So fed up. Please help

jaz050465

Over the years I have tried everything. For the past year I've tried MFP calculations, scooby calculator, BMF and fitbit. All give me very different TDEEs but I don't seem to be able to lose weight. I am within my healthy weight range so have tried a deficit of 500 but then every so often I binge (only mini binge) and lose any deficit I had. I am constantly gaining and losing the same few pounds.

I then throw myself into exercise and am so stiff that I can't do anything for a few days. I want to do alternate days of C25K and strength training but lack of weight loss demotivated me to do this too.

I want it to work but have totally lost confidence in ever losing weight. I also don't know what to believe in terms of my TDEE and what deficit to have so I don't know how many calories to eat.

I am 47, 5 ft 7 and weight about 148 pounds. I have a small frame though and am about 36 % body fat.

I am really getting depressed by this. I am going on a beach holiday in three weeks and I really wanted to be about 10 pounds lighter when I booked it last year. I haven't really lost anything.
Edited by jaz050465 On June 08, 2013 7:22 am

LiftHeavyWeights

Don't give up.
Don't go by the scale.
Go by the tape measure.
Could take photos of yourself for yourself once a month so you see changes
Track food / exercise / time of day for each
Take pride in small successes.
Find joy / stress does not help the body
Support your MFP friends & they will encourage you

Use info on web sites as guidelines only
With your tracking you can pinpoint what works
Make adjustments after allowing time to see changes
Expect some day to day fluctuations
Might want to consider a fitness program with a build in strength component & nutrition plan included

Find some holiday clothes that make you feel fabulous for your upcoming vacation

ShannonKN

It sounds like you've tried a bunch of things. How long did you stick with each before you decided that it wasn't giving you the results you wanted? Changes in diet and exercise routine will sometimes result in temporary plateaus or gains as your body adjusts. Being as close as you are to your ideal weight, you may have to only go for a 250 cal deficit and let the process be slower -- it will be more sustainable that way, and your body might respond more favorably (less need to mini-binge?).

Being near your goal weight probably doesn't give you much wiggle room between your BMR and TDEE; start by taking the average values you calculated for those and stick to a program using them for at least 3 weeks. If you don't see any decreases (be thoughtful about TOM or other factors that could mask weight loss), slowly scale back to the lower numbers.

These last pounds can be a pain in the butt to work through. I'm right there with you.

jaz050465

Thanks very much. Sounds good advice