In need of advice, today

lvnwell2day

My 2nd week on MFP is coming to a close and I am feeling very discouraged. I have been on a diet, of some sort, every year for the last 21 years, since my freshman year in College. I have literally done almost every diet out there at least once. Each time that I have started a diet, I would always lose a significant amount of weight the first couple of weeks. But not this time. I lost 2 1/2 lbs the fist week and this week it looks like I might gain a lb...ugh I have been exercising, Zumba 4 times a week. I am eating less than the recommended calories. I eat between 1350 - 1400 calories (recommended 1660) each day and I don't eat the additional calories given when I work out. I have 100+ lbs to lose and I am already feeling like throwing in the towel.

I can say that I am eatig more Sugar than recommended, but I am staying below the total Carbs. I am also eating more protein. I am feeling like since I turned the the big 40 this year, things are different and I will not be able to make it work. I have never felt so discouraged during the first couple of weeks of making a change.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Feeling Lost and in need of help

shellylb52

Don't give up! Keep doing what you are doing. Do you weigh and measure your food? If not, I would recommend it. Also, keep moving! You can do this!:flowerforyou:

primalpam

If you are 100 pounds overweight, eating 1400 calories per day and NOT eating back your exercise calories, you are not eating enough. Your body will not shed weight if it feels it is being malnourished. Eat ALL of your 1660 calories....every single one of them. And if you burn 500 doing Zumba, eat more. eAT!!!!

bonitacash08

I know it's frustrating but you're not following the plan so how can you expect results? MFP gives you a goal; you have to meet it. That includes eating back the calories you burn through exercise.

I could go into detail explaining why you actually have to eat more calories to lose weight, but that would bore me and probably you too lol.

You have to trust the system. MFP is a wonderful tool if used correctly. Don't take it upon yourself to go to extremes to make your results faster. 2lbs per week loss is perfect for someone with the amount of weight you have to lose, and as you get closer to goal it'll start coming off slower.

Be patient. You may have been "dieting" for the past 21 years but now you need to make real changes, not quick fixes and temporary restrictions.

jacksonpt

Most mass marketed diets are setup that way... a lot of short term progress, but largely unsustainable long term.

MFP, when done right, is just the opposite. Slower weight loss that is more easily sustained long term. Because it's slower progress, you'll have some weeks where you see noticeable weight loss, and other weeks where you don't see any, or even small gains.

This is due to a couple of reasons... 1) weight loss is never linear. There are so many variables that you can't simply say a certain deficit = a certain weight loss all the time in all circumstances. 2) scale weight is highly variable. It's impacted by fat mass, muscle mass, bone mass, water weight, etc etc. Hormones, digestion, muscle inflammation and more can all impact scale weight. So just because the number on the scale doesn't change the way you think it should doesn't mean you aren't still making progress.


On a side note, I think you would be well served to change your mindset a bit. Look at this as more of a long term process than a short term solution. I'd also try to focus a little less on the scale.

lvnwell2day

Thanks, Shelby for your support. Yes I weigh my food. I am thinking about exercising everyday not just 4 days a week.

jacksonpt

If you are 100 pounds overweight, eating 1400 calories per day and NOT eating back your exercise calories, you are not eating enough. Your body will not shed weight if it feels it is being malnourished. Eat ALL of your 1660 calories....every single one of them. And if you burn 500 doing Zumba, eat more. eAT!!!!

Shut up! Stop spreading such nonsense. With 100lbs to lose, starvation mode just ain't gunna happen, especially at 1400 cals for 2 weeks.

confetti_blind

It sounds cliched but I think you need to look at it differently - this is a lifestyle change and that is why, this time, it will work for you. Don't expect to lose a huge amount each week or even each month. But little by little, you will see the pounds melt away

You say that you have been on a huge number of "diets" and previously lost a lot of weight in the first two weeks. But, presumably, that weight has come back which is why you are still searching for weight loss solutions.

