Frustrated and a Little Confused - NEW

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Darkmstf

New member
I'm new here... 45 years old, female, 165 lbs., 5'6". As I've gotten older I've been adding on weight little by little (typical story). I never considered myself "fat" but never considered myself skinny either. But as I've gotten older the "tone" of my skin has changed (less elasticity) which makes the extra weight look worse now. Have always been pretty active -- not necessarily as active as I could be... but work a full time job, have a 4 hour commute total each day, have non-stop life when I get home (husband/dogs/cats, etc.) -- I do, however, have a sedentary job -- but when not at work I'm UP and moving around. Walk alot, never sitting down when I'm home, etc. But still of course adding on the weight little by little.

Anyway, last year I decided that was IT... I was going to really watch what I ate and see what happens. Using Nutritiondata.com I was able to look up foods/keep a tally of exactly what I was taking in each day. On average it was about 1800-2000 calories, give or take. So said I, I will try to keep calories down to 1200-1500 calories daily. Which I did. I LOST NOTHING. Okay says I, I have to start getting back into exercising ... so I joined CURVES (close to work that I can get to on lunch break and wanted a girls gym). Went a minimum of 3x a week -- worked up a sweat -- really pushed on the machines. I LOST NOTHING. Really annoyed. My co-worker who also joined with me lost weight and inches. ME? Nothing. Oh maybe an inch or two and that was it. I recently joined NYSC and have been diligently working out a minimum of 3x a week, 30 minutes to 1 hour each time... combining weights and cardio. Usually start with weights and then end with a short spurt on the bike or ellip or tread. Depends. Been doing this for 3 weeks so far. Been getting stronger ... have more stamina... but I'VE LOST NOTHING.

I'm sure the answer is somewhere in this forum but quite honestly I just spent 2 hours searching around, and while I've learned alot and came across some really interesting info, I didn't quite find the answer I was looking for. How can one reduce calories, UP their exercise routine and consistently NEVER lose weight? Oh and my thyroid is NORMAL btw. It is so damn frustrating I cannot begin to say!

When I work on the machines I work in reps and work in weights where I am pushing to finish the last of the rep set. I'm doing legs and abs and arms. I'm exhausting the muscles -- will be a little sore the next day -- so it's not like I'm just sitting there going through the motions. I'm on the bike/epill/treadmill getting my heart rate up, sweating, etc. It just confounds me. Do folks really have metabolisms like this, that they just don't lose a darn thing? Possible???? Do I really have to restrict my diet down to less than 1200 a day in order to see any loss? I personally don't think it's "safe" to restrict caloric intake (protein intake rather) that low when exercising. But perhaps I'm wrong? HELP! Any input?
 
I wish I could give you the answer cuz I'm looking for it too. I'm burning over 1000 calores per day in workouts and struggling to get the scale to budge...and the inches ain't disappearing either.

If you find the answer, let me know.

Welcome and good lucky to you!!
 
The best answers i can give you:

#1: When people begin exercise programs they often are more conscious about keeping their fluid intake high...especially a lot of water. This can attribute part of your weight.

#2: When people start watching their calories they often are more conscietious about eating throughout the day (trying to be healthy right?). With this added water in your system, it allows your body to store more glycogen than it ever has before. Glycogen is your main aerobic source of energy, as it turns into glucose. Increased exercise will quickly adapt your body's ability to store more glycogen. This is significant: Glycogen holds substantial quantities of water. If all your fat was stored as glycogen most people would weigh over 700 lbs! Even a small increase in your glycogen stores can add 2-3 pounds to your general weight.

#3: Your new workout plan is great for your overall health but generally at the start it is not going to burn a significant amount of calories.

So what you are left with? Average 2 lbs of weight lost a week (7000 calories) over 3 weeks (6 pounds). Then take an increase in glycogen stores of 2-3 lbs and 1-2 lbs of more consistent hydration. Bingo...your weight loss is essentially zero.

#4: Did you really, everyday, only eat 1200-1500 calories? Most people are notorious for leaving out 1-2 bad meals a week that contribute significantly to incorrect measurements. For example, could you list your entire diet for a week?

If you did that, id review it and hand over some recommendations.

Michael
 
--->>Thanks Michael.

