Anyone else who doesn't weigh much, and is only losing a lit

chelseap891

I feel like it's going to take me forever to lose, because I don't have much to lose...I'm 5'4 ish...around 130...by no means am I overweight...I just want to lose a little in my thighs and love handles...the rest is fine...

I would love to get down to 115, then if I absolutely want to get back down to 110, I will...but I was wondering if anyone else has done this? I want to know around how long it took yall. I'm impatient! haha. And I heard it takes longer to lose when you don't have much to lose...TIA!

By the way, I'm exercising mdoerately..need to get into it more starting tomorrow...and I'm eating no more than 1200 calories a day. Clean food, too..nothing processed besides my veggie chicken nuggets haha!

omid990

i have about 15 pounds to lose too and its a b****

i eat 1200 calories as well but i also eat exercise calories on top of that. what i have found is that eating more is what i need to lose the weight, not less, although you will have to see what works for you.

incorporate strength training into your workout for toning. because you're already at a healthy weight, it will be more beneficial to you.

badrianne

This is me as well. I have about 10-15 pounds that I want to lose...mostly vanity weight I guess is what poeple would call it. I have only been losing about 0.5-1 lb a week, so I am going to start eating half of my exercise cals and see if that makes a difference. I am currently 139 and 5'7 btw and MFP has alloted me 1260 calories a day.

sprice1218

I'm trying to get down to 110 if not 105. I doubt that would ever happen. I'm about 5 feet and have a lot of muscle in my legs. I work out a lot, too. It takes longer because those of us that only have a few pounds to lose is just extra skin really. The people who are overweight have a lot more fat to shed and are consuming more calories in their diet.
I've heard it all the same. The people who have less to lose because they are relatively in a healthy weight class, take almost twice as long.

Try different things every week so you don't plateau. Being on a routine is fine and dandy, but your body gets used it!

cehrenhaus

I hear you! I was 130, and I wanted to go down to 120. I've been at it for 6 months now and I am at 124.5... However I had the most awesome surprise last week and it is that despite the lack of weight lost all the clothes that didn't fit last summer look great on me! Yay for summer pretty clothes! I wore a lovely new dress yesterday that wouldn't zip up in December (I could never wear it, it was a gift and I was too heavy for it).

I do run quite a bit and do yoga in my 'off days' and I think all the weight I am not loosing is actually fats turning to muscle, which is heavier. I'd say not to be too sad if the scale does not show much improvement, you might actually be getting more in shape. and more shapely too!

jjstokes

I'm 5'3" and started out with MFP at 142 lbs. in March. I'm down to 127. So I've lost 15 lbs in about 3 months. I eat my exercise calories most of the time. This site has me set up for 1200 a day, and I've been losing about a pound a week. I do "work out" 3 days a week (circuit training for 45 minutes each time). Since summer's finally here, I can get out and golf too. So that adds to my exercise. I almost always eat my exercise calories. The staff at my workout place told me several months ago that I wasn't eating enough. I kept gaining weight slowly and steadily no matter how much I worked out. I'm a believer now! If you burn 600 calories raking the lawn, or walking the golf course, eat 600 more calories that day.

oomalmal

Please nobody take this the wrong way.....but I can't wait til that's my problem.

I might make it one of my new goals....tee hee.

badrianne

Please nobody take this the wrong way.....but I can't wait til that's my problem.

I might make it one of my new goals....tee hee.

With 93lbs lost it looks like you are well on your way! That is awesome! I want to know YOUR secrets. :happy:

david1956

I'm not sure that it's easy. We often discuss this at the gym, where we'll kind of say "I'm really happy overall, but if only I could get rid of this bit." And we're talking quite seriously fit people. Weird things can appear to happen, illusions in a way, where as we get leaner and fitter overall, in front of a mirror those last bits simply look more noticeable to us. Yet our clothing is looser and we know our physique is much better. (I trust measurements way more than scales when it's the smaller improvements you want).

I've generally been told it's patience. You can't selectively lose weight from one place, so the areas we most want to lose it don't vanish overnight. For me, typical male, it tends to be my chest/stomach. It's eat right, train right, and probably experiment a little with what works for you an individual.

