3 months, ZERO PROGRESS

AmericanExpat

Eat back your exercise calories???? say what????
1200 cal is the minimum intake to avoid starvation mode regardless of how many calories you burn. If you eat back all your exercise calories you will not lose weight. Net calories are the caloric intake minus execise calories I operate at an average calorie intake of 1500-1600 per day minus about 800-900 cal that i burn curing cardio and weight training each day therefore my net calories are 600 and 700 per day I am losing around 2-3 lb per week because of this deficit.(My BMR is 1880 cal). I have lost 30 lb since the beginning of September.
That would never happen if I ate back by exercise calories... you are giving bad advice... please stop.

this is the best response.... OP if you want to lose muscle follow the advice above.. if you want to lose fat you might want to make sure your eating enough which the above advice is not doing...

QuietBloom

Well, I certainly hope my body is not a medical mystery!

I guess what happens is this - I watch as people around my go on Weight Watchers/cut their calories/walk a little bit and lose ten pounds in two weeks. This is not something I am making up or imagining, it actually happens. I assume this will happen for me. Three months of eating better and working out and I see literally nothing. It really isn't that surprising that I wonder if something is wrong. Everyone tells me the same stuff. "Eat better. Work out." Ok...well I was doing that. So I need to do MORE? THAT is what I needed to know. It isn't surprising that someone who has no given a hoot about her weight for 30 years is going to be confused by the process. I don't understand why it's surprising that I am defensive given that I was doing what I was thought I was told, I just didn't know I wasn't doing ENOUGH.

It's not "eat better and work out". I tried that. I ate unprocessed foods, lots of good fats, watched the processed carbs. But I didn't lose weight, because I was still eating TOO MUCH.

Think more along the lines of "Eat accurately. Work out." You don't have to do MORE. Just do what you've been doing, BETTER. Make sense?

Jennyfaye13

The only help I can offer is that your numbers are off somewhere. Whenever I am having a rough patch I can usually go back and see what's been going on. For example, if I spent the weekend out and didn't have exact measurements or caloric values, I will often see a lack of progress. Reading through this thread, it seems that you have decided that you are doing it right already and that there isn't an answer that can help you. So, my question would be this... If you are 100% certain that you are doing EVERYTHING right, then have you seen a doctor about a possibly deeper problem? Maybe thyroid or other glandular issue? Weight loss really does boil down to calories in and calories out so, if there is no medical issue, then your numbers have got to be off. My advice would be to re *kitten* your counts and tracking and keep trying... 46 pounds in and it's been a very long (sometimes slow and frustrating) but ultimately rewarding journey. Good luck and don't give up. You deserve good health.

QuietBloom

Ok. Doctor appointment made, and now to look for a dietician. A personal trainer is in my future. Thank you.

Good work! Best of luck!

aNewYear123

I guess what happens is this - I watch as people around my go on Weight Watchers/cut their calories/walk a little bit and lose ten pounds in two weeks. This is not something I am making up or imagining, it actually happens. I assume this will happen for me. Three months of eating better and working out and I see literally nothing. It really isn't that surprising that I wonder if something is wrong. Everyone tells me the same stuff. "Eat better. Work out." Ok...well I was doing that. So I need to do MORE? THAT is what I needed to know. It isn't surprising that someone who has no given a hoot about her weight for 30 years is going to be confused by the process. I don't understand why it's surprising that I am defensive given that I was doing what I was thought I was told, I just didn't know I wasn't doing ENOUGH.

Yeah, my friend and I did WW years ago when I was in high school. My friend cheated like crazy and lost 5 pounds while I followed everything to the letter and gained weight. It was a huge motivation killer. Over the years I have tried all kinds of things and, for me, this is the first one to work.

It can be discouraging while trying to figure out what works for you. The only thing I can suggest is what many other people have -

1 - Log everything you eat (I was shocked at how many calories were in a kids size waffle fries at Chick-fil-A, and then I was using a ton of ketchup as well)
2 - If you are using the MFP method where you eat back your calories, try only eating back half of them
3 - See a doctor and get your blood work done to make sure that everything is working right

Good luck and keep trying, I am sure you will find what works best for you.

JaxDemon

Overestimating cals burned and eating crap such as special k.

Clean your food up and ditch 80% of the processed crap until your cheat meal.

Go for a 1 hour walk every day upon waking fasted if possible, Go lift some weights 3 times a week in a gym or at home or anywhere. If it can be lifted then lift it. Get more active is my point.

Eating clean is not expensive. A good butchers will sell you 10kg Chicken breast with a good discount on, Eggs as well can be cheap if you source them correctly.
broccoli here in the UK is like £1 a bag frozen I chuck around 200g frozen in 2-3 meals a day, Cooked it weighs around 150g and is only 47 cals. 150g broccoli is a lot but look how cheap it is, slap it with chicken breast simple meal add 10z almond nuts for some good fats with your meal.

