Frustrated and discouraged, I need help.

project150

When I started this journey, I thought it's as simple as counting calories and exercising. I lived off that idea and saw a huge change in my body within the first 6 months. However, it went downhill after that. It is my fault, I know. I chose to fall out of the wagon, I chose to take a hiatus. Now that I have decided to get back into it, I don't know what to do with myself anymore.

When I hopped back onto the saddle last month, I relied on what worked for me the first time - Jillian Michaels and 1200 calories (sometimes less). I have been doing what I did in the past. However, I am not seeing the same result I got the first time. Matter of fact, I am not seeing any result at all!

I am stuck and I can't seem to find the right way out. Part of me is telling myself to just give up, it's not working anyway. But the better part of me knows I can break through it.

I just don't know how.

What is eating healthy? What is eating right? I know my diary is not the greatest but somehow it worked for me the last time. Why is it not working this time?

I want to try alternatives but I just don't know what and where to begin with. I need intervention.

I don't want to give up.

***Edit***
I am very overwhelmed by all your replies. Thank you so much, such amazing support given to a stranger like me. I am very grateful!

Just few minutes ago, I signed up for a 3-day trial at the gym close to my apartment. I have been putting it off but I think it is time. I am also planning to do a thorough clean up of my fridge and pantry sometime today. I can do this, I will do this! Thank you all so much!!!

wallz8

Hang in there! Maybe you need to get out of the rut and try something new! You can do it - as you saw in your results the first time!

Take it one day at a time and don't look for the same results as last time because they didn't stick. Look for a NEW way to get NEW results and = the NEW YOU!!

Believe in yourself YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

I_GoT_ThIs

not everything is going to work the same as it did in the past. I found this out the hard way. It is much harder this go around but I refuse to give up because failing and being fat is not an option for me anymore! you just got to stick with it and trust that it will work out!!!!

Heatherbledsoe

you should eat more, and change up your workout. Muscle memory is terrible! You have to have muscle confusion, THAT burns off the most calories. add in some weight training, you need ,muscle to burn fat! Dont eat processed foods! that is anything that comes in a package or a box....so only shop in produce section, meat department, and dairy You can do it! and maybe increase your cals to 1400...so like an extra protein drink a day or something.

indpls2002

I don't know much, but I do know if you aren't eating enough calories, your body will feel like it's in starvation mode and it holds onto every little piece that it can. Up your calories to atleast 1500 or so and exercise daily for about 30 minutes a day. Hopefully that will "rewire" your metabolism and you will start to see some weight loss.

kmeekhof

Looking at your diary over the past week..... you need to eat MORE! Don't give up.

SusanneWhittington

from the bit I see it could be that your body is in starvation mode. I loose weight better when I eat half of my exercise calories back. You should try to not see this as I have/want to loose weight journey, but to really change the way you eat and exercise for life.

bethvandenberg

I don't know much, but I do know if you aren't eating enough calories, your body will feel like it's in starvation mode and it holds onto every little piece that it can. Up your calories to atleast 1500 or so and exercise daily for about 30 minutes a day. Hopefully that will "rewire" your metabolism and you will start to see some weight loss.

totally agree. Eat more, and be consistent with some exercise and give it some time. Welcome back and no more breaks

Melmade

Maybe do some other type of exercise?

13hirteen

Without wanting to retread a very old debate on these forums, it looks like you're seriously under-eating for the amount of activity you're doing.

Slowly add extra calories and try to eat your 1,200 plus around half of what you burn through exercise. At VERY least make sure you're getting your 1,200. Your weight might temporarily go up, but it should start dropping once your body is getting enough fuel to convince it not to cling on to every spare calorie in the form of fat.

You might also want to eat more vegetables and make sure you're getting enough protein, but that's more to do with general health than losing. (Yeah, I'm one of those "eat your greens" people.)

You might want to try different types of exercise, too - as someone above said, shake it up a bit.

SeanMurphy

As I've read here many times, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Keep it up, record everything you eat. If you're not seeing any results, ensure you're not omitting foods, or underestimating how much you're eating. Also ensure you're not overestimating the caloric burn from activities. You can always manually adjust the daily calorie allowance under goals, and knock a few calories off each week until you start seeing the results you want.

If you are eating back all your exercise calories (a topic which is a huge can of worms around here) try only eating back 50-80% of them.

When it comes right down to it, despite all the variable factors of metabolic efficiency, body composition of muscle mass to fat, etc, it really does come down to a simple equation.

