I Can't Lose Weight, Help?

[EllieLexis513]

Well, I can, but it's more like I stopped. My highest weight was 182 a month ago (I'm 5'3) and this morning I was at 172.8. Here's the problem: Whenever I get to 172, I bounce back up a couple pounds or don't move at all, but I'm not changing anything about my diet. Is this a plateau? It feels kinda early for me to hit one, especially since I have another 22 pounds to go to reach my target.

Any tips? I swim almost every day, no pop or sugary drinks at all really, I cut out read meat, I don't eat from the bread group and I try to eat at least one vegan meal a day, so I'm not understanding what I'm doing wrong. And I try to eat about 1500 calories a day, which seems pretty reasonable because I swim for 90 to 120 minutes a day.

[ObscuredBeyond]

How many preservatives are in your choices of food? Try avoiding anything in a can, a TV dinner package, orange juice, wheat, barley, or fried chicken.

Eat beef sparingly, and drain the fat out when you do. Never eat beef and drink milk within 3 hours of each other. Avoid lasagna, unless you have a salad with it.

Some occasional guacamole and white corn chips should be your snack. Avoid Oreos and Chips Ahoy. Dilute your juice. Add a pinch of lemon to your bottled water.

Enjoy some Asian stir fry once in a while, but be wary of buffets that add lots of grease to their dishes to improve the flavor.

Also bear in mind: muscle weighs double what fat weighs. I lost 100 lbs. of fat, only to gain 50 lbs. of muscle, when I started working. So I only lost a net of 50 lbs.

[EllieLexis513]

I don't eat any of the things you named lol. I make everything fresh from home with no preservatives. If it's in a can or package, I don't eat it. And I haven't had beef in over a month. And I don't like milk.

[ObscuredBeyond]

Calcium is critical, especially for women. Though, almond milk may be a good alternative to consider. None of the fattening traits of cow milk, yet all the calcium benefits. Magnesium is also important to have. Maybe you've reached a plateau for now, but you'll overcome it.

My work schedule and finances help dictate my diet. And mac and cheese has always been my weakness.

[iAMNirvana]

Its kinda weird that you bounce back when you haven't changed anything.
But here's my tip: Stop that swimming workout and try something more effective like running , biking and jump roping. Do cardio at least 40 mins a day.
And by cardio i mean something that pushes your heart beat to 80% of your maximum heart rate. For you if you are 26 Its gonna be around 150.
So you have to reach 150 heartbeat and maintain that heartbeat in order to maximize your fat burning process. And also its gonna boost your metabolism
afterwards which is exactly what you need.

[EllieLexis513]

I swim because I hurt my ankle last year playing soccer and can't run for longer than 20 seconds without being in pain.

[iAMNirvana]

Sorry to hear that.

[Glue-Sniffer]

At some point your body will just resist to lose weight but that's temporary. The trick is to adjust your diet and level of activity to your new weight and keep going. Don't weigh yourself every day. Opt for once a week at the same time.
Vegan meal won't help you to lose weight. You need to cut down on the carbs to some extent.
I personally have found out a high protein, moderate fat and low carb diet helps me to lose weight. That's why i cut out sweet fruits, pasta, rice, potatoes and bread when I'm trying to lose weight. If you are not a fan of dairy and animal products then you can have beans instead.

[EllieLexis513]

Vegan meals have helped a lot actually because I never used to eat vegetables. It's the only way I'll eat then except broccoli. And I hate beans lol, which sucks because I heard they're good for you. What carbs do I need to cut out? Maybe I'm eating too many and don't realize it.

[shadowlegend]

Your body decides on a weight it feels is "healthy' and then will slow weight-loss drastically, regardless of you diet or exercise routine. This is especially common in women because our bodies are meant to have more fat and the genes in some women just dictate that they remain bigger. Genetics will determine how much fat your body holds onto and where is stores that fat, so rather than fight tirelessly against your own body, which is clearly telling you it's found a comfortable weight, you should focus more on accepting your body and keeping it healthy, rather than the number on the scales.

[ak666]

Those fluctuations might be water weight. Measuring your own body fat repeatedly can help distinguish whether the weight gain was fat or merely water retention.

Another crude, less accurate method but one that gives you some idea is wear a ring. If the ring becomes tight, usually it's water retention.

[EllieLexis513]

I'm sure part of it's water, but for some reason, I can't get under 172. It can't all be water.

[ak666]

In that case, you might want to try a few variations to your exercise routines, target different muscle groups, increase the intensity, and seek some minor tweaks to the diet.

[Xfitchick]

How do you swim? To burn fat, you need low intensity cardio, but the fat burning will only start after some 20 to 30 min. Before that your muscles use other energy sources. What about your diet? Red meat is not a fat maker, but its OK to cut as much as possible. You eat one vegan meal a day, what about the others? You say you cut bread. What about other carb sources. And 1500 calories is really low. Why not consult a doctor to check if it has nothing to do with your thyroid?

[spoonman2014]

Many people do not know this but muscle weighs more than fat. To give a better example 5lbs of muscle and 5lbs of fat weigh the same but muscle takes up less volume, it is like comparing 5lbs of iron to 5lbs of cotton, so you probably have fat but the muscle throws your scale off.

[tosh_uare]

If you reached your limit you need to increase your routine, try adding in extra cardio or changing it up, muscle memory and my increasing your routine makes it stagnant, cut out carbohydrates and sugars everything else is essential even fat!! Maybe try a bit of muscle building and cardio combined Charlotte Crosby belly blitz is good and it's available online, good luck!

[Katy16]

Try keeping a 500 calorie deficit from your bmr (but don't go under 1200 calories a day). I'm using SparkPeople it's really helpful in keeping up with stuff

[OrdinaryGentleman]

Run instead of swim. Make sure you are getting enough to eat, don't have any sugar. Eat 6 meals a day if you can, more meals=better for your metabolism.

[EllieLexis513]

I can't run, I injured my ankle last year playing soccer and it hurts to run, that's why I turned to swimming. I figured it was better than laying in bed eating potato chips all day lol

[OrdinaryGentleman]

I had surgery on my ankle last year and i run still. If you are having problems with your ankle seek a doctor and get that fixed, you don't wanna be hobbling around the rest of your life believe me i did that for a year, it ain't worth it.
Can you at least walk?
Swimming will be beneficial only if you work in some sprints along with your cardio workout, like every 5th lap do a sprint, then work down.

[EllieLexis513]

I need surgery, but not for my ankle, I have a heel spur lol. And I can walk, but my ankle randomly gives out. I don't even feel it coming, it just happens like 3-4 times a day, I just fall over. It's a bit annoying.

[OrdinaryGentleman]

Hmm yeah same here, thing is my perennial tendon gave out and it was tracking along multiple spurs i basically had to get all of the tubing, the tendons on my ankle repaired. I was bouncing for about 6 mos on it and it hurt so much every time time snapped back and fourth over the spur and heel. Anyways the doc said if i had come in sooner then i could have thwarted more surgery that i had to get. Let that be a warning to you.
Hmm so continue swimming, does a heel brace work at all?
also weight lifting esp upper body really can shed the fat quickly. High reps low weight help keep you slim with only lean muscle added, unless you want to go heavy

[Prof_Don]

Do you seriously believe that running is "better" than swimming? :-D

[OrdinaryGentleman]

@Prof_Don For melting fat away yes.

[EllieLexis513]

I actually heard awimming is better because it melts fat but builds lean muscle when done intensely.

[OrdinaryGentleman]

That's nice.

[Iron_Man]

Do you swim to workout or play swim splashing and standing there? What kind of food do you eat any junk and sweet treats? Is has to be the food your eating.

[EllieLexis513]

It's a bit o mixture of both, which is why I'm in the pool for 2 hours, but I'm constantly moving. I'm never just standing there. So I switch up vigorous swim with leisure swim laps. I go to a pool at a gym so I can't just play around or they'll kick me out. I increased my lung capacity and lap rates, so I'm definitely more fit, but I'm not understanding the weight issue. And I don't like sweets. At all. I have a plain greek yogurt with cantaloupe for breakfast, fish and veggies for lunch, and a sweet potato based meal for dinner.

[Iron_Man]

Well that's good keep it up. Lay off of the potato 🍠 for a while and see how that works cutting the carbs.

[EllieLexis513]

Okay, I just thought I would hit a plateau like in another month or so. I feel like after 10 pounds, I shouldn't start to struggle.

[Fearless_banana]

I can write you up something sometime tomorrow when I'm home if you want.

[EllieLexis513]

Please do, I'd appreciate it

[schnipdip]

Calories mean nothing if you aren't eating the proper food. You could eat 3 big macs a day and 4 sodas and still be under the calorie count.

[cth96190]

Find a Herbalife distributor and follow the programme.
My daughter lost 19kg.

[purpleshack]

Hi,
Maybe you need to start lifting weights. I heard muscles burn fats big time, it will not make you bulk though, just toned. Every after your weights do cardio like running/jogging on a treadmill or anywhere.

[Decentguy]

you should start doing lots of cardio, and running. and avoid all the sugar food and drinks and avoid most of the food that is fried and junk food

[Flow_like_the_wind]

I wish I knew the answer to this. I can't lose weight either. It's like I'm stuck lol.

[April10]

Maybe try juicing for a couple of days

[mystintri]

One word. Nutritionist.