Loosing the right way...hopefully!

Hello everyone!!!

So here's a little bit about me...

I've always been a highly competitive athlete competing at national championship levels however after 2 back to back catastrophic injuries sports are out of the picture. I used to weight between 138 and 142 pounds. After the injury, I kept it off by living on coffee for 2 meals a day and eating a normal dinner. Since I graduated from high school I decided I wanted to enjoy food but I have ballooned up to 157 (I'm between 5ft 9 and 5ft 10).

This is the biggest I've ever been and it has left me in tears, I don't feel confident and I don't wear shorts anymore.

I don't want to fall back into bad habits and an unhealthy eating regime but I want results. I am currently taking part in gym classes at least 5 days a week and consuming about 1,800 calories a day for the last 3 weeks but the scales have no budged NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT!!

I think it's too early to tell but I've just got this nagging voice in my head telling me to cut....
I definitely feel way more toned in my legs but my midsection and arms still look too big.

Any advice or stories of how other people can't shift the scales would be so appreciated!! :)

Thanks!!

Mari xoxo

Replies

  • tmuellenberg
    tmuellenberg Posts: 265 Member
    Hey Mari!

    The scale is sometimes not the best way to measure progress. If you feel like you can see change, then you're most likely losing fat, which is good! I had the same exact thing happen to me. I started my journey doing Insanity and through the first month, I didn't lose a single pound. But I felt better. Then come month 2 the weight really started to fall off and I lost 17 lbs. So sometimes it just takes the body a while to get the scale moving :)

    Feel free to add me if you're looking for buddies to support you with the journey!
  • Maybe your body just wants to be a normal healthy weight? What your mind thinks is balooning is actually what a person who is almost 6ft tall would weigh?

    What if you were to just keep doing fitness and work on having good muscle tone and a strong physicque instead of wanting to get to a weight where you were starving yourself to maintain?

    If you want to lose weight (one o not two) ok then that's your choice of course but why not approach it from shape rather than weight on a scale?
  • V0lver
    V0lver Posts: 915 Member
    i might be wrong but i think you are regaining all the muscle mass you lost in your athletic days. If i were you, i'd use pictures and measuring tape for determining my progress because there is a good chance you might be losing inches right now
  • i might be wrong but i think you are regaining all the muscle mass you lost in your athletic days. If i were you, i'd use pictures and measuring tape for determining my progress because there is a good chance you might be losing inches right now
    \

    I think you might be right, you aren't the first person to say that but it's just hard to see the differences if its not a concrete number! I think i will start the measuring tape and see :) Thanks!!
  • Maybe your body just wants to be a normal healthy weight? What your mind thinks is balooning is actually what a person who is almost 6ft tall would weigh?

    What if you were to just keep doing fitness and work on having good muscle tone and a strong physicque instead of wanting to get to a weight where you were starving yourself to maintain?

    If you want to lose weight (one o not two) ok then that's your choice of course but why not approach it from shape rather than weight on a scale?

    It's possible like my BMI is 22. something I think which is perfectly normal.
    I think I mainly want to regain the confidence that I had when I was skinnier, I just don't feel as confident anymore and I think I need to regain my shape in order to achieve that, whether it's getting fitter or loosing weight or most likely both!!
  • Yes! The scale is sometimes not the best way to measure progress... I have weighed the same the past two months.. but lost 5 inches ... weight isn't everything.. I am just learning this too! Feel free to add me as a friend... I am getting back into the MFP grind again.
  • Yes! The scale is sometimes not the best way to measure progress... I have weighed the same the past two months.. but lost 5 inches ... weight isn't everything.. I am just learning this too! Feel free to add me as a friend... I am getting back into the MFP grind again.

    Well this is making me feel a whole lot better! I know like 10 pounds might not be a huge number in comparison to a lot of people on here but I think like just that 10 will make a huge difference to how I look! And I'm not trying to be as tiny as I was before I just wanna be somewhere in the middle of there and here! :)

    That's awesome that you're getting back into it... such a good support system!! :)
  • You mean losing, not loosing of course.

    I am not quite sure how one would loose weight.....
  • You mean losing, not loosing of course.

    I am not quite sure how one would loose weight.....

    Yes, thank you for pointing that out!
  • A losing battle I'm sure, I fear the word cannot be saved......
  • A losing battle I'm sure, I fear the word cannot be saved......

    Well I wouldn't use myself as a baseline seeing as I'm dyslexic and can barely use the right there/their/they're 90% of the time!
  • salladeve
    salladeve Posts: 1,053 Member
    A losing battle I'm sure, I fear the word cannot be saved......

    Well I wouldn't use myself as a baseline seeing as I'm dyslexic and can barely use the right there/their/they're 90% of the time!


    Don't worry about it, as long as we understand what you mean, it's all good.

    Welcome to MFP :flowerforyou:
  • A losing battle I'm sure, I fear the word cannot be saved......

