Waistline will not reduce, despite all efforts :(

Well please do keep us posted. I am very curious to see if this lower calorie diet will make the fat budge. That damned fat! haha Fingers crossed for ya!!

BTW, have you had your testosterone levels checked? I just read an article online the other day about testosterone levels and how they make men gain around the middle as they start decreasing during aging. The author was a proponent of replacement hormones to keep levels higher and thus burn fat easier and obtain other supposed (but believable) health benefits. Also, have you had your thyroid checked to be sure there is no obvious issue there? Clearly there are some hormonal issues at work preventing you from losing weight and keeping at a more reasonable weight.

Best wishes to you :).
 
Update:

Reduced calories to :1200 per day.

Have gained just under 1kg of body fat and lost about 15% of strength at the gym due to loss of muscle density, My pants which fit a few weeks ago are now 'tight', the reduced calories are making my workouts harder to complete.

I have created a 600 calorie a day 'deficit' with what I am eating and what I am doing, doctor just can't believe what he's seeing.. it's like my body has some out of control condition where it just wants to put more and more fat on.

I am asking my doctor to investigate whether or not my Asthma medication I am on is contributing to my weight problems, one is a corticosteroid and the other is a reliever, he says that this is extremely unlikely.

I can barely stand the sight of food now and want to throw up after every meal, I hate the way I look and feel and dread even the small meals my restricted diet allows.

My personal trainer is worried at this development, but no amount of weight training, no amount of cardio seems to work.

I am at a total loss.... I am doomed to become one of these house-bound people that needs a crane to go to the toilet.

**EDIT**

I am informed that I may have 'Irreversible Obesity'... this is a condition in which someone with a relatively low number of 'fat cells' stores enough energy to cause fat cells
to reach their maximum size, what happens then is prolifieraton of fat cells as the body makes 'new fat cells', this then increases the body's ability to store fat as well as it's
'desire' to store fat (something about expression of certain enzymes and so forth in the body).

I may have to on drug therapy and undego liposuction, but even with these interventions I am informed that there is a very high likeklyhood I will die before I reach the age of 45.
As the precursers for stroke, heart attack, diabetes (type 2) and other conditions are already established.

When someone gets into this condition (and you don't even need to be that 'big' either) there's nothing that lifestyle changes can do to halt progression, the body's biochemistry
is broken and needs to be corrected.

Great :(

-SadFatMan :ack2:
 
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Well asthma meds are made of steroids and steroids are known to put on weight, so I am not convinced that the asthma meds have nothing to do with this. Is it possible you could safely go off them for a time to see??? CHECK YOUR TESTOSTERONE LEVELS, it is a simple blood test.
 
I can't believe your doctor has told you that you are very likely to die before 45, I find that incredibly un-professional, sure being overweight is a pre-cursor to a number of conditions, but look around, there are literally millions of overweight (not Gilbert Grapes Mother sized) people over 45 who some how manage to scrape through, sheeez.. that is like telling every smoker they WILL most likely die by the age of 45.. it is untrue, a percentage will, a percentage will have no issues at all ever their entire lives, and some will suffer illnesses at various stages of their lives, everyone's physiology is different.

I like Blancita find it weird that asthma meds are not even considered in this case, I would want that explored far more, and if you are suffering from some incredibly rare "Irreversible Obesity" it is hardly constructive to say "well too bad buddy looks like you're goign to die" - What an attitude!!!!

OK, time to get far more pro active with these people, and your health, you are allowing all of them to make you feel like a failure... well time to turn it around, they have failed you by not providing a program that works, and then creating some bogus explaination of why not - if your doctor is correct (which I do not believe for a minute) then apparently it is sooooooo life threatening you being "irreversably obese", then you have the option of gastric banding or other WLS still to explore, it would probably be covered by medicare if it is indeed life saving.. have him explore that.

Personally I would be getting a new Doctor, yours sounds dreadful. Pick yourself up by the bootstraps and start "owning" your health, placing yourself in the hands of the medical industry and then just giving up and accepting when they tell you "you will die" is suicidal.

