So close to throwing in the damn towel!!!!

westbrja

Good Morning Everyone,

Sorry about the rant but I'm so discouraged and sick of this whole weight loss thing. I understand that the first week of losing 5 pounds is most likely water weight, ok I get that but now I'm not losing one single pound and even gained a pound. Please give me some motivation to continue this journey because I am about ready to give up. All this measuring my food and counting calories and the extra time and money seems to be for nothing.

The way I look at it is this, I track my calories and have kept it close to 1250 per day (ok sometimes a few more but not much) and I've been exercising 3-4 times per week. That should at least count for something right? I've never had this much of a slow start at losing weight in my life. Can anyone please look at my journal and tell me what the problem is and offer some advice. I don't want to give up today when maybe tomorrow is the day my body kicks in and starts shedding this fat. Does that make sense?

P.S. I know I don't drink my 8 glasses of water everyday and I should be better about that, but that can't possibly be it can it?

anthony438

No expert, but what I see looks good to me. Stalls and plateaus happen, you'll get through it. Just give it some more time. No reason to quit now, you're almost halfway :flowerforyou:

mom111997

I'm no expert, but the first thing I noticed is that you're eating 3 meals per day. Try breaking it down to 6 meals per day so that you're spreading out your calories and therefore changing your metabolism. And make sure that your smaller meals all have a lot of protein in them so that you won't get hungry easily. You might also need to change your workout routine. Maybe try switching things up a bit?

Whatever you do... DON'T GIVE UP !!! WE NEED YOU ON HERE !!!!

Seajolly

It is possible you're not eating enough for your body. The reason I gained weight over the years was not because I was eating too much, but too little! My body was literally starving so it was holding onto every calorie it took in. Perhaps the same thing is going on with you? Have you tried eating more than 1250 since being on MFP? Might be a good idea to raise it up to 1360 or 1400 or so for a couple of weeks and see if that helps you.

schieca

It looks like while you're staying in your calorie range, your carbs seem to spike here & there. Angel food cake is good calorie wise but tons of simple carbs. I know I can't tolerate simple sugars my weight will blow up quickly. Also, don't know if you record all your water but that's another thing we tend to disregard. Good luck & stick to it

Rae9911

Don't give up keep going. When I got to 20lb down I was stuck at that for 7 weeks and all I was doing was putting on a pound and then losing a pound. Then two weeks ago I lost a pound but that pound felt so damn good to loose, this week I lost another 1lb and hopefully I will continue to loose for a few more weeks.

What I did to get me going again was to up my calories to 1500 for one week then on Saturday 11 June I lowered them to 1380 and have lost a pound as I said. I excercise 3 times a week for 45 mins doing aerobics then 3 days I walk to my daughters school and pick them up I am then walking for 3.6 miles and it takes me a round trip of 60 mins not including time stood in the playground waiting for them lol.

I know how demoralising it is when you get stuck but I just stuck to my calories and exercised and it eventually shifted alright it took 7 weeks to shift but I never gave up hope that it would start to shift.

kluver42

Dude, water will drop your weight like CRAZY! That's what happened to me! I started drinking more water and BAM 5 lbs out the door! And I notice on days that I dont drink much water, I'm bloated and weight more! Drinking water helps prevent your body from HOLDING ON to water (i know that sounds weird lol).

Also--- you're probably gaining muscle, which is replacing the fat -- which is probably the reason you're not seeing the scale move. Don't give up on yourself so fast! you WILL see results if you keep this up, I promise you!

Shweedog

YES the low water intake can DEFINITELY be the reason your scale is not dropping (and even gaining). I know it sounds weird but you have to drink water in order to flush out water that your body holds onto. Especially if you eat a lot of sodium!!!

Marjorielk

Are you counting everything, milk/cream in tea or coffee, butter/margarine on vegetables, etc. Little things can add up.

MyBabysMamma

You're exercising a lot.. Remember that the new muscle your building weighs MORE than the fat you're losing so for a more accurate picture of your weight loss try to measure how many inches you're losing off your hips, waist and chest!! It's a long and unforgiving process with little reward on the journey but you have to stay strong. You'll get through it.. If you need support just add me!!!!

Good luck though!!!

madamelaporte

I hit a plateau for 4 weeks but I stuck at it and the weight eventually started coming off I lost 1lb per week from then on!

