Hello.....I am getting FRUSTRATED!!!

StrawberryJam40

If your goal is weight loss you may be focusing a bit too much on weights. Remember, muscles weights more than fat, so even though you may have lost some 'fat' pounds, you have probably gained some 'muscle' pounds. Google some pics of 5 pounds of muscle v. 5 pounds of fat. You may want to try more cardio and less weights - fat is burned when aerobic cellular respiration kicks in, and that takes about 20 minutes. So for a 30 minute cardio workout, you're really only burning fat for about 10 minutes.
Your loss of 9lbs in 10 days is also a bit concerning, that's a lot of weight in a very short time, I'm hoping it wasn't done by extreme fasting...

I'm not even going to finish reading this. No.

Aw, c'mon. I burned a couple calories reading it through...from giggling.

You made me giggle...from giggling. :laugh:

hearthwood

You're really not complaining about losing 9 pounds in the month of September are you? That is a fantastic accomplishment, that not many realize. The more you lose, the slower it comes off. It's just basic math. I imagine you used to consume around 3 or more thousand calories a day, cut back to less than 1500, and 9 of those pounds melted off in the first 10 days, and you probably thought that in another 10 days another 9 or more would be gone. Weight loss just doesn't happen that way.

I have been battling with the last 10 pounds for months now, and have learned to be happy with a 1/2 pound then a 1/4 pound loss in a week. Then you have to be aware of the plateaus, that everyone experiences. The scale won't move even though you're doing everything right. It's frustrating, but eventually the scale starts to move again.

You have got to be patient to achieve long term weight loss. And remember you didn't gain all that weight in one month, it's going to take time to lose it. Just stick with it, continue with the plan, log in everyday, workout when you can, and it will come off.

Calories in versus calories out, simply meaning eat less, move more.

northbanu

This is not really how it works. Hormones add a factor to the equation but ultimately it's about eating less calories than you burn. Also, the type of food matters for health reasons but not weight loss reasons.

You might change your opinion on that if you read the Calorie Myth book or follow someone like Dr. Mark Hyman. There is a ton of science that says that is exactly how it works. Most of us are working from an old paradigm. And when 70% of our country is obese, it makes sense to maybe consider a new one.

Here's an article that sums it up pretty well.

http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/04/10/calories-dont-matter/

That article lacks any references to any scientific study, and ends in an ad for his books, and how his books will help you detoxify and help food addiction. C'mon! Really?

StrawberryJam40

This is not really how it works. Hormones add a factor to the equation but ultimately it's about eating less calories than you burn. Also, the type of food matters for health reasons but not weight loss reasons.

You might change your opinion on that if you read the Calorie Myth book or follow someone like Dr. Mark Hyman. There is a ton of science that says that is exactly how it works. Most of us are working from an old paradigm. And when 70% of our country is obese, it makes sense to maybe consider a new one.

Here's an article that sums it up pretty well.

http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/04/10/calories-dont-matter/

That article lacks any references to any scientific study, and ends in an ad for his books, and how his books will help you detoxify and help food addiction. C'mon! Really?

LOL...been hanging out with my MJ popcorn meme waiting for this response to be posted.

ElviraMarieCerri

Hi - To keep the weight off, you should be aiming at about a pound or so a week, so by my estimation, you're good until about the 1st of November :-) But seriously, it all depends on your age.

girlwithcurls2

23 days into it and you're pissed that you're not losing daily? You're impatient. At this rate, you won't sustain any loss. You haven't wrapped your brain around a lifetime of change. You just want to be skinny because your brain already committed and your body isn't catching up.

Good luck.

Kevalicious99

This really is my first time doing the diet and exercise thing . I am doing about 1000-1200 calories a day and then exercising.
Now when I am lifting weights and stuff does that not burn calories ?

Ok .. well first of all, you are not eating enough. If you are eating 1200 and burning 400 for example off .. then you are just well not doing your body any favors here.

This is not a race .. so relax and actually eat a reasonable amount .. you are not doing that now. You will find things much better if you do so.

You should determine what your true TDEE is and go from there. There are a zillion threads here about all that.

Good luck, but first .. I would suspect you are not losing cause you are sending your body into shock eating what most would consider the minimum requirement and exercising on top of that.

Oh .. and the losing fat and gaining muscle thing .. is all wrong. It is not that.

LisaTX84

This may have already been said. I didn't have time to read all the comments.

