Why am I not losing weight?

stella
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Why am I not losing weight?

Postby stella » Sat Nov 14, 2015 4:23 pm

Back story: 53 years old, 2011-2013 treated for breast cancer with chemo and mastectomy. Sterioids are involved.

I went from being pretty athletic prior to the diagnosis, to gaining 25 pounds. My normal diet is pretty healthy. NO processed foods, not much sugar. I don't drink soda. I'm tired of this huge stomach hanging off of me, so 3 weeks ago I eliminated red meat and carbs. I initially lost 8 lbs. I continued the no carbs and no red meat and 4 of those lbs came back.

I don't mind the diet change at all. I like fish and veggies, and it's easy to prepare. For lunch at work I have salad, and I switched from creamy ranch dressing to oil and vinegar.

I also walk one mile per week day.

Why on earth have I made no progress? I'm tempted to buy some potatoes and a steak!

FlyingLily
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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby FlyingLily » Sat Nov 14, 2015 4:36 pm

Stella,

It seems that cancer treatment has some disruptive effects on metabolism, but they can be addressed. I found this:

"It’s important to know that the hormone estrogen suppresses LPL activity on fat cells. This could be one reason why some women gain weight after menopause or after breast cancer treatment that dramatically decreases estrogen levels. With less estrogen in the body, LPL can pull fat into fat cells and store it there..."

at this site, which also has some specific dietary advice for counteracting the effects:

http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/after_treat/lose_weight

Tarlo Farm
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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Tarlo Farm » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:04 pm

As a fellow BC survivor, and post menopausal, I feel your pain. The only thing I could suggest is that a mile is not far. Triple it. Always use stairs, not elevators, push doors open, don't use the automatic ones, park farther away, and do some push ups/sit ups/etc a few times a week.

gypsy still flies
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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby gypsy still flies » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:15 pm

I'm 53 and post menopausal myself. My insurance company has given me a scale and a support group. I also started doing a Leslie Sansone 3 mile fitness walk. I notice that I get a better workout doing it in my apartment to the video than if I walk around the block. My daily steps goal for the 1st month of the program is 7500. The walk workout gives me 6000 steps and a lot of cardio.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Josette » Sat Nov 14, 2015 5:36 pm

Do you like to drink smoothies with greens and fruit? There are so many delicious variations plus add some protein and they fill and satisfy you. I think you are already on the right track. I try to avoid anything "white" like rice, breads, potatoes. If I start to eat them then the weight comes back like a yo-yo. I don't care for flavored salad dressing but like EVOO and balsamic vinegar. Something about green tea helps speed metabolism and so does raspberries. Frustrating because there are days when I really need to cheat and the pounds creep back on.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby kande50 » Sat Nov 14, 2015 6:29 pm

Weigh and write down everything you eat every day for a week. Then go back and add up the calories, just to give you some idea of whether it's a metabolism problem, or an excess calories problem.

Eating healthy is one thing, but cutting enough calories to lose weight is another entirely.

I don't have any trouble maintaining weight, but if I feel like I need to cut back I have to really pay attention, because my body really wants to eat enough to maintain my weight.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Rhianon » Sat Nov 14, 2015 7:53 pm

In my case when my weight is going up, it's almost always a portion control issue. I'm shocked at how little I have to eat to keep my weight down--at my height, my age (60), and with my metabolism. I watch what others eat, and I don't know why they aren't huge. I'm a type 2 diabetic, and manage my sugar with just diet and exercise. But it is way less food and way more exercise than I ever imagined.

ETA--and we eat a very healthy diet.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Ganas » Sat Nov 14, 2015 8:51 pm

IME, that initial weight loss from no/low carbs is water loss. Three weeks isn't a lot of time, especially if you really haven't been restricting calories, and I agree with Kande, heating "healthy" isn't the same as calorie restriction.

Buy the potatoes. Buy the steak. If you prefer to lose weight via low carb, and I do, count your carbs. If I eat no more than 125g carbs a day it affects my appetite and I end up restricting calories as a result. If I eat less than 125g of carbohydrates a day I have to force myself to eat over 900 calories a day. I'm not happy with that as I feel that no one should eat less than 1200 a day. For me it's all about glycemic load, not glycemic index. FlyingLily's link is a good one, IMO.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby carpevita » Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:06 pm

I gained over 50 lbs within a year after chemo and radiation. Was sick as hell too, but that's resolving now.
For me, cleaning stalls a couple of days a week gives me the movement I need to regain fitness. I only lose pounds when I restrict myself to salads twice a day, with one low carb meal too.
Its very very hard to maintain, and even one glass of red wine is likely to toss me right into a binge.

Xcaliper
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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Xcaliper » Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:27 pm

One mile is not enough. I trained for a half marathon this summer/fall and didn't drop a pound (50 and menopausal). I am in better shape, legs are strong but there is this stubborn blob of belly and bra line fat that did not go away. Now, I also ate and drank more than I should have.

