I'm afraid this isn't working.

kerikitkat

I've alternated between feeling optimistic due to everyone's awesome posts and articles and such this week and being paranoid that I'm doing something wrong. I'm trying to be patient and wait one more week to see if any lbs are going to come off, but what if they don't? Do I go up or down with calories? More exercise? :grumble: I just don't know what the right combo for my body is.

I'm 23 years old, 5'7" tall. I started this 2.5 weeks ago at 147lbs. Lost 2 the first week and not an ounce since. I've been doing cardio (running, walking) for 30-45 minutes three times a week and a beginner/moderate strength routine in between.

My maintenance calories were supposedly about 1950 before, which seems correct considering about how much I used to consume. I've been set at 1450/day for a loss of 1lb/week. I drink water and eat all of my exercise calories (most days), and never go over.

Any suggestions or whatever would be realllly appreciated. Thanks. :flowerforyou:

kerikitkat

I've alternated between feeling optimistic due to everyone's awesome posts and articles and such this week and being paranoid that I'm doing something wrong. I'm trying to be patient and wait one more week to see if any lbs are going to come off, but what if they don't? Do I go up or down with calories? More exercise? :grumble: I just don't know what the right combo for my body is.

I'm 23 years old, 5'7" tall. I started this 2.5 weeks ago at 147lbs. Lost 2 the first week and not an ounce since. I've been doing cardio (running, walking) for 30-45 minutes three times a week and a beginner/moderate strength routine in between.

My maintenance calories were supposedly about 1950 before, which seems correct considering about how much I used to consume. I've been set at 1450/day for a loss of 1lb/week. I drink water and eat all of my exercise calories (most days), and never go over.

Any suggestions or whatever would be realllly appreciated. Thanks. :flowerforyou:

foxfire9372

You may be gaining muscle weight. Also, you make think you need to lose a lot of weight, but you are well under the top range for weight. At your age, I am 5'8" and was 143lbs and looked like I weighed 120 because I was almost all muscle. Drop the scale and grab a tape measure. After three months in the gym at that age, I only lost 8 lbs, but close to 15" over all and my cardio strength went way up.

icupfunny2000

2 pounds in 2.5 weeks is good.... you figure your set to lose a pound a week..... sounds like your right where your supposed to be!!! sometimes you lose sometimes you dont!!!! I have been here 7 weeks and have only lost 9 pounds and i am set at losing 2 pounds a week ...... but i have lost almost 4 inches in my waist!!!! take your measurements and give it way more time!!!! its not going to come off really quick ... unfoutunately:noway:

j~

Nich0le

It is important to keep your body guessing, you should try switching to a different workout routine every couple of weeks. Its as easy as using the elliptical instead of the treadmill or bike etc. Our bodies adapt quickly to change in an effort to protect us from severe conditions and our bodies will automatically, at different intervals for different people, go into survival mode.

There are a lot of ways to tweak your diet and exercise to reach your goals. Like I said, switch up your cardio, or increase your cardio by 20% for about 7 days, you may actually need to eat more (that is the hardest thing for people to do). I hit a plateau every 10lbs or so and I kick it into high gear for a week to 10 days and I start to lose again.

You can do this, determination and hard work are in order. A pound a week is a great goal and 2 lbs a week is considered "aggresive" and is only recommended for obese or morbidly obese people to do. If you did a lb a week you will be at your goal by August 13, remember, slow and steady wins the race. Taking it off slowly over time increases your chances of keeping it off!

bodibykelli

Hi! The weight loss you've had is wonderful! Although you really want to see your scale at 130, you are at a very healthy weight for your height. This doesn't mean that you won't be able to lose the weight you want to, but it will take longer than people with a lot of weight to lose. Continue to do what you're doing....the slower the weight loss, the better chance you will have at keeping it off! :flowerforyou:

sharon3541

keri

I also am 5'7 and 147. I would like to get down to 135 I know it will take a long time. So I did what everyone has suggested, I wrote down my measurements last night and put the pad away. On May 30th I will again take my measurements. If I see inches come off I will feel much better than weight coming off. Stay positive believe me I am trying myself to stay positive.

kerikitkat

Thanks everybody.

I know I don't NEED to lose any weight heath-wise, but I would love to jiggle a bit less. :embarassed: I will take all of your advice including switching up my cardio a bit and taking some measurements instead of just relying on pounds. If I can replace ten pounds of fat with ten pounds of muscle, I'll nix my old weight goal right away! Y'all are probably right, I guess I'm just worried that I'm wasting time doing it wrong when I could be losing.

sr2000

This site really helped me understand bosy fat percentages and how they are related to weight loss and over all health of the body.

