What am I doing wrong?!

Adjones8721

:frown: I dont know what I am doing wrong!!! Everytime I start trying to lose weight I do great the first month or so and then I get stuck at the same weight!!! I get so frustrated! I exercise and eat right but I dont lose anything. This is when I just stop! I am the kind of person that if I dont see any results right away I just give up! I know its not a good thing to do but I get so discouraged!! What am I doing wrong???!! Help please! Any suggestions?

koumbay

i'd like to know the answer to this too, because I am similar to you. I feel like I work my butt off, working out every single day and eating right 95% of the time and yet other people have great success and my weight just stays on. The only thing that keeps me going is trying to notice the inches because I have definately seen changes in my body and I just hope if I keep going and don't give up that one day the pounds will actually start coming off.

jlhill7

Sodium intake, not enough water, not enough calories. You need at least 1200 NET calories every day. Maybe your gaining muscle? NSV- Non Scale Victories mean more then the scale itself. Did you take measurements? Do your clothes fit differently? DO you have more energy?

ellyz123

Are you keeping a food log? It really does help. If not begin one, if so go through and check things like sodium and see if you are getting in the habit of eating same thing? Drink water! A few tips that helps me is I measure everything I mean everything, yes it can be a pain at first but it teaches you portion control, and having a support system helps, If you need help please don't be afraid to ask, I will try and help the best I can., I get in that place to where you wanna give up, but don't you can do this!

TinaDay1114

I've been doing this seriously for about 9 months, and I've stagnated at the same weight for months at a time, gained and lost the same 5 lbs. over and over again, had an injury AND surgery to recover from. If you looked at my progress graph for the whole 9 months, it's not a downhill line all the way -- because our bodies aren't like that. They adjust, they hold water, they have cycles and changes. BUT, I over those 9 months I've lost 15 lbs, and almost 5% body fat, and I'm stronger and fitter than I've ever been. I'm also 3 sizes smaller.

The key is the just stick with it and be PATIENT. Your body can do crazy things, and the scale doesn't always tell the true tale -- the truth is in how you feel, if you're stronger, if the clothes fit better, and if your body fat / measurements are heading in the right direction.

Just eat relatively healthy, work out, eat back every exercise calorie, and give yourself a little time. It'll come.

DaveMXF

So many great suggestions here.
Are you tracking your food? Do you know how many calories you should be eating and what macro nutrient ratio?

If you are exercising regularly, when? how often? How long? Any idea how many calories you are burning?

You can dial it in, and really get a good look at what is going on.

Adjones8721

I track everything I eat. I have not done any measurements yet...I WILL!! I drink ALOT of water! That is all i drink! I try and exercise everyday for about a hour. Three days a week I go to kick boxing and the other days I go to the gym. There are lot of good suggestions and I really do appreciate every single one of them! I am not going to give up! Im going to keep on going! I am going to try an be PATIENT!

QUESTIONS: Should I eat my calories that I burn everyday when I exercise? Does that really help with weightloss?

TinaDay1114

QUESTIONS: Should I eat my calories that I burn everyday when I exercise? Does that really help with weightloss?

YES. The times when I stalled the longest were when I intensified my workouts, but didn't up my calories enough to fuel them.

emrys1976

It may be helpful to open your food diary so people can look at it before responding. Also, when people struggle with weight loss, it's a good idea to talk to a doctor about testing for thyroid and insulin resistance problems. Both conditions are common in overweight women and both make it harder to lose weight.

Adjones8721

I have been tested for both and there is nothing wrong...

LeeDahlen38

Hey there, First things first. In order for anyone to give you some accurate answers you must first open your diary. This is done in your settings. Now There are a couple of options there. You can open it to the public, Open it to MFP Friends only, or open it to select people by setting a key. Remember to SAVE options after you change them. After this is done, I'll be glad to have a look and offer advice as I can! Take care and good luck. BTW I have a policy (personal one) I'll never call anyone out in public, but if I see something I don't like, I'll give you the respect of inboxing you privately. I also have a blog up with ALOT of helpful info. Feel free to add me if you like, and look at my blog and diary. Lee #NoExcusesLetsGo!!

beerbomber

Problem is your on a "diet" you haven't changed your lifestyle. Someone on a "diet" does it then they don't see results so they "quit" and go back to there lifestyle they were living because they never stopped. Losing weight is just as much a mental test as a physical test. When your lifestyle changes and you eat healthier and exercise you will not worry about the stalls in your weight loss you will just contiune to go on with your lifestyle and eventually you will have the results you want.

GINAvsGINA

I was much like you are. I have tried just about every diet fad there is and failed. This go around I decided to take it one day at a time and not give up. Also I don't actually diet I just try to make healthier choices but I don't deprive myself if I really want something. At my weight I have always felt that when I eat right and exercise the weight should fall off me, especially with how much I have to lose. I committed to getting healthy 11/1/11 and I truly just take it one day at a time. Sometimes I go weeks diligently eating well and working out and then one day I feel like a bottomless pit and eat everything in sight then the next day I shake it off and get back into my routine. Sometimes its not just one day its several but again and shake them off and get back in the game. In the past one day would end the whole process for me and I would just keep going down the road to distruction. My advice is to take it one day at a time and not let one bad day end your journey. Good luck!!!

nopswd

I'm not a "starvation mode" believer, so I always blame it on too many calories. Once I started being very meticulous about tracking everything I ate it was quite clear that I was still overeating. Here's an example....and anyone with kids knows what I mean. So, I eat what I eat but the kids eat what they eat and I end up eating what they eat too. They have a snack so I nibble on a few tortillia chips. Just a few though....then they dont finish their burger, so I do, but it was only one bite, they have a root beer, and I take a drink of it. That stuff adds up. When I was really honest about my food intake and really tracked it I was finding that I was running a 1000 calorie a day surplus. Not cool.....But I never really paid attention to it. I'm not saying that's what's happening to you, but it's always a place to start.

slimcows

if u can find the 17 day diet it well help u through this hard time and keep on MFP and it well work out . it has worked for me to a tune of 97 lbs and this is the first time im not hunger so please try it out.

lwoods34

:frown: I dont know what I am doing wrong!!! Everytime I start trying to lose weight I do great the first month or so and then I get stuck at the same weight!!! I get so frustrated! I exercise and eat right but I dont lose anything. This is when I just stop! I am the kind of person that if I dont see any results right away I just give up! I know its not a good thing to do but I get so discouraged!! What am I doing wrong???!! Help please! Any suggestions?

Well one thing that you are doing is giving up to easily! It takes no time at all to gain weight but it will take twice as long to lose it and it cant be expected to happen overnight. Sometimes it takes a few months to establish and nail down healthy eating and exercise habits. if you find that in a month you are stuck at the same weight, you need to look at what you are doing as far as exercise and eating habits and possibly change things around a little bit. are you recording absolutely EVERYTHING you eat? Are you weighing and measuring everything you eat? Are you eating enough calories? You need to look at the entire picture...maybe change around your exercise routine and incorporate circuit training into your routine. Look at things like that.

As far as results, it can happen in more than one form. If you energy level has increased and you are feeling better about yourself and everything else around you than its working..it might not be in the exact form that you are looking for but in time it will come...you have to give it a chance and I dont think you have done that.

If this is something that you REALLY want, you will do what is necessary to get to your goal!

Good luck!

foremant86

step away from the scale!!

People get discouraged because they use the scale as their one and only guide for weight loss.

Take pictures and measurements. Just because they scale isn't moving doesn't meant your body isn't changing.

TourThePast

I exercise and eat right but I dont lose anything.

When you say you eat "right" do you mean that you are eating the right things, or that you are eating carefully measured quantities of the right things?

Cr357

I track everything I eat. I have not done any measurements yet...I WILL!! I drink ALOT of water! That is all i drink! I try and exercise everyday for about a hour. Three days a week I go to kick boxing and the other days I go to the gym. There are lot of good suggestions and I really do appreciate every single one of them! I am not going to give up! Im going to keep on going! I am going to try an be PATIENT!

QUESTIONS: Should I eat my calories that I burn everyday when I exercise? Does that really help with weightloss?

Are you getting proper rest for optimal recovery? This is perhaps the most over looked aspect of a training program.

reddi2roll

As everyone has said you need to open your food diary so that people responding to your question can evaluate what might be going on otherwise everyone is just guessing.

BIGJIMMYU

Could you be overdoing it? You should not be working out 7 days a week. Allow at least 1 day of rest.

mallorylalonde

I had a week where I did not lose weight. I worked out every single day and watched my caloric intake. I was frustrated too.

I did some research and what was suggested is that you eat a few more calories and change your work out routine. I found that worked well for me. Here is the link:

http://www.workout-x.com/fitness-articles/218/Beating-the-Weight-Loss-Plateau

Good luck and don't give up.

dcfatica

I was like you too! I was entering everything and watching like a hawk what I ate and a whole month later I lost only one pound, talk about frustrated I was!!! Then I talked to myself and decided that maybe I was losing because my body had adjusted for the the amount of physical activity that I do in a day. Sounds crazy I know but I am basically eating the same amount of calories but now I am switching around when I have them. I am fairly light around lunchtime, one because it is easier for me and I don't have alot of time at work to fuss with food. Finally am seeing results!!! Sometimes I think that your body gets used to the routines and we just had switch things up....like I said I am eating the same amount just different mix. I sometimes have a cliffbuidler bar and find that it satisfies my hunger, low in calories and high in vitimin's and protein hope this helps

STrooper

IMHO, you are thinking too short term and focusing on the wrong thing. And because its the weight you focus on, the fact that what happens (or doesn't happen) in the way you think that it should, you call it "wrong."

What if I told you that you actually have to follow a general exercise and eating routine for at least as long as it took you to put on and hold the weight that you now wish to get rid of? Would that discourage you?

I know you are 24 years old. But how long have you been struggling with your weight? And while there are things you can do for dramatic weight reduction over a shorter period of time, you've got to think longer term. You'll see at MFP people who will tell you that if you took 10 years to put on the weight, then you've got to think of the weight loss as a 10 year project. I don't quite buy that but figuring it will take between 1/3rd and 1/2 half that time to lose it, is probably a realistic goal.

I've lost 65 pounds and I did not set out to lose 65 pounds when I started in 2008. Yes, I did start out with the idea that I was going to lose some weight, but no real plan or goal. I thought it might be nice to lose a few pounds per month. And I tracked my weight and I did lose some. I measured distances walked, when I walked. I was too heavy and too out of shape to run.

Most of my weight came off in 2010 (I can share how) AND I spent most of 2011 in a 5 pound range. But, I kept at my program. Note: although my weight did not change, my body did as my waist and chest size.

You are going to have to give up the quick-fix, short-term view. It isn't about dieting. Its about doing the work to have you body nourished appropriately and functioning efficiently.

BTW, I was married on The Mountain and it is my favorite national park.

brittanylock09

Hey there, First things first. In order for anyone to give you some accurate answers you must first open your diary. This is done in your settings. Now There are a couple of options there. You can open it to the public, Open it to MFP Friends only, or open it to select people by setting a key. Remember to SAVE options after you change them. After this is done, I'll be glad to have a look and offer advice as I can! Take care and good luck. BTW I have a policy (personal one) I'll never call anyone out in public, but if I see something I don't like, I'll give you the respect of inboxing you privately. I also have a blog up with ALOT of helpful info. Feel free to add me if you like, and look at my blog and diary. Lee #NoExcusesLetsGo!!

I agree with this man! He REALLY will help you! Add him, read his blogs, read his motivational statuses!! He will keep you going, even when you're on your last leg and want to give up! Trust me! I'm one of em!! Lee is a great motivator! I am so thankful God put me in the position to run into him here on MFP b/c he is so motivating! A very good man!