bout to throw in the towel.. this is crazy!

collingmommy

Here was my routine, Monday Wednesday, Friday, new rules of lifting for women ( weight lifting ) took up to an hour . I did it at nights and got threw it, very little weight came off, I lost in pictures, but other then that, maybe 4 inches lost total and no actual weight. I then decided to do the stronglift program again. Stronglifts the first time around, I did it in February to april of 2013 and lost 19 inches and no actual weight, this time I revamped it and added some smaller lifts, but still nothing dramatic. I did manage to go from 167 that I was stuck at for 3 months to 162, I think that came woth eating an average of 1750 calories a day. (I went on what I thought was a "maintenance" break in july and just tried my best to eat 2000 calories a day, I couldn't with out doing a ton of peanut butter and that meant a ton of fat) so I just basically stayed on the break for 3 weeks, weighed myself and the scale read 165 so I have been eating or trying to eat 1750 calories a day since then. I thought that maybe since I was on a "lower deficit, that I should continue to eat that instead of dropping back down. to the piddly 1650 a day.

Soo that brings us to, today. 3 weeks ago, I was at 162.2 lbs!! I was OMG excited! that meant that I only had 5 lbs to lose till I got to my 100 lb mark! then another 10 to loose till I got tomy original goal!! i was so happy!!! so I thought, well to get the fat off, I will incorporate some cardio in to the mix 3 days a week, ( I am a huge fan of biggest looser and a huge fan of jillilan and bob! so I have their at home dvds, ) so my routine was lik this,


Monday at lunch, 30 to 45 minutes of cardio/ SL5x5 at night
Tuesday, at lunch, 30to 45 min of cardio
Wednesday -SL5x5 at night
Thursday -rest day
Friday-SL5x5 at night
sat/sunday rest days
weigh in on Monday morning

(I DID CARDIO 3 DAYS IN A ROW LAST WEEK CAUSE THAT IS THE WAY MY DAYS OFF FELL)
see, I work 4 days a week 7 am to 4pm and I hae a 2 year old wild child. that I stay home with 2 days a week,
I recently decided that I was going to make my goal to be at 159 before October 28, that Is next Monday and I don't think that is going to be possible! I have done cardio before, but it seems like when I do it know, I tend to put weight on, I usually burn 350 to 450 calories a session and that totals out to be 700 to 900 calories burned threw the cardio alone, ( I wear a heart rate monitor) that math applied, I should be LOOSING, a fourth of a pound, not finding FOUR pounds! this is really starting to piss me off, my diary is open and feel free to look at it! I am going to JEFIT.com and look around and see what kind of a program I can make. im completely baffled at what is going on, I know hat sometimes when I rush to get things done, I tend to mess up and it takes longer, my whole \life is that way. maybe slow and steady is the best thing. but I don't see why everytime I am that close I screw up! lol im a bull by nature! (Taurus)

diannethegeek

My first thought is that it sounds like your body is holding onto some extra water weight with the added cardio. Our bodies flood sore muscles with water to help cushion and heal them during the repair process. It's not uncommon to see a small gain on the scale when we increase our exercise routines.

melaniecheeks

I had a quick look at your diary.

You go over your calorie target quite often.
The carbs and fat are pretty high.
And where's all the vegetables!

Greenrun99

This is life.. not a Tv Show.. if your expecting to start working out and dropping 60 lbs like they do on the Biggest Loser... those days are gone at your weight.. If you throw in the towel and go back to what you were doing, how quick do you think that 100 lbs will come back? Time to Focus, Get your numbers right, Get your training down and work.

collingmommy

I had a quick look at your diary.

You go over your calorie target quite often.
The carbs and fat are pretty high.
And where's all the vegetables!
[/quote

I eat vegetables every chance I can, I really can't eat them a lot as for my hubs don't like them, and its a waste to cook then and me only eat 1/2 cup of a can that is 2c cups serving. I do enjoy a steamed bag of vegetables on Saturday, and a few cans of corn and green beans during the week, but if he don't eat it, I feel it's a waste of time for me toi make it.

