Soooo frustrated

freesoul

I have been going to the gym very consistently for a month and a half now, 3 times a week. I do a variety of things, I enjoy it okay, and I walk local trails for about 45 min on most the days I don't workout. My body is getting firmer and stronger and Im starting to have more energy a bit.

But I have only lost 1 lb! I have a very hard time controlling my diet...esp sweets. I hate it that I have a belly and that I look chubby. I'm starting to feel like there's no point- I'm going to be chubby anyways since I'm older now, and I can't seem to stop eating...

It's just a rant, I know. Please bear with me. Honestly, I'm afraid I'm gonna give up. I have depression and the exercise is super good for me regardless of my weight- but I also have issues with how I look, and don't go out anymore because I'm ashamed of the extra 25 lbs I put on. It's horrible I know, we are not supposed to feel that way in the age of body positivity but there you go!

I'm actually averaging about 1700 calories a day. Just too much junk though...it's good that I don't restrict so much, I think? I used to diet like crazy (1000-1200 cals day) but it made me sick and obsessed so I don't want to go there again

tinkerbellang83

You say you're averaging about 1700 calories per day, are you logging accurately (with a food scale)? You can exercise as much as you like but you must be in a calorie deficit to lose the weight. If you're not logging accurately you may still be eating more than you think.

Also how often are you weighing in? Where are you in your menstrual cycle when you have weighed?
Women's bodies retain water as a result of hormonal changes throughout the cycle (not just during your period) and this can mask weight loss, if you're weighing in-frequently you may have just weighed in on a day when you are retaining a lot of water and actually could have lost more fat than you thought.

Additionally as you're training at the gym more often than you were, that also can cause the body to retain more water to repair the muscles.

Stick at it: log accurately and honestly, stick to your calorie goals as much as possible and the weight will come off, you just have to be patient.

kristikitter

Are you -

Weighing everything you eat?
Logging accurately (related to the above)?
Eating back exercise cals?
Logging exercise cals correctly - HR monitors/gym machines can overestimate massively?
Eating enough/meeting the goals MFP gives you?

KirbySmith46

Your body can retain water for 6 weeks or more when you first start working out. I've experienced this myself. Please don't give up! You'll be glad you didn't!

vivelajackie

You can't outrun a bad diet. That being said, it sounds like you're doing great work and maybe you should be taking measurements instead of relying solely on the scale. The number on that thing isn't the key to your success.

Make sure you are logging as accurately as possible. Definitely don't drive yourself mad and cut away all your calories like in the past, especially with how active you are. Keep it up!

graydreams

Hi, I am really sorry to hear you are feeling frustrated and uncomfortable with your body to the point that you avoid going out. Yes that is really demoralising that you only lost 1 lb when you seem to have been doing this for a few weeks. Depression is a real monster. Sorry I do not really know what to help you but I just wanted to say I am sorry for what you are going through, if you ever need to talk feel free to hit my inbox.

Xymheia

Keep going to the gym and the trails, you're doing great. Nobody's judging you for working out to lose a few pounds, on the contrary, most people are decent and supportive or at least neutral if you chat with them. If you want to, perhaps you can find some support with fellow trailwalkers/runners in your area. Gym goers tend to either mind their own business or help others out. Maybe they have lost some weight themselves as well. As for body positivity, some people truly feel positive about themselves regardless of their size and shape, but others mask how they really feel. My point is that you're not a freak for feeling less than proud and wanting to get fit. Neither are you for having gained a bit throughout the years.

1000-1200 kcal is low, especially if your maintenance is higher than 1400, you don't need to eat that little to lose weight. If you (nearly) maintain at 1700, try eating around 1500 for a reasonable rate of loss. 25 lbs is not that much, you can lose it in 6 months to a year if you measure and track. You can also measure your waist and hips regularly to see if you're progressing, but you can appear to gain a bit in the beginning or when you increase the intensity of your workouts because of water retention and muscle building. You also don't need to eat healthy 100 % of your calories, 90 % is fine and means that you can still have the occasional sweet or dessert and not feel deprived of your favorite foods. Moderation is key however.

Sunna_W

Many people think that you have to make many life-style changes all at once and in my opinion, that is not sustainable. As a former over weight person, who got that gradually due to aging, stress and slowing metabolism and menopause, the thought of exercising made me nervous because just walking more than a quarter mile would make me sick. I fiddled around with eating the same and just reducing calories and I was "hangry" (hungry and angry) and couldn't imagine "dieting" as a way of life.

When I started this last November, as a 193 lb 5'6" woman, my calorie limit was 1400 calories per day to lose 1 to 2 lbs a week. That is also my "maintenance" calories. I didn't want to lose too fast because as an older woman, my skin is not as elastic as it once was and I was trying to minimize a dramatic weight loss.

After several months of fits and starts and no results I kind of fell into Paleo / Keto (high protein / fat with low, low sugar and carbs) and I cannot imagine not eating this way pretty much forever. I am not hungry.