All other fat should come as a by-product of your carbohydrate and protein intake.

I agree with most of this. I really don't want to be eating the exact same meal every single day, and I live in the desert - everything I get will have to be frozen or cost an arm and a leg.

I understand not wanting to eat same foods everyday, but this game of losing weight and maintaining is about LEARNING.
By this I mean you could follow the same meal plan daily for a month, in that time you can find out how your body ticks, what foods in the diet fill you up, what you enjoy about the diet. You take ideas and transform them.

I followed a strict keto diet before I joined here, Same meals daily for 3 months at the end of the 2nd week it never felt like a chore mainly down to how I cooked my eggs or what spices I stuck on my chicken to what protein shake flavour I had that day. What I found out was in 2 weeks alone

The difference between hunger and being thirsty
When I'm full up and don't need to eat any more.

Over time I've stuck to the main principles of the keto diet with a weekly cheat but I've changed it around, I've added carbs in daily then switched back. I've added no end of different foods. I've found out shed loads of broccoli as next to no cals to even worry about so it's with most meals and I don't get bored.

You find a platform then progress on it finding what works for you and what don't. It's a lifestyle change first and foremost so finding something you can build on is important imo.

So you could do something for a few months to get used to it then mix it up. What's a few months of your life worth to you for changing your future and living a better healthier life? I don't think I can put a price on it.

emirror

NOBODY here thinks you're lying. ...

Me. I totally do. I mean it in a "lying to yourself, fudging the numbers here and there" sort of way, and in a way that is truly only hurting herself, but still, the posts are contradictory... Observe:

She started off saying "I intake 1500 calories currently" and "I have a calorie tracker similar to the Polar watches that lets me know I am burning at least 300 calories in a half hour."

Then said "I am OCD about my caloric intake. I DO measure, I DO count everything that goes in my mouth. "

Then said "My account here and the one I use on my phone are not the same so opening it up won't give you anything"

Then said "I don't weigh anymore, I've gotten pretty good at knowing by looking since I was weighing at the beginning."

Then said " Do you log every single day, without fail? No. I used to, but fell off that bandwagon. Since my days are pretty much identical during the work week, they are close enough. Mostly I discovered that being OCD about it was making me feel worse. "

Then said "Circuit training - 183 (this was pretty darn close to my chest strap, which showed 180) "

Then said "I try to go with things that are already measured or are easy to measure (a measuring cup is my friend), but maybe I am missing something. I am ok with going back to measuring. " (that one has a contradiction in the same quote....)

rayannekruse

If you are already only eating 1500 calories that is most likely already a deficit for your body. You should never be below 1250 at the end of the day when everything is factored in and even that is a little low.

SezxyStef

Well, I certainly hope my body is not a medical mystery!

I guess what happens is this - I watch as people around my go on Weight Watchers/cut their calories/walk a little bit and lose ten pounds in two weeks. This is not something I am making up or imagining, it actually happens. I assume this will happen for me. Three months of eating better and working out and I see literally nothing. It really isn't that surprising that I wonder if something is wrong. Everyone tells me the same stuff. "Eat better. Work out." Ok...well I was doing that. So I need to do MORE? THAT is what I needed to know. It isn't surprising that someone who has no given a hoot about her weight for 30 years is going to be confused by the process. I don't understand why it's surprising that I am defensive given that I was doing what I was thought I was told, I just didn't know I wasn't doing ENOUGH.

It's not "eat better and work out". I tried that. I ate unprocessed foods, lots of good fats, watched the processed carbs. But I didn't lose weight, because I was still eating TOO MUCH.

Think more along the lines of "Eat accurately. Work out." You don't have to do MORE. Just do what you've been doing, BETTER. Make sense?

Not literally nothing 6lbs according to your profile ticker. And 10lbs in 2 weeks is water weight.

And I agree with Emirror...lying to oneself is worse then lying to the public...lying to oneself is self destructive...it does nothing to us.

carol5047

Nothing wrong with pizza now and again

You are correct! You can eat one slice and a nice salad to fill up on.

aimeejolene

Lovely.

Thank you to those that helped me out, I will take all of this advice and do my own thing away from here. I appreciate it.

Siansonea

Nothing wrong with pizza now and again

You are correct! You can eat one slice and a nice salad to fill up on.

Ah, pizza! I like to eat my one slice with a knife and fork, cut into small bites, savoring each one! :drinker:

Siansonea

Lovely.

Thank you to those that helped me out, I will take all of this advice and do my own thing away from here. I appreciate it.

