end of rope

FairyMiss

okay i am at the end of my rope, before coming here i lost 50 pounds ( oxy elite pro, not eating) between sept '10 and dec '10. since that time nothing, which is what brought me here.

Since being here i still have lost more or less nothing, have gotten down to 193 then back up to 200 again, i have done the 1200, i have tried lower, i have tried higher.

i am pretty acctive, as a vet tech i have a pretty active job, on top of that i exercise 6-7 days a week some times twice. My main workout for the past month has been insanity (which is how i got down to 193, but in less than a week all i lost is back). supplemwented with strenght training a couple nights a week and either indoor cycling or zumba on thurs night.

posting this for idea, anything that worked for anyonw, any diet or diet style that was particulary successfull

vikesfanmb

Are you tracking your sodium? I find that when I eat higher amounts of sodium, my weight will be quite stagnant and/or yo yo -
but when I am pushing the fruits and veggies (and not eating out as much) my weight seems to just drop and drop. Everyone's metabolism is different, of course.

Also, have you had your thyroid checked recently and/or had a physical? There could be medical reasons that explain that as
well.

Just my two cents . . .

Mommawarrior

Your body needs rest so maybe give it some. Maybe lay off the exercise a day a week. Your diary is closed so we can't see it but I am interested in your eating habits.
How much water do you drink? And maybe change the type of exercising you are doing. Your body gets use to the same thing over and over. Change it up some.
Goodluck

MelissaGraham7

I had a 7-month plateau - despite doing everything right - eating right, working out, journaling/tracking. But, I maintained my commitment and didn't give up. About 2 months into it, I quit obsessing and freaking about it and just treated it like maintenance. I mean, at the end of our journey, we have to continue our commitment to maintain, right? I read a book about resetting your body's set point which was interesting and confirmed my need to hang in there. Finally, I returned to 1/2 pound loss a week - slow but steady with only 13 pounds to go. So, the most important thing is not to obsess about it or give up your commitment! You aren't at the end of your rope - just tie a knot in it and don't let go!

keljo05

I'd be interested in seeing your diary as well. There can be things there that don't seem that bad depending on how you look at it. A good for instance is the soup I had with my salad for lunch. the serving size has 120cal.... but 890 mg of sodium. I have to be able to balance it out thru the day if I want the soup.

I also glanced at your page and I'd love to see you change your mind set. You state that you have always been fat and always will be... you need to tell yourself that you are now getting healthy and thinner. Even if you don't believe it at first you need to change your perspective or it won't change.

What kind of exercises are you doing? how many calories are you burning? that can also be part of the issue if you are burning too much and not eating enough or eating healthy.

DropsOJupiter

Hi and gets a bit of a downer without results huh? First off, you aren't an epic failure as your profile states. I am afraid you did what I and many people have done....you've mucked up your metabolism wanting a quick fix. Did you get it for the 3 months you didn't eat? Yes. Is it helping in the long haul? Nope. For me, I ate around 1000 calories for a couple of months and lost 60 pounds then slammed into a wall. Took 4 months...yes 4 months...to undo and get going again. I upped my calories to 1400, added strength training and upped my cardio. Even now, with all the weight I've lost, I still hit weeks of no loss.

Sounds like you've got the exercise down, and without being able to view your food diary, hard to give any suggestions regards food. I always check water consumption, sodium intake and nutritional values first then see if I am eating processed, sodium laden foods. Hope this helps.

lgubbels

My 2 scents includes the statement you made in parentheses about not eating. I tend to believe that now that you are eating, you are starting to gain back a little of the nutrition you lost. I do agree, though, that it could have to do with what you are eating, too. The other thing I noticed is you are exercising and only eating around 1200 calories. You shouldn't eat less than 1200, but what is your MFP goal calories? Maybe you aren't eating enough and you are going into starvation mode, therefore your body is storing more as fat and making you gain instead of lose. for example, if MFP recommends that you should be eating 1500 calories with your exercising, then I would do my best to eat that and no less than 200 under that. I seem to do better when I stick close to the recommended calories.

FairyMiss

diary is open

FairyMiss

Are you tracking your sodium? I find that when I eat higher amounts of sodium, my weight will be quite stagnant and/or yo yo -
but when I am pushing the fruits and veggies (and not eating out as much) my weight seems to just drop and drop. Everyone's metabolism is different, of course.

