Unsuccessful Dieting/Exercising

[avsrk]

I'm a 19-year-old female, 5'6", currently ~150 lbs. In my lifetime, I have never been "overweight". Throughout my pre-teen and teenage years I weighed between 120-130 lbs. I have never, ever practiced healthy eating habits. I would always eat whatever I want, whenever I wanted. This is how I grew up and I never knew anything else. I was lucky enough to keep my weight at 130 throughout high school, but when I got to college, things changed. I turned into a ravenous junk food eater, eating very unhealthily throughout the day. I knew no limits. And because I was so busy with my schoolwork, I was sitting at my desk or sleeping most of the time. Aside from walking to classes, I was admittedly lazy. When I got home, it suddenly and fiercely hit me that I had been severely damaging my body, and as a result gained roughly 20 pounds.

Now, to my problem:
My sister and I have been working out every day (45 min. cardio on the elliptical, alternating between arm/leg machines every day) and eating healthy (low-cal, more fruits, veggies, lean meats, smaller portions, etc.). We have been doing this for about 5 weeks now, and I have not lost a single pound. I definitely feel fitter, a bit more defined, and sometimes I think I look leaner, but I'm really trying to get rid of my excess fat. After our morning workouts, we tend to not move around too much at home, as we are both currently unemployed. To curb that, we walk the dogs, go on bike rides, do errands, etc. Still -- no weight loss. I am getting very frustrated, but am not going to give up. Any thoughts, suggestions, or input?

Thanks!

[Barb135]

You aren't necessarily overweight - depending on your bone structure.  I looked up on a height/weight chart and found the following:

Height                        Small Frame             Medium Frame           Large Frame

  5'6"                            120-133                     130-144                      140-159  

I agree with peekawho - watch those "sugar free" cookies and candies - sugar free varieties of some foods have extra fat in them to make up for the lack of sugar.  Also, be aware that "sugar" has a variety of names and that some artificial sweeteners can actually make you crave sweets more.  Dried fruit can also have a lot more calories than the fresh/nor sugar frozen.  

Also your list doesn't indicate what portion sizes you are eating.  Do you use low fat or fat free milk on your cereal?  Is your yogurt fat free?  Is the popcorn swimming in butter?  Just a few things that we don't usually think of.

Make sure you get the proper number of servings for each food group.  And make sure you get some protein with each meal/snack because it fills you up more quickly and will help keep you feeling fuller for longer periods.  

Make sure you drink plenty of water and change around your food/exercise on a regular basis.  If you do the same exercise every day, your body becomes used to it and it's no longer a challenge.  Same with food - change it around often.  

Last but not least - if nothing works, you might want to make a visit to your doctor to get checked for underlying medical issues that can cause weight gain/inability to lose, such as hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, insulin resistance, PCOS, etc.  I know from personal experience how frustrating it is to work so hard at trying to lose weight with an undiagnosed medical issue.  It's just as hard AFTER the diagnosis, but at least you know what you are dealing with.......

Good luck..

[peekawho]

Add the Food Diary to your profile, and track every bite, nibble, and taste that you put in your mouth.  Sometimes it is surprising what you discover.

Many of your foods are great choices!  But some are very highly processed and nutrient poor.  Those types of food set the stage for making you hungrier, and can lead to poorer food choices.

Shoot for 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, and try to stay in the 1400 cal a day range for the most part.  Every day, try to get in 2 servings of low or fat free dairy, whole grains, at LEAST 5 servings of fruits and veggies  a day (get more veggies than fruit--try to make it 3 veggies/2 fruits), and limit your intake of those sugar free cookies and candies to perhaps a once/twice a week treat after dinner.

Congrats on trying for a healthier you!  

[avsrk]

Here are examples of what I have been eating for meals over the past 5 weeks:
- Grilled turkey burger patty & wheat bun
- Sandwich; light bread, turkey breast, reduced fat cheddar, a dab of mayo (I eat this the most frequently)
- Lean Cuisine
- Special K cereal
- Special K waffles + light/no sugar syrup
- Multi-Grain Cheerios
- Egg whites and wheat toast
- Whole wheat pasta

Snacks:
- Fruit
- Dried fruit
- Pretzels
- Yogurt
- Granola/power bar
- Wheat thins
- Popcorn

Sweets/Desserts/Indulgences:
- Sugar free cookies
- Sugar free candy
- Frozen chocolate banana
- Skinny Cow ice cream treats

I eat between 1200-1700 calories a day. I figured that since I gained weight so easily my body would respond to this change just as simply. Like I said, I've never dieted before, so I assumed my body would react to this shock.

[kitcat139]

just  remember to eat small meals and limit sugar after 5 pm you may need to sit down and look over what you are doing and see if you need to make any changes