Hi everybody ,
Just looking for some input on my little problem here!
About 5 months ago my doctor told me I need to lose between 10 and 15 pounds due to sudden high blood pressure. For the past 6 months before that my weight had suddenly started to increase pretty quickly despite no change in my lifestyle.
Anyway, I agreed with her and joined a good gym and reduced my calorie intake to 1500 per day (I'm a vegetarian and have always eaten a healthy diet) and on her advice cut out alot of my carbs. I also go to the gym at least 5 times a week. I do 30 mins of cardio and around 30 mins weight training. I also do classes such as cardio kickboxing and aerobox.
At starting this weight loss 'program' I weighed 136 and i'm 5'4.
5 months after the drastic change in my lifestyle (I didn't do ANY kind of activity and ate alot more calories before this) I have yet to lose a single pound. I have only stopped my speedy weight gain in it's tracks but still need to lose.
I realise muscle weighs more than fat but my clothes still fit the same and I still feel kinda bloated and not at all slim and muscular. It just seems like somethings not right after 5 months of hard work.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I apologize for how long this is and appreciate your help.

do you eat at regular times? 3 meals/day?

I was eating one-2 meals/day and was not loosing extra pound. I now eat at regular times, 3 meals/day and I'm loosing weight. Go figure..

If 1500 calories a day isn't making you lose weight, then you either need to increase your aeorobic/cardio exercise and make it more intensive or lower the calorie intake lower.

I am also a vegetarian and when I complained to my doctor that I can not lose weight, they took a blood test to check my thyroid. Everything is fine with my thyroid and I just had to up my cardio/exercise and now I am losing.
Just a thought. I heard thyroid issues could make you gain weight pretty quick (with no change it lifestyle) and not able to lose...
Hajni

you should definitely get your hormones tested, particularly cortisol. You're doing everything you should be doing, (unless you only ever sit around between gym sessions) and you should be losing weight. I did notice that you're a healthy weight anyway. I'd be going to a different doctor.

I'm currently in that same situation where I gained 30lbs in several months, without a change in activity or diet. Actually, from a lifetime of being a lean "gym rat" working out 12 hrs/week and unable to lose the lbs? I went from numerous Doctors, all being unable to help me. I finally found a Naturopath who did some tests on me and confirmed that my hormones are out of whack, particularly my cortisol which is at a level considered scary high, not surprising as I've been under a great deal of stress. Now, I really need to lose the lbs as not only do I have high cholesterol now, but also borderline diabetes. The Naturopath is now going to start me on natural hormones, and he's also advised me to take up yoga several days a week for the relaxation benefits. I guess my biggest fear is that my body is too far gone that I won't be able to lose the lbs?

My question is is there anyone who has has an issue with cortisol and managed to lose the lbs?

I have encountered this problem, I dropped from 225 to 160 and remained 160 for a very long time, months at the most. It is what a lot of people call a "weight plateau", it is a period where your body refuses to loose any weight. Your body might be considering this too drastic of a change. When you suddenly change your lifestyle and start trying to loose weight, the body may consider this a bad thing and suddenly start take all the food you are eating, and burning off fat, yet taking the fat from the food you are intaking and storing it. My suggestion is possible eat regularly, like mentioned above, where you eat 3 times a day.

Also slow down on the constant exercise. While it is good, you have to ease your body into change and let it adapt, you can't shove a hot cup of water in the freezer and expect it to freeze soon, you have to let it cool, and then freeze. If... that makes any sense ^_^

Also one more thing.

Depending on your gender, that can play a role as well. As while I do not know the reason why, it would seem men loose weight much quicker than women for some apparent reason.

My best friend has remained at 170, though despite her determination, constant exercise, strict diet, she still hasn't managed to get past 170, even though they was 180 at the beginning of the year.

While I who was 170 at the beginning of the year, shrunk down to 153