Exercise and Eating right isnt helping me lose weight

L

LaOsitaBoricua

New member
Hi everyone this is my first post... I recently had a baby 5 months ago. Ive been constipated :( for 2 months after I had had my daughter then I started drinking 90 oz of water and stoped drinking diet soda. I've always eaten healthy things all my life except for the diet soda but I have a problem with eating small meals a day. A month after I had my child I started exercising and I've been exercising ever since. I exercise everyday for 3 hours, jogging, lifting weights and sometimes 300 sit ups, after exercising I do yoga and I love to walk. I've been overweight ever since I was 13 and Im 18 but I've been active all my life. I recently started cutting back calories and now I'm down to 400 calories a day because Im not losing any weight, sometimes I dont eat and its really stressfully that I do all of this work and it doesnt pay of. I actually gained 5 pounds and now I weigh 175 pounds. The doctors really didnt help they'd tell me to exercise and thats what I've always been doing. So Im posting this in hopes that someone knows whats going on because I dont. And this really sucks. So Im open to any suggestions and Im thinking about gettin lipo because nothing seems to work. Does any1 have any opinion to why Im not losing any weight. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!! :confused:
 
400 calories is barely enough to keep a bird alive, it's not enough for a grown woman to live on... eating healthy means eating enough for your body and 400 calories isnt cutting it - cutting back to far in your caloris - as you're finding - is as bad as having too many.

Are you breastfeeding your baby?

I would start eating - at least 3 meals a day -and take care of yourself...
 
400 calories a day??? That is anorexia. You are completely destroying your metabolism, and eating away at what little lean muscle mass you have. You're telling your body, "I'm starving, so go ahead and eat away my muscles and save my fat for later."

I can't believe any doctor with a valid medical license could read what you've written above and not freak out.

You're constipated probably because a) you're not really consuming much of anything at all, and b) you may be getting very little fiber.

I don't know how tall you are, but let's say you're 5'6" and weigh 175. That means your resting metabolic rate is around 1900 calories. That's how many calories you expend just living day to day, without exercise.

If you're exercising 1 to 3 hours a day, you're probably using up at least another 500 to 1,000 calories a day. So that means you could eat an average of 2,500 calories a day and not gain anything.

The first thing you need to do is repair your metabolism by assuring your body you are not starving to death. The way to do this is to consume at least 2,000 calories a day for at least 2 weeks. Don't do this by eating junk food, though. Keep eating all the healthy things -- whole grain bread, and especially lots of fruits and vegetables. Try to eat stuff with a LOT of fiber to repair your digestive tract as well.

And stop the 3 hours of exercise a day -- you are going to wreck your lean body mass that way. Limit it to a maximum of 1 hour.

I think it would be much healthier at this point to only do cardio 3 times a week, and then do weight lifting at least a couple of times a week. Stop the stuff like 300 situps -- totally useless.

If you don't believe me, please read other posts in this forum by Steve and Leigh and Tony. But whatever you do, please -- for the sake of your baby - stop starving yourself to death.
 
TomO makes some good points, but I'm going to chime in with it's doctor recommended to up your BMR by 10-20% while nursing a child as well.
 
its not food you should cut down on, its getting more exercise..
you do alot but its not really fat burning.. if you run alot you will lose weight garunteed.
 
Why I dont eat that much

Well part of the reason why I dont eat alot is I get full in 2 seconds and my stomach always hurts. It was like that before and the beggining of my pregnancy and towards the end of my pregnancy I stopped getting full and stomach aches but now that I've had my daughter 5 months ago Im starting to get full like before I was pregnant but I think this is because I have Gastroesophageal reflux disease because I always taste bile in my throat (like Im going to throw up) and I think you can get bloated from acid reflux. I dont know why this happens. :)
 
Eat little meals, often then.

You seriously need to eat a LOT more than what you are.
Your body is probably well into starvation mode by now and hanging on for dear life to every bit of fat it can get and slowing your metabolism down.
 
Are you truly eating only 400 calories per day?
People who've had gastric bypass eat more calories per day than that!

So, there are two possibilities...1. You really are eating only 400 calories per day, and your body is holding onto all the fat it can manage to (as mentioned by Wishes) or 2. You're really eating more than 400 calories per day (are you taking in calories somewhere that you're not recognizing?...ie grazing, snacking, etc. The one thing that holds true for most of us who are overweight is that we are great at lying to ourselves!

I promise you that if you eat at least 1500-1800 calories per day, split into 5 or six small meals, you will lose weight. If you'd like, I'd be happy to help you come up with a week's menu consisting of foods you enjoy, etc. I'm pretty sure we could get rid of your constipation and gerd issues too.

Also, I don't think there's a need for 3 hours of exercise per day. Maybe you could cut that down and catch some more sleep (I imagine you are sleep deprived with an infant...and the body needs rest to lose weight).

We can all help you to make this a successful effort.

