The big "Weight" issue in dating...

[tman666]

1500 calories is way too many to call it a diet.

 

Not necessarily...

 

As we've been discussing, the amount of calories a person needs in order to maintain a prolonged caloric deficit (and still maintain muscle mass and good health) is highly individual.

 

For example, one of my friends competes nationally in the men's physique category (sort of like bodybuilding except not quite as "extreme" proportions). When he cuts down, he's still eating around 3,500 to 3,800 calories per day up until his contests. It works for him because he a) has a lot of muscle mass and b) performs a LOT of high intensity/high level training.

 

Verhrzn and everyone else seeking to recomp. needs to learn how to use applied principles of proper training and nutrition to work for them, not follow arbitrary assumptive training and dietary regimens that may not apply.

[EnigmaticClarity]

Actually I have been trying to stick around 1000 calories intake, it's hard at first, but when you shrink your meal size and don't snack at all it isn't so bad.

 

1500 calories is way too many to call it a diet.

 

I lose about 1.5 pounds a week at 1500 calories, when I'm hardcore dieting I do 1200 to 1500. I think my BMR is 1800 (weight 200, height 6' 2").

 

What's the bottom end of the window before your body goes into "starvation" mode or starts to eat muscle instead of fat? It must vary by size, but I've only heard the exact same flat number V just mentioned, 1200 as being starvation.

[Titania22]

Not necessarily...

 

As we've been discussing, the amount of calories a person needs in order to maintain a prolonged caloric deficit (and still maintain muscle mass and good health) is highly individual.

 

For example, one of my friends competes nationally in the men's physique category (sort of like bodybuilding except not quite as "extreme" proportions). When he cuts down, he's still eating around 3,500 to 3,800 calories per day up until his contests. It works for him because he a) has a lot of muscle mass and b) performs a LOT of high intensity/high level training.

 

Verhrzn and everyone else seeking to recomp. needs to learn how to use applied principles of proper training and nutrition to work for them, not follow arbitrary assumptive training and dietary regimens that may not apply.

 

Yeah men and women are different. Ver is female. Even at 20 not dieting it is suggested women only take is 2000cal, at my age it's 1680cal.

 

Don't confuse things by adding men into the mix. This is also why I feel annoyed at fat men, because you still get to have more calories then us and call it a diet. It's not fair, food is yummy, starving ourselves isn't fun. And even with the 1000cal diet and the exercise I feel like I am yet to see results.

[EnigmaticClarity]

Don't confuse things by adding men into the mix. This is also why I feel annoyed at fat men, because you still get to have more calories then us and call it a diet. It's not fair, food is yummy, starving ourselves isn't fun. And even with the 1000cal diet and the exercise I feel like I am yet to see results.

 

It is a bit unfair, but nothing to be done about it except what Asian culture does far more than Western cuisine does--stop eating big hunks of food, cut it up into thinner, longer pieces so that more of the food hits your tongue. What tastes better--a 1" by 2" strip of chicken, or four 1/4" by 2" strips of chicken? Definitely the latter.

 

How long have you been on the 1000 calorie diet, and how can you be sure you're not too low? What's your height/weight?

[Els]

Yeah men and women are different. Ver is female. Even at 20 not dieting it is suggested women only take is 2000cal, at my age it's 1680cal.

 

Don't confuse things by adding men into the mix. This is also why I feel annoyed at fat men, because you still get to have more calories then us and call it a diet. It's not fair, food is yummy, starving ourselves isn't fun. And even with the 1000cal diet and the exercise I feel like I am yet to see results.

 

It's certainly biologically accepted that it's easier for men to lose weight than women. Plenty of reasons for this - the calorie reason that you mentioned, plus the fact that men have a higher BMR, build muscle easier, and women's hormones encourage the body to store fat. To make things worse, many modern women are on BC, which usually causes some degree of weight gain.

 

However, getting lots of muscle, which is mainly the domain of men for appearance reasons, is a bitch and a half.

[kaylan]

Fine, here's a fun experiment for you.

 

I do martial arts once a week for two hours. However, that entire time isn't high intensive cardio. Sometimes it is... sometimes it's moderate intensive. Sometimes it's basics, which can be intensive, depending on which basic you're doing but not always. Sometimes it's sparring, which can be intensive cardio IF I'm sparring a more experienced fighter, but isn't always.

 

So tell me... how many calories am I burning?

