Fed up!

missphoenix

Ok I have been back on Myfitnesspal for over 1 month as well as doing the C25K program (week 5) and going swimming.
Start weight 11 stone 7 pounds and have fluctuated between this amount and 11 stone (currently 11' 4 pounds).

How depressing, I'm only 3 pounds lighter than when I first started.

I have tried:
Cutting out Salt.
Eating exercise calories
Not Eating exercise calories
cutting our Carbs at night.

The same thing happened last year when I calorie counted (tiny amount of weight loss teamed with masses of Bikram Yoga), the only diet I have ever lost on was few years back on Cambridge diet (Very low cal)

Any help would be very much appreciated x

melsinct

Can you open up your food diary and make it public? It helps to see what you are (or aren't eating), as the answer may be in your diary.

lallaloolly

you are losing more than 0.5 pounds per week. that's great. what is your target weight? the less you have to lose, the slower you lose it, and 0.5 - 1 pound per week is a normal, healthy weight loss amount.

try to think of this as a lifestyle change and not a "how far did i get in a month" challenge; in this world of instant gratification, it's hard to not be disappointed if you are hoping to lose 20 pounds in a month. it just doesn't happen if you are doing it in a healthy way (or unless you have 250 pounds to lose, which you don't). i'm so close to my goal that i am barely losing a pound a month, but i am keeping up with the exercise and the the calorie goals and the weight is slowly but steadily coming off - but even more important than the weight, i am getting fitter and fitter and loving my body regardless of whether it is up or down a pound this week.

missphoenix

To be honest I dont have super high expectations of weightloss (i.e 20 pounds a month) as I generally have seen very slow weight loss ever since I experienced a period of stress and illness, but I would hope that I wouldnt be gaining the same few pounds that I loose (one step forward two steps back). Its really disheartening, especially as I am trying so hard with both diet and fitness.

I'm not too sure how I open up my diary (any pointers?) glad for anyone to have a look.

Thank both for your help! x

missphoenix

Just worked out how to open my diary, feel free to have a look.
Thanks x

missphoenix

My target weight is around 9 stone so I have about 30 pounds to loose.

gritgirl

missphoenix:

i'm like you, it's very slow going. and like you, i seem to have gained some weight back. but i have to tell myself i'm exercising a lot more so that is likely added muscle which is heavier than fat and that is a good thing. today i noticed my pants are just a bit loser so even though the scale isn't where i want it to be, i am making progress. my goal is to keep going in a healthier living style and let the rest go. if i lose the weight, great. if i only lose a little bit and am overall healthier then that's even better.

i'm not an expert on what to eat, but did look at your food diary. i know for me that when i add a lot more vegetables and fruit that that ends up helping with weight loss, plus so many other things. the few days i looked at were low on fruits and vegetables.

i'm seeking a balance in my life between the extra fruit and vegetables and still being able to eat the things i love. :-) as i tell folks, i'm not doing this so i can be miserable. the thought of eating broiled chicken and broccoli for the rest of my days would make me puke.

missphoenix

Thanks Gritgirl, I do try and eat quite a few veggies and have tried to up my fruit intake (which used to be really low) but def could eat some more.

Thanks for taking the time to look!

melsinct

missphoenix:

i'm like you, it's very slow going. and like you, i seem to have gained some weight back. but i have to tell myself i'm exercising a lot more so that is likely added muscle which is heavier than fat and that is a good thing. today i noticed my pants are just a bit loser so even though the scale isn't where i want it to be, i am making progress. my goal is to keep going in a healthier living style and let the rest go. if i lose the weight, great. if i only lose a little bit and am overall healthier then that's even better.

i'm not an expert on what to eat, but did look at your food diary. i know for me that when i add a lot more vegetables and fruit that that ends up helping with weight loss, plus so many other things. the few days i looked at were low on fruits and vegetables.

i'm seeking a balance in my life between the extra fruit and vegetables and still being able to eat the things i love. :-) as i tell folks, i'm not doing this so i can be miserable. the thought of eating broiled chicken and broccoli for the rest of my days would make me puke.