Jen
 
It sounds to me like it might be time for a doctor visit - not for weight loss but to figure out why you can't eat. That's not normal, and if you can't eat more than 400 calories a day without pain then it's time to get it looked at.

If you can only eat a very little at once try making it extremely calorie rich foods. Nuts, meats, things like that.

Let us know how you're doing. We are concerned for you.
 
actually i do eat snacks but its usually my favorite things in the world which are either watermelon or apples and i usually dont buy alot of it bcuz im usually on a budget and my boyfriend eats alot (i dont know how hes so skinny)!.... and im not sleep deprived :D my daughter sleeps throughout the night and my body wakes itself up every day at 7:20-8:30 i dont know why so i get atleast 9hrs of sleep... I do wake up with headaches though, I have a headache right now and for some reason im not constipated anymore but i think thats because im sick. I actually end up eating less than 400 calories a day not just because I get full really qiuck but also because Im thinking about things and I never get them done beacuse I always have someone interrupting me. I cant go to the doctor yet because I dont have any insurance, but as soon as i get insurance im definitely gonna go to the doctor because i have more than just this issue.
 
an idea

One idea i have for your constipation. is that it may be acid that is just sitting there from not having enough fiber or water in your system to get it to move around...

my doctor actually suggested to me to take some acid-reducer pills. which she told me to take 2 twice a day instead of the suggested 1 twice day. and i've been doing that for almost two weeks. and i've noticed a difference, because before my stomach felt kinda weird and bloated more. but now that feeling is gone.

Have A Nice Day!
 
how dp you have all that time to exercise with a small baby? i barely have time to shower with my 3 month old! i did the same thing as you a couple years ago..i wanted to lose weight fast, and i got to the point where i really didn't want to eat anyting. i was always ''saving'' calories in case i accidentally overate later. someone asked me why my lips were blue, and i realized i was very cold. and i had gained 8 pounds. i lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks by having 1200 cals a day, and exercizing. i recently gained it back...but now i know how to lose it. undereating is a great way to gain weight.
 
is there a free clinic in your area that you could go to, make sure to write down all your symptoms before you go.
 
You just had a baby... Some times it's hard the first 6months to a year for the body to let go of the weight. I have seen some woman drop the weight very quickly and then a few it just doesnt wanna let it go right away. I think it could be some of your problem. You have drastically reduced your calories when right now your body needs to replenish what it's lost over the last year. Being pregnant is hard on the body. Do you have any hormonal issue's? I have PCOS, I have a hard time losing weight.. 3 years ago I piled on 20lbs in 2 1/2 months. I didn't change anything.. but my body had been thrown out of whack due to becoming pregnant and miscarriages. I didn't know at the time what happened I went from 140lbs to 160lbs.. I couldn't believe it... and I ended up gaining another 20 gradually after that... I think seeing a doctor is a good idea. and please don't starve yourself like that... there has to be a reason behind you not being able to lose the weight. Focus on giving your body what it needs!! And See if there is an underlying reason behind your body being so stubborn. Goodluck!
 
I just came across this site and this thread totally caught my eye. I have a different set of circumstances but I too can NOT lose weight. I am 38 years old and my youngest child is 11 so I haven't had babies in a while. When I was younger I had no problem keeping thin. I am not quite 5'2" and always weighed between 98 and 105. I was 107 when I got pregnant with my last child and gained more weight than with the other 3. I have been struggling ever since then to get down to an acceptable weight. "Acceptable" meaning I am not trying to set myself up for failure or be unreasonable. My goal weight is 115. I currently weigh 133. People tell me all the time that I look good but I do wear clothes that pretty much disguise the weight. In the last 11 years I have tried Herbal Life products (lost down to 112 but also got heart palpitations and pain in my chest - so quit using the products & gained the weight back within a few months), Atkins and lowering calories to 1400/day with 28% or less calories from fat. I have always been an avid exercise person - putting in approximately 3-4 hours per week. I did lose weight on the Atkins diet but it was so hard to stick to for a long time. I have been counting my calories and my percentages seriously since last October and log my exercise time. I actually started in October at 138 - by Christmas I was 133 and that is where I have stayed. I drink only water, no sodas, coffee, tea, juice -sometimes 1% milk but i'd rather just have water. I do not smoke or drink or take any form of drugs - We do not have chips or candy laying around our house, it's just not something my family has ever been interested in. I hate to keep going on and on but I wanted to see if there was anyone else out there who eats right, exercises, but can not budge on the scale or with clothes. They say to keep a tape measure and since January I have been keeping a measurement journal - 1 inch in the waist and that is all. What gives??:confused: I feel so completely hopeless and tempted to start some diet pill - which is totally against my nature! What else is there? I have in the past 6 weeks increased my exercise to 1.5 to 2.5 hours a day 5 days a week - NOTHING- Absolutely NOTHING - no inches lost, no pounds lost and my clothes fit horribly. What is the magic? I am starting to now battle with depression because all of my efforts are failing. :( Anyone have any new suggestions?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top