Losing Faith...

Triquetra

:grumble: I need some help!!!

I started MFP on Jan 7/11, bought a digital scale, a digital food scale, a HRM and even the internet so I could log at home and not only at work. I have PCOS and a underactive throid that I medicate for.

January: I started off really well with eating 1200 cal/day but not really doing much exercise other than my weekly highland class and walking the puppy. I didn't log these excercises or eat the calories back.

February: I have still been eating my 1200 but with the new HRM I started logging my walks and highland classes and eating those calories back and I have not lost a single lb this month.:explode:

I have read various threads on making sure you eat exercise calories, changing daily your cal intake so you trick your body, etc...any suggestions would be great as I am losing my faith in the system:grumble: and I know this is what usually sets me off track and I don't want that to happen this time. HELP :sad:

meggonkgonk

What is your weightloss goal? Try bumping your calories up some more. 1200 is a guideline and is too low for most people.

Also keep in mind that you put yourself in something of starvation mode to begin with- so your body was probably recovering- it takes metabolism a few weeks to reset itself- its more common for people to gain for a couple weeks coming out of starvation mode.

reddcat

I am tagging on your page so I can see your responses. I have been at this since Jan 3 and so far have lost...wait for it......2.2 pounds. While I am glad I am not gaining, not exactly happy with the results. Hang in there girl! We can do this.

smuehlbauer

Be careful when eating your exercise calories.
I found that when I used my HRM it was higher than what I was actually burning. Unless you are wearing a chest strap I would only use the numbers the HRM is giving you as a guideline.
And make sure that your portion size is on.
I would suggest only eating back 1/2 of your exercise calories.
But that's just my opinion.
Steph

aprilmssmith

I would just stop eating the extra calories you earn for exercise. Trust me, I know its hard not to! And try to remember that staying the same is better than gaining. Also, try to make sure the calories you are eating include a lot of fruits and vegetable and not much processed food.

Jenn728

I am sort of in the same situation. I weigh in weekly with a dietician. The first two weeks I ate my calories back and didn't lose any weight...didn't gain any either. So she told me to stop eating those calories back and to stick to a 1300 calorie diet. I exercise usually 20-30 minutes daily and have gone over on my calories but my weekly average is 1300. I lost 3 pounds. There's a lot of debate on eating back calories but I say stop for a week or two and see if that helps.

scagneti

I went through your diary back a week and didn't see a single piece of fruit or vegetable, but tonnes of processed, sugary, sodium laden foods. I'd start there.

PeachyKeene

I would just stop eating the extra calories you earn for exercise. Trust me, I know its hard not to! And try to remember that staying the same is better than gaining. Also, try to make sure the calories you are eating include a lot of fruits and vegetable and not much processed food.

I agree, totally!

hnsaunde

I'm no expert by any meants, but have you tried measurements rather than going by weight? It's possible that you're not losing because you're gaining muscle at the same rate you're losing fat, so you wouldn't see a difference on the scale. I'll bet inches-wise you're down though.

I started at 199 and my first month I actually gained weight because I completely overhauled my diet, and my body was adjusting. I started to really see results about 6 weeks in, but I started running again during that time, so I was building more muscle than I was losing fat. I find that doing sprints/interval training really helped me with my weight loss, and built up my endurance so I can run longer and faster than I have before. You can also do interval training on an elliptical or bike.

Don't lose motiviation, keep at it and you'll see results!

smuehlbauer

What is your weightloss goal? Try bumping your calories up some more. 1200 is a guideline and is too low for most people.

Also keep in mind that you put yourself in something of starvation mode to begin with- so your body was probably recovering- it takes metabolism a few weeks to reset itself- its more common for people to gain for a couple weeks coming out of starvation mode.

From what I understand women with PCOS need to stay at 1200 to see any weight loss. A friend just got this news from her doc yesterday.

Triquetra

Thanks for the advise so far....:happy:
Smuehlbauer - my HRM is a Polar 7 and I do wear the chest strap whenever I use it so I am assuming that it is pretty accurate.

Scagneti - I do eat fruit and veg, but I do have a hard time with the logging so when you look at my diary and see a lot of "quick add calories" it is because I was looking at my packages to find out the calories.... like Wed I made a veggie stir fry with bamboo, water chestnut, peas, broccoli, mini corn, bean sprouts, and tofu. I didn't know how to log it so I added up all the calories myself from each thing and then divided by the number of servings to get an approximate calorie intake...how do others log this type of stuff? I also changed my settings to show me sugars and sodium on my diary so hopefully that will help me also.



My overall goal is to lose 70-90lbs. I am 5'3" and currently weigh 197 (already lost 10lb)

LarryPGH

I made a veggie stir fry with bamboo, water chestnut, peas, broccoli, mini corn, bean sprouts, and tofu. I didn't know how to log it so I added up all the calories myself from each thing and then divided by the number of servings to get an approximate calorie intake...how do others log this type of stuff?

I go to "my recipes" and enter the ingredients (don't forget to add things like the oil you use, and any flavorings (soy, etc)!) there, and that way, I can easily log the serving size and calories. Even better, it means that it's already in the system, for the next time I make the dish!