I'm so frustrated

erzsebet_1560

Hi everyone,

When I started MFP I upped my calories, ate back my excersize calories and I lost 3 lbs. Great start! Well recently, I started the YMCA and am excersizing more. When I eat those calories, I am eating waaay more than I'm used to and I am starting to gain back! I am so frustrated. I have tried everything, WW, different sites. Any tips or suggestions? I have a trip to Vegas next month and I was really hoping to be down.

Thank you

AmberBarrios

Hang in there, if you are working out more you need the extra calories. You are probably building muscle. Are you tracking your sodium intake? That can really throw you off.

angelicdisgrace

Just keep watching what you eat and Maybe throw in some interval cardio. That's helped me. Good Luck!

dawnrenee567

How are you monitoring your calories burned? Do you use a HRM? If not you may be overestimating..

fitniknik

How long have you been trying? If we are talking 3lbs in a month thats pretty good. If we are talking 3lbs in 2 months, thats still not that bad. If we are talking 3 lbs in 6 months I would say something is going on.

Hernandezedw

What's your current height and weight?

SueInAz

How are you monitoring your calories burned? Do you use a HRM? If not you may be overestimating..

This was the first thing I thought of, too. You might try just eating back half of your exercise calories for awhile and see if that helps. There are quite a few people who do with good results. I rarely ever eat all of mine back, just to be on the safe side.

DaniJeanine

Maybe you can give yourself a calorie-cap. So, if you burn 1000 calories at the gym, you may not *need* 1000 extra calories at the end of the day--sometimes it's even hard to each that much more. I try not to go over a certain amount (for me it's around 1900) even if I technically burned it off. This isn't counting my little cheat days, of course!

velvetkat

are you drinking the 8-10 glasses of water recommended every day? Also start tracking your sodium.. You have some days that the sodium might be high so that could attribute to no weight loss. You dont look like you need to lose that much from your pic so you might take a while to lose the weight. Also some people dont eat their exercise calories back and they lose weight and some do.. maybe change it up and see what happens.

Good luck!

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suavequeen

I have experienced the same thing. I worked out more and ate more calories and gained here and there. Then I hit a plateau, I was so tired and done with it then I realized that despite it all I was losing inches and I was down a few sizes... That really helped to motivate me again and to accept that I was gaining muscle and losing inches. I tried cutting down on the weight training for a month and keeping with cardio and I lost 10 lbs in 5 weeks... Yay... Now I'm back to weight training again to firm up.

Keep it up, you will see and feel the change... :happy:

ambie35

not everyone NEEDS to eat their exercise calories back. Every body is different. Listen to your body, eat until your full. Maybe this means not eating any of your exercise cals back,or maybe half. A good goal for someone whom is exercising is to try and net 1200.

marianne_s

Hi everyone,

When I started MFP I upped my calories, ate back my excersize calories and I lost 3 lbs. Great start! Well recently, I started the YMCA and am excersizing more. When I eat those calories, I am eating waaay more than I'm used to and I am starting to gain back! I am so frustrated. I have tried everything, WW, different sites. Any tips or suggestions? I have a trip to Vegas next month and I was really hoping to be down.

Thank you

Are you using MFP correctly?

Have you read the info in the link (MFP basics) in my signature - this gives you some detail on how to make sure your MFP settings are correct

Now you may think that eating more doesn't work.... but you also need to considered the following:

1) How much do you have to lose?
Then set your weekly weight loss goal as per the recommendation in the linked page (MFP basics)

2) What is your actual activity level?
Make sure that is also set correctly in MFP

3) Do you wear a HRM (with a chest strap)?
If yes, then eat back your exercise calories. If no, then only eat back HALF of your exercise calories.


Did you notice that eating back your exercise calories is listed last....?
Why? Because if the 1st two points aren't correct - then eating back your CAN be counter-intuitive.


Try this for 2 weeks and see...

erzsebet_1560

Wow..thanks for all the responses! Let me try and answer all of your questions... I am 31 5'8" and fluctuating between 178-182. Between weight watchers, livestrong.com and MFP, I've been trying to lose weight for like a year..actually like 2 and I had been gaining untill recenlty... and the lowest I've been is 178..grrr. I was eating very little to begin with and have slowly increased calories over the past few months. Only when I started MFP did I start eating back my excercise calories. I started losing when I did this, but it seems when I burn like 500 calories, when I eat them I am starting to show slow, but steady gains. I like exercising and don't want to scale down on it, but I also don't want it to be counterproductive for me.

I wear a HRM with a chest strap, so I'm pretty sure the burns are accurate. I drink TONS of water. I've had thyroid and blood sugar tested and everything is fine. I just don't know what my problem is..

erzsebet_1560

Can you guys see my food diary? I tried putting it to public...maybe you might have some tips...

TeresaJill

Is it possible extra calories are sneaking in? cream in your coffee, just a bite of this or that, sugar free drinks with 5 calories, etc? Are you measuring your food or estimating how much you're eating?

erzsebet_1560

No...I'm pretty anal about measuring everything. My husband gets irritated because I serve dinner with measuring spoons...LOL

brneydgrlie

I was just looking at your diary. Your food choices are very carb-heavy, almost exclusively processed foods, and hardly any vegetables. I am willing to bet that if you 1) up your water intake, 2) eat more fresh, whole foods, and 3) eat more veggies (especially leafy greens), you will see a big difference.

Processed, pre-packaged foods usually contain alot of sodium. Also, any food marked "light" or "low fat" usually contains more sugar and/or sodium than the normal version (to make up for the fat).

Also, keep in mind that fats are not necessarily bad. The right amounts and types are actually really good for you, (like omega 3s) and they make you feel fuller longer when you eat.

NancyAnne1960

I was just looking at your diary. Your food choices are very carb-heavy, almost exclusively processed foods, and hardly any vegetables. I am willing to bet that if you 1) up your water intake, 2) eat more fresh, whole foods, and 3) eat more veggies (especially leafy greens), you will see a big difference.

Processed, pre-packaged foods usually contain alot of sodium. Also, any food marked "light" or "low fat" usually contains more sugar and/or sodium than the normal version (to make up for the fat).

Also, keep in mind that fats are not necessarily bad. The right amounts and types are actually really good for you, (like omega 3s) and they make you feel fuller longer when you eat.

I agree with the processed items. Tons of sodium. And, yes watch the items marked 'light' and 'low fat'. They have to put something else in there to make it taste rich. You also have lots of protein. Make sure they are 'lean/low in sodium'. Good luck!! you'll be there in no time.

JulieF11

This suggestions will be a tough one... but will work:
1) Make sure you get 8 hours a night of sleep.
2) Drink Green Tea everyday with water and/or decaf tea or coffee... but nothing carbonated.
3) When you exercise, make sure you are not out of breath.
4) Cut out processed foods and artificial sweeteners.
5) Make sure your carbs are whole grains.
6) Try to eat small meals every few hours.
7) Eat a mix of lean proteins and slow release carbs (whole grains or fruit) each mini-meal.

Some small meal ideas are: an apple and five almonds, wasa crisp crackers and tuna salad, low-fat cheese stick and a fruit, that kind of thing... a few hundred calories every two-three hours.

erzsebet_1560

Thanks for all the tips...I was afraid I wasn't eating enough carbs since MFP set my goals automatically for me, as far as the macros go...I went to the store last night and bought a bunch of food. Hopefully I can get it going in the right direction again.