Hahaha, I agree with all of this.

I lost fast in the beginning and have been losing very slowly for the last few months (I have 30 to lose total). I have only lost 7 pounds since the beginning of May. The point is, I am still losing! As long as the scale is going in the right direction, keep it up. Some weeks I lose 0.5 pound, sometimes nothing, and then suddenly this past week I lost a whole pound. For me, nothing about this is consistent but I keep at it anyway. Good luck to all of you other slow losers!

missphoenix

I wouldnt mind so much if I was just slowly 'loosing' but I gain back what I loose, so its one step forward one step back (or in some cases two steps back).

Really getting me down

kapeluza

"OK, this will be long. Please read it if you are confused. Disclaimer: I am not a dietician or a doctor, just a successful loser and maintainer, who has consulted both doctors and dieticians.

Question #1:

Should I eat all my calories?

Yes. MFP is already figuring a deficit for you to lose weight. This deficit is based on what you need to eat based on your everyday activity, not counting exercise. In the end, it's all about "net calories" (you can view yours under reports)

Example: you need to eat 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight (random number)
MFP will tell you to eat 1,500 to lose one pound per week (500x7=3500=one pound loss).

Let's say you exercise, and burn 500 additional calories.
UH-OH, now you are at a 1,000 calorie a day deficit. You need 2,000 calories to maintian, are already restricted to 1500, so now your net calories are a 1,000 a day. This is starvation central. Your body, which is very good at keeping you alive, will store and save calories. You WILL stop losing weight. You WILL want to throw your scale out the window.

Eat your exercise calories. At least eat most of them.

Question #2:
I'm eating 1200 calories, I feel like crap and I'm not losing weight. What gives?

Answer:
Run, don't walk, to "tools" and use the BMR calculator. Please, please, please, eat at least your BMR calories every day. You might lose weight more slowly, but you will still lose, and you will not longer feel a sudden urge to fall over every time you do, well, anything.

Question #3:
I'm doing "everything right" and the scale won't move.

Answer #1: The scale is the devil. Step away from the scale. Buy a tape measure, notice how your clothes are (probably) fitting better. Muscle is more dense than fat, and takes up less space on your body. More muscle on your body will make the scale freeze or (gasp) move upward.

Answer #2: You're not being honest. In order for this to work, you must record every morsel of food that goes in your body. Also, if you ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes and barely break a sweat and can still chatter on your cell phone (OK, that's my personal gym pet peeve) then you're probably not working "vigorously". Don't overestimate your exercise calories. (this was a big mistake I made in the past.)

Answer #3: Your body might be re-adjusting. How you feel is the most important mark of progress. It's very easy to fixate on numbers, but feeling better really should be its own reward.

Question #4:
So, if I'm eating my exercise calories, what's the point of exercise?

Answer: (warning: extremely opinionated answer ahead)
You don't. You can lose weight through diet alone. But, then you will be skinny and flabby. Is a model skinnier than me? OH, YES! Is she healthier than me? probably NOT. She couldn't survive the hour-long spin class that I take three times a week. Trust me. Her skin is a mess, she smokes, and she looks like crap in person. (this is a generalization. I don't hate models, but this is their lifestyle. . .I used to be a "dresser" at shows, and I saw a lot of "behind the scenes" stuff.

Does that help? Please say it does."

missphoenix

Hi Kapeluza,
Really appreciate your long post, were you also a slow looser?
I eat all my allowed calories (currently my diary is set to loose 2 pounds a week) and eat most if not all of my exercise calories, I also put everything down as I am dedicated to loosing weight (event the odd cheeky glass of vino is never forgotten in my diary).

Maybe my metabolism is shot to pieces since I was ill a few years back as my weight/ body has never quite been the same since.

I also measure myself and have only loss half an inch on my hips and on my bust, I measure yesterday and the tape measure is now gained back the 1/2 inches I thought I had lost so not sure it that was because I was bloated.

Pretty frustrating as I honestly feel I am following both My Fitness Pal and C25K program

Thanks again for taking the time to repond! Lots of useful check points x

susanswan

"OK, this will be long. Please read it if you are confused. Disclaimer: I am not a dietician or a doctor, just a successful loser and maintainer, who has consulted both doctors and dieticians.

Question #1:

Should I eat all my calories?

Yes. MFP is already figuring a deficit for you to lose weight. This deficit is based on what you need to eat based on your everyday activity, not counting exercise. In the end, it's all about "net calories" (you can view yours under reports)

Example: you need to eat 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight (random number)
MFP will tell you to eat 1,500 to lose one pound per week (500x7=3500=one pound loss).

Let's say you exercise, and burn 500 additional calories.
UH-OH, now you are at a 1,000 calorie a day deficit. You need 2,000 calories to maintian, are already restricted to 1500, so now your net calories are a 1,000 a day. This is starvation central. Your body, which is very good at keeping you alive, will store and save calories. You WILL stop losing weight. You WILL want to throw your scale out the window.

Eat your exercise calories. At least eat most of them.

Question #2:
I'm eating 1200 calories, I feel like crap and I'm not losing weight. What gives?

Answer:
Run, don't walk, to "tools" and use the BMR calculator. Please, please, please, eat at least your BMR calories every day. You might lose weight more slowly, but you will still lose, and you will not longer feel a sudden urge to fall over every time you do, well, anything.

Question #3:
I'm doing "everything right" and the scale won't move.

Answer #1: The scale is the devil. Step away from the scale. Buy a tape measure, notice how your clothes are (probably) fitting better. Muscle is more dense than fat, and takes up less space on your body. More muscle on your body will make the scale freeze or (gasp) move upward.

Answer #2: You're not being honest. In order for this to work, you must record every morsel of food that goes in your body. Also, if you ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes and barely break a sweat and can still chatter on your cell phone (OK, that's my personal gym pet peeve) then you're probably not working "vigorously". Don't overestimate your exercise calories. (this was a big mistake I made in the past.)

Answer #3: Your body might be re-adjusting. How you feel is the most important mark of progress. It's very easy to fixate on numbers, but feeling better really should be its own reward.

Question #4:
So, if I'm eating my exercise calories, what's the point of exercise?

Answer: (warning: extremely opinionated answer ahead)
You don't. You can lose weight through diet alone. But, then you will be skinny and flabby. Is a model skinnier than me? OH, YES! Is she healthier than me? probably NOT. She couldn't survive the hour-long spin class that I take three times a week. Trust me. Her skin is a mess, she smokes, and she looks like crap in person. (this is a generalization. I don't hate models, but this is their lifestyle. . .I used to be a "dresser" at shows, and I saw a lot of "behind the scenes" stuff.

Does that help? Please say it does."

Kapeluza - a VERY well thought out answer. It covers it all! One last point: DO NOT GIVE UP! That is exactly what your body wants you to do! The first month is the WORST! My scale did me no favors, but yes, do take your measurements monthly. HOw many times have you given up at this point? Many if you are like the rest of us! How many times have you powered through this phase for the next few months to see what will happen? Me? twice! This is my second time around to do things correctly, so I know as frustrating as it is, IT DOES WORK! POWER THROUGH THE NEXT MONTH AND YOU'LL SEE!

Also Just my very biased opinion: stop eating all of that cheese and processed food! Iif you can eat more whole food rather than processed stuff, the fewer chemicals for your body to fight with and wonder what to do with them such as storing them as fat for later.

Good luck! You can do it this time! This time will be different if you power through. Remember if it was easy, everyone would be thin/fit/healthy!

missphoenix

Hi Susan, what processed food should I cut out, I mainly cook from scratch so I didnt think my diet was full of processed foods. I have the odd slice of low fat chedder cheese in my sandwich (I dont eat meat only fish). Do you mean cut out bread as well?

x

PAM1164

This is very encouraging to me. I was logging everything I ate and only lost 3 pounds over the past 5 weeks. Just knowing that I need to eat ALL my BMR calories is helpful. I tried very hard to stay at 1200 cal when I don't exercise but even when I exercise I'm scared to eat more than 1200 calories. This message was very clear and I will use it as a guide to help me stick to my plan.

missphoenix

Hi Pam,
I have been eating all my calories and eating back my exercise calories too, I did some searches on this forum and some people eat their fitness calories and some people dont (it seems to be a hot debate)

I'm thinking I may try 'not' to eat the exercise calories back to see if that works for me. As so far my body doesnt seem to be reacting. But I def will always be eating my 1200 calories.

Depressing this slow weight loss and gain

Good luck with your weight loss journey x

donnaeve8

misspheonix- thank you for your post!! I have been very discouraged and frustrated as I lost 10 pounds in the first couple of months and now have been just losing and gainingn the same 2 pounds over and over again. I feel your pain!

Kapeluza- thnak you for your advice! I have also tried lowering my calories, tried upping my calories, etc. Your answers all make sense and I will try to follow your advice and hope that things change for me.

susanswan

Hi Susan, what processed food should I cut out, I mainly cook from scratch so I didnt think my diet was full of processed foods. I have the odd slice of low fat chedder cheese in my sandwich (I dont eat meat only fish). Do you mean cut out bread as well?

x

Hi,
Maybe I'm not familiar with your brands or what some food is called like QUORN. If you are cooking from scratch and eat mainly fish and chicken that is really good. As for bread, I think I am maybe too stringent for most but just fyi what works for me is not eating bread on a regular daily basis. WHen I do, i make sure that it is mainly whole grains. Although now that I am gettting closer to my goal I find myself loosening up a bit, but still try not to eat bread every day (white flour seems to react in the body like sugar does). I admit I am a whole foods gal and many or most may not want to go that way. But I will say that it made enough difference for me that I am sticking with it for my regular "diet" from now on. I did find some whole grain with extra fiber wraps here in the US from La Tortilla Factory. They take a little getting used to flavor/texture wise, but now I can't live without them. I guess that has become my "bread". The only crackers I eat are Triscuits which seem to be whole wheat and a bit of salt, and probably some form of non hydrogenated fat thrown in.

Add in as many veggies as you can such as a big salad a day. I make my own dressings using a variety of vinegars and then maybe twice as much olive oil with a touch of mustard, a drip of honey, and salt and pepper. I make it fresh for each salad and then toss it all together in a big bowl so everything gets a tiny bit of dressing on it. SOmetimes just rice wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar work all alone for me.

Just keep your food as whole as posible and eat as much fiber as you can. My doc recommended 35 grams for me but sometimes I have even made it to 60gms. I've never felt better in my life than when eating this way.

I know in the beginning I was really tough on myself and being "perfect" for 90 days was really important to me. Now that I am down to the last 10 I have loosened up some, but will never think I am "done". I know it is a lifelong battle to wage in my case and I'm okay with that!

melsinct

Great post, kapeluza!

Also, I have simplified MFP for myself. I can't stand the "exercise calorie" debate or wondering if MFP's calorie burns are accurate. I am a sedentary desk worker and set my activity level for "moderate activity" to encompass all exercise I do daily (I mainly do cardio). I only log exercise if I go above and beyond my normal routine (like hiking for a couple of hours, serious manual labor, etc.). It has simplified the process for me and is working, so it makes life a whole lot easier!

vibrant80

I eat all my allowed calories (currently my diary is set to loose 2 pounds a week) and eat most if not all of my exercise calories, I also put everything down as I am dedicated to loosing weight (event the odd cheeky glass of vino is never forgotten in my diary).

I think that having your MFP settings at two pounds a week, is too ambitious for the amount of weight you are looking to lose.

missphoenix

Hi Vibrant,

If I set it MFP to:

2. pound a week my calories are 1200
1.5 pound a week my calories still remain at 1200 allowance
1 pounds a week my allowance is 1210 (only 10 calories more),
0.5 pound a week loss my calorie allowance goes up to 1460

What would you set it on? x