Please help before I give up
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I'm sorry or confusing people. I am currently at -36 lbs,this has been since last year, but I have lost 18 of those lbs since the end of July, basically 3 months.
When I say around 1200, yesterday I ate 1174, and burned 934 (according to MPF - according to the gym around half) the day before was my cheat meal where I had 2074 call and burned 834 at the gym. These are pretty consistent numbers.
I suppose my body feels a bit "tighter" having gone to the gym - but I think I would be too big to start gaining muscle over losing fat, but I don't know about that.
To the people who say I need to know my weight or I am babyish or whatever, I agree I also need to know, but trust me if I knew I think I would give up on the whole thing, knowing I have so far to go.
Thanks for all the replies so far, apart from the ones who were mean for no reason.
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It's scary at first, but look around MFP for a while. Read success stories and you'll see whatever you weigh, someone else has weighed that amount or weighs more than you now. There are so many awesome people here who have lost over 100 pounds and to me it's almost a badge of awesomeness that anyone losing less won't really attain! Lol.
Here's my favorite sucess story here. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1454303/2-years-of-maintenance-130-pounds-lost/p1 Maybe you'll find her as inspiring as I did.
This is great, she looks fantastic. I'll set aside some timeo read that later. Thanks0 -
Natztastic wrote: »I'm sorry or confusing people. I am currently at -36 lbs,this has been since last year, but I have lost 18 of those lbs since the end of July, basically 3 months.
When I say around 1200, yesterday I ate 1174, and burned 934 (according to MPF - according to the gym around half) the day before was my cheat meal where I had 2074 call and burned 834 at the gym. These are pretty consistent numbers.
I suppose my body feels a bit "tighter" having gone to the gym - but I think I would be too big to start gaining muscle over losing fat, but I don't know about that.
To the people who say I need to know my weight or I am babyish or whatever, I agree I also need to know, but trust me if I knew I think I would give up on the whole thing, knowing I have so far to go.
Thanks for all the replies so far, apart from the ones who were mean for no reason.
But 18 pounds in 3 months is 6 pounds a month. That's a great rate of loss. You shouldn't be trying to lose any faster than that.
What you need to adjust is your expectations, not your calories.0 -
eat more to lose weight is bogus.
If you really think you are eating 1200 calories and you aren't losing weight chances are you are over estimating calorie burns and/or under estimating calories in.
Do you use a food scale?
Do you log consistently and accurately using that scale and the correct entries?
How do you measure calorie burns?
Do you eat back exercise calories?
1lb a week is a good consistent weight loss...nothing wrong with it. It's not like the weight suddenly appeared on your frame so it's not going to "suddenly" disappear either...it's take a while for you to put on the weight.
I eat 1800 calories a day @143lbs (lost 60) and still lose 1/4lb a week and I am happy with it (trying 140)
If you want to lose the weight do it...but stop making excuses and looking for reasons to give up. 18lbs is not "just not getting anywhere"
Hello,
Yes I always log accurately, to be honest I have a pretty hectic schedule so usually eat pre packaged foods with calorie definites.
My usual daily food is something like this;
Greek yogurt for breakfast 90 cals
cup a soup, multigrain snacks and you're for lunch 376 cals
Microwave healthy meal for dinner, multigrain bites, fruit and a bread roll around 750 cals
I do not eat back my excessive calories, so sometimes I end up at a 0 or negative calories.
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1lb a week is very good weight loss. In fact, that is almost perfect. It is a good steady loss and with going to the gym you are probably minimising lean body mass loss.
You didn't put all of your weight on over a very short period of time, so don't expect it to all come off in a really short period of time.
You diary is also locked and if you don't know how much you actually weigh then how do you know how much is needed for the loss you want to achieve?
You say your eating "around 1200 a day". Is that 1150, 1200, 1250, 1350, 1400? At the end of the day, you're body is subject to the same physical laws as the rest of us. If you are losing at 1lb a week, then you are consuming enough calories for a 1lb a week weight loss.
Which means you are either not logging accurately enough or you are over estimating your calorie burns from exercise.
but I say again, 1lb a week is amazing loss. You should be very very very happy with that. If you maintained that over a year, that's 52lbs, 3.7stone, that is the average weight of a 6 year old child.