Have you ever explored alternative health? It might be worth having a consultation with a qualified Natropath or similar.

You don't say how tall you are in your first post.. it would help to know that.

Most of all... Please don't loose heart and spiral into a black hole over this, there is still plenty of options :)
 
hi u considered smart lipo? it now removes quite a bit. without bruising and downtime recovery unlike regular lipo. U in the UK or US?
 
Hi Sad,

I agree with the other posters; you should seek a second opinion (preferably from someone who's more excited about the idea of you living than dying).

I also know what you mean when you talk about a 'set point' for weight. Apparently there is a hormone called Leptin which regulates fat gain/loss in the body. You probably know all about it. What I'm curious about though, is does hunger/craving play any role in this? I mean, do you ever feel you need to eat something to be 'satisfied'? If yes, then leptin could be the issue.

I know you're probably feeling very shitty right now but please don't stop your visits to this site because you can get so much support from here. It's okay to feel like you're failing as long as you don't stop trying! Just think of how much progress you've made with your muscle building!!! :)

I look forward to another update from you! Take care :)
 
Yeah.... I feel terrible :( Thanks for the nice words though...

The bizzare thing is i am actually 'stronger' than most other guys in the gym, i lift more and lift better and superior technique, but they're all so much slimmer and 'fitter' looking than me, they are often quite shocked when i slam out reps on the squat rack or bench press that they can't even get close to.

I am not competing with anyone, just stick to my routine, but I just don't understand how the body can respond by building up muscle, getting stronger yet not use up one ounce of body fat.

SO.. i'm now doing tons and tons of cardio.. 45/90min sessions, I keep going till my heartrate gets really high and i get the shakes...i still do weights 3 times a week.

Doctors just tell me to lay off the junk food, but I don't eat any!!! :cuss:

So, i'm sitting here, with an obese mid section, high body dat, enough muscle power to lift 150kg bechpresses (i don't know what that is in pounds) yet despite this AND tons of cardio AND low calorie, low-carb, high protein eating with 1400/1500 calories a day the weight still continue to pile on :(

I've been to see about Lipo, apparently i'm not suitable for it as they want me to try more to loose weight, they say lipo is not about weight loss... i've even asked about stomach stapling, but I don't eat that much, i'm not an over-eater...so here in Aus the doctors won't prescribe this treatment as my caloric intake is already 'low' (that's the purpose of a lap-band/stomach staple operation, to make overeating stop).

There are some days where I just want to die, I hate being this fat, obese man that women won't even look at twice (who could blame them?), the face in the mirror is NOT ME, i KNOW what I'm supposed to look like and the persono who's fat, florrid face looks back at me IS NOT ME :(

I feel like I am trapped in some horrid prison, some terrible disease.

And to add insult to injury.. put on 1kg this week.. almost all of it fat, around my midsection.. gained an INCH of fat around the waist.

I am begining to think it's my ASTHMA medicine...i've got pictures of myself as a teenager of about 17 before I was diagnosed with asthma, I can't believe how slim and 'in shape' I looked, I have another picture from 18 months later after high school and at college.. and you would not think it the same person.. the weight just began to pile on, i looked like a balloon...

The only thing that changed between these two pictures is that I was diagnosed with Asthma by our local GP and put on the medicines.

I have been taking Ventollin and various preventers since the 1980's, INTAL, PULMACORT and now SYMBICORT.

I am becomming convinced that there's something about asthma medicines that makes it hard to loose weight, or easy to put weight on...the irony is that they manage the asthma very well, SYMBICORT is awesome... you almost NEVER need to use your reliever puffer (Ventolin)... but maybe these preventers have a hidden price?

My inquiries will now focus on these medicines, does anyone else take these things?

-SadFatMan
 
You know what hun, I am going to re-iterate again about seeing a Natropath.. I think there is something up like an allergy/intolerance.

I could even be Gluten intolerance if the weight is centred on your gut, and your face is florid, without being too personal, if there is anythign weird up with your bowel movements I would suspect a food reaction even more.