My opinion... the stare at a mirror every single day thing can become really psychologically counter-productive in this phase. To some extent you need to trust that the results will come if you're doing the right things.

nahhan12

I'm in the same boat! I'm 5'8'' and started out at 147...I've been here on MFP for 1 month and have lost about 5 pounds already. MFP has me starting at 1500 calories a day and I always eat my exercise calories. I think the key is to log every single thing you eat and long any kind of physical activity you do that will add to your calorie deficit. Following the numbers that MFP recommends for you is the fastest way to lose the weight. I didn't believe eating more would help me lose, but I've never steadily lost .5-1 pound a week and kept it off this long before when I've done low calorie dieting.

ham0423

I have this issue, and I know many people give me crap for it because "I don't look fat". I am 5'8" and a solid 160, which I know isn't bad but I weighed 135-145 for most my life so for me this is huge. I have been working hard since March to try to lose weight with little to no luck so far. I eat around 1200 net calories and workout 400-500 calories 3-5 times a week and 200-300 on my "off" days. Anyone know how to jump start this stuff???

monkeysmum

i started mfp with an idea of losing 20lbs this would make me 132lbs in the middle of my ideal weight range not a big believer of the one size/weight for all as i weigh more than my friend who is same height and weighs less but fit in smaller clothes so frame work has alot to do with what is right for us now ive lost 12lbs i decided i would aim for the ideal weight mfp says i should be (125lb) but if i get as i feel no this is the best weight for me then i will stop

i do find it harder now to shift the weight but as all my old clothes now fit size 12uk im also happy as long as i dont gain anyback moree off is great stay same is ok gaining id cry if you see what i mean

i do love my wii fit board though i have so much fun i never notice how long ive been on and i find i lose better when ive been on that daily as well as any other exerecise i do like my cleaning ironing walking to get kids from school and when i drink the 8 glasses a day i lose better i am terrible for having only 5 or 6 drinks a day usually herbal tea which tastes great doesnt help my weight loss

and all of us who are impatient isnt it suppossed to be slower off more likely to stay off please say it is or i have nothing to cling to when scales stay same lol

Stasha83

I have this problem and it is sooo frustrating!

I'm 5ft8 and my starting weight was 148lbs. I am a clothing size 10UK and none of my friends or family can understand why I want to lose weight but I am not happy at this weight/size and want to get to 140lbs.

I managed to lose 1lbs in my first week and that is it - nothing since despite sticking to 1,200 calories per day and doing an hour and a half at the gym 6 times a week burning between 700-800 calories per session. I now have a knee injury and can barely exercise which is making me feel even more frustrated. I just don't know where I am going wrong :frown:

If anyone has any miracle tips I would love to hear them!

TammySimon

Same problem here, I'm 5'1 and started at 126, after 3 weeks of pretty clean eating (cheat here and there) I manged to loose 3 pounds, my goal is 118 then maybe 112. Its hard I do weight training 5 days a week and cardio 7 days. I'm trying to be patient and I keep telling myself I didn't gain the 10 pounds in 2 months so why do you think you can loose it that fast............ Lets hang in there and keep each other posted.

blugoogirl

I'm the same! 5ft 8", started at 150lbs, trying to get down to somewhere between 125-130lbs. Done it before and it is both difficult and easy.

I find the first stone, half a stone shifts quickly and easily when you're already a healthy weight and are just slimming down slightly, usually as we all have said for vanity reasons!

The rest of the pounds tend to disappear much more slowly and stubbornly, but eventually happen if you work hard enough for it. I think patience is the key, dedication too.

blugoogirl

Stasha83: My tip is to completely change the way you eat and stick to around 1000kcal a day at the very beginning. I used to eat Dominoe's pizzas, biscuits, crisps, beer, wine, large luxurious cuisine and whatever I really ever wanted, even if I wasn't hungry! Now I've swapped it all for rice cakes, fresh vegetables, water and calorie controlled dinners.

Sounds sometimes like a bit of a compromise but I'm loving it. Quickly enough I don't want any bad junk food and crave fruit and veg with a high water content and I'm really enjoying getting back into cooking again and exploring combinations and flavours. Just bought the Bettie Crocker 300 Calorie Recipe book too, so that should help!

So no real miracle tips, just swap out bread for low calorie stuff like rice cakes and ryvitas, eat everything fresh and freshly prepared and keep a really close eye on calories. You'll see a difference soon enough! I was 150lbs plus a little from a 4 day holiday with my best friend and from the day after I came home I've totally changed my diet. A lot of bloating is gone I didn't know I had and what I assume was fat and water weight. I've lost 6lbs in 5 days just by changing my diet

rybo

Not a female, but I am only trying to lose a little bit, and running is my primary exercise. At first I figured I could drop it easily just by not eating that much. Didn't lose weight and felt horrible trying to run. Starting eating much more, and keeping to a small calorie deficit and the weight came off.
Carefull if you up your exercise & still only eat 1200 cals, you may need to eat more to see results.

sunnysashka

That is ME! I'm in "healthy" weight range but still see where else I can loose.

