Expert: Ken Alan - 1/13/2011

Question
Hello

Here is my problem and let me know if you can help me anyhow, cause I gave up myself!

First of all, I'm a female, 29 years ols, 170m height and currently 68 kg weight!
For the last few months I’m trying to loose some weight (3-4 kg), however it seems that I’m actually gaining weight slowly (around 0.5 kg per month ... in September I was 65 kg!!).

My work is from home on a computer, so I’m not very active throughout the day. I do go to the gym though, first thing in the morning and try to walk whenever I can. I also have a mini stepper at home which I try to use it when I can, like when I'm talking on the phone.
My gym sessions are as follows and they are quite intense:

Monday: whole body strength workout + 20 min cardio
Tuesday: 1h cardio (mix interval and steady state) + 20 min core (abs/lower back)
Wednesday: 1h steady state cardio
Thursday: whole body strength workout + 20 min cardio
Friday: 1h cardio (mix interval and steady state) + 20 min core (abs/lower back)
Saturday: rest OR 1h mini stepper at home
Sunday: rest

Now about nutrition, I try to eat no more than 1500 cals per day and I do believe that my meal choices are very healthy and well split. I don't eat fried or sweets, include protein on every meal and eat 6 meals a day. A sample menu is as follows:

Pre-gym: Nothing if a cardio day OR 1 slice wholemeal bread with 1 slice low-fat cheese before strength training

Breakfast: porridge with semi-skimmed milk + 1tbsp linseeds + 1tsp honey OR pot of low-fat plain greek strained yogurt + 1/2 banana + 1tbsp linseeds + 1tsp honey + cinnamon (around 250 cals)

Lunch: salmon OR chicken OR omelette (1whole egg+2whites) OR low-fat cottage cheese OR chicken soup + 1 slice wholemeal bread + green salad (spinach, lettuce, cabbage etc) + 1tbsp olive oil (around 400 cals)

Afternoon: pot of low-fat plain greek strained yogurt + 1tbsp seeds& raisins + 1tsp honey (around 200 cals)

Dinner: tuna salan + slice wholemeal bread OR toast (wholemeal bread+low fat cheese + turkey slice + tomato) + green salad (around 300 cals)

Before-bed: half apple with a slice of low-fat cheese (around 100 cals)

Snack trhoughout the day: I handful unsalted nuts (around 150 cals)

Besides all that, not only I cannot loose weight, but it seems I am slowly slowly gaining some!! My thyroid is ok, so that's out of the way.
I'm trying to think if I eat to much, but I don't think that less than 1500 cals a day for a 29 year old female is too much. Then again, could it be I don't eat to much so that I am in starvation mode? Well, this does not make sense either ... I might eat healthy, but I do think I eat quite a lot!

Can you please help me at all?? I seem very confused!
Thanks,
Anna

Answer
Hi Anna,

I understand the frustration you're experiencing. It could be do to a number of reasons. Without knowing your exercise, food, and health history, it is not possible for me (or anyone else) to give you specific suggestions, such as "if you do this, you're guaranteed to lose the weight".  Well, I could give you a suggestion, but it wouldn't be the healthiest option to give you, so I won't (like, "eat 500 calories a day"!).

You need to get together with a registered dietician or a qualified personal trainer.  If you're serious about losing weight, it is worth the investment.  They will be able to better analyze your food and exercise programs, and tweek it so that you move towards your goal. If you're gaining weight, you need to know if its fat weight you're gaining (unwanted) or muscle weight you're gaining (not so bad at all). One thing is for sure, a gain in weight means you're taking in more calories than you are consuming. It is likely something is off in your calculations of caloric expenditure and intake. But it could be other things too...hormones, water weight, other glands that aren't functioning right, or some other undiagnosed condition. I wouldn't worry about a couple of kg. Do you feel more fit? Do you have energy? Are you stronger? Are you enjoying all of the exercise you're doing? Do your clothes fit better?  Those things are just as important as the scale.

Hope this helps a bit.