2 problems here that hinder your fat loss.

 

1. You are choosing a form of cardio that will not burn many calories in a decent amount of time. Take up HIIT running for 20 minutes, or moderate rate stationary cycling for 35 minutes.

 

2. By using the above methods, you will be able to know many calories you burn as there are documented amounts for them based on intensity and distance.

 

Im convinced that you dont do everything you could be doing to get in optimal shape. Especially when your cardio program is not consistent nor strict. You should be doing cardio 3 times a week, at a consistent and moderate intensity. Once a week at varied intensities wont get you far.

 

Here's another fun one. Last night I ate six jalapeno poppers. If you use the calorie counter on http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/, and put in "jalapeno" you'll get about a dozen results, all of which have different serving sizes and different calorie counts. So which is the correct amount? What if the jalapeno I bought at the store (and thus doesn't have a calorie count attached to it) doesn't fit any description in that list? Then what?

Lolz, there are better sites to get calorie counts than live strong.

 

Btw, all of your foods can be weighed with a small scale. After that, with simple math you can figure out how the amount you eat fits into the calorie descriptions given online. Simple enough.

 

Most everything else you eat will have nutrition facts labels. For things that dont, as I said, find some reputable nutrition websites or .gov sites, weigh it, then use math.

THAT'S what I mean by its not accurate, and that's only the counting itself, not even getting into the fact that "our bodies are incredibly complex systems and it is very hard to track exactly how much energy we are absorbing and how much we are burning."

Excuses.

 

You dont have to get it down to the EXACT calorie. But you will be able to get your intake and outake damn close if you try what I said.

 

And if you're doing both? Then what? Are you arguing that it's impossible to build muscle and cut fat? Then what should your calorie decrease/increase be?

For people who seek optimal muscle gains, and optimal fat loss, its better to cut and bulk at different times. Its certainly possible to do both at the same time though, and still feel full, and have a ton of energy. Its just that you wont get as great the gains doing them separately.

 

You just keep talking in these extremes, talking about starving yourself, and losing all this muscle mass. Like I said before, Im positive I could help you come up with a fitness plan and make you look "hot". But as it stands I still dunno what ya look like miss.

I HAVE checked out those forums, and they're worthless to me. They work for a subset of people. But it doesn't work for everyone. It doesn't explain hormones, or different metabolisms, or types of calories. Some people don't need to worry about those. But some people do, and for those people, the sort of dumbed down logic of "calories in, calories out" is worthless.

 

Again... are people assuming I'm a liar or an idiot?

You sure youve found no useful information? I find that hard to believe. Even the people who have the hardest time losing fat or gaining muscle have found good stuff online. Should I PM you some resources? Im a hard gainer myself and was finally able to figure out how to gain some pounds after I joined a couple of good communities.

 

Ive read plenty on different metabolisms, hormonal differences, and types of calories. Thats ALL these people usually talk about. They obsess about macros and micros of nutrients. They obsess about how many calories are in a gram of fat vs a gram of protein. They obsess about how some of them were not blessed with the metabolism of an ectomorph such as myself.

 

If you ever really read through the nutrition forums on bodybuilding.com or muscleandstrength.com then youd see its WAY more in depth than just "calories in, calories out". They have methods of fitness for MANY types of people.

 

So Im not assuming you are an idiot. I am assuming you are ignorant of the methods that are at your disposal.

 

So if youll take me up on it...we can be e-workout buddies. I will get you hot. Thats a promise. We can get fitter together.

Edited February 1, 2012 by kaylan

[verhrzn]

That's nonsense. You don't have to turn into an anorexic to lose weight.

 

Then please, enlighten me how I can be only 100 calories off from the starvation line and still not be losing weight. If it's as simple as "calories in, calories out" why isn't it working? How can I possibly cut down more?

 

 

YOU listen to no one here, even though many threads I visit seem to end up focussed upon you.

 

And, it might be said that YOU call all of us liars as well. How many times have people told you that you are not fat and not ugly? Several hundred by now. But you refute every one of our statements in favor of the remarks you claim some pathetic basement dwelling loser made.

 

Those of us who engage with you here on LS have LOTS of experience of not being listened to / heard, and being treated as if we're liars. Or, stupid.

 

Is this enjoyable for you? Dumb question, obviously you're loving it.

