 5'9'' and 160 lbs. i used to be about 135 and in 2 years, the 2 years ive been having this problem, i have gained about 35 lbs and lost 10 of it. i know im only a few lbs over my ideal weight but its all around my middle and im afraid of diebetes, heart disease etc since my family already has a history of both of those things.

[livewell756]

It's easy -  look into the new 100% all natural supplement called Zylene.
It really does wonders  ----  loose weight and keep it off while staying healthy
check it out
www.health4wealth.com/livewell

[awarder]

First of all, I'd like to say that the man who came up with the high protein/low carb diet, "Dr." Atkins, isn't a real doctor; he doesn't have an MD, and I think that's really important to consider.  Also, like someone else already said, your brain really does need carbs; I think the problem is refined sugars and white flour.  And, I don't know if this is entirely true but my biology teacher in highschool told me, and I went to a really good private highschool, that the amount of protein "Dr." Atkins suggests you consume is hard on your liver.  I know you will lose a lot of weight quickly on that diet, but after you go off of it, you'll just gain it right back, as someone else said I think.  So, just some things to consider before going that route, although getting rid of the "bad" carbs and cutting back on the other carbs is probably not a bad idea.

Some other things to think about...
I heard from Dr. Oz on Oprah that if you consume the right amount of Calcium and Magnesium your body won't digest a lot of the fat that you consume.

Also, one of the reasons women have a harder time losing weight is b/c women have a lot less muscle mass, and muscle mass helps you burn more calories by increasing your metabolism.

And lastly, although you obviously aren't having this problem, I think doctors suggest that you don't lose more than 1-2 lbs a week, b/c then you'll just be losing muscle mass.  And, why does it matter if you are gaining weight just from muscle?  The point is to lose fat and look thinner isn't it?

Anways, hope this helps!

-Ann

[JD77]

Our environment is full of impurities and toxins that are absorbed by our bodies.
One of the ways the liver deals with impurities is to increase body fat to enfold these
impurities to protect the body from their influence.

Diets are not successful for long term
weight loss because they don’t address the need to cleanse the body of impurities.

Check out this site to watch a video w/ explanation.

http://healthiercleanse.com/weight.htm

This program is endorsed by numerous Dr.'s and health professionals,
including John Gray, Ph.D., bestselling author of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.",
Gilad, Creator and star of America's #1 fitness show "Bodies in Motion" and
Jack Canfield, co-Author of the Chicken Soup for the Souls series,

[MilanMiller]

I rarely eat oatmeal cookies or drink wine.  I might have one cookie, one day out of the entire week, or maybe two glasses of wine one night out of the week - and then that might only be every 2 or 3 weeks.  I'm very careful with what and how I eat - probably too much so.

HOWEVER

I think I may have stumbled onto something that has really made a difference.  Two weeks ago I tried Bikram Yoga with a friend.  Since then I have lost 5 lbs and my pants fit so much better.  This is the first time in months that I've dropped a pound so I'm very excited.  I've always been a runner, but it seems that maybe the running had me leveled out.  The bikram yoga is a very streneous workout for 90 minutes and you sweat so much.  I've never felt better from any workout and the intensity feels like that of a 10 miler maybe even harder.  It may have been that I needed to switch some things up and crank up the sweat factor.  Some of this may be water weight - but it still feels really good and my hands don't feel as swollen.  It's also making me drink a lot more water and even seems to curb my appetite in the eveninigs.  I highly recomend trying it.

[asmit49]

If you are eating oatmeal cookies and having red wine this could be the main reason why you aren't losing weight. Sounds like you are eating healthy, but not eating for weight-loss. Wine and oatmeal cookies should be part of the maintaining phase. Once you are down to your ideal weight then you can have a glass or two at night with a couple of cookies, while continuing to eat healthy. Alcohol is a major reason why so many people are overweight. I am a sucker for it too, but when it's time to lose weight, I know it has to go. Good luck!

[KurtS]

Try reducing your workouts and shooting for higher intensity. Don't worry about spending time burning calories. The short higher intensity workouts will help you burn fat at rest. Some theorize that longer moderate workouts actually train your body to retain fat for the next run/swim/bike.  I have switched to this approach with very good results.
I exercise 10-15 minutes 5 times a week at high intensity, have increased my protein intake (protien shakes for breakfast), reduced simple carbs and lost 35 lbs in the last 6 months. Good luck, I know we have been told otherwise for years but this worked for me.

[live4fitness]

Look up PCOS. I was just diagnosed with it.

[bedtimestory]

Trust me I know the feeling of wanting to lose stubborn extra fat. During the two weeks that I mentioned to you a while ago you are not supposed to eat oatmeal cookies (my favorites) or milk, caffeine, gum. These two weeks are called Induction and this is a very strict and difficult time but anyone who is determined to lose weight can do it.You are limited to eat any type of meat, fish, fowl. there is nothing in the sea that you can't eat. You may eat butter, not margarine, up to 4 oz of cheese but not cottage cheese coz it is high in carbs. Your carbohydrate source will come from the following: lettuce, cucumber, romaine lettuce, mushrooms, pepper, celery, fennel, chicory, jicama, radish. These salads are high in photonutrients. You may eat eggs as many as you want, bacon (be sure the bacon you buy is not cured with sugar) Chicken, turkey, duck, goose, hen, cornish, quail, beef, pork, lamb, ham, veal.

