What's wrong with me?!?

Question

I intake about 1200-1300 calories a day, all organic foods; I try to get my fruits and vegetables, drink skim milk, all of that stuff you're supposed to do.

I exercise every day, running, aerobics, yoga, strength training. I lost around 20 lbs in this manner in the first two months, and then it just stopped. I've been at the same weight for the last 3-4 months now, I haven't lost even a single pound.

I desperately want to drop 20-25 more lbs, but nothing is working. I don't know what else there is that I can do. I can't intake any less calories, I think that would be considered unhealthy. And I already exercise for 30-60 minutes a day, sometimes twice a day. What is wrong with my body that is preventing it from dropping the extra weight???

I'm approx 5' 6", 21 year old female, and I was 185 lbs when I started dieting. I am currently around 162 lbs, and it hasn't changed for weeks.

I eat when I'm hungry, but not more than that. I see multiple people have said to eat more, but should I be eating if I don't feel hungry?? I'm afraid that if I start eating more I'm just going to gain weight back instead of losing, or even maintaining weight.

Answer 1

you have been dieting for too long. you need to slowly increase your calories back up to maintenance levels for a couple of weeks so you can reset your metabolism. I see this all the time (well not with my clients, lol).

you need to get your body fat checked to calculate your fat free mass. then calculate your cals and go back up to maintenance levels for about a good month. then start slowly reducing cals again. I would also change some things around in your training routine, definetly add in some interval training.

Answer 2

The first two responses have good points to start with. Organic is a huge category with a lot of loopholes, so it doesn't necessarily mean it's as organic as you might think. Muscle also does weigh more than fat, so that could be throwing your number off.

Here's another suggestion though, eat more (hear me out before you disregard). Although you don't mention your weight, age, and/or gender, most likely you need more than 1300 calories a day, more like a minimum of 2500 or more. You're active (and although I don't know how active, I'm going to guess moderate) which means you need to consume enough "fuel" for your body to handle that load. If you're looking to drop 40+lbs, I'll guess you have a bigger frame too, which means you're used to eating quite a bit more.

Try eating your 3 square meals a day, and snack in between if you feel hungry. Fruits and vegetables work great for this. This will help relieve hunger issues (if you have them, and you probably do at so few calories). Snacks aren't bad if used correctly. Just make sure they're snacks and healthy, not meals.

Now, you haven't lost in a while, so consider a few things: 1) If your body thinks it could be a while before it gets it's next meal, your metabolism will slow down and protect it. This happens to annorexics. You won't lose anything. 2) Your body could be at homeostasis, or a happy point, where it's happy where it's at, even though you aren't (again, height and weight could give insight to that). If so, you'd really have to push to get past that, but that's not a good thing. 3) You need to change up your routine some. It kind of tricks the body into thinking it's something new. That's why lifters are usually on some type of schedule, and usually not longer than 12 weeks. Change it up and do some different activities.

Give those a try, and if it doesn't help, talk to a trainer. You're going to lose your weight from exercising, so calorie control isn't as important as people think. The ones who tell you about pills and diets are generally the ones who don't want to make the extra effort and do it the right way. Good luck!

Answer 3

1300 Calories?!?! If I were your personal trainer, I would smack you...figuratively of course.

You're not eating enough if you're working out like you say you are. You have fooled your body into thinking you're starving, which usually takes about 6-8 weeks for a normal, healthy individual. So, you're a textbook case.

Try increasing your caloric intake to around 2000 calories by adding more lean protein such as chicken or fish and nuts such as almonds -- natural and unsalted. As a general rule, stay away from red meat. However, organic GRASS-FED beef or bison is acceptable in moderation. The texture will be a little different and may take some getting used to.

Also, check out a supplement called CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid). It's becoming known as "the fat that burns fat". Belly fat is the first to go. You should be able to find a month's supply for around $35.00.

You say you're exercising every day. If that means 7 days a week, you're exercising too much. You'll hear it referred to as "over-training." You generally need 2 days of rest in a 7 day period of moderate to strenuous exercise. I don't recommend taking those 2 days back to back. Moderate exercise causes you to break a sweat. A strenuous workout should give you difficulty in carrying on an extended conversation.

If you're trying to build muscle, the more strenuous the workout, the more time you need to rest between workouts. If you're trying to lose weight, a fixed schedule with regular rest intervals is recommended.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Congratulations on the 20 pound loss and the exercise program. You might want to recheck your exercise preogram. Strength training can and does convert fat to muscle which be one of the reasons your not showing additonal weight loss. Your 30-60 minutes a day if fine, but keep the cardio going and think about cutting the strength training to 3 times a week. You should not workout 7 days a week. Your body also needs some rest. Consider 5-6 days a week.
Good luck.

Answer 5

nothing is wrong. 1st of all, the body is saving all that fat becouse the body still "thinks" like it is in the stone age where the meal you just had may be the last so it stores every last ounce that you have where as we know better. your body is just resisting the change. 2. if you want to try something there is this recipe that i will be starting on this coming monday that i heard about. it is a soup from weight watchers that has 0 points. My mom was in the meeting for a few weeks and this one lady just dropped the pounds and basically she had a big lunch and drank this soup for dinner. - and she could have as much as she wanted because it wouldnt affect the calorie intake. try that. if i find the recipe i will post it on here. hope you get the weight that you want off, and cheer up about it just keep doing what your doing and youll know that you are or will become physically fit! good luck

Answer 6

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Answer 7

sometimes a body can become accustomed to a certain exercise routine, so a change (in order or type) of your routine should help a bit. if your wanting to lose weight you've got to burn more calories than your taking in. Sleep also affects ones weight losing ability. Make sure you're getting a great sleep every night. My mum did weight watchers too. It really helped her.

Answer 8

that is called hitting a plateau.. so..
there IS something that you can do,
I just don't now what it is..
there is a group called
TOPS
Take Off Pounds Sensibly

the group is world wide, I am sure that it's on the internet..
http://www.tops.org/

check it out!

also there are Extreme Makeover shows that deal with that topic and these people spent all freggin day on the treadmill to break the plateau... adn started losing weight again..

Answer 9

A calorie is a calorie; organic ones are not any different than highly processed ones. If you've got fat to burn, you can still cut down on your sugars and carbohydrates without reducing your intake of vitamins, minerals and protein, and you should still be fine and healthy. But everybody is different, so good luck in you efforts and wish me luck in mine.

Answer 10

The question is that are you still overweight after the first 2 months? If you are, perhaps what you need is body cleansing regime. Fats are toxins. So you need to eliminate them from your body.

Here is a free newsletter site that I am currently subscribing to http://www.detox-cleansing-diet.com

The tips here are pretty good.