<<<<#1: When people begin exercise programs they often are more conscious about keeping their fluid intake high...especially a lot of water. This can attribute part of your weight.

--->>I understand that -- did ya'll watch Biggest Loser last night and guy tried to "play not so nice" by inhaling 2 gallons of water before weigh-in -- ergo 17 lbs. he GAINED (I think that was what it was -- hubby was actually watching show more than I). :doh: On average I probably drink 44 ounces of liquid a day (consisting of water or fresh iced tea -- sweetened with Splenda only) (Splenda one of my questions below). But I would still wonder about this as I weigh myself first thing in morning (after urination) so would THINK that I'd be at my "lowest" weight, no??? I know, I shouldn't assume, right? :jump:

<<<<#2: When people start watching their calories they often are more conscietious about eating throughout the day (trying to be healthy right?). With this added water in your system, it allows your body to store more glycogen than it ever has before. Glycogen is your main aerobic source of energy, as it turns into glucose. Increased exercise will quickly adapt your body's ability to store more glycogen. This is significant: Glycogen holds substantial quantities of water. If all your fat was stored as glycogen most people would weigh over 700 lbs! Even a small increase in your glycogen stores can add 2-3 pounds to your general weight.

--->>I'll go and look this up online ... I'm not sure I understand. Supposed to drink adequate amounts of water -- especially if working out and dieting --yet this can contribute to higher glycogen levels (which therefor convert to glucose) and can ADD weight on? I do know that when one starts to drink a lot of water (more than they used to at least) it takes time for the body to get used to that alone but eventually does... so if one isn't drinking more than they used to, does that still work re: glycogen stores with the increased exercising? I'm probably muddling this whole thing up, ain't I?

<<<<#3: Your new workout plan is great for your overall health but generally at the start it is not going to burn a significant amount of calories.

-->>How so? Is it that the body is "transferring" to muscle as opposed to losing fat? I don't mind the conversion of fat into muscle, but would like to LOSE something... :eek:

<<<<So what you are left with? Average 2 lbs of weight lost a week (7000 calories) over 3 weeks (6 pounds). Then take an increase in glycogen stores of 2-3 lbs and 1-2 lbs of more consistent hydration. Bingo...your weight loss is essentially zero.

--->>This conversation is NOT putting me in my happy place! :)

<<<<#4: Did you really, everyday, only eat 1200-1500 calories? Most people are notorious for leaving out 1-2 bad meals a week that contribute significantly to incorrect measurements. For example, could you list your entire diet for a week?

--->>I can't say that I consistently stay within the "guidelines" all the time, but I've been trying for 2 years to lose something... it to me is just bizarre that I can't lose anything. Zippo. Zilch. NADA. Just by cutting calories in general should have given me some weight loss ... even if it was a lousy 1/2 lb. a month or every other month ... then adding into that exercise should have afforded something. Aw heck I figured that just by exercising alone, even if I didn't adjust diet hugely, that should have at least showed some loss eventually. Not looking for a fast track here... I knew it took time to gain weight, would take time to lose weight... but 2 years I've been trying and got nowhere. Just boggles my head. Truly. I guess good news is I haven't GAINED anything, but heck....! I even went through the summer before on the Atkins plan... didn't even have a lousy pina colada ONCE the whole summer ... I watched everything I ate, kept it low to no carbs and still didn't lose an ounce. So frustrating... truly.

Now for the Splenda question... is it acceptable to use such or should it be omitted as it is used/converted to glucose into the body? Figures that I finally found a "make believe" sweetener I could tolerate and probably shouldn't be using it. :doh:. I don't use too much of it but may have to ditch it altogether if it's messing with my glucose index perhaps?

Diet for past week... honestly didn't keep track of it per se... I know in my head the roundabout figures for most of what I eat (was keeping track through Nutritiondata for the longest time but then stopped). But will endeavor to keep a food diary again and monitor carefully.

Thanks!!!
 
I'd probably bother you more if i told you how few calories are actually burned by most people exercising. It is not a lot.

And no, your weight is not lowest in the morning. Especially if you hydrate well. But that's not the point.

The point is, when you start dieting, you probably start drinking more water. Your body is probably better hydrated and you are going to consequently carry an extra pound or two. You need it to function in a healthy state, but you need to deal with that!