And I'm eating an average of 1750 calories a day, I went to the settings and tried to change it, but it kept resetting me to 1650 ! Lol. I'm going to try to reset it again today.

Mr_Knight

I have done cardio before, but it seems like when I do it know, I tend to put weight on, I usually burn 350 to 450 calories a session and that totals out to be 700 to 900 calories burned threw the cardio alone, ( I wear a heart rate monitor)..

Ignore the HRM. A person your size would need to run 4 miles to burn 400 net calories through cardio. Can you run 4 miles in the 30-40 minutes or however long your cardio sessions last?

Francl27

Could be TOM or water retention. Does your HRM have a chest strap? Did you adjust your stats as you lost weight on it?

Mokey41

I eat vegetables every chance I can, I really can't eat them a lot as for my hubs don't like them, and its a waste to cook then and me only eat 1/2 cup of a can that is 2c cups serving.

Why would you only eat a 1/2 c of veggies? Pile on the veggies and back off on other stuff. You can pretty much eat as many veggies as you want.

collingmommy

No, I couldn't, thank u though, I thought that the burn was high.

collingmommy

I eat vegetables every chance I can, I really can't eat them a lot as for my hubs don't like them, and its a waste to cook then and me only eat 1/2 cup of a can that is 2c cups serving.

Why would you only eat a 1/2 c of veggies? Pile on the veggies and back off on other stuff. You can pretty much eat as many veggies as you want.
[/


Yes, I could, thank u. I'm going to purchase a crap load of frozen vegetables, (cheaper, and portioned right)

Mokey41

I have done cardio before, but it seems like when I do it know, I tend to put weight on, I usually burn 350 to 450 calories a session and that totals out to be 700 to 900 calories burned threw the cardio alone, ( I wear a heart rate monitor)..

Ignore the HRM. A person your size would need to run 4 miles to burn 400 net calories through cardio. Can you run 4 miles in the 30-40 minutes or however long your cardio sessions last?

Where do you come up with these numbers? You can't judge what someone burns based on their size or age.

elleloch

My husband doesn't really like eating vegetables either but um... that's his problem, not mine.

AmyRhubarb

very little weight came off, I lost in pictures, but other then that, maybe 4 inches lost total and no actual weight

So you look better, and you're physically smaller, but because the scale hasn't moved you're upset? :huh:

Sounds like you have been making good progress - I'd stick with the photos and tape measure and how your clothes are fitting and laugh at that dang scale. Heck, I went six months last year with the scale bouncing up and down between the same 2-3lbs, but during that time I dropped a full size as inches and fat were still coming off.

Don't let the scale mess with your head - it's just a number that no one sees but you. But inches lost, better fitting clothes - THAT'S the real progress that counts in my book.

Eat well, exercise, drink water, get good sleep, take rest days, have patience. Be as accurate as possible with logging food.

socajam

Here was my routine, Monday Wednesday, Friday, new rules of lifting for women ( weight lifting ) took up to an hour . I did it at nights and got threw it, very little weight came off, I lost in pictures, but other then that, maybe 4 inches lost total and no actual weight. I then decided to do the stronglift program again. Stronglifts the first time around, I did it in February to april of 2013 and lost 19 inches and no actual weight, this time I revamped it and added some smaller lifts, but still nothing dramatic. I did manage to go from 167 that I was stuck at for 3 months to 162, I think that came woth eating an average of 1750 calories a day. (I went on what I thought was a "maintenance" break in july and just tried my best to eat 2000 calories a day, I couldn't with out doing a ton of peanut butter and that meant a ton of fat) so I just basically stayed on the break for 3 weeks, weighed myself and the scale read 165 so I have been eating or trying to eat 1750 calories a day since then. I thought that maybe since I was on a "lower deficit, that I should continue to eat that instead of dropping back down. to the piddly 1650 a day.

