Frustrated... need a hug!

imsahagun

Hey guys! I have been on here for fifteen days now. I started to get very serious about this about a week before that, so it is exactly 21 days to the day when I started exercising and changing.

I need to start by saying that I'm not terribly overweight. That being said, I can afford to be ten to fifteen pounds lighter. I have no health issues... I'm 42, perfect lipids, perfect thyroids, etc. I also lead a moderately active lifestyle (I'm a physician so I'm always running from room to room, picking up kids left and right, etc). My diet was also pretty normal, very little junk food, no sodas at all, not even diet sodas, etc.

My frustration lies in the fact that I have been extremely strict and dedicated to this cause: cardio for at least an hour every single day, counting all calories, etc... and I have seen very little result. Two pounds is nothing to be proud of. Yes, I lost a little off my waist, but the scale is stuck at the same weight. I tried "eating a bit more" so as to not induce this "starvation mode" and the scale moved up half a pound the next day. So I need to eat less. I am averaging about 800 cal a day so how is this sustainable?

I could exercise two hours a day but frankly, I am not young, my knee is already in a knee brace, and I don't want to start popping ibuprofen. I know I have to be patient. But oh, I am sooooo frustrated.

115s

No, you need to eat MORE. 800 calories a day?? Are you crazy!??????
Your counter says you've lost 3 pounds, so I'm once again questioning if this is a serious post. Is this a serious post? You need to eat more than just 800 calories a day. If you can't work out with your leg, go work out with light weights and your arms. You could alternatively swim. You do not need to walk/run/job/bike/treadmill if you are prevented to do so. Please eat more than 800 cals a day....

askeates

The less you have to lose, the harder it seems to get off.... I would lessen the cardio, and add more of a weight training program. That might help.... I have seen from many people in a similar situation to you that were doing cardo for an hour plus daily change to heavy lifting (do a search on 5x5) and that made the difference for them.

The other thing I suggest, eat more. If you are nervous about it, do a little research about what foods to eat.... 800 cals a day, not exactly the best way to lose from my experience.

Be patient, I know it is hard, but don't give up if you really want that 10-15 pounds gone. It is achievable

MityMax96

Would a smack on the a** and a "Suck it up soldier" work??

If so, I got plenty of those.

Veil5577

Uh....

If you are a physician, then you should know that 800 calories a day is WAY TOO LOW.

farfromthetree

800 calories a day is not sustainable in my opinion. That being said, if you were truly at 800 calories a day you would be losing weight, and very quickly. Your diary is not open but make sure you are weighing and measuring everything accurately. Drinks/condiments...all those little things. Good luck!

MityMax96

Yeah open your diary so we can see....

Are you logging and weighing and measuring everything??

Methinks not....
guesstimating won't work

2013sk

800 calories a day............ OMG!!!!!!!!!

Please eat more!

Please work out your BMR & TDEE - you can find out your own numbers from the internet & putting in your own stats.

You really do need to eat more. Also I wouldn't stress about it too much!

MityMax96

800 calories a day............ OMG!!!!!!!!!

Please eat more!

Please work out your BMR & TDEE - you can find out your own numbers from the internet & putting in your own stats.

You really do need to eat more. Also I wouldn't stress about it too much!

Don't know if she needs to eat more....
She is prolly eating more than enough....just not logging properly

imsahagun

I lost 2.5 lbs, don't know why it says three. Yet I gained half more. So net, two pounds. Why would I not be serious?

imsahagun

And I am logging EVERYTHING. I don't drink anything except water. Nothing else. No milk, no diet drinks, not a sip of anything. I am very OCD so believe me, I am very meticulous.

HellaCarriefornia

Uh....

If you are a physician, then you should know that 800 calories a day is WAY TOO LOW.

This. Totally.

ETA: Also, you don't specify, but "logging" and weighing each item accurately are two different things.
And...2 lbs in 3 weeks when you only have 10-15 lbs to lose is great progress. Were you expecting to lose all 10 lbs by now?

zyxst

Any particular reason you're only eating 800 calories a day?

NikiChicken

Uh....

If you are a physician, then you should know that 800 calories a day is WAY TOO LOW.

This, right here. If you are a physician, you should know that 800 calories a day is dangerously low for a healthy woman and that weight loss, especially when already close to your goal, is very slow and far from linear. Is this what you recommend to your patients that should lose weight? If so, that makes me very afraid for your patients. What you are doing to yourself is not healthy and your expectations are far from realistic.

Lleldiranne

I lost 2.5 lbs, don't know why it says three. Yet I gained half more. So net, two pounds. Why would I not be serious?

Because that comes out to a pound a week, which is actually quite aggressive for someone with only 10-15 pounds to lose. You're expecting it to happen too quickly.

Set your MFP goal to lose .5 pounds a week. Eat all the calories (make sure you're measuring and logging accurately). Don't kill yourself on cardio. Accept that this is going to take a month or two.

And maybe look into a lifting program. A bit of body recomp can go a long way in helping a person happy with how they look.

imsahagun

Hmmm. Yes. I need to change my exercise routine.
I guess it's not as simple as calories in, calories out.

imsahagun

I am a middle aged woman with a metabolism that is slower than my patients. Of COURSE that's not what I tell my patients. My patients are kids. They have normal metabolisms. Mine is slower, obviously, and more ineffective.

