Working Hard, Not Losing, Losing Motivation PLEASE HELP

vogue1222

Hey Guys, I could really use some encouragement here! I'm having some major difficulties seeing the number on the scale budge. Yes, I know, muscle weighs more than fat, but my clothes aren't getting as "comfortable" as I'd like. I did Weight Watchers for about 6 months(May 2012-Nov 2012)) and lost 20 lbs (starting weight was 176), but got stuck at 151-it was virtually impossible to lose and I was starving all the time. I then stopped WW, and tracked my cals when I wanted to, worked out about 3 days a week.. P.S. I'm 5'4''. After my wedding in April 2013, I wanted to try to lose weight again, thought maybe the decreased stress would help. During February-April 2013 I did 3 days of weight training, with some running about 2x a week. Anyway.... Here's what I've been doing up until last week:

For the first 2 weeks: Starting Weight 156 Tracked in WW Points Plus. Amped up my cardio (Running/Elliptical for 45 mins 5 days a week). Tried not eating my "activity points" back for a week. Pounds lost: 1

Weeks 2-5: Stopped WW. Started MFP. Weight at 155 Set Cals to 1400. Continued working out (mostly cardio). On average 40 mins a day 5 days a week...burning about 400-500 cals per session. I was NOT eating these calories back...maybe 100 of them at most. So my "Net Calories" were averaging between 1200-1300. Weight Lost: 0

Weeks 5-7: Weight at 155. Continued with 1400 cals but not eating back my exercise cals earned, so Net was about 1300. Started weight training again (upper body & legs 2x a week, cardio 3x a week). Weight Lost: none

Week 8 (last week): My husband suggested that maybe I am not eating enough cals daily. I laugh at this and think...if I wasn't eating enough, I should be losing weight. I increased calories to 1600 daily. Still doing same workouts as above (2 days weight-more reps, 3 days cardio, sometimes 4). I eat enough so that my net is 1600 or at least 1500 at the end of the day. Trying to stick to whole foods as much as I can-but sometimes my budget and life gets in the way. Weight Lost: none

I am SO FRUSTRATED. I feel like nothing is happening to me and I'm a flabby mess. I would really love to get back down to 140 (I was there about 5 years ago but it's so hard to maintain). I try to be good on the weekends-sometimes I don't always track my cals (lets be honest...), but for instance, if I know I'm going to have beer and a burger on Saturday, I hit the gym and have greek yogurt and fruit for lunch, or a half of a turkey sandwich with light mayo. So...I don't feel like I'm doing a horrible job in the effort department.

Basically...I'm terrified of this increased calorie thing. I guess I just don't "get it". But I'm doing it anyway. I used to be a ballet dancer and have had weight/body image issues since I was about 12. Fast forward 16 years, I still struggle with my version of "perfect". Do not preach here though...I do not binge, I do not restrict, I do not purge. These methods are years behind me....I just felt like putting that out there.

Are there any Athletic Trainers/Dieticians out there reading this that see a red flag? Am I missing something? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I'm staying strong this week (week 9) but I really just feel like I deserve some results!

Thank you SO MUCH for reading!!!

judywhi

I'm not a trainer or anything just someone like you who thinks your doing a great job and someone such as myself just starting out can look up to what you have done and can be inspired by it. Please don't give up they have told me that sometimes it's not always best to look at the scales.

Judy

dlittlebear

you went longer than most with little to no progress as you report below, that in itself is a goal.

I am not trainer or nutritionist but I can tell you what I have learned from my experience. From my understanding 1200 is a good number of calories for a female (from my wife) I do not know how many carb or proteins you are getting but too many carbs or high glycemic index carbs will cause you not to lose weight as fast. too much protein gets turned into sugar.

to me it sounds like you have hit a plateau, if you really want to change things up try this.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kris-gethin-dtp-4-weeks-to-maximum-muscle.html
do not get intimidated by it, do your own weight just keep the intensity!

keep up the good work.

seg49

Would be interested to hear replies as I have a similar story. Wasn't losing/gaining at 1200cal net and am not losing/gaining at 1600cal net. I have been at 1600 cal for nearly a month and no notable loss/gain. And I have been trying my best to "eat clean" "low carb" no white bread/sugar, salt... It's frustrating!!!

herblackwings39

You'll need to make your diary public so we can see what's going on. You also mentioned that you don't always track. If you're not weighing and measuring your food and logging it as accurately as possible you don't really know how much you're eating.

You're female, 5'4", 155 lbs. What is your daily activity level set at? Is it accurate? You've got around 10-15 lbs to lose. What's your weekly weight loss goal set at? The less you have to lose the lower your weekly loss goal should be generally.

vogue1222

Thanks but I really don't prefer my diary to be public. If I don't track, it's about a day a week. I believe I have my daily activity set to low. I work in healthcare and I'm on & off my feet regularly throughout the day-rarely sitting for more than 15 minutes at a time. Thanks for your input...Unfortunately, I'm well aware of how much weight I need to lose.

vogue1222

@ Seg49

Hi there, yes it's totally frustrating. Like me, I'm sure you don't have too far to go. I'm giving the 1600 cal week another try. One thing I love about WW and hate about MFP is that fruits are "free" in WW. So I'm not used to having to track apples, oranges, etc. That was an adjustment for me in the beginning and I would often forget to track them. If I don't see any progress in the next few weeks I may seek advice from a professional. I can keep you posted if you'd like!

vogue1222

Thank you for the bodybuilding.com link! I will check it out! Thanks for the positive words.