Soo that brings us to, today. 3 weeks ago, I was at 162.2 lbs!! I was OMG excited! that meant that I only had 5 lbs to lose till I got to my 100 lb mark! then another 10 to loose till I got tomy original goal!! i was so happy!!! so I thought, well to get the fat off, I will incorporate some cardio in to the mix 3 days a week, ( I am a huge fan of biggest looser and a huge fan of jillilan and bob! so I have their at home dvds, ) so my routine was lik this,


Monday at lunch, 30 to 45 minutes of cardio/ SL5x5 at night
Tuesday, at lunch, 30to 45 min of cardio
Wednesday -SL5x5 at night
Thursday -rest day
Friday-SL5x5 at night
sat/sunday rest days
weigh in on Monday morning

(I DID CARDIO 3 DAYS IN A ROW LAST WEEK CAUSE THAT IS THE WAY MY DAYS OFF FELL)
see, I work 4 days a week 7 am to 4pm and I hae a 2 year old wild child. that I stay home with 2 days a week,
I recently decided that I was going to make my goal to be at 159 before October 28, that Is next Monday and I don't think that is going to be possible! I have done cardio before, but it seems like when I do it know, I tend to put weight on, I usually burn 350 to 450 calories a session and that totals out to be 700 to 900 calories burned threw the cardio alone, ( I wear a heart rate monitor) that math applied, I should be LOOSING, a fourth of a pound, not finding FOUR pounds! this is really starting to piss me off, my diary is open and feel free to look at it! I am going to JEFIT.com and look around and see what kind of a program I can make. im completely baffled at what is going on, I know hat sometimes when I rush to get things done, I tend to mess up and it takes longer, my whole \life is that way. maybe slow and steady is the best thing. but I don't see why everytime I am that close I screw up! lol im a bull by nature! (Taurus)

Check your sodium, which some days is extremely high for breakfast - 1029, that's what some people have in one day.

Mr_Knight

Where do you come up with these numbers? You can't judge what someone burns based on their size or age.

Age isn't a big factor, but size absolutely is.

It's pretty simple - calories are a measure of energy burn - if someone can't burn somewhere around X amount of energy doing one cardio activity, they aren't going to be able to burn X amount of energy doing some other cardio activity. This is especially true at below-average fitness levels.

So, all we have to do is translate a claimed calorie burn into an equivalent distance of running (that's where size comes in), and see how that matches up with the person's actual fitness. If they can only run half that distance, then they only burned about half the reported calories. And so on and so forth.

Put another way - if you can't jog 500 calories worth of miles, it would violate the laws of physics for you to be able to burn 500 calories in a short HIIT "cardio" session.

This still results in an approximation, of course - but an approximation *much* closer to reality than the fantasy numbers being reported by machines and HRMs for people at the beginning of their fitness journeys.

econut2000

very little weight came off, I lost in pictures, but other then that, maybe 4 inches lost total and no actual weight

So you look better, and you're physically smaller, but because the scale hasn't moved you're upset? :huh:

Sounds like you have been making good progress - I'd stick with the photos and tape measure and how your clothes are fitting and laugh at that dang scale. Heck, I went six months last year with the scale bouncing up and down between the same 2-3lbs, but during that time I dropped a full size as inches and fat were still coming off.

Don't let the scale mess with your head - it's just a number that no one sees but you. But inches lost, better fitting clothes - THAT'S the real progress that counts in my book.

Eat well, exercise, drink water, get good sleep, take rest days, have patience. Be as accurate as possible with logging food.

