Feeling Stuck - Tips on how to progress with weightloss?

hannahbaker411

Hi everyone,

I've been trying to lose weight for a while now and I am finding it so difficult. Last month, I weighed myself and I was 181.8. I cut gluten, dairy and sugar completely because it bothers my digestion and began to focus on eating more vegetables and protein. I am eating around 1300 calories.

Today I weighed myself and I am 180.6 pounds. I feel so discouraged because I thought I lost more from the changes I made. (I know its not water weight that I lost because usually with water weight for months I consistently checked before I made these changes and I usually go up to 184 pounds). I work a sedentary office job from home. I don't work out, I am hoping to implement but I am not sure what type of exercises to do at all - ANY SUGGESTIONS? (do I need a trainer, or can I follow workouts at home? What type should they be and how many times a week should I workout for?)

I don't have any health problems, I have checked my thyroid. I know for weight loss one cannot spot reduce but just to give you an idea, most of my weight is accumulated in my abdomen area.

Any advice please would be great! I am aiming to go down to 135 pounds.

Thank you!

robertw486

Weight loss isn't linear. Over time the trends will show, but day to day it's not uncommon to see swings in weight. Hormones, hydration levels, food in transit, how much sodium you ate, and a host of other factors make for a lot of noise that hides the trends.

For many people the most important factor is honest logging. Log every single bite you eat. If you have scales, use them. If you are "guesstimating" that alone can be an issue for many.

You can lose weight without working out. Of course exercise has other benefits. Similar to your food, if you work out, be honest and log as accurately as you can. You don't want to log an exercise as 500 calories, eat those calories, and then find out the exercise was really only maybe 250 calories. Do your homework and double check the sources of the numbers.

Get a weight trending app, and use it. Libra, Happy Scales... and there are others that I forget the names of. Since you will have to weigh yourself now and then to log and watch the trend, do yourself another favor. Take a day that you will spend mostly at home for whatever reason... weather, just feeling like staying home, whatever. And through the course of the day weigh yourself several times. Don't be amazed when your weight might change every single time.


People didn't gain their extra weight overnight. And you won't lose it overnight either. Set a safe and realistic goal that you can stick to, and go from there.

Lietchi

You weigh once a month? You might have weighed yourself at a low point of fluctuations the first time and a high point today, giving you a small change in weight.

Also, how accurate is your calorie counting: weighing everything on a food scale, meaning sure you're using accurate entries, logging your own recipes and avoiding generic entries?

And this 1300 calorie goal, where did you get it from? It sounds quite low, certainly for someone weighing 180lbs. When you cut calories too low, the body can hold on to extra water weight from stress.

As for exercise, what goals do you have? If it's just for burning some extra calories and beginning to improve your fitness level, walking is great.

lnagrsia

Try eating small meals, this can be done with 3 meals a day to maintain your 1300 calorie goal. I understand why you cut out sugars and stuff but it’s not necessary to lose weight, portion size is key, one thing I do is I eat on a small desert plate and not a regular plate, only eat what fits on the plate and try including vegetables and fruits into your diet that are low/zero calories to help keep your hunger at bay without having to worry so much about the calories. Drink water or low calorie water products during the day. For excercise, I would recommend 20 minutes of cardio everyday, like on a stationary bike, less damage to your joints or having injury.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

1) Re-evaluate your plan. Is 1300kcals/day what MFP suggests for 1lb/week weight loss?
2) Tighten up your logging, if necessary. Get out the scale and measuring cups. No cheat meals for a while.
--> Doesn't matter what you eat (more or less) so long as you get your nutrients and don't eat too much.
3) Be more active. This doesn't mean you need to go to a gym. Do some walking every day. Take up gardening. Anything not in a chair.
4) Weigh every morning after toilet-- watch the trend over many days. Weight fluctuates daily by several pounds.

It does work. Best of luck!

springlering62

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

1) Re-evaluate your plan. Is 1300kcals/day what MFP suggests for 1lb/week weight loss?
2) Tighten up your logging, if necessary. Get out the scale and measuring cups. No cheat meals for a while.
--> Doesn't matter what you eat (more or less) so long as you get your nutrients and don't eat too much.
3) Be more active. This doesn't mean you need to go to a gym. Do some walking every day. Take up gardening. Anything not in a chair.
4) Weigh every morning after toilet-- watch the trend over many days. Weight fluctuates daily by several pounds.

It does work. Best of luck!

Agree with all except use of measuring cups. I think what he meant was to weigh ingredients in a cup or bowl.

For example when I make pancakes, I weigh out 120gr of Bisquick and 140gr of cake mix. If I used my measuring cups (instead of going by weight) I can guarandarntee you I’d be using 25-33% more.

Same with peanut butter and condiments. A serving is way smaller than our greedy selves would like it to be.

Consider making substitutions. Sugar free syrups, fat free half and half, cashew milk or liquid egg whites for baking, etc.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Volume measurement (cups and tablespoons) work fine for lots of stuff (e.g., liquids). Weight works well for others (e.g., nuts).

My main goal has been to calibrate my eyeballs so I can eat at a reasonable level with the least amount of effort. I don't mind scooping out a cup of frozen berries, half cup of oats, and 3/4ths cup of milk for my oatmeal every morning. The highest calorie thing I then add are walnuts, which I used to weight, but now have gotten so good that I can scoop them out by eye. Similarly, I no longer need to weigh chicken breast or other meat. I use a cup measure to scoop out cooked pasta or rice. I will scoop out peanut butter with just a knife now, after establishing in my mind what a two-tablespoon serving looks like. That sort of thing.