    Well I wouldn't use myself as a baseline seeing as I'm dyslexic and can barely use the right there/their/they're 90% of the time!


    Don't worry about it, as long as we understand what you mean, it's all good.




    Welcome to MFP :flowerforyou:

    Thanks girlie!! :bigsmile:
  • That makes two of us, I have dislexia as well. But if you want to continue to spell the word that way you are entitled to as an adult....it's your choice. Go for it.
  • A losing battle I'm sure, I fear the word cannot be saved......

    Well I wouldn't use myself as a baseline seeing as I'm dyslexic and can barely use the right there/their/they're 90% of the time!


    Don't worry about it, as long as we understand what you mean, it's all good.

    Welcome to MFP :flowerforyou:

    Yis ah agri lit's nut wurry abit how wi spelll wirds zo lung uz wii undirstind het is uhl good rught?
  • Dont give up thats what happened to me i did everything n not lost weight then there was one week i ate alot i mean all unhealthy stuff it was shocked i lost 1.5 lbs that week i am not saying eat unhealthy lol :p its like wait for some time you will see that scale moving :)
  • jradetsk
    jradetsk Posts: 7 Member
    i am a bit confused 157 at that height is not to bad. you were not lying about being an athlete because you would not weigh that little after all this time if you had not had plenty of good years ahead of you. most girls would be happy at 145 at your height. idk i think your already on a better track then you realize. the reason why the scale has not budged is probably because your in better shape then you realize. most people would drop 5 pounds in the first week due to being in bad shape and they give there body this noob jump start in water weight loss. this never happend to you because your in better shape. i recommend to drop the coffee thats probably doing the most damage to your losses. you really only have to loose 5-10 pounds to look skinny compared to most girls and look atheltic with tight abs. even at your current weight i have seen girls with visible abs the only thing preventing this and keeping the fat on is probably the caffeine . i know its hard to give up but i think thats all thats really effecting you. its probably the caffeine and sugar keeping that small layer of fat on you. Just keep doing what your doing your going to see a visable improvement way before you know it. i think your only a couple of months away from your goals at the most. i think in one month your already going to be very satisfied in 2 months you will probably have reached your goal with your current routine.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    Yes! The scale is sometimes not the best way to measure progress... I have weighed the same the past two months.. but lost 5 inches ... weight isn't everything.. I am just learning this too! Feel free to add me as a friend... I am getting back into the MFP grind again.

    Well this is making me feel a whole lot better! I know like 10 pounds might not be a huge number in comparison to a lot of people on here but I think like just that 10 will make a huge difference to how I look! And I'm not trying to be as tiny as I was before I just wanna be somewhere in the middle of there and here! :)

    That's awesome that you're getting back into it... such a good support system!! :)

    I can relate with your comment - 10 lbs can make a difference. I know it has with my confidence and the way clothes fit me.

    I am 5'8 and now 157 lvs - I will probably be maintaining within the next couple lbs lost. I am an athlete and really want to keep and maybe build a little muscle.
  • salladeve
    salladeve Posts: 1,053 Member
    A losing battle I'm sure, I fear the word cannot be saved......

    Well I wouldn't use myself as a baseline seeing as I'm dyslexic and can barely use the right there/their/they're 90% of the time!


    Don't worry about it, as long as we understand what you mean, it's all good.

    Welcome to MFP :flowerforyou:

    Yis ah agri lit's nut wurry abit how wi spelll wirds zo lung uz wii undirstind het is uhl good rught?

    I'm not sinking to your level. I really think you need to grow up.

    BTW can't understand a word of that
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    i am a bit confused 157 at that height is not to bad. you were not lying about being an athlete because you would not weigh that little after all this time if you had not had plenty of good years ahead of you. most girls would be happy at 145 at your height. idk i think your already on a better track then you realize. the reason why the scale has not budged is probably because your in better shape then you realize. most people would drop 5 pounds in the first week due to being in bad shape and they give there body this noob jump start in water weight loss. this never happend to you because your in better shape. i recommend to drop the coffee thats probably doing the most damage to your losses. you really only have to loose 5-10 pounds to look skinny compared to most girls and look atheltic with tight abs. even at your current weight i have seen girls with visible abs the only thing preventing this and keeping the fat on is probably the caffeine . i know its hard to give up but i think thats all thats really effecting you. its probably the caffeine and sugar keeping that small layer of fat on you. Just keep doing what your doing your going to see a visable improvement way before you know it. i think your only a couple of months away from your goals at the most. i think in one month your already going to be very satisfied in 2 months you will probably have reached your goal with your current routine.

    Caffeine has nothing to do with not being able to lose weight. If anything, it helps the body burn fat.

    Studies on elite distance runners and swimmers did show an increase in their performance times after they had ingested caffeine. The Australian Institute of Sport team found that caffeine triggers the muscles to start using fat as an energy source rather than carbohydrate sugars.

    Certainly the enhanced performance using caffeine has been well documented and the Olympic Committee banned athletes from having more that 12 mg/ml in their urine samples. This equates to approximately 4 – 7 cups of coffee consumed within 30 minutes.


    http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/exercise/workouts/caffeine-performance.htm

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21366839 (This meta analysis found that green tea extract caffeine induced 24 hour fat oxidation, but not caffeine alone.
  • A losing battle I'm sure, I fear the word cannot be saved......

    Well I wouldn't use myself as a baseline seeing as I'm dyslexic and can barely use the right there/their/they're 90% of the time!


    Don't worry about it, as long as we understand what you mean, it's all good.

    Welcome to MFP :flowerforyou:

    Yis ah agri lit's nut wurry abit how wi spelll wirds zo lung uz wii undirstind het is uhl good rught?

    I'm not sinking to your level. I really think you need to grow up.

    BTW can't understand a word of that

    It's just having fun with no malice intended., you don't need to give it energy. I think you need to loosen up and see that a play on words is not something sinister or mean spirited. I wish the person who wrote this post no harm, you might want to look again and see that.
  • You can feel free to add me. I'm going to add the fun back in fundamental or just the mental back into it :D cause I'm a crazy train. P.S. I like puns and love to be super happy all the time. I wake up happy, and go to sleep happy. :)
  • That makes two of us, I have dislexia as well. But if you want to continue to spell the word that way you are entitled to as an adult....it's your choice. Go for it.

    No I do really try my hardest not to spell things wrong it just happens sometimes when spell check is not present! I'm sorry if it offended you!
  • i am a bit confused 157 at that height is not to bad. you were not lying about being an athlete because you would not weigh that little after all this time if you had not had plenty of good years ahead of you. most girls would be happy at 145 at your height. idk i think your already on a better track then you realize. the reason why the scale has not budged is probably because your in better shape then you realize. most people would drop 5 pounds in the first week due to being in bad shape and they give there body this noob jump start in water weight loss. this never happend to you because your in better shape. i recommend to drop the coffee thats probably doing the most damage to your losses. you really only have to loose 5-10 pounds to look skinny compared to most girls and look atheltic with tight abs. even at your current weight i have seen girls with visible abs the only thing preventing this and keeping the fat on is probably the caffeine . i know its hard to give up but i think thats all thats really effecting you. its probably the caffeine and sugar keeping that small layer of fat on you. Just keep doing what your doing your going to see a visable improvement way before you know it. i think your only a couple of months away from your goals at the most. i think in one month your already going to be very satisfied in 2 months you will probably have reached your goal with your current routine.

    Thanks that's super encouraging to hear! I'm totally with you on the sugar thing because I know that is a HUGE problem of mine! That's why 145 is my goal because I think it's in between what I used to be and now. It's not realistic of me to be back down around 140 because at that time I was training at least 2 hours a day with basically PTs and I don't have the time nor funds to do that anymore!
    I'm going to work really hard over the Christmas period and hopefully only have 5 to go by new year!
    Thanks again for your post!!

    M :)
  • Dont give up thats what happened to me i did everything n not lost weight then there was one week i ate alot i mean all unhealthy stuff it was shocked i lost 1.5 lbs that week i am not saying eat unhealthy lol :p its like wait for some time you will see that scale moving :)

    haha yeah I think patience is key!! Thanks!! :)
  • That makes two of us, I have dislexia as well. But if you want to continue to spell the word that way you are entitled to as an adult....it's your choice. Go for it.

    No I do really try my hardest not to spell things wrong it just happens sometimes when spell check is not present! I'm sorry if it offended you!

    It didn't offend me at all. So you have nothing to be sorry about. I'm sorry if you thought I was being unkind, I really wasn't.
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
    Ok. I am 5'3". I weigh 115lb. I maintain at 1800 Calories a day. You might not be eating enough.

    Are you eating 1800 Calories before or after your exercise Calories? You should be eating back the exercise calories.
    If after... Do you use a scale to weigh your food or do you eyeball it? You could be underestimating your Calories.
    Do you have any health issues that could be hindering your progress. The Thyroid controls your Metabolism and many medications affect it.

    It is hard to say without seeing your Diary.
  • No it's all good!! :)
  • Ok. I am 5'3". I weigh 115lb. I maintain at 1800 Calories a day. You might not be eating enough.

    Are you eating 1800 Calories before or after your exercise Calories? You should be eating back the exercise calories.
    If after... Do you use a scale to weigh your food or do you eyeball it? You could be underestimating your Calories.
    Do you have any health issues that could be hindering your progress. The Thyroid controls your Metabolism and many medications affect it.

    It is hard to say without seeing your Diary.

    It kind of depends on the day, but never more that 2000 before working out. I measure it out because I can't judge anything to save my life!!
    I think my main issue is type of food I'm eating rather that the number of calories.. if you eat 1500 calories of junk it's going to be probably worse for you that eating 2000 calories of good stuff right?

    The weight has begun to shift though so hopefully I'm doing something right!! :)