I seem to be able to stay within my nutrition / calorie goals and I FEEL better. No aches, pains and I have lost almost 40 lbs almost without trying. (And, I am not always strict about eating no carbs -- I still occasionally allow myself some of the things that I like, {{{FRENCH FRIES}}} - just not more than once a week)

The benefit to this way of eating is dramatic all over fat reduction - particularly on my abdomen, arms, butt and alas "the girls".

My weight last night was 157 lbs. I do NOT exercise beyond walking to and from my car and to the building across the street from my office for meetings. I average maybe a mile a day walking around work and at my house.

I suppose that with the exercise that you are doing that you would actually have more dramatic results. When I was younger and exercising, I was able to lose weight just with exercise alone. My body was burning calories / fat and I wasn't hungry. Now, is a different story for me. Try just getting the sugar / junk out of the house so that it doesn't tempt you.

I also encourage you to look at food differently by thinking about high protein/fat/fiber and low carbs/sugar meal planning (Paleo or Ketogenic). See this website for a list: http://paleoiq.com/best-paleo-diet-blogs/

I include some very nutrient dense foods (a protein shake* for breakfast and a "blended" meal for lunch along with some mushrooms and mixed greens along with some Greek yogurt and shredded coconut) to assist with supporting collagen and muscle maintenance. The added fat in these meals keep me from being hungry and are within my calorie limit.

Note: If you restrict carbs you must get energy from good fats. These good fats burn the bad fat off your body. Really... not kidding.

For the idea behind blended meals, see this website for details: http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/

* I make up my own from plain protein powder with no additives in an effort to "eat clean". I also don't eat many "prepared foods" out of cans or boxes. I have also noticed that even meat at many restaurants now arrive "pre-treated" with things to make them last longer in the freezer and I am working on eliminating these things from my diet also.

freesoul

Thank you all for your feed back!!! Sorry about this late response- I had to double shift these couple days, no time...

I will take your advice into consideration and try to be patient.

What do people think is a good calorie intake to aim for, for someone that is 5 feet tall and 135 lbs? Some of you suggested that 1200 cals is too low, but that is what the fitness pal app put me at..so I don't know. I am not very active at work and spend a lot of my after work time watching tv. I do go to the gym 3 times a week: I do synergy classes, Zumba, barre classes...step classes...yoga...also walk about 45 on trails 2-3 times a week on average (on top of gym).

What would be adequate? I am averaging maybe 1500-1700 and maintaining

freesoul

PS: I dont log my exercise calories- at all. So I am not "eating them back" or anything. And I might be under-estimating or something, because I don't use a scale...I use a cup so measures are approximate. My family would freak if they saw me weight my food...long story short, it would kinda be a red flag for issues, as they would see it

tinkerbellang83

freesoul wrote: »

Thank you all for your feed back!!! Sorry about this late response- I had to double shift these couple days, no time...

I will take your advice into consideration and try to be patient.

What do people think is a good calorie intake to aim for, for someone that is 5 feet tall and 135 lbs? Some of you suggested that 1200 cals is too low, but that is what the fitness pal app put me at..so I don't know. I am not very active at work and spend a lot of my after work time watching tv. I do go to the gym 3 times a week: I do synergy classes, Zumba, barre classes...step classes...yoga...also walk about 45 on trails 2-3 times a week on average (on top of gym).

What would be adequate? I am averaging maybe 1500-1700 and maintaining

You're literally on the border of a healthy weight for your height so only need to be set at a loss rate of 0.5lb per week really. Thats a deficit of 250 calories per day so 1250-1450 if you're maintaining on 1500-1700.

You are going to continue to struggle with accuracy if you are using cups to measure your food.

Try focusing on some sort of strength training and ensure you're getting enough protein this will help you maintain lean muscle whilst you are losing weight and in turn appear more toned.

middlehaitch

freesoul wrote: »

Thank you all for your feed back!!! Sorry about this late response- I had to double shift these couple days, no time...

I will take your advice into consideration and try to be patient.

What do people think is a good calorie intake to aim for, for someone that is 5 feet tall and 135 lbs? Some of you suggested that 1200 cals is too low, but that is what the fitness pal app put me at..so I don't know. I am not very active at work and spend a lot of my after work time watching tv. I do go to the gym 3 times a week: I do synergy classes, Zumba, barre classes...step classes...yoga...also walk about 45 on trails 2-3 times a week on average (on top of gym).

What would be adequate? I am averaging maybe 1500-1700 and maintaining

Without exercise, and depending on your age, 1200 excluding exercise sounds about right.
If you are not counting your exercise calories 1400 would probably have you in a .5-1lbs deficit.

I was 5'1, 130 lbs, and 54, 1200 was the calorie goal that worked for me, however I ate back all my exercise calories and that gave me an extra 200-250 calories a day. If I decided I needed a break from exercise I would drop to my 1200 base.

Cheers, h.