 

Well this one ended up focusing on me because I put myself up as a representation of people who try to lose weight, and can't. Just as some people put themselves up as representatives who try to lose weight and do, or people who don't try to lose weight and still do. The reason it focused on me is because I am one of the few ones arguing that particular view point, and it's apparently nothing but an uphill battle to convince posters that fat people are neither: lazy, incompetent, or undisciplined, and that weight loss isn't easy.

 

So stop arguing with me. Just accept what I say, and save yourself the frustration. Ta-da.

[EnigmaticClarity]

So if youll take me up on it...we can be e-workout buddies. I will get you hot. Thats a promise. We can get fitter together.

 

From the pictures I saw, her body looks remarkably like Rachel Ray's body, except V has much larger boobs. Ray is 5' 3" 135, V is 5' 1" 120. She already has a VERY attractive body--hopefully someday she'll agree.

[Titania22]

It is a bit unfair, but nothing to be done about it except what Asian culture does far more than Western cuisine does--stop eating big hunks of food, cut it up into thinner, longer pieces so that more of the food hits your tongue. What tastes better--a 1" by 2" strip of chicken, or four 1/4" by 2" strips of chicken? Definitely the latter.

 

How long have you been on the 1000 calorie diet, and how can you be sure you're not too low? What's your height/weight?

 

I am 5'6.5" and am 71Kg. I started calorie counting at the start of december or during november. The calories vary daily, its not like i am eating exactly 1000 every day, but can be anywhere from 800 to 1300, with most falling between 900 and 1200. As of new years, I became vegetarian and started reducing how many additives i am having as well.

 

And also started working out more, in the last 2 weeks I have managed to start a pattern where I work out everyday, mostly at night not long before bed. In my workout i use a bar for muscle work, do sit ups, some stretching and dance a bit to get my heart rate up. I am slowly upping the intensity of the whole workout, and try to hit most muscle groups every night. I have also more an effort to move around more in general (more fidgety) to the extent that sometimes my daughter asks me if i have add.

 

I definately feel better, and have more energy, but I can't see any difference in my size.

 

It's certainly biologically accepted that it's easier for men to lose weight than women. Plenty of reasons for this - the calorie reason that you mentioned, plus the fact that men have a higher BMR, build muscle easier, and women's hormones encourage the body to store fat. To make things worse, many modern women are on BC, which usually causes some degree of weight gain.

 

However, getting lots of muscle, which is mainly the domain of men for appearance reasons, is a bitch and a half.

 

What's BC?

[Els]

 

What's BC?

 

Birth control.

[EnigmaticClarity]

What's BC?

 

birth control

[Titania22]

Birth control.

 

That stuff is horrible.

[oaks]

Then please, enlighten me how I can be only 100 calories off from the starvation line and still not be losing weight. If it's as simple as "calories in, calories out" why isn't it working? How can I possibly cut down more?

 

Take the bacon off the jalapeno poppers. Do martial arts (or some other cardio sport/exercise) 3 times a week instead of once.

 

Is that impossible?

[Mme. Chaucer]

Take the bacon off the jalapeno poppers. Do martial arts (or some other cardio sport/exercise) 3 times a week instead of once.

 

Is that impossible?

 

of course it's impossible. You don't listen.

[verhrzn]

Take the bacon off the jalapeno poppers. Do martial arts (or some other cardio sport/exercise) 3 times a week instead of once.

 

Is that impossible?

 

Without the bacon, say goodbye to a big chunk of protein. Most experts say you need 1g of protein for every pound of lean muscle mass you want to maintain. So without bacon, that leaves me with nothing to make up the protein. So why give up a great source of protein with minimum carbs just to replace it with something that is just as high in calories but doesn't give me as good protein?

 

The high calories are actually coming from the cream cheese (which is also where the majority of the fat grams are coming from), but it's a good balance.

 

I ALSO do other cardio. 20 minutes of interval running 3 times a week before my weight lifting. And an hour of dance, on top of the martial arts.

[FitChick]

I am 5'6.5" and am 71Kg. The calories vary daily, its not like i am eating exactly 1000 every day, but can be anywhere from 800 to 1300, with most falling between 900 and 1200.

 

And also started working out more, in the last 2 weeks I have managed to start a pattern where I work out everyday

 

You are not eating enough. You should be eating 1200 cals only one or two days a week max and then go up to 1500 other days. Make sure you stay hydrated. Diet soda just makes you fatter and alcohol is empty calories. People tend to forget that. If you drink, limit it to one and add those calories into your daily count.