Proper hydration in turn means your glycogen stores in your body will be maximized. And when you're sleeping, you arent going to be burning them off. So your weight in the morning shouldnt be your lowest. That's only true of sedentary people who arent well-hydrated.

To get a more adequate read on your weight you should weigh yourself once a week after an intense cardio session that depletes your glycogen stores. Preferrably an hour of intense, sweating cardio. That will give you a better indication of your weight because less water will be involved in the equation.

As for splenda? Go hard. It has 10 times less calories than regular table sugar. I personally am a HUGE fan of artificial sweeteners.

Michael
 
I have nothing really to add technically, but I just wanted to say a couple things. When you say you've been trying for 2 years, I'm curious, have you kept up with these routines consistantly, or do you get frustrated when you don't have the results you want, and go back to your former ways? I ask this because you seem to have a very defeatist attitude towards your weight loss. Just curious...
 
<<<I'd probably bother you more if i told you how few calories are actually burned by most people exercising. It is not a lot.

--->>Michael, you're not putting me in my happy place again. :doh: So then why is it that "diet AND exercise" are so interlinked in terms of losing weight? I mean I know exercise is good for us PERIOD... but it seems every time I turn around, all I've been told since the day I was born, was in order to lose weight one must do both: diet and exercise. Is it due more to revving up the metabolism/building muscle than anything else?

<<<<And no, your weight is not lowest in the morning. Especially if you hydrate well. But that's not the point.

--->>Really? Whowoudathunk? So I'll revamp my weigh-in days/time. :)

<<<The point is, when you start dieting, you probably start drinking more water. Your body is probably better hydrated and you are going to consequently carry an extra pound or two. You need it to function in a healthy state, but you need to deal with that!

--->>Och, so us woman have it even worse cos we just LOVE to hold water normally ... CRUD.

<<<Proper hydration in turn means your glycogen stores in your body will be maximized. And when you're sleeping, you arent going to be burning them off. So your weight in the morning shouldnt be your lowest. That's only true of sedentary people who arent well-hydrated.

--->>Think I've got it. One question: how does glycogen affect one trying to lose weight when they have a tendency towards hypoglycemia?

<<<As for splenda? Go hard. It has 10 times less calories than regular table sugar. I personally am a HUGE fan of artificial sweeteners.

--->>Woo HOO! Back in my happy place..... View attachment 4806
 
Darkangel, I don't think I have a defeatest attitude... I actually have a more of a "pissed off" attitude right now cos it's very frustrating trying to lose a lousy 20 lbs. and getting nowhere.

I'll try to button it down a bit better. 2 years ago I realized I needed to really try to lose weight (never been one for dieting) and thus my first thing to do was to monitor exactly what I was eating ... so I started keeping a daily chart of foods and how much I was really taking in. I did that for a week to get a guestimate. Based on that, my first goal was just to try to lighten the load... not to go on a "strict" diet but would shave 500-700 calories off what I was eating daily... make wiser food choices... for instance, instead of eating candy for a snack, I'd go for a fat-free yogurt or piece of fruit; or instead of a burger, I'd get turkey on wheat; eat LESS of certain things (like pasta, etc.); pay attention to dressings on salads, ya know the "extras" that tend to add up w/o us realizing. So I did this for a good 4 months and got nowhere.

So next step (summer was now rolling around the bend) I tried the Atkins plan... kept it low carb/no breads, no excess sugary stuff... still keeping an eye on calories tho. I lost zero. In this time I did go to doc to have thyroid checked cos I honestly couldn't understand how I could lose nothing. But thyroid normal of course. Note tho during this time I was not working out.

End of summer I decide to enroll in gym (Curves) (as noted in first post) ... tried to go religiously 3x a week ... lost an inch or two but ZERO weight. Realized that gym doesn't work for me (have to spend longer amount of time on the equipment to get response). So now joined NYSC ... higher powered work outs of course. Again, go religiously at least 3x a week. Still attempting to keep diet overall between 1200-1500 calories all throughout... sometimes I go over, sometimes I go less... it all depends. At no time did I say "frig it" and go back to eating 2000 (or more) calories a day. Not to say it never happened (I don't punish myself during parties and holidays -- but they don't happen all that frequently tho) -- but it's certainly not enough to sabotage my not losing a darn thing in 2 years, ya know? So in short, I'm frustrated, annoyed... and yeah pissed off :mad: ... but not defeated. :)


<<I have nothing really to add technically, but I just wanted to say a couple things. When you say you've been trying for 2 years, I'm curious, have you kept up with these routines consistantly, or do you get frustrated when you don't have the results you want, and go back to your former ways? I ask this because you seem to have a very defeatist attitude towards your weight loss. Just curious...
 