^ THIS!!!!! We don't walk around with flashing neon sides on our heads with our weight posted on them. It sounds like even pounds wise you aren't that far away from goal and without losing any weight have lost something like 23 inches? I'd say what you're doing is working (except you need more veggies ;-)

ames105

I say you should pay less attention to the scale and focus on how healthy you are. You are thinner, look better in clothes, eat healthier, get your heart rate up and you are lifting weights. Nothing crazy about. Throwing in the towel means undoing all that good. Don't do it, stay the course. The scale will catch up...or maybe not. Just stay in the healthy habits.

action_figure

I eat vegetables every chance I can, I really can't eat them a lot as for my hubs don't like them, and its a waste to cook then and me only eat 1/2 cup of a can that is 2c cups serving. I do enjoy a steamed bag of vegetables on Saturday, and a few cans of corn and green beans during the week, but if he don't eat it, I feel it's a waste of time for me toi make it.

And I'm eating an average of 1750 calories a day, I went to the settings and tried to change it, but it kept resetting me to 1650 ! Lol. I'm going to try to reset it again today.

Buy frozen bags. Take out only your portion. If you're eating canned, you're getting a ton of sodium as well which will make you hang on to water weight. Edit: Corn isn't vegetable. It's pure carbs.

Phildog47

Too many rest days. Drop the bread. Eliminate processed foods. Cut calories below 1500... maybe even 1200.

Have you considered the C25k program? (Couch to 5k) You could do SOMETHING those 3 days/week!

collingmommy

the c25k, tried it, hated it!! cant do it, I run outside cause I have no treadmill. but I prefer outside. I had a stupid scare, and since then, I don't likt to run, I have cut out most of the processed foods, hell, I make my own pasta sauce, (I don't eat "pasta" I sub for squash) I make my own biscuuits, I make my own just about everything, the only really high processed food I eat is turkey sausage. (that is loaded with salt) and I cant do anything under 1650 calories or I get bad.. I mean im so mean no one wants to be around me!

ladypenel

Got no advice that you haven't already been given! Just wanted to say how FAB you look and fantastic job done to date so don't give up, I've been stuck at the same weight for 4 months but still hoping it'll eventually shift

ShellyAnn46

I have no advice that you haven't already been given! Just wanted to say you are only 30 yrs old and your whole life ahead of you, I would not stop doing all the healthy changes you have done because a STUPID number you don't see on the scale. I preach quite often, DON'T BE RULED BY THE DAM SCALE. Who made that metal hunk of junk your ruler? Please be healthy for youself & family.
You look fantastic, so don't give up.

GunslingerGirl

Do you ever go back over your weeks dairy? You were over your goal most of the time. And the sodium was so high, you've got to be retaining water like a well. I mean I saw chocolate and caramel apple stuff. Ranch dip. White bread. PEANUT BUTTER. "Real bacon. 2% milk. You need to find a different replacement for that turkey sausage, there is so much STUFF in that it's gross. Try Almond milk. There was hardly any fruit. And I rarely saw a veggie. I did see your thing about your man not liking them, but what does that have to do with you eating them? And why are you just eating 1/2 a cup of veg? I mean you can eat veg like a mad woman because of how good it is for you. You really need to get below that 1600 something and get lower. Your body is getting used to being at that and it's basically maintaining it's self at that. Switch it up. Get lower. So what if you get grouchy? Get your body used to it and you'll feel better. All I read throughout your post was you posting back most excuses to those people. You running, you veg issue. There were a lot more processed foods on there then you really think. Go over it and go look at what's really in those things. If there's more then 3 ingredients in it that you can't say, lose it.

Escape_Artist

Too many rest days. Drop the bread. Eliminate processed foods. Cut calories below 1500... maybe even 1200.

Have you considered the C25k program? (Couch to 5k) You could do SOMETHING those 3 days/week!

No. Just no.

Too much rest day? OP is already doing SL, which is heavy lifting, that alone is enough. If she wants to add cardio she can, but it isn't necessary at all. Rest days are rest days, we need them.

Eating bread doesn't cause weight gain or stall weight loss. Calories in vs out. She can eat bread all she wants as long as she is eating at a deficit and hitting her macros, the weight will drop. Yes, even if she eats bread..

As for the calories needed, OP, I don't know your stats so it's hard to tell.

Check if you have the right numbers
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=156380533

Log everything, make sure you weight things and don't ''guesstimate''

Also be careful with over estimating exercise calories burned

Also, don't rely on the scale, take pictures and measurements. The scale just shows a number, and that number is what it is, just a number. Weight can fluctuate.

collingmommy

thank all of you!! I know that we all have personal demons, and im whining about a stupid 3 lb gain! hell this time lst year, I was still in the 190 lb range! its just irritated that all the time that I try to "get ahead" and make stuff happen faster then it should, I end up pushing myself backwards~! There are good things coming from this, and stuf I will try, like more vegetables, less salt, lower fat content, reduced peanut butter intake) . and then theres the stuff that I didn't think of, like the whole im smaller then I have ever been, I cant cheat the scale that it is evil and nothing morethen a paper weight! and hosnestly up until july, I had a unhealthy addiction to it! I would get on it 3/4 times a DAY!! lol,, I finally said to hell with it and put it in a closet so I wouldn't be tempted! and so far,i only weigh in once a week on Mondays! but there are a ton of smaller clothes that fit me, and there is a lot that I need to be thankful for! im healthier then I have ever beenin my life, im teaching the "once human garbage can" of a hubby to be more understanding of what we eat, and we are both learning together that we cant feed our son "processed frozen chicken parts" as a meal! we are learning and im applying what I now know to others! thank all of you. and I think with that being said, im going to look into making a supper board for theis week, and look into setting up a new routine for weight lifting.

collingmommy

Do you ever go back over your weeks dairy? You were over your goal most of the time. And the sodium was so high, you've got to be retaining water like a well. I mean I saw chocolate and caramel apple stuff. Ranch dip. White bread. PEANUT BUTTER. "Real bacon. 2% milk. You need to find a different replacement for that turkey sausage, there is so much STUFF in that it's gross. Try Almond milk. There was hardly any fruit. And I rarely saw a veggie. I did see your thing about your man not liking them, but what does that have to do with you eating them? And why are you just eating 1/2 a cup of veg? I mean you can eat veg like a mad woman because of how good it is for you. You really need to get below that 1600 something and get lower. Your body is getting used to being at that and it's basically maintaining it's self at that. Switch it up. Get lower. So what if you get grouchy? Get your body used to it and you'll feel better. All I read throughout your post was you posting back most excuses to those people. You running, you veg issue. There were a lot more processed foods on there then you really think. Go over it and go look at what's really in those things. If there's more then 3 ingredients in it that you can't say, lose it.

collingmommy

October 21, 2013 12:41 pm


QUOTE:


Do you ever go back over your weeks dairy? You were over your goal most of the time. And the sodium was so high, you've got to be retaining water like a well. I mean I saw chocolate and caramel apple stuff. Ranch dip. White bread. PEANUT BUTTER. "Real bacon. 2% milk. You need to find a different replacement for that turkey sausage, there is so much STUFF in that it's gross. Try Almond milk. There was hardly any fruit. And I rarely saw a veggie. I did see your thing about your man not liking them, but what does that have to do with you eating them? And why are you just eating 1/2 a cup of veg? I mean you can eat veg like a mad woman because of how good it is for you. You really need to get below that 1600 something and get lower. Your body is getting used to being at that and it's basically maintaining it's self at that. Switch it up. Get lower. So what if you get grouchy? Get your body used to it and you'll feel better. All I read throughout your post was you posting back most excuses to those people. You running, you veg issue. There were a lot more processed foods on there then you really think. Go over it and go look at what's really in those things. If there's more then 3 ingredients in it that you can't say, lose it.




I cant run, I hardly can do squats my right crunches,(sounds like a pop rock factory in there! ) its a something I push threw for the weight lifting, but running is horrible and it swells like a watermelon, that's a medical issue, not a excuse, ive dislocated it so many times in the past, its bad. anyway. as for the veggies, you are right, I cant let someone else judge what I eat, and I wont no more!

TX_Rhon

My husband doesn't really like eating vegetables either but um... that's his problem, not mine.

