Kill me now. Why is this so hard?

Whoa_OItsMagic

I havent read all the replies but know this, there will never be anyone who can get you motivated. If you can't get yourself motivated and on track, than no one will. You have to want this for yourself enough.

awkwarddifferent

I can completely understand you on this topic. It really is difficult.. but you MUST hang in there! Usually what works for me is looking at clothes online, thinking about how i desperately want to be able to buy my old size i used to wear. Why don't you spend some time looking for your motivation?

Have you tried looking at workout DVD's like the 30 day Shred? I finished day 1 about 3 hours ago and i can still feel the burn! Supposedly this workout helps tone and tighten the body; which drops the inches of the body!!

Give it a shot!! Trust me; we can make it through this.. we just need to think about the result!!!!
Add me and we can continue to motivate each other if it helps. I'm always happy to help! )

I_Will_End_You

The day you wake up already looking forward to the gym - that's the day you should start reducing calories. It took me about two months.

If I waited for the time I looked forward to working out.... I'd still be waiting. :indifferent:

trogalicious

So here. Here's a huge wall of text that might help. I put this together a while back. It seems to have helped some folks. It worked for me.

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Take the tips, links, and info above and make the cart more manageable to stay on.

pcastagner

The day you wake up already looking forward to the gym - that's the day you should start reducing calories. It took me about two months.

If I waited for the time I looked forward to working out.... I'd still be waiting. :indifferent:

You're doing it wrong!

Serah87

So here. Here's a huge wall of text that might help. I put this together a while back. It seems to have helped some folks. It worked for me.

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Take the tips, links, and info above and make the cart more manageable to stay on.

^^^^THIS!!!!! :flowerforyou:

theopenforum

I realize it can be frustrating, but you really need to put the scale away. First of all, there are a TON of reasons why you could be up 3.5 lbs- if you just ate, you haven't set foot in a gym in years so your muscles are retaining water, time of the month, you haven't gone to the bathroom, you ate a salty meal.... the list goes on. Second, expecting a loss (even .02 lbs) every time you set foot on the scale is going to set you up for failure. Either weigh once a week and look at the trends or just measure instead. You cannot use weight as your motivation because it can and will fluctuate. If I had given up every time I didn't lose some weight, I'd have quite years ago.

4 lbs in 2 weeks IS good. You're losing at a consistent and healthy rate. You said yourself you were able to lose weight quickly before and you put it back on. Clearly, that old way isn't working. Why not give this a few months time and see how it goes?

this lady is good ^_^
yep my sentiments exactly; when I first started out I stopped weighing in all the time. It is far too depressing as your beginning to find out. There can be a multitude of reasons for the weight. Glycogen stores from the muscle activity as the commenter above alluded to, salt, even the time you weighed yourself can be a difference of 4 lbs easy. My best advice will be to just breathe and have patience it will come. The weight did not come overnight it will take time. Just keep at it

Yell if ya need me

Tof