I feel like I'm spinning my wheels trying to lose weight

Clouse30

I have steadily been gaining weight over the past 2 years and am now at a weight I am not happy with at all. I kept telling myself I would get serious if I ever reached a certain weight, but that weight has now come and gone. At this point I'd be happy to get back to that weight. My clothes mostly still fit, but I hate when I look at myself in a mirror. My face looks fat and I just feel so big. It has become such a mental struggle for me.

I know what to do, the hardest part is just doing it. I am 42 so it is becoming increasingly harder to lose weight. My biggest frustration is I don't feel like I eat terrible and I workout at least 5 days a week. Good solid 30-40 min workouts too. I don't drink during the week and we only eat out about 1x a week. I pack my lunch too. I probably go over in calories daily though b/c I end up not tracking dinner b/c I'm usually starving when I come home from work and lose control.

Some facts about me:
I workout daily at 6am
I have a shake everyday at 8am
Lunch is typically a homemade salad with a bit of protein
I don't usually snack during the day until I get home from work.
Dinner is where I probably go over in calories
Weekends are the biggest struggle for me. I tend to over indulge. I do like beer, but mainly drink Mic Ultra.

The biggest frustation is I see no weight loss ever even on really good weeks and I seem to be up a pound or two month after month. I just feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

Anyone in the same boat who finally figured it out? I like craft beer too and just feel like I don't want to give up everything I love just to lose weight. The struggle is real though.

Thanks in advance for listening. ;-)

quiksylver296

You've got to log all your food. If you are so starving by the time you get home, have a small snack during your commute. If you aren't accurately logging your food, that's always the first answer. Preferably with food scale.

Read this thread.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

kommodevaran

Yes, trying to do something you're in control of, is spinning your wheels. I know what to do - are you sure? Bodyweight is a matter of calories in/out, and if you make sure calories in are fewer than calories out, you lose weight. What you call facts, is more like anecdotes, I'm afraid. You need to weigh your food and track your intake and hit your calorie target, and kep on and keep on doing it.
ETA: I am 42 so it is becoming increasingly harder to lose weight. If you find it hard to lose weight, it's because you're eating more/moving less, and your mindset supporting those habits. If age in itself should make it harder to lose weight, explain why I lost easily at 43?

try2again

Don't overthink this. I started about your age, and though I was unhappy both about being overweight and having to take the necessary steps to tackle it, it wasn't as bad as I made it out to be.

You keep saying "probably" in regards to calories... the problem lies there. You need to enter your stats in MFP, pick a reasonable weekly weight loss goal (if you have less than 50 to lose, probably not more than 1-1.5 lbs/week), and then log as faithfully and accurately as possible for a long time. You can't draw conclusions based on a week or a month (because as women, we have a lot going on with our weight that can mask fat loss in anything less than a month).

This might help with accurate logging:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10640205/the-basics-of-accurate-logging#latest

Plus, if all you are eating before dinner is a shake and a salad, it's no wonder you are starving when you get home. Sounds like you need to distribute your calories more evenly throughout your day. Over-restricting during the day/week will often lead to evening/weekend binges.

Edited to add: MFP is also designed for you to eat back at least a portion of your exercise calories. But of course, accurate logging practices need to be in place first.