PLEASE, I have tried everything and I can't seem to lose weight

[Hannah14]

Hi everyone,

When I say I have tried everything to lose weight I mean literally everything (majority of weight is on my stomach upper body and inner thighs). I can't seem to see any results, please can someone advise me and help me out. I am so committed to this. I weigh about 165 pounds looking to go down to 135 pounds.

Firstly, I went to the doctor's office and got my thyroid, hormones, cortisol and insulin checked. Everything is normal except my insulin is a little high, hence she said I may be insulin resistant (I don't have diabetes or any problems with my blood sugar). She said it could be because in the past I used to eat a lot of high sugar and processed foods.

Secondly, in terms of working out I only used to strength train 3 times week. Then I added 2 days of Cardio. I personally do not feel that my workouts are effective, I have tried Fitness Blender, Youtube videos, Body-building.com, a few popsugar workouts made by celebrity trainers. Nothing has worked. I like to workout at home personally, I have some dumbbells, a treadmill (I'd rather do cardio using youtube lol), resistance bands, etc..

Thirdly, in terms of food, I usually have 2 pieces of gluten free toast with peanut butter, then a nut bar from Costco as a snack, for lunch i sometimes have a protein shake or some rice with meat or something with both carbs and protein, I sometimes have snack in between lunch and dinner which is usually a piece of fruit and for dinner I usually have something similar to lunch. I have been calorie counting and trying to eat between 100 to 150 grams of carbs.

I honestly don't know what else to do. Can someone please advise me in terms of working out, maybe its from that? or maybe its what I am eating

I have been at this for 4 months, I haven't seen any results at all, not on the scale, in my clothes or even measurements.

Thank you!

 

[Cate]

Hi, Hannah. Did your doctor mention PCOS? A few of my friends have it & it makes it very hard to lose weight. It’s worth looking up & checking out with your doc.
Don’t give up hope. Your diet is more crucial to weight-loss than exercise. Exercise is good for us for lots of other reasons, but what you eat & when is important. I don’t see vegetables anywhere there. Have you tried a diet rich in veggies, lean protein & some pulses and/or beans & a little fruit?

 

[alligatorob]

Hey Hannah, welcome to the forum!

I don't have much insight here, but as you describe what you are doing it does sound like you should be losing weight. If you are burning more calories than you are eating you have to be losing fat, and after 4 months that should translate to weight loss.

It might help if you carefully count your calories and record them for a while, I know if I don't I always eat more than if I do. I kind of get amnesia about some things and portion sizes...

You could do the same with exercise, at least track the time you are exercising. You can use an app to estimate calorie burn, but I am not sure how accurate they are. When losing weight I always tried to stay in a calorie deficit without counting exercise.

Cate is right your eating is more important to weight loss than exercise. Exercise is great, and not just for losing weight, so I encourage you to keep doing it. However its the calories you eat that really matters most for your weight.

Cate also has some good dietary suggestions, veggies are good for you, fill you up, and low calorie. They have become a real staple of my diet.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Spencer82]

Hi Hannah,
I'm no nutritionalist, so I'm not going to try and pretend, but I can share what's worked for me so far:
- giving up bread. I still have small portions of brown rice, and low GI wraps etc, but I ate a slice of bread on Sunday for the first time in 60 days, and god I felt bad!
- giving up coffee/tea with milk & sugar. This has been a godsend, I can't believe how reliant I was and how much the caffeine actually fatigued me! Herbal tea all the way - I'm crushing on blood orange flavour at the moment
- eat small amounts of the right things regularly!
- regular amounts of protein throughout the day. I have mine through a complete shake, and support with my snack and meal options. For example, my lunch today was a falafel salad with hummus, rocket, tomato, pomegranate, red onion and a small amount of soft feta instead of a dressing.
- snack-wise again hummus and veggies, almonds, boiled egg, and if I have fruit I always pair it with a protein. Raspberries (in moderation) are a good fruit to help with weight loss. I snack mid morning and mid afternoon. Generally have a meal for lunch and a shake for dinner, but I'm flexible depending on how my day is looking.
- I have a straight protein drink with organic greens before bed. Helps with the bloaty feeling I get!
- Supported intermittent fasting once or twice a week has helped me with balancing my hormones and really does make me feel amazing! The support comes in a calorie-controlled manner which doesn't break the fast, but stops me feeling like I'm turning inside-out. I have read stories of people fasting without any support for 72+ hours, but my reading into it suggests that it's not that helpful and really hard - neither of which appeal to me!!
So far I've lost 24.251lb in around 60 days, and am nearly at my goal weight, but still have a way to go with my non-scale goals.
I think everyone is different, and finding what works for you is so important. I had tried so many different meal plans, programs, fads etc., it just happens that this works for my body.