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm

"....Knowing your body fat percentage can also help you determine if your weight loss goals are realistic. Remember, weight loss doesn't always mean fat loss. For example:

Let's say you're a 130# woman with 23% body fat, and you goal is to "lose 20 pounds":

Initial body fat: 130# x 0.23 fat = 30 # body fat

Lean body mass: 130# total - 30# fat = 100# lean body mass (bones, organs and all else)

Goal: 130# - 20# = 110 pounds

As you can see, the goal of losing 20 pounds is not realistic or healthy. At 110 pounds, this woman still requires 100# of lean body mass (bones, organs, etc.), but would only be carrying 10#, or only 9% body fat. From the chart above, you can see that this is a dangerously low percentage.

A better goal might be for the woman to reduce her body fat from 23% to 18%. In this case:

130# x 0.18 = 23 # body fat

100# lean body mass + 23 # = 123# goal weight

So, for this individual to achieve a lean, but healthy 18% fat, she would need to lose only 7 pounds of fat, reducing her weight from her current 130 pounds to 123 pounds. Losing more than 7 pounds means losing lean body mass (usually metabolically-active muscle tissue), which is clearly not desirable.

So before you decide that you need to "lose weight", remember to consider that "weight" consists of both lean body mass and body fat. Try to keep your weight loss goals realistic, and remember, keep the calorie-burning muscle, and lose only the fat...."

kerikitkat

That's a really good point srb2000, I wish I knew what my body fat % is.

sr2000

There are some gyms and fitness centers that will test this for you. They even had a tester at a exercise equipment store. I'd like to check myself. Back in the good ol days when I was 145, at 5'8" (tons of cardio and strength training) I was at 19%. Due to my weight (and flab) increase in the 5 years since then, I know I am much higher % now. I'd also love to get my metabolic rate tested as well, I'll have to look around to find where I can get my RMR tested to have a more accurate measure of how many calories I should be eating.

WillPillageYourVillageForFood

This website is pretty good at calculating body fat percentages. http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html
Hope this helps some.

lotusfromthemud

This website is pretty good at calculating body fat percentages. http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html
Hope this helps some.

Just to second this, I had a trainer check mine with calipers, and it was exactly the same as the above website. If nothing else, it gives you something to go on besides the scale, which is the :devil: .

cthaun

Don't be discouraged. My guess is, from what you say, that you really aren't overweight. I think that is why your body is fighting this. The pounds will come off, but it is likely to be slow. That said, you will still see your body toning up and even changing in appearance simply from eating less fat. Focus on how you feel and also take note of the subtle differences. Eating well and exercising can only benefit you--you will have better skin, stand straighter, have clearer eyes, etc. etc. I hope I don't sound preachy. Trust me, I know well what you are going through.

beep

Read my post under exercise, about why it's harder for women to lose weight while exercising. It may answer all your questions.

ErinRNinMaine

kerikitkat,

I'm also 5'7" and about 143 lbs. It's hard to hear when people are telling you that you are a healthy weight. I know for me, my BMI is around 24. That is a "healthy" ratio. But I also know for me, I look better and my clothes fit better when I am around 130 lbs (my goal as well). I actually get tired of people telling me "you don't need to lose any weight!" They don't see me naked, and clothes can hide a lot. As you said, I'd like to get rid of the "jiggle" and that's only going to happen when I lose a little more weight.
I have also been struggling with the MFP program. I have been doing it for the last 2 weeks, as well, and haven't lost one ounce!! I have a heartrate monitor that is telling me that I am burning approx. 500-600 calories per workout which I do 5x/wk. As was suggested, I have been eating those extra calories on a daily basis. I have come to the conclusion that when we don't have that much to lose (those dreaded last 10 lbs), you really need to boost the cardio and eat your minimum calories per day (1200 for you too?) Are you eating those extra calories?
As for the body fat, there are scales you can get. I got one at Wal-mart. I have a caliper that I bought at a local fitness store for about 25 dollars. They both tell me the same percentage. I don't really trust the ones online because it only asks you your weight and height-well one person could be very muscular while the other person has more fat. They definately won't have the same BMI. I heard if you contact a college with a kinesiology dept., you can have them do the water weight test.

I am there with you with the discouragement--I think if we keep plugging along and adding a little more cardio we will start to see the scale move. Try to look at the food you are eating as you may be staying within your range but if you are not making wise food choices that could be working against you as well.
Good luck!!

sr2000

This website is pretty good at calculating body fat percentages. http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html
Hope this helps some.

Just to second this, I had a trainer check mine with calipers, and it was exactly the same as the above website. If nothing else, it gives you something to go on besides the scale, which is the :devil: .

