I can't do this and get nothing in return!

amandavictoria80

Maybe you should try some new forms of exercise? I notice 90% of your exercise is eliptical trainer. If you do the same form of exercise all the time your body gets really good at it and requires less calories to do the same exercise.

Alternate eliptical with bicycling, running, swimming or some other form of exercise that engages other muscle groups.

I wish I could swim. But there is no way I am putting on a bathing suit and going in public.

RainDodger

Up until your weigh in... how were you feeling? I havent lost a pound either. in fact, Ive gained 3, but I feel better, eat better, sleep better, my moods are more stable. I mean, Yes, I want to see a reduction in weight when I step on the scale next too, but in the mean time I am satisfied to just feel better and be happy. I know im doing good for myself even if the scale is a jerk

I'd love some new "friends" and supporters as well, anyone can add me if they like. My request to you is sent. Chin up!

LilChickPea

In talking to my nutritionist and a personal trainer, you don't necessarily need to eat the calories that you burn from exercise. However, in looking at your diary I would say maybe add 200 calories a day for a week and try not to eat 2 hours before you go to bed. I stopped eating after 9:30 and I dropped 4lbs last week. It was amazing. Don't give up. It's just like a science experiment. You have you keep trying different ways until you get the results you want.

Good Luck to you!

GaveUp

I have been pushing myself. Hard.

I don't track sodium because it goes over with breakfast alone. If I tracked sodium I couldn't eat anything. It's like tracking sugar.
I just ended up finding out tracking those two leaves me VERY hungry.

I am a picky eater. Don't like a lot of veggies. Can't eat lots of fruit because of calories. It's a no win situation.

Sodium will slow weight loss down. It causes you to retain water.

charityateet

I am not sure what day this was. I always eat at least 1200 every day. I just don't eat my workout calories.

In my oppinion, that's the problem. Your body can't function on less than a certain amt. of calories. You are not eating enough. 1200 without working out would be FINE. But you are working out and burning a lot - so YOUR NET IS LOW. LOW.

Believe me, IT WORKS.

Chris has a ton of great info - please, listen to him. You are getting a great bit of advice, I'd follow it. For the next 2 weeks, eat your workout calories - even if you do 1/2 shake before working out and a full one after - YOU WILL SEE A DIFFERENCE IN THE SCALE.

westcoastSW

BUMPing this to save the plateau advice

Heather75

Are you sure you really want to do this? You seem to have a lot of reasons for why you can't change. Maybe you're not ready.

This site is an extremely supportive environment, but if a bunch of total strangers have to sell this to you, it isn't going to work. You know what you have to do, so just do it or don't. It's that simple.

crisanderson27

BUMPing this to save the plateau advice

Not just plateau advice!! Good overall advice for dieting =D. I see too many examples all the time of people that went from long drawn out 800 calorie cardio sessions, to a couple 10 minute interval sets a day (you can interval ANYTHING!!! Strength training OR cardio!)...and bam, they start shedding weight like shaking water out of their hair. You want your body to think that the fat is detrimental to your ability to survive.

The rest it will do on its own.

As for the original poster...between all of you guys (way to come to her support by the way!) comments...she has the tools. I see a lot of excuses from her as to why she can't do the things we're suggesting...which suggests that maybe she's just not ready to really commit yet. That's ok!! When she does, the information will be here and we can all cheer her on as she transforms herself. Willpower and desire are the keys to commitment. With them, there is nothing a person can't do. Without them...nothing they can.

Cris

crisanderson27

Are you sure you really want to do this? You seem to have a lot of reasons for why you can't change. Maybe you're not ready.

Lol you posted this while I was typing...well said hun =D.

Barelmy

I really think you should speak to someone about your poor body image. You don't deserved to be attacked like that, especially not by yourself. You should not feel that bad.

robin52077

Your body believes you're on a LONG march across some wasteland where there's no food! Fat people can walk just as well as skinny people, and as a matter of fact...at the end of that march those fat people will be the only ones that made it. What YOU need, is for your body to think you're being chased by a tiger across a lush island covered in nutrient rich foods. Can you picture a fat person in THAT scenario?? She would be called 'dinner'!! The fast, lean...skinny person would be the one to survive there.


Cris

I LOVE THIS!!!!!

ladygloria

I am not sure what day this was. I always eat at least 1200 every day. I just don't eat my workout calories.

Amanda, pay attention to the calorie summary on your home page. That number has to be over 1200 at the end of every day. Let's say your MFP goal is 1420 calories . If you eat 1200 you are creating an additional calorie deficit than what MFP suggests, but at the end of the day with no additional exercise and if you set your activity level correctly than you should be fine. your net would be 1200, which is the minimum net calories for women.

