bummed *Length warning*

dmmarie21

:grumble:
So, first, I will start by saying that I have been counting calories and working out for about a week and a half now. I almost always go over on my 1400 daily calories, but, usually have extra by the time I work out. I have been working out 5 times a week, doing various things, a lot more than I have ever done in the past since I have a mostly sedentary lifestyle.

I haven't probably made the greatest food choices, but, they could have been a lot worse. I def made sure I had plenty of fruits/veggies and most of my water for the day. I don't eat much sugar, although since it is almost time for my period, I have been.

I have recently visited the doctor because we are TTC, and she said I needed to lose AT LEAST 40 pounds in order to do so, 23 or more by August :grumble: I am having such a hard time... so I decided to come to MFP and follow the reccommended 1400 cal diet and working out 5 times a week for at least 30 min to lose 2 lbs a week.... well, I haven't lost a thing!

I was wondering if it were due to the pill maybe? Or if I am eating or not eating something right... This isn't the first time it has happened and I have struggled with weight loss, and am ready to give up... but, I know that the end result ( getting pregnant!) will be SOO worth it.

Any advice from anyone?
I am currently 5'10 and about 236.
My ultimate goal is to be around 160-170
And my biggest problem is wanting a quick fix... I know that it didn't happen overnight, and don't expect it to change overnight...but, it is hard to stay motivated and want to work out when it isn't getting me anywhere...:mad:

dmmarie21

:grumble:
So, first, I will start by saying that I have been counting calories and working out for about a week and a half now. I almost always go over on my 1400 daily calories, but, usually have extra by the time I work out. I have been working out 5 times a week, doing various things, a lot more than I have ever done in the past since I have a mostly sedentary lifestyle.

I haven't probably made the greatest food choices, but, they could have been a lot worse. I def made sure I had plenty of fruits/veggies and most of my water for the day. I don't eat much sugar, although since it is almost time for my period, I have been.

I have recently visited the doctor because we are TTC, and she said I needed to lose AT LEAST 40 pounds in order to do so, 23 or more by August :grumble: I am having such a hard time... so I decided to come to MFP and follow the reccommended 1400 cal diet and working out 5 times a week for at least 30 min to lose 2 lbs a week.... well, I haven't lost a thing!

I was wondering if it were due to the pill maybe? Or if I am eating or not eating something right... This isn't the first time it has happened and I have struggled with weight loss, and am ready to give up... but, I know that the end result ( getting pregnant!) will be SOO worth it.

Any advice from anyone?
I am currently 5'10 and about 236.
My ultimate goal is to be around 160-170
And my biggest problem is wanting a quick fix... I know that it didn't happen overnight, and don't expect it to change overnight...but, it is hard to stay motivated and want to work out when it isn't getting me anywhere...:mad:

MyaPapaya75

Have you spoken to your doctor about a specific weight loss plan perhaps see a nutitionist or dietician...You probably have to buckle down on your food choices snd increase excercise..if your able increase to 60min 6 times a week and watch your sodium and carb intake. Good luck...its going to take at least 2 weeks for results dont get discouraged

verifire

DON'T QUIT!! you said you are working out far more than before, which means you are swapping fat for muscle. it's not a cop-out to say that muscle weighs more than fat - it's true! i have sometimes lost sizes and gained pounds. so don't worry.

there is nothing wrong with you. stick to what you're doing, and you really will lose weight. don't let doubt creep in and ruin it for you.

as far as food choices go, i like to eat a lot, so i have built up an arsenal of foods i love that don't kill the diet. i also let myself go over my calories as long as i am eating whole grains instead of white carbs, and a lot of fiber. let me know if you want any specific recipes.

hang in there!

dmmarie21

Thank you so much!

I am trying so hard NOT to give up, because I really want AND deserve this!

I would like recipes, I'm just not sure what lol!

I eat a lot of chicken, and would like recipes low in calories for snacks and veggies for side dishes.

I also have a horrible time at getting/staying full, and I am sure that is because I was used to eating so much. I have to force myself to eat breakfast because I get up so late, so I usually just eat a bowl of oatmeal, banana and sometimes a yogurt. I almost always have a snack around 10-11 pm because I stay up so late.

I am usually VERY hungry throughout the day, and most of the time can fight off the urge to eat, but, when I do it, I feel as though I get full quickly, but, that only last for about an hour.

I am going to call in the morning to make an appointment with the nutritionist, but, they usually just give me generalizations. I guess that I am the type of person that likes to have things down to a T. I would rather someone give me a menu to follow than have to do it on my own, for lack of knowledge and assurance.

Also, a major question that I had, was if it mattered the time that I worked out. I usually do it around 8, after dinner. Is that too late?

Thanks again!

charliesgold

I eat LOTS of rice cakes, baby carrots with a low fat dip, fruit (I ALWAYS keep fruit of some kind handy), Fruit gum (to get that sweet fix after I eat), I drink hot tea (it helps fill me up), I always have one dessert a day to get that sweet fix again because I have a killer sweet tooth.

What helped me to lose the first part of my weight was to do pre-prepared meals like the Weight Watcher brands, now I have more of a handle over the calorie count of things and how to plan out my meals I have the Better Homes and Gardens 30 Minute Meals cookbook and it is my Bible, the food is tasty, cheap at the grocery store, fresh and not loaded with sodium like those pre-prepared meals I was doing before.

It's hard to figure your body out but once you do it gets so much better. Due to the fact that different people run on different schedules (some get up earlier, some go to bed later etc) you have to figure out your own eating schedule, just make sure you're eating ALL your calories including your exercise calories!!!

dmmarie21

I'm supposed to eat all of my excercise calories too? That seems pointless.. haha. But, I'm sure it is neccessary.

I don't have a HRM, and can't really afford one right now. Do you know how many calories a specific excercise burns or is everyone different?

I was also wondering about the wii/ wii fit. We just bought one, and I have been doing that a lot. I was curious as to how many calories that burns.

Thanks

charliesgold

You definitely need to eat your exercise calories or you're not getting enough cals to lose weight and your body will go in to "starvation mode" which slows your metabolism, this could be why you're not losing weight. The system is set up so when you tell it you want to lose 2lbs a week it will tell you how many calories to eat in a day, when you add your exercise in to the exercise section you will see your "available calories" goes up, you want to eat as many of those available calories as possible so you meet the system goal for losing 2lbs a week if that's what you're set for

The wii fit is a toughie but if you can't afford a HRM you can search around on google to see what other people have burned playing Wii fit, try to find someone of your height / weight or use a low average. I know a few wii fit exercises are in the exercise database here already. Most exercises are in there already actually, weights is considered "strength training" on the "cardio" section so don't forget to log that as well!

charliesgold

Here's some more info for you
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions?page=1

dmmarie21

Ok! Thank you! I actually just figured that if I didn't eat all of those calories that I would be helping myself to lose more weight, faster.

It just seems silly to work out and BURN calories and then eat all of those back... I could have just saved myself and hour and sweat and NOT worked out :laugh: Kidding of course.

I am definitely going to get back on my regime tommorrow, because I was slacking today because I was bummed.

Do you think that actually doing weight watchers would be a better "diet" than to count calories? Or is it basically the same thing? I did weight watchers a while back, and I was please with the results. Just for three weeks, I ended up losing 8 lbs, most of it was water weight I'm sure. But, 4 years later, I am just gaining it back. I dunno. I figured I would try counting calories for a few weeks and then switch to WW to see if that works better.

Thanks again for all of your feedback!!

ricksnaustin

Stay on course. I have had the same results with weight loss....yet I have lost two notches in my belt. I am doing more weight training than I have ever done, so I know I am gaining muscle. You will do fine.

You know, Jello makes some great snacks I buy in the dairy cooler at my supermarket that are only 60 to 70 calories. They really help with my sweet cravings. Sherbet works in place of ice cream.

charliesgold

Having done weight watchers and MFP I prefer MFP. You can do both actually by eating WW meals from the freezer aisle and counting your calories on MFP.

Overall I prefer MFP because I don't overload on sodium and it allows to me track all of the elements of my diet not just calories plus MFP is a lifestyle change. I didn't want to be doing weight watchers forever, I wanted to become a healthy me with a fit body and MFP does that where as Weight Watchers just helped me lose weight. With MFP you learn about exercise, nutrients (not just calories) and how to make better choices for a lifetime.


Also I LOVE Jell-o cups but I buy sugar free at 10 cals each you can't beat it!

July

Eat fewer calories = lose more pounds.
Don't eat your exercise calories unless you're hungry and you've tried other strategies (drinking tea, eating celery, going to sleep at a reasonable time)
People underestimate the calories they eat and overestimate the calories they burn exercising
It will take a few weeks to start to lose the pounds. Hang in there!

dmmarie21

I love jello also! SF of course. My fiance is diabetic (newly diagnosed) and we are both in the midst of lifestyle changes. So, the food I cook for him, I end up eating. The nutritionist has him primarily on a low carb diet, which sucks for me, because it is high fat, although I trick him and buy low fat stuff :laugh:

I don't really like to eat frozen meals. I do have some though, that I bought, of the lean cuisine. It just seems as though they are high in calories and don't fill me up.. ( I almost spelled that feel) LOL :blushing: That would have been embarrassing if I didn't catch it haha.

I love cooking, and quite frankly, I could (and would) spend all day in the kitchen. Right now, I have nothing better to do.. since I am not working :grumble: