Frustrated

lzdriluk

Hey everyone.

My fiancee and I decided on May 24, 2011 that we would change our lifestyle and eat better and exercise and get healthy together. I know it has only been a month this coming friday, but even with eating right, and exercising i STILL havent hit the 15 pound mark that I wanted to be at by the one month mark. I got to 14, then started gaining over the last few days. I really want to push myself, and my goal is to lose 40 pounds by my wedding in November...I just feel so frustrated with the weight gain...why am I gaining now?? I'm following my calorie guide on here, and getting extra calories by working out...?? I had a friend tell me that i should be eating even the workout calories to speed up my metabolism...but that doesnt make sense to me. Why work out if you are just going to eat the calories back again? why not just eat the daily calories I'm allowed and not workout??? I feel confused...

graysmom2005

Hi there!! First of all congratulations to both the engagement and the 14 POUND WEIGHT LOSS! That's in a month? Is that right? That's amazing!

Second, to clear up the calorie confusion. MFP has already put in a 500 calorie deficit. So if you are working out on top of that, you may not be eating enough. I had a trainer work up my numbers and we found my base calories that I must eat per day...for everyone it will never be lower than 1200 net. Then I eat between 80%-all my exercise calories. After a year long plateau it seems to be working. Is your diary open? That would help a lot. Just make sure that on your home page it says at least 1200 NET a day...otherwise the weight loss could slow down. HTH!

goalie35

If you are newer to exercising, you are probably gain some weight back due to muscle. This is not bad because it will help you burn more later. 15 lbs. in 1 month is a lot to expect. A healthier range is 1-2 lbs per week.

sweetheart03622

I hate to break it to you, but 15lbs in a month is unrealistic. 2lbs a week is the maximum you should be losing (obviously the beginning will be more, but plan on 1-2lbs per week from now on out). I don't mean to be harsh, but you'll just be frustrated with yourself if you think you'll keep losing like this. That being said, you have over 4 more months to lose just 24lbs. That's 6lbs per month, or 1.5lbs per week, which is totally doable!

Regarding the calories, yes, you can eat the calories they give you and not work out. You will still lose weight this way. MFP does this because 1. not everyone has time to workout every day and 2. some people just don't like to work out. You can lose weight without working out, MFP sets you up for that. That being said, if you do workout then you should be eating more to fuel your body (and keep you from going crazy).

JMun

I know I know.. eat more? This is going to make me lose weight? WTF?

totally works though. I eat 1400-1900 calories per day depending on how long I'm working out.
I wear a heart rate monitor so I can accurately track my calories OUT and then eat 60-80% of them back.

14lbs in one month is CRAZY good. So pat yourself on the back and then eat some greek yogurt

PS. Feel free to add me as a friend if you wanna snoop in my food diary and see how much I'm working out.

innerfashionista

What is your calorie goal set at? When I was eating 1200 calories a day, I wasn't eating enough, even when I was eating back most of my workout calories. With all the muscle I'm gaining, I need more fuel. We have to eat more to lose weight, as backward as that sounds.

Also, are you doing the same exercises every day? Our bodies are smart and figure out routines. Try switching the exercising if you haven't. Also, is your heart rate in the fat burn zone or the cardio zone? At least for me, I have hit different levels every day to lose weight. I don't trust the calories burned database, so I invested in a HRM to more accurately determine how many calories I'm burning. For instance, MFP says I burn 1000+ calories doing an hour of tae bo, but I really only burn 350-400.

morganadk2_deleted

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



Good luck on your journey

rfcollins33

WOW, 14 lbs in one month?? That is amazing. You will not see losses like that every month. 8 lbs is actually a huge loss for a month, so 14 is out of this world. But people tend to lose a lot at first, then it slows down. Stick with it and don't give up. I know you had the question about why you're gaining: I don't know, because you are the only one who really knows your exercise/nutrition routines, but the whole whether to eat back your exercise calories is a debate that is split. So, I don't ant to tell you to or not to. I didn't used to, and I lost a lot of weight, but I started eating them back and it slowed down a lot, but I work out so much that I need fuel more now. So, like I said, stick with it!! You CAN do this, and I am confident you will be a beautiful bride!! Congrats on your engagement :flowerforyou:

lzdriluk

Thanks everyone. Thats a lot to take in and read over. I will take the advise and see how it goes.

SMALLS63

You need to create a deficit in your calorie intake through excercise, so eating your extra calories will not help you in losing weight. Also try to gage your eating around your working out so your putting food into your body after working out, when you metabolism is at its highest. You may see some weight gain due to muscle gain, but you should see a loss in inches. Hope this helps Good luck!

JMun

You need to create a deficit in your calorie intake through excercise, so eating your extra calories will not help you in losing weight. Also try to gage your eating around your working out so your putting food into your body after working out, when you metabolism is at its highest. You may see some weight gain due to muscle gain, but you should see a loss in inches. Hope this helps Good luck!

completely disagree.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit
I've followed what I read in this post (as previous reposted by morganadk2) after I read it several months ago and have had amazing success. Its hard to remain strong, build muscle and give your body the fuel it needs to recover after intense exercise when you're only eating 1000 net calories (or less) a day.

muscle doesn't really weight much more than fat. its a myth. http:scoobysworkshop.com he has great nutritional and muscle building tips. When doing heavy body building your muscles will retain water and that's what increases weight. When you go into recovery mode that water weight will drop.

best of luck to you

starr68

My wonderful daughter, think of your body like a car. If you drive that car 5 miles a day, and only refuel enough to cover one of those miles, eventually you will run out of gas. The more you exercise, the more you need to eat to keep your body from going into starvation mode.I love you, but don't push yourself too hard. Like everyone else says, rather that being frustrated, pat yourself on the back for what you have accomplished and know that you are doing a great thing. You ENJOY the exercising and that is a better thing. Don't get discouraged!!!