But this time, you have actually lost 2.5lbs and that is a perfectly respectable and sustainable weight loss. That is a good amount to lose. This time, if you stick with the plan, it might actually work for LIFE and not be just another diet which achieved nothing in the longterm...

LYNN8SUPERSTAR

Great article posted by one of mfp


roetheengineer ???? Article: PLEASE READ LADIES!!! By Chalene Johnson Probably the most common question I get when I release a new exercise program is, "Help! I'm gaining weight! Am I doing something wrong?" This is a common phenomenon with any new exercise program, such as Turbo Kick, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Hustle, or others! It's especially common (and temporary) with intense strength training programslike ChaLEAN Extreme or Tony Horton's P90X. The motivation to start a new exercise program is almost always to lose weight. However, what most personal trainers know--and most at-home exercisers do not--is that a new exercise program often can cause an immediate (and temporary) increase on the scale. (Notice I didn't say weight gain! I'll explain.) This common increase in the scale is also the reason why perhaps millions of people start and then quickly quit their resolution to get fit. The temporary weight gain explained: When someone starts a new exercise program, they often experience muscle soreness. The more intense and "unfamiliar" the program, the more intense the muscle soreness. This soreness is most prevalent 24 to 48 hours after each workout. In the first few weeks of a new program, soreness is the body trying to "protect and defend" the effected or targeted tissue. Exercise physiologists refer to this as delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. This type of soreness is thought to be caused by tissue breakdown or microscopic tears in muscle tissue. When this happens, the body protects the tissue. The muscle becomes inflamed and slightly swollen due to fluid retention. This temporary retention of fluid can result in a 3- to 4-pound weight gain within a few weeks of a new program. Keep in mind that muscle soreness is not necessarily a reflection of how hard you worked. In fact, some people feel no signs of muscle soreness, yet will experience the muscle protection mechanisms of water retention and slight swelling. Most people are motivated enough to put up with this temporary muscle soreness. Yet, many, especially those who really need immediate weight loss to keep them motivated, become discouraged and quit! When I worked with a group of 70 test participants during the development stages of ChaLEAN Extreme, this happened. Who was the most upset and discouraged? You guessed it... the women! I'm happy to report absolutely for every single woman (and man) in our group, the weight increase was temporary and never lasted more than two weeks before they started to see a major drop in the scale. However, these people had the advantage of working with someone who was able to explain to them why this was happening and assure them the weight would come off if they stuck to the nutrition plan and stayed true to the program. If you follow a multi-phase exercise plan, such as ChaLEAN Extreme, keep in mind that when you start each phase, your body will be "in shock" again. Don't be surprised or discouraged if you experience a temporary gain on the scale the first week of each phase. My own personal example of this is running 10Ks. I don't do it very often, maybe once or twice a year. Even though I run on a regular basis, when you run a race, you push much harder. It's natural for me to be insanely sore the next day. It’s also very common for me to see the scale jump 4 pounds the next day from forcing fluids post race and the resulting DOMS. Even though I know the cause of it, it's still a bummer. We're all human and hard work should mean results. Hard work equals results, but our bodies are amazing machines and they know how to protect us from hurting ourselves. Soreness forces you to give those muscles a break. Ultimately you will lose the weight and you will change your metabolism in the process. The key is understanding that this is a normal and temporary and stick with the program! When to be concerned: If you experience a significant weight gain (exceeding 5 pounds) that does not begin to decrease rapidly after the second week, guess what it is? I'll give you one hint... you put it in your mouth and chew it. You know it! Your food (or calorie-laden beverages). News flash, friends… exercise doesn't make you gain weight. Consuming more food than you burn makes you gain weight! So if after two weeks you are not losing weight and have gained weight that's not coming off, it's time to take a close and honest look at your food intake. Start using SparkPeople's Nutrition Tracker regularly, and be honest. Moral of the story: Be patient young grass hopper. You'll be lean and mean in no time!

ranchmimi

I am replying as a woman who gave up in her 30's, 40's 50's 60's - and finally in my 70's I have realized if I give up all I will do is gain weight. I have finally listened to my body - am eating right - and if am lucky I lose about 2 - 3 pounds a MONTH! At that rate it will take me 2 years to get to the weight I can live with! No - it is not easy! Yes - it gets very frustrating! But in the long run it is worth it! It has taken me since Oct 2011 to lose 28 pounds. Not very promising results - but I fit into some clothes I have not worn in 20 years - people are beginning to notice the difference - I feel 100% better - I have incredible energy - and the best part of it is - I really feel good about my progress - be it slow! DON'T GIVE UP! Be honest and think what will happen if you give up! Good luck to you - and if you need a friend to motivate you sign me up!

