I"ve been faithful!!!!

roshong06

I have been sooo faithful to this for over a month now, counting every calorie, (only going over daily calorie intake 4 times) working out 3 or more times a week for 30 or more minutes per workout. I have not seen any real results...I keep going up and down? I have a very active job, I should be losing pounds just by working. (I'm a Veterinary Technician) But I have been faithful...working out even while my head is pounding and I'm coughing up lungs. I hate this, I hate killing myself with nothing to show for it...my clothes are still tight, my scale still torments me. I have more energy, and I feel alittle better, but I'm seeing no tangable evidence...even my husband says..."you look the same to me, whatever your doing is NOT working" Okay...sorry, I just really needed to vent...I"m better now I think...

Please tell me...when did you all start seeing results? I'm getting extremely discouraged here!!!!

roshong06

I have been sooo faithful to this for over a month now, counting every calorie, (only going over daily calorie intake 4 times) working out 3 or more times a week for 30 or more minutes per workout. I have not seen any real results...I keep going up and down? I have a very active job, I should be losing pounds just by working. (I'm a Veterinary Technician) But I have been faithful...working out even while my head is pounding and I'm coughing up lungs. I hate this, I hate killing myself with nothing to show for it...my clothes are still tight, my scale still torments me. I have more energy, and I feel alittle better, but I'm seeing no tangable evidence...even my husband says..."you look the same to me, whatever your doing is NOT working" Okay...sorry, I just really needed to vent...I"m better now I think...

Please tell me...when did you all start seeing results? I'm getting extremely discouraged here!!!!

banks1850

I have been sooo faithful to this for over a month now, counting every calorie, (only going over daily calorie intake 4 times) working out 3 or more times a week for 30 or more minutes per workout. I have not seen any real results...I keep going up and down? I have a very active job, I should be losing pounds just by working. (I'm a Veterinary Technician) But I have been faithful...working out even while my head is pounding and I'm coughing up lungs. I hate this, I hate killing myself with nothing to show for it...my clothes are still tight, my scale still torments me. I have more energy, and I feel alittle better, but I'm seeing no tangable evidence...even my husband says..."you look the same to me, whatever your doing is NOT working" Okay...sorry, I just really needed to vent...I"m better now I think...

Please tell me...when did you all start seeing results? I'm getting extremely discouraged here!!!!

Faster then that usually, which makes me wonder if maybe you need to adjust your goals.
What are your numbers, if we know them, we may be able to see something off.

by numbers I mean, height, weight, activity level and what your normal eating schedule is.

ChubbyBunny

Hmmmm....eating work out cals?

dolphin7

Hello, I really didn't see any results until after 2 months as far as the scale moving, but I did notice subtle changes here in there gradually in how my clothes fit, they just started to feel looser, even though the scale was not moving, next thing I knew I had lost 9 lbs. Maybe like said before double check all your goals and hang in there for a while longer, I know you can do it.

sclosson

Please try not to get too discouraged. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for your body to get the clue. Are you tracking EVERYTHING. I find that sometimes I want to think that those little bites don't count. But then again, you can't be too rigid.

ChubbyBunny

I fiddled with MFP since may, however I was soooo not as faithful as you are.

I knuckled down though the first part of July, since my fiance would be in training and I wanted to see some results before he came home.

I've only lost 6 lbs but I can look in the mirror and see a difference. I tone up pretty fast...but I've been working my butt off since the first week of July.

I also just tweaked my goals, cause I always felt starving on the automatic calories generated. Asked around got some opinions and decided to up it a little.

You can do this. It took me 2 months basically to lose 6lbs (more because of my weaknesses not the sites support).

