Not working - help please?
 

Hi there.
Here is my story. I am 5, 11" and 215 lbs. I am a mid-to-large frame. I have been over weight my entire life. I am currently 26 years old.

I have been working hard since Jan to loose weight. I reduced my caloric intake to 1500-1700 day. I went from no exercise to 40 mins of elliptical 6 days a week. I drink lots of water. I do not eat meat. I eat high fiber grains, lots of fruit and lot and lots of veggies.

Since I started this routine I have only lost 3lbs.

Can anyone help me?

Teela Not sure how much help I can be lol. I’m 5’9” & started at 224 lbs back in 2008. Got to my goal kept if off for a year. I’ve let some weight creep back on & so I’m here for a ‘tune up’ so to speak. Trust me if I can do it you can do it. Just reading what you posted about what you eat I have a few questions. You don’t eat meat is that because you are a vegetarian? If so I don’t see how you are replacing that protein. I’m just guessing here, but your body needs protein. I think your calories are okay, but it could be that you are just not feeding your body the right balance of foods. My suggestion would be add some protein to each meal, cut back on the fruit & grains. Don’t cut out the fruits & grains just adjust the amount to make room for the protein. Lots of veggies & water is good. You are going to have to tweak things a little until you find what works for you. That’s why journaling your food is so important. You can then go back day-by-day & see what worked & what didn’t. hope that helps. I’m sure there are others on here that will have much better advice that I do…lol.

I am a vegetarian. So my protein comes from veggies, beans and soy. I do eat some sea food, but not very often.

okay so your protein comes from beans, soy & some seafood. you do know that veggies are not a protein right...lol? that's good that you are getting your protein. what percent is your protein every day compared to your carbs? oh i also wanted to add about exercise sounds like you are getting enough cardio, are you doing any strength training light hand weights for example?

Hi Teela,
Stacey is probably on to something. You might look pretty carefully at your protein consumption. Although FitDay doesn't do it, as a vegetarian, you are probably aware of the need to balance your essential amino acids. Trying to rely on plant-based sources exclusively for balancing your amino acids can be tough. Soy can really help, but you might look into a whey-based protein supplement while you are on a calorie restricted diet.

I was pretty strongly opposed to such things not too long ago - plastic food, and all that - but as a temporary measure while restricting my calorie loads, protein powders, shakes and other drinks have really helped keep the amino acids balanced without the fat that usually accompanies animal based protein including a lot of dairy.

Good luck, you sound determined so I know you will figure this out and be on your way to the size and shape of your goals.

also hemp seeds are an EXCELLENT source of protein as well as essential fatty acides those good omega 3's & such.

Teela - How awful for you. I'm impressed that you're sticking with your program w/o the results, I don't know if I have that kind of will power.
With that kind of workout you may be loosing fat and gaining muscle and, as you know, muscles weigh a lot more than fat. Are you tracking your measurements? Are your clothes fitting you differently?
Are you using Fitday to track your food and activities? I recommend it b/c the reports show your daily macronutrients as well as what your target calories should be. It's very important not to eat too little since that will make your body go into starvation mode and it will not let go of the fat! Your calorie intake may be too low for that kind of workout.
I hope you find the answer to your problem. If the calories are what Fitday recommends then if it were me, I'd go to an endocrinologist or internist to check my thyroid and hormone levels.

Hi Teela
 

I have a couple thoughts. First would be to measure instead of focusing on the scale, like desertmountain said. Although a pound of muscle does not weigh more than a pound of fat (a pound is a pound), the muscle is more dense and takes up less space, so if you are gaining muscle, measurements will show faster than the scale. The "body" tab has a place to enter them.

Second, I put your values into this calculator: Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs

Some folks feel it works for them, some don't. But even on the "extreme fat loss" calculation, it gives you 1700-some calories. Maybe your system is slowing because of the drastic reduction? Maybe try keeping it closer to the 1700 side and also read the info about calorie cycle zig zag, which keeps your body from adjusting itself to the predictable; that may help if you try it. Possibly varying your exercise may help also.

Congrats on your perseverance! You will get there.

Hi Teela
It sounds like you are on the right track.
I would suggest cutting out all sugars, including honey and fruit juice.
And cutting out all processed carbs like white flour.
These products spike the insulin and your body will not drop weight if the insulin is high.
Insulin is a fat storage hormone.
Think low glycemic foods and you will be on your way.
Hope this helps.

By and large losing weight is about taking in less calories then you need to burn in a given day. What has worked for me (down 40 lbs since November) is using the free calculators on this site:

Free Diet Plans and Weight Loss Programs

Using the calculators, you should be able to get a baseline for what your daily caloric needs are. No calculator is perfect but it will at least give you an idea of how many calories you need to take in during a given day to maintain or lose weight.

After that you can choose how you want structure your eating and your cardio so that you maintain an overall caloric deficit.

After you know your daily needs you will want to be sure to structure your diet in a way that you receive your calories in a balanced way. I use a 40C/30P/30F breakdown, but there are others. In fact there is a calculator for that as well on the website. Simply cutting out sugars will not lead to weight loss. You need to take a look at the overall picture of your diet and make sure that your calories are where they should be for your body.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your weight loss and hang in there.

Hi Teela,
I am around the same weight as you are, I started on the same diet as you have,not quit all the way vegetarian? I do eat fish. I have lost ten pounds in a Month(a lot of it in the stomach). I stay away from soy and just walk a lot for exercise.
I think it is the elliptical machine that is turning your fat(not to insult you) into muscle. It sounds like we have the same build and need to do light exercise, not the kind thats going to build you legs into muscle and make it look like you have not lost any weight on the scale. Hope this helps you and good luck and stick with it for life, I am.

Just a suggestion and I'm not sure if this works for a vegetarian... But I make a whey protein shake in the morning to help get some more protein. Would that help?

I'm not really sure what the issue is, because I'm doing essentially the same thing and have been losing steadily. But I'm a lot shorter and started off heavier, 5'-2" with a starting weight of 244. Although I think I'm exercising a little more, I get on the elliptical 45-50 minutes 6 days a week and then one day a week I ride the stationary bike 30 min and lift weights 45 min.

I'm inclined to agree that your protein percentage might not be high enough. It's a little tricky on the vegetarian diet to get to 30% protein. You might try adding more TVP (textured vegetable protein) to your diet, along with tofu, fat free cottage cheese, low-fat cheese, fish, Greek yogurt, nuts and tuna. Or you can add a protein powder of some sort. So far I haven't gotten into the protein powder thing, but am considering it. Lately I've been using nuts and seeds to bring up some of my vitamin levels and they are generally a great source of protein too. I love cashews and almonds!

The other thing I might suggest is that you limit your fruit intake to 3 servings a day, spread throughout the day, but all of them before dinner. No matter how good I am on my diet, if I go over 3 servings of fruit, I don't lose any weight. And mix the fruits up so you're not eating 3 bananas or some such. I try to have 2 pieces of fruit and a serving of berries or grapes everyday.