I think a lateral approach is needed here, clearly the head on approach is not working, so try some alternatives.

The most important thing is to stay postive that a solution will come along, coz there is very few problems that seriously have no solution :) It's out there, you just got to find the right person to help identify what it is.

hang in there mate :)
 
Bowel movements are completely normal, regular as clockwork.. 9:30am every day, full clear (I've had to give more than one 'sample', don't know how any medical person can spend time analysing poos), no abnormalities detected.

No struggling, no straining, no mess.. only takes me about 10 seconds to go to the loo and i'm all done, it's because I eat a lot of fibre.

Been tested for allergies too, nothing abnormal came up :(

-NyarghNia
 
Clearly YOU are doing nothing wrong. This is definitely a hormonal issue of some sort and you just need to get to the bottom of it. Hormones can inhibit/prohibit fat use/loss while others can force lipolysis. In the presence of hormones that prohibit fat use, you simply will not burn fat despite what anyone in real life or on the internet tells you to just simply eat less and burn more and fat loss will come.

Without any medical training so take any comment with a huge grain of salt, I have a strong feeling that the asthma meds/steroids have something to do with the weight issues considering that you gained when you started on them. In addition, your testosterone levels may be low and should be checked.

TODAY I finally just lost 1/2 pound below my plateau weight. As you know that is an astounding feat since normally no matter how hungry I am after eating little, I stay the same weight. So I am amazed and hope this is from my changed diet/meds. I have been cutting out grains and sugar (though not fruit, that is unlimited), and though I've had a bunch of slip-ups (with several recent birthday celebrations), my cravings and hunger has been significantly reduced. Also my doctor prescribed an insulin blocker medication, though I am not taking it every day and only taking half the prescribed dose (as I hate taking pharmaceuticals), and this pill probably has the same effect as reducing grains and sugar, which is to decrease the insulin in my system. You cannot burn fat in the presence of insulin, which rises when we eat but goes off the charts when we eat grains (even whole grains I have found for myself) and sugar/candy. Maybe you can try this diet, or have you already??

Whatever you do, dont lose hope..there are a few of us on this forum with this plateau problem and if we just keep researching and sharing what might work, maybe we will get some relief and start losing again.

Hope you have a nice day and that you cheer up a bit. You are not just about your weight, your a person with lots of other more important qualities. Please try to remember that.
 
Hi again :)
I've just done a quick search on the net and Symbicort is a corticosteroid, which means it has an effect both on the adrenal glands (which can influence weight loss) but also, being a steroid, it can also inhibit weight loss in some people.

You may hear people on similar medicines as you say they don't have a problem with their weight. Yet others, like my mother, took cortisone (a kind of corticosteroid) and put on about 15kg in a few months, almost without altering her diet. The thing is, steroids and other medicines have different effects on different people, so the key is to be honest with yourself and your doctor... if you believe your body can't tolerate a medicine, persuade your doc to put you on something else. Maybe you could go on the ventolin puffer for a while, until you lose the excess fat. I know it will be an inconvenience but remember that excess weight aggravates asthma symptoms.

Why not make an appointment with your doc to discuss this? Try it for a month without the Symbicort and see what happens. You have nothing to lose!

And keep checking in to let us know how you're doing. :)
 
Here's what I found at drugs.com:

Symbicort conatins a comination of budesonide and formoterol. Budesonide is a steroid that reduces inflammation in the body.
Click to expand...
Pulmicort contains budesonide which is a corticosteroid.
Click to expand...


Follow that with information on steroids and corticosteroids from the Johns Hopkins medical site:

Weight gain is usually the most dreaded side–effects of steroid use, incurred to some degree by nearly all patients who take them. The amount of weight gain varies from individual to individual. In addition to causing weight gain, prednisone leads to a redistribution of body fat to places that are undesirable, particularly the face, back of the neck, and abdomen. [
Click to expand...

It's pretty well known that steroids can cause weight gain, fat redistribution, and water retention. I know when I have taken steroids for bronchitis/pneumonia, my weight loss has stalled out and there's nothing I can do about it. If you've been on these drugs for a long time, I would be very surprised to find out that they're NOT part of your problem.