Go here:

Pick your ticker and then copy/paste IMG line into our signature. :)

<<can i ask how you get ticker factory on
 
Hey, sorry to hear about your weight loss trouble. I think the best thing to do is to do as ExercisePhysio suggested and write everything down that you eat and let him take a look at it. I think that would be the best way to have someone understand your eating and then be able to give good advice.

The only thing I can say is to keep track of your eating like you've been doing and not to leave anything out.

I would say that exercise is important as well. I know for me just eating the 1500 cals or a bit less only maintains my weight. I had to start exercising again to lose the weight. Although when I was maintaining I know there were days I ate 1800 cals because I wasn't watching. My supper portions tend to be too big and so I have to really watch what I eat at supper.

Again, I wish you luck on your weight loss. Keep a log of your food and let ExercisePhysio look at it. Eat what you normally would eat so that he can get a look at what you normally do.
 
If you have a predisposition towards hypoglycemia then it might be harder to burn your glycogen stores. Which means it might be harder to shed what I would call "sugar weight". This is weight you need not worry about.

Simple way to put it.

Your body needs glucose to run. You do exercise, you burn glucose from your bloodstream. Your body needs to have that sugar in your bloodstream replaced. So it calls on your liver to replace it. What does it replace it with? Glucose in the form of glycogen stored in your liver. The delivery method of that blood is called glucagon.

Glucagon goes: Ummm...mr.liver, there is not enough glucose here. Can you take your glycogen and start splitting it up into glucose and giving it to us? When you are hypoglycemic, your body really sucks at getting the glucagon to boss the liver around. Call it lazy glucagon or what have you.

So think of it this way. Since your liver is being obnoxious it's storing all this glycogen. Your body only holds 2000 calories of this stuff max. For most things like carbs or protein, thats 500 g...or approximately a pound. But for glycogen its different. Glycogen is 4 parts water. This makes it responsible for up to 5 pounds of weight. It's a lot.

Exercise will eventually moderate this hypoglycemic effect. For now if you want to really see where you stand without the water and the glycogen...Go on a brisk walk on the treadmill for 90 minutes and avoid drinking water.

You might be pleasantly surprised.

Michael
 
ExercisePhysio said:
If you have a predisposition towards hypoglycemia then it might be harder to burn your glycogen stores. Which means it might be harder to shed what I would call "sugar weight". This is weight you need not worry about.

Simple way to put it.

Your body needs glucose to run. You do exercise, you burn glucose from your bloodstream. Your body needs to have that sugar in your bloodstream replaced. So it calls on your liver to replace it. What does it replace it with? Glucose in the form of glycogen stored in your liver. The delivery method of that blood is called glucagon.

Glucagon goes: Ummm...mr.liver, there is not enough glucose here. Can you take your glycogen and start splitting it up into glucose and giving it to us? When you are hypoglycemic, your body really sucks at getting the glucagon to boss the liver around. Call it lazy glucagon or what have you.

So think of it this way. Since your liver is being obnoxious it's storing all this glycogen. Your body only holds 2000 calories of this stuff max. For most things like carbs or protein, thats 500 g...or approximately a pound. But for glycogen its different. Glycogen is 4 parts water. This makes it responsible for up to 5 pounds of weight. It's a lot.

Exercise will eventually moderate this hypoglycemic effect. For now if you want to really see where you stand without the water and the glycogen...Go on a brisk walk on the treadmill for 90 minutes and avoid drinking water.

You might be pleasantly surprised.

Michael
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First I have to apologize to you Darkmstf, I am not trying to hijack your thread...but one word jumped out at me.

Hypoglycemia!

I've battled my weight for most of my life but back when I was in my early 30s I was determined to win the battle and I worked out for 90 minutes in the morning (30 minutes of cardio, 30 minutes of toning exercises (crunches, lunges, abs, etc) and 30 minutes of work with free weights. I did the same thing in the evening and counted every thing that went into my mouth. I lived on about 900 calories per day and diet pepsi.

I was also running a daycare and working 10-12 hours per day of running after kids and lifting babies. Every weekend we either went snow skiing or water skiing (with the off seasons spent adding in long walks)

So...I start getting these episodes where my heart would race, I would feel faint, I would get sweaty and shaky. The worst of the symptoms would pass if I laid down but I would be left with residual weakness, feeling shaky...and that would last for hours. I asked my doctor what it could be when I went in for other problems (allergies, fertility treatments, etc....but I never made a specific appointment to analyze my phsical complaints. Doctors said they didn't know what it could be...it was the public health nurse who finally gave me a name for my symptoms. That name was hypoglycemia and it's very common among women who diet and exercise strenuously. She told me when these episode hit, I should eat a small piece of fruit. It was almost magical. I would still have some residual weakness...but nothing like before.

Since putting on weight I only rarely suffer episodes...but occasionally. So it's the hypoglycemia that makes it so difficult for me to lose weight? And the cure is exercise and drinking less water? I do the exercise part...but I have to drink water, I also sweat like a pig and must replace the fluid.

Am I genuinely in a catch-22 where I will just be fat if I'm not starving myself (900 calories per day) with 3 hours of exercise??

There has to be something else.....
 
JUDYB: Oh God no...I'm NOT SAYING dont drink water and cut back your calories that drastically!

That's just something you can do OCCASIONALLY along with a very long, sweaty exercise session to get a better indicator of your weight. That's ALL.

I'm talking...once every two weeks type thing to see what your progress is. Nothing more!

Michael
 
ExercisePhysio said:
JUDYB: Oh God no...I'm NOT SAYING dont drink water and cut back your calories that drastically!

That's just something you can do OCCASIONALLY along with a very long, sweaty exercise session to get a better indicator of your weight. That's ALL.

I'm talking...once every two weeks type thing to see what your progress is. Nothing more!

Michael
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So just do a good hard cardio session while limiting my fluid consumption and then weigh myself quickly before ingesting fluids?
 
Judy.... no wonder you were feeling faint and whatnot. Your body cannot function on 900 calories a day with 3 hours of exercise. It's not nearly enough and it's only going to harm you.

With that much exercise you need more calories. Probably around 1500, I'm no expert, but I'm losing weight eating around 1500 calories with an hour of exercise or more a day.

I would increase your calories (and good calories) whole grains, vegetables, fruit, lean protein and continue exercising.

Plus you also need to vary your exercises every once in a while to keep challenging your body.
 
Risty said:
Judy.... no wonder you were feeling faint and whatnot. Your body cannot function on 900 calories a day with 3 hours of exercise. It's not nearly enough and it's only going to harm you.

With that much exercise you need more calories. Probably around 1500, I'm no expert, but I'm losing weight eating around 1500 calories with an hour of exercise or more a day.

I would increase your calories (and good calories) whole grains, vegetables, fruit, lean protein and continue exercising.

Plus you also need to vary your exercises every once in a while to keep challenging your body.
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That was my routine back in my early 30s when I still believed it was possible to attain a model-type body if I worked hard enough. LOL All that work, all that starvation and I never got under 150 pounds. Even at that weight I was wearing a size 6 and frequently heard that I was "too skinny".

Nowadays I'm more realistic...I woud be happy at 175. I don't mind working out...I just want to eat enough to not be hungry..indulge my liking for a little wine and not suffer hypoglycemic episodes too often.
 
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There's nothing wrong with indulging every so often; I do that myself. Just most of the time you have to eat proper portions and healthy food. I find counting my calories really helps me keep on track. That doesn't mean I don't blow it on some days, but that helps me stick to being healthy. Knowing that I can have what I want (but not go overboard when I do) really is the reason I'm doing well. If I completely had limited myself to only eating certain things, I would have failed no doubt (I know I've tried that before).

So if the majority of the time you eat healthy and stick to proper portions, the odd glass of wine here and there, or whatever other food you like... won't harm ya.
 
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