I'm getting very discouraged

MimiOfTheFraserValley

gabriellax92 wrote: »

I have been eating decent and going to the gym for the past 2 weeks straight. I haven't been seeing much results and keep fluctuating between 1-2 pounds. I have my calories set around 1200 a day. I sometimes go over a couple hundred calories but I have MFP synced with my Fitbit and I'm burning 700-1000 calories a day. I do some weight before cardio at the gym. I run as much as I can on the treadmill for 15 minutes then spend about 20-30 minutes on the elliptical. I work a desk job so this is really the only form of exercise I get. I try to get up and move around throughout the day as much as possible but I'm not seeing any results right now.

Well done for getting out there & doing something about it!! That's often the biggest step, & kudos to you for that!!

You said that you've been "going to the gym for the past 2 weeks straight" - is that without any day off? A rest day at least once a week is very important so that you don't burn out. Also, you can't expect to see fast results. You said that you "haven't been seeing much results" - does this mean that there have been some? Every little positive result is a good thing, & at first you might not even see any weight loss. If you build muscle, as you will if you keep on working out, you have to remember that muscle weighs more than fat. At first, as you build muscle, you won't notice much of a loss, if any. But it will come as you keep on with it.

Please, please, please don't get discouraged! Especially since you're just at the beginning of your journey. You said that you're impatient for your weight to be lost, & that's understandable. But please don't give up. Take a day or two a week to rest & don't push yourself too much. If you don't, you'll just end up with injuries or become super tired, & that'll set you back more than if you make sure to pamper yourself once in a while.

Again, well done for getting started on the road to weight loss - you won't regret any steps you take towards improved health & well being.

Tacklewasher

jenilla1 wrote: »

gabriellax92 wrote: »

Thank you everyone! I promise the day only logged 1 shake that wasn't all I ate lol. It was my fiance's birthday and I just didn't finish my logging that day(went well over my calories also). I will be more mindful and start weighing my portions and entering my recipes... And more patient

One crazy day can wipe out a whole week's deficit. That's why it's important to log even when you know you're going to go way over. At the end of the month, if you want to know why you aren't progressing, you can look back and see how a couple of really wild days can blow the whole month...

But some days you do just need to wing it. There is an entry on MFP called "Superbowl - One Belly Full" for 2000 calories. I used it on Superbowl day. Key is to put in a best guess and not fuss with 100% accuracy on those days. It does make it easier to go back and review if things are not going right.

But your 2 weeks in. Give it some time before getting discouraged making changes.

Afura

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

My suggestion is to keep your diary private: You choose what you eat and how you log and are ultimately only beholden to yourself. People aren't always nice on this forum. If you have or make a close friend that you want to diet with, you can share it with them.

Right now the diary is opened so we can look and give opinions since it's hard to ask someone to write out their entire meals for several days. Most people I don't think are intentionally mean, it just comes out that way when you're trying to point out stuff.

OP - Agreed with many of the other comments. Tighten up the logging is the most important thing for many of us.
Unless you have a recipe set up, don't use the generic entries - and even if that double check where you can (because these are user-created entries, they are inaccurate at times, even chain places). It's a pain, and I have so many recipes listed I won't ever use again, but for logging they were important to make sure I got it right.

Sadly, you can't 100% trust restaurant nutrition either, as they may add more dressing, a large slice of cheese, etc. remember with those it's a general estimate.

Weigh your solids, measure your liquids - it's the best way to be as accurate as possible, those hard boiled eggs can vary in weight even if they are both 'large' or 'medium' (btw, I love that coconut mocha from starbucks). Some of your entries have gram/oz options, I'm not pointing fingers either way if you do or not, but remember weighing every time is vastly more accurate. Especially on your calorie dense foods.

One day can train wreck the week, if not in calories sometimes the sodium has you retaining water for a few days (on my birthday I blew both. But mmm hush puppies).

gabriellax92

MichelleNRgzed wrote: »

gabriellax92 wrote: »

I have been eating decent and going to the gym for the past 2 weeks straight. I haven't been seeing much results and keep fluctuating between 1-2 pounds. I have my calories set around 1200 a day. I sometimes go over a couple hundred calories but I have MFP synced with my Fitbit and I'm burning 700-1000 calories a day. I do some weight before cardio at the gym. I run as much as I can on the treadmill for 15 minutes then spend about 20-30 minutes on the elliptical. I work a desk job so this is really the only form of exercise I get. I try to get up and move around throughout the day as much as possible but I'm not seeing any results right now.

Well done for getting out there & doing something about it!! That's often the biggest step, & kudos to you for that!!

You said that you've been "going to the gym for the past 2 weeks straight" - is that without any day off? A rest day at least once a week is very important so that you don't burn out. Also, you can't expect to see fast results. You said that you "haven't been seeing much results" - does this mean that there have been some? Every little positive result is a good thing, & at first you might not even see any weight loss. If you build muscle, as you will if you keep on working out, you have to remember that muscle weighs more than fat. At first, as you build muscle, you won't notice much of a loss, if any. But it will come as you keep on with it.

Please, please, please don't get discouraged! Especially since you're just at the beginning of your journey. You said that you're impatient for your weight to be lost, & that's understandable. But please don't give up. Take a day or two a week to rest & don't push yourself too much. If you don't, you'll just end up with injuries or become super tired, & that'll set you back more than if you make sure to pamper yourself once in a while.

Again, well done for getting started on the road to weight loss - you won't regret any steps you take towards improved health & well being.

Yes, I usually workout 5 days a week with 2 days of rest. I'm not giving up, I have many times before but this time I won't. I've noticed that my legs seem to be toning more and I am building a bit of muscle in my arms. Plus sooooo much more energy then before. The energy alone is keeping me motivated. I hated how sluggish and tired I felt everyday before I started working out.

Francl27

Use accurate entries, log everything (if you can, get a food scale). When you don't eat homemade food, use higher value entries from the database. I even log my bad days, because at least it's more obvious why I'm not losing weight if I have a 4000 calorie day, you know?

40 fries is way more than 240 calories as well. 1 cup of coleslaw? It can be 200 calories+ with mayo. Also 2 eggs is 140 calories, not 156, and 16oz of black coffee is 5 calories, not 66...

It's not uncommon not to lose in the first 2 weeks though because of water retention when you start to exercise, but yeah, you need to tighten your logging.

mitch16

jenilla1 wrote: »

gabriellax92 wrote: »

Thank you everyone! I promise the day only logged 1 shake that wasn't all I ate lol. It was my fiance's birthday and I just didn't finish my logging that day(went well over my calories also). I will be more mindful and start weighing my portions and entering my recipes... And more patient

One crazy day can wipe out a whole week's deficit. That's why it's important to log even when you know you're going to go way over. At the end of the month, if you want to know why you aren't progressing, you can look back and see how a couple of really wild days can blow the whole month...

Not logging your crazy days because you feel guilty about how much you ate is not a healthy mindset, either, and is a slippery slope--you start not logging this snack here and that snack there... but you are only cheating yourself. Log everything, the good, the bad, the ugly...