I would talk to your doctor about how these drugs are affecting your ability to lose weight. If he or she is resistant or tells you that they have no effect, then you need to find another doctor and get a 2nd (and possibly a 3rd) opinion.
 
I am really sorry you are experiencing all this.

I am with you doctor though in the asthma medication thing, inhaled steroids have barely any systemic effect. I know this is the internet and I could be anyone pretending to be a lung expert, I am not, but I did study medicine and I have asthma myself since the age of 11 months, I have been on symbicort, pulmicort and am now on seretide (I have what is labeled as "severe asthma, difficult to control", which means I have many attacks with asthmatic statuses that land me in hospital regularly, but have had not a single bad attack since I started on Seretide!).
When I started putting on weight I blamed the asthma meds quickly too, steroids do make you swollen and "fat" (think of your average cancer kid with the full moon face), but my doctors also told me it had nothing to do. I did not believe them back then and I did research asthma meds for quite a while, but I found no paper that showed that inhaled steroids have an effect on weight, while there is a rather large number of papers on how little inhaled steroids do to the rest of your body and how great this is, as you never get steroids into your blood stream (all the good effects in the lung, none of the bad ones in the rest of your body and believe me steroids have many many awful side effects!).

So, while I laso think you need to change doctors and discuss this situation again, I would be careful to blame asthma medicine on weight gain.
What is by the way correlated is asthma and overweight, but this is due to the fact that asthmatic children and adults tend to be less sportive than their counterparts who can breath fine, not to the meds. You have stated several times how much you work out and how fit you are, so I do not think this is your case scenario!

I hope you find a doctor (and maybe someone to talk to about this, you sound quite depressed) soon, one who believes you and who is willing to discuss this into detail.
Have a better week! Camy
 
While it appears weight gain is not a common side effect, I found the following..was interested because my niece is on these meds.

Less Common Side Effects
Rare Pulmicort side effects occur in 1 to 3 percent of people taking the drug. Because these side effects are so uncommon, it is difficult to tell whether they are actually caused by the medicine or by factors unrelated to it.

Some of these less common side effects include but are not limited to:


* Chest pain
* Fatigue
* Voice changes
* Loss of appetite
* Emotional changes
* Muscle pain
* Dry mouth
* Weight gain
* Migraine headaches
* Insomnia.

Just because a study has not shown this to be true does not mean a negative has been proved. You could just be the 1 to 3 percent of people who gain weight on these meds. Its worth looking into, obviously in consultation with your doctor.
 
SadFatMan said:
Hi All,

I am 38 years old and have been told by my doctor to loose weight or die before I hit 50. I weigh about 112kg and have been battling weight all my life, it has come to dominate everything i do... and I am at witts end and miserable.

I have tried every excercise regime, every diet, every weight loss program and the inches just continue to stay on my waist.

For the last two years I have been throwing everything at this problem, here is what I am currently doing:

A) Training with a personal trainer 3 times a week
B) Cardio sessions, 3 times a week
C) 1 'day off' from gym workouts

My workouts are broken into three seperate sessions, legs, chest and back. Some numbers:

Squatting about 120kg
Bencing about 130kg
Deadlifting about 140kg

I can run on treadmills, use rowing machines, blast away on a cross trainer for 45 mins at high settings, sweat like a pig and nothing works.

I am following a 1600 calorie day diet with macro and micro nutrients, keeping hydrated and taking high quality whey protien post-workout, I am also taking a daily supllement of L-Glutamine and other vitamins.

No sugar in my diet, No fried foot, diet has been put together by my Doctor and nutritionist.

As I said, this has been going on for two years now and I just had an assessment...

Despite all this work, I have not lost a SINGLE INCH off my fat wasit :( I've packed on muscle, my cardio capacity is higher (much higher), but I can't get rid of this damned FAT!

I can out-bench, outlift and out power most guys in the gym, I cario harder than most other people, do everything i can but my body refuses to shed any of the weight it has accrued around my middle.

