In Tears And Beyond Frustrated

hanna6774

You are most definitely not eating enough. Also, with the ridiculously low caloric intake with the HCG diet you have slowed your metabolism even further. Sounds like you are in starvation mode - you weren't eating enough before, now you are not eating enough to fuel your body for all the exercise you are doing (you really don't have to work that hard unless you love it) and your body is holding on to everything. I have not lost a pound in over a month but I did take my measurements before that and I am losing inches. A plateau can be a good thing too - I haven't gained anything either, just maintained. Time to move more (something I haven't been doing of late), and probably eat more. It's not all about the weight - we want to lose fat. Too much too fast and you will lose muscle mass too and you can't get that back. And by the way, Muscle Does Not Weigh More Than Fat!!!!! 1 lb = 1 lb. Muscle is leaner, denser than fat so it looks smaller.

Take a breath, slow down and relax. Take your measurements, weigh your food, reduce your fat and sodium, drink water and move! You will have to adjust your caloric intake along the way, and that is normal. Be honest and accountable with yourself and again, be patient, slow and steady wins the race. No easy quick fixes but if I can do it so can you!

erickirb

Eat more 1200 cals or less is not enough if you don't do any exercise, once you add exercise you need even more. I would suggest anywhere from 1500 to 1900 cals/day with all the exercise you are doing.

buzzcogs

I also think 3 weeks is WAY too soon to be frustrated. Weight loss is not linear..you will not always lose the same amount each week. Eat healthy, exercise, eat some of your exercise calories back if you need to, COUNT ALL your calories and DON'T backslide. If you still aren't losing after 2 months (yes, 2 months) then go see a Doctor and see if you are retaining water.
Stick to a program and don't expect results after 3 weeks. You are in this for the long run.
Good luck! You will lose! You will feel better! It just takes longer than you want it too!

tkirkes

Have you kept up with inches lost? I've been working out the last two weeks putting in 4miles of walking per day plus lifting weights, also did a 1400 cal diet & have been drinking only water (atleast 8-8 oz glasses). Today was my weigh-in day and l lost nada, nothing, zilch, but I had lost some inches. I'm still kinda bummed about the 0lbs but I guess atleast some inches are disappearing. Anyways... Keep up the hard work, hopefully we'll see results soon!

davcro

I felt the need to reach out to you. Don't give up! I worked for a weight loss doctor for 4 years and I've lost and gained weight back so many times in my life and I can tell you that diets do not work. I can also tell you that the scales alone, your weight alone, does not give you an accurate account of your success or failure. Look at the big picture! How you fit in your clothes, how you feel, compliments you receive from others, how healthy you are eating and how healthy you are. You are exercising a lot and exercise builds muscle, which weighs more than fat. Muscle weighs more but will help you burn fat. Don't overdue it, give your body some rest, listen to what it's trying to tell you.

My doctor told me this week that you have to cut out 500 calories a day just to lose one pound a week! That came as a shock to me. Losing a pound a week is normal, not lack of trying or an example of failure. You won't lose a pound every week, you have to look at the overall losses so plotting your progress on a graph would be a good idea!

Plateaus happen and we all have to deal with them. Try something different, something new to jar your body out of its routine. It's normal for the body to work to find homostasis or balance. When losing weight, your body goes into a protective mode because it's not a normal state of being to be starving yourself. Work with your body instead of against it.

Hope this helps. I am newly beginning on this website and have 20 pounds to lose and 6 months to bariatric surgery. Every situation is different but I'm in the same boat as far as being frustrated. The only way you can fail is to quit so keep going!

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Dare2Believe

Your an idiot for not doing the research on this crap!

Really? Do you think that was helpful? OP, you are not an idiot, there is no such thing as a dumb question, and as you can see from the above quote not everyone on MFP knows what they are talking about.

I agree with the other posters that you are not eating enough. I started out eating only 1200 calories (some days a little less) thinking that was going to help me lose weight. It didn't. When I upped my calories to between 1450-1500 that is when I started losing the weight. It was very scary for me at first to listen to this advice but I read so many posts where it worked for people that I decided to give it a try for a couple of weeks. Am glad I did.

You are not hopeless! You just haven't figured out yet what works for you. Trial & error. You will get it if you stick with it and make this a lifelong change in habits and not a quick fix diet. Good luck to you on your weight loss journey.

zgdsmith

Measure. Measure. MEASURE.
Ditch the scale and go by measurements.. go by how your clothes feel, how your body feels.


Oh, and did I say measure? DO IT.

^^^^THIS - I would definitly recommend measuring. In the past 6 weeks i've only lost about 4 pounds but i've lost at least 11 inches!! It's very frusterating to see the scale stay the same but I LOVE LOVE LOVE my measuring tape!!

Linbo93

I have nothing to say that everyone else hasn't already said, so I'll just say this. There is this amazing podcast available for free on iTunes called Fat2Fit Radio. The 2 guys that do this talk about weight loss that is permanent, safe and cut through the bullsh*t of fad diets. They give you all the information you need and THEN SOME! They have almost 150 episodes, and they're all worth listening to!

Give these guys a listen...they have revolutionized how I think about dieting and health. They have made such a huge impact in my weight loss journey, and it sounds like you could benefit from the information they give.

Good luck to you, and listen to these people responding, there's a lot of great advice here!

Andrianne83

That diet is a scam for real. I would increase my water intake to half of my body weight everyday. I would eat the calories that are allotted. I usually do not less than 60 minutes of cardio five days a week and 45 minutes of cardio on the weekends. I stop all food intake after 7pm. Do not give up! !

WhitneyT586

The only thing I can tell you is to follow MFP's guidelines for your personalized plan. It's worked really well for me in the last 2 months. The weight isn't going to leave overnight. You have to work for it. It seems to me that you have the determination, but have gone about it the wrong ways. You have to eat to lose. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but it works. It's the only thing that truly works because it is the only way to make it a lifestyle. Until you get your mind set that this is a life change and not a diet, it probably won't work for you.

Make it a game. Don't try to be perfect all the time. Take it one day, one meal, one choice at a time. Make each choice the right, healthy choice at the time. That's how I started.

(And, by the way, someone posted that a pound of fat weighs more than a pound of muscle. That is not true. A pound is a pound whether its fat & muscle or feathers & bricks. But think about how much larger a VOLUME of feathers vs bricks you have to have to make up that pound. A pound of fat is simply a larger VOLUME than a pound of muscle. Therefore, if you gain muscle and lose fat you will lose inches because the volume of muscle is smaller.)

ladyraven68

I have nothing to say that everyone else hasn't already said, so I'll just say this. There is this amazing podcast available for free on iTunes called Fat2Fit Radio. The 2 guys that do this talk about weight loss that is permanent, safe and cut through the bullsh*t of fad diets. They give you all the information you need and THEN SOME! They have almost 150 episodes, and they're all worth listening to!

Give these guys a listen...they have revolutionized how I think about dieting and health. They have made such a huge impact in my weight loss journey, and it sounds like you could benefit from the information they give.

Good luck to you, and listen to these people responding, there's a lot of great advice here!

Here's the fat2fit link - http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

OP - work out your BMR and TDEE and reset your calorie intake.

Good Luck.

MelanieL1984

Read this post:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/539980-people-who-have-had-success-by-upping-their-calories

What is going on is your body is in starvation mode. You are not fueling in w/ enough calories. So what your body does is shut down your metabolism (slowing it) and absorbing every single little thing it can. So, therefore, you are not losing. You need to fuel your body!!! Read these posts, and there is a website to calculate the actual calories you should be taking in!!! Give it a try for a month and see what happens.

What do you have to lose except for weight??

kyt1206

It seems the more exercise I do the less I lose. Everyone tells me its because I am gaining muscle. Keep trying! I was told to eat 5 small meals a day with some kind of protein in each. Hope this helps. Dont give up on yourself!!!!

I'd like to bust this eating small meals per day myth right now. There's no caloric benefit. What you eat per day is what you eat per day, either all at once or divided out for several meals.

That being said, here's how it *can* benefit you to eat several meals: You feel less hungry throughout the day if you spread your caloric intake out over time, that way you don't have starvation cravings. This can help you prevent you from sneaking an extra snack and go over your recommended calories.

But the take away lesson is this: Don't let your body feel 'starved' it's counter productive. If you can't make the 5 meals per day thing, don't feel bad about it, as long as you're not feeling starved, there's no reason to eat *more* and *smaller* meals. Just make sure your body is satisfied (and NOT your mind - I'm talking about those mental cravings for unnecessary calories) and you should be good to go.

hanna6774

Hahahahaha, speaking of Sorbitol, Malitol - they are also laxatives - Definitely don't eat a whole bunch of sugarless candy!!!!!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

ShellyMacchi

Sounds like you are sabotaging your metabolic rate. I did the same thing for months and it was so frustrating. Eat your nutritious 1200 calories, and then eat at least some of your exercise calories. The other change I made was to really focus on avoiding processed foods and cutting back as much as possible on sodium. Also, avoid looking at your scale so much; weigh yourself weekly at most. Try to focus on how you feel, your measurements, how your clothes fit rather than your weight. From your profile pic you look pretty darn good already! No need to starve yourself; slow and steady wins this marathon.

