Stuck. Demotivated. What's wrong?

psychofied

I've lost 10 lbs since the day I joined MFP and got off track.
Just 1 and a half week ago, I went back and lost 2 lbs.
For 1 week, I've been stuck in 155. I've been exercising and eating under my goal. What's wrong?

Info:
I do 30DS L1 everyday and I walk for about 20 minutes.
My diet is high in carb. Only few fruits and vegetables cause I can't afford them yet. Is this what's wrong?

To someone who'll answer, thank you!

spiffygirl17123

I'm not sure why u gained but my mom was on a losing streak for like a month and then she gained two pounds and was very discouraged. she cut back on potatoes and is now back on her losing streak. maybe u could try another type of exercise to trick ur body bc i hear that ur body adapts to exercising when u do the same kind all the time. I'm not sure if its true though.

fionamacf

Don't eat under your goal and your body will reward you. Eating under suggests starvation and slows the metabolism. Happened to me a few weeks ago when I upped my exercise and had calorie deficits every day

dddttt

One week is nothing yet, so don't worry!
Is your period coming? Most of the time your body is storing up water before the period and, for example, my scale won't move for over a week before my period. But then, bam, it all goes away after I have it.

aychrist

It could be the carbs. It could also be that your metabolism slowed down, and your body is taking some time to get back to the level it was at when you were eating/exercising the way you wanted to be. Also, make sure you're not overcompensating in your calorie restriction and sending your body into starvation mode!

keiraev

Try and have a day off from exercise a week and weigh yourself the day after your day off- gives your muscles a chance to drain off the excess fluid. I don't know if it's just coincidence but i do that every week and I nearly always see a loss on the scale (hope I haven't jinxed it now!)

H_Factor

first, you need to eat your calories.

second, if your diet is high in carbs and those carbs are not fruits/veggies, that could be the bigger problem. if you can cut out, or largely reduce, breads, pasta, white potatoes, cereals, sugars...basically, processed and packaged food...you will help yourself out a ton. as far as cost, while its not an exact science, I suspect that the cost of a package of thin sliced chicken breasts, some zucchini, yellow squash, spinach and tomato sauce (a mixture I make for myself)....which will make 4 servings....costs less than 4 boxed meals or the equivalent of processed foods for those 4 servings. likewise, cutting up some lettuce and adding some carrots, and other stuff you like in a salad doesn't cost a ton when you consider it lasts for a few salads.

cshore54

I am sorry you are feeling stuck and demotivated, especially when you are trying so hard. This happens to us all. Just keep logging your food and exercising. Lower your expectations about how fast you want to lose the weight. Really watch the sodium content in your foods so you don't retain water. On that line drink lots of water to flush your sytem. You will succeed. Slow and easy wins this race. Trust me on this, cause it took me 40 years to learn it. Good luck to you. Youare a winner and deserve a healthy life.

baderis07

If you actually meet your caloric goal for the day and even eat over it a bit I've heard and read that it increases your metabolism again. Also as its already been suggested, change your exercises up. Up the intensity of the 30 DS or instead of walking do interval training, like 4 mins walking, 1 min jogging, rinse and repeat. Interval training is one of the best ways to get your body going again.

tramaine81

Even though your diet is high in carbs, if they were less processed (spaghetti, non-fancy bread), you would probably lose weight. Cheaper options for fruits and veggies are: frozen fruit and veggies and grapes. They are less expensive and last more for your money. I buy a bag of frozen broccoli and toss a few florets in my meals whenever I need a veggie. Processed foods do several things, because they have a lot of sugar, they increase insulin levels, which ultimately tells your body to produce fat instead of burn it. Also, because processed food is not technically nutritious, your body, even though you are eating, feels like it is starving, prompting it to hold on to fat stores.
So even if you cut down a little bit, your body will respond. Another trick is to set a time to stop eating. Even if you don't follow it on most days, having your last meal before 7 or 8 o'clock helps your body beginning burning fat earlier. I try to do this 4 to 5 times a week. Now if I feel hungry, I eat, but it happens rarely.

As far as exercise, variation will help you see results. Sometimes, even exercising at a different time is productive. Sometimes, I just do two weeks with only cardio (45 minutes of walking). It gives my body a rest and I see results (weight loss and more toned). Another tip is to do strenuous exercise earlier in the day. If you do a lot of hard work at night, you will be starving and it will be hard for you to stop eating earlier. Walking doesn't effect my appetite, so I do that at night.

GOOD LUCK!!!

psychofied

I've read everything and I want to thank you guys! Maybe it's just me having PMS and doing the wrong thing. I'll keep in mind your suggestions.

morganadk2_deleted

Don't eat under your goal and your body will reward you. Eating under suggests starvation and slows the metabolism. Happened to me a few weeks ago when I upped my exercise and had calorie deficits every day

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

psychofied

Thank you so much! I never thought that I couldn't eat my exercise calories.
Thank you,really. 8)