omg I cannot lose weight!!

Is anyone else having this problem?? Over the course of the last 9 months I have not changed my eating habits at all and gained like 15 lbs. So I have been exercising at least 4 days a week for a good hour and cutting way back on diet for a month and have not lost a single ounce. I am soooo frustrated right now!! I literally cannot eat less than I am and function, and I can't exercise more either because I end up injured when I push it too hard. I don't think it's thyroid I have no symptoms, I just think it's getting old LOL!!! :hair:

OMG! I so could have written this post a few weeks ago! After playing around with total calories, I found that once I bumped up my calories for two to three days, the weight started to come off. I guess I was eating a tad too little for the exercise. Once I started to lose weight, I then dropped my calories back down. I've had to do this often while exercising when I reach a plateau.

I would try doing that to see if it helps. I know I was getting discouraged, because I have been diligent with the 60min of cardio and was eating 1600-1700 calories. I bumped up to 1900 calories, and bam, the weight started to come off. I am afraid to go back down to 1600 calories, but I can do 1700-1900 calories and still lose weight. I know I'm breastfeeding, but I have this happen when not breastfeeding and exercising. Soon, I'm going to have to kick the exercise up a notch and may have to start running.

FX the weight starts to come off soon!



[emoji170]DS1[emoji1379], DS2[emoji577], & DS3[emoji602][emoji170]
[emoji166]One last pink sway 2016[emoji166]
My Ovulation Chart

Poor you, you have my sympathy! I have a tonne of weight to shift that I've just started working on. Wondering, although it may have nothing to do with it, what you eat last thing before bed (if anything).

Have you increased your protein and cut back on carbs particularly in the morning? Also, watch your water intake and cut out anything refined..I would be greatly surprised if that didn't do the trick.

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Originally Posted by bunnywabbit

Wondering, although it may have nothing to do with it, what you eat last thing before bed (if anything).

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For me, I don't eat past 7:00-7:30, which is a good 2-3 hours before I make it to bed after putting everyone down and tidying up a bit. After keeping track, I found I wasn't eating enough and needed to eat more to convince my body to start losing weight.

I learned years ago that I cannot eat late at night or right before bed- I'll gain weight that way. Doing the LE diet, I have to eat three meals so I wait to eat my first meal after I've been awake for 2-3 hours. I average 14-16 hours without eating, counting overnight.

ha, the story of my LIFE since the last baby. It's only 25 lbs but it aint going no where! I mountian bike 5 days a week, lift weights 45 min + 5 days a week and eat clean. Now even after ebing sick and not eating/eating vegan I STILL haven't lost an ounce.

I figured my trick and its so hard. If I have NO SUGAR not even fruit or milk or dairy, I lose weight. SOOOOOOO hard!

Lady, I feel your pain. I am LIVING PROOF that 1800 expended-1500 intake does not result in a 300 cal loss!!!! If it did for me, id be 105 lbs!

Hmmm...I wish I had some advice but I'm on the girl diet right now and feel like total crap (so it must be working right?)... I have headaches until I eat something which isn't until 2-3 pm every day and the tiny amount I do eat I try to save so I am not STARVING by the time bed rolls around. My DH is on the diet some days (until he sees a burger he likes at work).

I have lost almost 9 lbs on this diet in 2 months but its been tough sledding because I have to weigh everything before it goes into my mouth....DH too! He would always estimate how much he ate (it's nothing he'd say)...then when it was weighed and measured he found out he was over eating by 200-300 calories!

So I guess one tip would be to weigh and measure your food because what you "think" you eat and what you really are eating can be off by several hundred calories.

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Originally Posted by MrsGoodies

Hmmm...I wish I had some advice but I'm on the girl diet right now and feel like total crap (so it must be working right?)... I have headaches until I eat something which isn't until 2-3 pm every day and the tiny amount I do eat I try to save so I am not STARVING by the time bed rolls around. My DH is on the diet some days (until he sees a burger he likes at work).

I have lost almost 9 lbs on this diet in 2 months but its been tough sledding because I have to weigh everything before it goes into my mouth....DH too! He would always estimate how much he ate (it's nothing he'd say)...then when it was weighed and measured he found out he was over eating by 200-300 calories!

