Not loosing weight

[dorysmr]

Good mornig!
I hope all is well with all of you.  I am writing because I need your help. I am 41 years old and  I begun a healthy eating plan and excercise in January 2010.  My diet consisted of, either a whey protein shake in the morning, a light snack mid morning, usually a low sugar fruit such as apples, strawberries or pear.  Sometimes a string cheese.  then my lunch which consists of either tilapia or chicken breast.  They are blackened in a little olive oil.  I have that with a cup of steam vegetables.  Sometimes I have a salad instead of that with dressing on the side.  For dinner something similar to my lunch and a glass of lowfat milk at night if I am hungry.  

Now the workout!  I begaun 3 times a week 30 minutes and has progressed now to 50 to 60 minutes 3 times a week and on the other 3 I lift weights whole body workout, a least one machine per muscle group.  I do this every other days on the days that I dont do cardio, and to finish my weight days I do 20 minutes of cardio after my weights.  

I have not lost any weight.  I continue to weigh 175 as the day I begun.  I have dropped 1/2 of dress size.  My BMI was 30 and now is 28.3.  I dont know what I am doing wrong.  I am really disappointed, not to the point of stop eating right because, when I dont I feel sick so now eating right is the only option for me.  But I would love to drop from size 14 to a size 10 sometime this year.  I need your help, what am I doing wrong?

[dorysmr]

Thank you for the great answers I got regarding my question. Last Thursday I took my measurements and I noticed some changes.  every little bit counts in my book.  I will make sure that I take enough dairy.  Some times posting what I eat is challanging, I forget to click on done after each meal and then I go back and I notice that it has not been updated.  I am enjoying communicating with all of you and I will take your recommendations very seriously.

Dorys

[Barb135]

These are all some excellent ideas; however, I'd like to clarify one thing -- muscle does NOT weigh more than fat...........a pound is a pound, whether it's muscle or fat, feathers or rocks.  You might have just a small rock that weighs 1 pound, but imagine the bundle of feathers it would take to make a pound.  That's because the rock is dense and compact; whereas the feather is all fluffy.  

Muscle is more denser and compact than fat, which is why it doesn't show on the scale when you are building muscle, but you are still getting rid of fat. You are just replacing those pounds of fat for pounds of muscle.  

Make sure you change up your routine on a regular basis; if you do the same things every day, your body/muscles become used to it and it's not longer a challenge. Same goes for you diet.  Try upping your calories by a couple hundred for a day, then drop them by a couple hundred.  

Are you keeping a food diary?  That's always a good idea because then you can see areas in which you might need to cut back or increase your intake.  It didn't look like you eat very much dairy.  3 servings/day of low/no fat dairy is recommended. Additionally, try adding some nuts, avocados, etc to get in some good fats.

You said you've cut out sugar and refined flour; that's great, what about potatoes, rice, etc?  If you can, opt for sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes; and brown rice instead of white rice.  Also stick to whole grain pasta.  I, personally, don't care for sweet potatoes, but I love white potatoes.  Fortunately, a baked potato with the skin and minus the butter and sour cream, are packed with viatmins/minerals.  A small baked potato with the skin has more potassium than a banana.  

I don't recommend "grazing" all day; it's too hard to keep track of the calories and that makes it easy to overdo.

While it's true that the older we get, the harder it is to lose weight, but at 41, you aren't so old that you can't lose.  I will soon be 61 and, although I have to work at it, I can lose weight.  

I do agree with the poster who recommended getting checked by your doctor.  There are several medical issues which can cause weight gain/inability to lose, including, but not limited to hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's thyroiditis; insulin resistance and PCOS.  

I, personally, have hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and that *does* make it harder to lose weight; however, once the thyroid levels are stable, ti's not impossible.

Best of luck to you and please feel free to stay with our community, as we try to provide the support and motivation you need to succeed.

[dorysmr]

Thanks so much for all the replies. I am going to visit the doctor to check all hormones levels .  I will try to be patient and try not to let go of my motivation.  I thank you for ur support

[kittengamer]

I looked at all your trackers & you are doing everything right, including drinking plenty of water & getting sleep. I recommend checking with your doctor about your efforts & concerns. Make sure all your thyroid levels are good & ask about menopause. Although you are only 41, perimenopause symptoms can start as early as age 35. This can include unexplained weight gain and/or inablitity to lose the weight easliy. You are really motivated & I think that's awesome! Don't let go of that.

[allmymarbles]

For one thing, muscle is replacing fat. Are you getting enough sleep? That is very important. Exhaustion can keep you from losing weight. Another thing, do not exercise when you are tired. It is counter-productive. And count your calories. You may be taking in more than you realize. Lastly, be patient.

[Whatawoman72]

On the weight tracker you can put in somemeasurements-  hips, waist, chest etc... hope this helps x

[dorysmr]

good monring,

one quick question, is there a measurement tracker? I have my measurements for Feb, March and I want to take my May ones but I dont see where to keep them.

Thank you.

[dorysmr]

Thanks for replying.  I am actually eating well.  I eat 5 or 6 times a day.  The only thing I've cut sugars and refined flour.  I don't feel starved at all I eat plenty of steamed veggies and fresh fruit.  I calory wise I am eating about 1400 to 1600 cal a day.  I'm changing my cardio to 90 min a day dividing in 30 min a session. Today I did 20 min eliptical, 20 tredmill fast walking and zumba 20.  - also rode the bike with my son for 45 min.  I feel great.  I'm going to follow you advice about changing my cardio to different things.  Thanks for your support.

[untitledpulse]

Firstly,you are probably building muscle which weighs more then fat..it's also harder at your age to lose weight then it is for a man.Also the more you work out the more calories you need to eat. and  you should never let your metabolism get bored..do yoga/pilates sometimes,then aerobics..mix it up ALWAYS do cardio before a workout not after.And frankly it sounds like you're not eating enough .Eat lots of nuts(almonds) maybe graze instead of full meals just snack on good things all through the day.Don't starve yourself though.Also you may have hit a plateau where it takes a while to lose weight again (this happens to everyone even myself).Also if you talk to your doctor they may be able to give you something to speed up this process...NO DIET PILLs either..they are dangerous.