Are you doing this for you or for others to notice?

smalla

Take a good (honest) look at your workout program and your eating habits. You might be fooling yourself that you are being good. My friend and her sister swore they were eating right and working out regularly for over 6 months, but weren't seeing any results. They got frustrated and quit. Then my friend started over with a new workout partner and really changed her eating habits and really started working out (not just going through the motions). She lost close to 30 pounds in 6 months. She stopped snacking after dinner and cut back on alcohol and fast food. Find a workout partner who is a little more advanced than you to work out with - that will keep you motivated and make you feel guilty if you feel like slacking or not showing up . The best nutrition plan I have found was in the book "Bodybuilding Bible for Women" - shows you exactly what to eat (i.e. protein, fibrous carbs, starchy carbs, fats, etc.), how much to eat and when to eat it so that you are not overeating and so that your metabolism is cranked all day.

Don't give up - nobody said it was going to be easy - but you can do it - you just have to want it bad enough. Good luck!

roshong06

Hmmmm....eating work out cals?

NO...I never eat my workout cals...by the end of a usual day, I have about 900 cals left, including my workout cals...I eat about 1200-1500 cals a day...I'm allowed 1860. I really watch what I eat...my numbers are 5'6 tall, 223 lbs. (I'm guessing thats what you meant by numbers?) I

roshong06

Please try not to get too discouraged. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for your body to get the clue. Are you tracking EVERYTHING. I find that sometimes I want to think that those little bites don't count. But then again, you can't be too rigid.

I track EVERYTHING THAT ENTERS MY MOUTH!!! Even those little bites of the kids pbj sandwich...I even count when I can't control myself and I lick the butter knife after making a pbj sandwich for the kids...I don't know what else to do!

ChubbyBunny

Hmmmm....eating work out cals?

NO...I never eat my workout cals...by the end of a usual day, I have about 900 cals left, including my workout cals...I eat about 1200-1500 cals a day...I'm allowed 1860. I really watch what I eat...my numbers are 5'6 tall, 223 lbs. (I'm guessing thats what you meant by numbers?) I

They say it's VERY important to eat those calories, most if not all, because you need them to keep your body from thinking it's starving from all the activity it's doing.

breyegrl

Change your goal. I have been "motivated" by the scales for too long. Now, I am not watching the scale as much as I am my fitness routine. Find a workout video that you cannot finish - set a goal for how far you want to be able to run - decide how many miles you want to be able to walk in 30 minutes and then focus on THAT goal while recording and maintaining a reduced calorie diet. It makes a workout seem to have more purpose (rather than just changing the number on the scale).

Then celebrate. Maybe the pounds aren't falling off the scales as you want but the day you can run two straight miles without stopping for the very first time- that feels good.

Hang in there!

roshong06

I fiddled with MFP since may, however I was soooo not as faithful as you are.

I knuckled down though the first part of July, since my fiance would be in training and I wanted to see some results before he came home.

I've only lost 6 lbs but I can look in the mirror and see a difference. I tone up pretty fast...but I've been working my butt off since the first week of July.

I also just tweaked my goals, cause I always felt starving on the automatic calories generated. Asked around got some opinions and decided to up it a little.

You can do this. It took me 2 months basically to lose 6lbs (more because of my weaknesses not the sites support).

Are you doing this for you or for others to notice?

Well, my husband noticing me for a change would def be a bonus, but I am very much doing this for me...I really just want to look in the mirror and not be sick to my stomache. I want to be a healthy role model for my kids. I want to stop worrying about illnesses that come from being over weight. I really want this more than anything. But I'm having a hard time convincing myself to be this hard on myself and be this unhappy with nothing to show for it.

roshong06

Take a good (honest) look at your workout program and your eating habits. You might be fooling yourself that you are being good. My friend and her sister swore they were eating right and working out regularly for over 6 months, but weren't seeing any results. They got frustrated and quit. Then my friend started over with a new workout partner and really changed her eating habits and really started working out (not just going through the motions). She lost close to 30 pounds in 6 months. She stopped snacking after dinner and cut back on alcohol and fast food. Find a workout partner who is a little more advanced than you to work out with - that will keep you motivated and make you feel guilty if you feel like slacking or not showing up . The best nutrition plan I have found was in the book "Bodybuilding Bible for Women" - shows you exactly what to eat (i.e. protein, fibrous carbs, starchy carbs, fats, etc.), how much to eat and when to eat it so that you are not overeating and so that your metabolism is cranked all day.

