Why am I not losing more weight?

[Anonymous]

I started this month off with a goal to lose 8-10lbs as part of my long term weight loss goals (gotta lot to lose). With basically only a week left to go, I've only lost 4. I'm extremely frustrated because I have made a ton of life changes. I eat only food I cook, and prepare. I eat no dairy, no white foods, and only use cooking spray and bake or steam. I already didn't drink and didn't smoke so those weren't issues. I gave up soda completely. I also work out 6 days a week for "minimum" 1 hr with both cardio and weights doing running, circuit training, dancing, and step. I keep a food diary, and I've only "slipped up" twice, both times eating one candy bar, but other then that I've been literally eating baked chicken with some form of greens, sweet potatoes, with extra fruit and veg on the sides. How have I not managed to lose more weight? I went from doing literally nothing and eating crap to all this, and to not see a result bigger than 4 pounds in a first month has really got me wanting to give up, because I'm really starting to feel like it's not worth it for all these supposedly wonderful life changes.

[SirenDep]

Did you check your thyroid and your hormones? Did you do a blood test?
Also, I think you did too many changes suddenly and your body still hasn't adapted. In which case, you should be patient and you'll eventually see results. You shouldn't have the mindset of having a diet, eating and exercising only until you loose the extra weight, you should change your way of eating and exercising permanently. If you didn't do all that, you would have put on more weight. Don't be so glued to the number the scale is showing. Even if you don't loose weight, but eating in a healthier way and exercising you are less prone to get illnesses such as cholesterol, diabetes, or knee problems and arthritis.

Also, I heard that some people aren't able to loose weight because they unconsciously starve themselves.

[ElissaDido]

People lose weight differently. Some people don't see any difference on the scale the first few weeks (even months) and then at some point they start shedding a lot of weight, for others (like me) I lose a lot the first few weeks but after a couple of months I start losing weight very slowly.
Just keep on going and don''t give up, you'll see results if you continue!
PS: Are you sure your calories intake is low enough? It's not only about eating healthy, if you eat a lot of healthy food you're still having lots of calories and to loose weight you have to create a calorie deficit (the bigger, the faster you'll lose it).

[Asker]

Well a typical day for me is a fruit smoothie (just fruit and water, no sugar of any kind) for breakfast, lunch is baked chicken, bok choy, spinach, broccoli, with raw sides like carrots, cucumbers, and fruit with water to drink, and dinner will be like a piece of baked salmon, 1/2 an avocado, some chickpeas, and again extra raw veggies, fruit, and more water. If I need a snack, its always raw fruit or veggies. I mean, the majority of my diet is just fruit and veg so I'm not sure how much lower I can get on calories without going into some starvation mode. Ugh, it's just frustrating because I have been working hard at this and fighting constantly those nasty cravings and absolutely forcing myself up and to workout all 6 days that I do per week. I'm not sure what else I can do!

[KaidenKass00]

First, don't give up. You lost weight. It may not have been as much as you wanted, but you lost it.

Second, are you feeling hungry often? Your diet seems fine but it is possible to eat too much even of healthy food. The only time you're losing weight is when you feel hungry, because that's when your body has taken to burning fat calories.

Third, are you really pushing yourself in those workouts? I mean, getting your heart rate up to its max and trying to keep it there, sweating like mad, so out of breath you think you're gonna die? This may sound extreme but the body really has to push.

Fourth... in your 30s, your metabolism hits a wall, especially for women. Sadly, there is absolutely nothing you can do about this.

[Asker]

your third is what everyone keeps asking me, but trust me when I say, I am dripping with sweat. I really do love HIIT (high intensity interval training)... b/c you sweat like crazy and I actually feel like I'm accomplishing something above doing yoga or walking around for 2 hours which I have no attention span for. As for the second, I mean what is my alternative with the diet? I use meal prep containers. If you've ever seen them, they aren't built to hold like massive amounts of food (they are the size of tv dinner trays). I just don't get it other than maybe your fourth, and if that's the case, don't really know if my motivation will hold up past another month or two if I don't actually start seeing or at least feeling some change like clothes fitting more loosely or something.

[KaidenKass00]

Maybe it's time to actually calorie count. I have no idea how many calories are in the meals you're describing, though it doesn't sound like there can be that many. And there's no snacking going on, especially before bed?

[Asker]

I told myself not to lie to myself about what I've been eating or doing in terms of exercising b/c that would only hurt me. I take pictures of everything I put in my mouth, as my living breathing visual food diary b/c it's easier to snap phone pix then to have to find some notebook to write it down. I don't keep junk in the house b/c snacking was my problem, so again, with the meal prep, all my snack containers have are fruits and veg. I do know how to cook, and it is literally baked skinless chicken with like paprika, pepper, a little salt, and then steamed veg and fruits for desserts and snacks. The only thing I can think to do now, is maybe increase the workout time. There aren't extra calories to cut anywhere. I don't drink coffee, don't drink soda, and don't drink any alcohol, so to cut calories would probably make me calorie deficient for the workouts I'm already doing.

[KaidenKass00]

The diet is fine, I'm sure. And you don't want to be calorie deficient.

I guess if you're significantly out of shape, it'd be hard to keep a good pace for an extended period of time, meaning you can't burn as many calories. But if you can really go for at least an hour every time and you say you're sweating like mad (and very out of breath at the end, I assume), then I don't know what else it can be.

But I should remind you that you DID lose weight. It IS working. It's just slower than you want it to be right now and I'm betting the more you do it, the faster you'll lose. With all that activity, you might also give your metabolism a boost after a while.

[Asker]

thanks for the vote of confidence. I lost weight many years ago, and it all melted off until I was starting to get closer to my goal weight because I had to find a new balance between calories and exercise output/input with the new weight, but I have never struggled at the beginning. It's supposed to be the easiest month to lose weight because you are making dramatic changes your body isn't used to.

[Sad_Onion]

you may not see a noticeable difference in weight as the fat lost is offset by the muscle gained.

have you lost any inches off your waist? I find that to be the most reliable way of judging fat loss.

[Asker]

Unfortunately I didn't measure when I started, so I'm not really sure, but my pants don't seem to fit any loser at the moment with just a 4 pound loss. I mean I wouldn't expect them to.

[Sad_Onion]

you say you eat a lot of baked chicken, potatoes and veg etc.. do you have any sauces with it? is it skinless chicken breast or chicken legs/thighs?

can you explain your diet in a little more detail?

[Asker]

The only protein I eat are shrimp, skinless chicken breasts, and ground turkey. The sweet potatoes are baked in the oven for an hour, nothing added to them. As far as sauces, the only thing I add to my chicken/fish are seasoning and fresh herb. For example, salt and lemon pepper or paprika and cayenne. If I make a salad with chicken, I'll make a lemon vinaigrette. For the turkey, I may make meatballs (no bread crumbs or eggs) with veggies and seasonings to bind them and add a homemade tomato sauce with extra veggies blended in.

[BoogerBug]

Make sure you're measuring and weighing everything you eat accurately. A food scale would be the best thing to invest in! People tend to overestimate or underestimate how much they eat on a daily basis and are surprised when they weigh their meals and realize they're eating more/less than they should. Don't give up yet! You're getting there and have already lost 4 lbs. Another thing to keep in mind is the longer it takes you to lose weight (the healthy way), the more likely you'll be able to keep it off.

[Cmasterson]

Have you been drinking a lot of water a day? watching the sodium you use in your recipes etc. It helps to take progress pictures because muscle weighs more than fat

[LifeEqualsLove]

If you do, don't eat too late. It allows your body to digest food properly. A good time to start stop eating is 8pm.

[PippiL]

Persevere. Losing weight takes time. I know from personal experience.

[Yellow_]

4 pounds/month is good.

Don't lose hope.
Keep going but don't become too strict.

[IBMtrait]

There could be something wrong with your thyroid. Try doing some research about it.