Also, have you had your thyroid checked recently and/or had a physical? There could be medical reasons that explain that as
well.

Just my two cents . . .

had blood work done about 2 months ago thyroid included and eveything looked good, onlything not perfect was blood glucose was boarderline (down from being well into pre diabetic levels)

so nope no medical reason

keljo05

my first 2 suggestions would be to eat more frequently. I notice a lot of days you don't eat breakfast. My breakfasts average around 200 cal... take seconds to make ( chobani yogurt or half a bagel with reduced fat ww cream cheese) and you need to start really watching and limiting your sodium.

I know packaged foods are easier and I use them too... however a day here and there with low sodium does not make up for days with over 2500-3000mg of sodium. yesterday I managed to hit over 4000mg of sodium and knowing my body it will take at least 3 days to get the extra bloat from it off.

foodforfuel

You are NOT a failure. We all struggle along the way to better fitness! Never give up!
What worked (and is still working) for me is "The Abs Diet Get Fit, Stay Fit Plan". That book changed my life. Mainly by changing the foods I eat. There are 12 super foods listed (you can google them) to build around. The reason this has worked for me is mostly because these are foods that I can maintain a lifetime of good nutrition from. I can do it for life.
That and strength training/weight lifting, and my macro's of 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat. You can always tweek it from there.
Stay committed and see results. Read everything you can to find what works for you.

DropsOJupiter

my first 2 suggestions would be to eat more frequently. I notice a lot of days you don't eat breakfast. My breakfasts average around 200 cal... take seconds to make ( chobani yogurt or half a bagel with reduced fat ww cream cheese) and you need to start really watching and limiting your sodium.

I know packaged foods are easier and I use them too... however a day here and there with low sodium does not make up for days with over 2500-3000mg of sodium. yesterday I managed to hit over 4000mg of sodium and knowing my body it will take at least 3 days to get the extra bloat from it off.

Thanks for opening up your diary! I totally agree with keljo. Given you were borderline diabetic (I'm type 2), or battling that, it is absolutely a MUST that you get some protein on board first thing so no skipping breakfast. This stabilizes the blood sugars. Too, protein tends to keep hunger at bay. If you can stomach them, prepare some boiled eggs and eat one or some unsalted nuts or an ounce of cheese fairly soon after getting up. In addition to decreasing sodium, I'd also try adding more fresh veggies and fruit. If I can help in any way, let me know!

SueInAz

Make sure you're eating back most of your exercise calories. You want to be netting at least 1200 calories every day. Just as an example, on a day where you eat 1500 calories, but do 400 calories in exercise, you're only netting 1100 calories. Remember that MFP already builds in a calorie deficit for you, you don't want to be adding to that deficit by too much or you're going to have difficulty losing those pounds.

It sounds like you're doing a lot of exercising. I know there are days when I've taken a break that I've actually lose a few pounds after a bit of stall. Your body needs some rest. At least one day per week, take the day off. Also make sure you're switching up your routine. If you're doing the same cardio workout every day, your body gets used to it. Try doing some strength training every other day in place of cardio.

adrian_indy

Agreed, always eat at least 5 times daily with a lean source of protein at every meal, and basically try to get 5 servings of fruit and veggies everyday. If your body is being stubborn and that isn't working, also try breaking your exercise routines up into different kinds of work out, don't let the body adapt. Other things you can do to not only burn calories, but also step up the metabolism is

Wake up. roll of bed and do something physicl for a couple of minutes, start the day out with a jolt. Jumping jacks, push ups, squat thrusts. Make sure you work up a quick sweat.

Always eat breakfast.

Do cardio, even if is is as short as 12 minutes at a time, 2X a day. (I like taking a fast walk around the neighborhood at night after I tuck the kids in),

Circuit weight training

When you watch TV at night, so an exercise during commercial breaks. A trainer told me that watching TV before you go to bed is bad for some, because you are inert, not thinking too much, and your body shuts down as if you are sleeping, like a hibernation mode.

That's all my ideas, I'll get back to you if I can think of anything else

FairyMiss

not only is the scale up, did some measurements quit after 3 two were up buy 1 1/2" one by 2"

elizamc

Such wise words and so encouraging Melissa, for me too! Thank you!