So I guess one tip would be to weigh and measure your food because what you "think" you eat and what you really are eating can be off by several hundred calories.

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You don't need to wait that long to eat though!!! 11-12 is more than enough!

Thanks so much you guys, I think the thing that's frustrating me is that I was eating a lot more, and definitely cut back, and...nothing happened. Normally I'd be able to drop at least SOMETHING pretty quickly just by cutting out the goodies, but I think all I did was manage to stop gaining LOL (which is good, but I don't wanna be hungry the rest of my life just to stop gaining!). I also all but stopped nursing over the same time period, except for the occasional middle of the night bad dream, so I really should cut myself more slack than I am!

It's just annoying to be helping others to lose weight and then not be able to help myself!!

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Originally Posted by XXforhubby

For me, I don't eat past 7:00-7:30, which is a good 2-3 hours before I make it to bed after putting everyone down and tidying up a bit. After keeping track, I found I wasn't eating enough and needed to eat more to convince my body to start losing weight.

I learned years ago that I cannot eat late at night or right before bed- I'll gain weight that way. Doing the LE diet, I have to eat three meals so I wait to eat my first meal after I've been awake for 2-3 hours. I average 14-16 hours without eating, counting overnight.

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Can you sleep, though?? This is my downfall because I literally cannot sleep on an empty stomach. I have to eat before bed or I lay awake for hours. :/

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Originally Posted by SweetLily

ha, the story of my LIFE since the last baby. It's only 25 lbs but it aint going no where! I mountian bike 5 days a week, lift weights 45 min + 5 days a week and eat clean. Now even after ebing sick and not eating/eating vegan I STILL haven't lost an ounce.

I figured my trick and its so hard. If I have NO SUGAR not even fruit or milk or dairy, I lose weight. SOOOOOOO hard!

Lady, I feel your pain. I am LIVING PROOF that 1800 expended-1500 intake does not result in a 300 cal loss!!!! If it did for me, id be 105 lbs!

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:agree: I totally agree I remember always hearing things like "just stop having your daily latte and you'll lose 15 pounds in a year" or whatever but that never worked for me! My body just ADJUSTS unless I'm relatively miserable and I don't think starvation diets are healthy for women over 40 because you just lose all the bone mass and muscle and can't get it back again. So I can't go to the diet pepsi and carrot sticks that worked for me back in my 20's LOL Le sigh... :)

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

Can you sleep, though?? This is my downfall because I literally cannot sleep on an empty stomach. I have to eat before bed or I lay awake for hours. :/

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Yeah. I can't sleep well on a full tummy. That makes me lie there trying to get comfortable. We're opposites!!

Someone on another board I post on frequently posted this recently about weight loss over 40. I'm only 34, but would agree with what he says 100% and I think it goes for anyone over 30.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqaEhP3RHjo

I would agree with this wholeheartedly. Prior to starting my sway, I tried to do my usual T25 and PiYo beach body workouts to lose excess baby weight around my midsection. It. Wasn't. Going. Any. Where. It was when I started the cardio 60+min 6+ days a week, that it went away. I can only manage the cardio wearing my DS3 while pushing DS2 in a stroller. By nature, I can't walk super fast so I've been walking normal speed but for 60+ min. The weight has come off, with 10lbs to go, and my abs are flat! I have to eat the upper limit of fat right now while I'm nursing so much still, but I've been eating more veggies compared to fruit than I typically do. I hadn't thought about it, but I bet that's been helping more than I realize.

I'm definitely bookmarking this for future reference!!



[emoji170]DS1[emoji1379], DS2[emoji577], & DS3[emoji602][emoji170]
[emoji166]One last pink sway 2016[emoji166]
My Ovulation Chart

I suggest you do a 20% version of the Alternate Day Diet/Intermittent Fasting. Use an online calculator that takes into account your age, sex, weight and activity level to calculate your daily caloric needs (to maintain your current weight). Then multply that by .2, and eat that 20% every other day. Ideally you should eat the % over a 36 hour period, then eat as much as you like (though don't go crazy, I'd try to not go much over 2000 cals) for 12 hours, then for the next 36 hours eat your 20%, then 12 hours of regular eating, and so on. If possible, try to eat your 20% all as 1 or 2 meals and eat as low carb as possible during this 'fasting time'.