You have to burn 3500 calories to lose a pound of fat. Although your scale was changing by one pound per day, the weight you were losing was a combination of fat and water. Losing water weight is a great sign that you are eating better ---- lower salt by cutting out those diet drinks and by cutting out a lot of useless food that uses salt to make it taste good. You have continued to lose fat by your low calorie intake and exercise, but your water weight is probably stabilizing and rebounding back a little. If you continue to do what you are doing, you WILL burn fat. There is no doubt about that. The scale unfortunately can't tell you what else is going on --- mainly how the body is handling water weight. When you burn fat, water is a bi-product, so at the same time you body is keeping less water from the healthier foods, it is contending with the water the the fat burn is creating.

I weigh and record every day because I like to. I'm a numbers girl and I love the science behind nutrition and metabolism. I just keep in mind that the scale is limited in showing my success.

Keep doing the right thing and you can KNOW you are losing fat!

scodymckee11

couple suggestion, Try doing your resistance exercises first, Do them at a high intensity so to exhaust your immediate energy sources (i.e. fast carbs such as refined sugar). Then flip the switch to using fat stores with your moderate exercise like treadmill, elliptical, bike. This will help to keep you burning fat for longer periods of time after your workout. Also incorporate some omega 3 and into your daily diet. Preferably a morning, pre-workout, post workout and night time application. this will help with your ability to burn those unwanted fat stores. Hard to do and a pain in the but to keep track off but if dedicated you will make it happen.

chadya07

1. you arent doing anything wrong in your exersize routine... weights, cardio etc. all good. but they arent what make you lose weight, they get you fit so you look good when you lose it, and let you eat a bit more food.

2. weight comes off fast at first if there is a lot of weight to lose and you decrease your calories dramatically. after the first week-3 weeks it drops to a healthy .5-2 pounds a week. if it is more than that consistently you are eating too little. you also will not see loss every week, or the same amount per week. see my third point.

3. you do not have a single weight. you have a weight range, which fluctuates up and down several times a day sometimes, and daily depending on many factors. that weight range is about 7 pounds. 3.5 pounds on either side of what is your average. what you are looking for is not the scale to move a pound or two once, but for that weight range to go down consistenly over a period of time... you will never ever get an accurate single weight because your weight is not static.

4. patience, study, trial and error, forward momentum. that is how you will see results. first focus on food, finding your right amount of calories to lose. then firgue out what your fitness goals are and do what you need there.

thats all.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

common myth-muscle does NOT weight more than fat it is more dense and takes up less space. .5 lbs is 5 lbs. also you are not going to gain muscle that quickly either.as for burning fat you can also do that with weight training. I do more weight training than cardio and have lost more fat that way than I did with the cardio

If your goal is weight loss you may be focusing a bit too much on weights. Remember, muscles weights more than fat, so even though you may have lost some 'fat' pounds, you have probably gained some 'muscle' pounds. Google some pics of 5 pounds of muscle v. 5 pounds of fat. You may want to try more cardio and less weights - fat is burned when aerobic cellular respiration kicks in, and that takes about 20 minutes. So for a 30 minute cardio workout, you're really only burning fat for about 10 minutes.
Your loss of 9lbs in 10 days is also a bit concerning, that's a lot of weight in a very short time, I'm hoping it wasn't done by extreme fasting...

KellyM0102

My word, Ive been using MFP for 3 months and finally decided to try and get some support through the message boards - not for weight loss, that's been fine for me, but for emotional support. As most people here do, I was offering my opinion based on my experience and supported with facts. You lost more weight doing resistance? Good for you. I GAINED weight doing that and lost more when I switch to a cardio focus (FOCUS - not one at the exclusion of the other). And the semantics about muscle and fat weight/density - I think the point was obvious even if the terminology was wrong. I replied to the original message in good faith, with a suggestion and with concern. Feel free to completely demoralize THIS response with such compelling arguments as "no" and "that's wrong". I won't be retuning to these message boards as I think I'd rather suffer through my doubts and frustrations alone then risk showing any vulnerability to some of the people here
-See you on the other side…

heybales

If your goal is weight loss you may be focusing a bit too much on weights. Remember, muscles weights more than fat, so even though you may have lost some 'fat' pounds, you have probably gained some 'muscle' pounds. Google some pics of 5 pounds of muscle v. 5 pounds of fat. You may want to try more cardio and less weights - fat is burned when aerobic cellular respiration kicks in, and that takes about 20 minutes. So for a 30 minute cardio workout, you're really only burning fat for about 10 minutes.
Your loss of 9lbs in 10 days is also a bit concerning, that's a lot of weight in a very short time, I'm hoping it wasn't done by extreme fasting...

