lost 7 pounds, can't see it

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NeuroRN76

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So I started my new "diet" (actually lifestyle change) about 2 weeks ago. I started off weighing 115 pounds. Today I am weighing in an 108 pounds. I might be a little dehydrated because I am fasting for an endoscopy in the morning, but still. I've lost a significant amount of weight for only dieting 13 days.

So why don't I look any different?? The clothes I used to wear a few months ago when I weighed 108 pounds, don't fit me now. And the clothes I wore 2 weeks ago at 115 pounds still fit me the same. Where am I losing weight? It's certainly not my butt, hips, thighs, or belly. I can't even zip my size 6's. (Even though I was a size 2 five months ago.) I am still wearing a 7/8, and even those are hard to zip sometimes.

I am 5' 6" tall. The last time I weighed 108 pounds, I still looked underweight and I purposely tried to gain more. (I overshot my goal.) Am I really going to have to get down to 100 pounds before I see a difference?

I just started Pilates and I'm trying to work up to Tae Bo. Will that be enough to make me lose inches? I really don't think it's healthy for me to keep losing pounds - I'm clinically underweight, just still have a fat butt, flabby thighs, and a pudgy midsection. I have hypothyroidism and polycystic ovaries, which gives the tendency to gain weight in the midsection. The rest of me is scrawny. Do you think I should still cut calories to lose more weight to lose those inches, or will toning exercises with maintenance calories be enough?

I'm frustrated!
 
What is your daily diet like? I would wager you are eating to low of calories. If I remember from another thread you posted in it said you were trying to eat around 1200, well that is way to low. When you lose weight but don't lose inches or measurement difference it usually means you lose muscle. And losing weight that fast suggests exactly that. So post your daily diet in DETAIL and workout routine.
 
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Wait, let me back up. I had originally lost 20 pounds because I was ill and stressed out, had mono, meningitis, and other autoimmune problems. I weighed 95 pounds, and looked like a skeleton. You could see my ribs, my spine, and my face was very gaunt. So I tried to gain weight. I wanted to get up to 110 pounds, and just started eating all the time...but then my thyroid became underactive and my metabolism was at a standstill. My food wasn't even digesting, it just sat there. Well I overshot my goal and got up to 115, and it was all fat weight, no muscle. I gained 20 pounds in 5 months. I really had/have no muscle to lose. I have been on Synthroid for several months now, so my fast metabolism has returned. I have an ectomorph frame.. very small, thin bones.

So once I got up to 115, and really started to hate the way I looked (a few people even told me I was overweight)... so I started dieting. I cut out all fast food. Stopped drinking pop, I only drink water. The calorie calculator said I should have 1670 calories per day to MAINTAIN my weight, and to subtract 500 to lose weight. At first I just wanted to lose 5 pounds and to tone up. So I ate about 1200 cal per day the first week (except for the 2 days I couldn't eat because I was too nauseated from a migraine.) Well I lost 5 pounds the first week, and didn't look any different, so I decided to keep trying. I cut my calories a little more, eating maybe 1000-1200 per day. All healthy food -- fruits, veggies, turkey, chicken, fish, nothing fried, no fast food. Again, same thing as last week.. had another migraine, so spent one day in bed with nausea and vomiting, so food or water for one day. I lost 3 more pounds, and I still look the same.

I wasn't working out at all during that time, but I'm a nurse, and I work 12 hour shifts. I walk briskly at my job for 4-6 hours, the rest is walking at a normal pace or sitting. That's 3 nights per week, so I think it must count for something. I started Pilates for the first time last night, and intend to do that at least 3 nights per week, if not more. That's the extent of my workout as it stands today.

Someone who hasn't seen me in a couple months saw me yesterday and was startled that I have lost weight. But I don't see it. I look in the mirror, and I see the same person I saw 2 weeks ago. Like I said, the clothes I wore 2 weeks ago weighing 115 pounds, still fit exactly the same. I haven't lost any inches, just pounds. :(
 
Well first off 115 at your height is in no way overweight, even shallow judgemental people in general would think this is very good. However I do understand the desire to be at the body you want to be. I just hope that your mindset on how you look becomes more positive because that panic nature of trying to lose weight quickly can end up dragging out the course over a much longer period. I saw your pictures, you are a very beautiful girl so remember that. Now lets get down to how to fix this, or at least in the right direction.

1000-1200 calories a day just isn't going to cut it, especially for someone on their feet all day. I know that the subtract 500 calorie thing is the norm but understand when you get down to the size you are, as small as you are its to extreme. I would wager being on your feet all day and your height and weight your a closer to 1800-1900 a day, and if you add in any working out this number could rise. Also since you are taking medication that puts a rise in your metablosim this number could be even higher. Since you are taking meds I would strongly suggest talking to your doctor about your levels, what to expect from this product and suggestions on your daily caloric intake.

