Weight Loss help!!!?

Question

I have been working out just about everyday (aerobics, weight training, personal trainer, etc) and I am counting every calorie I put in my mouth good or bad (mostly good). I rarely go over 1500 calories. I am 5'5" and weight 155 lbs. I have been stuck at this weight since I turned 30. I am now 34. I vowed to myself that I would get off at least 5-10 lbs before I head back to school (I'm a teacher). So answer this question why can't I get the weight off. I have been tracking my calories since 6-2-06 and I haven't lost a pound. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Answer 1

You need to drop to 1200 calories, reduce carbs after 4pm, only low gi carbs at breakfast/lunch. Exercise intensely for at least 1.5 hours each session. Do weights and cardio anyway, here is the plan I give to my clients:

If you want to do this it is for life so you need to totally change your way of eating and exercising. This is not a diet rather than a healthy eating plan for life. So no more talking diet cause it means time limit.

Here are the golden rules:
Initially cut down to 1200 calories women & 1500 men
Exercise 6 times per week for 1 hours a day. Do three weight sessions and three cardio sessions. No gym involved.
Don't eat carbs after 4pm, never eat carbs within 2 hours of exercise or within 1 hour of exercise.
Drink 3 litres of water per day. You can have a green tea at the end of the day.
Limit your fruit in take to 2 pieces per day.
Never eat dinner after 6pm.
Adopt of low GI eating plan this is sustainable for life!
Make low fat dairy choices
All food choices need to be low fat
Don't make food a big deal and don't socialise using food

Follow this menu plan as a suggestion:
Breakfast 7am - 1 cup hot water w lemon
20 minutes later have a bowel of oats w water (no honey) OR
fruit salad w low GI soy yogurt
Snack 10am - pear or apple (both low GI)
Lunch 12.30pm - multigrain sandwich w 50g tuna/lean meat & salad (no butter)
Snack 3pm - low GI yogurt OR skim berry smoothie (no honey or banana) plenty of ice, 1/2 cup skim milk & 1/4 cup yogurt
Dinner 5.30pm - 120g-150g grilled lean meat/fish/prawns/tofu patties (not fried) w spinach salad & mixed vegies (no whites, carbs) OR 3 egg white/soy omlette with ham, cheese and tomato
Snack - 1 scoop of low cal low fat ice cream (if hungry)

Exercise is must be intense. Refer to www.bodybuilding.com for your weights routine. Never do weights two consecutive days have a cardio day in between.

Cardio needs to include running, go hard up stair wells and cycling. You get the most benefits from exercise when your body is totally fatigued and this is when you see changes.

To maintain you can increase calories to 1500 women & 1800 men and reduce exercise sessions to 3-4 times per week. If weight creeps up again due to holiday period etc.. go back to 1200 cal and 6 sessions again.

Good luck it worked for me it can work for anyone.

Answer 2

You are doing the right things: exercising and counting calories. There are a couple of reasons why you may not have lost any weight:

1) You've slowed your metabolism down due to the restricted diet. 1500 calories isn't a lot, especially for active people. You didn't mention how many calories you burn doing exercises, but your body could be hoarding fat in an attempt to protect itself from starvation. You shouldn't go less than 500 calories below what you burn. Use http://www.fitday.com to keep track of activities and food consumption. Make sure you food consumption is spread throughout the day as well.

2) You are building muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. Muscle is sexy. Muscle is good. Keep track of your body fat percentage and not your body weight. Your trainer should be able to provide at least an estimate.

3) As you drop weight, the amount of calories you need to sustain your life decreases. A 300 lb pound person needs far less than a 150 lb person. Make sure you calories requirements are in line with your new weight.

4) Increase your exercise level. You should be more fit and can handle upping your intensity. If you do the same workout each time, your body says, "I can handle this, I don't need to change" and therefore your workout becomes less effective.

5) Talk to your trainer. A competent one should probably suggest the ones I listed above plus some others.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Based on the information supplied 5'5" and 155 pounds your BMI is 25.8.

Working from here your resting Metabolic rate is between 1500 and 1650 calories per day. You could try reducing your calories to between 1000 and 1100 calories a day, this should get you moving in the direction you want.

At 5'5" your weight should fall somewhere between 120 and 150 pounds based on the size of your frame, are you large boned, and the amount of lean muscle you have. As you workout regular I would guess you have a high percentage of muscle. This can add pounds to the scale but still be healthy.

You say you work with a PT, perhaps he/she has access to a body fat analyzer. This would be be a better indication if you need to lose weight and how much.

The other area you might want to look at is are you getting enough nutrition, the stuff your body needs like protien, fiber, vitamins ........

Answer 4

I had the same problem. I weighed about 160 and worked out constantly, weight training and walking about 3.8 miles an hour at an incline of 3. I was gaining muscle and getting stronger, yet the fat just seemed to sit on top on my new muscles. You are probably gaining muscle which weighs twice as much as fat but only takes up half the space. If you want to burn fat (that just sits on new muscles), you gotta run, run, run. I finally started running .It sucks, and i couldnt do much at first.Stay on the treadmill and increase your running time as you can (i could only run 2 minutes at first). I am running at 5 miles an hour for 15 minutes of the 30 min cardio. (3xs for 5 min a time) i am now 135 pounds.The fat finally started burning off quickly once I increased my running to 5 min a time, 5 mph at an incline of 3, only slowing down to 4.1 miles an hour for the small "rest" periods inbetween running.If you arent profusely sweating and really tired out, you arent doing enough. I was never a runner, and its still hurts and i still get out of breath and dont want to continue, but i do, because the fat sure drops off. Once you reach your target it only takes 2 or 3 workouts a week to maintain. If you really are consuming only 1500 calories a day plus doing cardio and weights, you will be in even better shape. I didnt diet and only reduced my portion size (and no more chinese) and still lost 25 pounds in just a few months. Be patient, there is no miracle and you cant just stop once you reach your target. I went from a 12 to an 8 in 4 or 5 months. i have been working out now for over 1 1/2 years and have stayed my current size for over a year now.

Answer 5

that is a very good question...
you said you exersize, eat healthy...
I would suggest eating specific foods that help keep your weight down, instead of just eating good foods. I know that may seem like an odd thing to do, but just try out different types of food, and maybe less protein in your diet. Keep working out, morning jogs help with respitory function, and so helps the blood flow, that could help too. if your body weight still doesn't go down after a while, then, I'm sorry to say it, but you might have to start using energy pills.

Answer 6

You could be hypothyroid which will cause you to be overweight.
I would suggest getting a thyroid panel done next time you go to the doctor and if it is your thyroid acting up maybe they can put you on synthroid to help get it under control.

I work for a weight loss doctor and that's the main reason people get stuck. Also stay away from WUGS (wheats, undergrounds, gains and sugars) they have way too any complex carbs which will go unused and turn into fat.

Answer 7

Homeopathy:-
The safest and sure fire way to loose weight and excessive fat is PHYTOLACCA BERRY Q(Mother Tincture) 20 drops in a sip of water half hour before or after meals will start showing results in 30 to 45 days of regular use and will cure flabby or sagging tummy and will make your skin look fresher and tighter and has no side effects and has no complications whatsoever ! Avoid taking Chocolates Coffee Mints and Red Meat while taking homeopathic medicine.
Take Care and God Bless !

Answer 8

Make sure you are not heaping your portion measurements.
Drink enough water.
Have enough veggies. T
ake some time to relax and breathe deeply.

It may be that when you return to work that will help you get back to your former weight. When you are doing what you did before You'll most likely return to the weight you were before.

Try not to stress too much over it. Stress causes cortisol and that causes weight gain. Easy does it better.

Answer 9

This is what worked for me. My Dr. recommened The Medifast Diet. It is Soy Protein. It teaches you to eat 5-6 small meals a day every 2-3 hours to speed up your metabolism. You will lose weight quickly with very little exercise. I have lost 35 lbs. so far. It is a calorie reduced diet so a Dr. supervision is required.

Answer 10

I suggest you try the ShapeWorks products, I`m on them and after my first week I have lost over 6 lbs and 7.25 inches, I could never get the weight off no matter what I did. These products are really great. They have lots of products that will help with any problem you might have. Visit www.beaturlbs-mall.com for the products, or visit www.beaturlbs.com and if you put your name on there a health coach will contact you, and tell you more about the products :)

Answer 11

You are OVERDOING it. Your body does not know about diets and your weight goals. You are consuming very few calories and exercising too much hence your body is going into a "starvation/survial mode" and is actually HOLDING ON to fat and preventing you from losing any more fat. This is a typical biological response. How long can you continue to live on 1500 calories a day? It is not normal or healthy.

Go to this forum to read a post from someone in a similar situation as yours and the replies to that question.

http://www.healthandfitnessforums.com/discus/messages/531/2730.html?1097520955