Losing motivation, not pounds! :( I need support/suggestions

hmanderson

I am so depressed! I am a 42 year old woman. I weighed 203 lbs when I returned to MFP on 1/2/12. I have been really good since starting. My goal was to lose 20-30 lbs before my cruise on 3/24. Well, here I am, over two months later, and I have only dropped 10 lbs! :sad:

I initially had my diet set at 1200 cals and was working out 4-5x a week, including intense cardio(Zumba) and strength training. I wasn't seeing a lot of success, so about 3 weeks ago, I upped my cals to 1350 and dropped my workouts to 3-4x a week. Really, still nothing. I called my doctor, but she says that I'm doing well, that .5 lbs a week loss is a good rate of loss. All my test results are normal, so no trouble there. However, I honestly think there is something wrong and many of my friends agree, that based on what I am doing, that I should have noticed something more by now. I don't even think I'm really losing inches(I didn't measure), but my clothes do not feel smaller at all...in fact, my stomach often feels bigger!

I'm so frustrated and I feel my motivation slipping, because why try so hard when nothing matters? When I started MFP a year ago, I was able to drop 15 lbs eating more and exercising less, in about the same amount of time, but then I fell off the wagon. I was really motivated this time, but I'm so sad. My cruise is in about 2 weeks and obviously I will not meet my goal, nor come anywhere near it!

Sure would appreciate some advice if anyone has any. At this point, I'm going to just keep on this way and then enjoy my cruise. I'm hoping to kick start some results when I get back with a better plan!

Cathleenr

I am so depressed! I am a 42 year old woman. I weighed 203 lbs when I returned to MFP on 1/2/12. I have been really good since starting. My goal was to lose 20-30 lbs before my cruise on 3/24. Well, here I am, over two months later, and I have only dropped 10 lbs!

I initially had my diet set at 1200 cals and was working out 4-5x a week, including intense cardio(Zumba) and strength training. I wasn't seeing a lot of success, so about 3 weeks ago, I upped my cals to 1350 and dropped my workouts to 3-4x a week. Really, still nothing. I called my doctor, but she says that I'm doing well, that .5 lbs a week loss is a good rate of loss. All my test results are normal, so no trouble there. However, I honestly think there is something wrong and many of my friends agree, that based on what I am doing, that I should have noticed something by now. I don't even think I'm really losing inches(I didn't measure), but my clothes do not feel smaller at all...in fact, my stomach often feels bigger!

I'm so frustrated and I feel my motivation slipping, because why try so hard when nothing matters? When I started MFP a year ago, I was able to drop 15 lbs eating more and exercising less, in about the same amount of time, but then I fell off the wagon. I was really motivated this time, but I'm so sad. My cruise is in about 2 weeks and obviously I will not meet my goal, nor come anywhere near it!

Sure would appreciate some advice if anyone has any. At this point, I'm going to just keep on this way and then enjoy my cruise. I'm hoping to kick start some results when I get back with a better plan!

10 pounds is either 33% or 50% of your goal, depending on which number y ou go with, so that is not a small accomplishment. open your diary so we can look at it. are you measuring your food or guessing at portion sizes? what does your strength training consist of? are you increasing the load each workout? zumba is fine for adjunct exercise ("active rest") but do you have another activity that you can increase the pace or intensity? race-walking, running, treadmill, stairclimber, all of those have variables that you can increase incrementally each week to keep the heart rate up as you adjust to it.
do you know your body fat percentage, measured either with a DeXA scan or 9-point caliper? That is an important starting point, because that will give you your BMR, which you will use to calculate the calories you need to lose, or lose more.
If you dont have one, get a strength routine such as stonglift 5x5 or the new rules of lifting for women and follow that after you know your BMR and energny expenditure. give it three weeks and adjust the results accordingly...it really should work.
(and have a good time on your cruise )

hmanderson

Good points...I should have specified. I do about 70 min of Zumba 1-2 x a week...it's a really instense workout. The other 2 days, I do about 30 min of bike or treadmill, and then 30 mins of weight machines. Yes, I do try to up the weight/pace/intensity as much as I can.(Previously, I was not working that hard-and only exercised 1-2 x a week)

As for food, I use the journal on MFP and either count or guesstimate. I realize that my cals may be off a bit, but I think they are pretty close. I do not usually eat all of my exercise cals-maybe half. Previously, I would eat them all. Maybe that's a clue? Do I need to be eating MORE?

My main point is this...I am working MUCH harder and eating MUCH less than I was...but the results are not what I expected. Given that I had better results doing a lot less last year, I am concerned about having a problem. Because even with losing 10 lbs, I will then climb back up a pound or so. I cannot get past 10 lbs lost! Yes, a loss is a loss...but I need a better plan!

Par8hed4life

I am right there with you.
I'm extremely frustrated. However, I just ordered the book "New Rules lifting for women" and I am exctied to get that going.
I have no advice, just here to tell you that I understand. I am on a four week plateau.