My doctor doesn't believe me, he tells me to 'say off the snacks' with a smile on his face and says I need to drop about 25kg or I'll have problems in a few years...

The worst part is that my trainer can't understand it, My doctor is bemused and doesn't seem to believe me either, people keep making jokes about food around me and I feel terrible, whenever i go to a family function my well meaning family give me 'small' or 'half' sized serves, as if I'm some food junky that needs to be managed.

I'm at witts end here, my trainer can't believe that I'm not loosing any fat, despite putting on huge muscle gains.

Blood tests reveal nothing unusual.

What can I do? I'm told I can't reduce calories any more and I can't realistily excercise any more than I already am.

My trainer says that my body may be incapable of metabolising any more fat as the 'fat set point' has been left too high for too long and years of yo-yo dieting may have wrecked my endocrine system.

I'm now considering mega-lipo, I've not 'gained' any fat for about five years and my body weight is steady, it's just .. got a lot of fat on it.

Has anyone else encountered similiar problems?

-SadFatMan
Click to expand...
I just have to say, this info. is sooooo helpful.
 
Hey, how are you going Sad? Have you made a breakthrough with your weight yet? What happened with the asthma issue?

Let us know how you're doing!! :)
 
Hi,

Sorry to report back that so far i've not lost any weight, despite adding yet more cardio to my workout regime. Also, my trainer has decided to move on, he's leaving the personal training industry as not many clients have been able to stay on due to everyone pulling back on spending.

I've decided to cut back to 1,000 calories per day and add more cardio, it will be impossible for this body to maintain current fat reserves at this level of calroic intake. My doctor says that
this is extremely low and says that it could do more harm than good and will play bloody havoc with my immune system...

It's a grim battle, i've recently begun to suffer from infections, the most recent being tonsolitis (which seems to bear out what Doc said), i'm currently on a 50 capsule plan of antibiotics at 4 per day, so about 12 days worth of heavy duty antibiotics. Seems there's always somethign wrong with this body somewhere, something broken or not quite right.

But i'm sticking with it, unfortunately i have to stay on symbicort, it's just too good at controlling ashtma, i take one puff in morning and night and never need to use ventolin at all, it's that good at controlling asthma.

I'll post back and let you know how the very low calories and extended cardio goes, i've decided to cut back on weights (anerobic) and go for aerobic workouts.

-SadFatMan
 
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Instead of cutting your calories, could you try the alkaline diet? It sounds very very hokey, but the foods are really healthy (mostly certain fruits and veggies) so I am doing it now, in addition to hormones I started taking, and I have FINALLY LOST WEIGHT! I have so far been beating my plateau, losing more than a pound a week. The diet's theory, which again, sounds very silly but since no money needs to be sent to some crazy diet plan, I figured why not try it? So the theory is that if the body is not PH balanced, and is too acidic, the fat cannot dissipate because all the toxins are stored in it, as soon as the body is more alkaline and balanced, it can release the toxins and the fat. I cut back my meat to less than one serving a day, egg only a few times a week, no dairy, limited whole grain carbs..all of this in an effort to give the liver a break supposedly. Again, weird theory but can't hurt to try it. Something is working REALLY WELL for me now, and I have a feeling its a combo of the hormones and the diet. Here's what I typically eat now:

*Lots of cucumber and tomatoe -- I make shakes with cherry tomotoes and cucumber whenever I'm hungry or feeling depleted. You would not believe how energizing this is!
*almond milk rather than dairy
*raw salads, as much as humanly possible
*avocado
*watermelon
*as many other veggies and fruits I can get my hands on

Just look up "alkaline diet" and see the list of foods.

Also, have you checked your hormone levels lately? Are you producing enough testosterone? That is easily checked, and easily replaced if necessary! Make sure you look into this as this seems to be what has cured a TWO YEAR PLATEAU.

Just remember, if you keep trying different things something is bound to work. I dont believe restricting your calories too much is the answer though. Shoot for 1400 calories of all raw fruits and veggies and see what happens! Literally stuff yourself with as many of the alkaline veggies and fruits as possible.
 
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