 

Your muscles do not grow and strengthen while you exercise. They do that during periods of rest,which is why you shouldn't work the same muscles everyday if you are using weights. You need at least one total rest day per week. You could walk if you like but nothing strenuous. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for injury. Take it from me, I learned that the hard way!

 

I do very little cardio beyond walking a few times per week or doing a 20 min. DVD. I still lose weight if I lower my calories. I am 5'8" and if I keep my calories at or under 2000, I maintain my weight. I cut back to 1500-1800 if I seriously need to lose weight before a vacation. I still manage to fit in sweets, though, even if it's just half an ounce of dark chocolate, which is good for your heart anyway.

 

Yes, I could always do more exercise and eat cleaner but I am not looking to be cut nor am I trying out for a sport. I just want to look good and feel good.

[FitChick]

Bacon and cream cheese?! Yikes! You would be better off making yourself an omelette full of stir fried veggies, fried in olive oil. It's delicious, lots of protein and fiber, very filling.

 

Here are lots of great menu ideas.

 

My favorite late afternoon snack is Fage 0% fat Greek yogurt. It's about 120 calories, lots of protein and as delicious as ice cream with lots of different flavors. Yummy!

Edited February 2, 2012 by FitChick

[oaks]

Without the bacon, say goodbye to a big chunk of protein.

 

Try chicken breast. Less fat. Less salt. Less 'processed meat stuff'. Not as tasty as bacon. Anyway, the point is that if you're 100 calories away from some minimum amount of intake below which you don't want to go then of course it's possible to eat fewer calories. I'll do the math for you: 100 fewer calories.

 

Maybe you could eat just 5 of those jalapeno poppers instead of all six, and then you could keep the bacon, but it's just an example - I'm sure you could cut those 100 calories somewhere else (and I'm sure you don't eat those cheesy bacony peppers every day).

 

Glad to hear that you're doing more exercise than just once a week. I can't really comment on whether it's enough or the right kind of exercise to meet your goals.

 

Sorry for keeping you in front of the keyboard and eating into valuable exercise time.

[oaks]

of course it's impossible. You don't listen.

 

Yes, I'm beginning to see that.

[kaylan]

Shes already eating 1500 calories a day. Id advise upping calories a bit and adding a little more cardio to balance it.

 

Id also advice really paying attention to the composition of the calories one intakes. ie. grams of fat, protein, and crabs in daily caloric intake.

[Titania22]

You are not eating enough. You should be eating 1200 cals only one or two days a week max and then go up to 1500 other days. Make sure you stay hydrated. Diet soda just makes you fatter and alcohol is empty calories. People tend to forget that. If you drink, limit it to one and add those calories into your daily count.

 

Your muscles do not grow and strengthen while you exercise. They do that during periods of rest,which is why you shouldn't work the same muscles everyday if you are using weights. You need at least one total rest day per week. You could walk if you like but nothing strenuous. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for injury. Take it from me, I learned that the hard way!

 

I do very little cardio beyond walking a few times per week or doing a 20 min. DVD. I still lose weight if I lower my calories. I am 5'8" and if I keep my calories at or under 2000, I maintain my weight. I cut back to 1500-1800 if I seriously need to lose weight before a vacation. I still manage to fit in sweets, though, even if it's just half an ounce of dark chocolate, which is good for your heart anyway.

 

Yes, I could always do more exercise and eat cleaner but I am not looking to be cut nor am I trying out for a sport. I just want to look good and feel good.

 

Thanks fit chick.

 

I don't drink, and not soda either. And I would never use artificial sweeteners. I drink a chai latte for breakfast ( my wicked indulgence), and a cup of tea with honey in the afternoon or evening, the rest is just water.

 

Also something to keep in mind, is that I think I am older then you, and that means I naturally need less calories (i.e. the 2000 at 20 becomes 1860 now), and bodies seem to want to be a bit larger as you get older (not that i want to use that as an excuse, i would rather just try harder to get smaller again).

 

As for chocolate, that is the part on my diet that varies my calorie intake. I have taken to dark chocolate with chilli, so keep me from eating too much (i.e. as much as i used to), but I have some everyday. The chai in the morning and chocolate in the evening keeps me happy, and my discipline would fall right off without that.

 

I will bear in mind what you said about the exercise and the eating.