I havent looked at your diary yet - will go in a second. Do your best to drink as much water as you can it really is important and is a brilliant aid to weight loss, Also eat lots of blueberries they really help. Plus research has shown that if you eat more than 2 low fat yoghurts a day it speeds up weight loss - I try and make sure I eat a minimum of 2 a day! Green tea is also fantastic, I have it with a mix of lemon or orange etc as I HATE the taste on its own.

What workouts are you doing? Have you tried Jillian Michaels? Her 30 day shred kick started my weight/inch loss!

Honestly just keep at it it will happen I know its frustrating!

Kelly_Wilson1990

Sometimes you are exchanging muscle for fat. Muscle weights more. Do not be obsessed with the scale alone. Look to see how your clothes are fitting and how you are feeling. Only weight once a week or every other week. You weight can fluctuate throughout the day. Look for long term changes over time. Most all, remember: YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

I did look at your diary. You might try lowing your carbs to about 100 a day and upping your protein to between 75-100 grams a day. You might try eating six small meals a day that is what I do.

Pam3

tryi zig zagging your calories..(look on on lineit helped me when i stalled....good luck and DONTGIVE UP!!!!

morganadk2_deleted

I think you should eat up your exersie calories , here is why..

Are you eating to enough?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit


This is just a part of it! please read the link above


Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)


Also this might be helpful http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat

westbrja

No expert, but what I see looks good to me. Stalls and plateaus happen, you'll get through it. Just give it some more time. No reason to quit now, you're almost halfway :flowerforyou:

Sorry I guess I should have clarified, I have not been on MFP for about a year as I had a baby and took a break from exercising and all (I know no excuse). So this is a whole new start for me now. I could understand the plateau if I had been at this for some time. Thanks for the motivation!

mizpaden74

Listen to these smarties - they are all right on! Don't give up, change it up. Our bodies get used to what we do. You can do this.

wbond

I agree Mom and Seajolly...you need to figure out the total calories you need to eat to lose weight and divide that by five to break it down into smaller meals. That will get your metabolism reving up and buring food all day long. And you also need to make sure you are eating enough calories to supplement the exercising because if you don't your body will go into starvation mode and will actually store fat.

We are here for you, don't give up...if you need to talk we are just right down the way.

misssimone08

Are you taking in a lot of sodium? Because that can make you blow up a bit. Try drinking a lttle bit more water. Maybe your losing inches try measuring yourself to see if you have a loss. Try switching up your exercise routine your body may just be geeting use to the workouts so your not burning as much. 2 weeks ago i ended up gaining 2 pounds and had no idea why, so the next week i uped my water, exersice, lowered my sodium, and zig zaged my calorie intake. Then when i weighed in the next time i had loss thoese 2 pounds plus 1 more.

Chrasschick

How long have you been in this Plateu?? When you wake up in the morning, take your clothes off and weigh yourself!! then drink water!!!! Water helps your liver to flush the bad stuff, if you dont have enough, your liver works extra hard and you end up storing. Also 6 smaller meals is really cool, opt for a boiled egg for 1 snack between bfast and lunch and a small tin of tuna in water or brine for another snack between lunch and dinner, you need protien to lose weight.

By the way, how fabulous are you to have nearly made it halfway????

Shake things up for a bit, if you do a lot of cardio try strength training or vice versa

I to am in a rut, with tonsilitis and a sprained ankle We will get there!

Keep at it, the bright light at the end of the tunnell is getting so close!!!!

alifer

What is your goal set as? When I set mine to 1/2 pound per week it increased my caloric intake for the day and I began losing again.
Do you take your measurements also? I had 6 weeks where I didn't lose much, but over the course of those weeks I did lose inches. Although I wouldn't compare measurements more than once monthly. Keep doing what you are doing and it WILL pay off. Believe in yourself. You can do this!!!!

And yes, the water is important.

ghoztt

You don't have anything logged prior to June 4th. Is that when you started or just when you started logging? When I first started tracking calories I lost 1 pound in 3 weeks. Just keep at it, keep working out, keep eating well and keep eating those exercise calories. Drink your water too and it'll start coming off, just be patient!

CodyD18

First off, plateaus happen to all of us. All you can do is keep trying. I mean, what's the alternative? Looking at your diary it seems like you eat a lot of simple carbs and I think that your diet could be a little cleaner. (You had pancakes and syrup one morning) It could also be possible that you're not eating enough too. Your body will go into starvation mode and it'll be very difficult to lose weight. You should also take body measurements and go by how you feel. We all know that weight can be funny sometimes. Don't get too caught up in the numbers. If you just keep going you'll get to where you want to be eventually.

mandysue1980

Do you drink soda? I know that was what kept me from drinking enough water before, and when I cut the soda out of my diet years ago I lost alot of weight.

