I clearly need help!

fluffygoodas

Hi everyone. I'm a 38 year old mom of 6 kids. I am 5'6 currently 286lbs. Since i have known myself i have been big. I wasnt small then gained a bunch. I dont gain any weight during pregnancy, in fact i lose or break even. My weight in the past 15 years has only fluctuated +/- 10 lbs. I'm not an over eater, i don't binge or emotional eat. I just have always eaten "normally" but not necessarily health conscious. I am currently on maternity leave (6 month old) but i work a desk job, drive an hour to and from work so lots of sitting. That is my backstory. No health issues, in general good health, my weight or the way i look doesnt make me upset and im blessed with a husband that finds me very attractive. About 6 weeks ago i decided to beat my luck and get my butt in the gym. Eat healthy. I cut out all beverages except water and green tea. I am tracking my calories on here. I have cut out white flour, rice, bread. I am eating fruits, veggies and lean meats. I havent even allowed myself any indulgence except maybe twice. But instead of full out i just had a quarter portion. I am really enjoying my food. Im finding im way fuller than i used to be. I cannot seem to ever meet my caloric limit. Gym im doing 50-60 cardio 3 x10 reps on 3 different ab crunch machines. Leg presses, some arm weights etc. Im doing this 4-5 times a week. I started at 294 lbs and quickly went to 282lbs. Could someone please explain why the HECK i weigh 286.6 lbs now?

mom22dogs

It's most likely water weight from starting a new exercise routine.

fluffygoodas

I hope so! Just so aggravating. I want to challenge myself and losing is so motivating.

luvthewaves

Some water weight but eating Low carb (at least for me) makes the lbs just drop off

Sheisinlove109

Most likely water weight from a new exercise program or possibly super halt salt foods for a few days in a row will do that to me.

I have similar stats and when I started that's what happened. I've been told that starting a new program makes your muscles need more water for recovery and repair. Unsure if that's true just what I learned here. Good job!

Is low carb sustainable for you in the long term? I find it comes back quickly if I go that route. I just switched to eating within limits and lower carb but not little carb and been quite successful and should be in the long term.

fluffygoodas

Well..im never hungry thats for sure. I'm eating much more than i used to just all good stuff. I feel good which is great. Im the cook and baker in the house and while im on mat leave im so bored so i bake..then sample etc so i figure cut all that out. I have found some great healthier pasta options such as ancient grains pasta or super greens pasta. Honestly, delicious. If i eat bread its 7 grain or rye and i have just one slice..or 2 for a sandwich. I boil eggs..nothing fried and bake chicken breast no skin or fish in the oven. I havent had any high salt foods really but i use a lot of garlic onion and peppers to make things tasty. I felt so proud of myself until i stepped on that stupid scale. Sigh..thanks for the encouragement! Right back at you!

Sunshine6909

You are doing so well, I don't know the answer but, don't give up... that's your challenge!.:-)

fluffygoodas

Thanks! I won't

Misskcm

So many people won't agree with me, but even though I'm not gluten sensitive I stopped eating gluten completely and my body changed dramatically and it has never been so easy to drop pounds.
I'm actually thinking about dropping it again because of how great it made me feel.
If you want a challenge and something that might boost your weight loss you could try that mixed with what you're already doing.
But as people already said... you're doing great, it's probably just a small fluctuation and you never know.. tomorrow you may wake up and be back down to 282.
Good luck my friend!!

fluffygoodas

Thanks! I might try it!

Misskcm

fluffygoodas wrote: »

Thanks! I might try it!

If you do just be sure to research it could completely first!

LisaEatSleepRun

fluffygoodas wrote: »

I'm not an over eater, i don't binge or emotional eat. I just have always eaten "normally" but not necessarily health conscious

Hi OP,

Being 'health conscious' is a separate issue to weight loss, despite what many of us think! Honestly, you just need to eat less and maybe work on what you eat once you see progress. You don't even need to exercise to lose weight, again just eat less than you expend to create a deficit and you will lose weight! Are you sticking to the calorie goal given to you by MFP? That is the key!

mlinci

fluffygoodas wrote: »

Hi everyone. I'm a 38 year old mom of 6 kids. I am 5'6 currently 286lbs. Since i have known myself i have been big. I wasnt small then gained a bunch. I dont gain any weight during pregnancy, in fact i lose or break even. My weight in the past 15 years has only fluctuated +/- 10 lbs. I'm not an over eater, i don't binge or emotional eat. I just have always eaten "normally" but not necessarily health conscious. I am currently on maternity leave (6 month old) but i work a desk job, drive an hour to and from work so lots of sitting. That is my backstory.

