Feeling very discouraged / am I just making excuses ?

akangel81

K so i have been on a low calorie diet plus 6 days a week of about 45-90 minutes of cardio and three nights of all over strength / cardio training for about 3 and 1/2 weeks and am still only fluctuation between the weight that i started at . I do not expect to drop it off rapidly or anything but am wondering why i'm barely losing at all . Now being i women i have met my monthly friend again and i'm wondering how much of a difference that really makes cause at this point that is what i'm trying to tell my self , also i say since i'm exercising and building muscle that it is compensating for it cause muscle is heavier than fat . Are these just excuses ? Is it possible to gain muscle weight as quickly as you losing fat ? How much does my cycle really effect my body mass ?
I always new it was gonna take me awhile to meet my weight goal but when i weight 3 pounds different from one day to the next i'm not sure how to feel about it. i get down below it then get excited just to jump back up to my regular bouncing weight the next day. all though i do consume empty calories once or twice a week ( i.e Wine ) does that make that much of a differences ? when i do consume them i try to consume less in other areas . I also eat my main meals plus snacks to keep my metabolism going and am still only consuming about between 900- 1100 calories a day before my exercise is deducted . I also now that it is not suppose to be good weighing your self everyday but after looking at my weight calender i still seem to be the same from week to week and only seem to lose pounds between the week but put them back on.

Anyone who can help me to find these answers to these questions or give me idea of things to change i would really appreciate it .

runnercheryl

You're not eating ANYWHERE near enough. 900-1100 calories BEFORE exercise isn't enough on its own, never mind when you're exercising as well. You're not giving your body the fuel it needs to live, let alone work out. It's holding on to everything it can.

Plus, this won't be a quick process. 3.5 weeks isn't a long time. Start eating the right amount, and you'll see the weight SLOWLY come off.

kealambert

. I also eat my main meals plus snacks to keep my metabolism going and am still only consuming about between 900- 1100 calories a day before my exercise is deducted . I also now that it is not suppose to be good weighing your self everyday but after looking at my weight calender i still seem to be the same from week to week and only seem to lose pounds between the week but put them back on.

Anyone who can help me to find these answers to these questions or give me idea of things to change i would really appreciate it .

EAT MORE!! you need those calories, 1000-1100 a day is like a 12 year old girl's intake!

akangel81

I thought that two but according to my fitness pal that's how much i should be consuming to lose two pounds a week , plus when doing all the research it says even with my exercise habits i should only be eating about 1300- 1500 calories a day to just mantian my weigh. i don't want to maintain. plus with eating right its even hard to eat those calories without eating fatty junk foods it seems .

StrongandTender

I just posted a similar post. I'm going to pay attention here and see if someone offers you something that might help keep me going.

You aren't alone. I think the thing that is keeping me going is I know what results my old eating habits will get. I am still holding out hope that this new way catches up with me and the weight starts doing what I want it to.

kealambert

I thought that two but according to my fitness pal that's how much i should be consuming to lose two pounds a week , plus when doing all the research it says even with my exercise habits i should only be eating about 1300- 1500 calories a day to just mantian my weigh. i don't want to maintain. plus with eating right its even hard to eat those calories without eating fatty junk foods it seems .

ok, there's your issue! set your goal to something more reasonable, 1, maybe 1.5 pounds. I know your goal is lofty, which is not a bad thing in and of itself, however it can create unrealistic expectations, and is VERY hard. we of course want to challenge ourselves, but as it seems you aren't seeing the results you want, try lowering those weight goals, and you should see the results

best of luck

Shock_Wave

I thought that two but according to my fitness pal that's how much i should be consuming to lose two pounds a week , plus when doing all the research it says even with my exercise habits i should only be eating about 1300- 1500 calories a day to just mantian my weigh. i don't want to maintain. plus with eating right its even hard to eat those calories without eating fatty junk foods it seems .

First only weigh your self when your body is fasted after you wake up from sleep. Second you said "I do not expect to drop it off rapidly or anything" but yet you want to lose 2 lbs a week and are mad that in 3 1/2 weeks you havent seen much. Honestly it sounds like you dont know how to eat. You need to learn how to eat healthy. i.e. vegetables, fruit, lean meats. Maybe you can dip your veges in hummus as it comes in many different flavors. Just an idea. Also it sounds like you are not eating enough calories and yet your still working out. Your body must be yo yo whacked out by now. Your not going to lose much just starting with a bad diet in 3 /12 weeks. You didnt gain weight over night, its going to take a lot of time to take it off. Lastly you are not gaining lean muscle mass eating a massive calorie deficit such as you are. Dont give up because once you learn the enigma of how your body works at what calories and such this stuff becomes super easy and then you just have to be patient.. Good luck

IveLanded

Honestly, yes, the whole "muscle weighs more than fat" thing is almost always just an excuse.