Hello, 1200 or less apart from my cheat days. It'svery rare that I go over 1200. My burns from exercise I thought would be a bonus, bearing in mind that I thought I would lose weight just on 1200 calories a day anyway, never mind in addition to a work out 4 times a week.
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Natztastic wrote: »eat more to lose weight is bogus.
If you really think you are eating 1200 calories and you aren't losing weight chances are you are over estimating calorie burns and/or under estimating calories in.
Do you use a food scale?
Do you log consistently and accurately using that scale and the correct entries?
How do you measure calorie burns?
Do you eat back exercise calories?
1lb a week is a good consistent weight loss...nothing wrong with it. It's not like the weight suddenly appeared on your frame so it's not going to "suddenly" disappear either...it's take a while for you to put on the weight.
I eat 1800 calories a day @143lbs (lost 60) and still lose 1/4lb a week and I am happy with it (trying 140)
If you want to lose the weight do it...but stop making excuses and looking for reasons to give up. 18lbs is not "just not getting anywhere"
Hello,
Yes I always log accurately, to be honest I have a pretty hectic schedule so usually eat pre packaged foods with calorie definites.
My usual daily food is something like this;
Greek yogurt for breakfast 90 cals
cup a soup, multigrain snacks and you're for lunch 376 cals
Microwave healthy meal for dinner, multigrain bites, fruit and a bread roll around 750 cals
I do not eat back my excessive calories, so sometimes I end up at a 0 or negative calories.
This is actually a bit troublesome. You want your net to be as close to your goal, especially when you're only eating 1200 calories. Not eating some of them back (as burns are usually highly inaccurate, and I don't know what you're doing that would burn 1200+) can cause some serious health problems in the long run.0 -
TrickyDisco wrote: »You don't have to eat when you don't want to, just change what you eat if you need more calories, eat more calorie-dense foods, but as stated above you need to know your weight to be able to work out how much to eat to lose. I know what you mean about having a fear of the scales, felt like that myself once, and I bet there's lots of people here who can relate yet weighed the same or more than you when they started. You have to be brave and get that info ... maybe have a look on the Success Stories thread for a bit more incentive. Don't give up and don't worry about a slow weight loss, you've already proved you can do this! And if you're fed up with going to the gym maybe find some other form of exercise that you enjoy doing, more likely to keep it up then.
Hey, thanks for the advice.
I don't mind going to the gym, I actually quite enjoy it, but I probably wouldn't go as much if it wasn't having much of an impact, I was expecting it to really boost the weight loss.
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allenpriest wrote: »22 months
115+ pounds - so far
Slow and steady has worked for me. But I think you need to get real with yourself. This idea of not wanting to know your weight because it will discourage you sounds pretty childish.
Grow up and get real. Make a solid commitment and a solid plan that you can do permanently. The motivation has to come from you. If you are not sick and tired of your old way so that you are willing to make any changes necessary then you are probably just playing with this.
So you need to really decide.
Wow that's so impressive, well done.
Childish it may be but not something I can face.
The motivation I have! That's my issue, fair enough if I hadn't been bothering to go to the gym or eating crap but hoping the gym would would fix it, but this hasn't been the case. Maybe I have just been too optimistic.
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Sorry for for the confusion, my total is now -36kshama2001 wrote: »Natztastic wrote: »Hey all,
I am really stuck. I am obese. I decided in July that I would start to get my life back and lose weight. I have a zero scale (one that only tells you weight gained or lost) because I would be terrified to see how much I really weigh.
Last year I started losing weight and by May this year I got to -28 lbs. A reasonable figure. I went to America and things slipped, so when I decided to start again in July this year I had slid back to -18.
Since the very end of July I have been eating around 1200 calories per day, I have a cheat meal on a Saturday when I have Chinese which takes me to about 2000 calories. There have been the odd occasion where I have been away for my birthday for example and I haven't counted calories. I go to the gym on average for 4 times a week, plus a class or 2.
I have only lost 18lbs since I started. What am I doing wrong? It's not as if I am really small so the weight doesn't come off... I'm huge, it should be falling off at a decent rate. I was expecting at least 3-5lbs a week with all the exercise.
Am I doing something wrong? I have stuck with it now for 3 months and I feel now like giving up
Thanks for reading
Natztastic
@Natztastic - I'm confused - since the end of July you've lost an additional 18 pounds and are now at -36? Or since the end of July you have lost nothing and your total is -18?