Wait, isn't "doing your own thing" what got you into the situation you're in now? :huh:

aimeejolene

Lovely.

Thank you to those that helped me out, I will take all of this advice and do my own thing away from here. I appreciate it.

Wait, isn't "doing your own thing" what got you into the situation you're in now? :huh:

Staying on the forums and getting my words picked apart by people that have nothing better to do is time I would rather spend with my weights and my "lying" big butt.

JewelsinBigD

I said and/or.

if your HRM does not have a chest strap and you are using it for weight training you are over estimating burns.

It doesn't matter the deficet in reality if you are at a deficet you will lose. People on VLCD (very low calories diet) lose weight not in a good way but they still lose.

End of story.

I disagree with you. That is not the reality of human beings. There are many more variables.

born2drum

My diary isn't linked here. I can post what I ate yesterday, if it helps - almost every day is the same for me.

I am 5'2", 205 (ish). My cheat day is one meal on Wednesday with my mom where I get to have french fries, my biggest weakness. I can give it up, but I try to eat as clean as possible on that day so that the french fries don't completely blow my day.

I eat a ton of protein to prevent muscle loss from under-eating and over-working. Example - FP says my estimated protein intake should be at 15% on their spiffy new pie chart. I was at 24%.

At your weight you need to be eating at least 1700kcals working out 3 days a week. Put your HRM away and try this. Workout with weight/cardio 3-4 days a week and limit yourself to 1700kcals and you will start to see the scale move. www.iifym.com

Siansonea

Lovely.

Thank you to those that helped me out, I will take all of this advice and do my own thing away from here. I appreciate it.

Wait, isn't "doing your own thing" what got you into the situation you're in now? :huh:

Staying on the forums and getting my words picked apart by people that have nothing better to do is time I would rather spend with my weights and my "lying" big butt.

Well, you chose to zero in on a few things, you chose to magnify the issue of your faulty data tracking and turn into a witch hunt about your personal integrity. You could have seen it as a call to action to being more diligent, but nah, this is more victim-y. Honestly, I wish you the best of luck, because with your attitude, you're going to need something.

Ang108

My diary isn't linked here. I can post what I ate yesterday, if it helps - almost every day is the same for me.

I am 5'2", 205 (ish). My cheat day is one meal on Wednesday with my mom where I get to have french fries, my biggest weakness. I can give it up, but I try to eat as clean as possible on that day so that the french fries don't completely blow my day.

I eat a ton of protein to prevent muscle loss from under-eating and over-working. Example - FP says my estimated protein intake should be at 15% on their spiffy new pie chart. I was at 24%.

With the utmost respect I have to say that I am always a little bit suspicious of people who do not know their weight and give it as " something-ish ". I used to do the same thing thinking I weighed " 200.ish " ; I actually weighed 234 pounds, I also ate much more than I thought and exercised a lot less.
Once I started in serious ( April 10th, 2013 ) I know down to the last half pound what I weigh within each weigh-in period ( every two weeks not worrying about the usual water weight fluctuations).
I also know each day what I eat and take the 5-10 minutes it takes to log all my food. I did not come up with that on my own, but am following what the more successful MFP members are doing. What I have come up on my own however is that not knowing where I am at and not wanting to make the time to log is like sticking my head in the sand and will truly get me nowhere. Could the same be true for you ?

Debbie_Ferr

Staying on the forums and getting my words picked apart by people that have nothing better to do is time I would rather spend with my weights and my "lying" big butt.

Step away for a few days, take a break.
then please re-read the very helpful suggestions with an open mind.
I think the goal is to log everything, and reflect and modify. Eating clean isn't necessary.
Spending tons of $$ isn't necessary, nor is spending tons of time logging into one's food & exercise diary..

this is what works for me is:
Log every every every food and drink. measured and/or weighed.
Underestimate my exercise minutes.
wash. rinse. repeat.

Review my diary, and take note of how I can approve in the future.

I really wish you the best of luck.
~Debbie

GGDaddy

Lovely.

Thank you to those that helped me out, I will take all of this advice and do my own thing away from here. I appreciate it.

Wait, isn't "doing your own thing" what got you into the situation you're in now? :huh:

Staying on the forums and getting my words picked apart by people that have nothing better to do is time I would rather spend with my weights and my "lying" big butt.

People pointing out that you have directly contradicted yourself on such key points as whether you log is hardly having "words picked apart."

You asked a question. You got a pretty good answer. Sorry you didn't like it.

Choices from here are:

(1) Learn from what people are telling you. Learn more here: http://tinyurl.com/mptmmwc

or

(2) Post a "people are mean" thread and do your own thing, which may or may not lead to results.

No skin off our bones either way random internet person.