Giving up

[oneyearofluck]

I started my weight loss journey 6 months ago and have only lost 4 pounds in the process.
I have done everything humanely possible from cutting calories as low as 1300 and bouncing them back up to 1700 with a scale.
I work out 3 times per week 40-90 minutes a session with an even mix of cardio and weight strength training.
This month I was required to move away to a new place for work with no gym in site and no easy access to healthy food, so I've decided to go vegetarian and do body weight exercises at home, but I just give up.

I can feel the weight coming back and I'm already at my heaviest considering the minimal amount of weight I've lost.
I'm upset and tired.
I've been battling with my weight my whole life and no matter how hard I work or healthy I eat, the numbers won't budge UNLESS I eat as low as 800 calories and workout 3 hours at least everyday, and then it will go down for the time being.
But these are not sustainable options. I want long lasting results which is why I took it slow this time but it still was hopeless. I've tried intermittent fasting, I've tried every diet you could think of, I've tried just purely bulking to build muscles but nothing lasts and I'm not talking if I stop for 3 months it all comes back but as short as a week.

And it's not ideal. Life comes at you with stressors and changes that doesn't allow you to accommodate instantly.

This has been a lifelong struggle and I'm close to just giving up and letting my body have its way.
I'm currently 176 pounds, have never been under 160 pounds in my entire life, I have great blood sugar control, no medical conditions, I have tested for hormonal issues that could be contributing the weight gain but have always come back negative, I have a resting heart rate of 59 and I am a beast at the gym and I cook and prepack all my meals.

But I just don't know what to do at this point.

[Technorobot]

Did you right the numbers correctly? 176 isn't overweight sounds like the opposite. How tall are you??

[oneyearofluck]

Did you right the numbers correctly? 176 isn't overweight sounds like the opposite. How tall are you??

I'm 5'6 and a female. My BMI is 28 so yes I'm overweight.

[Serpentarius]

You are not eating that little and not losing weight, you are eating more, miscounting, forgetting what you ate, so on and so forth. All arguments aside of counting correctly, if you did have to eat 800, you are, and i say this with utmost sincerity, are the first person in the entire human species to operate outside of normal boundaries and you are truly a unique specimen.

What is happening is you are eating too much, your 800 is likely 1600, and your 1700 is likely 2300. Dont take the numbers literally however.
Lower your 800 to 500, and lower your 1700 to 1300. Do you see why?

[Junsuiakai]

You are not eating that little and not losing weight, you are eating more, miscounting, forgetting what you ate, so on and so forth. All arguments aside of counting correctly, if you did have to eat 800, you are, and i say this with utmost sincerity, are the first person in the entire human species to operate outside of normal boundaries and you are truly a unique specimen.

What is happening is you are eating too much, your 800 is likely 1600, and your 1700 is likely 2300. Dont take the numbers literally however.
Lower your 800 to 500, and lower your 1700 to 1300. Do you see why?

This is the best advice you'll get.

[oneyearofluck]

You are not eating that little and not losing weight, you are eating more, miscounting, forgetting what you ate, so on and so forth. All arguments aside of counting correctly, if you did have to eat 800, you are, and i say this with utmost sincerity, are the first person in the entire human species to operate outside of normal boundaries and you are truly a unique specimen.

What is happening is you are eating too much, your 800 is likely 1600, and your 1700 is likely 2300. Dont take the numbers literally however.
Lower your 800 to 500, and lower your 1700 to 1300. Do you see why?

I weigh everything with a food scale and read all the labels and count the exact same calories to the point where it's not uncommon for me to be eating the same meals everyday. I do believe miscounting could be a cause but I'm doing every single thing possible to make sure that's not the cause: I weigh everything and I record it with a food diary. And regarding the 800 calories, you do know that Anorexics live like that? Maybe 800 was an exaggeration but the only point in my life where I did lose a lot of weight (on top of developing an eating disorder) was when I would only eat one meal and exercise literally 2-3 hours that same day no lie. And I did lose weight plus hair plus a lot of my health.

[oneyearofluck]

This is the best advice you'll get.

