New and VERY frustrated

tboothgenthe

ok - I've been doing this program for 3 weeks now and have lost a net of NOTHING. I'm totally about to give up. At one point I was down 2 pounds (which is a lot slower then I wanted to lose it but at least I was going in the right direction). I totally don't understand. I've stayed within 100 cal of 1200 each day. I've worked out (cardio) 30 minutes at least 4X week and added some weight training. I'm not close to my period so I'm just so frustrated.

It feels like I'm never going to be able to lose this weight. I feel like my only choices are to give up or to cut my calories down to 1000 or 800. Nothing else makes sense. It's not like I've been losing and have hit a stall - I haven't lost anything. And I don't buy that I need to "get rid of something" because I'm pretty sure I was in the same space when I stated.

Anyway - just venting and about to cry. I really want to lose this 20 and just don't know what to do.

Tomorrow I go down to 1,000 calories and I may not eat my workout calories either. I need to "do" something or I'm going to give up. I can't just go on doing the same thing and watching the scale not move or go up.

kjloiselle

The problem may be that you are nt eating enough. I just looked at yur profile and saw that you only need to lose 20lbs, that in the grand scheme of things is not much and therefore you shuld be aiming at losing at most 1/2 lb a week. I say give that a try for a few weeks and see, going to less calories won't help anything except may your body po'd and hang onoto every bit f food you're giving it in my opinion.

vanilla81

I don't think you should cry, give up or feel frustrated. I think what you should do is wait for another week or two and see then whats happening, maybe your body is burning a bit slower (like mine is). or maybe you should try eating a bit more? say, eat your exercise calories for a week, see what happens? you should check out the fitness and diet tips over here (i do that all the time) they offer tons amount of information on all sorts of subjects. but i definitely would not suggest you give up this! i have done that and am now sorry i have lost almost (or maybe more) one year of mfp, year which would have definitely brought me to my goal weight... so, cheer up and keep it going, your body will start losing that extra weight!

kirstiey

You are not eating nearly enough. Put your cals up to 1350 at least and carry of with the exercise as you have been doing. Trust me, this will work. Drink your 8 glasses of water too.

Good luck hunny Bun x

xcrushx28

If you give up you will never reach your goal.....

Track your food precisely, eat smart, exercise, and most of all stay consistent....

kenyonsmom10

you arent losing because you need to eat more calories. your body thinks it is starving so it is storing everything..... up your calories to at least 1400........

lovelyrose11

Please do not drop down to 1000 cals or lower. I had a plateau for 3 weeks. I ate 1200 cals and worked out twice a day and NOTHING. By the suggestion of a friend, I upped my cals to 1400 and literally the next day I dropped a pound. I wasn't eating enough for my body. Yes, 1200 cals work for some ppl but many of us just can't lose weight by eating so little. and I'm not gonna lie I have enjoyed eating those extra cals

DivaDiane

Please don't give up. With your exercise, you may be building some lean muscle and losing some fat volume. Your weight may not reflect a change, but you are definitely getting healthier. And, don't undereat, Your body needs fuel just to survive even when you are trying to lose weight. Like others said, if you eat too little, you will "starve" your body and it will try and conserve every last calorie you feed it.

Monsieurt

Under no circumstances give up! The changes you have made are a life journey and therefore try to focus further than the week to week. Also when you have zero weight loss then look back at previous successes to keep motivated, with the aim of repeating them again! Last but no least - continue to seek encouragement from fellow MFP members.

TiffyC828

Don't EVER give up! Like others have said, you might be building muscle, which weighs more than fat and you're not eating enough..your body could possibly be in starvation mode already. I think almost everyone hits a plateau at some point. You are just starting out and need to get into the swing of things and how your body is going to react to the workign out, eating better, etc. Good luck on your journey..but please, don't give up!!

LakeCountyDiver

The problem may be that you are nt eating enough. I just looked at yur profile and saw that you only need to lose 20lbs, that in the grand scheme of things is not much and therefore you shuld be aiming at losing at most 1/2 lb a week. I say give that a try for a few weeks and see, going to less calories won't help anything except may your body po'd and hang onoto every bit f food you're giving it in my opinion.

This is absolutely true... My suggestion would be to eat a little more but more importantly EAT MORE OFTEN. Eat 6 + times a day at least and the most important times are 1 hour before your work out and right after your workout... It is a hard one to grasp but you "have to eat to lose weight" .

Eating several small meals a day boosts your metabolism and you will never go into starvation mode. Carbs before your workout and protein after.

harlanJEN

Good Morning ! I"m on the the "eat more" wagon too. 1000 cals is too low. Cardio and weights - you've got to eat.
If you are frustrated at only losing 2 pounds in 3 weeks - PLEASE rethink. If you were down two , then back up - it is probably due to weight training and the fluid that naturally comes along with that. Quick loss isn't healthy, nor will it stay with you long term. Our bodies are amazing machines and it will figure out that you are burning more, eating less, will recalibrate. Weight training is fantastic. Builds lean muscle mass, inches are lost and your body burns more calories over the long term. BUT .. it does cause a gain on the scale - it's only temporary. Keep at it ! and... please keep eating.

Let me tell you about me. I've lost 50 pounds several times in my life since I was 16. I know what to do, I just don't maintain it - because it takes CHANGE - a lifestyle change. Must eat better/less and move better/more. I've needed to lose 60 pounds since 1998, but I was never ready. I'd make half-hearted attempts, but didn't change.

Last April, I was ready. Did I want to lose 60 pounds in 3 months. SURE. Who doesn't ?? But that isn't real. I've lost 42 pounds since April, but the equivalent of 60 due to weight training. I'm going to lose 11 more pounds and I'm aiming for more lean muscle mass and inches lost beyond that. I weight train and cardio AND that is with a right knee replacement last March. So YEA ... can do it. I"m to the point, I"m losing even slower than I was, but that is because I don't have as much to lose as I once did. I'm not going to eat less, just continue to eat smarter. What I am going to do is change up my exercise again. I need to find something new to my mix. Our bodies figure out what we are doing/adjust to it. I"m going to add heavy bag and yoga to my mix this week. YEA.

Good luck to you and please believe me it's waaayyy to early to get frustrated and please please don't quit !

Jen

drczr

Hello. I feel for you. But please don't give up. I've been listening to a great podcast called Fat2Fit radio and episode #62 talks exactly about your dilema.

First of all, congratulations. You are not at all very far from your goal weight. Many people (me included) need to lose a lot more.

You didn't exactly list what your height and current weight is so I'm going to speak in general terms. However, if you do the calculators, there is a very thin margin between your goal weight and your current weight. There is only probably a difference of 100 calories to maintain your goal weight and to maintain your current weight. So one thing you have to do is to be precise with your measurements. Use measuring cups and food scales if you have to.

Also, try not to do it too fast. Just let your weight slowly drift downwards. Often, the slower you do it, the greater the chances that you will keep it off.

As others have said, try not to starve yourself. Since you don't need to lose too much, setting My Fitness Pal for a 1/2 pound a week weight loss should be sufficient.

In addition, try to focus on other things beside the scale. If you haven't done so, pull out a tape measure and start measuring yourself. It is possible that you have lost fat but gained muscle so the scale didn't move.

If you post more information about yourself, we may be able to help you more specifically.

MaximalLife

ok - I've been doing this program for 3 weeks now and have lost a net of NOTHING. I'm totally about to give up. At one point I was down 2 pounds (which is a lot slower then I wanted to lose it but at least I was going in the right direction). I totally don't understand. I've stayed within 100 cal of 1200 each day. I've worked out (cardio) 30 minutes at least 4X week and added some weight training. I'm not close to my period so I'm just so frustrated.

It feels like I'm never going to be able to lose this weight. I feel like my only choices are to give up or to cut my calories down to 1000 or 800. Nothing else makes sense. It's not like I've been losing and have hit a stall - I haven't lost anything. And I don't buy that I need to "get rid of something" because I'm pretty sure I was in the same space when I stated.

Anyway - just venting and about to cry. I really want to lose this 20 and just don't know what to do.

Tomorrow I go down to 1,000 calories and I may not eat my workout calories either. I need to "do" something or I'm going to give up. I can't just go on doing the same thing and watching the scale not move or go up.

And THIS is why most people who begin this journey as part of a New Year resolution fail.

You need to think long term; this is not a race and forget everything you may have seen on "The Biggest Loser".

Your body needs time to adjust, and in this age of instant gratification, we forget that health and fitness take time, hard work and patience.

BUCK UP!
And gather your energies, and just keep punching.
Don't join the ranks of the professional starvation dieters who yo yo up and down in an endless cycle of starvation weight loss and inevitable weight gain plus a little extra each cycle.
Keep punching!
You can do this, and we all go through these seasons. Yes, we do!
Do yourself a huge service, and keep logging food, keep exercising and STAY OFF THE SCALE A WHOLE MONTH.

Just do the right thing for yourself, and forget weight just for a while.
It's about health first; the weight loss will come.

All Is Possible!

therealangd

You have to set your goals to .5 or even 1 lb loss. 2 lbs is too much for having to lose only 20 pounds. You also have to eat most of your exercise calories as well.

Try this for a couple of weeks.

Don't give up. And don't reduce your intake further.

lynz507

I set my calories to 1200 also and really didn't lose anything. I set an appointment with my doctor and he told me to increase my calories to 1400. He also gave me guide lines of what carb/fat/protein combination I should use to get to the 1400 calories. I also drink plenty of water and exercise daily. I customized my goal in MFP so that it is close to what the doctor told me to do. Each person is different, I have to lose over 100 pounds to have a healthy BMI. Don't give up. Read success stories, you can reach your goal.

marilu3

Hi, There's been lots of good advice here. I recently found that I was kind of stuck too. But also watch your sodium intake. That made a big difference to me. I'm working on keeping my sodium down (recommended daily amount is 1300, not 2400 like MFP says). Food guide (in Cda) says to not exceed 2300 mg/day. Anyways, as SOON as I started watching this 'culprit', the water weight dropped too.
Good luck, hang in there!

psmd

Agree with all of the above. Also I would say stray drinking a TON of water. I know it sounds like generic advice, but it really works and helps things along. Good luck!

LaurenAOK

I agree with what most other people have said, you need to eat more. If your goal is set to 2 pounds per week, change it to 1 or even .5. 2 pounds per week should only be used by obese people.

If you aren't eating your exercise calories, start eating them. If you're working out that intensely, you are cheating your body by not giving it the fuel it needs. Up your calories and eat your exercise cals back. Your body will thank you.

Also, make sure you are drinking a lot of water, every single day. Fluid retention really can play a huge role in weight loss.

reddcat

Just wanted to say I feel your pain. This journey SUCKS!!!! I hit it hard last year for 8 months and i lost 7 pounds. Not very encouraging, huh?? BUT, I went down a jean size and the twins went from DD to a C. Mucked it up over the year-end holidays and am starting over again. It can be painfully slow. BELIEVE ME, I have said "hell with this" soooo many times. But you need to just stick with it, trust everyone (eat more), and stay consistent. Take measurements. I have found from reading and my MFP buddies that inches can come off before actual pounds.
Also, I was on the "I am going to eat 800 calories and I will be a size two in no time" band wagon and I GAINED weight. The body is so strange and regulates itself without our consent. Give it what it needs and things should get better. Friend me if you want and we can fight this out together. DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!!!!

BellydanceBliss

do not move those calories down the scale is the devil! have you taken any measurements? Do not give up on this you can do this. When you start eating right so much happens to your body...Just keep it up and drink the right amount of water for your body weight. Add me if you like.