Hi fluffygoodas,
First of all best of luck with your weight loss. I am sure the small increase you mention is temporary, as some fluctuation is normal. But I wanted to address the balded part of your post. And I'm saying it from my own experience and with best possible intentions.

If you weigh 286 lbs at 5'6 and your perception was that you are not an over eater, I am afraid to say that you are wrong.

The hardest but by far the most valuable lesson of losing weight is to teach yourself what not overeating actually means. To use myself as an example, before I started a year and a half ago I was convinced I wasn't overeating. I was blaming my ever increasing weight on a slow metabolism, being middle aged and various other things. But the truth was I was overeating, because my weight was in the obese range. Turns out I was eating about 2,500 calories on a good a day while sedentary and this led to a steady weight gain over the years.

So in order to lose weight, I just had to redefine what "eating normal" and "not overeating" actually meant for a woman of my height, activity level and age. And this meant I had to re-learn appropriate portion sizes, particularly for things that are so easily overeaten, like bread, pizza or cake. I'm still learning this every day, and now that I'm maintaining a BMI of about 23, I still need to remind myself daily that the "normal" is 1,900-2,100 calories a day for my current activity level. My body would happily and quickly revert to the old normal of 2,500+ if I didn't continue keeping an eye on it.

scarlett_k

Get a tailor's tape measure and track some of your measurements. Even when the scale stays the same I am often still losing around my waist so I try not to pay too much attention to the scale alone.

cerise_noir

Misskcm wrote: »

So many people won't agree with me, but even though I'm not gluten sensitive I stopped eating gluten completely and my body changed dramatically and it has never been so easy to drop pounds.
I'm actually thinking about dropping it again because of how great it made me feel.
If you want a challenge and something that might boost your weight loss you could try that mixed with what you're already doing.
But as people already said... you're doing great, it's probably just a small fluctuation and you never know.. tomorrow you may wake up and be back down to 282.
Good luck my friend!!

You most likely decreased carbs and calories and dropped water weight as well as fat. It wasn't the gluten if you're not celiac or gluten sensitive (gluten is a protien).

fluffygoodas

mlinci wrote: »

fluffygoodas wrote: »

Hi everyone. I'm a 38 year old mom of 6 kids. I am 5'6 currently 286lbs. Since i have known myself i have been big. I wasnt small then gained a bunch. I dont gain any weight during pregnancy, in fact i lose or break even. My weight in the past 15 years has only fluctuated +/- 10 lbs. I'm not an over eater, i don't binge or emotional eat. I just have always eaten "normally" but not necessarily health conscious. I am currently on maternity leave (6 month old) but i work a desk job, drive an hour to and from work so lots of sitting. That is my backstory.

Hi fluffygoodas,
First of all best of luck with your weight loss. I am sure the small increase you mention is temporary, as some fluctuation is normal. But I wanted to address the balded part of your post. And I'm saying it from my own experience and with best possible intentions.

If you weigh 286 lbs at 5'6 and your perception was that you are not an over eater, I am afraid to say that you are wrong.

The hardest but by far the most valuable lesson of losing weight is to teach yourself what not overeating actually means. To use myself as an example, before I started a year and a half ago I was convinced I wasn't overeating. I was blaming my ever increasing weight on a slow metabolism, being middle aged and various other things. But the truth was I was overeating, because my weight was in the obese range. Turns out I was eating about 2,500 calories on a good a day while sedentary and this led to a steady weight gain over the years.

So in order to lose weight, I just had to redefine what "eating normal" and "not overeating" actually meant for a woman of my height, activity level and age. And this meant I had to re-learn appropriate portion sizes, particularly for things that are so easily overeaten, like bread, pizza or cake. I'm still learning this every day, and now that I'm maintaining a BMI of about 23, I still need to remind myself daily that the "normal" is 1,900-2,100 calories a day for my current activity level. My body would happily and quickly revert to the old normal of 2,500+ if I didn't continue keeping an eye on it.

I meant i eat normally for my family and friends. Most people i know are not on a calorie restriction diet. Yes i understand exactly what you mean however im a naturally large statured person i was 222 lbs at 19 yrs old and looked and felt amazing. I mentioned my eating prior because i have a few friends that eat very differently than me. They are extremely unhealthy and eat fast food everyday. My normal caloric in take can be 1500-2000 depending on what im eating. Yes for me to lose weight i obviously need to lower my intake which i have. I've cut my portions but in some cases because its all healthy and clean eating i feel like im consuming more. I now struggle to eat 1200 per day because im full on the healthier choices. But everyone's body is so different. Thanks for your input.