working out, diets, blah, blah, blah.

[arrgh!]

i have been swimming, working out at the gym (with a personal trainer!), watching what i eat, this diet, that diet, blah blah blah for coming on SIX months now. the scales say im no lighter than before and my measurements havent changed. ive had thyroid tests, my trainer thinks its water retention, my GP simply just doesnt believe me and im going crazy! what else does one have to do! what is wrong with me and what professional do i go see about it??!!

[Herald Sun]

My fiance has the same problem today, but before that she was a svelte 55kg, still, after gaining on the kilos she's still as beautiful to me as when we met, just that I'm trying to get her self-confidence up and survive the dreaded "Do I Look FAT in this?"  

She's trying out what she did the last time - Eat one meal a day, immerse herself in activity, studies and anything fun - drinks are fine (diet coke, any sugared drinks) but the meal has to be dinner.
I actually discourage her from eating so little but she basically wants to try it out again to see how effective it is, for at least a week or two.
Walk a LOT she says, and walk whenever you can. Walk to the 2nd nearest bus stop, don't be tempted to take the car, use public transport, (you'll save lots), dance alot to music at home, DON'T USE the air conditioner, she says, since the more you move the more you sweat.

In fact she says when she was in school she was actually too busy to eat and constantly studying, going out with friends, doing homework. She did however, stop by to have power health drinks and avoid COKE, although she drank iced lemon tea quite a bit.

Try it out. Also, she says its fine to snack in between, but only a snack, it usually is a sandwich or chinese paus, no choco bars, sweet stuff.
Give it a try, and if you find yourself getting really dizzy, drink lots of water. If you really can't take it, then stop and don't force yourself.
Boredom usually makes you hungry so keep yourself pre-occupied!
Best of luck!

[T2K]

Your body is a machine.  There is no such thing as free or unlimited energy.  Clearly, it is impossible that you can maintain body weight if you have a long-term calorie deficit.  The laws of physics apply here.

Water weight is a reality, but you should still be seeing some changes if you are really running a calorie deficit.

Drink only water, a lot of people don't count drinks as calories but they can add up, especially fruit juices and other sugary stuff.

Increase your cardio, build some muscle.

Fitness is easy to plan, hard to execute.  Hope it works out for you.

[arrgh!]

thanks for the advice guys (and fiancee of guy!).

i understand all the physics of it and the like. my workouts consist of weight training and cardio (40mins-1hr) 3-4 times a week! and the calories, while not starving myself, im reasonably careful about carbs and sugar, and have mostly veges, protein, and fruit. this is why it doesnt make any sense (like i said, my GP just plain doesnt believe me!!)

i was wondering if anyone had ideas on any physiological/medical possibilities. something!!!???

[T2K]

Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but what physiological or medical possibilities are there that defy physics?  None that I know of, though water retention, which you've already mentioned, can keep weight up and make you look softer.

What is your total calorie intake per day?  Or rather, what do you estimate your calorie deficit is per day/week?  And that means every day and every week.  I think a lot of people lose it over the weekend, wasting a week of solid diet and exercise.

Edited to add - Your trainer is probably right.  Water retention can be a real problem.  The solution is supposed to be to reduce sodium and drink more water.

[This message has been edited by T2K (edited 07-06-2005).]

[Joseph27]

I am currently on a strict diet to cut some unwanted pounds.  Fortunately I dont suffer the same affliction as you and weight melts of me once I get into the mood of being healthy

In terms of diet - it is worth watching  what you eat as one of my friends had the same problem - he is a martial arts teacher but cant seem to lose to fat.  He is super fit and works out lots but is carrying a surplus 20kgs.  The solution is a sensible eating plan that encompasses atkins and low fat.  The two can be mixed quite successfully - some people think atkins is purely about eating bacon instead of vegetables but that is simply wrong.

Combine the two methods so the choice of meat is a low fat cut - avoid deep fried foods - cut most other fats right down.  Then bulk up on protein and try to increase muscle density by alternating your workouts a bit.  

I break exercise regimes into 8 week blocks.  At present i am into the first of 3 sets of 8 week blocks in the pursuit of a goal.  

1st 8 weeks is about weight loss and toning, 2nd is about physical fitness and some muscle development, 3rd 8 week block is about strenous muscle development.  This worked for me last time and I dropped a large amount of weight in the first 2 cycles and in the last phase my weight increased by body fat count decreased.  

The gym is fine and great to go to - but at end of the day - unless your eating right for your body - it may do very little to reduce your fat count.  Dont rely on a doctor for this sort of advice - seek alternative methods because doctors will advise based on their experiences and beliefs and their advice may not be too applicable to you.  

Good luck

[This message has been edited by Joseph27 (edited 07-06-2005).]

[arrgh!]

ha ha..do you know how male you two sound!  

cut and dried!

did i mention i was female?

everything seems grey to me...

seriously though, i do appreciate your posts. thanks.

[SRB]

I can empathise and sympathise with you as a girl who exercises a lot and eats loads of healthy food but still manages to have a few unwanted kgs hanging around.  I'm finding it harder to lose too now that I am in my 30s.
I would strongly suggest you have some liver tests done.  The liver is the 'fat burning' organ of the body and could be the problem for you.  I did a liver cleansing diet several years ago and the weight dropped off and I felt healthier than I ever had.  I'm going to do it again in the next month.
How much water are you drinking?  It should be at least 2 litres a day and perhaps try some herbal teas?
Also, I would definitely avoid doing what Herald Sun's girlfriend is doing - eating one meal a day for 2 weeks is stupid and she will just put it all back on immediately.  She will not be burning fat (just losing fluids) because her body will be in 'starvation' mode.  Please try to talk her out of this.  Our bodies need energy all day and this is dangerous to her health.
Good luck.  I am learning to be happy with myself.  I am fit and feel healthy and so I'm just accepting that this is the size that my body is meant to be.

[ok]

 

quote:I am learning to be happy with myself. I am fit and feel healthy and so I'm just accepting that this is the size that my body is meant to be.

This is an excellent point that too many people don't realize or simply try to ignore. Not everyone can be the teeny tiny Hollywood-waif! (and look how ridiculous and often unhealthy some of those women look!) I'm not suggesting that 'arrgh!' is attempting to make her body look a way that it simply cannot, I just think it's important to point out that different people have different body types. So long as a person is a healthy weight and reasonably fit there really isn't all that much that can be done about genetics.

arrgh! -
You might try seeing an endocrinologist rather than a GP. Good luck!

[scorchedalmond]

I think if you're eating healthily (lots of fruits and veges, apples rather than chocolate when you want a snack), exercising a decent amount (2 or 3 times a week) and still not getting the kilos off, it's time to visit a doctor who specialises in weight loss.

Don't do silly things like eating only one meal a day or exercising 3 hours every night, it's detrimental to your health and mental well-being.

Also, remember that everyone has a different body shape. You may not fit the 'waif' look but that could be because you're a pear more than boy shape! Marilyn Monroe was a size 14!

[girlfriday]

yes, yes thats all very nicely said salted pistachio, however size 14's have to compete with size 4's over here...but of course you wouldnt know, being in new zealand and all.

[Herald Sun]

Girlfriday,

Is it just me pr are you so overly critical towards everyone? I really really really hope I dont offend you. After this forim runs on your opinions as you live HERE in Singapore. Keep posting.

[torsum]

I am a GP and see this kind of thing very often. Firstly you said you had your thyroid function tested. Make sure your TSH is under 2. The current range is 0-5-5 so if yours is between 2-5 most GP's will say that is normal. The current thinking from the US is that for women who find it hard to lose weight and have other symptoms of low thyroid (cold intolerance, brittle nails, constipation etc)then it should be under 2. If it is under 2 then you deserve a 3 month trial of thyroid hormone. Next make sure you are not taking any medication, e.g pill, anti-depressants, anti-inflammatories as these will all halt weight loss. Then I would discuss your hormone situation and maybe put you on progesterone cream which is a diuretic and controls PMS. If all this fails the next step is taking metformin.  Good luck.

[arrgh!]

thanks everyone.
God, im on most of those medications!!! will look into that. someone else just told me about the progesterone and thyroid yesterday. my previous GP told me that the thyroid test i had was "normal" so ill definately go check whether its under or over 2.
its just so miserable! working so hard and getting absolutely nowhere!

[torsum]

You should get checked for polycystic ovarian syndrome...it's very common and causes insulin resistance so weight loss is super hard. Hence the metformin can help.