Why do I weigh so much?

Question

I'm vegan, I exercise for 2 hours 3 times a week ,I'm 5'7" and weigh 14 stone. No matter what I do I can't get the weight down. I'm also size 12-14. I've had a health check and all is fine but the doctor says I need to lose 2 stone to get below my ideal BMI . So why do I weigh so much?

Answer 1

maybe you are undereating. if you are - body loses water weight and muscle not fat and metabolism dramatically slows down which makes fat loss in future even harder.
you need to get protein from somewhere - soy products, lentils, beans...
find calorie/fitness calculator on the net, enter all your stats and it will tell you how many calories you need a day to maintain, take off 300-400cal off that number and thats how much you need to lose.
dont try to lose more than 1-2lbs a week - its not healthy to lose more.
eat 5-6 small meals a day (eat every 2-3 hours)
5-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day
8 glasses of water
have complex carbs for breakfast - they give you energy
have lean meat (protein) for dinner - repairs muscle
cardio exercise 4-6 times a week for 30-50min, light weight training
dont consume foods that are made of white flour (white bread, cakes, past etc.), sugar loaded foods (cookies, icecream, candy etc) and nothing fried - no junk food.

Answer 2

It could be that you have a heavy frame or extra muscle mass, especially with the amount of exercise you do.

It's hard to say, but the best thing would be to have your body fat percentage checked. You don't want to lose 2 stone if it's unnecessary, just because your doctor is too incompetent to understand that BMI is not the be all and end all.

Losing 2 stone will make you a size 8-10 at the most and you'd still be considered 'overweight' according to BMI! As you can see, something isn't quite right there. So I think it's an absolute must that you have your body fat percentage checked before even considering embarking on any weight loss. Having a body fat percentage below 32% is acceptable, and below 28% is optimal.

Also what is your waist measurement, it should be no more than 32 inches. If this is the case, this will put you at less risk of heart disease and diabetes. If you carry any extra fat around your bust, hips, buttocks and thighs, this poses no real health risk. It's tummy fat you have to watch out for.

HTH : )

Answer 3

Weight gain occurs when you consume more calories than you burn. Just because you are vegan and exercise 3x a week, doesn't mean your calorie intake isn't high.

Keep a food diary and see what your daily intake is. For weight loss I drop mine to around 1500 a day (no lower than 1200 without a doc's advice), and I workout 5 days a week, at least 1 hour a day (often 1 - 2 hours, a morning and evening workout).

Good luck!

Answer 4

Thyroids?