Now, if you do the above plus burn 1000 calories on the elliptical or any other exercise, well now you have reduced your net to 200 calories and your body enters starvation mode. This means it will not release the fat you want it to and may damage muscle. Does that make sense?

My advice, pay attention to your net calories, eat back most of your exercise calories, eat over on protein to build muscle, drink well more than 8 glasses of water for the next two week. Keep your net calories within 100 calories of MFP's suggestions and see what happens. My guess is that your body will finally start doing what you want it to and then (as a fellow picky eater) we can exchange recipes and ways to not deprive you of the joy of eating.

Jdismybug1

When it comes to eating, I deny myself nothing, I just moderate it, trying to find either things that fill me up and stop the craving, or something that I can have in my daily budget. Have you watched your salt? Have you had enough water? Enough rest? The first month is usually the hardest on changing eating habits, and losing weight.
It's a matter of balance, and patience sometimes too. For some people weight loss is easy, and for others it takes weeks to show any kind of change.
The first question is has all of this exercise made you feel better about yourself as a person, gave you a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.
I would say don't count on a ton of weight at once, just focus on the 1st pound, then the one after that, one pound at a time and you will get there.

homeport51

In addition to all the good advise you have already received, the thing that strikes me is that you don't talk about how you are feeling at all. If you are feeling better, then disregard the scale... it could also be that the scale is faulty. It could be that you weighed yourself at a different time of day than the last time... or with more clothes on... it could be that time of the month or close to it. Could be lots of things. I disagree that you are not ready to do this. Sounds like you are very committed but need to tweak what you are eating and how much. Remember, it is about moderation, not deprivation. You are developing healthy eating habits to last your lifetime, not until the weight is off. Don't give up yet, you can do this!

suzycreamcheese

if youre going over sodium just in your breakfast, then youre eating the wrong things. Its ok to go over sodium sometimes but it shouldnt be a high part of your diet or you WILL retain water and wont be seeing your true weight.

Id also suggest weighing more often than fortnightly for a while, because youll get a more accurate view of how your weight fluctuates.

You may well have lost over the past fortnight but the last weigh in not be accurate because of something like time of the month, or a particularly salty meal, or constipation or weighing at the wrong time of day etc. I can easily gain 3lb or so if i weigh myself after lunch compared to first thing in the morning. I weigh myself daily at the same time (when i wake up, after ive been to the toilet, but before i eat or drink anything) so its easier if i see a pattern emerging over a few days, its easier to do something about it, than to undo 2 weeks worth of damage IYSWIM

suzycreamcheese

and you may also find that it plataeus for ages and then a whole lot comes off at once.

Its hard to not get disheartned sometimes but STICK AT IT, and you will see results

crisanderson27

Your body believes you're on a LONG march across some wasteland where there's no food! Fat people can walk just as well as skinny people, and as a matter of fact...at the end of that march those fat people will be the only ones that made it. What YOU need, is for your body to think you're being chased by a tiger across a lush island covered in nutrient rich foods. Can you picture a fat person in THAT scenario?? She would be called 'dinner'!! The fast, lean...skinny person would be the one to survive there.


Cris

I LOVE THIS!!!!!

=D

In addition to all the good advise you have already received, the thing that strikes me is that you don't talk about how you are feeling at all. If you are feeling better, then disregard the scale... it could also be that the scale is faulty. It could be that you weighed yourself at a different time of day than the last time... or with more clothes on... it could be that time of the month or close to it. Could be lots of things. I disagree that you are not ready to do this. Sounds like you are very committed but need to tweak what you are eating and how much. Remember, it is about moderation, not deprivation. You are developing healthy eating habits to last your lifetime, not until the weight is off. Don't give up yet, you can do this!

I agree 100%!

And on the 'not ready' topic...what I meant wasn't that she isn't...it's that IF she isn't, that's fine...because if that's the case...all of us pushing her in the right direction is just added stress on top of an already stressful set of circumstances.

No one wants that.

I also agree that she IS committed! To exercise at the minimum anyhow...it's the types of food that need work. 80% of weight loss is diet (I know you agree that that is what needs adjusted). If she can't come to terms with that...if she can't change her breakfast to curb the high sodium (for example)...then no amount of exercise in the world is going to change things. One step at a time, one day at a time...but the changes need to be made for it to work. I think she has that kind of commitment in her, but if she doesn't...then what I think is completely irrelevant.

