Why can't I freakin lose weight?!!

Parent Cafe
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Extremes. Everyone likes extremes. It makes it so easy when the rules are so clear. Low fat, high carbohydrate. No, wait a minute, now it’s low carbohydrate, high fat. Don’t eat meat. No, Don’t eat grains. God forbid you eat fruit with all its fructose. The reality is that balanced nutrition based on real food sources, unprocessed foods, lean protein sources, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and no sugar added combined with a movement based lifestyle works and always has. It’s when we screw things up with a sedentary lifestyle, processed foods, added sugar and have no real concept of how much we are eating vs how much we actually need that it all goes to hell. And then we look for the magic bullet, the extreme’s with very simple rules to solve complex problems. And sometimes they work. For a while. Until they don’t or the next “best” new extreme comes along.

At the age of 62 and 155 lbs I need about 2400 calories a day to maintain my weight given my level of athletic training. I need a minimum of about 125 gms of protein a day to maintain nitrogen balance for maintenance and growth of lean muscle tissue. That’s 500 calories there. So let’s say that I’m going to limit my carbs to 100 gms a day which is high by ketogenic standards. That’s another 400 calories. So now I need 1500 calories more. That’s 166.66 gms of fat. How in the hell am I going to take that in without eating big additional servings of meat or fish which will put me way out of protein balance or eating more than half a pound of nuts or 2 lbs of avocado? And where do I fit in all the critical micronutrients from a rainbow assortment of veggies - oh, wait, those veggies will throw off my ketogenic low carb intake.

Extreme’s. They just don’t make any sense. They may work for some in achieving weight loss goals but what are the ramifications 10 years down the road? Or when they don’t work any more.

And for those who are athletes, you might find this article of interest.

https://www.acefitness.org/prosourcearticle/5621/optimal-fuel-strategies-for-performance

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@MichaelNKat You addressed some of my questions and concerns. It sounds like you’re talking at least partially about intervals, which I do do sometimes. My other issue is that I had a diagnosis of osteoporosis – now slightly better because of diet, medication and weight training – but still, high-impact moves like jumping and running have been largely forbidden to me.

I do work with a certified trainer, who’s ever on the watch for my form. I’m satisfied with what we’ve been doing. I have seen results with my bones, my weight, my tone, my endurance, my posture and balance, and my general confidence. I’m 60 years old. I am doing 100% more exercise than I was doing a little over a year ago. I am not training for the Olympics, and I do not aspire to look like a 30-year-old hardbody. Basically I’m trying to hold back the hands of time, especially with physical conditions which can take such a huge toll, as I’ve seen with my parents. But I have to have a regimen I can manage, and one which fits in with the rest of my life. So I’m not going to go exploring for a different exercise routine. I’m happy with what I’ve got.

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LasMa- I still don’t understand the prohibition against running and jumping. My doctor encourages my running, and I haven’t had a doctor yet who advises against running for osteoporosis. It helps! It sounds like you are happy with what you are doing, though.

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@LasMa, no, not at all talking about interval training. Am talking about progressive resistence training but with a particular technique for the lifting movement. High velocity progressive resistence training can be applied to any weight lifting that you do. Does not require high impact. Nothing would change in your lifting other than the speed at which you do the concentric movement. Talk to your trainer about it. He or she can show you. If you have Osteo, this method of lifting could be of benefit to you.

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@MichaelNKat Since it’s Sunday, I’m sorry, but I don’t have the motivation to read through scholarly papers, or think too hard about big words. :slight_smile: (Did I mention it’s Sunday?) Could you please put into layman’s terms how this technique would be used for, say, a bench press? The way I do it now is this: From the lowest position, I “punch” up, pause, then slowly bring it back down, 2- second pause, then punch up again.

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Sounds like you are doing it. “Punching up” sounds like a quick ballistic power movement on the concentric contraction. Then you are doing a slow eccentric when you lower the weight. Then you get “set” and “punch up” again.

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Oh good. :slight_smile: Yes, it is quick, ballistic and power. Now I can impress my trainer with the name haha.

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I HIGHLY recommend bioidentical hormones. I’m 53, still 128-130 pounds, with no heroic eating or exercise. Though I admit, my problem is body fat, but the weight number has been the same since having kids. I could stand to lose ten pounds, but man, that would be tough! Maybe this summer. I would never give up my hormones!!

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Hormones? Have you read the research on estrogen and cancer? http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/publications/in-vivo/Vol2_Iss10_may26_03/

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That article is 16 years old. There are plenty of gynecologists out there who have studied bioidential hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) and believe it is safe. The studies which first made the news back around 2003 were all done on women who were using synthetic hormone replacement. And they were also done in women using estrogen only. Most prescribing GYNs today prescribe progesterone along with estrogen because it’s the unopposed estrogen that makes it risky.

That being said, I’ve had endometrial cancer and have a cluster of cousins who have had breast cancer, as well as an aunt and paternal grandmother who had ovarian cancer (but in their 90s and 100s), so I certainly have risks. I see my GYN and GYN-ONC several times a year (as follow up to my cancer), and a breast surgeon either annually or semi-annually, depending on what is going on with my mammograms. My GYN is the biggest proponent of BHRT - for one reason, I also have a strong history of heart disease with my mom and two of my three brothers. My GYN has cardiologists sending him women now who are developing heart disease soon after menopause. He goes to several professional conferences a year to keep current on BHRT and newer studies (which aren’t getting funded at the levels of current synthetic hormone replacement therapy, so are slower to come out). Every time I go see him, I ask the question, “OK… tell me again how safe this is.” And he shares with me (sometimes prints out a copy of any recent studies he’s read) what is being discussed among professionals.

My GYN-ONC wants me on the lowest dosage possible where my symptoms are tolerable, but has not told me I can’t do BHRT.

And my breast surgeon tells me he has patients who have been treated for breast cancer who are on hormone-replacement therapy (again, with progesterone) because it’s a quality of life decision that only the woman can make. I can tell you the few months it took me to get my estrogen back up after my hysterectomy were some of the worst months of my life due to many hot flashes during the night resulting in severe sleep deprivation. I had a MAJOR breast cancer scare about six weeks ago - the radiologist read my diagnostic mammogram and gave it a value of 4C, which correlates to a 79% likelihood of cancer. Thankfully, after the biopsy, we learned it was just scar tissue, but for the couple of weeks it took to get it all resolved and I was convinced I had breast cancer, the thing that scared me the most was the possibility that someone was going to threaten to take me off my estrogen.

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@MichaelNKat @MomofWildChild Contrave does have side effects. All drugs do. But the list of side effects listed for Contrave can be found for a host of drugs. I think a good rule of thumb is that if a drug’s side effects outweigh the benefits, it shouldn’t be taken. Often one takes a drug and finds out that the side effects are unacceptable. If so, quit taking it!

As for the question of why I would even “post something like that,” it is because I think people should be informed. It’s an option that has been found to be far more effective for most people than diet and exercise alone. I am not ordering anyone to do anything.

If you take a look at the two drugs which make up Contrave, bupropion and naltrexone, you will understand how and why the drug is highly effective.

Bupropion, or Wellbutrin, raises dopamine levels slightly, but then puts a ceiling on them so that doing things like smoking, drinking, or eating don’t provide as much of a dopamine “rush.” That’s why the drug is used to assist in smoking cessation.

Naltrexone is an opium-receptor blocker. It’s used for drug addicts as it completely blocks opiods. It also blocks endorphins, which act like opiods and are released when you gobble down a lot of food. Essentially Naltrexone reduces some of the “reward” provided by overeating.

Contrave is meant to be taken chronically, that is, just like you would a blood-pressure pill. In my opinion, taking it will actually reprogram the mind just a bit so that you can quit after a while. I’ve only taken Contrave a month, because I had gout and had to take some pain medicine. But I’ve just started back.

The attitude that people should never use medicine to solve a problem is a common one. A substantial percentage of alcoholics who take Naltrexone before drinking will be cured (one’s genetic makeup plays a factor in this). They will slowly reduce them consumption and either be able to drink socially or just quit drinking. And they will be completely free of the terrible cravings for alcohol that alcoholics supposedly have even years after quitting. Of course, many people have no use for this because it’s too “easy.” This is called the Sinclair Method of curing alcoholism, by the way, and it is a cure for a good percentage of alcoholics.

Well, one need not make things harder than necessary. Everything takes work, but part of that work includes finding a solution to the problem.

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Earl, with due respect, what does this drug have to do with weight maintenance by a person who is not clinically depressed or addicted to anything?

It is a known fact that one of the side effects of Wellbutrin is appetite loss…

http://whatmeds.stanford.edu/medications/bupropion.html

Why on earth would someone take it for the side effect???

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Many of the “side effects” of one medicine are then used as the treatment for another. One Is Benadryl. It is an antihistamine, used for its treatment of allergic reactions. It is also sedating, so it is a common sleep aid (and is cheaper when sold as a sleep aid than as an antihistamine).

There are other meds which may have initially been developed for one disease process, but the “side effect” became used for another. One well known medicine that was initially developed to treat hypertension but wasn’t particiularly successful, had a side effect, as its mode of action was a vasodilator. It is… Viagra.

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@BunsenBurner Contrave is a weight loss drug. Wellbutrin is just in it.

It is very common for drugs to be taken or repurposed for their side effects. Ever heard of Viagra?

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LOL Earl Van Dorn-- look up ^.

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For one thing, bupropion is not OTC. Nor its weight loss “benefit” has been clinically studied in the general population and indicated as one of beneficial effects (using your Viagra analogy - Cialis daily is used to treat BPH). The drug has other nasty side effects as well. There is a reason it is not OTC and is not prescribed just to anyone. Speaking of the weight loss approval, Contrave is not for everyone either:

http://www.m.webmd.com/diet/news/20150518/weight-loss-contrave-safety

If you want a safer, OTC weight loss med… Go with a colonoscopy prep. Or pop some laxatives. That would cut a pound or two instantly. :wink:

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@BunsenBurner — agree with all your comments about why take Wellbutrin recreationally…but have to disagree about weight loss from colonoscopy prep. I have undergone three and have never noticed a difference in weight.

Dreadful process and am up for it again in a few months. (Family history…nothing ever found, but I return as required.)

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With all due respect, BB, laxatives are frequently abused by people with eating disorders. It can be a very real problem and not funny :frowning: http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/bulimia/laxative-abuse-in-bulimia-physical-consequences-complications-and-ramifications

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The laxative suggestion was meant as a joke, obviously, to highlight the ridiculousness of Contrave suggestion. A better, REAL solution suitable for the general population would be to reevaluate the daily food intake and activity level. The majority here, including me, underestimates the former and overestimates the latter.

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BTW, jym, bupropion also should not be prescribed to people with eating disorders.