Cool site! I just did this quick body fat test. It says I'm at 23 1/2 %body fat. So even though I'm in the healthy range, I could certainly stand to lose more fat. I'd like to get down 25 more pounds to 150 lbs and 19% body fat.
I don't mean to insult those of you who are at a "healthy BMI" and trying to lose weight. I understand that we always want to be and look the very best we can, and perhaps look and weigh what we once did. I'm just trying to say that when it comes down to those last 5-15 lbs you want to lose, that maybe it's better to focus on losing inches and body fat, not just lowering the number on the scale. Keep in mind it's possible to lose a couple inches and a body fat and yet the scale might not budge.

yellow_pepper

Are you getting enough fiber?

Sometimes weight loss can be "lumpy" - i.e. minus 3 in week 1, plus 1 in week 2, or even on a daily basis - because of the fiber content - or lack thereof - in what we ate. Several of those pounds that we see on the scale are food processing through the body and getting held up.

While I've lost weight on diets that reduced carbs and replaced them with lean protein and vegetables, I often felt discouraged when I saw no progress or a pound slide back. Then I started mixing some flax seed into my yogurt and began to see more regular, consistent progress.

From a health perspective alone, it's important to get 25-30 grams of fiber per day. It helps to fill you up and also lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol. And being consistent about it helps to make sure that your total body weight includes the same amount of food in your GI from day to day.

Calories are already a lot to manage, but count fiber grams and you'll be happier with the scale!

yellow_pepper

In addition, it's important to be realistic about your goals. I just looked at your profile and it says you want to be 130 even though you haven't since middle school. So you want your body to look 14 years old? You've probably increased bone mass since then as you wrapped up puberty.

The images of your "now" and "goal" body model also drew my attention. It looks like your goal body has larger breasts. If you lose weight, you lose it everywhere, honey! So make sure you want ALL the aspects of your 14-year-old body before you make that your goal.

I don't mean to pick on you KeriKitKat. EVERYONE LUSTING AFTER THE BODY THEY HAD BEFORE THEY GOT A DRIVER'S LICENSE IS CHASING A MIRAGE.

For my part, I recognize that I was a lot skinnier and maybe prettier as a teenager, but I'm so much sexier and more attractive now, with my curves and my confidence!

Who'd really want to be 14 again anyway?

kerikitkat

In addition, it's important to be realistic about your goals. I just looked at your profile and it says you want to be 130 even though you haven't since middle school. So you want your body to look 14 years old? You've probably increased bone mass since then as you wrapped up puberty.

The images of your "now" and "goal" body model also drew my attention. It looks like your goal body has larger breasts. If you lose weight, you lose it everywhere, honey! So make sure you want ALL the aspects of your 14-year-old body before you make that your goal.

I don't mean to pick on you KeriKitKat. EVERYONE LUSTING AFTER THE BODY THEY HAD BEFORE THEY GOT A DRIVER'S LICENSE IS CHASING A MIRAGE.

For my part, I recognize that I was a lot skinnier and maybe prettier as a teenager, but I'm so much sexier and more attractive now, with my curves and my confidence!

Who'd really want to be 14 again anyway?

:laugh: :laugh:

Friend, there's no way I want to look 14 again. The thing I was trying to say is that I haven't been slender since middle school. I developed jiggly thighs, a pudge on my tummy, and flaps on my arms at about 13 and have had them every since. I'd like to NOT have them. Thank you and everyone else for pointing out that I am at a healthy weight, and I absolutely agree! But Erin gets it, too. Just because we are at a healthy weight doesn't mean we feel like we are the best we can be! I think I will always be curvy because I have wide hips and curves definitely run in my family, but I don't see anything wrong with wanting to drop and jeans size or two if it makes me feel better. It's not like I want to weigh 115, which by the way, is also considered a "healthy" weight for my height, all the way up to 160.... I'd hope not to be at EITHER extreme. :glasses:

As for the boobs on my model - you should have heard me laughing and joking with my husband about how that site apparently gives you bigger knockers IF you set your weight low enough. It's terrible! Hahaha, believe me, that is NOT what I expect. Thank you for the concern though. :flowerforyou:

I think I'm making good food choices - I still eat sweets occasionally when they fit into the day's calories and I make healthier pizzas at home, that kind of stuff, but I also LOVE fruits and veggies and lean chicken and eat that all the time! I think my fiber intake is adequate, but maybe I will check.

Hopefully I'm just putting on muscle which is why I'm not losing weight. It's just that I feel like I've made such a HUGE change in the way I eat and the exercise I do, that I want to see results! And I'm impatient...

Did I mention already that y'all are awesome? :blushing:

yellow_pepper

Glad you responded by laughing ... :-) And keep up the good work. It will definitely help that you have a supportive spouse who can laugh with you about these things and enjoy healthy meals with you. :-)

kerikitkat

Glad you responded by laughing ... :-) And keep up the good work. It will definitely help that you have a supportive spouse who can laugh with you about these things and enjoy healthy meals with you. :-)

Absolutely! I've noticed the large amount of man-bashing on this site, but my hubby is AWESOME.

ps - he cooks, too :happy:

mkeithley

That's a really good point srb2000, I wish I knew what my body fat % is.