Energy In = Energy Out + Fat Storage.

If you are eating less then you are putting out, then fat storage will move to the other side of the equation and become fat loss.

There are a million and one excuses, some more valid than others, as to why someone's not losing weight, but if you are being honest with yourself, the weight WILL come off eventually. Keep with it and don't lose hope.

Remember, nothing ever tastes as good as being a healthy weight feels.

[end inspirational mode]

bexp2

A good book to learn about healthy eating is Michael Pollan's, "In Defense of Food." There are lots of other books; just try to stay away from anything too gimmicky or fadish.

skfj5

Agree agree agree...

You can do it. Take everyones advice.

Eat more...don't be alarmed if you temporarily gain...it WILL come off again...and shake up the exercise.

Good luck!!

sweetiebelle

What are you using to find how many calories you burn?

MB_Positif

Well, you're already past your halfway point and from what I understand (including my own current situation) is that we tend to lose pretty quickly in the beginning because we change our eating and exercise habits so rapidly. You probably do need to eat more...but definitely focus on getting your eating a little cleaner if you are having problems there. Fuel your body with food My loss has slowed down and I am still set to lose 1 pound a week, but it hasn't really been happening. I plan to change up my exercise routine after I finish my 5k race which is on the 24th. For now I want to just keep running so I am well trained for the race, after that I am hoping for some more weight loss with some big changes in exercise Good luck!

pauljsolie

I agree with alot of responses here, You Are Not Eating Enough. Try to eat back at least 50% of your exercise calories and like someone said, it's a marathon not a sprint. Good luck to you. You will get this figured out.

beccyleigh

I'm set at losing 1lb a week but I make sure I eat a minimum of 1200 cals a day, so if i exercise 800 cals then i eat 2000 cals in total to bring me up to 1200 cals. I then have an additional 400 cals to eat or not depending on how I feel & how much I have already eaten. I also try to drink as much water as I can during the day, minimum 6 large glasses, if exercising, then more.

About eating healthy, I find making large batches of food to keep in the fridge helps be avoid the processed stuff that is full of sugar & salt. A batch of grilled marinated chicken & oven roasted veg lasts about 5 days if kept in tupperware. Soup I make in huge batches once a week & freeze in potion sized containers. I then just defrost & reheat for lunch or dinner & have with chicken & the oven roasted veg. I then buy cottage cheese, salad, fresh veg to bulk it all out.
Lack of planning is my downfall when it comes to eating processed food. If it isn't already made up & in my fridge I will go to the shop & eat some salt & sugar packed garbage.

When you exercise mix it up. Some days I do only cardio, others just a zumba or step class & a couple of days a week a core training set. If your body gets to used to one kind of exercise only then it will stop pushing itself.

Don't feel disheartened, just change your routine around a little & eat some more calories. this is a lifestyle change not a prison sentence nor a race. Be kind to your body & yourself.

MandyCanDo

you should eat more, and change up your workout. Muscle memory is terrible! You have to have muscle confusion, THAT burns off the most calories. add in some weight training, you need ,muscle to burn fat! Dont eat processed foods! that is anything that comes in a package or a box....so only shop in produce section, meat department, and dairy You can do it! and maybe increase your cals to 1400...so like an extra protein drink a day or something.

I completely agree!! I lost 41 lbs over a year ago and seriously fell off the wagon. Last month I found MFP and have been really trying lots of different things. I am switching between weight training, cardio machines, jillian michaels and Zumba. Also, I had to actually up my calories from 1200 to 1580 and it is making a difference. I am only at 4 lbs lost, but in 30 days lost 1/2" on my neck, 2 1/2" on my waist and 3" on my hips. It is not easy and discouragement can be too easy to give in to, but please don't give up!! You are so worh it!!

tsmith6569

you should eat more, and change up your workout. Muscle memory is terrible! You have to have muscle confusion, THAT burns off the most calories. add in some weight training, you need ,muscle to burn fat! Dont eat processed foods! that is anything that comes in a package or a box....so only shop in produce section, meat department, and dairy You can do it! and maybe increase your cals to 1400...so like an extra protein drink a day or something.

this! and it is so much harder the 2nd go round. Clean, confusing but Confident. Eat clean foods, confuse your body and be confident!

llkilgore

Your diary only goes back to 8/29? If that's when you climbed back on the wagon then you need to give yourself more time.