Some people just eat the protein and leave the carbs to lose weight faster but I think that that's too much of an exaggeration. If you eat up to three cups of these veggies daily you wont have constipation problems or any problem for that matter. Once ketosis kicks in you'll feel no desire to eat your cookies and you wont crave sugar. If you keep craving sugar then try buying L-Glutamine and L-carnitine. These two supplements are great at transporting fat and they work fine together. You are supposed to stick to it in order to stop craving sugar. You may feel lethargic and weak but that's just your body telling you that it wants sugar. Put some eggs or tuna in your mouth and you're good to go. Oh and at least for the first few days don't exercise strenously. Once you get used to eating this way then start increasing your exercise level. I'm telling you this because it happened to me that I couldnt work-out as hard as I used to until my body got used to it. It is going to be hard but if you stick to it then you should lose weight.

You'll know you are in ketosis when you feel no desire to eat sugar, your appetite will diminish and well....you'll notice a weight loss. Good luck with this. Don't cheat if you're going to do this. You must not drink any alcohol-containing products and that includes the wine. Remember, you don't want to stay on a glucose burning state. If you want to burn fat then at least for the first two weeks don't drink wine. You may do so afterwards.

Good luck.

[MilanMiller]

I'll look that up.  I try to steer clear of the veggies you mentioned, and stick to maily greens like romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, cerlery, ...  and I'm trying to up my protein as well.  What happens if you have an occiasional carb on that diet - does it throw it off completely?  I have a weakness for homemade oatmeal cookies!!  but they are mostly oatmeal which are suppose to be somewhat good.  And red wine - that's my other weakness....  I'lll defiently stay at it, it's just terribly frustrating when you're tryingt to the right things and this belly fat just lingers around...

[bedtimestory]

Don't get too upset. Sometimes when you forget about that specific issue then the pounds start to come off. I think that because you are almost at your target then those last few pounds are the most difficult to get rid of. Also, remember the idea that everybody's metabolism is different. There may be other factors influencing the fact that you're not losing weight anymore.  I am 5'3, too and at 137 I, too, got stuck there and no matter what I'd do I'd still weight at 137 lbs until I changed my diet to an all-protein diet. I know this may sound unhealthy but it's not. If you try to stay under 20 grams of carbs for two weeks you'll see up to 5 pounds coming off easily the first week. I did it myself and I got such results and I'm thrilled. Try to take multivitamins. You might want to consider looking at what types of veggies you are eating. Corn, beets, potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potato (just to mention a few) are high in carb content.

Read about ketosis. I am a fan of this knowledge and I try to reach ketosis whenever I need to get ready for a special occasion and it works. If you go on a high-protein low-carb diet then it'll take a few days for ketosis to kick in and you'll burn fat like crazy...trust me you will.

When the body senses the lack of carbs, molecules called ketones are created immediately. It is proven that we can live a normal life in the presence of ketones. It's not dangerous. Your body will burn the excess glucose that's stored and since there is no carb input then your body will become a fat burning machine. As you may already know, carbs represent our primary source of energy, so for the first 20/30 min of your daily work-out you are burning sugar, not fat. After a while you start burning fat. If you are low in carbs your body will go straight to fat burning. You seem to be pretty active, keep it up.

[MilanMiller]

Thanks for the input.  I've have been tested for a thyroid disorder - all came back well.  I do try and count my calories and I average 1200 - right on target for my height and weight with exercise load.  And I run usually 5 miles every other day and swim 3/4 of a mile on alternate days.  Sometimes depending on work load that might vary to a quick 30 minute jog instead of the 5 miler, and a 30 min. swim or weights at the gym.  My friends can't understand it either becuase they work at the same as me, eat whatever they want, drink whatever they want and are bean poles.  Also on weekends I ususally run a long run and it ranges from 10-15 miles.  I think I'm going to actually cut back on the exercise because I'm wondering if i'm just bulking up with muscle.  It's a hard balance to maintain.

[woozy]

Get tested for a thyroid disorder. Sometimes the body will just resist and start lowering the metabolism to prevent "starving".. Remember you can eat in the evening..I read that if you stop eating altogether late in the evening your metabolism will slow to conserve calories. But I would get tested for a hormone imbalance. And count the calories..that's important because you will be surprised by how 5 small healthy meals can still add up to more calories than you want if you are trying to lose weight. Also don't skimp on the carbs..your body does need them, your brain especiallly. Also look into supplements like 5 htp..read about them and see if it you might want to try it. Another route to try is to exercise more..at least an hour of walking a day..I've seen women in my office drop the pounds fast when they just upped the excercising. You are doing all the right things but first rule out a medical problem and second, really look closely at you actual calorie input vs. expenditure and you may have to tweak it to start shedding pounds. good luck