Alwayssohungry

Stop dieting and just eat well within a calorie deficit.

Your metabolism is probably way out of whack from years of dieting AND turning 40. Weigh-in everyday to know how your body reacts to different foods and exercises. I fluctuate by 5 pounds during a week. After a heavy workout I gain 5 pounds, when I eat salty foods I gain, but by the end of the week I usually balance out. More/less protein doesn't seem to effect me and more/less fat doesn't seem to effect me. Pick the time od day/week that you weigh the least and make that your weekly weigh-day. But sontinue to weigh every morning to see how different foods and exercises effect your weight.

Don't guage your success by your weight - no one can see what you weigh, they can see how you look. Do you look and feel healthier ? Be realistic here too. Step back from your emotions and really think about it.

Eat healthy and move more and slowly but surely things will change. The slower the changes happen the more permenant they will be. You need to look at this as a change of lifestyle, not a diet. It's obvious you can't do 'diets' so this is a lifestyle change for you. Diets end, lifestyles don't.

Good luck !

SideSteel

Thanks, Shelby for your support. Yes I weigh my food. I am thinking about exercising everyday not just 4 days a week.

Have you recently started exercising from a previously sedentary condition? I'm going to assume that when you started the diet two weeks ago, you also started your exercise program.

If this is the case, I'd suggest you disregard weight fluctuations for the next couple of weeks.

Focus on getting your exercise in, keep your calorie intake about where it is now, be as accurate as you can with weighing your food and measuring and tracking consistently, and reserve judgement for a few weeks.

primalpam

If you are 100 pounds overweight, eating 1400 calories per day and NOT eating back your exercise calories, you are not eating enough. Your body will not shed weight if it feels it is being malnourished. Eat ALL of your 1660 calories....every single one of them. And if you burn 500 doing Zumba, eat more. eAT!!!!

Shut up! Stop spreading such nonsense. With 100lbs to lose, starvation mode just ain't gunna happen, especially at 1400 cals for 2 weeks.

Thanks for telling me to shut up. I am sure you are much nicer than you seem. I don't think she is starving. But.....her goal is 1660. She is eating closer to 1300 and not eating back her calories, which means she is netting around 800-900 calories. I'm sure you would agree that is not healthy.

ShellK71

don't give up yet. its only been 2 weeks. if your building muscle during exercise that actually weighs more than fat . also check to see if your eating or exercising the same. If yes change it up just a little. see if that helps.

SideSteel

If you are 100 pounds overweight, eating 1400 calories per day and NOT eating back your exercise calories, you are not eating enough. Your body will not shed weight if it feels it is being malnourished. Eat ALL of your 1660 calories....every single one of them. And if you burn 500 doing Zumba, eat more. eAT!!!!

Shut up! Stop spreading such nonsense. With 100lbs to lose, starvation mode just ain't gunna happen, especially at 1400 cals for 2 weeks.

Thanks for telling me to shut up. I am sure you are much nicer than you seem. I don't think she is starving. But.....her goal is 1660. She is eating closer to 1300 and not eating back her calories, which means she is netting around 800-900 calories. I'm sure you would agree that is not healthy.

Whether or not that's unhealthy would depend largely on the nutrient quantity of the foods she's selecting. The lower you get with calories the more important nutrient density becomes simply because you have less food to meet nutrient needs.

Having said that, I don't think that calorie level is necessarily dangerous.

Lastly, it's very common for people to consume more calories than they think, even with an attempt at accurate tracking.

CoderGal

Weight is never going to be a constant. Even if you stopped eating all together your weight will fluctuate. This is normal and healthy and good. Don't fight that.

Also, I advise you eat more. A healthy female adult needs about 2000 to get the majority of their nutrients. Don't try to cut your calories by a boat load, it makes you lose water weight, but most of it isnt going to be fat, it's going to be initially water, some of that water would be of benefit for body repair. Eating more won't suppress your metabolism add badly either. But if you prefer to eat little that choice is yours. Try to get enough fat and protein in your system if you do

jacksonpt

If you are 100 pounds overweight, eating 1400 calories per day and NOT eating back your exercise calories, you are not eating enough. Your body will not shed weight if it feels it is being malnourished. Eat ALL of your 1660 calories....every single one of them. And if you burn 500 doing Zumba, eat more. eAT!!!!

Shut up! Stop spreading such nonsense. With 100lbs to lose, starvation mode just ain't gunna happen, especially at 1400 cals for 2 weeks.

Thanks for telling me to shut up. I am sure you are much nicer than you seem. I don't think she is starving. But.....her goal is 1660. She is eating closer to 1300 and not eating back her calories, which means she is netting around 800-900 calories. I'm sure you would agree that is not healthy.

Who said anything about being healthy? Not the OP. And not your original post.

For 2 weeks, OP could net 500 cals and still lose weight. Low intake is NOT the reason for the inconsistent weight loss.

Now, if you want to take the thread in a different direction (focus more on overall health), then yes... I probably agree, eat more, talk about macros and food sources, etc. But if you want to go that route, simply eating more isn't a sufficient answer. I could eat more Whoppers, but that's probably not what most would consider healthy.

uscooleys

First -- remember you didn't gain all the weight overnight and you are not going to lose it. This is a lifestyle change not a diet. I agree that you need to eat to goal --- not eating enough can make you tired and start to undermine your will power. I have my activity level set to sedentary because i am at a desk all day and I log my exercise. I eat some of my exercise calories back as well. I know if I don't eat to goal, I am tempted to binge. I have only been on here about 6 weeks BUT by making small changes in my habits and staying consistent with the MFP goals, I am slowly losing the weight and I don't feel discouraged.

Good luck!!!

WillowWindow

You may have developed some unreal expectations if you've been believing what all those diets promised. There is no holy grail or magic diet that makes multiple pounds melt away overnight, and really if you look at how much fat that 2 pounds really is, ( look at 2 lbs of ground meat at the grocery store) you will realize that your body is working hard to release that fat safely. You really wouldn't want to lose much more than that. The reason people lose a lot of weight when beginning a diet is WATER loss not fat. The water comes right back on (up to about 5 lbs) when you eat normally again. Please realize that to succeed you need to think of this as a learning experience and lifestyle change for the rest of your life. As you begin to log and notice when and what foods you eat, and try to eat healthier and exercise, try to focus on the increased health and well- being you are experiencing. Most people notice that their blood pressure, cholesteral numbers decrease and stamina increases. Try to exercise and eat in a way that is sustainable for you over the long term rather than an intervention that you will stop as soon as you lose the weight or get tired or exasperated because your body is not reacting as you wish. Treat yourself and your body kindly, maybe make small changes gradually if you need to -- the diary will help you see what works. Overall it's better to ease into the program rather than go full speed at a highly uncomfortable level and burn out. I know peple here will give you a lot of help and advice; this is a highly supportive community which helps a lot. Good luck and good health to you.

LifeWithPie

2 weeks! You've lost 2.5 lbs. and you're this upset? I don't get it.
Perhaps you need a tiny bit more patience. For god's sake. Its only been 2 weeks.

deb3129

Do not get discouraged because you did not lose this week. Just give it a little time, it's too soon to get discouraged. I also think maybe you might need to be eating more calories. Find a good calculator online that tells you how much you should be eating, and go by that. I was 41 when I started losing weight, and now I am down 121 pounds, so it CAN be done