If you can't manage 20%, you can start at 50% and work your way down. You can also do 24/24 alternating, or 18/30, or 20/28...whatever you find manageable, though 12/36 is optimal.

The hunger at night wa always the biggest issue for me on fasting days. I honestly recommend a script for sleeping pills, to be taken on only those nights. Constipation was my other annoyance but it was manageable, and I only had that problem when fasting completely. You should be fine at 20+%.

Daily intermittent fasting worked well for me before I got pregnant with my 11mth old. I would eat all my calories in 6-8 hrs (so I'd eat basically non-stop from like 8-2:00) and then not eat again until 8 the next morning. I've never had a problem not eating in the evenings so it might not be as easy for the average person.

:agree: trying to push breakfast back and eat 3 meals in narrower time frame and also added in probiotics. Down 3 lbs now although I doubt it's from the new changes, it may have been just time for it to drop off!!

Thanks to all who chimed in!

For me personally, I need the longer peeiod of fasting/rgreatly reduced cals to see results. So just eating 6-12 hours out of each 24 hour period doesn't do anything for me. I personally need at least a full 24 hours of complete fasting or very few cals, and 36 is even better. I think you may be similar, atomic, as it seems like your body is similar to mine in regards to food and weight loss. Though of course I don't have experience with age slowing metabolism yet. I would assume that effect should not be very strong until y8u go through menopause.

Supposedly the changes start to happen in perimenopause which I do think I have going on since my cycle is getting shorter and lighter (not that I"m complaining LOL)

I can't go that long without eating because I turn into a huge bitch haha. Additionally I'm just not sure it's a good idea since according to the stuff I've read I'm already losing the muscle and bone mass faster than in my 30's. I like being ripped too so I don't want to lose much muscle. Is it so much to ask to just be super buff and skinny without any misery or effort on my part?? :rofl:

My husband is doing the IF now and it seems to be working for him, although I must report it is also turning him into a huge bitch. ;)

IF actually increases muscle done properly. I have always been severely hypomuscular but when doing extreme IF I built muscle so easily (and it dramatically changed my body shape). Amazingly, I've kept most of the increased muscle years later. IF done as I do/suggest activates a bunch of genetic changes, the biggest effects being increased metabolism, increased muscle, targeted fat burning (fat is burned over muscle almost exclusively, provided you eat enough protein), and life extension -including actual reversal of aging, which I personally witnessed via wrinkles improving/disappearing (even though I lost a ton of fat in my face).

The 36/12 model is my own invention based on the most extensive rodent research done on alternate day style fasting, though like I said, you'll still see results from 24/24, just less dramatically so.

I used to run a forum of IFers (most doing 24/24, some doing 36/12 or something in between) and the 'I can't go that long without eating' issue was the most common question. Some people do struggle with fasting/calorie reduction a lot more than others. But once you get into IF, the changes will make it much easier for you. So it's a matter of easing into it in a way that is manageable. I recommend gradually extending time between meals and eating mostly protein with some fat while fasting, starting at a full 50%, and eating plenty when not fasting, so that the reserve will help tide you over.

The genetic and other dramatic body chemistry changes only occur with at least a 24 hour fasting periof, and they take about 3 weeks to kick in, minimum (longer if you are at a higher %). But you can get the effects from 50%. It's what I recommend to people who want the health benefits without losing weight, and I've seen it work (one of my ex BFs did 50% for several months). You may lose weight on 50%, especially if you don't overeat when not fasting, but I recommend you aim for 20-30% for best results.

I would never recommend any diet that negatively affects bone density or lowers metabolic rate. Provided you eat a nutrient rich diet and get enough calories overall, you should only see benefits. Exercise of any sort will help too, and you'll see what I mean about the muscle building. I really hope you give it a go bc I think you would do fabulously on it. And you will adapt a lot faster than you think bc unlike other diets/forms of IF, alternate day IF has such strong, positive biological effects.