Cris

spirit05

This may sound crazy, but after viewing your diary, may I make a suggestion... try swapping your protein and carb allowances, I was stuck for a long time and found when I did this I started losing.
Oh, and definitely increase your calorie allowance! With as much as you work out your body needs more calories. Just look at food as fuel for your body, if you're not taking in enough calories your body will go into starvation mode and no matter what you do the weight won't come off.

tiggersstar

it sounds to me like you need a day off!

go buy some of your fav foods, kick back and watch a movie! then the next day eat healthy and do a bit of exercise, but dont kill yourself, be sensible with it.

thats what i would do anyway.

good luck :flowerforyou:

suzooz

You've received alot of great advise here, and I am bookmarking this for later. My body plateaus every 9 pounds, and I am getting prepared to experience yet another one. Here's what I have learned from my MFP friends:

1) The scale lies. It should not be your only measurement of success. You have a great post as to why.
2) You have to eat to lose weight. At first I didn't believe in eating back your exercise calories, but after several weeks, I am now drinking the MFP Kool Aid on this one.
3) You need to drink water to lose water weight. Again -- counterintuitive. I have increased my water, and have noticed a huge difference!
4) Since this is a lifestyle change, you need to allow yourself some flexibility here. I have learned that I can have most of the things that I am craving - just in moderation.

I think you are ready to do this -- you just might need to open up to more ideas, and I think this is why you posted.

It sounds like you're trying to hard to be perfect at this, and it's overwhelming. This happens to me sometimes, and I get extremely frustrated . I have discovered that you don't have to be perfect to lose weight, but you do have to start and you do have to stick with it. How about you try one small change this week and see if that works for you?

suzycreamcheese

it might be worth trying to eat back your exercise calories or at least some of them. Got to be worth a try as so many people have said its worked for them.
I dont *necessarily* think its quite as cut and dried as if you dont net 1200 every day you wont lose weight, otherwise noone who didnt log calories and just went by their appetite would ever lose, but as i said, might be worth a try

karlz87

Ive just had a week like yours... not happy.. dont give up

marianne_s

I am not sure what day this was. I always eat at least 1200 every day. I just don't eat my workout calories.

Can I suggest you DO eat back some if not all your exercise calories.... try this for 2 weeks...

How much do you still want to lose?
If it is less that 20 lbs.... then set your weekly loss goal to 0.5 lb a week
If it is less that 50 lbs.... then set your weekly loss goal to 1 lb a week
From the amount of exercise you say you do, then set your activity level to lightly active
MFP will then allocate more calories for you..... please EAT all of them if you use a HRM, or only half or 2/3 if you don't....

The above works, it has done for everybody that I know that has done this.... including me...!

supermom1114

I think you've gotten a TON of great advice on this topic. But you have quite a few reasons why you can't do this or you can't do that. You really need to ask yourself are you ready for to change? If it's yes, then what are you willing to change? Obviously something has stopped working.

I fully agree I think you're body is in starvation mode and you need to eat more. If you're worried about eating more and gaining weight back, start by eating half your exercise calories back for two weeks and see what happens. Use those calories to add in more whole foods, fruits and veggies.

I know you said you don't like veggies, which ones? all of them? You've tried every veggie out there? Prepared or cooked in every way possible? I doubt it. It's all about experimentation. Try things in new ways and keep making yourself eat veggies. It takes about 6 months for your tastebuds to reset so be patient with yourself and keep going. You say you want to set a good example for your children, eating your veggies in front of them can make a HUGE difference. My two and a half year old eats broccoli, carrots, peppers, bok choy, cucumbers, squash, etc because he sees me and hubby eating them. Every child goes through phases where they'll only eat certain things but keep putting the right foods on their plates and they will go back to them. Same with adults. Keep putting the veggies on your plate, trying them in different ways, and eventually you'll find something that clicks. My personal fave is a stir-fry. Low sodium sauces and lots of veggies, lean protein, brown rice, delicious!

Also, it's been said over and over because it is truly affecting your weight loss. SODIUM! I looked at your diary and a lot of what you eat is processed, convenience type foods. Yes it may seem healthy but it's not just the sodium that gets added in, it's tons of other preservatives and additives, artificial colors, etc that have ill effects on your metabolism and hence, your weight loss. Try eating more whole foods, and cooking/preparing them yourself. I know cooking is not everyone's favorite activity but if you want to change, then you need to take control. Making as many things as possible at home, whether it be spaghetti sauces, bread, or w/e gives you back the control over everything that goes in your body. Anything you eat that comes in a package and has a laundry list of ingredients, try finding a recipe online and making it yourself. And you can't drink enough water in one day to wash out all the excess sodium and other chemicals from processed foods


Ultimately we can all keep giving you advice and attention but it comes down to YOU. Stop making the excuses, and either make the changes you know you need to make or accept that the scale won't magically move. Trust me you can't exercise your way to a healthy lifestyle. You also have to eat properly and give your body adequate fuel. You'll only end up over-exercising to the point that your body is breaking down it's own muscle to survive. Let me explain it this way. When you workout your first fuel is glucose in your blood and glycogen stored in your liver and muscles. Once that's depleted then your body starts breaking down fats. After you're done with your workout your body continues to break down fat in order to replace the glycogen lost and help stabilize blood glucose. However if you're never giving your body enough calories to refuel it will cling to every last fat droplet because it thinks there may come a time that it won't get fed enough. The only other fuel source available is muscle. You're changing your body composition and giving yourself a higher percentage of fat. Check out the pictures in the article, even though the article is talking about strength training which you said you do, the same thing will happen if you don't eat enough because while you may lose weight it'll mostly be muscle with only a little fat.

http://www.crossfitsouthbay.com/2011/05/skinny-fat/

hope something up there fired you up and is going to help you make the change, but how much you change and how well you stick to it is only under your control.

crisanderson27

Also remember (I have a friend that did this two weeks ago)...your body has been under nourished for awhile now. When you DO start eating RIGHT and HEALTHY again...it's going to flip out, and turn all these new wonderful nutrients to FAT!! You may gain three to five pounds, as well as however many inches over the following two weeks. DO NOT be discouraged please!! It takes time for your body to readjust itself to new input. If you burned 3500 calories tomorrow...you would NOT necessarily be a pound lighter the following day. That's not how it works.

But I promise you...IF you do as has been suggested, that 3-5lbs (that you may or may not gain) will be as nothing to how quickly your body starts metabolizing its fat stores.

Remember, 20 minutes of intervals is better than six hours (probably more!) on a treadmill. Cardio and strength training both are necessary, but your cardio needs to be burst cardio, not steady state. Your body needs to start freaking out...wondering what the hell is happening to it...and believe you me...it WILL adjust accordingly!

This (not a bad build...but you can see the flab!):



Or this:



The first is steady state cardio...the second interval cardio and weight training.

Cris

TAWoody

Concentrate 90% on food and only 10% on exercise. And try this, don't exercise as much. It'll make everything less stressful not having to worry about working out and you won't have to worry about eating back as many calories. Only exercise 3 times a week if you need to get some in.

amandavictoria80

Are you sure you really want to do this? You seem to have a lot of reasons for why you can't change. Maybe you're not ready.

This site is an extremely supportive environment, but if a bunch of total strangers have to sell this to you, it isn't going to work. You know what you have to do, so just do it or don't. It's that simple.

I have done a complete 360 on my eating habits and have exercised every single day for a month.
If I didn't feel as proud about what I have accomplished, your comments would have affected me deeply and negatively. I am thankful it was me you said this to and not someone just starting out.

amandavictoria80

Are you sure you really want to do this? You seem to have a lot of reasons for why you can't change. Maybe you're not ready.

Lol you posted this while I was typing...well said hun =D.

crisanderson27

Are you sure you really want to do this? You seem to have a lot of reasons for why you can't change. Maybe you're not ready.

Lol you posted this while I was typing...well said hun =D.

Same thing said to you:

You have no idea what you are talking about. You have no right to assume whether or not I am ready change. You know nothing about my personality, my motivation or my reasons for making the changes.
With that being said...
I have done a complete 360 on my eating habits and have exercised every single day for a month.
If I didn't feel as proud about what I have accomplished, your comments would have affected me deeply and negatively. I am thankful it was me you said this to and not someone just starting out.

Perhaps you misunderstood Amanda...I didn't ever say you weren't. I said you might not be. I also said if you weren't that it was 100% ok. Additionally, I said that I think you 100% have it in you to succeed, but if you aren't ready...what I think is irrelevant.

Where in that is the negativity? I mentioned a few specific comments you made...particularly about not tracking sodium because it's too difficult and just breakfast puts you over. If you're truly ready hun...that won't even come near being an obstacle.

Does that make more sense now?

I know you're emotional today...and I know you're frustrated...but I don't think anyone here is out to be negative to you. For a statement to be understood takes two people...one to get the point across clearly, and the other to understand it as intended. We all want to help...and I think that takes care of the first part.

If you ever need anything I can help with...let me know.

Cris

Barelmy

Btw, I find that vegetables are an acquired taste. Just keep exposing yourself to them. After about thirty tries, you should be able to eat them fairly easily, and if you still don't like them, then fair enough. Just bear in mind that it takes time for your tastebuds to adjust.

I made a rule about including one fruit or vegetable with everything I ate, and that really helped. Once you've gotten used to a few, the rest come more easily.

Also, please don't say mean things about yourself any more. It would not be okay for you to say that to someone else, and it's not okay to say it to yourself. You don't deserve that.:(