Depressed.

glamgal76

I'm tracking everything I eat. Even if I pop a single strawberry in my mouth, I track it. I'm working out 6x a week (cardio, core, and strength daily, alternating what strength exercises I do), My calorie goal is currently at 1640 and I'm netting about 700 -800 calories a day. I've been working out and eating better for over 2 months and really wholeheartedly tracking it for over a month. I've lost a total of 10-ish lbs, but my weight now fluctuates between the same 2 or 3 pounds for the past 3 weeks. My goal was 80 pounds to start and I just feel lost and defeated. What's the point of all this tracking, denying myself food I really want, and going to the gym (which I HATE) if I'm not getting results? I know people are just going to stay "hang in there" "give it time" ....but I really want some REAL advice here, because what I'm "supposed" to be doing is getting me nowhere.

AmyRhubarb

My calorie goal is currently at 1640 and I'm netting about 700 -800 calories a day.

Your net calories should be at or near 1640. Could be part of the problem, and one seen often here at MFP - great losses at first, but an eventual stall because you're not getting enough fuel.

Sounds like your workouts are good, other than the fact that you hate going to the gym? Do you hate the workouts, or just the gym atmosphere in general?

And denying yourself foods you really want can be very defeating - if it fits into your goals (and it is more likely to if you're netting the right amount), eat the foods you love in proper portions, so that they do fit into your daily calorie goals.

Try eating all your cals for a few weeks - don't be afraid to eat back exercise cals, your daily goal already has you at a deficit, and not eating them back leaves you with too much of one - you are supposed to eat them back. And even with doing so, you're still at a deficit for the day. Give it a few weeks and see if the scale doesn't start moving again.

Food is fuel! Good luck.

Ctrum69

Plateaus are inevitable, and happen to everyone.

The typical advice at this point is start paying attention to what you eat, as much as how much you eat, and change up your exercise routine a bit.

The body is remarkably adaptable, and will "adapt" to exercise and food to keep itself at what it has been programmed for years to be at.. which would be your previous weight. Over time, it will figure out that things have changed, and adapt to the new weight, but in the interim.. it's still trying to stay where it thinks it should be.

So, don't get depressed. Just realize it's a totally natural and normal thing, that just about everyone goes through at some point.

Now might be the time to start doing a bit of research on what you should be eating, specific to the type of exercise you want to do, and also realize, you just might be building muscle, which weighs about twice as much, volume for volume, as fat.

Worry less about the scale, and more about how you look and feel. And toss any "standards" right out the window. It's highly unlikely you are an "average" person, and all of them, from BMI to BF% are "averages".

jacklo

Ten pounds is a great start. A lot of people are going to say to just "hang in there". I'm going to go against the grain, however, and say that if you're not getting the results you want after three weeks, then you need to change things up, as opposed to "hanging in there" alone. Some people are going to say that you're not getting enough calories, but I don't follow that school of thought. It's always a numbers game, unless you have some other medical condition (e.g., hormone imbalance...which can be a big deal from what I understand when it comes to weight loss; medication you may be on, etc.)

If you can afford it, go to a weight loss clinic that is run by a licensed physician, but be prepared to starve yourself and be in ketosis all the time.

The next alternative (again if you can afford it) is to find a personal trainer/nutritionist worth his or her salt.

Otherwise, you're going to have to do a ton of research online and try to figure out different methodologies that are consistent with your goals and personal and psychological limitations. Then it's a matter of trial and error until you find what works

Remember...if it's broke, then fix it. Then, with willpower and consistency, you will reach your goals. Best of luck!


J.

P.S., just as an observation, I often see a lot of men and women at the gym doing the same "slow fat burning" routine (e.g., the elliptical seems to be a common one) for months and months with no change in body composition. If this is what you're doing, then definitely change this up. Research HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) as one alternative. Try to find a different fitness routine that you don't "hate". Uncommon sense suggests that if you "hate' something, you're not going to get out of it as much as if you enjoyed it.

dakotababy

You need to eat more. You should be NETTING around 1600, not 700-800. Your body is probably holding on to everything you put into it, but once you increase your calories - give it a few weeks and the weight will continue to come off. Think of the plateaus as a way to challenge yourself to make sure your program is long-term and sustainable (prove that this is a life-style change, not a diet).

waytobeduck

I'm tracking everything I eat. Even if I pop a single strawberry in my mouth, I track it. I'm working out 6x a week (cardio, core, and strength daily, alternating what strength exercises I do), My calorie goal is currently at 1640 and I'm netting about 700 -800 calories a day. I've been working out and eating better for over 2 months and really wholeheartedly tracking it for over a month. I've lost a total of 10-ish lbs, but my weight now fluctuates between the same 2 or 3 pounds for the past 3 weeks. My goal was 80 pounds to start and I just feel lost and defeated. What's the point of all this tracking, denying myself food I really want, and going to the gym (which I HATE) if I'm not getting results? I know people are just going to stay "hang in there" "give it time" ....but I really want some REAL advice here, because what I'm "supposed" to be doing is getting me nowhere.

it's up to you to experiment. e.g. eat more protein or change the way you workout... try HIIT or eat more veges. i don't think you have to eat that little btw, you can eat more without logically gaining, according to your bmr and tdee... you can also eat the bad food you are denying yourself *gasp* and work it into your intake goal :glasses: you've been doing so well, don't give up.

Kattyky

- Maybe you should try pay more attention to your macronutrients if you are doing so already. Maybe you could try to change up your ratios a bit especially if you find yourself over consuming one thing.
- I've heard that cheat meals help reset your metabolism. Can't personally recommend it yet, but I have tried it. Aim for no more often than one meal every other week.
- Start incorporating weight training if you are not already
- most importantly, reduce the stress in your life. You getting stressed out about this by itself if already messing with your body. Relax... Find comfort in the fact that your overall health is improving even if the numbers on the scale isn't going down. Also know that nothing lasts forever. I've been working out for a month and haven't seen the changes I want to see but I convince myself that in a year's time, if I keep this up, I MUST see some noticeable difference that I'd never achieve without proper diet and exercise.
- finally, if you don't already, get a tape measure and start measuring your body parts, since reduction in numbers there can be ver motivating too.
- finally (again), watch your sodium intake, since water retention can resut from excessive sodium intake.
Good Luck!

glamgal76

Thank you for the advice - and it's the whole gym experience I hate. I feel awkward and out of place, I hate being all stinky afterward, I hate being stiff and sore pretty much every day...I know people say it gives them energy but it actually wears me out and makes me uncomfortable.

JesterMFP

Thank you for the advice - and it's the whole gym experience I hate. I feel awkward and out of place, I hate being all stinky afterward, I hate being stiff and sore pretty much every day...I know people say it gives them energy but it actually wears me out and makes me uncomfortable.

It will certainly wear you out if you're not giving your body enough food, and if you're only netting 700-800 calories a day, then you're not giving your body enough food.

Eat more, and try to look into other forms of exercise that you would enjoy more. Some people just hate the gym. I don't mind it, but cannot stand exercise videos, which other people love. Find what works for you (and eat more).

SallieBeige

Have you adjusted your calories to meet your new weight loss?

I know that I needed nearly 300 calories more than I do now - and only when I went to settings, update profile, did it adjust down. (Maybe it is something I did, but mine did not adjust by itself.)

Just a thought

slimbettie

Hi,
As weird as it sounds to us old dieters...eat more!!!!! Do MFP correctly and eat the calorie allowance you are given plus eat back all your exercise calories. By saying this please make sure about your exercise calories, because this website do over estimate the calories burnt....double check on other website as well, or better yet, invest in a heart rate monitor. I ordered a Polar Ft7 and will go with that as soon as I get mine. I am also doing a plus 100 calories per week for the next few weeks as I am eating to low.
For us who don't eat enough the pattern is that we will lose weight for the first few weeks and then we will stall, we will not lose consistently week after week, because we are starving our bodies.
Also very important to look at your macros. I only leant this recently. We tend to not eat enough protein and way too much carbs.
If you like you can befriend me and we can do this together!