In the meantime, eat back your exercise calories, or at least most of them, and get serious about strength training to build your muscle mass back up. It sounds like you may be the victim of yo-yo dieting. That's what happens when you run too large a calorie deficit and don't consume enough protein to conserve your muscle mass. The resulting drop in your metabolic rate makes it more difficult than it needs to be to keep the weight off and even harder to lose more weight.

Becky1971

I know you do a lot of walking at work? What is you activity level set at? Maybe you should change it, and not count those calories cause you do that same walking repeatedly. Focusing on more muscle work and more protein is what kicked me out of my 'stuckness". I definitely think you should be having more than 1200 calories a day. Is that it, or do you eat your cals burned too? I had to up my cals from 1200, to 1350 and 1400. And I weigh 126 at 5'2... SO definitely eat more. Then like others have said, stay away from the processed and the high sodium stuff.

PJmetts

I read all the responses and just want to add one little thought. Being female, we should have our thyroid checked every year, this could be part of your problem. I'm not disagreeing with the others, but a check-up with the doctor every year is a great idea and going over your challenges with weight loss may be helpful.

Bebisc

I agree with absolutely everyone. You have the advantage of the food diary to help you figure out what you can eat. Log it in and if it has too much fat, too much sugar, etc. don't eat it. Just delete it and try something else. After a while you will learn what is good for you and what is not. That doesn't mean you can never indulge, it just means you do it a LOT LESS. By all means don't undereat as that is not healthy. Your objective should be a happier, healthier you and don't put a time limit on getting there. Just plan to do it, and then maintain it. Never give up!

melvac

I have been there done that I started a 90 day challenge to become fit and free. Where I am accountable in the group it's about personal growth, balanced nutrition exercise and weight management. We encourage each other on a daily basis and as needed. This site is great we all need encouragement from someone who is going on a similar journey.
Friend me if you like we can do this challenge together if you think it will help...

Heatherbledsoe

you should eat more, and change up your workout. Muscle memory is terrible! You have to have muscle confusion, THAT burns off the most calories. add in some weight training, you need ,muscle to burn fat! Dont eat processed foods! that is anything that comes in a package or a box....so only shop in produce section, meat department, and dairy You can do it! and maybe increase your cals to 1400...so like an extra protein drink a day or something.

I completely agree!! I lost 41 lbs over a year ago and seriously fell off the wagon. Last month I found MFP and have been really trying lots of different things. I am switching between weight training, cardio machines, jillian michaels and Zumba. Also, I had to actually up my calories from 1200 to 1580 and it is making a difference. I am only at 4 lbs lost, but in 30 days lost 1/2" on my neck, 2 1/2" on my waist and 3" on my hips. It is not easy and discouragement can be too easy to give in to, but please don't give up!! You are so worh it!!

I just officially today, ended a TWO MONTH plateau on the scale..although I had lost a jeans size and didnt know it until the other day, i was wondering why i looked fatter in my size 16 lol, im 14 now, but i wasnt budging on teh scale, most likely due to my weight training and muscle i have been putting on over the past 4 months i started weight training. But i changed it up, ate more calories and like, instantly lost two pounds since yesterday, and i had bacon last night lol

Heatherbledsoe

agreed. I never really "fell off" teh wagon, i was about half on half off, lol. But i still dieted and ate pretty helathy witha few exceptions, but i had a hard tie getting back into y workouts, thankfull i had an amazing NSV, my first actually since i started in january, and i totally have a renewed sense of determination, and im pumped! im about 55% of the way there, so this is the second leg of my weight loss, it is much, much, much harder than the first 45 i lost!!

hughesrj

I feel your pain! I lost 2.5 stone a few years back. It gradually crept back on..then i had an unexpected 3rd pregnancy at nearly 40. So back on the diet, but i am not seeing the same results either. So I am slowly getting used to the idea that I will not be able to lose the weight in the same way as I did 5 years ago, but my kids love me, and my hubby too. The only person who doesn't love me..is me!! I have many a day when I am tempted to eat very little and drink water and exercise and hope to goodness that I lose weight. But you have to think of the long-term effects. And I am guessing you want to see a few years yet. So my thinking is...eat, exercise, love, forgive (yourself), and remember that being healthy is better than being skinny...sod the celebrities and their ridiculous bodies - I AM A REAL WOMAN (with cellullite and a tummy). Enjoy food if you can, and try to relax :-) Add me as a friend if you think we could support each other. xx