Don't give up - nobody said it was going to be easy - but you can do it - you just have to want it bad enough. Good luck!

That makes sense...maybe I think I"m eating good, but I'm not...I will re evaluate my plans...Thank you, I hope your right, and I'm not just destined to be fat...LOL.

pack533

Hmmmm....eating work out cals?

NO...I never eat my workout cals...by the end of a usual day, I have about 900 cals left, including my workout cals...I eat about 1200-1500 cals a day...I'm allowed 1860. I really watch what I eat...my numbers are 5'6 tall, 223 lbs. (I'm guessing thats what you meant by numbers?) I

You are the same height and the same weight that I started on this site at. Try eating only 1200 to maybe 1400 calories a day. Are you gaining muscle? Are you geting to much sodium? Sugar? Are you drinking enough water? These are all things that I have asked myself. Hopefully this helps. DON'T GIVE UP:flowerforyou:

shorerider

Got to eat those calories or you will sabotage yourself.

ChubbyBunny

I really want this more than anything. But I'm having a hard time convincing myself to be this hard on myself and be this unhappy with nothing to show for it.

Whoa....right there....
What are you doing to make you feel this way?
How hard are you pushing yourself?
The only thing i changed from my shift to before MFP and now is logging all my foods AND hitting my calories required. Sure i work out a bit (no more then an hour). Today, I am looking at healthier food options as opposed to what I usually was eating (cause I get to eat more that way).

Dang, you sound so down and depressed about this thing that YOU want so much, it makes me wonder what is making it so hard?

2day4ever

From my angle, it is all about getting real and getting real honest. Three w/o's 3 x per week might not be enough? Your "active" job might be one that your body sees as its baseline so you have to push the cardio harder to burn calories. I think everyone on this site, who has lost and maintained that loss, pretty much agrees that NOT eating your allowed calories = starvation mode = slowed down metabolism = no weight loss . . . SO eat your calories and take a good hard look at your exercise . . .

And hang in there. As you will inevitably hear: you didn't gain it in a day; it won't come off in a day either

Best to you!

sophialittle

i think you're not eating enough cals a day and you're putting your body into starvation mode. remember, mfp already takes a 500 cal deficit into account, so it's figuring that you're burning 2360 and so if you eat 1860, you should be losing a lb a week. (if your goal was a lb/week, then the deficit for you should be around 500) so you're eating a little more than 1/2 the cals your body's burning each day, not even counting exercise cals!:noway: i think that's why you're not losing weight. you hear people talk bout starvation mode being when you go below 1200 but i really think you're doing it to yourself now, even if you're above 1200 cals because you're eating so few cals compared to how many you're burning. your body's holding onto the nutrition that it can actually get! another thing to keep in mind, are you doing the 8 glasses of water a day? i skimmed the responses quickly because i'm tired lol but i don't remember you saying that you were getting in the 8 a day. that made a big difference for me when i was starting out.

so, my bottom line, i think you need to up your cals and eat what mfp sets for you for a few weeks, including eating exercise cals and see if you see improvements. also make sure you are getting in 8 glasses a day!

good luck! don't give up, i know it's frustrating, i think you just need to do some tweaking! you'll get it:flowerforyou:

PedalHound

So, you've answered the question - if you're depriving your body of usually 900 cals or so a day it is hanging on to all it can as fat because you are under-eating and your body is covering the bases to survive. You should notice a huge difference without much waiting if you start eating your exercise cals and continue to be as diligent as you have been.

