I work hard yet still can't lose weight. Why???

Written by Shoshana Pritzker Tuesday, 13 April 2010 16:50

Hi,

I am in the UK, I have lost nearly 7 stones (about 95lbs) over a  period of about 8 years. Recently I joined a slimming club to try to get the last stubborn 10 - 14 lbs off.  I exercise - A LOT (most days I do 60 minutes of spinning, 30 minutes of running, and 20 minutes of boxing. I also do weight classes for 60 minutes 3 times a week and do heavy weight sessions in the gym twice a week - oh and I swim about a quarter to half a mile a day and fit in the odd LBT class.)

According to my heart rate monitor, which is set for my age and weight etc, I burned off 12,000 + calories last week.  I ate  sensibly, lots of fresh foods and all cooked from scratch.  I eat salads, fruit and vegetables with some protein at every meal - no sugar.  As you can see, I am taking it seriously.  BUT - I put 2lbs ON this week and overall I have hardly lost any weight in a month of working this hard.

I can't understand why I'm not making any progress. I thought 12,000 calories was about 3.5lbs of  fat. I certainly have NOT consumed more than 12,000 extra calories in the week.  I estimate I am eating about 2000 calories a day on average which seems reasonable to fuel the effort I put into my workouts.  The slimming club just tells me to watch what I am eating and be careful I am not "sinning" unconsciously - well unless I am eating literally when unconscious I can't explain it.

My husband, being supportive, tells me its just a plateau and it will  go eventually.  I have managed to lose almost all of this weight once before - last year - and stayed at my target for several months but then "had a bad time" and it crept on while I binged myself into oblivion for a few months.  So I know I can get there - just don't know how to do it again now.

Any advice would be wonderful. I am open to trying something new.   Maybe it is just my body being incredibly stubborn, maybe I am building massive amounts of "metabolically active" muscle, maybe I am a genetic mutation with phenomenal fat storing abilities (move over X Men here comes XXX woman).  But, whatever it is, I am not happy and right now I am struggling not to hit the chocolate in a big way!!

Thank you in advance for your help

D

D,
First and foremost, congratulations on the incredible success you have already achieved! 95 pounds is an amazing effort and you should be very proud of yourself for that. As for the last few pounds, I think you can certainly rid yourself of them as well. After all, after doing what you’ve done, you sound like the type of person who can do anything she sets her mind to!

The one bit of information I wish you had included was your current weight. It’s a little hard to determine exercise load and calories in/calories out without knowing your weight. But, that leads to a very important point that I reiterate several times in my book, Get Wet, Get Fit: Don’t gauge success by the scale. How do you look in the mirror? It is possible you’re adding muscle, possible you’re just holding onto a little more fluid than usual, you could be weighing yourself at different times of day, etc… so actual weight at this point is not a great indicator.

As for techniques to get your body burning fat again, there are a couple of suggestions I have. The first is to mix up your diet. It sounds like you’re pretty consistent in what you’re eating. For a time, that will work wonders, but your body will get used to it. Use different protein sources, different carbohydrate sources and different healthy fats. Also try altering the number of carbohydrates you’re eating. Try avoiding carbohydrates for a day (perhaps replace fruit with a bit of almond butter or peanut butter), then eat as you have traditionally been the next day. You can also spread this out over three days—no carb, then a low carb day, then what you would use as a “normal” carbohydrate day.

Secondly, and I suspect this may be particularly true in your case, it’s possible you’re exercising a bit too much. The body is amazingly resilient at protective itself. And unfortunately, the body sees its “protection” a little differently than we’d like. It’s a natural instinct for it to hold onto bodyfat when it feels it is being starved or lacking fuel. If you’re overtraining—training beyond what your body can recover from in continuous succession—then your metabolism will screech to a grinding halt. If you’re feeling constantly worn down, try backing off the amount of exercise you’re doing for a bit and see if that helps.

And lastly, when is the last time you had a “cheat” meal? Sometimes shocking your body with a treat isn’t just good for you mentally, but physically as well. If you haven’t indulged in something special in awhile, go for it. Every 10-14 days you should definitely have a meal early in the day that’s especially tasty.

Again, congratulations on your success and I hope this helps you continue to achieve your goals!

Best wishes,

Megan

Megan Jendrick is a two-time United States Olympian with three Olympic medals. She is also the co-author of the swimming for fitness book, Get Wet, Get Fit.

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