The only thing I can say is, if you work out a lot, do not go with 1000 kcal a day. It is WAY too little. Eat at least your BMR + at least a half of your work out cals.:flowerforyou:

Oh, I'm 5'4" (and 1/2) tall and about 123 lbs. Shooting for 120.

blugoogirl

I agree with sunnysashka - if you do work out a lot don't go with 1000kcal like I said! I only get away with that as I work all day in a sedentary job.

katbass

Im in the same boat here, and it is so discouraging. I am 5'10" and 167. Im technically in the "normal weight range" on the BMI calculator, but I was 149 my whole adult life, until we did fertility treatments. I have ballooned up and cant seem to get the scale to go down no matter what I do.
I workout 4 or 5 days a week. I can tell that I am gaining muscle and endurance because I can run much longer stretches than I ever could, even when I was at my lowest weight. I know Im making positive changes, but thts just not enough for me. I know it should be, but its not. I want to wear my skinny clothes again, dammit!
MFP gave me 1200 cals a day to lose 1+ lbs per week. Thats just not reasonably for me, as I was losing weight, but the second I looked at a steak and potato, or a glass of wine, I gained all the weight back, plus some. So I took the advice from one of the threads here and upped my calories to match my calculated BMR. I have been eating 1500 calories plus my exercise calories for about 3 weeks now, and Im gaining and losing the same 4 lbs over and over. Ive been as high as 170 and as low as 165. SOOOO frustrating!
Im not giving up, as I KNOW I can be 149 and maintain it....i just cant seem to GET THERE. Stupid fertility drugs wrecked my body (Of course, the emotional eating played a large role in my weight explosion, too i guess...blah)

If anyone has any ideas or motivation or tricks or tips, please fill me in I dont really care if I only lose .5 lb per week...i just want ot be LOSING instead of GAINING for once.

barbiecat

:laugh: I am 5'3' and my original goal was in the 130's.........with persistence, exercise, clean eating, Isagenix, eating most of of exercise calories, and patience I have continued to lower my goal, the flabby parts are going, I'm developing muscle, I have more energy than I ever imagined, and I am almost at my new and final goal weight.......never, never, never give up........and ignore the people who tell you that you are wasting away.

edelq

Hi,, i'm in the same boat really! I'm 5'10 and 159 lbs,, my goal is around 145lb, as I know I put on about 20 lbs in the last year or so, so want to get back to where I was.

I've been eating really healthy and lots of working out, but only losing about 0.5lb per week, if that!
The only thing is I have noticed a difference in my body shape, it is really starting to tone,, and a few people have started to comment that I've lost weight, and I'm like "I've lost 3 pounds!" , so it must look like more than 3 lbs,,

So, yeah, the only advise I have is to keep with it,, its encouraging to me to see others in the same boat to be honest. and now, instead of aiming for 1-2 lb loss each week, I'm aiming for about 0.5 lb..

Another thing, as I quizzed a personal trainer on this,, is to look at your body fat. I've gone from 24.1% to 23.1%,, which is apparently pretty good, He said that aboud 0.1% per week is a good amount, and that's the figure I should really go by, not weight as I'm building muscle etc so the weight isn't going to change very much.

Megooo19

I started on here at 142 and I'm 5'7" I just wanted to loose 10 lbs and I figured I would loose some body fat and try to gain some muscle. I did really well eating 1200 calories everyday for a little over a month and I lost 4 lbs. But then I gained it back and I got really frustrated and stopped using MPF and just went back to eating "normal" but in a week I gained 9 lbs. Which I thought was water weight but it stayed with me for a month. So then I started again on here at 150 and I bought a gowearfit which is awesome and I love it! It's pretty much the same thing as a bodybugg and it tells me exactly how many calories I burn everyday. I can burn anywhere from 2200-2900 calories a day on average about 2500 meaning when I ate 1200 calories I was at a 1300 calorie deficit which for someone who only wants to loose 10lbs that is way too big a deficit and I think caused me to go into a starvation mode causing the initial weight gain after I stopped. Now I'm eating between 1500 and 2000 calories a day depending on how active I am, I'm not hungry all the time and I'm still loosing weight!

wolf23

I also only had about 10 to 15 lbs I wanted to lose, although I was in my "healthy zone" I was looking a little too fluffy for my liking. I am a tad taller than 5'5" and weigh 123. What worked for me thus far is to follow MFP religiously 6 days a week. This means eating the calories alloted, if you exercise...eat those calories (or most of them). Also exercise when you can five days a week (I have an advantage, I teach group fitness so it is not an option to skip). The hardest part is that it takes time, I started in Jan. 2010 and it has taken me 6 months to lose 12 lbs. I also don't stress when I have a bad day (like yesterday). If you stick with it long enough you will find the right formula that works for you whether it is cardio or weight training or a combination (I am an advocate for both!) Good luck all!!

sunnysashka

I started on here at 142 and I'm 5'7" I just wanted to loose 10 lbs and I figured I would loose some body fat and try to gain some muscle. I did really well eating 1200 calories everyday for a little over a month and I lost 4 lbs. But then I gained it back and I got really frustrated and stopped using MPF and just went back to eating "normal" but in a week I gained 9 lbs. Which I thought was water weight but it stayed with me for a month. So then I started again on here at 150 and I bought a gowearfit which is awesome and I love it! It's pretty much the same thing as a bodybugg and it tells me exactly how many calories I burn everyday. I can burn anywhere from 2200-2900 calories a day on average about 2500 meaning when I ate 1200 calories I was at a 1300 calorie deficit which for someone who only wants to loose 10lbs that is way too big a deficit and I think caused me to go into a starvation mode causing the initial weight gain after I stopped. Now I'm eating between 1500 and 2000 calories a day depending on how active I am, I'm not hungry all the time and I'm still loosing weight!