I've been on here for just shy of 2 months and I've lost 23.5lbs. Give the exercise cals a try. Chin up! You can do it! :flowerforyou:

DjBliss05

I just wanted to second what everyone said about eatting your exercise cals and drinking the water.

I also wanted to say hello and sympathize because I feel like we are in almost the same situation. I am 5'7" and 225 lbs right now. My 6 lbs came mostly from a gap in time between when I was using the site and decided to come back to it.

Now that I am being religious about the site, I am totally stuck! It is so, so frustrating. I get on the scale every morning (I know.. bad, but I can't help it) and then get angry at it every morning.

I am terrible about drinking my 8 cups... so that is my first plan of attack to help improve things. I do eat my exercise calories, but I am still struggling. You're not the only one! I've been on so many "diets" over the years and this site seems like a completely sane alternative. Stick to it and don't give up!

ChubbyBunny

I am terrible about drinking my 8 cups... so that is my first plan of attack to help improve things. I do eat my exercise calories, but I am still struggling. You're not the only one! I've been on so many "diets" over the years and this site seems like a completely sane alternative. Stick to it and don't give up!

Oh I so understand you about the water!!!!

mrscato89

Are you drinking your eight glasses of water everyday? If you dont that could be the issue. I have been with this site almost three months now and up until a week ago I did not lose one pound. About a week and a half ago, I started doing my eight glasses a day and I have lost 5 pounds in just one week without even noticing it. Not only that, it will be hard...but gradually cut back on fast foods. Just because a bacon egg and cheese biscuit is within the calorie range for that day does not mean that you should eat it. I noticed no matter how many calories I counted I could not do it without cutting out that fast food and consuming lots of water.
I know how you feel it was very frustrating for me too...Try smaller portions and if you are a bored eater like I am, chew gum and drink water. The water will fill you up faster than you know!!!
Good luck

banks1850

So rosh,

thanks for posting the numbers.
Based on those, here are preliminarilly what I can tell you.

1st, at your age, height, and weight, and assuming a lightly active lifestyle (you said you are active through the day), your maintenance calories are around 2450. That means that even if you don't work out, you should never eat below about 1450 calories at your BMI.

If you DO work out, you need to eat those extra calories as well.

1450 is a 1000 calorie deficit. That SHOULD keep you out of starvation, but remember this, if you have been eating 1200 - 1400 for a month now, you might already be in starvation. It may take a few weeks for your body to adjust back up to a normal metabolism. In that time you may maintain or even gain a couple of pounds. You have to account for this and try not to get frustrated.

Personally, after lots of time on here, and lots of experience, I would probably go up to between 1500 and 1600 calories a day. Give your body the fuel it needs to work, get it to the point where it isn't worrying about fuel anymore, that means it will work right all the time and not store as much fat in reserve.
The other thing to do is examine your nutrition, at your BMI you probably need to be at something like a
55% carb, 25% protein, 20% fat ratio. The higher the weight training, the more protein, and less carbs you should use. Also, try not to eat more then 300 to 400 calories at any one meal, break it down into small snacks and a larger breakfast and lunch.

Give these things a chance to work (say another month), and if that doesn't work, you may need to seek the help of a trainer. Remember, everyone is different, maybe your metabolism is a little unusual, if that is the case, bring your workout routines and nutrition to a trainer and they should be able to help.

Good luck to you Girl!!

keep us informed.

-Banks

lotusfromthemud

This is all very good advice, and forgive me if I missed someone saying this.

Have you been to a Dr. to rule out a medical condition? I agree you should increase your calorie intake, but this is definitely something to have checked.

roshong06

I am terrible about drinking my 8 cups... so that is my first plan of attack to help improve things. I do eat my exercise calories, but I am still struggling. You're not the only one! I've been on so many "diets" over the years and this site seems like a completely sane alternative. Stick to it and don't give up!

Oh I so understand you about the water!!!!

