NEED HELP AND INCOURAGEMENT

SisOfNangL820

When I started MFP in February I was 317 lbs... in the first 2 months I lost 21 lbs. Its been 3 weeks since I've weighed and I've lost 1 lb. My Calorie goal is1670... and I'm walking 5 miles a day and I'm jogging some of that now. I don't eat my calories back because last time when I did... I gained weight. So I try to just eat the 1670 and then on the weekend, I eat around 2000. Why am I at a stand still already??? I'm wanting to just give up... I feel like I've worked so hard and I'm not going anywhere. I would open up my diary, but no one would understand it, because I use the quick add calories thing most of the time because I add things together in my head and then add the whole meal in quick add. But 5 days a week I eat as clean as possible... on the weekends I eat what everyone else is eating but small portions. My net calories are usually around 3-400... but if I eat them back, I will gain or maintain weight... I'm wanting to lose... so many people say to eat them back.,... I'm just so upset. I'm not expecting dynamic weight loss... but at least 4 lbs a month would be nice... Ive been increasing exercise as it becomes easy... WHAT AM I DOING WRONG. People of my size usually drop 50-60 lbs pretty quick before they plateau, don't they. And my lifestyle before February was eating anything and everything, and sitting in the house all day doing nothing.... so I just don't understand what I doing wrong....

itskaseywhite

Don't give up !
Giving up will waste all your hard work.
Try to lower your calories for the weekends.
2,000 calories is near the amount of calories someone normally eats.
Maybe lowering it by 500 would cause somewhat a difference.
Ask yourself, are you eating clean when you eat your 2000 calories?
Even though, you're giving yourself a break don't spend the entire day as an cheat day.
It's okay to have an cheat meal but, if you constantly have cheat days, it might be the reason why.
Remember, your diet is 80% of what you're eating and 20% of exercise and genes.
Make sure your constantly updating your diary so it'll keep you on track.
Don't lose hope just because something went wrong.
Try to switch up your exercises occasionally.
For example, monday- cardio, tuesday- weight-lifting, etc..
Also, remember to read all ingredients/ nutritional info.
Try not to eat too much food that contains sugar, wheat, fat, and etc.
Good luck!

MB_Positif

Stop using quick add calories. You may be miscalculating.

airangel59

Don't give up.:flowerforyou:

You are I'm assuming weighing/measuring everything correct?

I don't generally eat back my exercise cals either, or if so, less than half as I don't trust the burn stats (and I do use my HRM).

No cheat days here but I did work what I wanted within reason/moderation into my diary and ate around what was left (my calories were a lot less than you are eating so it was quite a challenge).

Are you over on your sodium? Drinking enough water?

nicolie_o

Don't give up!
Losing weight is really tricky and it may be as simple as mixing up what you're eating. Your diet is the main component in losing weight, and working out is like the added bonus. Lessening your caloric intake will help, but try looking at what you're eating. While food may be the same calories, the cleaner you eat the easier. I found that made punched through my plateau was I switched to cleaner eating, almost paleo inspired and I did a cheat a meal instead of a whole day of cheating, and made sure that the meal was worth it. I would also not use the quick add calories. I like to, while tedious, break down everything that I put in my meal and calculate it that way.

Krikit34

I would suggest that you log all of your food instead of adding it up in your head. It takes a little time at the beginning, but once you've got your usuals in there it goes pretty quick. If you have certain meals or dishes you eat all of the time, you can build them as a recipe so that you only have to add that one item instead of all of the ingredients. It does take some time, but I find being able to see everything is really helpful. I also find it helpful because you can see sodium, fat, protein, etc. and make sure those are in balance. Also, I have to measure and/or weigh everything. A real ounce or a real tablespoon is often very different than it "looks".

Do you have your fitness setting set at sedentary or active? I started out about the same weight and my calorie goal has never been that high, so check all of you settings.

Don't give up.

ksmithnh

Definitely don't give up! Its a journey and its so different for every person. I'm definitely no expert, but your target sounds low to me if you're getting that much activity and not eating those calories. I'm around 230 lbs and my target is 1720/day. If I workout 3 times a week and don't eat those back I'll lose 1-2 lbs a week. Maybe experiment a little? Try a week eating a bit more and being more consistent on the weekends? I would definitely agree with the suggestion to stop using the quick-add calories. The tracking really helps keep me honest. Sometimes I really over or under estimate the calories in things, so the diary is key for me. Good luck and keep it up - you'll figure out what works for you!

AllonsYtotheTardis

because I use the quick add calories thing most of the time because I add things together in my head and then add the whole meal in quick add.

stop doing this. It's likely you're eating more than you think.

Cheechos

Weigh all your food and log each part of it instead of using quick add calories. Estimation will get you nowhere as many people tend to overestimate. You're probably eating more than you think.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

because I use the quick add calories thing most of the time because I add things together in my head and then add the whole meal in quick add.

stop doing this. It's likely you're eating more than you think.

x100

VoodooSyxx

Stop using quick add calores and weigh/measure/log properly. I also don't understand at all why you would eat at a deficit all week long only to eat more on the weekends. If you're clearly miscalculating during the week, what do you think your weekends are really adding up to?

sarahella77

don't give up keep going :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

tageekly

Stop using Quick Add Calories. Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think and follow the recommendations. Succeed.