Why can't I lose weight??

[Anniegirl56]

I wondered if anyone out there has had the same problem as me.  I know the world is trying to lose weight but I am really trying and it just doesn't want to come off.  I eat about 1,000 calories a day and every day I do something.  I usually walk but sometimes I ride bikes, ride horses, lift weights (low weight/high reps) and I am constantly going up and down stairs (14 to 16 stairs about 15 times a day...literally) and I try to do it for a least 35 to 40 minutes consistantly.  I am 33 and in surgical menopause but am on hrt treatment.  I am also, having thyroid issues but I am told I am on the hyperthyroid side (which from what I understand should mean I lose weight....I really don't understand that) basically, I have a low tsh but normal t3 and t4.  I have low b12 and am on shots for that but still I can't get rid of anything.  I don't understand.  What I do eat, is alot of whole grains from bread on turkey sandwhiches to cereals.  I also, eat spinch and romaine salads with a teaspoon of cottage cheese in order to keep a balanced diet.  On the honest side, I do eat two pieces of pizza a week with my family on Fridays (tradition).  For desert I usually eat sherbert(low calorie and not fat) but only about two spoon fulls.  I am getting so frustrated and I feel like I am in for a battle because I am starting to have back trouble and "creaky knees" as my kids can hear my knees as I go up and down stairs at home and they are in the other room.  I want to be a better example for my children and I hate that so much focus is on my weight (inadvertately, but the kids are smart).  That may carry over on them when they are older.  I am about 5'9 and 210lbs.  If anyone has any other suggestions or anything that I can do differently....please let me know.  I just want to go on with life and let a healthy lifestyle just be the norm but when i try to do that and it doesn't work.....what then????

[bkempf]

I'm new here...but am wondering if you aren't getting enough calories... I know you  need a certain amount of fruits and vegetables and enough calories to keep your metabolism from shutting down.  You're tall, I would think you need more calories...I know it doesn't make sense...anybody else?

[Anniegirl56]

Thanks, for responding.....I don't know about the calories.  Maybe, I should eat more.  I tried eating more often during the day but less food at a time. When I do that it feels like the whole day is about food and that just seems counter productive.  However, I will give it a try and see if it helps.  Thanks!

[nuyou]

There are three terms that you have to understand in order to take control over your weight, and they are: Fat, Fiber and Carbohydrates. Fat is pretty straight forward. Fiber is anything that grows out of the ground... mainly fruits, veggies, nuts, grains and berries; and the important thing to know about fiber is that the digestive acid in your stomach won’t break it down, so when you eat fiber, it fills you up faster and keeps you feeling full longer. Finally, Carbs are foods that are naturally sweet, or anything made with sugar or flour.

If you ever heard that by eating low-fat or no-fat foods you can lose weight, well in reality, that’s just half the story. Most people, when trying low-fat diets, go to the store and start reading labels and look for zero-fat products. Well, what if you love spaghetti – on the label it says, “zero fat.” So then you start looking at the spaghetti sauce and it has almost no fat... and then there’s the “no-fat” cakes and cookies – and all that other stuff. So then people think, “Great, I can eat all I want.” They eat almost no fat at all – and end up GAINING weight  That’s why you need to know the other side of the story.

If you eat only low-fat foods, most of them are low in fiber and also very high in carbs. Because they are low in fiber you have to eat more to feel full. It’s like trying to fill up a sink that has no stopper. Eventually you can get it to fill up – but it takes a lot more water to do it. So, when you eat more, you take in more calories than you need and your body stores the extra carbs and calories as fat. That’s the other side of the low-fat diet. Unless you eat low-fat and high fiber, at the same time, you’re not going to lose weight.

Another big mistake that lots of people make is skipping meals. Our bodies are designed with the idea that we  have to expend energy in order to get food.  I mean, if you think back a hundred or more years ago, if you wanted to eat something you had to either go hunting or grow your own food. That’s a lot of work (hunting or farming) – a lot of physical activity – and even though we no longer have to do this, it doesn’t change the fact that our bodies are still designed this way. So, when you skip a meal, your body actually thinks that you’re out in the wild, and, for whatever reason, food is hard to come by. This is a survival mechanism that we all have – it’s built in. So, when your body thinks food is hard to find, it does two things to protect you from starving. First, it slows your metabolism causing your body to burn less fat. Second, the meal you eat after skipping a meal will be converted almost entirely to fat and stored –  to protect you from starving. So, if you skip breakfast, for instance, almost all the food you eat for lunch will be converted to fat. We think we’re taking in less food but in reality we’re causing our bodies to store fat. If you want to lose weight you need to eat at least three meals a day, on a regular schedule. You have to let your body know that there is plenty of food available so that your metabolism stays up and meals are not stored as fat, but rather used for energy.

Then, there’s the subject of exercise.... So many people assume that in order to lose weight, they have to constantly do strenuous exercise....And in reality, this isn’t the case either. Now, to understand how exercise effects weight-loss, you have to understand how your body creates energy, and there are only 2 ways it does it. One is by burning fat and the other is by burning blood sugar, or glucose. Even when you’re not doing anything strenuous your body still burns fat. It’s known as “Resting Metabolic Rate.” So, when you’re sitting at a desk, driving a car, watching TV, or even sleeping, your body is still burning fat. But, as soon as you increase your level of activity, like when your heart starts beating faster and you have to breathe heavily, your body will stop burning fat and instantly begin to burn blood sugar – because blood sugar can be converted to energy much faster than fat; so anytime your level of activity suddenly increases your body stops burning fat and burns only blood sugar.

And, when it comes to exercise, most people trying to lose weight make a big mistake of doing the wrong kinds of exercise. Jogging, biking, and aerobics are great for the heart, lungs and circulation, but they do not burn fat or condition the body to burn fat.

Now, the ideal approach is to lose weight without a lot of hard exercising. We still encourage people to exercise – after all, it’s good for you... but it’s not mandatory. Some people find that once they start losing weight quickly and feel great – they actually WANT to exercise.

Now, if that’s the case, what they should do is called Anaerobic exercise, or exercise that increases your heart rate, but not too much... and two of the best kinds of exercise for losing weight are walking (at a nice steady pace) every other day... and weight lifting. These will condition your body to burn fat And when I say”weight-lifting,” I’m talking about getting a couple of small dumbells and working out slowly for 20 minutes every other day (biceps on Monday, triceps on Tuesday and no exercise on Wednesday... Biceps on Thursday, triceps on Friday and nothing on Saturday, etc. This builds lean muscle and muscle burns fat. The more muscle you have, the more fat your body will burn.

The approach I took was NO exercise... replaced 2 meals a day with healthy meal-replacement shakes and protein snacks in between. Then, when I reached my target weight, I adopted a maintenance program which consists of 2 meals every day, and replace1 meal with a “diet shake”... protein bars for between-meal snacks.

[Anniegirl56]

Thanks, so much for the advice!  You make it sound very simple and it makes so much sense.  I will certainly give it a try!  I have been trying to make certain to eat breakfast and I am trying to eat alot less for supper but never skipping meals.  Exercise has been biking and low weights high reps routines.  I am hopeful to start seeing results soon!  Thank you, for taking to the time to pass on what you have learned!  Again, your answers to my origional question, was very well answered!