On going problem

TamaraGraceS

Please help. I am serious about this journey so any respectful words of advice would be appreciated! I work really hard at this probably harder than i should ( prob cause my Dr said its in your genes to be heavy get over it! That comment pushes me to prove him wrong all the time!) .

I have learnt that not all fat people are that way cause we lack control. I struggle everyday to eat 1200 calories. When I was 247lbs I used to go days without eating then on a good day ate 500 calories. Today I am aware and usually get 1150. I never eat my work out calories. So when people say good job for being under my calories without knowing this is a struggle for me I think not all of us overeat! Some of us have other problems.

I recently posted I was up 3 lbs ( which later I found was water weight) and I lost like 10 friends. Wow way to be supportive and true. Being accountable to my ladies has made me see this is a problem. Thank you for standing by me!

I start my day at 6 am in the gym. 50 minutes on the elliptical and then get my kids up. Off to school and then I try to fit in another work out and maybe a walk later. I run this 6 days a week ( chill on Sunday) . My husband says don't work out so much or so hard but my results have always been painfully slow and I think if I don't they won't happen. He says I need to eat more but over and over in my head I hear my Dr say eat less and move more!

Help whats a girl to do? Am I working out too much and eatting too little and how much should I work out and eat?

jennysmission

I have No words of advise for you, cause I go through the same thing! But to say I'm here to support you the whole way!! So glad to be your MFP friend!

JeSuisPrest

I think it's beaten into our heads that we shouldn't eat, but maybe part of your struggle has been not eating enough. I don't understand why anyone would delete you as a friend over gaining 3 lbs, I gained 5lbs over the holiday. Maybe they deleted for other reasons having nothing to do with you. If they are personal friends, talk to them about it. But if they were just internet friends, I wouldn't give it another thought. If you enjoy those workouts 6 days a week, stick with it. But I agree with your husband, try to eat a little more and/or eat back some of those exercise calories.

gwild0r

I find personally.. if I stay in the same calorie range for too long my body get's used to it.. and my metabolism tones down. I would think that a good cheat day needs to happen.. You body needs to be like.. Oh Look at all this **** i need to burn..

bcattoes

If that were me, I'd see another doctor. There are a variety of issues that could cause this and many are treatable. Maybe see an endocrinologist.

janalayn

I'm sorry your friends are not supportive. I would talk to your doctor about what is going on....it sounds like you are not eating enough to keep your system functioning well enough for you to be able to lose weight. I give my doctor a journal of my food intake, exercise and weight loss/measurments. If you have trouble getting your calories in, add some high-calorie, healthy snacks like almonds, avocado, or even protein bars. If you need more friends please feel free to add me. I have struggled this past year with thyroid issues (1/2 thyroid and tumor removed in the spring of 2011), getting medication levels correct and B12 deficiency. My doctor has been very supportive and helpful in the process. My thyroid levels are finally where they should be and I am finally starting to lose weight again.

LATeagno

Same thing here. Down almost 60 lbs, gaining and losing the same 5 lbs. over and over. For me, it's been months. Today I'm switching it up.

Try upping your calories by a couple hundred per day. 1200 is very low, especially if you're exercising. Good luck to us both!

jrhose

I would try upping your calories a bit just to see what happens and drink lots of water. Your determination is awesome!

psuLemon

I will just quote what I wrote in another thread. And here is some additional proof to back my claims.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395881-people-who-lost-weight-eating-more

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395948-caloric-intake-results?hl=caloric+intake+results&page=1#posts-5425208

Essentially, food is fuel. If you don't fuel the body properly, the body can't work to burn calories and in fat will preserve calories for later on. This becomes more apparent in those with little weight to lose or those who have low body fat. Your fat stores work harder to retain calories as a quick source of food; essentially, they want to stock up for the winter. When you eat more, your body not only gets the nutrition is needs, but also doesn't anticipate a short fall in energy, so it quickly will process and release the food from your system, aka your metabolism works higher. Now the issue comes in play when those who eat very little over extended periods of time lose a bunch of weight. What happens when you eat low calories, your body has to find a way to produces energy. What happens is your body will cannibalize your lean muscle mass for the amino acids, as it's a source of energy. The problem with is, your lean muscle mass will decrease, which has a direct affect on your metabolism. The lower your lean muscle mass, the slower your metabolism. This is also why you see people gain a lot of weight back from diets. Many of them are very low calorie and destroy your metabolism in pursuit of lower weight. This is why there is a difference between being fit and healthy, and being skinny. Skinny doesn't equate to healthy.


theoneandonly, When you tried to eat more calories, how long did you monitor your progress? Was it a week, a month, several months, etc.... ? The reason I ask, many people say once they ate more, they gained. What they don't say, is this happened for two weeks in a row, they freaked out and reverted back to their old ways. The problem is, your body and metabolism have a period where it needs to adapt to more calories. Generally, it can take 4 weeks for this to happen. Also, generally what happens when you increase calories, you increase carbs. Increasing carbs will increase the amount of glycogen in your system which increases water retention (up to 10 ish lbs). This is the same affect of coming off low carb diets. This is one reason why low carb isn't necessary unless you have an intolerance to carbs; such as women with PCOS.

In my opinion, this is why people should know their body fat (using calipers and not bio impedance machines). Knowing your BF % will allow a person to understand their BMR at a much more consistant level which allows you to calculate your TDEE. At that point, you can determine caloric needs based on goal.

I will add one more note, eating low calories only does one thing; it preserves body fat. You can't build muscle on huge deficits and frequently have trouble maintaining lean muscle mass on big deficits, thence the metabolism slow down.

lemon

Also, if you want to revaluate your caloric needs, i will be more than willing to help you. Many of us eat well over 2000+ calories (i am 2800-3000) and lose weight. Also, genetics don't make you fat, calories do.

TinaDay1114

The times when I've plateaud the longest in my weight loss were when I wasn't eating enough to fuel my intense workouts AND when I wasn't taking enough rest days -- and it sounds like you're doing a LOT in 1 day, and doing it without much rest in between (just Sundays).

Think of it this way...when you're burning a lot of "fuel," your body is saying, "HEY, if you're gonna kill me like that TOMORROW, I'm gonna hang on to whatever you feed me TODAY." If you give it enough, it won't hang on so hard.

I had someone more experienced than I am tell me that they actually schedule in a workout break every 10-12 weeks, and it's usually a week or two long. You don't have to go that far, but you definitely should take the whole weekend off if you're doing that much during the week.

To prove that point (to myself, too)...I had hernia surgery 5 weeks ago, and couldn't work out much until just this week. Last week (even with all the Christmas junk around the holidays) my body finally let go of 3-4 lbs. that it was holding on to since the summertime.

Hope this helps.

DixieLady1950

I've learned over the years, that food is fuel for your body. If you work out, you should be eating the calories you burn. I stay at 1300 calories. Most days, I'm under, however, as I increase my exercise, I will adjust my calorie intake. Also, everyone is different and you can't compare people. Why not try adding some more protein for two weeks, and see what happens?

papastu

i cant believe you struggle to eat 1200 cals ( I could eat that in 1 sitting ) , eat some nuts, peanut butter, handful of peanuts to snack on

grapenutSF

I feel your pain. The scale stinks. And friends left you bc you gained??! What?

Personally, I think you're eating way too little. I'm sure you've heard this, but your body might be trying to conserve bc it lacks the fuel it needs.

Also, the most current thinking is that cardio is not the best way to lose fat. Lift weights. I quite like New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift like a man, look like a goddess.

That's right, goddess.

Check out this chick who inspired me to change things up:

http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

GemmieNoWobbles

Hi hun
Sorry people deleted you!!
OK, do you ALWAYS do the same exercise? Our body get used to what we do so my suggestion is mix it up! Instead of doing elliptical run, do interval training, got for a swim, take an aerobic class... I think this should help get things moving! I'd also try and slowly up your cals, maybe by 100 or so a week?

2Bgoddess

My family doctor had no sympathy at all for my situation. In has exact words, 'you need to exercise more and eat less. I stopped eating junk and now I jog twice a week, and I've lost 20 pounds. So it can be done.' Geeze, thanx. Fancy that, a man can drop 20 pounds, so the rest of the world should be able to do the same. I feel your pain.I struggled for years and years. I finally got a new doctor, who was more open to actually help me. Ran tests, followed a generic 1200 calorie diet and exercise plan, with way less than stellar results. She refered me to a specialist. Now I see a metabolic specialist and dietician, and follow a plan tailored for me. It is still hard work, but finally I am getting the results I deserve for my hard work. We are all individual, and need to be treated as such. I hope you find what works for you.

4theking

If you have been trying to lose weight for a long time, take a diet break for a few weeks and eat at maintenance. A brief break from exercise could be beneficial. Also incorporate a spike day once a week at 2xbmr.

Dee81184

Hey, yeah you def. should up your calories! I think you just hit a plauteau now and so now your not loosing anything. Youve gone a long way and have lost a lot already. Your body is just used to your routine and needs something different probably. I would switch up your gym routine a little bit as well. Changing things up always helps me. But up your calorie intake to about 1,400 and you should be eating all those calories a day. Your body needs those calories and if your not eating them then your body wont loose the weight. Your body needs it to loose weight, so that could be why your not loosing weight but gaining it. So give that a try and see if that works out for you.

CLAinFLA

I'd like to mention that working out builds muscle, which weighs MORE than fat! That's one of the reasons you are encouraged to track your body measurements. Sometimes the change is in the fit of your clothes rather than the numbers on the scale.

SeasideOasis

I'm sorry to hear about your fair weathered MFP friends. Weight loss is like marriage; through thick or thin!!

I do have a couple recommendations that I think will be helpful.

1.) Eat at least SOME of your workout calories back. In order to build muscle (which one needs in order to keep up their metabolic rate for their resting time - which we are in the most frequently), you need fuel your engine. If you are eating UNDER NET 1200, do what you need to do in order to get to that NET 1200.

2.) Change up your workout. Do you lift weights? Do any fitness classes? By always giving your body the challenge, you will keep your body guessing and losing weight in the process.

Our bodies are HIGHLY adaptable creatures. Once we 'think' we've got the right routine, our bodies decide their bored and settle. Once I am off my crazy cleanse, I have EVERY intention to do back to my zig-zagging diet. IE certain days of the week I will eat at 1350 and other days eating at 1700. Last year, it helped me lose weight consistently after about a week or so of the routine I was on.

Good luck.

Swanson83

Have you tried zig zagging your calories? That has helped me. I hit a stretch for about 5 weeks that I didn't lose (well I would gain and lose the same amount so I stayed 'level) When I started zig zagging my calories and I started to see the scale change. I don't work out that much. About 5-6 times a week I do the Ripped in 30 DVD. (and chase my kids around the house)

Change up your workout routine? That too might help. Your body could be used to what you are doing and is in a comfortable state. If you change it up a little that could boost your body to change how you want it to!

Keep on going...the friends that deleted you (if they did it for the gain) you can make up with new friends to push you and encourage you!

Don't get down on the scale, get even.

weaverfit

gracious - you've already lost a great deal of weight; you should be proud, not bummed

maybe changing up your regular routine would help - instead of 6 days a week try 3 days a week, a.m. and p.m. (I read that you try to have two workouts a day already).