[123321]

Except you don't know what they're eating, how they're exercising, or what their lifestyle is by looking at them. You are creating a false dictomoy between obese <-> lazy.

 

I don't see how, can you explain where you see this?

 

 

 

Yes, it is a lifestyle choice to be overweight. But why do people feel they have a right to shame people for making this choice for themselves? Thin people don't need to change what they find attractive. If they want to limit themselves to the top 20% of the dating pool, they certainly have that option--just don't expect that top 20% to be less ridged about what they find attractive either.

 

Well fat does tend to fill in those ridges so maybe they are more ridged at the top. I'm built like a hungry bear, and my less than 90 pound GF likes that build so I'm not sure the "thin people date thin people" dynamic really holds true.

[xxoo]

More carbs....less carbs.....more protein....less protein....more calories....less calories....different calories.....

 

This is exactly my point. It should NOT be this much work to maintain your weight!

 

For some of us, it is easy to be the "desired" size. For others, it is NOT easy--it requires a lot of effort and sacrifice, more than many thin people would be willing to give, if they walked in their shoes. Look at Andy's diet again. How many of us would be thin if it meant cutting out things we love completely?

 

Yep. Once I figured out that fad diets were just that - fads - and started shopping for myself based on calories, my weight actually went down fairly effortlessly. I have 3 solid meals a day (a low-cal lean meat meal, an average-cal steamed rice + meat meal and a whatever-bf-wants-to-eat meal, and random fruits, chocs and juices during the course of the day) instead of the fruits, nuts, yogurt and salad crap that fad diets push around, and lost 10 lbs over the course of the past 6 months. Yeah, that isn't a lot, but I pretty much eat what I like so it's completely sustainable, and I'm really in no hurry since there's only 10 more to go before I reach my aesthetic ideal (lower end of the healthy range) .

 

Beautiful. That's the way it should be Eating should be a pleasure!

[verhrzn]

Yes, I'm beginning to see that.

 

So... when you guys argue, you're just stating an opinion and are right, but when I argue about my own body and what works (yeah, yay chicken, but kinda hard to eat while driving, and chicken DOES get a little bland when that's ALL you eat) then somehow I'm argumentative and don't listen.

 

How does that hypocrisy work?

 

More carbs....less carbs.....more protein....less protein....more calories....less calories....different calories.....

 

This is exactly my point. It should NOT be this much work to maintain your weight!

 

For some of us, it is easy to be the "desired" size. For others, it is NOT easy--it requires a lot of effort and sacrifice, more than many thin people would be willing to give, if they walked in their shoes. Look at Andy's diet again. How many of us would be thin if it meant cutting out things we love completely?

 

Exactly!! That's what I've been saying all along. For some people, it takes YEARS to figure out what works for their bodies, and it goes completely against all the "common sense" health stuff. And they only figure out after years of research and hardcore dedication. Someone who is fat could be undergoing that process.... could be healthy on the inside.... but isn't yet reflected on the outside.

 

I just want some empathy, for how difficult weight loss can be for some people. Why is that so hard? Why the judgment and the shaming and the arguing?

[Cypress25]

umm, for those on meds that can cause weight gain, where does the mass come from?

I'm not talking 10lbs of water weight either.

I'm talking fat accumulation. Where does it come from?

 

Those medications do cause water retention, but they also mess with your body chemistry and cause your metabolic rate to plummet. If your BMR was 2,000 calories a day before the meds, for example, the meds could decrease your BMR to 1,200 calories a day. They also increase your appetite, in direct correlation to the dose of your meds. Don't believe me? Look it up.

 

I'll even name drop a few for you: Paxil, Lithium, Clozapine, Risperidone, Valproate, Depo-Provera...all are known to cause weight gain. There are more, of course.

 

I enjoy being slim, and would totally trade up all my favorite foods to remain in the shape I am in. Luckily I was blessed with good genetics.

 

Easy for you to say, since you'll never have to actually do it. Not only would you have to give up all your favorite foods for the rest of your life, you would also have to be hungry all the time. Do you think you could tolerate constant hunger? For those who are not blessed with good genetics, eating less than their BMR means being hungry all day.

 

Either way, "calories in, calories out" is not hard to follow. 35 minutes in the gym, a few times a week isnt all that hard.

 

You're right, but 35 minutes in the gym a few times a week isn't enough to keep me thin. It's not enough for a lot of people, especially petite women. If that was all it took, it would be easy for everyone to lose weight.