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »Redbeard333 wrote: »It sounds counter-intuitive, but you have to eat to lose weight, and if you're limiting yourself to 1200 cal/day, PLUS exercise, your body isn't getting what it needs to fuel you properly. Another thing: if the zero scale works for you, great, but I would get rid of it. You need to know your actual numbers so that MFP can come up with an appropriate plan for you, including your daily intake goal. Don't be afraid of what it says, because with the right plan you won't see that number again! Additionally, expecting a loss of 3-5 pounds/week is unhealthy; you should be aiming for 1.5-2 pounds/week for healthy, sustainable loss.
My brief story: started mid-January at 286.8. I'm now at 208, and plan to be under 200 before the end of the year. I've been consistently logging for 250+ days, and use a Fitbit Charge to get an accurate view of my daily activity. While I don't necessarily lose every week, the trend is definitely downwards.
WRONG!
If you're not losing, you're not in a deficit. Can you unlock your diary?
Hey, I am losing but not at the rate I wanted, or expected really - again will the frequent visits to the gym.0 -
eat more to lose weight is bogus.
If you really think you are eating 1200 calories and you aren't losing weight chances are you are over estimating calorie burns and/or under estimating calories in.
Do you use a food scale?
Do you log consistently and accurately using that scale and the correct entries?
How do you measure calorie burns?
Do you eat back exercise calories?
1lb a week is a good consistent weight loss...nothing wrong with it. It's not like the weight suddenly appeared on your frame so it's not going to "suddenly" disappear either...it's take a while for you to put on the weight.
I eat 1800 calories a day @143lbs (lost 60) and still lose 1/4lb a week and I am happy with it (trying 140)
If you want to lose the weight do it...but stop making excuses and looking for reasons to give up. 18lbs is not "just not getting anywhere"
this - all of this
tighten up your food logging - weigh everything, log accurately with double checks on other databases, never use homemade or other's recipes, be wary of verified it doesn't mean they're right
half your exercise logging - MFP database and gym machines overestimate. HRM are only for steady state cardio
You can do it
Thank you
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nordlead2005 wrote: »1lb/week is a great result. My wife would kill for 1lb/week over 18 weeks, but she just hasn't stuck with it so she is more like 0.3lb/week. This is a long term project, not a quick fix overnight. And no, you won't die before you lose all the excess fat if you stick with it.
You don't actually need to know how much you weigh to create a proper calorie deficit. You can use trial and error. I also use trial and error in my approach, but use NEAT and had an estimate to start out with rather than having to measure real world results.
This is what you do.
A) Note your current weight (-18, or you could zero the scale again if you want, I don't care)
B ) Eat 1500 calories every day, no cheat days, do not compromise if you want results. Do this for 6 weeks. You can vary the calories per day, but overall it should average 1500 calories.
B.1) log everything, weigh everything, no cheating
B.2) did I mention no cheating?
C) Do resistance training
D) If you do lots of cardio, eat back some of those calories, and yes this will bump you over the 1500 calories/day average (for running/walking you could go with 75 calories per mile)
E) Keep accurate logs, these are critical
F) Every week (same day, same time, same conditions) take your weight.
ok, now that you have all this information, we'll do something useful with it. Do not be discouraged if you only lost 1lb/week. Run the following equation with the information you have (and it has to be as accurate as reasonable possible).
Average Daily Calories Eaten = sum(daily calories eaten) / 42
Weekly loss = (start weight - end weight)/6
Daily Deficit = Weekly Loss * 3500 / 7
TDEE = Daily Deficit + Average Daily Calories Eaten
Ok, now just simply eat 75% of TDEE and recalculate every couple weeks based on the previous 6 weeks. If you find a 25% deficit is too big, then eat at a 20% deficit (or 15% or 10%, find what works for you). You can also use the deficit to estimate weekly weight loss. Ultimately, sticking to it is more important than creating a huge deficit. Also, generally weight loss should be 1-2lb/week or within 1% of your body weight. Since we don't know your body weight you should also target somewhere in the 1-2lb/week range.
As for what to eat, the answer is whatever you want. So long as it isn't composed of 100% saturated fats and candy it is healthy enough. Find what keeps you full and satisfies you. I enjoy a good muffin on occasion, but they don't keep me full so I don't eat them often. Proteins and fats tend to keep you full longer so get ienough of those, but carbs aren't evil so feel free to eat them.
