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Ok... This might get long and it's about weight and exercise.

Here are some numbers:

Six Months - that's the how long I've been going to the gym.

264.7 - the number of miles I've done in cardio in the last six months.

12318 - the number of calories burned while "going" 264.7 miles in six months.

2416.5 - the number of minutes worked out in cardio.

20lbs - the amount of weight I've GAINED!! in six months of working out going 264.7 miles burning 12318 calories for 2416.5 minutes!

I haven't kept as accurate records of strength training, but I am working out all the major muscle groups each time I work out and I have gone up progressively in how much I can lift/press (whatever)

Yes - I do have an underactive thyroid which is supposedly properly medicated. Yes - I do have diabetes also properly medicated.

I am eating a balanced, healthy diet with staying within in the 1200 to 1400 range.

So... my question is... WTF???

Everyone else works out and drops pounds... me, I just get fatter!

Things are a bit tighter now then they were... but I'm still fatter...

Anyone??

That can be really frustrating, working for 6 months and GAINING weight.

Are you sure this isn't muscle weight? Especially since your lifting more than you did when you first started. That says to me added muscle.

Have you checked your BMR? If not google BMR calculator. That is the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day. Once you know that number add in the number of calories you burn while exercising. That total is the number of calories you need to maintain your weight. Cut those calories by 200-300 to start and see how you do for 2-3 weeks. If need be cut by another 100 calories. 1200-1400 calories sounds really low.

I assume you are using myfitnesspal or something like that to track your calories.

12,318 sounds like a lot of calories, but the equivalent is 3.5 lbs...that's how much weight you'd have lost if you were consuming exactly the number of calories your body uses in a day.

But it sounsds like you are watching what you eat, too. Are you carefully tracking your calories or estimating? Are you just counting calories or other stuff too?

I have trouble losing weight too. Honestly, the only thing that works for me is counting calories...and sugar and carbs and protein. I can reduce the number of calories I eat, but if those reduced number of calories are from carbs and sugary foods, I won't lose a pound. If I exchange the carbs and sugar for proteins, the weight comes off.

Maybe it's time to switch things up.

What whalers said. Until I began eating better quality calories I had he same thing happen to me. Also, in my experience, if I eat too little, my body stops losing weight.

Keep up the great work! It sounds as though you are becoming very fit and healthy! That is no small feat. Applaud yourself!

I understand your frustration. I used the elliptical in the gym so much that I decided to buy one for my home. No matter how long or at what intensity I work out, the pounds just seem to stay around. But I believe exercise only accounts for 20% of weight loss. The other 80% is all about the food!

Being that you are diabetic, are you eating low carb? Have you thought about doing a plan such as Atkins? For me, eliminating carbs for a few weeks gives me the jump start I need on losing weight. The less carbs I have in my system, the more fat I burn when working out.

I eventually start adding carbs back into my diet after 3-4 weeks though because I just can't live without some sort of bread for that long. But it does help me kick my addiction to sugary stuff and carby food.

I also agree that upping your calories a little bit more will help too. Than you can taper down from there.

The underactive thyroid certainly doesn't help matters much, too. Perhaps the medication isn't working as it should?

I get your frustration but at the same time, good for you for not giving up and keeping yourself healthy. You just need to find a way to break through this plateau! I'm rooting for you!

1200-1400 might be too low.

It sounds crazy, but if you under eat, your body goes into starvation mode and starts hording fat cells to keep you alive before you starve to death.

Websites like MyFitnessPal will do the calculations and tell you how many cals you SHOULD be intaking based on your height, weight, age, lifestyle. When I started dieting, I was eating too little and gaining weight too - then I bumped it up by 200-300 cals a day and the weight melted off.

Make sure you're getting plenty of fibre, plenty of lean proteins, and ditch the carbs and sugars if you haven't already.

I agree with looking for an online calculator that suggests how many calories you should be eating... it'll probably be well over 1200-1400. You should follow that guideline then once you have lost some weight, you can recalculate and drop it down. That is a better long term plan then drastically cutting calories which will force your body into starvation mode causing your body to store fat rather than burn it.

Good for you for working on getting healthier!

Well, a few years ago, I started exercising and eating low fat/cal. I lost around 30 lbs.

I quit smoking a year and a half ago and gained it all back.

Now, I'm doing EXACTLY the same thing that helped me lose weight before....... and I'm gaining weight.

And I don't believe the muscle weighs more crap. If it were muscle, my clothes would fit differently and I would be losing inches. Nothing is changing, other than I'm in desperate need of clothes......in a larger size.

Considering I HATE diet and exercise, I won't be doing any of it much longer if something doesn't start to happen.

I feel your pain.

As a sidenote: No one please don't tell me that by quitting smoking I am healthier. My mother quit smoking and could never get her weight under control after that. She ended up dying at 64 all due to complications of obesity.

Yes, I'm bitter.

[This message edited by cryingdaily at 8:27 AM, July 22nd (Tuesday)]

No wonder you're frustrated! I'm sorry. I hope it's some small comfort that you're doing the right things...I agree with others, maybe let yourself eat a bit more each day and see what happens?

You should speak to a dietitian and perhaps an exercise physiologist or even a physical therapist. Don't go for the personal trainers at the gym; most are worse than useless.

You're a lot younger than me, but you at about the age when dropping weight became an issue for me. I used to be able to start a strong walking program and lose weight quickly. That stopped happening.

You have some significant metabolic challenges that are probably working against your efforts. You also may not be expending the efforts that you believe you are. I know that's hard to swallow.

Try concentrating on NOT gaining weight rather than losing. Eat healthy 80-85% of the time, giving in to treats, say, on the weekends. After a few weeks, you'll find you're less likely to want them, but don't shoot for giving up entirely. That rarely works.

Stay off machines at the gym--use hand weights--barbells and dumbbells. Go as heavy as you can; PM me if you want some links to heavier training. You can do most of your training at home, in fact, until you get to the point of using much heavier weights.

Shoot for being healthy rather than slim. It's eminently do-able.

Thanks everyone...

I try to eat whole grain carbs, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables (whatever's in season) and lean proteins and low fat dairy. I don't eat very much processed foods or fast foods... I tend to cook much more.

I do have a strong sweet tooth and I drink one cup of coffee a day.

I refuse to use artificial sweeteners because I don't like the taste or the health implications... so I try to moderate my sugar intake.

I drink a lot of water... in fact i crave water over anything else... I will indulge in a soda once in a blue moon... like maybe once every other month.

I will look at the calculators again and I think SAD's got a good idea bout seeing a dietician.

I feel your pain.

Especially when my husband starts his routine and works out for two weeks and loses 8 pounds. Meanwhile my routine has been in place for what, three months now? And I've gained 3 pounds. Frustrating.

I am eating a balanced, healthy diet with staying within in the 1200 to 1400 range.

So... my question is... WTF???

Take a deep breath ...

Cut ALL carbs and sugar. Don't worry so much about fat. Transfer more calories to protein. Stop eating anything baked by others (bread, chips, crackers, croutons etc.). If you must have crackers/snacks make them gluten-free. Fresh fruits and high carb vegetables in moderation (remember fruit is mostly sugar and some vegetables are high carb). Aside from sugar, carbs are the real problem in our diet. You'll lose your sweet tooth after awhile and that will help. Keep in mind, many things that you don't THINK are sugar ... your body TREATS as sugar: pasta (sugar) ... bread (sugar) corn (sugar) ... alcohol (sugar) ...

What many have come to believe is a "healthy diet" will, in fact, pack pounds on.

[This message edited by TrulyReconciled at 10:15 AM, July 22nd (Tuesday)]

This is going to be all over the place but I also had a hard time losing weight. My solution, I stopped looking at the scale. My clothes fit better even though I weighed more so I just stopped looking at the scale. If you are lifting weights then you are gaining muscle mass. You WILL get heavier before you start to lose weight. Some of this stuff you may or may not have tried but it's all stuff I dealt with.

Eating: This varies from person to person and body type to body type. You may not be eating enough or often enough. I was skipping breakfast and eating twice a day with a snack. I now try to eat 5 to 6 smaller meals a day with protein powder as needed. If you are working out a ton then you may actually need to eat more. Oh yeah SUGAR IS EVIL!! ETA: I agree with what truly reconciled said about sugar and carbs with the exception of carbs equal energy so you do need "some" if you work out very hard. Again bodies differ. I absorb carbs like a sponge in water so I have to limit the amount of carbs I eat and the type. I agree that the processed stuff is bad. Crackers, chips, etc...EVIL!!

Intensity: I hit a wall for a few months because I was doing the same cardio and lifting excersises. You have to switch up your routines and also your intensity. Try some high interval training. If you use the elliptical put it on your normal setting to warm up then crank up the intensity for 1 minute then back to normal for 1 minute then back up high for another minute and keep going for the duration. If the machine has a heart rate monitor use that to check your intensity. However if you are breathing hard you are doing it right. You can modify the intervals as needed. You can start with 30 seconds of high interval if needed but build over time to higher work intervals and lower rest intervals.

Have you had your body fat % measured before? Many gyms have the handheld monitors that tell you what percentage body fat you carry. Some actually use the calipers to measure. They also take your measurements to give you reference points as you work out. It easier to measure gains that way. If you are lifting then you are gaining muscle mass. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat but takes up less space on your body. That's why you can gain weight but look smaller and your clothes fit better. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn but you will gain weight before you lose weight.

Switch up your routines every couple of weeks. Take a boot camp class or another class. Your body gets used to the level of intensity you work at. If you have been doing the same workout for months then you won't see gains because your body is used to it.

The biggest thing for me was having realistic expectations about my body. I will never have a 6 pack and I am okay with that. Unless you were gifted with the genetics of a greek God, the majority of people that are absolutely ripped up spend as much time working out and eating right as an average person does working for a living. They don't do cheat days and they work out multiple times a day. I don't need to look like that. I just want to be healthy and I look good for my age and size. I could probably get a 4 1/2 pack but I will stick with the almost visible 6 dents down there.

Buy a heart rate monitor. It works wonders helping you to know if you are working hard enough and you can track your progress with it. Long workouts aren't necessarily better. you can do 20 minutes of true high interval training and burn more calories than 60 mintues of walking. It's all in teh intensity. However you don't do HIT training every day. You do need the recovery workouts and you need to get adequate rest.

Also the calories you eat need to be the right calories. Seeing a certified nutritionist may help. It did for me.

Lastly diets SUCK. They are hard to stick to for me and who wants to limits what they eat. It's easier to make lifestyle changes that you and your family can stick to for the long run. I cut out sweets, soda's, candy, junk food, and stuff that is generally bad for you. I do eat healthy but I limit my portion size. By eating clean during the week I can have a few drinks on the weekend which is my reward for myself.

Just some suggestions from things I dealt with and did on my journey. Some may work for you and some may not. Just keep at it. I have been seriously working out for about 3 years now and I don't get sick, my allergies have gone away, and my knees don't hurt anymore. Stop looking at the scale and conintue with your life style changes. The weight will come off. The thing is what happens when you reach your goal weight? You can't exactly stop, so find a routine, activities, or excersises that you enjoy and stick to them. Don't get discouraged just keep trying different things until you find what works for you. Stay active and don't get frustrated.

[This message edited by 7yrsflushed at 9:37 AM, July 22nd (Tuesday)]

Wow 7years... Lots of good info there. Thank you!

My heart rate is usually between 148 to 155. Today I pushed it on the elliptical and bike and it was at 163. I did 45 mins of cardio.

One issue I have is a stress fracture in my right foot that I have been dealing with for months now. I thought it was healed, but apparently it's not. I was doing the treadmill until the dr told me to stop.

I then was just using the bike. I started the elliptical in early June. I've just got to feeling comfortable, ie: coordinated on the silly thing.

I know I've gained muscle and stamina from the work outs. I'd just like to see some movement on the scale.

Ugh!

Treadmills are bad for you

The scale is a lying C U NEXT TUESDAY.

Cut ALL carbs and sugar.

I second this but with a caveat. There are good, healthy carbs in veggies - such as lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, onions, kale, etc. Those are safe - it's the starch & sugar based carbs that are just plain evil. Read your labels and if there is sugar in the ingredients, ditch it. You will be amazed - sugar is EVERYWHERE. I found sugar in my garlic salt. Needless to say, I now use kosher salt & garlic powder. I don't miss the garlic salt at all.

I recommend looking into the Whole30 program. It takes the focus off calories and puts it where it belongs - on the nutrients and ingredients. If you eat whole, nutrient dense foods, your body will react positively.

[This message edited by MissesJai at 3:08 PM, July 22nd (Tuesday)]

Good clarification. The problem with most sugars is that we don't recognize what we are eating AS sugar ... but your body DOES.

YOU think you're eating (healthy?) pasta. Your body says "Ummmm ... sugar"

http://jonnybowdenblog.com/hidden-danger-of-bread-pasta-rice/

And diet soda?? That shit'll KILL you

[This message edited by TrulyReconciled at 3:47 PM, July 22nd (Tuesday)]

Oh yes, same with bread, grains (rice), and legumes. It's processed as sugar and then stored as fat. It's crazy making!

And diet soda?? That shit'll KILL you

Indeed!!!! I loathe diet soda!!!!

F' it... I'm just gonna die fat and happy!

Just kidding!!

I do read labels... I don't eat pasta or rice...

You can actually taste the sugar in bread (or I can now).

l

ettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, onions, kale,

I love these things!

The scale is a lying C U NEXT TUESDAY.

Hell's ya she is!!!