Cam_

Try tracking your sodium as well. To do this, click
"settings" (at the very top of your screen - right beside "Logout") then click
"Diary settings"
Under "Nutrients Tracked", go to the first item that is blank and click the "V" thingy.
This will give you some options - click "sodium"

You can click the next one and select something else if you want. I also track cholesterol

Then click the green "SAVE CHANGES" button.

You will be amazed how much sodium is in certain foods. Processed meats, bread, cheese and processed anything is pretty high.

westbrja

Thanks all!! You are all great and it's nice to have people to turn to. Ok, to answer some of the questions.

ghoztt - Yes June 4th is when I started back to my weight loss journey after my maternity hiatus.

I guess I don't know the difference between complex and simple sugar. Is that like fruit vs. pancakes with syrup (wink)? Also how do I know what a good calorie level is for me? I just used the BMR calculator on here but other sites have me at a higher calorie level. Is there any other alternatives to plain water? What about iced tea? Does that count for my water intake?

westbrja

It is possible you're not eating enough for your body. The reason I gained weight over the years was not because I was eating too much, but too little! My body was literally starving so it was holding onto every calorie it took in. Perhaps the same thing is going on with you? Have you tried eating more than 1250 since being on MFP? Might be a good idea to raise it up to 1360 or 1400 or so for a couple of weeks and see if that helps you.

Ok so let me try to explain what I'm asking here. According to my BMI I can stand a 1000 calorie deficit. Is this from what I was eating prior to a healthier lifestyle? I'm sure that in my unhealthy days I was eating way more than 1350. Or is the deficit based on the BMR only?

kklindsey

I took a quick look at two days worth and I could be wrong but I saw a lot of cabs and a lot of sugar in ratio to protein. For me personally, thta is a no-no. When I dont eat enough protein I am hungry, tired, depressed, cranky and want to eat. I have been stuck trying to lose the same 20lbs for a year and since I changed my diet to protein with every meal and snack I have been losing at least .5 every DAY. To be fair I have been under calories too but when I get enough protein I am just not very hungry. I react very badly to carbs combined with sugar and simply forgot that in the last year. Most likely forgot that because my favorite thing to eat is sugary carbs.

Its worth giving it a try to up your protein to carb ratio and cut back some sugar.

westbrja

Other than the obvious eggs, tuna, protein meal bars. What's some foods that are higher in protein that I could have or snack on?

jenkins1103

Don't give up..You can do it..Maybe you can try not to eat all your exercise calories. I looked at you diary and if you stay around the 1250 mark and not eat your exercise calories you may see a loss. Stick with it...Your body will kick in to gear soon.

westbrja

Don't give up..You can do it..Maybe you can try not to eat all your exercise calories. I looked at you diary and if you stay around the 1250 mark and not eat your exercise calories you may see a loss. Stick with it...Your body will kick in to gear soon.

I'm so confused because I thought if you go under 1200 calories your body will go into starvation mode? If I eat 1250 in a day and burn 300 in exercise then that takes me to under 1000 calories for that day. Isn't that kind of low?

stormieweather

Don't go lower in calories at this point. You've only been back at this for 12 days. Work on your diet and activity levels first.

I had a 6 week plateau which I broke and then I lost 13 pounds in the next 7 weeks. And would you look at that? It's 13 pounds in 13 weeks overall!!

Here is what I did:

* Be exact in weighing, measuring and logging. Every single thing gets weighed and measured and logged.
* Eat more protein, keep carbs at or under my goal. My macros are 40c/30f/30p.
* Drink at least 100 oz of water a day. Yes, it really does help and no, I don't count anything as water, but water.
* Avoid simple carbs - sugary foods and processed foods (white rice, bleached flour, sugar added to anything at all.
* Change up my exercise and do something very, very difficult. For me, that is lurching...err...running.
* Do not cheat. No cheat meals, no cheat days, none of that. I DO allow a very controlled meal once a month at maintenance level and 1 week of eating at maintenance level, every three months. Stay away from the junk food as it just makes me want more.

And I had to be patient. And wait.

I just kept telling myself that my body was not *special* and would not be able to defy physics. If I ate less than I burned, I would HAVE to lose weight eventually.

And I did. :flowerforyou: