Struggling to keep going

Mikkimeow

Hi everyone,

I have been working on losing weight and venturing into powerlifting for the last year. I want to start competing by the end of 2018, and trying to adopt the slow and steady aproach with weight loss and muscle/strength growth. That being said, I have lost the same ten pounds over the last six months. I have noticed that a large part of it is because I really have not had a single weekend where I stick to my macros and working out. I am a single mom, and mentally and physically I am exhausted by Friday. I find myself struggling to get to the gym, and with my fridge empty by the weekend, I never get to the point where I stick to eating right and working out. I have gotten healthier, I have built muscle over the last six months, I have a bit more energy, and my bones and back do not hurt like they used to. But, I know I have really failed at staying consistent.

Now, I know what my problem is. I recognize these are choices, and I need to do better if I want to succeed. My question is, I need better habits, better ideas for how to stick to eating well and continuing to exercise. Does anyone have ideas on how to avoid bingeing and succumbing to end of week exhaustion? I feel like an empty battery and I want to be able to rest up and still take care of my health. For questions sake, here are my stats:

Female, 25 years old, 5'6", trying to lose about 100 pounds.

Workouts: Stronglifts 5x5 three times per week with additional 30 mins of cardio 4 times per week. I also do accessory work for grip strength and isolating muscles on non Stronglifts days.

Calorie intake: 2264 per day with 170 protein, 113 fat, 142 carb

Any thoughts would be really helpful. Thank you all in advance.

maggibailey

That feels like a decadent number of calories to me! But I don't power lift . Planning. I was a single mom working two jobs for three years and it is all about planning. You know you will be exhausted by Friday so plan for it. Do your meal plan and shop on sunday if it works for you. Then have your meals premade for the weekend so you are all set to stay in your calories. If you come home exhausted and your choices are cool a delicious healthy meal from scratch with a kid on each leg, or grab a burger and fries and slouch on the couch the second choice will no doubt win. If you have a proportioned already made delicious mea in your fridge it will be much easier to grab it.

Thehardmakesitworthit

Meal prep for yourself and zone in on your calorie tracking. My experience has been that when I look honestly at myself, my inconsistancy is always with the calories. Always. I so love the exercise part that I think, in my mind, I think I can exercise away my poor food choices.....but you cant. Much luck to you and you can do it!!!!

jaza48

Pick a priority, lose the weight or increase strength. Trying to both is a challenge that you're obviously not being successful at. I would make the priority my health. That means getting your diet squared away first. Once you get your diet discipline on track then start lifting again. Set a goal of 10 pounds loss. Looking at number of 100 is too big.

rugratz2015

Sometimes I don't want to 'meal plan' but I make sure to have basics in do I can grab something quick when it's late/I'm tired/don't want to cook. Potato farls can be heated straight from the freezer, usually eaten with poached eggs and smoked salmon or ham, with spinach or a salad. Omelettes are another 'go to'. Cereal or overnight oats are also good.
I don't know much about exercise, but maybe at the weekends try and involve your kids, beach walk, walk in the park, anything to keep moving.
Decide your priorities and work from there, but remember to be good to yourself and that Rome wasn't built in a day. Best wishes x

geltner1

A good way to avoid bingeing (at home) is environmental control. Keep your kitchen stocked with healthful foods and snacks. When I buy the cookies etc, they are always eaten. Maybe not immediately, but they are always eaten. Is your calorie count what MFP suggests to reach your weight loss goals?

Yoyoghurt

Hi. You may also not be getting enough sleep and that is contributing to your exhaustion. Try getting an extra 1/2 hour sleep each week night (or napping or resting quietly in the dark) will do if you have trouble unwinding) and see if that helps. Good luck.

nowine4me

IMO, you need to pick a lane. Then plan accordingly. I certainly would not advocate you stop lifting, but if losing 100# is your priority, it seems like it would years and years to get there at your current calories. I'm 5-7 and 145 and maintain at 2200 net. My workout routine is identical to yours.

theabsentmindednurse

Very sound advice here.
While this journey isn't linear, there are times we need to reassess what is and isn't working.
Taking an honest look at what you are eating is where you are falling over.
Also an honest reassessment of your Caloric intake is in order.
I have 140 pounds to lose.
The only way I can manage to lose weight is planning.
I cook big batches of meals and freeze them.
I stock my fridge with vegetable sticks, fresh berries, hummus, cheese and yogurt.
Sure it takes time, but well worth it.

You are the one who has the opportunity to reboot, restart and refocus. Otherwise, your wieight loss will remain stagnant and we will see the same post next year.

It's your choice to start again today.
Good luck

Mikkimeow

I appreciate the input. I may need to look into re figuring my macros. I set the calorie goal with my doctor after doing body fat assessments and multiple tests to find my tdee. We did set a calorie goal not much lower than maintenance because I struggled with EDs in the past. I lost 60 pounds at a 2500 intake last year, and cut my macros when I started gaining on that in January. I may possibly need to drop again.

When I started losing, simply moving more and not bingeing was sufficient for me to lose. As far as me not having energy, I don't know how to fully remedy that. I'll talk to my doctor about lowering calories and finding better rest options.

Mikkimeow

nowine4me wrote: »

IMO, you need to pick a lane. Then plan accordingly. I certainly would not advocate you stop lifting, but if losing 100# is your priority, it seems like it would years and years to get there at your current calories. I'm 5-7 and 145 and maintain at 2200 net. My workout routine is identical to yours.

I was conservative with my latest cut, so you are most likely right. I could probably drop 200-300 per day pretty easily, that may even help with my energy issues. Thank you! What lifting routine/ split do you do currently?

VintageFeline

Is that 170g of protein? That looks excessive and unnecessary. Sure you need for muscle building and retention but there's a useful limit. 170g is a lot. I'd rather be dropping that to more like 130-140, potentially less and throwing in more carbs to fuel the cardio.

How accurate is your tracking? Are weighing solids and semi-solids and measuring liquids? If not that's the first place to tighten up and make sure your numbers are good.

I'd also look at perhaps banking some calories so you can knowingly have a controlled splurge at the weekends. Just 100 calories per day during the week gives you an extra 500 to play with at the weekend.

And small pedantic point, you'd be dropping calories, not macros. Your macros split is what makes up your calories so you're cutting calories which will change the gram amounts of your macros but potentially not the %.

Mikkimeow

VintageFeline wrote: »

Is that 170g of protein? That looks excessive and unnecessary. Sure you need for muscle building and retention but there's a useful limit. 170g is a lot. I'd rather be dropping that to more like 130-140, potentially less and throwing in more carbs to fuel the cardio.

How accurate is your tracking? Are weighing solids and semi-solids and measuring liquids? If not that's the first place to tighten up and make sure your numbers are good.

I'd also look at perhaps banking some calories so you can knowingly have a controlled splurge at the weekends. Just 100 calories per day during the week gives you an extra 500 to play with at the weekend.

And small pedantic point, you'd be dropping calories, not macros. Your macros split is what makes up your calories so you're cutting calories which will change the gram amounts of your macros but potentially not the %.

I do struggle to hit 170, when I restarted this newer cut I struggled with the protein amount. I find myself overfull sometimes. I weigh solids and measure liquids. I carry a food scale with me and measure everything that goes in my mouth. I was very surprised when I started this how different grams of food were versus measuring sizes.

If I re figure my calories I'll definitely be changing my macros to fit, we are on the same page there. lol.