^^This! Just this!!

1princesswarrior

Ok, I think your calories are fine and exercise is fine but maybe only take two rest days (although I don't really know how you get a "rest" day with a 2 yr old). Some things I see in your diary. I see veggies every day I looked and I'm not good at eating them either so I can't say anything there. But you should weigh everything, do not depend on measuring cups and spoons, they are really way off. I found I was actually eating less peanut butter (bummer) and a lot more other stuff by using measuring cups, for example, 1 cup of cooked pasta or "2 oz." was actually 3 oz. when I put it on my food scale. That adds up over the course of a day or week. You use a lot of buttery spreads, watch those for the word hydrogenated and actually weigh out the servings. I don't know anything about whipped peanut butter and what additional processing that goes through but you eat that a lot, read the label carefully and compare it to regular peanut butter. Also, you can substitute other nut butters. I'm also a bit concerned about where you are getting your fats from, maybe try more nuts, fish and other healthy fats instead of the buttery spreads, etc. Your protein is inconsistent from day to day, you may want to supplement with a whey protein, especially on workout days to get close to your target. It's not that expensive when you compare it to the premade shakes. Finally, where is all your water? You need to record your water intake. I aim for a gallon a day of non-sugar drinks, usually it's all water but I will make teas now that it's getting cooler outside. So I don't count anything I put sweeteners in and I use Truvia or diet soda, etc. I don't have anything against any of those drinks I just usually don't drink them.

Some ideas for foods, make up your own version of overnight oats, lots of nuts (not peanuts) like almonds or pistacchios, lots of berries, greek yogurt, apples, hard boiled eggs, 2% dairy, use chedder cheese instead of American cheese, only eat 1/2 of the dark chocolate bar or get the Dove dark chocolate squares and eat 2 or 3 (dark chocolate is actually full of antioxidants), use buttery sprays instead of spreads, whole grain breads instead of white, make your own turkey patties for breakfast. Yes, you may have to buy and make food different than what your husband eats but it's a small sacrifice for your health.

As for exercise, I haven't seen the scale move in a month but I'm still losing inches so I'm not worried about it, I'm a little frustrated but I've got a lot of crap going on in life right now and I'm not getting enough sleep and haven't been eating right so I'm not surprised at the scale. And I'm bad, I don't take rest days, don't follow that example.

You can go into your goals on MFP and hit custom to set your own calories and macros. For example, I have my macros at 35% protein, 35% carbs, and 30% fat, calories at 2200. You can even custom set your exercise goals to. I would trust your HRM if it has a chest strap for your burns. I have a Polar FT4 and use it for everything, when I am in doubt I take 100 calories off the actual number it says.

Another option you have is to research and understand your TDEE and BMR. This is just another way at looking at weight loss, it's not necessarily any better than MFP. And MFP is based on this theory, it is just set up differently.

Hope this helps. Good luck and don't give up. You've done great, heck, you've almost lost 100 lbs!

GunslingerGirl

I understand the knee thing. I have it too. I ripped my ACL 2 years ago and it's never been the same. It pops and crackles whenever I walk or run or even stand up out of a chair because of the scar tissue having so much air in it. Its like a box of rice crispy's. It pops out of place all the time and it swells every now and then. Have you tried wearing a high end brace? They work wonders! I have one with a little jell this on the side that helps keep your knee in place when walking, running, doing squats anything really. And it helps to keep swelling down. You should look into one. Maybe it'll help it hurt less and have those awful sounds.

skullshank

I really can't eat them a lot as for my hubs don't like them...

"can't"?

cmon now.

if your past injuries are dictating what routine/program you can do, you need to figure out what exercises you can do consistently and build your own schedule with those.

if you like lifting, you should go join the "girls who lift group". tons of experience and knowledge in there.

ETA: clearly, with your lost inches and slimmer aesthetic, you CAN do this and you are. dont discount the success youve already had. get back in the game!