HellaCarriefornia

I am a middle aged woman with a metabolism that is slower than my patients. Of COURSE that's not what I tell my patients. My patients are kids. They have normal metabolisms. Mine is slower, obviously, and more ineffective.

Nope. Not really. You're only 42.

ellie0213

You're right 800 is not sustainable. You probably need to steadily bump up your calories. I am at 1600 calories a day now and steadily losing. You can add me.

NikiChicken

I am a middle aged woman with a metabolism that is slower than my patients. Of COURSE that's not what I tell my patients. My patients are kids. They have normal metabolisms. Mine is slower, obviously, and more ineffective.

You are the same age as me. Yes, our metabolism is slower. Absolutely, it is! However, it's not THAT slow that you need to eat only 800 calories a day!!! I've lost over 80 pounds and have NEVER eaten only 800 calories on any one day! As a physician, I would hope you would understand what is healthy and what is not and have a little more realistic goals. Trying to lose more than a 1/2 pound a week when you are already so close to goal is nuts. What you are doing is a recipe for disaster. You are frustrating yourself with unrealistic expectations and setting yourself up for failure. Losing weight and keeping it off is a lifetime battle and what you do now will not end once you reach your goal. Are you willing to only eat 800 calories a day for the rest of your life? If that answer is no (which I hope it is), you need to learn to eat realistic portions, with a realistic goal, now.

farfromthetree

Hmmm. Yes. I need to change my exercise routine.
I guess it's not as simple as calories in, calories out.

It actually is as simple as calories in/calories out. Something does not add up. If you truly want help you should open your diary.

JoyeII

Uh, what kind of physician are you exactly?

So_Much_Fab

Eat more and give yourself more time.

hookilau

JeanneMarie11111

hug!!!! you are doing just fine. I wouldn't worry so much about calorie intake, but more about fat grams, protein grams and sodium. More protein to build muscles and not lose what you already have, less fat grams and watch your sodium intake, fluid retention is a killer for weight gain. There is a new study out that says 45 minutes of strength training and cardio is optimum for weight loss, I would suggest you do cardio one day and strength the next, that way you get a full body work out every two days.

5stringjeff

Hey guys! I have been on here for fifteen days now. I started to get very serious about this about a week before that, so it is exactly 21 days to the day when I started exercising and changing.

I need to start by saying that I'm not terribly overweight. That being said, I can afford to be ten to fifteen pounds lighter. I have no health issues... I'm 42, perfect lipids, perfect thyroids, etc. I also lead a moderately active lifestyle (I'm a physician so I'm always running from room to room, picking up kids left and right, etc). My diet was also pretty normal, very little junk food, no sodas at all, not even diet sodas, etc.

My frustration lies in the fact that I have been extremely strict and dedicated to this cause: cardio for at least an hour every single day, counting all calories, etc... and I have seen very little result. Two pounds is nothing to be proud of. Yes, I lost a little off my waist, but the scale is stuck at the same weight. I tried "eating a bit more" so as to not induce this "starvation mode" and the scale moved up half a pound the next day. So I need to eat less. I am averaging about 800 cal a day so how is this sustainable?

I could exercise two hours a day but frankly, I am not young, my knee is already in a knee brace, and I don't want to start popping ibuprofen. I know I have to be patient. But oh, I am sooooo frustrated.

I've bolded the relevant parts of your post.

You're looking to lose 15 pounds. You've lost 2 pounds in your first three weeks. That is right in line with the experience of most people looking to drop that amount of weight. It is something to be proud of.

To address your concern about how much you're eating: 800 calories a day is not sustainable. Please go to this website and calculate your BMR and TDEE:

http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/bmr/

This will give you a better idea of how much you should eat each day, at a sustainable level.

Best of luck to you!

P.S. I love New Braunfels! We used to go there every year and float the river when I was a kid!

lisanangel

First off hugs !!!!! Feel free to add me. I'm on daily:flowerforyou:

wonderwoman234

First of all, physicians are not trained in nutrition, weight loss, exercise training, etc. Those are specialities and if that's not her area, she probably knows very little more than the rest of us who aren't MDs. Just saying.

OP - You can lose by eating 800 calories a day while exercising. But it's not sustainable. What will happen is that you will lose both fat and also a higher % of lean muscle doing it that way versus taking your time and doing a moderate calorie restriction. So, if you want lose the weight quickly and then regain it because you can't maintain eating so little, keep doing what you are doing. However, if you want to keep the weight off, figure out what your calorie needs are and then reduce your intake by 20%. Here is a great tool:

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

And others have said, metabolism in a younger person might be higher, but not by that much - a couple hundred calories. Same with people who claim to have a "slow" metabolism. It's not a huge disparity from what would be considered normal.

If i were you, I would focus less on the scale and more on body recomposition. Who cares what the scale says if you look fit, toned and sexy? Lifting weights is the key to body recomp along with good nutrition.

Veil5577

You don't need to be a nutritionist to know that 800 calories a day is too low.

MississippiMama87

Uh....

If you are a physician, then you should know that 800 calories a day is WAY TOO LOW.

This. You are a doctor. You should know that is not healthy.

tr3kkie9rl

Maybe this is too obvious.. but is that 800 before or after you log your exercise?
I don't have input either way, I'm not near as knowledgeable as some others, but I'm sure the difference would matter.



Edited to add a cheesy hug image, because that's what you said you needed