Feeling discouraged

wintersetm

Hello. I have been on MFP for about 4 1/2 months and have lost 25 pounds so far. I am down 77 pounds from my all time high a year and a half ago, and would like to lose another 100.I have been plateaued for the past month, due to working 50+ hours a week at work. I am having a tough time getting back into a good workout routine. I would love to know how many min. per day/ workouts a week others have done to lose weight. Working out 5- 6 times a week for 60 min. is just not feasible for me right now. Thanks for taking the time to read :happy:

serindipte

I exercise... pretty much never.

Weight loss is in the dietary intake. If you've leveled out, then you are eating more than you are burning.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

If you aren't already using one, get and use a food scale. Weigh all solids. Measuring cups/spoons are not accurate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
Neither is guessing:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1270280-food-weighing-scale-miracles

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

editorgrrl

Congratulations on your loss! Open your diary for personalized advice, but weight loss is all about the logging. Exercise lets you eat more, and it has health benefits, but you lose weight by logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly.

Read the Sexypants post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants

AnAbsoluteDiva

Hi,

You didn't say what you do for your workout, but if you lift weights for 30 minutes, three times a week, you'll see huge improvements.

RUNNING_AMOK_1958

Although 'exercise snacking' is approached from the low blood sugar standpoint in this link, it also works well when you don't have a lot of time to exercise.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/exercise-snacks-to-control-blood-sugar/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

amy8400

It would help if to see your diary because that's where a lot of your success lies. If you've been plateauing for awhile it could be a number of factors but working long hours can really zap your energy and possibly lead you to convenient but not necessarily good food choices. I can't say for sure without seeing your food and exercise logs.

Don't let a plateau get you down. I spent 8 weeks on one this spring and it felt like I was never going to lose weight again no matter what I did. At an MFP friend's suggestion, I upped my daily calories about 200 and adjusted my cardio to include interval training. I also spent a lot more effort on weight resistance. I also put more emphasis on protein (my goal is 100g per day). I found eating several small snacks each day helped keep me from binging.

I totally appreciate where you're coming from with a heavy work schedule and family commitments. I had an insane 3 week period in June where it was next to impossible to work out. All I can say is 1) keep logging no matter what 2) sneak power walking in on your lunch breaks 3) get your family involved with nightly walks, weekend hikes or swimming if you have a community pool available and 4) stock your pantry/fridge with high protein mini-meals and snacks like string cheese (50 cal.), yogurt, energy/protein bars, ham/turkey slices, small packages of nuts and dried fruit, whatever works for you.

Good luck!

PepeLPew

What do you consider exercise to be?

To get the ball rolling, I would start off on walks with my fiance every other day for 30 minutes. Then we found it to be really fun and continued walking all over the neighbourhood. It became eventually a lifestyle. We would walk upward of 100 km a week at times.

I have had to cut back considerably the amount I go walking given I found out I was creating too big of a calorie deficit.

But as a starting point walking is a great low impact activity that burns way more calories than you'd imagine.

And BTW, I know it is easy to feel discouraged but the amount of weight you have lost is simply incredible. Way to go!

wkay99

I'm going to preface this by saying that I normally read but don't respond to posts - not sure why, but that said I am going to comment on your post. First, I know that everyone says that weight loss is strictly calorie deficit. But, I spent years regularly counting calories - kept my weight pretty stable and even lost some. But, in my heart of hearts, I knew that I needed more exercise too, just didn't do it. I'm now 60+, still somewhat overweight, eat around 1,400 - 1,800 calories a day depending on how much "exercise" I get. Weight is really slow to drop, but body tone, waist measurements, recovery from shoulder surgery have all benefited by the calorie recordkeeping and effort on this website and (I repeat and) the fitbit I added to challenge me to keep moving. If you can't work out at the gym, buy a fitbit or another tracker and challenge yourself to move more - it will amaze you at how much or how little you're currently doing and at the little effort it will take to keep "exercise" in your daily activity. You will feel great and help your body to last longer. Good luck!