You sound a lot like me. I changed my diet and was running 4-5 days a week for a year and I basically fluctuated between the same 10lbs that entire year. At the end of the year having done that made me realize I needed to get really serious and make some drastic changes if I truly wanted to see results, so I got a meal plan from a trainer and began working out in classes instead of on my own. I lost 11lbs in the first 3 weeks and dropped a pant size.

So.........I guess that's my long way of saying that if you really want results, you' might have to do something really different than what you have been doing. Seeing results in 3 weeks takes hard work and commitment but it IS possible.

mandamama

also, I would suggest getting measured, sometimes you aren't always going to see the results on the scale.

mandamama

and... are you drinking your tonne of water each day?

akangel81

I thought that two but according to my fitness pal that's how much i should be consuming to lose two pounds a week , plus when doing all the research it says even with my exercise habits i should only be eating about 1300- 1500 calories a day to just mantian my weigh. i don't want to maintain. plus with eating right its even hard to eat those calories without eating fatty junk foods it seems .

First only weigh your self when your body is fasted after you wake up from sleep. Second you said "I do not expect to drop it off rapidly or anything" but yet you want to lose 2 lbs a week and are mad that in 3 1/2 weeks you havent seen much. Your being unrealistic here... Honestly it sounds like you dont know how to eat. You need to learn how to eat healthy. i.e. vegetables, fruit, lean meats. Maybe you can dip your veges in hummus as it comes in many different flavors. Just an idea. Also it sounds like you are not eating enough calories and yet your still working out. Your body must be yo yo whacked out by now. Your not going to lose much just starting with a bad diet in 3 /12 weeks. You didnt gain weight over night, its going to take a lot of time to take it off. Lastly you are not gaining lean muscle mass eating a massive calorie deficit such as you are. Dont give up because once you learn the enigma of how your body works at what calories and such this stuff becomes super easy and then you just have to be patient.. Good luck

Thank you for this but these are all things i do do at the moment the only vice i really have at this point is my coffee creamer ( i use the fat free though) and as for the two pounds a week these are the things that this website told me when i set up my plan. Also i have dieted many times over the years and understand that is doesn't happen over night but also when i have previously done it i haven't added the exercise aspect of it and seemed to lose the weight faster but didn't have the healthy side of it down . i also eat a low calorie/ fat high protein meal before i work out , doesn't this help build that lean muscle ?

I can somewhat tell the difference in my body size and i can see muscles forming and can defiantly endure things a lot longer now which is why i and wondering if the Muscle i'm building is compensating for some of the fat i might lose if i wasn't exercising as well. not saying that's an option now that i'm older i relies how important exerciser is as well.

akangel81

I drink a little under a gallon of water a day on most days

akangel81

also how do i make my dairy open to be seen ? maybe if people replying can see that they can help me more ?

Shock_Wave

Also i have dieted many times over the years and understand that is doesn't happen over night but also when i have previously done it i haven't added the exercise aspect of it and seemed to lose the weight faster but didn't have the healthy side of it down . i also eat a low calorie/ fat high protein meal before i work out , doesn't this help build that lean muscle ?

I can somewhat tell the difference in my body size and i can see muscles forming and can defiantly endure things a lot longer now which is why i and wondering if the Muscle i'm building is compensating for some of the fat i might lose if i wasn't exercising as well. not saying that's an option now that i'm older i relies how important exerciser is as well.

Again you think you are growing muscle and with your massive calorie reduction you are not. You grow with excess calories and high protein and even then it takes a lot of time to regrow lean muscle tissue. Now you might be getting stronger due to your cns or your motor units firing in your muscles at a higher % but that is about it. Your extra protein might spare your muscle tissue but either way your going to lose some in a weight loss diet. Obvioulsy you have a lot to learn yet especially in the diet area. you said "plus with eating right its even hard to eat those calories without eating fatty junk foods it seems ." Learn how to eat properly and add in and eat back your calories from exercise while on a weight loss diet plan. Dont give up just keep learning and you will dial it in.. I think you might want to see a specialist and have them help you create a plan soley around your body's metabolism as you will learn a ton through some one elses educational knowledge in this area.

CyberEd312

If your exercising that much and only eating 900-1100 calories then you need to eat more... with no exercise in the equation eating 900-1100 calories would be low.... MFP will not allow you to go below 1200 calories for a reason.... I would figure out your BMR and then reduce your calories by 500 calories a day that would sustain a 1 lb. a week weight loss... And you really need to eat back some of those exercise calories. You need to fuel your workouts... Take me for example my BMR currently is 2420 calories a day and that is with my 500 calorie deficit built in to lose a pound a week. I currently am eating 3500 calories a day because I am in the camp of fueling my workouts and eating back my exercise calories. ( I have a Heart rate monitor to have a more accurate calories burned number) I eat back 85% leaving 15% of them for error in my logging and/or calories burned.

Serafimangel

Too few calories. The muscle weighs more than at thing I actually agree with, I dropped a dress size without losing a pound (which I was so frustrated with as at that time it was the only way I was measuring it!)
Periods, I would say bloatedness and water retention (if you get that with your period) would add on about 2-3 pounds for me, sometimes even more. now i I ever weigh myself, which I hardly evey do, I make sure it is nowhere near around the time of my monthly visitor.
Please try to up your calories, I know it seems a bit counter-productive but you are eating too few cals.

Shock_Wave

I thought that two but according to my fitness pal that's how much i should be consuming to lose two pounds a week , plus when doing all the research it says even with my exercise habits i should only be eating about 1300- 1500 calories a day to just mantian my weigh. i don't want to maintain. plus with eating right its even hard to eat those calories without eating fatty junk foods it seems .

First only weigh your self when your body is fasted after you wake up from sleep. Second you said "I do not expect to drop it off rapidly or anything" but yet you want to lose 2 lbs a week and are mad that in 3 1/2 weeks you havent seen much. Your being unrealistic here... Honestly it sounds like you dont know how to eat. You need to learn how to eat healthy. i.e. vegetables, fruit, lean meats. Maybe you can dip your veges in hummus as it comes in many different flavors. Just an idea. Also it sounds like you are not eating enough calories and yet your still working out. Your body must be yo yo whacked out by now. Your not going to lose much just starting with a bad diet in 3 /12 weeks. You didnt gain weight over night, its going to take a lot of time to take it off. Lastly you are not gaining lean muscle mass eating a massive calorie deficit such as you are. Dont give up because once you learn the enigma of how your body works at what calories and such this stuff becomes super easy and then you just have to be patient.. Good luck

Thank you for this

Your welcome and from your pm it sounds like you got the idea and are working on a solid plan. Good Luck to you on your journey!

kealambert

I thought that two but according to my fitness pal that's how much i should be consuming to lose two pounds a week , plus when doing all the research it says even with my exercise habits i should only be eating about 1300- 1500 calories a day to just mantian my weigh. i don't want to maintain. plus with eating right its even hard to eat those calories without eating fatty junk foods it seems .

First only weigh your self when your body is fasted after you wake up from sleep. Second you said "I do not expect to drop it off rapidly or anything" but yet you want to lose 2 lbs a week and are mad that in 3 1/2 weeks you havent seen much. Your being unrealistic here... Honestly it sounds like you dont know how to eat. You need to learn how to eat healthy. i.e. vegetables, fruit, lean meats. Maybe you can dip your veges in hummus as it comes in many different flavors. Just an idea. Also it sounds like you are not eating enough calories and yet your still working out. Your body must be yo yo whacked out by now. Your not going to lose much just starting with a bad diet in 3 /12 weeks. You didnt gain weight over night, its going to take a lot of time to take it off. Lastly you are not gaining lean muscle mass eating a massive calorie deficit such as you are. Dont give up because once you learn the enigma of how your body works at what calories and such this stuff becomes super easy and then you just have to be patient.. Good luck

as for the two pounds a week these are the things that this website told me when i set up my plan.

.

be careful not to place blame on the program; it merely sets guidelines, and it works strictly with numbers and statistics, so it cannot be held liable for intangibles

akangel81

Thank you everyone for your responses after reading them all and doing some research on what was said i have realized that i am sending my body into starvation mode so i will be trying a new approach this week and see how i do.and i am not so discouraged but wish i would have started using the forums earlier .