Word of caution: calipers and the digital readers can be off by as much as 4-5% higher or lower. The only true body fat reading you can get is from the test where you are immersed in H2O. I had a trainer at my gym measure me with calipers 4 times in the same sitting and she got a different reading each time. I suggest taking your measurements, get rid of the scale and the calipers, keep doing what you are doing Remember it's called a work out because it's work:bigsmile: , no easy fixes unfortunately Try and stay focused on being fit and healthy:flowerforyou:

nickip

Don't get discouraged. Your body can sometimes try to resist the weight loss. If you keep up the healthy eating and exercise you should soon see the weight coming off. If not than you may need to change something, like your workout routine or perhaps check closely for some hidden calories, surgar or carbs that you may be taking in.

Good Luck!!

maestrachistosa

I thought I was the only one who was struggling! I'm 5'8" and 167 pounds. I want to lose about 10 pounds...or at least lose the belly flab. I tend to build muscle quickly, so I figured this is why the scale hasn't moved in a month. I also have no problem eating all my calories, considering I have low blood sugar and have to eat 5-6 times a day just to act like a human being! I actually usually go over a bit, but don't sweat it, since if I don't eat, I honestly get psycho!! I also kickbox about 3-4 times a week. So, I know I'm getting my exercise. Anyway, I appreciate everyone's comments ...its given me some much-needed validation!

edyta

Read this whole thread:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/12250-1000-calorie-deficit-not-for-people-with-healthy-bmi
It looks like it's about you

Good luck and be patient :flowerforyou:

banks1850

That's a really good point srb2000, I wish I knew what my body fat % is.

Word of caution: calipers and the digital readers can be off by as much as 4-5% higher or lower. The only true body fat reading you can get is from the test where you are immersed in H2O. I had a trainer at my gym measure me with calipers 4 times in the same sitting and she got a different reading each time. I suggest taking your measurements, get rid of the scale and the calipers, keep doing what you are doing Remember it's called a work out because it's work:bigsmile: , no easy fixes unfortunately Try and stay focused on being fit and healthy:flowerforyou:

Oh, they have a new one too MKeithly (well it's apparently not THAT new, but it's pretty new to me since I only heard about it for the first time about 4 months ago on this site) its called a DEXA machine, and it's suppose to be very accurate. If you have one in a clinic near you that is probably the most accurate way to get it done. I have seen a few places that offer these tests (luckilly, in the Boston area there is a plethora of clinics and teaching hospitals) and they go for about $150 a test. I imagine you could get it for less if you found one at a teaching hospital.

banks1850

Hi kerri,

I think that you are going through what all of us go through when we reach the point where our body's no longer have copious amounts of fat to lose. It get's harder at this point. I chronicaled this in my expectations post (i'll link it, I have it here somewhere). It's in my newbies post too so maybe I'll just link that.

It's hard, I am the first one to admit. I am where you are as well, I am at a 24 BMI and working to get my stomach back (it's now flat again, and my abs are strong, but still under the inch or so of loose skin and fat) and the little bit of area some call love handles that I still want to get rid of. My only advice is, at this point, you need to settle in for the long haul, shaping your body is much harder then loosing excess weight. I don't expect to lose those areas any time soon, maybe by the end of the summer they will be gone if I work hard and keep up my healthy eating. If you adjust your expectations realistically, and think of it long term, I think you will feel better. It may take 6 months to a year to get it where you want it, but by then you will have learned what it takes to stay there; and that's the most important part!

here is that post I said I'd link.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

Oh, BTW, are you at King Richard's Faire in your profile picture? I love the Wench outfit, it's pretty cool. :drinker:

kerikitkat

Thanks, banks, and everyone else, again.

My profile pic is from the big Texas Renaissance Festival last fall. It was last minute planning, so my costume was as well - but we ALL know we can make a wench outfit out of our closets in no time. :laugh:

kerikitkat

Ok, another weekly weigh in and I've gained half a pound. My jeans don't seem any looser either. :grumble:

edyta

Keri, maybe you should think about changing your goal weight?
Go to http://www.self.com/fitness/nutrition/calculators/happyWeight and http://www.shape.com/fitness_tools/ideal_weight/ and see what they tell you.
You are VERY close to your ideal weight and it's almost impossible to go below that the healthy way...

I know it sucks, because I'm in the same situation...
:ohwell:

If you are going to lose it is going to slow.

Did you read that thread?:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/12250-1000-calorie-deficit-not-for-people-with-healthy-bmi