Thea519

Hello all- I am new to this site and forum, so forgive me if this issue has already been addressed in an early thread...

Last March, I weighed in at 278 pounds. I realized I needed to do something about it before it began to affect my health, so I went to my doctor and he put me on a weight loss supplement called Adipex and gave me a basic diet plan to follow. I followed his instruction and also incorporated 2 days a week of Zumba. By December, I'd lost 48 pounds (just about half of my goal), so I was feeling pretty darn good about myself... And then came the rut....

I maintained the same weight (230lbs.) through January. I then decided to kick it up a notch! For the past 3 and 1/2 months, I've been on a very strict diet plan that consists of mostly lean protiens, vegetables, fruits, and water. I've also been exercising 5 days a week (2 Zumba classes, 2 powerlift classes, and 1 pilates class). And I AM STILL MAINTAINING THE SAME WEIGHT!

Have any of you ever had this problem? Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong??????? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

kristinaw13

Congrats, first of all, on meeting half of your goal! That's great!

I completely understand what you are going through. I lost 30 pounds in 3 months in the beginning of last year and have not been able to shed one more pound in the last 3 months.

I would suggest having your metabolism tested. I had a CardioPoint assessment done on Friday and turns out I am not getting enough calories. I was eating 1500 every day, but my body actually needs 2100 per day to work properly AND lose weight. I know it sounds backwards and I don't completely understand it yet, but kicking up my calories in the last few days feels like it's working already.

Does your gym offer any Metabolic Testing? Maybe it may help you target your proper caloric intake per day (specifically for your body) and it will help you figure out whether you are a "fat burner" or a "sugar burner". I hope this helps! Keep up the good work :-)

Thea519

Kristin- Thank you so much for your input!
I'm not sure if the gym that I go to offers that or not, but I'll definitely look into it. Before January, I was taking in around 2,000 calories per day. Then in mid-January, after I realized I wasn't losing anymore weight, I backed it down to between 1,500 and 1,700 calories per day. Perhaps that does have something to do with it. I just get so frustrated with my body sometimes- it makes me want to eat less just to punish it, haha!

I've also read that not getting enough sleep can affect weight loss and I think that that might have something to do with it, as well. My thoughts have been so consumed by this weight loss issue that I haven't been sleeping well. So I guess it's like a vicious circle kinda thing: I can't sleep because I can't lose weight, and I can't lose weight because I can't sleep!

Oh well! I'll get it together one of these days!
Thanks, again!!

RGInCanada

Thea,

Two questions:
Have you kept a careful food journal?

Have you checked back with your doctor to get his take? He may suggest a different diet plan, calorie level, or meds.

kristinaw13

Thea,
I also got some great advice from another fitday.com user about my "no weightloss issue" -- they suggested instead of using the scale, start measuring yourself. You could be gaining more muscle and losing fat (getting smaller) but it's not showing on the scale.
Hopefully this puts your mind at ease and you can get some sleep too! haha Good luck! :-)

apryll11

You've plateaued. It will happen sooner or later happen to anyone trying to lose weight. Your thinking "I'm losing weight I'm so happy" and you body is thinking " O, shit famine, save every cal, gram of fat and ounce of water" Its just like water weight, your body is holding on to water, when you plateau your body holding on to the fat. One of two things ( I know) you can do increase your daily cal intake by 200-300 and in about 1 week, depending on your workouts 2 weeks, you'll start to lose weight again. You dont have to keep eating the exta cal but slowly decrease it,like -100 a week or something.
The other thing is to double your workouts and in about a week or two you'll start to lose again all at the same rate as before.

cjohnson728

I don't know that a plateau would last for 3 1/2 months...

I would suggest that you try to shake up your system to start your metabolism again. Obviously it has become accustomed to its new "normal," as the previous poster was alluding to. It has figured out how to compensate for the food and exercise it receives. Try changing the exercises you do and change the proportions of your carbs, fat, and protein. You will have a good chance of kick-starting the loss again.

MattSanchez

If you're not getting enough sleep that could also have an effect. Your body releases more cortisol (stress hormone) which signals the body that it wants more food and signals the body to store the food that it takes in as fat. It also affects the metabolism. While it's not possible to get perfect 8 hours of sleep every night, try to get as close as you can when possible.

pbright120

Thea - It sounds like you were pretty successful initially. What did your diet look like then? It looks like now you have very little fat and not a great deal of calories. I would cut back on the exercise a bit and add some good quality fat to your diet. and rest (and sleep). Over stressing is not good for health and weight loss.