I would suggest moving back up until you hit 1600 calories. Then bounce between 1500-1900 calories while doing some strength training. You need to put some of that muscle back. There are better routines other than Pilates but that is a personal decision. However pilates is a form of body lifting and since you have never really had a workout routine I would imagine it will provide you with a little muscle gain to help lean you out while burning body fat.

So get in some more calories, focus on strength training, and try and keep your stress level low. Talk to your doctor as well about what to expect from these meds.
 
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I saw my doctor's Nurse Practitioner last week, and she glared at me when I said I was upset over my weight gain. She asked me, "You're upset over weighing 113 pounds?" I told her, "I am upset that I gained 20 pounds of fat, yes." She looked angry. I don't think she's going to help me devise a way to lose weight. I was afraid to ask after that. Though at the same visit, she prescribed me Topamax for migraine prevention which is a drug most known for dramatic weight loss, so I'm not sure what she was thinking. I haven't started taking it yet, because I will probably lose too much weight and look scary again. I want to do this the right way, and stay healthy. (Wish I could get rid of the headaches though.)

Well I will try for a little while to eat more and consume more calories, but if the weight comes back as fat, I'm going to cry. LOL

You're the first person to acknowledge that my job should count for something. Everyone else, my doctor included, says "work doesn't count." But I don't think they realize how physically strenuous my job is. I'm lifting people who weigh 2-3 times as much as me, turning and changing incontinent people who can't move by themselves, I'm on my feet for several hours at a time. Then usually from midnight to 3am, I am sitting down, eating and charting. That's on a good night, sometimes I don't get a break at all, and sometimes I have to physically restrain combative people or do CPR. Try doing chest compressions on a dying patient for 20 minutes, it's a workout. When I come home from work, my entire body aches and I feel like I've been hit by a train. My only migraine trigger is a change in my sleeping pattern. So naturally every time I have a night off to rest, I get horribly sick. Nursing is a brutal profession!

Ok, so here's my game plan. I'll go back to 1600 calories. I'll continue with Pilates. I also plan on swimming.. not laps, because I can't swim to save my life, LOL, but I want to play with my son in the water on the weekends, and that has to count too. He spends hours in the pool, that little fish. Hopefully I will begin to see my "problem areas" melt away to reveal nicely toned muscles.

One more quick question. If you were "starving" yourself.. the body would take from the fat stores first, would it not? I thought it only consumed the muscles as a "last resort" when there was nothing else left to consume?
 
If I'm reading right, you've never really worked with weights. I think if that's the case, one of the problems is hte lack of muscle. For women, 'specially, the amount of muscle you have (read:just muscle, not excessive bodybuilder physique) has a direct correlation to how one burns calories, looks, and feels. You need some good resistance training.

I don't think tons of cardio is what you need; I have a friend who is a labor and delivery nurse and she can trek over 10 miles a day on her 12 hour shifts.
 
I don't know how to say this other than bluntly, but your weight is very low bordering on severely underweight for your height. Healthy weight for your height is around 120-133lbs and that is the low reference for a small framed individual. I think you need to bulk up and gain weight to see your muscles. My guess is your doctor is not disgusted, but instead very concerned seeing what you can't and that is exactly how thin you are. I have looked at your pictures and see no body fat in either picture. Losing that kind of weight from your baseline so quickly suggests that you are not really eating enough calories or your thyroid is hyperactive due to your meds needing adjusted. You are a beautiful girl, why not see a trainer and learn how to put on muscle that will give you a sculpted appearance. The numbers on the scale will go up, but you will look and feel great. I hope you are not upset with my reply, I am very worried about you. Nurses have this habit of caring for others and not themselves, as a nurse I needed to try to help you see where you are headed.
 
missyv said:
I don't know how to say this other than bluntly, but your weight is very low bordering on severely underweight for your height. Healthy weight for your height is around 120-133lbs and that is the low reference for a small framed individual. I think you need to bulk up and gain weight to see your muscles.
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I agree that you should gain weight, I think I said so in your other thread as well.

NeuroRN76 said:
One more quick question. If you were "starving" yourself.. the body would take from the fat stores first, would it not? I thought it only consumed the muscles as a "last resort" when there was nothing else left to consume?
Click to expand...

If your body thinks it's starving it is in "last resort" mode. It will hang onto fat to try to protect itself and keep you alive, consuming your muscles for engergy. If you don't eat enough, it will be very hard to lose fat because your body will just hang on to it.

Why don't you focus more on "losing fat" not "losing weight"? You really don't need to go any lower weight-wise (probably would be pretty unhealthy). Start lifting weights/doing pilates/whatever to gain muscle. Muscle will burn more fat than anything, and will make you look better as well. Don't worry, girls can't get bulky!
 
Yeah I thought I mentioned that I didn't want to lose weight, just fat. I wouldn't even mind weighing 115 if it was muscle weight. It's the "fat weight" that bothers me. Even though I don't have much fat, it's still jiggly, lumpy fat that is unattractive. I do have bodyfat, believe me. My measurements used to be 32-24-34, (chest-waist-hips)...and now they're 34-27-37. I can stand to lose a few pounds (or inches). I know according to your average BMI scale, it says I am grossly underweight, but I'm not. My Endocrinologist even said that for my body type/frame, my ideal weight is around 110-115. That BMI scale doesn't take into account my small frame, my bones are very thin and small. My ten year old son has bigger bone structure than I do. Trust me, I would be fat if I weighed 130 pounds. I weighed 130 pounds the day I gave birth to my son, and I was enormous. I'm at a healthy weight, but I can't get rid of my extra belly fat, love handles, flabby thighs and saddle bags. I can't spot reduce them, so my only choice is to try to lose weight overall. Which is what I've been trying to do. I succeeded in losing "weight" but just made no difference on the areas I wanted to work on!

Someone else mentioned my thyroid levels, and they are all normal. I get them checked all the time. In fact, I'm going this week to have them checked again. I'm on a very low dose of Synthroid, and even with that medication, I still have symptoms of being hypo.. so there is no way that I've become hyperactive.

About weights.. I just feel stupid using weights. I don't know how any of the nautilus machines work, and I don't want to be the only girl in there lifting free weights. My arms are so weak, 3 pounds would be difficult. I know because I bought 3 pound dumbells to carry when I walk, and I think they're heavy.

I think if I increase my calories and just do the Pilates, that will give me the look I'm hoping for. Just lean and toned. Not "muscular"... I don't even need to be perfectly firm everywhere, I like a little softness. I just don't want to look pudgy. I don't want rolls of fat on my belly when I sit down. I don't want lumps of fat hanging over my jeans. I don't want my thighs to shake, or my butt to jiggle. And that's what I've got now.. whether you see that in pictures or not, that's what I see and feel when I look down. And my clothes do not lie. How many women do you know can weigh as little as 108 pounds, but still need to wear a size 8? Probably very few. The last time I was at this weight, I was a size 6. But I'm not letting go of that fat around my middle, and it's not my imagination, or else my clothes would fit.

I'm not offended by anyone's replies at all... I would think the same thing. I know it's hard for people to imagine that I have fat to lose when the number on the scale is low, but believe me... skinny people have fat too, and it's probably just as hard to lose as everyone else's! If I were brave enough, I'd show pictures of my fat areas, but that would just be murder on my self-esteem!
 
Like I've said before, I can relate to your situation (in regards to your build). I'm 5'8" and my wrist circumferance (with a measuring tape wrapped around the place above the wrist bone, where the wrist joins the hand) is six inches. According to BMI scales I'm underweight for my height but I'm really not, I've got fat, just a thin build.

However keep in mind with age you start to lose muscle little by little. Also your (our) body type is the most prone to osteoporosis, and lifting weights helps to build bone, so you really may want to reconsider lifting weights, even if you just buy some "girly" dumbells to use at home (which is what I do).

I guess I don't really have any helpful advice, but good luck!
 
Here's an article about Pilates you might find interesting http://web.archive.org/web/20041015142512/www.dolfzine.com/page95.htm

(it's too long to copy and paste so I provided the link)

And for the record, toning is a misnomer. http://freespace.virgin.net/bch.hypotonia/tonevstrength.htm
I see this term used a lot by trainers and magazines and so everyone starts to use it.

It's entirely up to you but the machines in the gym are easy to figure out if you spend a bit of time with them and ask the trainers the correct way to use them.

I think also that you'll find the men in the free weights are to be more than helpful showing you proper form for the basic compound movements and I also think you'll find more than just men in the free weights area.

I thought lastly just for fun, I'd give ya' a couple of links that are based on women lifters of sorts that are not all muscley.
http://www.geajohnson.com/lifting.asp
http://stumptuous.com/index.html
http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/ladylift3.htm
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do;jsessionid=E6691ABE199E9A03DE9682807A16CABD.hydra?id=460532
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do;jsessionid=E6691ABE199E9A03DE9682807A16CABD.hydra?id=459789
http://www.f-heit.com/index.jsp?jumpTo=487545
 
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