I think I need to re look at what I'm doing!

katz6910

I am getting so frustrated, with food, with exercise and most of all myself. Nothing I do seems to be getting me in the right direction at the moment, I'm not losing weight, I'm not losing inches the only things I'm losing is patience and my mind!

I eat roughly 1200 calories (I may eat a couple of exercise calories back if I'm peckish but then I feel guilty) My exercise varies, I've not done much lately due to my kids being ill. Most weeks I walk 3-5 times a week for 2-3 hrs at a time with a buggy/pram/pushchair/stroller. Some days I'd do an hour on the wii fit aswell.

Since being on here I've read that I'm probably not eating enough calories and I should eat back most of my exercise calories. So I'm going to try and aim for 1500 calories a day (scary thought though as I've been gaining on 1200 some weeks) I love fruit and vegetables so I'm always happy to add more of those to my diet.

But for now I'm stuck at this weight and at this size and I'm getting mad at myself for not knowing how to make it different. I'm fitter than I've ever been which is great and I am very pleased about it as I know now that I can run, chase and play with my kids and not feel like I'm about to keel over there on the spot. But I'm still not happy when I look in the mirror. Hoping something budges soon before the binging starts :explode:


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mirrinias

I think, from what I've read from similar threads, that you are eating too little for too much exercise. If you eat so little and exercise so much, your body is going to try its best to hang on to any weight it can. Which is why now if you eat more than 1200 calories, your body goes "YES!! quick, gain a pound so we can keep her alive when she doesn't get enough food!"

I may be wrong, but that's how I interpreted the answers from people who have had this same problem.

sati18

If walking is your primary excercise id suggest getting a fitbit - i think its a fair bit more accurate than the mfp calculations. If you're worried about not losing than eat most but not all of your exercise calories back... that way you avoid feeling like your depriving yourself all the time, because you get to eat more, but you are still relatively sure to be at a deficit.

Remember as well that the goal is a sustainable lifestyle, if what you are doing is making you feel like your going to give up and binge, you need to change that. find a happy medium, if eating less made you lose weight and eating more isn't, then eat a little bit less, so that you still lose, but not so you spend your life refusing anything fun to do with food.

check your salt levels, depending how long you have been doing this and how much salt you are eating, water weight could be hiding your weightloss. id suggest getting a circuit type dvd if you cant get to a class, something like 30 day shred which includes strength workouts and is only 30 mins long so can be slotted into your day easier than a full class. the reason i say this is because i tend to stay roughly the same weight unless i severely restrict my calories which i dont want or need to do, and which leads to me gaining back everything as soon as i eat normally again, but within a couple of months of adding circuits (and therefore strength training) into my routine, i;ve lost an inche off waist and thighs. cardio is awesome for improving fitness, but i believe the strength is by far the best for sculpting and seeing 'real'change.

also, take some measurements other than weight, tape measure hips thighs etc and then check them once a month. that type of thing is far more useful than a scale imo

ladynocturne

I agree with eating more, especially on days you exercise.

Technically you need to at least net 1200 calories, which may end up being 1500 for you, but I don't know how many calories you typically burn exercising. Just be aware that there are some exercises on MFP that can be a little exaggerated such as the elliptical, I usually eat 80% of my calories back when I log for the elliptical machine.

The best is to eat (net) at least your BMR, this will keep you from losing a lot of lean muscle mass while you're losing fat.

I want you to know that when you up your calories, you're naturally taking in more grams of food as well as sodium. These two things combined cause extra waste storage as well as water retention. It is normal to see a gain on the scale, it is temporary, so don't stress out.

Bekahmardis

I'll give you a hint: I'm 5'3", 42 years old, at my maintenance weight of 110 lbs, sedentary job. I got a FitBit (great tool!) and in order to MAINTAIN my weight here, I have to eat at least 1550 calories. I tend to NET right around 1250 - 1300, but I definitely EAT 1500 or more calories. That's to maintain at 110 pounds!

So yeah, NET your 1200, but if you can't do that by eating what you are currently eating, then eat more. Also: try heavy lifting. Change up your routine - instead of walking, try a jog here and there, or grab some dumbbells and struggle to lift it 6-8 times...it needs to be REALLY HARD to lift.

Gain some muscle, watch the calorie count (it needs to be higher, most likely!) and you'll be okay.

katz6910

I'm not a salty food lover, so sodium is usually fine. I tend to go over my sugar (yoghurt and fruit) and protein too. I've definately not been drinking enough water lately though so I know I need to start that back up again. I take all my measurements and though over the course of losing the 90lb I've lost so far I've lost a lot of inches too but these last few months nothing has budged. I'm going to try for eating my BMR which is 1545 and see how that goes. It just a little freaky, the concept of eating more to lose weight, to me at first.

Thanks for the replies :happy:


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Bekahmardis

*smile* You're not the only one who has trouble with the concept, so you aren't alone. I had that trouble at first as well. My BMR is low - 1205, so I had less of a struggle than most, but it was still there.

