Hello all!

I am here seeking any advice I can get. I have tried so hard to lose weight. I have turned my diet upside down. I rarely eat red meat. I eat chicken and fish mainly. I eat plenty of vegetables (especially greens) and fruits. I drink plenty of water and I am even trying to wean myself off my morning cup of coffee. I have been excercising, mostly just cardio. I have been doing this for the past couple of months, since my husband got the news that his blood pressure and cholesterol were dangerously high and he was on the verge of a heart attack at the age of 27. I have been at my highest weight ever at 174 pounds and I have not lost a single pound since I started. I went to the doctor and had my thyroid checked (it was normal) and they changed one of my medications to see if it would help. I don't know what to do!

Start by opening a free account at FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal and log everything you actually eat. If you haven't been weighing your food, start now. Most people totally under-estimate the amount of rice and pasta and bread they eat, and are actually eating 2 or 3 portions at once without realising it.

There MAY be some health benefits to giving up coffee if you are sensitive, but there's no weight loss advantage. In fact, if anything, the coffee (as long as it is black and unsweetened) helps you burn a few extra calories.

Don't cut back too far on fat. You need a certain amount of fat for good health, and cutting back too much will just make up hungry all the time. Keep eating oily fish, olive oil, eggs and fresh red meat. It's a myth that just because there is cholesterol in eggs, your body will instantly smear it round your arteries, Most of the cholesterol in your blood has been made by your liver.

What sort of cardio are you doing? How much? How intense?

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Originally Posted by Eileen G

Start by opening a free account at FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal and log everything you actually eat. If you haven't been weighing your food, start now. Most people totally under-estimate the amount of rice and pasta and bread they eat, and are actually eating 2 or 3 portions at once without realising it.

There MAY be some health benefits to giving up coffee if you are sensitive, but there's no weight loss advantage. In fact, if anything, the coffee (as long as it is black and unsweetened) helps you burn a few extra calories.

Don't cut back too far on fat. You need a certain amount of fat for good health, and cutting back too much will just make up hungry all the time. Keep eating oily fish, olive oil, eggs and fresh red meat. It's a myth that just because there is cholesterol in eggs, your body will instantly smear it round your arteries,. Most of the cholesterol in your blood has been made by your liver.

What sort of cardio are you doing? How much? How intense?

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I will have to try the journal. I actually don't eat much bread or pasta. If I do it is whole wheat. I am actually making spaghetti with spaghetti squash tonight. I have also been taking a supplement of Omega 3 that my doctor suggested. I have been using olive oil when I cook.

I have pretty much been doing whatever I can to lose weight naturally and it just doesn't make sense that I have not lost 1 pound. The only thing I can think is that one of my medications [I take for essential tremor] has a side effect of sudden/unexplained weight gain. If that is the case, I am in trouble!

Well, there are some medications that can make weight loss difficult, but the most likely thing is that you are eating the amount of calories that you burn. It is very difficult to diet long term, because you get hungry. Not impossible, but if you are not counting calories and weighing your food, the chances are that you are eating a bit more than you realise, and that can make the difference.

Wholewheat bread has the same calories as white. How many slices a day are you eating? And what are you putting on it? Olive oil has lots of health benefits, but it has about 120 calories a tablespoon. If you are just splashing it on without measuring, you can easily be eating more than you realise.

I actually don't eat much bread at all. In fact, the last time I had bread was Saturday. It was a whole wheat dinner roll w/ some grilled salmon and asparagus. I will have to start keeping up with the amount of food I am eating a little better. Thanks for the advise!:)

Along with the food journal as Eileen mentioned, you may want to keep track of your exercise as well. As she said, you are quite likely taking in more calories, even though you are making some healthy food choices, than you realise. You may need to up the frequency and duration of your exercise to aid in your weight loss.

I'll just mention that Fitday is great for keeping track of your food intake, and recording your exercise, but DON'T rely on its estimate of how many calories a day you should be eating. It really does over-estimate. I have to put myself in as bed bound and then add my exercise to get a semi-accurate idea of my required calories.

Fortunately, it has no problem with someone cycling 20 miles while lying in bed...