anyone else not getting anywhere?

GrainneOB

I agree with you 100% you are very inspiring keep it up missus and well done!!

twinmom01

No loss since June is unacceptable. You need a new plan. How many calories are you eating?

ya think?!

i'm set for 1600 calories per day, which is a 1.25 pound loss per week according to mfp. on workout days i burn between 500 and 700 calories and eat back at least half, if not all of those calories.

as for a plan....well, that's what i'm trying to work out. and just for the record, i've lost more than that 3 pounds on my ticker - i lost 28 pounds on mfp between august 2010 and june 2011, but aside from that 3 pounds on my 'new' ticker that was also lost in june, i've been stuck. i did not work out consistently over the summer because that is when i work full time, but i have been back at it since early august.

you will not find me eating a salads and grilled chicken everyday. i'm trying to do this in a way that i can maintain for life, so that means i won't be swearing off pizza or chocolate forever. i do eat fairly well and typically stay within my calories, though i'm not the type that will kick myself because i ate popcorn at a movie. my eating habits have not drastically changed since when i was losing consistently every week, though i have upped my water intake and eat more salads for lunch (vs. frozen pizzas, which i ate twice a week when i was losing weight).

so i am kind of stumped, but i'm not giving up. i know that i'll figure out something, and ya'll are giving me plenty of great advice to try, too. i hope that no one is taking this as a 'doom and gloom' post - even with this stalled weight loss, i'm incredibly happy with my success all the same. i've lost 31 pounds total, and as soon as i get over this loooong hump, i'll lose the same over. i can see that i'm shrinking, and my clothes seem to be fitting more loosely each day. i'm nearly to the last notch in my belts. i'm almost to 20 pound dumbbells in my strength training classes. i can jog a 5k in 35 minutes, and i start training today to improve that time.

there are so many other benefits to this, it would be silly to fold just because of a number. but i still want to figure out how to get it moving again. that would be the icing on the cake!

Hummm - we are about the same as far as weight - what activity do you have your level set at - that might be the problem...I have mine set at sedentary and it gives me 1400/day - what I attempt to do is eat about 1300 on the days I don't work out and go to 1400 + on the days I do work out and record only my calorie loss for my workouts..

One thing you have to remember is MFP does everythign on calculations so they may not be right...I have calculated my BMR at about 1560-1600 on three different calculators... if I go by that number than eating 1400/a day won't lead me to a lb a week loss...hence why I usually eat under on the days I don't work out

Also do you have a HRM that accurately does your calorie burn - don't go by gym machines or MFP...I find both overestimates for me...you don't have to wear your HRM all the time - I bring it out every few weeks and strap it on to get a general idea of calories burned...for example I know I burn on average 10 calories/min on the elliptical when I am in the middle of it...so if I do 35 minutes I put in 300 calories (to account for the warm-up) not the 475 calories MFP says it is...I go to a kickboxing class 2x's a week and I will bring it out about every 8th class or so to verify the calorie burn...

helenoftroy1

can I ask, are you still logging your food... strictly? I was kinda logging and thinking I was doing fine but when I really thought about it I was kinda under estimating and leaving the odd glass of wine out etc. I'm not back on it stricter than ever and it's working so far. Fingers crossed!

Articeluvsmemphis

I went through that phase, but during that time, I was kidding myself, I was eating like crap, and simply put, no matter how much I exercise, you can't out exercise a crappy diet. so, how's your diet?

BerryH

I've stayed more or less the same for a couple of months. I know EXACTLY why it is. I moved my goal to 0.5lb a week and the margin for error is too narrow with just a 250 calorie deficit. I know I've been lax in recording every mouthful (advent calendar chocolates, a swig of OJ from the fridge) and as we all know any method of recording calorie burn isn't 100% correct.

However, I'm not worried at all. Firstly, I know this is temporary and my body needs it to reset at this weight and move on. No point in depriving myself this time of year, so I'm happy to stay the same weight for now and get back to recording every calories more accurately and factoring in the exercise margin for error in the new year.

Secondly, I've been focussing on my resistance training and I'm definitely seeing the difference in terms of muscles shyly appearing from beneath the flab.

Marathon training kicks up a gear in the new year and I'm going to get serious with my weights and recording food.