Gaining enough muscle fast enough to offset fat loss?
In under a month? For a woman? In a deep deficit?

Woman would be fortunate gaining 1 lb of muscle in 6 weeks eating in surplus doing progressive weight training.

Ya, not happening here.

Always sounds good, and people say it to each other to sound positive, and it has no fact behind it.

But exercise also increases the bodies need to hold on to water. Water in muscle for repair. Despite most of the initial weight drop being water from likely less sodium, some was less glucose stores which includes water in the muscles too. But exercise can make that storage come right back where it needs to be.

Many reasons for gain offsetting fat loss that has nothing to do with what isn't going to happen that fast.

Support is great, and it can be done with facts too, not just sound bytes that sound good but don't hold up later.

sylviac2911

Maybe its not the exercise could be the food i don't see a lot of healthy stuff on your food diary as for me I'm new to this but I try to eat at least 1200 -1300 calories a day, I've been drinking braggs apple cider vinegar every morning (research that) its really good for you, helps me with cravings. Try making smoothies you can get your greens in that way, feel free to add me if you like. Lots of luck and don't give up! Oh and lots of water too

MotivatedPookie

I had the same thoughts when I started in my early 20's. What the hell is wrong with me? I was in the gym for 10 years before I found what worked. I gave P90X a try. I lost weight (15lbs) and gain some muscle. I learned what healthy eating really means and that your transformation starts from the inside out, it will take a year or so to really change your body, and I found a team that is dedicated to fitness. I'm hosting an Insanity challenge group starting 10/13, if you are interested. Let me know!

I'm interested. I have dragged my Insanity discs out of their box twice in 2 years and I keep meaning to join a challenge group. Can you message me the information?

For the OP: That first week after dropping soda pop like the bad habit it is feels great. Once you overcome the caffeine withdrawals and you see the numbers take a a great leap down on the scale you get hyped up. After that comes the hard work. You made a huge step, you committed yourself and started making healthy food decisions. The rest is trial and error. You are going to see fluctuations and I implore you to not get discouraged. Some people thrive on Cardio, some thrive on weight lifting, some on Crosstraining. You will find what works for you. Talk to a professional, learn what you can, and try new things. I'm not buying into the whole muscle confusion thing so much as trying not to get bored with my workout. I am a stay at home mom with 3 kids. I weigh as much now as I did 9 months pregnant with my oldest... The one I gained the most with. I just need to get healthy, fit, and comfortable in my body again. Set your goals, keep working, and be proud of yourself.

natcatx

I find a good place to measure (as well as normal waist legs etc) is around the bottom of your back/top of your waist where the fat sits (even at my skinniest I have a little fat bit here ) I've noticed the biggest inch loss there. Someone also told me to measure your tummy as if you're pregnant, i.e. from your breast bone to pubic bone because that should go down fairly quick.

Sandigesha

If your goal is weight loss you may be focusing a bit too much on weights. Remember, muscles weights more than fat, so even though you may have lost some 'fat' pounds, you have probably gained some 'muscle' pounds. Google some pics of 5 pounds of muscle v. 5 pounds of fat. You may want to try more cardio and less weights - fat is burned when aerobic cellular respiration kicks in, and that takes about 20 minutes. So for a 30 minute cardio workout, you're really only burning fat for about 10 minutes.
Your loss of 9lbs in 10 days is also a bit concerning, that's a lot of weight in a very short time, I'm hoping it wasn't done by extreme fasting...

Why the hell would you NOT want to get muscle? You like the anorexic look? Who cares about the scale, it's about how you look.

fire7ice

Actually I read somewhere that muscle and fat both weigh the same. Although more muscle will make your body look leaner... whereas more fat will make you look fatter.

"Muscle is denser than fat (it doesn't weigh more, a pound is a pound) so someone who is lean and muscular will look very different from someone at the same weight with less muscle and more fat."
(quote from The Telegraph: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG10728107/Fitness-Truths-stop-watching-your-weight.html)

Sammi_2014

Well , when I started on this thing it told me 1200 calories ..I was just looking it up and it says if I workout 5 times a week it should be more like 1500 calories. I don't understand why I can't stay at the 1000-1200....I don't really get hungry , last night was the first time after I worked out that I felt hungry but I just brushed it off and went to bed.

jrline

Keep consistently logging and working out. You will find it melting away just stay Positive

Good Luck in you Journey