Escape_Artist

First thing is you need to track. In most cases the issue come from there. Eating "clean" and "healthy" is irrelevant. Calories in vs calories out. The only way to know is to track everything

adiostrasero

I am stuck at a plateau now myself, and it is extremely frustrating. I would say, just don't give up. You WILL find something that works; it just may take time.

Have you thought about replacing some of the cardio with more weight training? Maybe you need to focus on building muscle so your body will burn calories more efficiently.

I think it's also worth pointing out (if I read your info correctly) that you have switched it up after just a week or two of trying something new ... so maybe your body needs more than just a couple of weeks to adjust to the changes you've made.

I've heard many times over that the last 10-15 pounds are the hardest to lose ... you are not alone!

Good luck.

herblackwings39

Thanks but I really don't prefer my diary to be public. If I don't track, it's about a day a week. I believe I have my daily activity set to low. I work in healthcare and I'm on & off my feet regularly throughout the day-rarely sitting for more than 15 minutes at a time. Thanks for your input...Unfortunately, I'm well aware of how much weight I need to lose.

Okay, good luck.

adiostrasero

@ Seg49

Hi there, yes it's totally frustrating. Like me, I'm sure you don't have too far to go. I'm giving the 1600 cal week another try. One thing I love about WW and hate about MFP is that fruits are "free" in WW. So I'm not used to having to track apples, oranges, etc. That was an adjustment for me in the beginning and I would often forget to track them. If I don't see any progress in the next few weeks I may seek advice from a professional. I can keep you posted if you'd like!

Forgot to say - I did WW for years as well and the fruit/veggie thing was a total downer about MFP. I think I literally almost cried when I realized that a cup of cherries had 100 calories. (Because I can seriously eat like, 8 cups in a sitting.) BUT - in Weight Watchers, when I didn't lose, I felt like 0-point foods created a lot of "what if" scenarios in my head. I LOVE finding loopholes in diets, and it was too easy to just gorge myself on 0-point foods and not count them, when in reality, they add up as calories.

To keep my sanity, I still give myself one "0-point" food on MFP ... coffee with half and half. As long as I only have my one regular cup from McDonald's every day, I let myself treat it as a freebie. I don't know why this feels so essential to my weight loss success ... I think because it's just too cruel to think that my coffee should cost me calories. It's like oxygen ... I NEED IT! Lol.

Anyway, didn't mean for that to turn into a 500 word essay about WW versus MFP. I'm just a former WW nerd turned MFP nerd.

Alta2000

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Find your TDEE based on your work and exercise activities, set it to that level-15% and eat between that number and your BMR. Do the JM 30 days shred, free on youtube, so you can jolt your body, and then continue with the weight training that you do but also do pilates and total body workouts from fitnessblender.com. Track all your food. Your BMR is 1490 so 1600 is definitely not enough, especially since you are on your feet the whole day.

Alta2000

Would be interested to hear replies as I have a similar story. Wasn't losing/gaining at 1200cal net and am not losing/gaining at 1600cal net. I have been at 1600 cal for nearly a month and no notable loss/gain. And I have been trying my best to "eat clean" "low carb" no white bread/sugar, salt... It's frustrating!!!

@seg49, if you are maintaining at 1600 that means that you are just adjusting your metabolism as you had been under eating all this time. It usually takes about a month as you increase the calories.
Calculate and play with the numbers to have an idea what your calories level should be.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

guessrs

It is very difficult from 150 down. My experience was easy till I reached 145 at 5'6 height. After that I gave it 3 months and no change. I had to create a larger calorie deficit and surprise surprise in two weeks I was at 137. I prepared what I was going to eat the night before, had to be at 1200 cals and the pounds fell off as usual. I lasted 2 weeks, it was very hard, picked the healthiest filling foods, exercised. Maintaing it is fairly easy. I counted every calorie meticulously and stuck to my plan from night before.

I also had to mix up my exercise and shock my body a little. So instead of my long routine runs, I did fast mountain hill runs and speed work. My body hurt in a good way, I barely could walk from my car to the coffee shop. In few days I reached 137 pounds. Not easy as I say. I didn't eat back my exercise cals, it all went toward this weight loss.

mysexybody

Luckily I have access to some world-class fitness people and a couple things I saw in your post ring bells of things they always tell me are BIG no-no's.

The first thing is if you're burning, you need to be eating. At some point the body begins to store instead of burn depending on how much it really needs. I saw you set your cals to 1400. Where did you get that number from. I would see what MFP gives you as a total if that's not it. Most trainers will tell you to EAT... even what you burn. Because if MFP has set you at 1400, that's what you need to maintain energy AND lose. Going way under that is going to hinder your results.

The 2nd thing I saw is all the cardio. Believe it or not, alot of trainers do not recommend doing a lot of high intensity cardio. Instead they recommend doing cardio that is only at the level of being in your fat burning zone. You can google the exact calculation for that, but I'm pretty sure it's 60% of your target heart rate. I used to think I was doing something by doing these EPIC cardio sessions and burning up 600 calories only to measure myself the next week and no movement. Cardio in your fat burning zone is very slow and you will feel like you're not really working that hard, but like 30 minutes in, you will suddenly be drenched with sweat... like my arms, legs and eyeballs are sweating. The best recommendation for that is doing the treadmill at the steepest incline and slowest pace you can get it while still being in your fat burning zone. Make sure your squeezing your booty on your back pedal too....

Lastly, why aren't you tracking what you eat on a regular basis. I'm sure you know from WW, that sometimes we think we are eating healthy and actually there's a few little sneaky things that are really in there holding up progress.

I'm far from an expert, but I consult with lots of them. I am also larger than you too, so your results may vary. They always say the last 15 are the hardest to lose. Hang in there, you're doing great. If all else fails consult with a nutritionist, because they will be able to design something for you based on YOUR specific metabolic requirements

NonnyMary

well, you have to eat for the rest of your life. so if you eat healthy for the rest of your life, you are doing your body good in many ways other than just losing pounds on the scale.

So since you have to eat, you may as well choose good food!

If you are following the method we follow here on MFP it will be slow, but steady. I dont think MFP is made for people who want a quick fix. So, i guess all we can do is learn patience and let the body do its work slowly.

I dont know for sure, but this may be the one way besides plastic surgery that you will lose weight and not have a bunch of loose saggy skin that happens oftentimes when people have huge quick weight loss. (thats not a scientific opinion, but seems thats what happens).

Special2013

Thank you, your post is my llife story however my weight does not seem to want to fall below 210. I had stop mfp and pick up ww but six months and all I did was maintain. Trying again and reading others post helps. Thanks. Stay the course a break through will come.

vogue1222

@adiostrasero

YES, I remember those "what if" feelings. It's indeed the most irritating part of switching from WW to MFP. However, I agree with you....when I wasn't losing with WW I kept wondering..."I'm still eating 4 apples a day...is that bad?"....apparently, a calorie really is a calorie.

I did get a chance to talk to an athletic trainer at my gym today-who told me that most people fall off of the wagon on the weekends (duh....burgers and beer anyone?) and that the shock of overindulging will not allow your body to lose. I have my first private session with her this coming Saturday morning. Fortunately, she DID say that my diet didn't appear to be horrendous and she didn't see any "red flags". She did advise me to increase weight lifting, try different cardio circuits, and be more mindful of those "weekend calories".

I appreciated your feedback! And I love knowing that there are "ex-WW nerds" out there!

vogue1222

@special2013

Thank you for your motivation! I figure....falling off the path now would be the worst possible thing I can do. Seeing a personal athletic trainer at my gym this weekend. For $15 a session one time a week-it's worth a shot for now. The calorie battle is a tough one! So...hang in there, friend.

twenty9SF

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Find your TDEE based on your work and exercise activities, set it to that level-15% and eat between that number and your BMR. Do the JM 30 days shred, free on youtube, so you can jolt your body, and then continue with the weight training that you do but also do pilates and total body workouts from fitnessblender.com. Track all your food. Your BMR is 1490 so 1600 is definitely not enough, especially since you are on your feet the whole day.

I have similar problems. I've been gaining and losing the same 10lbs for years in the last 3 months my weight has escalated quickly. I now try not to eat more than 1300cals a day but nothing is budging and it's been 3 weeks. Are my calorie goals too low for my weight (180lbs at 5'1 and I do light exercise (Zumba, weights) 3x a week)?

Alta2000

@santosjc29

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Find your TDEE based on your work and exercise activities, set it to that level-15% and eat between that number and your BMR. Do the JM 30 days shred, free on youtube, so you can jolt your body, and then continue with the weight training that you do but also do pilates and total body workouts from fitnessblender.com. Track all your food. Your BMR is 1490 so 1600 is definitely not enough, especially since you are on your feet the whole day.

I have similar problems. I've been gaining and losing the same 10lbs for years in the last 3 months my weight has escalated quickly. I now try not to eat more than 1300cals a day but nothing is budging and it's been 3 weeks. Are my calorie goals too low for my weight (180lbs at 5'1 and I do light exercise (Zumba, weights) 3x a week)?

Did you use the calculator? It has your bmr, the minimum you should be eating at 1573, and it suggests 1829 calories for TDEE-25%. (I put 3-5 h, if you are doing 3 zumba hours plus 3 times weights; if your total is 3h for both exercises, it changes to 1622 calories for 1-3 hours.)Try eating at that level for a month, do not eat back exercise calories unless you do additional exercises beyond what you set your goals at, and do not be alarmed that for 4-6 weeks the weight will stay steady or increase a few lbs. Make sure that you weigh and log all your food, eat better, cut down on processed food and sodas, eat fruits and salads.