We'll all get there, and it's often said if you lose weight slower you're more likely to keep it off :flowerforyou:

Espressocycle

Are you sure you're not undoing your diet on the weekends when it seems that you don't log? I know I do, because I do log, and one night at the bar can blow a couple days of caloric defecit.

kimberly0416

I am not losing any weight, however I am going down in sizes. I am waffling between an 8 and a 6 but weight 147. I can't seem to lose the weight and instead started looking at myself in the mirror and setting goals that way. Another inch off the waist, a firm 6 and less fat all around.

chanstriste13

I went through that phase, but during that time, I was kidding myself, I was eating like crap, and simply put, no matter how much I exercise, you can't out exercise a crappy diet. so, how's your diet?

Are you sure you're not undoing your diet on the weekends when it seems that you don't log? I know I do, because I do log, and one night at the bar can blow a couple days of caloric defecit.

no, my diet is certainly not perfect, but i'm not blowing it out of the water every weekend. we're out of town visiting family most weekends, so i typically don't log because of little computer access. sometimes we go out for a meal with them, but usually we're eating normal portioned home prepared meals for a father-in-law who recently had heart surgery, so it's pretty healthy stuff.

i generally don't drink alcohol unless we have a party, which is about three times a year (end of school year, halloween, christmas) and on those occassions, i drink a lot! but as for a glass of wine with a meal or a few drinks over the weekend, pretty much never.

i'm definitely no saint with my logging! i forget, i skip a few days here and there, but even when i don't log i'm pretty much eating the same kind of stuff. but just to reiterate - i'm happy with how far i've come! i am just looking to get over this hurdle. it'll happen. thanks again for all of your input! :flowerforyou:

Gee45

It's hard to be patient hmm? I've been up and down 2lbs since September and it took me from May to Sept to lose 8 lbs. I just have around 13 to go. And that's 15lb higher than I was when I got married.
I'll not give up because the healthy lifestyle is what I'm in for life. I do once in awhile fit cookies, slice of pie into my day once in awhile but it's always in my calorie count. Cheat days are usually having pasta with my sauce and a roll instead of spaghetti squash. Those carbs basically that I skip daily.
For me, I think I just cannot have a cheat kind of day every couple weeks. Maybe every other month might be fine if I want results.Now I"m trying to use calories and exercise to create a deficit instead of just exercise. Always heard that half a pound was safer to lose each week when you are closer to goal and eat back exercise calories. But doing that makes it so that the exercise calories are creating the deficit and for me that doesn't seem to be working.
What is hard to get past is knowing I was able to maintain without exercise and counting calories. And then I went full throttle into fitness and counting calories and it's sooooo slow of a process. Oh well, I'm fitter and have bigger muscles. It's just too bad the tape measure doesn't show a difference. How annoying to lose fat and gain muscle in a way that doesn't change the tape measure and scale, lol.
I'm sure you will see a difference measuring tape wise.

campbellfordgranny

[Excellent read ... well said ... and thanks, I've been here for awhile and needed that.
quote]
"I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.

Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people suceed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is dissapointment. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new commers and vetrans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.

Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.

Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crutial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permenant yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tryies to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.

Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistant (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becomming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!

Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already suceeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!

Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficite, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficites you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficite (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.

Conclusion:

this is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from. "
[/quote]

gdortiz

"I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.....

amazing advice and insight ...

gdortiz

I went through that phase, but during that time, I was kidding myself, I was eating like crap, and simply put, no matter how much I exercise, you can't out exercise a crappy diet. so, how's your diet?

EXACLTY.

I think the OP might be underestimating how bad she is eating ... it is trying to guess the portion size of something. people tend to be so way off because we are just not realistic.

nellie_88

BUMP

helenoftroy1

I put a jacket potato on the scale the other day, the size I always have and have been logging as 150g. It's 200g.
I've had to go back to weighing everything, I thought I was eating healthy but my portion sizes had crept up without me even noticing.
That's just me. Maybe it's nothing but maybe it's something really small, like you're not drinking as much water, or you're not logging that bit of butter etc.
It's worth just keeping a diary for a whole week with absolutely everything you eat. Psychologically this may help as well.