Feeling frustrated

skchilders

So before I started really tracking on MFP...I was a carboholic. I love pasta and bread and more pasta. I also was pretty lazy and unmotivated to get my butt off the couch. I also was maintaining weight. Not going up or down. Now with MFP, C25K, 30 Day Shred, and FitBit, I'm still not losing any weight! According to my Fitbit I'm burning around 3200 calories a day. Even if that is 700 calories off the mark, I'm still eating at a pretty decent deficit. I'm walking 6 - 7 miles a day, and at the end of week 3 of C25K. On days I don't run, I do 30 Day Shred. Nothing on my body is moving! If I wanted to stay the same weight, I could be eating pasta and pizza and sitting on the couch apparently. Even on the days when I'm eating higher amounts of calories, I am still 100 times more active than I was before....I just do not understand why my body refuses to lose weight.

level26

Maybe it isn't about the number on the scale. Are your clothes fitting differently? Do you feel better?

TavistockToad

how many calories do you net per day?

do you weigh and measure everything you eat?

CamillaHerold

That does sound terribly frustrating! Maybe its what you are eating. How much you are eating matters too, but the makeup of the calories may be critical to your particular body and metabolism. If for example you are slightly gluten intolerant, which is very common, the carbs in your diet are going to make you hold on to water weight. If you are not drinking enough water, that's going to slow everything down too. There is plenty of good science to back up this idea... but find what works for YOU.
First and foremost, I suggest drinking lots of water. Take your weight and divide by two, and that's the number of ounces of water a day you should be drinking. The more you weigh, the more water you need, period. With all that exercise, you must be sweating like mad! Be sure you drink extra to cover that.
I was a carboholic too. I broke the spell, slowly over a few months, and now I am eat only about 100 grams a day, tops. I believe I was a carboholic because of my borderline diabetes. I CRAVED carb, in a cyclic fashion. Breakfast: you eat cereal, carbs, and two hours later you are hungry. You eat a snack, more carbs, you feel great for about an hour, then crash. Now you're starving for lunch. and what do you want? more carbs. You don't feel right without that "high." I'm not saying this is you: this was me. I had to look at it like an addiction. I tapered off, just like cigarettes. And now that I know how life feels without a constant up/down of blood sugar, I know what "normal" is for me. My addiction is over, and I believe my life-long weight problem is too.
I wish you the best!! Don't stop trying, look for new ideas and try them out until something starts working!!

glowgirl14

Sorry you're feeling frustrated...We've all been there at some point. Why bother depriving if you're just maintaining?

I took a peek through several days of your diary and two things jumped out at me.

1 - Your sodium intake is waaay over a lot of days, and you're not drinking very much water. On several days where your sodium is so high, there was no water for that day. With that much sodium, your body has to be holding on to a lot of water. Ideally, you should have at least half an ounce of water for every pound of body weight. So whatever your weight is, divided by 2 is how much water you should be drinking. Yes, you'll spend a lot of time in the bathroom, but if you think of it as your body flushing out all that extra fluid you don't need, it's a little easier. : )

2. Your calorie deficit. It's pretty high. And not remotely consistent. Do you know your BMR and TDEE? A lot of people have crazy success doing the TDEE-% approach. With all the exercise you're doing, your TDEE has to be high, and if you're eating at too much of a deficit, you might be holding on to some weight. Everyone is different, and you have to find the right numbers for yourself. Some people can comfortably lose weight at a 1000 calorie deficit, some need a smaller one. Play with the numbers a little. And try for a more consistent deficit. If you want a deficit of 700 calories, try to be close to that. +/- 100...if your body is holding on to weight, likely it needs a little consistency so it can be assured you'll feed it what it needs. No more, no less. Then it will start to burn the extra fat as energy...

socajam

Sorry you're feeling frustrated...We've all been there at some point. Why bother depriving if you're just maintaining?

I took a peek through several days of your diary and two things jumped out at me.

1 - Your sodium intake is waaay over a lot of days, and you're not drinking very much water. On several days where your sodium is so high, there was no water for that day. With that much sodium, your body has to be holding on to a lot of water. Ideally, you should have at least half an ounce of water for every pound of body weight. So whatever your weight is, divided by 2 is how much water you should be drinking. Yes, you'll spend a lot of time in the bathroom, but if you think of it as your body flushing out all that extra fluid you don't need, it's a little easier. : )

2. Your calorie deficit. It's pretty high. And not remotely consistent. Do you know your BMR and TDEE? A lot of people have crazy success doing the TDEE-% approach. With all the exercise you're doing, your TDEE has to be high, and if you're eating at too much of a deficit, you might be holding on to some weight. Everyone is different, and you have to find the right numbers for yourself. Some people can comfortably lose weight at a 1000 calorie deficit, some need a smaller one. Play with the numbers a little. And try for a more consistent deficit. If you want a deficit of 700 calories, try to be close to that. +/- 100...if your body is holding on to weight, likely it needs a little consistency so it can be assured you'll feed it what it needs. No more, no less. Then it will start to burn the extra fat as energy...

#1 is spot on.

JenniferTanner79

I TOTALLY GET WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM...but every persons body is different. I have 98 pounds to go for my own goal and have maintained the same weight no matter how hard I have worked to lose it for the last 4 years. Up until now...
Water Water Water...that is the key...your body cannot process fat without water to flush it out. I bought the child plates from walmart...5 pack...and that is what I use for each meal. I don't "pile" my plate anymore...I don't change the type of food I eat...I just don't eat so much of it. I also think it helps to measure your body...my size has changed a lot more than my weight. I only started tracking through MFP this last week but on my own for 3 years. I started noticing a difference when I started really drinking water and eating a smaller portion at each meal. I have lost 5 inches off my hips in the last 6 months. That may not seem like a lot to some but it is the first progress for me in 4 years. Keep your chin up and don't give up.

skchilders

Thanks for the feedback...I'm off to drink more water now

Michaeljferreira17

The weight shown on the scale isn't always a reflection of weight loss. If you are regularly working out, especially lifting, it is common to not see a change on the scale. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat. A good indication of this is simple. Do your jeans feel less tight? Also try to get an accurate measurement of your BF%, the numbers don't lie.