 

To respond to your question though: to me it's not about being slim but about being fit. I have to consume around 2,500 - 3,000 calories a day to keep my weight up because of all the exercise I do and believe me I'm no gym bunny. 30 minutes of sprinting makes you drop weight faster than you can imagine.

 

I can eat anything I want, I'm out with friends for a curry tonight in an Indian restaurant but then I'm off surfing over the weekend.

 

Well, aren't you lucky. Some people can burn off thousands of calories with very little exercise, because their metabolism is such that they burn a lot of calories just by sitting around. It's always those people who are judgmental of people who struggle with their weight, because they can't imagine what it would be like if a weekend of surfing wasn't enough to keep them thin.

 

But hey, let's continue to ignore the research of people who study these topics for a living and have scientific data with our own personal stories of Fatties-We-Have-Known, and how losing weight was totally easy for me, so it should be totally easy for them because our body type, genetics, and personality are all clones of each other.

 

Seriously. I have this argument with my mom all the time. She's 5'2" and weighs 106 pounds. She eats a lot and she's never exercised a day in her life. For her, staying thin is effortless because she's a freak of nature. Even when she was pregnant, she only gained half the amount of weight that she was supposed to. She thinks it should be that easy for everyone to stay thin. If I ate the way she eats, I'd be fat.

 

So eat more than anorexics do but less than you do now and voila!

 

That's how anorexia starts, lol.

 

I've probably been too persistent in trying to figure out why you think moderate eating and exercise doesn't work

 

I think it's because she's tried that and it didn't work for her. It might be hard to believe, but some people naturally have a low BMR. For those people, "moderate" is not enough.

 

And it's impossible to lose weight and NOT lose the boobs. Boobs are almost entirely fat. The whole "thin woman with big boobs" is an insane ideal. Like maybe 3% of women have that figure naturally. Only 8% of the entire population is hourglass. Lose the weight, lose the boobs.

 

I can vouch for that. Like most women, I'm a pear shape, which means I carry most of my fat in my lower body. When I start to lose weight, my boobs are the first part of me to shrink. My ass hangs on for dear life, however.

 

I've lost 30 pounds in the past from eating 1500 - 1800 calories a day with zero exercise in the past--if that's having a measurable impact on my health, I'm interested in what that impact is, because I noticed no difference other than I was thinner.

 

OK, now imagine that you're a woman who's 5'1" tall and you tried eating 1500-1800 calories a day with no exercise. Can you guess what would happen? You'd gain weight at a steady pace. Calorie calculators tell me that at my height (5'1") and weight (110 lb), I'd have to eat around 1400 calories a day to maintain my weight, without exercise. To lose weight, I'd have to eat around 1130 calories a day, without exercise. Women aren't supposed to eat less than 1200 cals a day, for health reasons. Which means I'd have to exercise a lot if I wanted to lose weight while still eating enough. Even then, 1200 cals a day is the bare minimum for adequate nutrition, and not enough to keep me from feeling hungry all day.

 

Then please, enlighten me how I can be only 100 calories off from the starvation line and still not be losing weight. If it's as simple as "calories in, calories out" why isn't it working? How can I possibly cut down more?

 

You can't cut down more, and you shouldn't. This is the short girl's dilemma. If the other poster was correct in saying you're 5'1" tall, then you're the size of the average 12-year-old girl. (Forgive me, my short sister.) There's a reason that 12-year-olds order from the kid's menu. It's because they generally have smaller appetites than adults. Which works out for them, because those smaller portions provide enough calories for their smaller bodies.

 

But you have an adult appetite. If an adult ate child-size portions at every meal, that adult would always be hungry. So what do you do when you have the caloric needs of a child but the appetite of an adult? You could starve yourself (bad idea) or you could get used to having a few extra pounds on your body (better idea). The reason you're eating so little and exercising so much and still not losing weight is because you and your body are at war. You've reached your set point. Your body doesn't want to go any lower, and it's damn near impossible to bully your body into submission. I learned that the hard way. I think you'd be a lot happier (and healthier) if you learned to accept your current weight instead of fighting it. Not everyone is meant to be at the bottom of their healthy weight range. In fact, most people have their natural set point in the middle of their healthy range. If you do in fact weigh 120, you're right in the middle.

Edited February 2, 2012 by Cypress25