Do NOT get discouraged if you see an initial gain of a pound or two when you start eating your BMR! That is NORMAL and will steady out and then you'll see the drop happen again. It may take a few weeks, but you'll be fine.

Good luck!

ladynocturne

I'm not a salty food lover, so sodium is usually fine. I tend to go over my sugar (yoghurt and fruit) and protein too. I've definately not been drinking enough water lately though so I know I need to start that back up again. I take all my measurements and though over the course of losing the 90lb I've lost so far I've lost a lot of inches too but these last few months nothing has budged. I'm going to try for eating my BMR which is 1545 and see how that goes. It just a little freaky, the concept of eating more to lose weight, to me at first.

Thanks for the replies :happy:

I understand.

Just know that for a normal person (without thyroid issues, PCOS, or high metabolic damage) it's impossible to gain fat eating your BMR. So don't fear. That's just how many calories your body would need to run if you were in a coma, you burn a lottttt more just during your normal hustle and bustle of the day.

katz6910

Fitbit is out, I looked into it but I just cant afford it but hopefully in the future

30 day shred, I will definitely get a copy of this and see how I get on. I do have a fitness dvd (mainly dancing) but I dont get on well with it as I have no rhythm :laugh:


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katz6910

[/quote]

I understand.

Just know that for a normal person (without thyroid issues, PCOS, or high metabolic damage) it's impossible to gain fat eating your BMR. So don't fear. That's just how many calories your body would need to run if you were in a coma, you burn a lottttt more just during your normal hustle and bustle of the day.
[/quote]

Thank you, that helps to know


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brit__2006

I know how you feel, but just to give ya a little confidence. I hit a plateau and was busting my butt doing pretty much everything right watching everything and eating less carbs. Well the last 3 days I went up in my calories from 1350 (and eating most calories back) to 1800-2000. And guess who already lost weight. Yea me. I was suprised as heck. Now it may be a fluke, but it's worth the shot. Also mfp sets protein too low for most people so you probably aren't getting "too much" protein. That's kinda hard. If you come across a polar ft4 (don't have, but heard good things about) or a polar ft7 (love mine) I would get it because you will see how wrong the mfp calculations are for you. It may show you burning 400 calories yet you only did 200. Which can be kinda depression, but that might be the extra calories each week that are keeping you at a stall. But like the others said, if you're working out often. I can bet 1200 isn't enough for you.

Krista916

Are you doing any strength training or weight lifting at all? You may want to consider adding some weights to your routine. Building lean muscle may kick start the weight loss again.

wamydia

I'm not a salty food lover, so sodium is usually fine. I tend to go over my sugar (yoghurt and fruit) and protein too. I've definately not been drinking enough water lately though so I know I need to start that back up again. I take all my measurements and though over the course of losing the 90lb I've lost so far I've lost a lot of inches too but these last few months nothing has budged. I'm going to try for eating my BMR which is 1545 and see how that goes. It just a little freaky, the concept of eating more to lose weight, to me at first.

Thanks for the replies :happy:


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I feel your pain. I got just over 100lbs lost and everything just stopped. I ended up being completely plateaued for 1 1/2yrs and have finally recently starting losing again. Things I learned while trying to break through my plateau:

1. It is super easy to get lax on exercise and food tracking and not even realize it. Make sure that you are planning for a healthy calorie intake (which should probably be higher as many suggested), but then make sure that you are honestly accounting for what you are eating. Weigh and measure if it will help you. If you put it in your mouth, log it. When you exercise, be completely honest about the time, speed, and exertion. I know these things seem very elementary, but it is so easy to get more and more relaxed over time and not even notice what you are doing differently.
2. It is important to change up your exercise routine. Try some new things, like an aerobics class, swimming, or team sports. If you really love to walk, try changing the schedule and intensity around (start walking every day, but only for an hour. Walk 2.5mpg for a day, then 3.5mph for 2 days, then back to 2.5mph. When that gets old, go back to your longer walks less often for a while). I agree that adding in weight lifting, even light weights, can make a difference because it helps your muscle continue to burn calories even after the exercise is over.
3. Don't get lazy at home. Try not to spend the entire evening vegging in from of the TV. Get up and do some housework or gardening or whatever each evening. It's super easy to slowly sink back into a sedentary lifestyle without realzing what you are doing.
4. It's important to keep drinking lots of water. It impacts so many facets of weight loss and it's been a revelation to me how much easier the weight is coming off since I started being strict about water intake again.
5. The truth is that sometimes your body just needs to take a break. All of the weight loss is very demanding on your entire system and there is some evidence out there that prolonged calorie deficit can eventually make it harder and harder to lose weight. Some people benefit from just taking a break from the weight loss and going on to maintenance for a few months before trying again.

Just some thoughts that I hope can help. Good luck and may your plateau be shorter than mine!

katz6910

Thanks Everyone. Hopefully it will all change from here :drinker:


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