I try to drink that much water...but I have a hard time with it. Not that I don't want it, I just forget to drink unless I am thirsty. I also did NOT know I had to eat my exercise cals. And I thought that the 1860 cals per day from MFP was just letting me know that I can not go over those...I didn't know I had to eat as close to that as possible....I will try that. I don't eat my work out cals...I'll try that too. And yes I have been to a Dr. I have a Dr. over looking what I do know, she knows that I am not losing, but she has not done any testing or anything? Maybe I need to ask her about it...ALOT of people on my dads side have Thyroid conditions. anyway, thank you all for your very much wanted and very much appreciated advise...I will keep everyone updated.
Also...when it says 8 cups of water a day...does that mean 8-8oz cups? Like should I be counting my 16.9 oz water bottle as 2 cups?

ChubbyBunny

Oh! See we've brainstormed and found some answers and came up wit ideas.

I ALWAYS forget to drink my water, I just don't think about it much.
Yes, you should have 8x8 oz of water a day. Whether you drink it in a cup or a big ol water bottle.
There were some football players at school that haul around gallon jugs

banks1850

I try to drink that much water...but I have a hard time with it. Not that I don't want it, I just forget to drink unless I am thirsty. I also did NOT know I had to eat my exercise cals. And I thought that the 1860 cals per day from MFP was just letting me know that I can not go over those...I didn't know I had to eat as close to that as possible....I will try that. I don't eat my work out cals...I'll try that too. And yes I have been to a Dr. I have a Dr. over looking what I do know, she knows that I am not losing, but she has not done any testing or anything? Maybe I need to ask her about it...ALOT of people on my dads side have Thyroid conditions. anyway, thank you all for your very much wanted and very much appreciated advise...I will keep everyone updated.
Also...when it says 8 cups of water a day...does that mean 8-8oz cups? Like should I be counting my 16.9 oz water bottle as 2 cups?

Checking your thyroid is a good idea. Remember this though when asking your doctor about nutrition, GP doctors aren't nutrition specialists. They know more then most of us, to be sure, but a registered dietician would be just as (if not more) helpful for this as they do it EVERY day. A lot of times I have seen doctors recommend things that are as much for expediance as they are for practicality of the patient. I.E. recommending pills and the like because it's easier then sitting down for a 1/2 hour and helping you map out a plan. Some doctors are better at it then others, a lot depends on how busy their practice is. I know my doctor zips in, takes a bunch of quick measurements, looks at my chart, and zips out in like 10 minutes. It doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies and I only see him so I can get my bloodwork and tests done. Unfortunately I'm limited by my health plan to which doctors I can see, and the ones I get to choose from are all from those giant consortiums. Not many old fashion, take your time, get to know your patient, doctors around Boston any more. It's a volume business these days.

Have I soured on the state of our doctors these day? Maybe some, but I understand, and I don't blame them, I'm just weary of accepting everything they say without a little backup if it doesn't sound kosher.

PedalHound

Thyroid may be huge in this. When my hypothyroidism was undiagnosed I was gaining weight despite being a competitive dancer! If yours happens to be slow you need to know about it!

ChubbyBunny

Thyroid may be huge in this. When my hypothyroidism was undiagnosed I was gaining weight despite being a competitive dancer! If yours happens to be slow you need to know about it!

Oh really....a competitive dancer....I am intrigued.....

PedalHound

lol - I danced (ballet, jazz, tap, modern) about 30 hours a week and did competitions all over the place. We only ever took 1 silver and on top of our almost-perfect gold medal streak we got overall gold for every competition other than our silver placement. I'm damned proud of my dancing as a matter of fact :bigsmile: :bigsmile: Can't wait till class starts again in the fall, although I'm sure not dancing as much as before having a family! lol
O actually saw today that The Pulse dance convention set dates for the winter. Can't go this year but I'm planning on it next year (Mia Michaels, Wade Robson, Brian Friedman, Chris Judd, Dave Scott and more AMAZING dancers do workshops)

Tangent! (You asked )