 

[Hannah14]

Hi, Hannah. Did your doctor mention PCOS? A few of my friends have it & it makes it very hard to lose weight. It’s worth looking up & checking out with your doc.
Don’t give up hope. Your diet is more crucial to weight-loss than exercise. Exercise is good for us for lots of other reasons, but what you eat & when is important. I don’t see vegetables anywhere there. Have you tried a diet rich in veggies, lean protein & some pulses and/or beans & a little fruit?

Hi Cate, thanks so much for responding! The doctor didn't mention PCOS because my period is regular, I have never missed a period since I first began to get at 13. I did in the past have heavy periods, but now its not as bad and I have acne which is caused by my androgens, in which I got prescribed Spironolactone (I have been taking it for almost a month).

I should for sure include more veggies, I don't really eat much. In terms of fruit, I try to stick with low sugar fruits like berries, but I haven't included them in a while in my diet.

 

[Hannah14]

Hey Hannah, welcome to the forum!

I don't have much insight here, but as you describe what you are doing it does sound like you should be losing weight. If you are burning more calories than you are eating you have to be losing fat, and after 4 months that should translate to weight loss.

It might help if you carefully count your calories and record them for a while, I know if I don't I always eat more than if I do. I kind of get amnesia about some things and portion sizes...

You could do the same with exercise, at least track the time you are exercising. You can use an app to estimate calorie burn, but I am not sure how accurate they are. When losing weight I always tried to stay in a calorie deficit without counting exercise.

Cate is right your eating is more important to weight loss than exercise. Exercise is great, and not just for losing weight, so I encourage you to keep doing it. However its the calories you eat that really matters most for your weight.

Cate also has some good dietary suggestions, veggies are good for you, fill you up, and low calorie. They have become a real staple of my diet.

Best of luck to you!

Hi, thanks for your response! I should try to weigh my food and record it. I sometimes feel like I do exaggerate my portion sizes.

 

[Hannah14]

Hi Hannah,
I'm no nutritionalist, so I'm not going to try and pretend, but I can share what's worked for me so far:
- giving up bread. I still have small portions of brown rice, and low GI wraps etc, but I ate a slice of bread on Sunday for the first time in 60 days, and god I felt bad!
- giving up coffee/tea with milk & sugar. This has been a godsend, I can't believe how reliant I was and how much the caffeine actually fatigued me! Herbal tea all the way - I'm crushing on blood orange flavour at the moment
- eat small amounts of the right things regularly!
- regular amounts of protein throughout the day. I have mine through a complete shake, and support with my snack and meal options. For example, my lunch today was a falafel salad with hummus, rocket, tomato, pomegranate, red onion and a small amount of soft feta instead of a dressing.
- snack-wise again hummus and veggies, almonds, boiled egg, and if I have fruit I always pair it with a protein. Raspberries (in moderation) are a good fruit to help with weight loss. I snack mid morning and mid afternoon. Generally have a meal for lunch and a shake for dinner, but I'm flexible depending on how my day is looking.
- I have a straight protein drink with organic greens before bed. Helps with the bloaty feeling I get!
- Supported intermittent fasting once or twice a week has helped me with balancing my hormones and really does make me feel amazing! The support comes in a calorie-controlled manner which doesn't break the fast, but stops me feeling like I'm turning inside-out. I have read stories of people fasting without any support for 72+ hours, but my reading into it suggests that it's not that helpful and really hard - neither of which appeal to me!!
So far I've lost 24.251lb in around 60 days, and am nearly at my goal weight, but still have a way to go with my non-scale goals.
I think everyone is different, and finding what works for you is so important. I had tried so many different meal plans, programs, fads etc., it just happens that this works for my body.

Hi Spencer, thanks so much for your reply! Congrats on nearing your goal weight, thats amazing I will try these for sure! Can I ask why did you give up coffee and tea? Does this inhibit weight-loss? Usually, I have a cup of coffee a day with 1 table spoon of cream.

 

[Spencer82]

Hi Spencer, thanks so much for your reply! Congrats on nearing your goal weight, thats amazing I will try these for sure! Can I ask why did you give up coffee and tea? Does this inhibit weight-loss? Usually, I have a cup of coffee a day with 1 table spoon of cream.

Thanks Hannah,
For me personally, I was adding milk (cream) and sugar to my tea and coffee, which was adding extra calories. Also the caffeine was giving me this 'false energy', but then I'd crash out and need more (more calories).
I've replaced it with herbal, and incorporated adaptogens into my daily routine to help with stress management and energy. It seems to be working for me!
I really hope you can find methods that work for you, even if it means utilising a combination of suggestions.

 

[Omega]

The doctor didn't mention PCOS because my period is regular, I have never missed a period since I first began to get at 13. I did in the past have heavy periods, but now its not as bad and I have acne which is caused by my androgens, in which I got prescribed Spironolactone (I have been taking it for almost a month).