My point is, you need more exercise. Gradually increase your walk to 3 miles; that is a better distance. Add some weight training. Hop on a bicycle. Take a little jog.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Ganas » Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:44 pm

I once ran two trail marathons, a 50k and all the runs in between within a two month time period and managed to gain weight every day. It was not muscle, lol! Running increases my appetite tremendously. I don't think I can ever physically outrun my appetite. :(

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby mzloolue » Sat Nov 14, 2015 11:26 pm

My suggestion is to not give up.
Sometimes Iwill plateau.
Sometimes water retention will disguise actual weight loss.
And this may sound odd, but sometimesIhaveto change things up to lose weight and vary my calorie intake too.
If you want a small baked potato, then have one. Just skip the butter. :)
I like mine with fat free sour cream...

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Code3 » Sun Nov 15, 2015 12:06 am

I plateau on a low carb diet, then some weight comes off, then I plateau again. It works for me, I feel better on a low carb diet, but I don't get weighed every day because it makes me crazy. Maybe give it more time.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Kathy Johnson » Sun Nov 15, 2015 1:31 am

I am water weight champion of the world. So, if you've reached an age where blood pressure is a concern, cut back the salt as much as possible. In general, if I want to lose weight, I know have to exercise 3 times a day as well as diet. One ride, one long dog walk and a bunch of PT and stretches will help get the weight off. But my old bones aren't handling that much exercise all that well.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby kande50 » Sun Nov 15, 2015 10:58 am

Kathy Johnson wrote:cut back the salt as much as possible.


I went on a low salt diet one time and started losing weight right away because the food was so bland. Not to mention that my already low blood pressure got so low that the nurse checked it 3 times. But it wasn't a no salt shaker diet, but a true low salt diet, with little to no hidden salt. Course I didn't stay on it because it was too restrictive, but if my blood pressure ever gets too high at least I'll know how to control it.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby musical comedy » Sun Nov 15, 2015 12:19 pm

kande50 wrote:Weigh and write down everything you eat every day for a week. Then go back and add up the calories, just to give you some idea of whether it's a metabolism problem, or an excess calories problem.

Eating healthy is one thing, but cutting enough calories to lose weight is another entirely.

I don't have any trouble maintaining weight, but if I feel like I need to cut back I have to really pay attention, because my body really wants to eat enough to maintain my weight.
Agree. It's about counting calories. Of course, those calories shouldn't be all sugar or all of anything. They ought to be balanced from a health standpoint. Even so, calories are the bottom line. 3500 calories equal one pound. Figure out how many average calories you eat per day to maintain your current overweight situation. Then reduce those daily calories by a reasonable amount. You'd have to reduce daily caloric intake by 500 calories a day to lose 1 pound in a week. That's a big calorie reduction. That's why weight loss is slow. You must be dedicated and count calories and not cheat. It takes discipline and great desire to lose.

Regarding saggy belly fat, often this is loose skin and not fat. I know that is my case. Skin from the upper body becomes loose from loss of elasticity and drops to the waist/belly.

Exercise is great, but imo is is not the answer to weight loss.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby StraightForward » Sun Nov 15, 2015 3:32 pm

I haven't seen anyone mention high intensity exercise like sprints, HIIT, etc. That can really rev up your metabolism and trigger fat burning. Ditto the person who said weight training.

Cooked and cooled potatoes develop resistant starch, which can be beneficial to digestion and insulin sensitivity. So have some potato salad with that steak. :)
Keep calm and canter on.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Paints » Sun Nov 15, 2015 6:47 pm

If you are reducing carbohydrates do not reduce your salt. This is a great site with some really credible advice: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/

I am trying to follow a carb reduced diet too and boy is there a lot of not great info out there. BTW - if you are concerned about glycemic index, do not eat potatoes! They really spike your blood sugar. There is a link on the site I posted that explains it.

Stella - you have been through so much - I think 2 weeks is not very much time to see the effect of a diet. If you loose a healthy 1 lb per week than you will only lose 4 lbs per month. Sigh...... doesn't seem fair does it?

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby kande50 » Sun Nov 15, 2015 8:53 pm

musical comedy wrote:You'd have to reduce daily caloric intake by 500 calories a day to lose 1 pound in a week. That's a big calorie reduction. That's why weight loss is slow.


IMO, slower is better, because it's the most effective way to change one's eating habits in a way that can be sustained.

I yoyo dieted for years, because my mindset was that I wanted to lose the weight so that I could be done with dieting. But that's not the way it works for very many, because losing the weight is only the first step, because mastering the maintenance diet is the much more important step.

One of my first glimmers that what I wanted to do wasn't going to work, was when I went on the maintenance diet for the weight I wanted to be.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Janet » Mon Nov 16, 2015 1:56 pm

musical comedy wrote:
kande50 wrote:Weigh and write down everything you eat every day for a week. Then go back and add up the calories, just to give you some idea of whether it's a metabolism problem, or an excess calories problem.

Eating healthy is one thing, but cutting enough calories to lose weight is another entirely.

I don't have any trouble maintaining weight, but if I feel like I need to cut back I have to really pay attention, because my body really wants to eat enough to maintain my weight.
Agree. It's about counting calories. Of course, those calories shouldn't be all sugar or all of anything. They ought to be balanced from a health standpoint. Even so, calories are the bottom line. 3500 calories equal one pound. Figure out how many average calories you eat per day to maintain your current overweight situation. Then reduce those daily calories by a reasonable amount. You'd have to reduce daily caloric intake by 500 calories a day to lose 1 pound in a week. That's a big calorie reduction. That's why weight loss is slow. You must be dedicated and count calories and not cheat. It takes discipline and great desire to lose.

Regarding saggy belly fat, often this is loose skin and not fat. I know that is my case. Skin from the upper body becomes loose from loss of elasticity and drops to the waist/belly.

Exercise is great, but imo is is not the answer to weight loss.


Yep! I agree with both of these! I have lost 50 pounds post steroids, so I know a little bit of what you are struggling with. It took me two years to lose the weight.

The only thing I would add to the calorie counting is a weight lifting routine. Muscles burn more calories than fat, so build them up. You don't have to be a muscle builder - just three days a week lifting small weights with many reps will do it. As riders, every core muscle you work makes you a better rider, so it is a win - win!

stella
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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby stella » Tue Nov 17, 2015 12:00 am

Thanks everyone. I downloaded a calorie counting app and will be keeping track. I might have to give up wine for a while. *whimper*

Don Giovanni
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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Don Giovanni » Wed Nov 18, 2015 2:43 pm

I used myfitnesspal.com when I was trying to lose weight for a show. It was easy, I lost 30 pounds, kept it off for over a year (until John's stroke and then my weight was the least of my worries). I also had my glass of scotch with my dad most nights while we cooked dinner and a glass of wine with dinner. Added those calories in and still lost all the weight. The nice thing about myfitnesspal is that it also keeps track of your exercise as you enter it.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Ponichiwa » Wed Nov 18, 2015 5:21 pm

An activity tracker or pedometer (the most helpful one for me was FitBit, but there are some apps that track your steps via your phone's gyro if you don't want to buy a new device) also helps make it painfully clear how many calories track with how much you move.

For example, if I wanted to lose a pound a week without changing my diet from the ~2000 calorie norm, I'd have to run or walk 5 additional miles every day. It really made me reconsider that after-dinner ice cream, which would take me about an hour of cardio to "earn".

In good news, a glass of wine at ~120 calories is pretty easy to budget in. And, in my experience, is worth the lightly dressed green salad for lunch.

kande50
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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby kande50 » Wed Nov 18, 2015 7:36 pm

Ponichiwa wrote:
In good news, a glass of wine at ~120 calories is pretty easy to budget in. And, in my experience, is worth the lightly dressed green salad for lunch.


Wine doesn't add all that many calories, but it does make my resolve a bit too fuzzy (as in destroys it).

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Rhianon » Wed Nov 18, 2015 8:08 pm

Ya, that's my problem, too kande50.

If I have wine, I actually measure out four ounces and don't let the bottle come to the table. Helps avoid the "little top ups"!

Ike
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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Ike » Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:06 pm

Weight loss is more complicated than the old calories in and calories out saying. There are hormones involved. Do yourself a favor and read the book Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Sunshine2Me » Wed Nov 18, 2015 10:11 pm

I realize that you want to lose weight and be healthy, but I hope you are rejoicing in the GIANT obstacle you have overcome successfully! You are so much more than your weight, and you are awesome just the way you are! 8-)

stella
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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby stella » Thu Nov 19, 2015 12:21 am

Sorry, Sunshine. I have a different POV on that whole thing. I'm not awesome because I went through chemo and had my boob cut off and I was bald.

I was a money making cog in the cancer industry through no choice of my own.

And now I want my old body back.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Sunshine2Me » Thu Nov 19, 2015 3:53 am

stella wrote:Sorry, Sunshine. I have a different POV on that whole thing. I'm not awesome because I went through chemo and had my boob cut off and I was bald. And now I want my old body back.


You're absolutely correct!!! You are NOT awesome because you went through all that sh*t. You are awesome because you are YOU.

And there's certainly nothing wrong with wanting your health back! Wishing you strength.

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Re: Why am I not losing weight?

Postby Shirrine » Thu Nov 19, 2015 10:25 am

I have lost about 20lbs with my chemo and I am hoping not to put it back on afterwards. I will be watching my diet closely and be getting a lot more active when I finish in 3 weeks. Fingers crossed I can control it.

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