It's just frustrating that it works for everyone else but not me.
I looked online to recheck my calories.
So my maintenance is 2,145 and to lose it's 1,645.
So if I eat 1645 a day and weight myself in one week I SHOULD lose one pound right?
I've been doing that for months with exercise and no change.
And I have been counting too.
:/

[NadimShado]

I weigh everything with a food scale and read all the labels and count the exact same calories to the point where it's not uncommon for me to be eating the same meals everyday. I do believe miscounting could be a cause but I'm doing every single thing possible to make sure that's not the cause: I weigh everything and I record it with a food diary. And regarding the 800 calories, you do know that Anorexics live like that? Maybe 800 was an exaggeration but the only point in my life where I did lose a lot of weight (on top of developing an eating disorder) was when I would only eat one meal and exercise literally 2-3 hours that same day no lie. And I did lose weight plus hair plus a lot of my health.

you also have to count drinks (if you don't drink water 24/7).

maybe share with us what you ate in a day (and how much grams etc)?

[oneyearofluck]

you also have to count drinks (if you don't drink water 24/7).

maybe share with us what you ate in a day (and how much grams etc)?

I drink water and I even count oils and sugar cubes and break down my salads and fruit salads to weigh each component.

Here's one sample from my food diary:
1674 calories
238 g out of 207 g (carbs)
57 g of of 83 g (protein)
58 g out of 55g (fat)

Breakfast:
A glass of mango juice 194 ml (122 calories)
1 slice of white bread (28g) with a spread of fruit jam (20 g)= 140 calories
1 slice of white bread (28g) with a spread of butter (20 g) 214 calories

Lunch:
92 g of grape vine leaves wrapped around rice and minced meat = 128 calories
120 g of white rice cooked = 156 calories
101 g baked chicken breast= 81 calories
87g low fat greek yogurt = 50 calories
grilled tomatoes, capsicum, and onions = 33 calories barely

Snack:
9 g corn oil (77 calories) to make 33 g of popcorn kernels (110 calories)
tea with milk and sugar: milk 23 ml (9 calories) and sugar 5g (19 calories)
granola bar 23 g =109 calories
40g bran crackers = 164 calories
8g peanut butter = 45 calories

Dinner:
white rice again 19 g= 25 calories (it was whatever was left in the fridge)
baked chicken wing 68 g =72 calories
green grapes 68g= 32 calories
activia strawberry yogurt 128 g = 94 calories

This was before I made the move and new living adjustments here for work (10 days ago).
I did not exercise that day either.

This is what I eat typically daily. I get a big bag of frozen chicken parts and bake it vegetables and cook rice, and the snacks last weeks with me because I take portions from it. Plus considering some days I exercise as well.

And yet my weight would not budge. :/

[Serpentarius]

I weigh everything with a food scale and read all the labels and count the exact same calories to the point where it's not uncommon for me to be eating the same meals everyday. I do believe miscounting could be a cause but I'm doing every single thing possible to make sure that's not the cause: I weigh everything and I record it with a food diary. And regarding the 800 calories, you do know that Anorexics live like that? Maybe 800 was an exaggeration but the only point in my life where I did lose a lot of weight (on top of developing an eating disorder) was when I would only eat one meal and exercise literally 2-3 hours that same day no lie. And I did lose weight plus hair plus a lot of my health.

Right, am well aware of all the inherent psychological aspects of dieters and the condition of their mental state under environmental changes and stress, with regard to diagnoses and empirical behavior observations.

Its time to change what you are eating and start new, with new methods, food types (not because they are better or worse because there is no such ideal) so you can change your math. If you are using myfatnesspal, drop it immediately, as with any other online log, get rid of it.

To formulate a better plan, are you in complete control of bad behavior, that is "junk food"? Are you in a way to not worry about it? I would highly recommend eating only twice a day, do not drink your calories (you can but do not complain about any hunger).

What are your WEEKLY weigh ins like? Do you have any long term data?

[anandagirl]

How long have you been tracking accurately, specifically how many days in a row? How often do you weigh yourself?

And yes, anorexics eat 800 calories a day or less, but they lose weight. That's part of the health issues they face.

Do you also track your daily activity outside of your workouts? Your daily activity counts WAYYYYY more on your TDEE than actual gym workouts.

[anandagirl]

Also, do you track measurements? And have you been seen by a doctor?

[oneyearofluck]

Right, am well aware of all the inherent psychological aspects of dieters and the condition of their mental state under environmental changes and stress, with regard to diagnoses and empirical behavior observations.

Its time to change what you are eating and start new, with new methods, food types (not because they are better or worse because there is no such ideal) so you can change your math. If you are using myfatnesspal, drop it immediately, as with any other online log, get rid of it.

To formulate a better plan, are you in complete control of bad behavior, that is "junk food"? Are you in a way to not worry about it? I would highly recommend eating only twice a day, do not drink your calories (you can but do not complain about any hunger).

What are your WEEKLY weigh ins like? Do you have any long term data?

Starting weight in December 17 2017: 177.7
March 31 2018: 179.9 . I had been hitting my calories and eating clean but was building lots of muscle mass.
April 15 2018: 179.0 I was advised to focus more on cardio and was told my newbie gains would stop at this point.
April 16 2018: 178.1
April 17 2018: 176.8
April 18 2018: 174.7
April 29 2018: 175
May 11 : 176.5

That's all I have. It looks pretty pathetic over the 6 month course. What can I do now?
Should I start using a physical food diary and writing everything by hand or what?
And what about my macros/exercise regime?
Idk.
Should I even continue being a vegetarian?

[AppropriateGuy]

Right, am well aware of all the inherent psychological aspects of dieters and the condition of their mental state under environmental changes and stress, with regard to diagnoses and empirical behavior observations.

Its time to change what you are eating and start new, with new methods, food types (not because they are better or worse because there is no such ideal) so you can change your math. If you are using myfatnesspal, drop it immediately, as with any other online log, get rid of it.

To formulate a better plan, are you in complete control of bad behavior, that is "junk food"? Are you in a way to not worry about it? I would highly recommend eating only twice a day, do not drink your calories (you can but do not complain about any hunger).

What are your WEEKLY weigh ins like? Do you have any long term data?

This^


Additionally, are you confusing dry foods with cooked foods? Also, only measure foods when they are dry and not after you add water and cook them. Cooked rice has 1/3 of the calories of uncooked rice or something like that (depends on how much water you add).

However, if you're confident that you're tracking macros correctly, is your body changing in the mirror? Maybe your weight is remaining fairly stagnant because you're gaining muscle and you're being discouraged by the scale itself and stopping and starting and stopping and starting. If you see your belly shrinking, then you're making progress regardless if the scale only goes down by a bit. Like the thread above, stay consistent and post some long term data. If nothing seems to work, check with a doctor to make sure you don't have any metabolism issues (I highly, highly doubt that this is the issue).

[oneyearofluck]

How long have you been tracking accurately, specifically how many days in a row? How often do you weigh yourself?

And yes, anorexics eat 800 calories a day or less, but they lose weight. That's part of the health issues they face.

Do you also track your daily activity outside of your workouts? Your daily activity counts WAYYYYY more on your TDEE than actual gym workouts.

I've been tracking my intake since December 2017.
Most days I track 7 days a week but sometimes I might miss a day or two no more than that.
At the beginning I weight myself every 3 months but by the fourth month weighed myself everytime I went to the gym as you can see is what happened in April in the previous post where I put my weight numbers.

I don't look at my daily activities outside of my workouts. My fitness pal or whatever will track my calories when I walk but I don't consider it because that would mean on a gym day plus a day where I went for a walk with my mom I would be burning 500 calories which to me makes me uncomfortable to consider because it would invite me to eat more and seeing as I'm barely losing NOT taking it into my calculations, if I started I would surely begin to gain weight.

[oneyearofluck]

Also, do you track measurements? And have you been seen by a doctor?

I track measurements but they've been confusing. Obviously losing inches around the waist is significant and I have lost at least 1.5 inches, but when it comes to measuring arms and legs I can't tell if I'm gaining inches because of weight or muscle mass and vice versa so to me it seems very confusing.

And yes I've been seen by a doctor and have had all my blood tests done and they say , much to their surprise, I'm healthy (many assume I'd at least be diabetic).

[oneyearofluck]

This^


Additionally, are you confusing dry foods with cooked foods? Also, only measure foods when they are dry and not after you add water and cook them. Cooked rice has 1/3 of the calories of uncooked rice or something like that (depends on how much water you add).

However, if you're confident that you're tracking macros correctly, is your body changing in the mirror? Maybe your weight is remaining fairly stagnant because you're gaining muscle and you're being discouraged by the scale itself and stopping and starting and stopping and starting. If you see your belly shrinking, then you're making progress regardless if the scale only goes down by a bit. Like the thread above, stay consistent and post some long term data. If nothing seems to work, check with a doctor to make sure you don't have any metabolism issues (I highly, highly doubt that this is the issue).

I don't understand the difference between dry and cooked food measurements? I take the calories in rice before I cook it and the only other food I've had problems with concerning this discrepancy is ramen but I always knew a whole pack is around 500 calories cooked is that not correct?

I don't trust myself looking in the mirror tbh anymore. The numbers as you've seen are not significant and anytime I ask my friends and family no one notices a difference which is ridiculous considering this has been 6 MONTHS of constant work. Everyone knows as soon as I'm done with work I can be found at the gym.

Within the past week (where my numbers spiked by May) I've noticed changes I'm not happy with. My stomach though it appears flatter and my muscles more evident, my arms have become flabbier and sagging and my face fuller. I'm positive I'm losing muscle mass and gaining weight which hurts the most because all it took was one week to begin reversing these 6 months and that's why I'm at my wits ends.

[anandagirl]

When I said do you track your daily activity, I mean do you know how much NEAT you do daily. A step tracker is good for this - ensuring you are getting a minimum of 10K steps a day. I don't care if you spend 3 hours at the gym, if the rest of the day is on the couch then your TDEE is likely much lower than you think. I can think I was active at work all day, but if I'm only at 5K steps when I go to bed, I know I didn't keep my daily activity up.

If your doctor has given you a clean bill of health, you are tracking wrong. Also, 1 day a week in not tracking can easily counteract any deficit you may have in any given week. Next, you should be weighing yourself daily under the same conditions and looking at an overall trend. Daily weight fluctuations can be several pounds or even more, so if you're only looking once per week, you might not be getting the entire picture. Use an app like happy scale to smooth out the natural fluctuations. Also, unlike men, womens' weights will actually fluctuate over the course of their monthly cycle as well so you should be comparing weights from 4 weeks prior.

Also, who is giving you your calorie targets and advising you that your "newbie gains are stopping?"

Basically, if you're not losing as fast as you like, you need to drop calories more based on your current actual intake. I know it's hard to admit you aren't tracking as accurately as possible - I have been there. I swore I was doing everything right and accurately, but I realized I was not once I took a good hard look at myself. If you want to make a change, you need to be completely honest with yourself and realize that you don't have anyone to answer to except yourself.

[NadimShado]

I don't understand the difference between dry and cooked food measurements? I take the calories in rice before I cook it and the only other food I've had problems with concerning this discrepancy is ramen but I always knew a whole pack is around 500 calories cooked is that not correct?

I don't trust myself looking in the mirror tbh anymore. The numbers as you've seen are not significant and anytime I ask my friends and family no one notices a difference which is ridiculous considering this has been 6 MONTHS of constant work. Everyone knows as soon as I'm done with work I can be found at the gym.

Within the past week (where my numbers spiked by May) I've noticed changes I'm not happy with. My stomach though it appears flatter and my muscles more evident, my arms have become flabbier and sagging and my face fuller. I'm positive I'm losing muscle mass and gaining weight which hurts the most because all it took was one week to begin reversing these 6 months and that's why I'm at my wits ends.

cooked rice has a different weight than uncooked rice etc. weigh your food raw/uncooked then cook them, after cooking don't weigh them again

[oneyearofluck]

When I said do you track your daily activity, I mean do you know how much NEAT you do daily. A step tracker is good for this - ensuring you are getting a minimum of 10K steps a day. I don't care if you spend 3 hours at the gym, if the rest of the day is on the couch then your TDEE is likely much lower than you think. I can think I was active at work all day, but if I'm only at 5K steps when I go to bed, I know I didn't keep my daily activity up.

If your doctor has given you a clean bill of health, you are tracking wrong. Also, 1 day a week in not tracking can easily counteract any deficit you may have in any given week. Next, you should be weighing yourself daily under the same conditions and looking at an overall trend. Daily weight fluctuations can be several pounds or even more, so if you're only looking once per week, you might not be getting the entire picture. Use an app like happy scale to smooth out the natural fluctuations. Also, unlike men, womens' weights will actually fluctuate over the course of their monthly cycle as well so you should be comparing weights from 4 weeks prior.

Also, who is giving you your calorie targets and advising you that your "newbie gains are stopping?"

Basically, if you're not losing as fast as you like, you need to drop calories more based on your current actual intake. I know it's hard to admit you aren't tracking as accurately as possible - I have been there. I swore I was doing everything right and accurately, but I realized I was not once I took a good hard look at myself. If you want to make a change, you need to be completely honest with yourself and realize that you don't have anyone to answer to except yourself.

My daily step goal is set to 6000 steps and no I have not been achieving it on a daily basis. I didn't think it was that important but it seems it is according to you. Should I increase my step goal to 10,000 and make sure I hit that then?

Also most of the advice I'm getting is through this website. To me it's better than nothing because I am no expert as obvious as it is. I would like to weigh myself daily but how many calories should I be eating now? If my maintenance is 2100 and 1650 is not cutting it, how low should I go? I'm scared of going into starvation mode as well.

I want to learn and I don't mind how long it takes but it's just seeing how fast things reverse when I stop is what's breaking my heart. I do put in the effort it's just I don't know how to.

[oneyearofluck]

cooked rice has a different weight than uncooked rice etc. weigh your food raw/uncooked then cook them, after cooking don't weigh them again

Oh alright then will do.

[Tommy W.]

I kinda skimmed all the responses however yes, you're taking in more calories than you think on a weekly basis there is no way around that fact. It takes discipline and choosint the right food. Little to no processed carbs, little to no alcohol. Just those 2 factors alone are major. You have to make every calorie count and every calorie go to staving off hunger for how many calories they contain. Processed carbs and alcohol are the 2 worst for this.

[BrownBear1968]

OP, before you give up, please consult a medical doctor to check your hormone levels.

It seems that you are disciplined measuring your foods, using scale, have knowledge about TDEE, etc. Such method is usually verfy effective in terms of good results.

So, this could be a good time to check your machine. At 48 some hormone levels can be unbalanced and good part of work honest work can be damaged by this fact.

[GirthRogers]

Okay, time to tell you the secret to success. (don't share this with anyone!)
Here are the super secret steps!
1. Plan out your diet perfectly, take pictures of your current body, measure yourself, weigh yourself
2. Throw your scale, pictures, and measuring tape into a closet for the next 3 months.
3. Don't even think about them
4. Continue following your program and diet perfectly
5. Continue not thinking about what's in your closet
6. Don't get discouraged
7. Weigh yourself again in three months
8. Be amazed at how much sexier you are now because you followed a consistent routine for three months
9. Thank me by buying me some stuff from this website

------------------------
There, now you know the secret, use it wisely!

[spradish]

My daily step goal is set to 6000 steps and no I have not been achieving it on a daily basis..

If you're not even hitting 6000 steps your maintenance is likely not 2100. Bottom line, your deficit isn't big enough to lose more. You need to move more or eat less or do both.

Don't worry about what you think you see this week. One week is not going to make that big of a difference.

[lilathrone]

Weight loss always comes down to calories in / calories out. If you are not losing weight, then you are eating too much. Macros doesn't matter in terms of weight loss(fat/muscle, you can lose more water weight with low carb diets). It's this simple. Lower your food intake if you don't see changes on the scale. You cannot cheat physics.

[oneworld82]

OP,

my weight fluctuates as well. I happen to travel a lot and no matter how hard I try, that means eating and drinking more calories than I need. Yet again, I am aware of that and count everything well when I am not traveling. In the last two years I lost between 12 and 16 pounds (I started at 172, I am male and 5'10.5") and I can definitely see the small but sure gains I am making - especially because I have been building muscle as well in the meantime. It takes patience and as many people here said, accuracy.

[oneyearofluck]

So an update on where I am:
May 11,2018: 176 pounds
May 23 2018 (today) : 169 pounds

Now onto the not so proud part.
I've been eating 1200 calories daily.
Of these 12 days, I had 3 days where I overate but never above 2100 calories (apparently my maintenance). I exercise everyday but have been doing mainly cardio or walking because of limited access to gym weights. I sometimes do bodyweight toning but doubt that has much impact.

Is this good or not?
When I don't eat I feel very unhappy. I know that might seem funny, but I can already feel the negative thoughts creeping in despite my 7 pound loss. Is it really fat? Possibly water? Or worse, loss of muscle mass? And should I continue?

I try to have a high fat and protein diet with low carbs. I cut out all meat and have been eating only seafood. I'm thinking of making a table where everyday I'll have a random calorie goal to achieve all the while keeping it under 2000 calories to ensure weight loss, minimal change in my mood, and to preserve my metabolism. So something like 1200 calories-1600- 1300-2000-1200 or something across the week.

What do you guys think?

[StrongMeat]

Take 2-3 hour walks and replace all liquid drinks with water for 2 weeks.

-StrongMeat-

[BullyFoot]

Take 2-3 hour walks and replace all liquid drinks with water for 2 weeks.

-StrongMeat-

Agreed. Also, you can try the Avatar Nutrition calorie tracking app. Costs $10 a month, but if you're sticking with your macros /calories it should do the flux work to make your life easier.. just my bitcoin