Why aren't I losing weight?

Wecome to Fluther. Well there is more then one possible answer but let me throw a few out there.

Muscle is heavier then fat so is you are building muscle you won’t lose weight but your clothes will fit better and another plus is that muscle burns more calories then fat so your metabolism will slowly ratchett it’s way up.

Secondly a 1000 cal diet is not enough for any one especially if they are exercising. No wonder why your head hurts. Yes you will need to eat less food and exercise to lose to weight and keep it off. But extremes are unnecessary and potentially harmful.

Also what you eat matters. You need nutrient rich foods. Your body needs energy and nutrients to function well. And heavily processed foods and sugar are going to spike you up then slow you down quickly they are also quickly turned to fat.

Good luck.

I was thinking about leaving the gym. I count calories, but basically eat what I like. I am only 5ft 2, so any weight I put on, really shows.

Well it is completely up to you. Though muscle is helpful for weight loss, body tone and over all physicality.. exercise also releases endorphins and a great stress relief. Gyms aren’t for everybody and there are multiple ways to exercise.

Calorie counting I never valued much. There is too many variables to food to treat every calorie as equal.

But to each their own.

I love going to the gum actually. It helps me mentally, and I like the satisfaction from it. But when the scales stay the same it just makes me feel really down.

How long have you been going.

And I know what you mean. Sometimes putting the scale away for a week or two isn’t a bad idea. No need to fixate and we all hit a plateau. also could try measurements if you need to see results.

Well, I have a exercise bike at home which I use on my days off, and I always do a minimum of 600 calories. I wanted something different, so I joined the gym just over a month ago. I still use the bike at home as well.

Also, my stomach is always bloated. My stomach is the only part of me that is big, and lately, it looks like I am pregnant.

Here’s another thing to think about. I have managed to fill my body with toxins through 35 years of running a cleaning business. My doctor told me that as long as the toxins (heavy metals among them) remain in my tissues, my body will want to hang onto the weight (actually it’s water) because it dilutes the toxins. If I can get some of these toxins out of my body, my weight will drop.

My stomach is bloated too.

1000 calories a day is nowhere near sufficient. On that sort of diet, your body goes into “starvation” mode which slows down your metabolism and builds up MORE fat, because it believes that food is in short supply. It sounds contrary but if you go up to 1800 calories a day you’ll lose weight faster.

@snowberry sorry, i don’t think i understand. How do you get rid of toxins?

What you eat is more important than how much you eat. If you eat heavily fatty foods (Let’s put deep fried foods on the table here) or food that is high in sugar (Bread, chocolate, etc), you will find it hard to lose weight.

Try replacing anything heavy in your diet with light foods. A steak and salad for dinner is a great idea. A hamburger, or even a steak sandwich, is not. Remember to trim the fat off the steak.

Remember that you need to drink 2 litres of water a day. It helps flush out your system and keep you hydrated.

@bomyne thank you. I do drink plenty of water, and fruit and veg. But i eat a lot of crackers also, they are low calories, but I guess its carbs?

How much do you weigh? At 5’2” if you weigh 120 lbs you only get 1200 calories to eat before exercise to maintain your weight.
My guess is that you are either trying to get to an unreasonably low weight or that you have a case of calorie amnesia and portion distortion. I struggle with both at times.

I weigh 8 stone 7. I want to get to 8. I don’t know what that is in lbs, sorry.

My guess was close. That’s 121 pounds and if your muscular seems like a healthy weight.

My legs are but nothing else. My stomach looks so big, i just want it to go down. I don’t understand what has happened.

When I go to the gym, I gain weight. Muscle is heavy.

Just because you don’t lose weight does not mean you are not losing fat. It is an undisputable fact, that if you do go to the gym, you will be healthier.

Don’t concern yourself with weight, instead rate your progress by measuring body fat and your shape.

The last time I went to the gym 6 days a week for 2 hours a day, I ended up 25 kilos heavier than when I started, but I was much slimmer and fitter. Keep at it, it will pay off in the long run.

Pay close attention to compliments too, as you see yourself every day, you wont notice the change as much as someone who only sees you once a month.

EDIT: oh, and eating 1000 calories a day is not good enough, you need to eat much more. If you starve yourself, your body goes in to emergency survival mode, and will stop you losing weight because your body tries to keep hold of your fat to conserve energy reserves.

Figure out how many calories you need to eat using your weight, age, gender and height, for an active lifestyle, then stick to that. It will work eventually.

@Headhurts You burn 600–1200 calories at the gym per day or week? If it’s per day, that’s excessive exercising. One hour at the gym a few times a week is all you need.

What types of workouts are you doing? It’s cliche, but muscle weighs more than fat. If you’re doing strength training, it could be muscle gain.

The bigger issue, and probably the cause of this problem is that you’re only eating 1000 calories a day. Holy crap. If this 600–1200 burned calories is daily, that means your net intake is between 400 and -200 calories. No bueno!

First of all, you should NEVER eat less than 1200 calories a day. Second of all, 1200 (and preferably more) should be your net calorie intake. In other words, if you burn 400 calories at the gym, you need to eat at least 1600 calories that day to bring your net to 1200.

Your body is probably starving and feeding off your fat stores, which is why you’re not losing. Eat more!

Also, “I eat whatever I want but I count calories” isn’t going to cut it. You need good, healthy foods to fuel your body, especially if you’re working out.

This whole situation is a mess. As soon as you stop trying to lose weight, it’s all going to come back. Get it together and treat your body better. You only get one.

You might be building muscle tissue which weighs more than fat. What you should look at is if you have lost inches off your waist. That means that your body is changing.

@livelaughlove21 When I use the bike at home I burn about 600 calories, and that is about 2 or 3 times a week. When I go to the gym I burn 1200 (including walking there), and i go there about twice a week. I use the treadmill and cross trainer. I dont use weights because i dont want muscle. I eat very well.

@Headhurts Then it’s the calories consumed. You don’t eat “very well” if you’re not eating enough to fuel your body. Eat more.

@Headhurts By the way, resistance/strength training won’t make you buff if you do it correctly. So many women are scared to use weights for this reason. The truth is, women’s bodies don’t bulk up like men’s. Resistance training will tone your body faster than cardio, and you keep burning calories for hours after the workout ends without even trying. A combination of cardio and resistance training is the best way for a woman to slim down and get a nice toned, shapely body.

I just started resistance training and was astounded by how weak my muscles are. It was a bummer, but it’s motivation to change that. A strong body is a healthy body. Light weights with a lot of reps will not bulk you up. It will, however, make you lose weight faster and NOT lose the muscle you already have. Considering you’re eating so little and doing so much cardio, you’ve probably already lost some of your original muscle mass. Again, no bueno.

At 5,2 weighing,98 lbs you are under weight. At 112 you are still underweight but not at a dangerous level. Actually, if you are small boned than 112 may be fine.
Your diet as others have mentioned is very bad. You need at least that much calories for your body to carry out everyday functions. Remember, you even kill calories as you sleep. By working out and killing more calories your body has nothing left to work with. I’m surprised you are not dealing with headaches every day. If you at least maintained a calorie intake of 1800 calories and exercised away 600 of that, then you may start to lose weight slowly, in a good way.
I would not be surprised if you are starting to suffer from ANOREXIA. Please be patient.
Do keep in mind that not everyone’s body has the potential to be flat board abs and it could be that in exercising and slimming down you are simply making your stomach look bigger by comparison because it it your natural body shape in starvation mode. True that carbs can make you bloat but so can eating foods that can give you gas. I think you simply are not eating well enough for your organs to work properly and you may be creating some internal health issues.

I am 121lbs not 98lbs. Sorry if I wrote that somewhere.

If you’re 121 lbs and 5’2” WHY are you trying to lose weight? Get in shape at the gym, cut out the junk food, and enjoy life already!

This sounds a bit like anorexia..

I want to be 8 stone. I was very fat as a teenager, and I am scared that I will get like that again. For the last 4 years I have been under 8 stone 7, and I was happy ish with that. But now I’m creeping over that weight, I am slowly heading to 9 stone etc etc.

Sorry, I’m not buying it. I think you are obsessing, and it’s not healthy.

As you mature, your weight will change. As mentioned above, if you work out and build muscle, it will weigh more, and your metabolism will increase. Those are good things.

Its true, I was 13 stone as a teenager. Yes, I am obsessed with it, I don’t want to get like that again.

It’s not about how much you weigh, it’s about how healthy you are, and how much you are enjoying life. I don’t believe it’s possible to enjoy life by making it my goal to never weigh more than a certain amount.

What inspires you? What do you love about your life? Please change your focus and learn to really LIVE! Live for someone or something other than yourself. You’ll be happier for it.

@snowberry I definitely don’t live for myself. Its what I don’t understand, Ive never in the last few years had a problem with my weight. I have put 7lb on in the last 5 month and it doesn’t seem to be going.

I doubt your 1000 calories count.

Going to the gym is excellent, because you increase muscle weight, which will lead to burning more calories even when doing nothing.

Read the book Wheat Belly.

If I were you… I’d focus on getting my caloric needs met from vegetables and natural proteins (for me that would be meat). Have fruit only in moderation, preferably fruit that is low in natural sugar (like berries). Have a banana before working out.

Try to limit grains (like the crackers or other processed foods) and see if your belly feels better.

I know people think it’s a fad… but I feel SO much better with greatly restricted wheat/grains. I don’t do “gluten free” foods, because they are processed and loaded with junk. I focus on veggies and meat, and cook with healthy oils.

Another possibility for you is that you are not eating enough. Talk to a nutritionist.

@mattbrowne She only does cardio at the gym, so that’s not entirely true. Cardio doesn’t build muscle.

@livelaughlove21 I missed that.

@headhurts I don’t understand your logic about not lifting weights because you don’t want muscle, so I can’t advise you there. I lift weights. I want muscle.

You’re right @livelaughlove21 !

So, the recommendation is: not only cardio in the gym, but also muscle training.

@Cupcake I dont mean this rude, but thats nice for you if that is what you want. I dont want muscle. My preference.

@Headhurts Well, one of us is losing weight. So…your choice.

@Cupcake yes it is, thank you.

Woman rarely bulk up when they build muscle. Body builders, steroids are about the only way to really get the bulk.

I have lifted weights and am a pretty comfortable size 6 sometimes 4 as I have been since highschool. I like my definition and sculpting and no I am not hard and I still have a feminine body. But then I am not about perfection either. I still have some fat, I tend to slide between 130 and 140 at 5’6. Seems pretty unhealthy. Still I feel physically fit.

Some medications make it harder to lose weight. If you are taking any meds, talk to you doctor about whether some of them may have weight gain as a side effect.

My MD is an expert on heavy metal poisoning (I have been tested for it). He told me that one reason I carry weight is because of the heavy metals in my system, and that the body dilutes the toxins in my system by carrying extra weight. If I were to manage to lose weight on my own without removing the toxins, I’d only succeed in concentrating them.

Heavy metals also flatten out the hormone cycle (my adrenal function is almost flat) which is also necessary for proper metabolism and weight loss. This also one of my problems.

@headhurts Not saying that this is you, but there is more than one reason a person can’t lose weight.