I have to say that your mention of acne and androgens combined with intense difficulty in losing weight makes me think of PCOS too... I'd follow PCOS general advice and see how it panned out for you. Here is the best posting on PCOS that I am aware of on this forum

I suffer from PCOS but still reached my weight loss goal last year. Here are my "Top 10 Tips" to help you in 2008.

It’s that time of year again. Millions of women, including those with PCOS, will be vowing to drop those extra pounds they carried around for 2007-- and then a few more that were packed on with the help of Aunt Sue’s cornbread dressing or that giant tin of tri-colored popcorn that makes its annual appearance in the office break room.

Health club memberships will be at an all-time high. The promotional flyer I got from the local gym in the mail today went straight into the trash. I am vowing never to pay another year of “fat tax,” those fifty-plus dollars a month many of us agree to pay for a one-year membership that most will probably use for a few weeks. Of course, I believe in exercise as part of any weight-loss program, but it doesn’t require a gym or any expensive torture contraptions.

I’m sure sign-ups on ediets.com will soar. I’ve tried most of the more popular diets they offer: Atkins, Slim-Fast Optima, etc. -- the results never went beyond losing five or so pounds. Atkins is just so hard! And I consider a Slim-Fast shake desert, not a meal! But after years of trial and error and much reading on the subject, I have at last found a healthy, balanced diet that doesn’t require any special shakes or the banishing of carbs.

I also tried numerous supplements. Hoodia, which I took religiously for four weeks, had absolutely no impact on curbing my appetite, along with a few others containing stimulants that made me feel like I was having a heart attack. But don’t get me wrong; I do feel that the RIGHT supplements can have a dramatic impact on weight loss.

I believe the underlying cause of PCOS is insulin resistance. And I believe this because as soon as I started to treat my insulin resistance. I saw a dramatic improvement in my skin and in my hair: less acne, more hair. And I also reached my weight loss goal of losing 45 pounds over the course of last year. I am 5’9” and now weigh a healthy 150 pounds.

Because of insulin resistance, many women with PCOS have a much harder time losing weight. Here is why: Insulin is the hormone responsible for allowing glucose, or blood sugar, to be absorbed by the cells of the body, where it is converted to energy. If you are insulin resistant, your cells react sluggishly to insulin. When you eat a meal -- whether it's steak, fish or vegetables -- the body breaks it down into glucose, a usable energy form. When you are insulin resistant, extra glucose remains in the blood stream, until it is finally sent to the liver and converted to excess body fat.

These are my Top 10 Tips to Weight Loss with PCOS.

1. Gradually cut down on refined carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, white pasta and most sweets) and replace them with healthy sources of carbohydrates (whole grain bread, brown rice and whole wheat pasta). Refined carbs have been processed so that most of the fiber and nutrients are stripped away. This causes the body to quickly convert them into glucose. Whole grains still contain the fiber that will allow your body to digest the food more slowly, keeping you blood sugar levels from spiking and help to correct insulin resistance. I found that I was able to lose weight by eating roughly 70 grams of healthy carbohydrates per day.

2. Avoid all hydrogenated fats. Look at labels. If the product contains ingredients like hydrogenated vegetable oil, don’t buy it. Look for products that are free of hydrogenated oils and trans fat.

3. Moderate your intake of saturated fats. Saturated fat can mostly be found in animal products like: bacon, red meat and cheese.

4. Incorporate healthy fats into your diet: instead of cooking with vegetable oil use olive oil. Add nuts and avocados into your salad. They are excellent sources of Omega-3, the heart-healthy fat.

5. Have lean protein at every meal. This will help to control glucose spikes. Servings should be 3-4 oz, about the size of a deck of cards. Try turkey, poultry, veggie burgers, and lean cuts of pork and beef.

6. Avoid starchy vegetables like carrots, beets, corn and potatoes. They naturally contain higher amounts of sugar that can cause glucose levels to rise. Opt for vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus and zucchini, which are low in sugar and high in fiber.

7. Buy whole foods. This means if it comes in a box, it’s probably not good for you. Prepackaged food is full of preservatives, chemicals and sodium which can actually make PCOS symptoms worse.

8. Start an exercise program you can stick with. I began with walking 10 minutes a day, 3 days per week. Now I have worked my way up to jogging for 30 minutes, 5 days per week. Find an activity you enjoy whether it’s walking, rollerblading, hiking or swimming, and gradually increase your workout session lengths and the number of days per week you do them.

9. Begin taking supplements. (Insulite Labs PCOS System offers the best combination of supplements for women with PCOS that I've found.)

10. Take it slow! Losing more than half a pound per week is too fast and you will probably just gain it back.

 

[Thinner Me Inside]

Hello and welcome..
You may not be eating enough?? You weight train 3x a week, which overtime you're building lean muscle. You may not see changes, because your body thinks it needs to go into starvation mode, because you're not eating enough. Try increasing your protein and veggies as someone else mentioned, and remember to be consistent, this is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix..