Help... Pleassee!!!!!

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meli015

New member
I am a 5'1'' 22 year old female. All of my life I have weighed between 104 and 110 pounds but in the past 6 months I have gained close to 20 pounds and now weight 123.5 pounds. I want to get back to 105 pounds so I started started a reduced calorie (1200 calories a day) diet three weeks ago. Every three hours, I eat a portion of carboydrates and a portion of protein and I spread vegetables throughout the day. I track EVERYTHING that I eat and I measure everything that needs to be measured so that I can make sure that I am tracking the right amount of calories. Additionally, I do weight training 3 times a week and I also do interval training (walking/running) three times a week for 30-40 minutes. I only work out three days a week b/c time does not allow me to do more as I am studying for the LSAT and work full time. I have not lost one pound in the past three weeks and have no idea what I am doing wrong. I understand that I may not be exercising 6 days a week but I am creating enough of a calorie deficit simply with my eating. I know the scale is not an accurate predictor of progress at times but I certainly do not feel any slimmer and my clothes do not fit any looser, either. HELP!!!!

I dont think I am doing anything wrong and I'm really getting frustrated. Is it normal to not lose anything for 3 weeks? I'm also feeling bad. I have constant headaches and fatigue throughout the day. I thought exercising and losing weight were supposed to make you feel better? :confused:
 
Ok i just want to tell you not to stress out. You are actually setting at a good weight so do not stress about that. 105 pounds would actually probably put you under weight. Your current Body Mass index is at 23.38 which is in the normal category. I wouldn't go any lower than 115 - 120 pounds. If you are gaining body fat what you might want to do is just tone up a bit, but do not worry about the weight at all. IF you want to email me a food diary I can take a look at your food sources and see where you might be making a mistake.
 
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Well... this is pretty much what I ate last week. I work from 9 to 5, I am currently studying for the LSAT, and my dad has been in the hospital for about 1 month and 1/2 now so I dont have much time to cook between work, studying/class, and the hospital. It's really hard for me to cook every day so Ive tried to work my diet around that.

Monday:
Breakfast: 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter (90 Calories)
1 medium Banana (120-130 Calories)

Snack 1: Mixed Fruit (70 Calories)
String Cheese (50 Calories)

Lunch: Lean Cuisine (280 Calories)

Snack 2: Popcorn Flavored Rice Cakes (90 Calories)
String Cheese (50 Calories)

Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry (Chicken, Onions, Green Peppers, Soy Sauce)
Jello Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding
Cool Whip – Reduced Fat (20 Calories)


Tuesday:
Breakfast: 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
Small Bagel (120 Calories)

Snack 1: Mixed Fruit
String Cheese

Lunch: Lean Cuisine (320 Calories)

Snack 2: Pre-prepared Tuna Salad and Crackers

Dinner: Rainbow Sushi Roll (Publix)

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Ham (7 slices – 60 Calories)
String Cheese

Snack 1: Mixed Fruit
String Cheese

Lunch: Lean Cuisine (170 Calories)

Dinner: Taco Salad without the Taco(Home Made – 4 Oz of lean ground meat, 1 portion of Goya Black beans, taco seasoning, onions, green peppers, and shredded lettuce) – 390-400 calories

Thursday:
Breakfast: Ham

Snack 1: String Cheese
Popcorn Flavored Rice Cakes

Lunch: Subway Club Salad with store bought Fat Free Blue Cheese Dressing (Dressing = 50 calories)

Dinner: Taco Salad (Same as above)

Friday:
Breakfast: Peanut Butter
Banana

Snack 1: Weight Watchers Ice Cream Sandwich (130 Calories)

Lunch: Lean Cuisine (320 Calories)

Dinner: Chicken Wings with Bleu Cheese Dressing (DERAILED!!!!)

Saturday: FREE DAY!
 
I am doing the Body for Life diet while still counting my calories per day (someetimes I dont meet my daily calorie requirement b/c of my busy schedule but I try!). Thats why I have Saturday as my FREE DAY!
 
I don't see very many whole grains in their. Try to eat more dark green leafy vegetables and whole grains. This will increase your fiber intake. As a female you should be taking in about 28 grams of fiber per day. If you have salad dressing to eat dressing that is more of a liquid at room temperature. The dressings that are thick or solid at room temp are the worst ones for you.
 
I see you are under a lot of stress. Stress can slow down your metabolism too. Try to find a way to relax. Do you yoga or meditate or something like that.
 
TrainerTodd said:
Your current Body Mass index is at 23.38 which is in the normal category. I wouldn't go any lower than 115 - 120 pounds.
Click to expand...

Is that based off of the BMI score? BMI is a bunch of crap, I'm barely in the normal range and don't have much fat to lose. My wife is actually the same height as this girl and she's 115 pounds. She's a runner and has really thick muscular legs and still has a little fat she could lose. At that height there's really no reason why somebody couldn't have a little less muscle and a little less fat than her and look great... which would put them at under 115.
 
Granted the BMI is not the best form of measurement, but anyone at 105 pounds at this height would be considered underweight. The use of the BMI is a guidline, because it is hard to do a true body comp asessment over the computer. It is important to remember that it is just a guidline. Also remember that females are supposed to keep around a higher amount of body fat for normal body function. The normal range for a female ages 18 - 39 is 21% - 32%. To tell them to go much less then that would be bad advice. You can compare people all you want, but the hard scientific evidence is hard to argue with.
 
Thanks to both of you!! I really think I can afford to lose a bit of fat. I know I am not overweight but I can definitely look better at 105 or maybe 110. Its not so much about the actual number on the scale but the way I feel and I dont feel good right now.

Can eating prepared foods like lean cuisine and the popcorn flavored rice cakes be stalling my weight loss? I really hardly have time to cook but I was just wondering if that could be an issue? I mean is it possible to not lose a pound in three weeks but still be doing the right thing other than not eating enough fiber?!? Is having a day off ok? So many questions.... :(
 
I am a firm believer in rewarding yourself. I prefer to do it at the end of a week, I'll endulge and eat pizza or something of that nature. As far as the lean cuisine meals go, check the food labels and see how many of the calories are from fats and make a decision from there. The easiest way I have found to get more fiber in my diet is to carry V8 juice with me.
 
meli015 said:
Can eating prepared foods like lean cuisine and the popcorn flavored rice cakes be stalling my weight loss?
Click to expand...

Personally I say give up the rice cakes. The glycemic index on those things are really high, about 110, which is significantly higher than even white potatoes, and you know how much crap you hear about those things. If you're somewhat athletic this doesn't matter much but some people get an insulin rush and everything gets all out of whack when that happens.

I have no idea about Lean Cuisine but just as an interesting side note, I read a study the other day that found out that with typical supermarket prepared dinners, they found that the ones that were advertised as "healthy" actually had an average of 5 times the amount of both fat and sodium as "normal" products! Crazy. Surely that doesn't include all products, I have no idea. I say prepare your own stuff as much as possible and you can control exactly what goes into each meal.
 
Unlike Trainer Tod, I'm opposed to a "treat day". Or a "binge day" or a "cheat day" or a "whatever you want to call it day". I think these "days" carryover into our other days. Suddenly a "cheat day" becomes a "cheat week" which turns into a "cheat month" and soon... we're back where we started. I think we should reward ourselves in non-food related ways so that we stop using food as a reward. We should eat when we're hungry, not just because we can. I think if you want pizza, just work it into your day. If you want ice cream, have it, but work it in so you're not missing out on protien or carbs. Any food you want to eat, you should eat, but in moderation. Heck, I could gain weight eating banana's if I overdid it with banana's. Though, I might puke after eating 3 or 4 in a row...

I agree with corndogggy on the ricecakes. Replace them, better yet, replace them with something with some flavor!

Good luck to you on your weight loss!
 
I never said gorge or anything of that sort. You still have to count those calories. It just allows you to eat one of your favorite foods. There is nothing about losing discipline in the "reward".
 
Thanks!!! Im trying to incorporate more fiber in my diet. Maybe that will help... who knows. Im hoping that my body decides to snap out of whatever its going through and realize that I'm eating alot healthier and exercising. Can't really think of anything that I'm doing wrong. As a matter of fact... I have become overly obsessive at counting every single calorie that comes in so I know that I'm pretty close to actual amounts. Im very perplexed but I appreciate the input you guys have given me. Wish me luck :(
 
water?

It sounds like you're doing quite well in terms of what you eat. I agree with tossing the rice cakes for something a bit healthier. Low-cal doesn't always mean good for you. Even iceberg lettuce is low-cal.. but its a nutritional dud. :doh: Instead, you could try some carrots or broccoli (if you like those). They're packed with all sorts of good things like beta carotene, antioxidants, and fiber!

How much water are you drinking? I might have missed that from the daily intake above, but I wanted to make sure you're drinking at least 8 glasses (64 oz) a day. We women retain water in ridiculous amounts.. so make sure your sodium intake is low and water is high.

In my experience, losing a few lbs much closer to my ideal weight was 20x harder than losing 20lbs far from my ideal weight.

Slow and steady. You'll do just fine! :jump:
 
These are great posts! Thanks for the advice :)

I've cut out the lean cuisines (trying to reduce sodium) and am trying to incorporate at least 28 grams of fiber. I have only been doing this for two days so I cant expect a miracle but we'll see if that works. Ive also stopped the rice cakes. Hopefully the combination of THAT works. I guess it's hard to lose when you dont have as much to lose. As long as I keep that mentality I wont quit :)

Good news... I tried on a pair of white pants today that stopped fitting me as nicely within the past couple of months. They still fit but they would bunch up in the front and they looked like I was dying to pop out of them. Well.... I'm wearing them now :jump: They dont do the bunching up in the front thing anymore :rotflmao: WoOooOO!!!!! Maybe I am getting leaner Im just not seeing it on the scale. I know it's not that big of a deal considering my pants still fit me before they were just very unflattering but IM ECSTATIC!!!!!!!!!
 
Congratulations!
Its a wonderful feeling when our old clothes fit.

I can't believe I have a pair of daisy duke type shorts from when I was 16 still lying around. I tried those on not too long ago and I got them past my knees! LOL! :rotflmao: I'm going to keep them around so I can do the same thing you just did. I want to see if I can fit into them ever again.

(I can't believe I ever wore anything that skimpy in my life... hahaha).


Watch out for excess sodium and keep the water going and you'll do just fine I'm sure. Sodium causes such terrible bloating/water weight gain.
-Sunny
 
corndogggy said:
Is that based off of the BMI score? BMI is a bunch of crap, I'm barely in the normal range and don't have much fat to lose. My wife is actually the same height as this girl and she's 115 pounds. She's a runner and has really thick muscular legs and still has a little fat she could lose. At that height there's really no reason why somebody couldn't have a little less muscle and a little less fat than her and look great... which would put them at under 115.
Click to expand...

Shiat, you are a hard-to-please husband. What's wrong with a little meat and curves? I'm also 5'2" and I'd lose every curve I owned if I was 115 and had muscular legs. I am quite muscular and feel I look great at 125, but I bet you'd think I had "little fat to lose" and I'd be like "well then go find someone else buddy". :rotflmao: If I were a man, I'd want a woman sleeping next to me, not my skinny little brother. But that's just me.
 
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