This is exactly my point! Do not put your body onto starvation mode! EAT! My BMR is 1300, MFP tells me to eat around 1500/day, I work out everyday, so I eat at least 1600-1700/day!

katbass

Hi,, i'm in the same boat really! I'm 5'10 and 159 lbs,, my goal is around 145lb, as I know I put on about 20 lbs in the last year or so, so want to get back to where I was.

I've been eating really healthy and lots of working out, but only losing about 0.5lb per week, if that!
The only thing is I have noticed a difference in my body shape, it is really starting to tone,, and a few people have started to comment that I've lost weight, and I'm like "I've lost 3 pounds!" , so it must look like more than 3 lbs,,

So, yeah, the only advise I have is to keep with it,, its encouraging to me to see others in the same boat to be honest. and now, instead of aiming for 1-2 lb loss each week, I'm aiming for about 0.5 lb..

Another thing, as I quizzed a personal trainer on this,, is to look at your body fat. I've gone from 24.1% to 23.1%,, which is apparently pretty good, He said that aboud 0.1% per week is a good amount, and that's the figure I should really go by, not weight as I'm building muscle etc so the weight isn't going to change very much.

Hi Edelq!
Our numbers are so similar Im wondering how many calories you are eating each day. I am tempted to drop back to 1200 cals a day (plus exercise cals), but I keep hearing that BMR is the way to go (1560 according to MFP).
What is working for you? I dont mind .5 lbs a week....i just want to be moving DOWN the scale My ulimate goal weight is 145lbs., but i'd settle for 149

cehrenhaus

I agree that you should eat all your calories, however I have a really hard time eating past 1400, even if that day I worked out. I sometimes try to force myself to eat more, but I end up feeling sick. Do you have any method to eat all your calories?

BiloxiBelle

I started a year ago very close to the OP's numbers. I'm almost 5'5 and last June 1, I weighed 129. I started p90x the second week in June 2009. In those 90 days I got down to 120, lost 7% body fat and numerous inches. I ate about 1700-1850 calories a day during that time. I followed that up with a round of Insanity...didn't really lose any more weight, but gained some definition. Then January of 2010, I did another round of p90x mixed w/Insanity and 1.5 months into that I got to 117 and had dropped about 7% more body fat since the end of my 1st p90x round. I now bounce between 117-120 pounds and don't consider myself at all on a "diet". I continue to workout 6 days/week and still eat pretty much the same amount of calories...although I'm not working out as intensely right now and so I've dropped cals down to about 1600. I could could not go as low as 1200 calories. I would not have the energy to workout & would be moody as all heck!

Good luck in your journey!! I used to think i just HAD TO weigh 116 (weight I've been most of my adult life)....now I find I'm pretty happy at 119-120 because I can pretty easily maintain it without making myself nuts!

BiloxiBelle

I agree that you should eat all your calories, however I have a really hard time eating past 1400, even if that day I worked out. I sometimes try to force myself to eat more, but I end up feeling sick. Do you have any method to eat all your calories?

I plan all my next day's food the night before so that I know what I'm working with & not trying to cram 300 calories in at 7pm. But planning ahead for me is the key.

sunnysashka

I plan all my next day's food the night before so that I know what I'm working with & not trying to cram 300 calories in at 7pm. But planning ahead for me is the key.

Yep! I do the same thing. Sometimes I even log my next day a night before, so I do not struggle with choosing last minute what to eat and how many calories it will be! I'm totally addicted to this website!:blushing:

foxyforce

hello,

i too have the same problem. i think the most important thing for us gals (and guys) to remember is is to eat healthy food. i am sure that would make a world of difference. i stay around my cals and exercise regularly...and it barely comes off.

the one thing i dont do is consistently eat healthy. i eat veggies, i eat healthy proteins, but i still eat bad carbs.

ie. yesterday i ate corn flakes with some milk, pineapple. quarter chicken with garden salad from swiss chalet but then had their mashed potatos, gravy, and blueberry pie

not the worst day, i would say it is super balanced...but i have bad carbs every day, the day before i ate pizza...i think i just need to eat cleaner and stay away from the junk

p.s. i am 5'10 at 145