This seems like pretty good advice, I might give this a shot. Thanks
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Girl, you really need to know how much you weigh. I know its painful, but its necessary. Don't let that number have power over you! You alone are responsible for your food and exercise choices. You can do this.
...and I agree that weighing your food is necessary. It's so helpful in re-adjusting our mindset.
Thank you for the advice. I will be strong enough to do it one day. It's my challenge. And you're right I shouldn't let the number rule me.0 -
allenpriest wrote: »The loss so far is great btw
Oh yeah... this, too. A pound a week is just right for sustaining over the long-term. Real life isn't the Biggest Loser Ranch.
I know and unfortunately I have to get this out of my mind. How do they do that! X0 -
allenpriest wrote: »The loss so far is great btw
Oh yeah... this, too. A pound a week is just right for sustaining over the long-term. Real life isn't the Biggest Loser Ranch.
I know and unfortunately I have to get this out of my mind. How do they do that! Xtracyannk28 wrote: »I don't have that much to add to this thread, but 18 pounds is a great loss. That's almost 20 pounds! And if you don't think that's a lot, go to the grocery story and pick up 4 5 pound bags of potatoes and carry them around for a while
That's very true, thank you x0 -
VintageFeline wrote: »Unless you are 200lbs overweight 3-5lbs every week is unrealistic and unhealthy, you will lose a whole bunch of muscle and the heart is a muscle. Not a good idea, that's what will kill you, not taking a few extra months to lose excess body fat!
1lb per week is fantastic, achievable and sustainable. Weighing your food will help you see if you really are only eating 1200 calories, judging by your results I think it unlikely you are eating so little, especially if you don't eat your exercise calories (which will also be inaccurate because both machines and MFP grossly overestimate burn).
But your rate of loss is great, my suggestion is to keep at it, tighten your logging and adjust by results if you don't want to weigh. The number on the scale isn't the only measure of success after all.
Thanks, I don't like to go under 1000 as you get the awful message from MFP tell you off.
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Reading back through, it looks like you're actually losing a fair amount. Way to get it!Natztastic wrote: »
Hey, I am losing but not at the rate I wanted, or expected really - again will the frequent visits to the gym.
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I think your loss so far is fantastic! Everyone's weight loss journey is going to be different: it took me a year to lose 25 lbs. Just remember that every day you stick to it, you are closer than you were. Giving up will only leave you right where you are at...or worse fall back to where you started. So keep your chin up and push on! Set some mini victory goals: -20 lbs...get your nails done...-30 lbs get a massage...ect. Add some motivational friends who will push you to keep moving and keep the end in sight: you've got this! Don't give up on you.0
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SingRunTing wrote: »Natztastic wrote: »I'm sorry or confusing people. I am currently at -36 lbs,this has been since last year, but I have lost 18 of those lbs since the end of July, basically 3 months.
When I say around 1200, yesterday I ate 1174, and burned 934 (according to MPF - according to the gym around half) the day before was my cheat meal where I had 2074 call and burned 834 at the gym. These are pretty consistent numbers.
I suppose my body feels a bit "tighter" having gone to the gym - but I think I would be too big to start gaining muscle over losing fat, but I don't know about that.
To the people who say I need to know my weight or I am babyish or whatever, I agree I also need to know, but trust me if I knew I think I would give up on the whole thing, knowing I have so far to go.
Thanks for all the replies so far, apart from the ones who were mean for no reason.
But 18 pounds in 3 months is 6 pounds a month. That's a great rate of loss. You shouldn't be trying to lose any faster than that.
What you need to adjust is your expectations, not your calories.
Hello, I think you are right. Thank you.0 -
About (not) weighing yourself: you gotta just do it. Your weight is a fact, and it doesn't define you as a person. You need to know how much you weigh so you can accurately set your calorie goal and get a better estimate of your burns at the gym.
About the cheat meals: I feel like if you were truly frustrated by your loss (which you're doing great, in my opinion) you could cut these and see a pretty big decrease in your weight just from less sodium/water weight. Chinese food is loaded with extra salt. You'll probably feel better, too. (Same with packaged foods... and those labels can be off by something like 5-10%, which adds up!)
Do you have a food scale? If you were really basically netting zero calories, you'd be losing at a crazy (unsafe) pace. You're pretty much spinning your wheels until you get some numbers to work with.
You can do this. Don't give up 0
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