^ Read this.

Remember, your body needs enough fuel to burn fat as it's easier to burn muscle for energy. Eating so little and working out so much, you're leaving nothing for your body to process the fat with. ...

this!
once i started eating more, and more nutritious foods, not junk, also keeping my sodium in control, PLUS more water than mfp recommends whenever possible, i was WAY more successful, and i have proven to myself that IS what it takes, for me.

SafireBleu

I know it seems counter productive but you need to eat more. This is a good post with information that will tell you how to figure out how much to eat http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map Basically find out your body fat % using the link he gives. Then find your BMR again using the link he gives. once you find your BMR there will be a chart that tells you how much to eat for your activity level. Set MFP to that many calories. You do not eat back exercise calories back if you do it this way because you have already worked those in when you set your activity level. I know it seems like a lot of calories but you are working out a lot and need to fuel your body. I recommend you take measurements, increase your calories and do not step on the scale again for a month. At the end of the month do your measurements again, weigh yourself then and figure out your new body fat %. You have tried so many other things give this a month and see what happens. You will gain a few lbs at first as your body gets used to the higher calories but you will lose it before the end of the month if you stick to it. I am set to 1900 calories. I eat that many when i am working out and it works. I always eat at least my BMR even if I do not get a workout in. You have nothing to lose but weight. Try it and see what happens. Feel free to friend me if you do decide to try it.

endlessloser

It's possible that you are gaining muscle and losing fat (and muscle weighs more than fat) with the circuit weight training.

This is possible, but she would still show a weight change if she is consuming fewer calories than she is burning.

Well, other than potential water retention. But in that case, it would be just as correct to say "It's possible you're retaining water".

Correction: A pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same. A pound is a pound, muscle does not weigh more than fat - its simply much more dense than fat. (takes up less space).

BUT YES you could lose fat and still gain muscle, hence offsetting each other (so it seems like there's no weight loss), but yet you ARE slimming.

Also - I know myself I've been notorious in the past for having a similar gut reaction as you - not seeing results fast enough. So here's my suggestions.

You might be frustrated - but truly give yourself a month, not just a week. (I went UP a pound when I started just about 2 weeks ago, then suddenly lost 4 pounds). I was so frustrated at going up.... but I discovered something else and read up on it:

You are working your body harder... your body might be holding water, ie. you may notice your feet look puffier rather than slimmer (Not sure, just using this as an example). That's your body's way of *protecting itself*. So if you're putting a lot of new muscle on, your body is likely protecting itself at first (mostly to protect from injury), till it realizes, hey, this is OK, I can let it go now.

If you're working out 2 hours straight, your body is probably in this protective mode, particularly if you're just starting out. You could (if time permits), split your workouts into 1 hour in the morning, and 1 hour in the evening. It is still getting the same workout time in, but a bit less stress on your body as its not in panic mode at doing 2 hrs straight.

I agree to up your calorie intake - one thing that did work for me in the past was to vary my calories - higher one day, lower the next.

You're like me, your metabolism is so screwed up from past weight loss attempts. I did the Dr. Bernstein (People stay away!!!) which is BARELY 500 calories a day - and in 6 weeks, lost 17 pounds - didn't hit their "guarantee" of 20-30 pounds a month (can't remember what it is). My body just STOPPED losing weight on the last 2 weeks. Their answer: "I didn't have enough self discipline". Yeah right, I couldn't get out of bed some mornings, too dizzy. Their "not" having self discipline was the fact that 2 days a week my hubby had to get me an english muffin just so I could function. The rest of the time I stuck right with it.

So starving didn't work - killed the metabolism, and pills pretty much do the same for you.

Do you by any chance drink diet soda pop? If so - STOP NOW.

I read that if you REALLY need a fix of pop - you are better to actually have half a glass of the real (full sugar) thing than the diet crap, because its just more chemicals that harm your body. I know, I drank diet pop for years, and now I'm allergic to aspartame (probably a good thing).

Anyway - my other suggestion would be to maybe consider getting your thyroid tested IF you don't see results in about a month. And not just your thyroid, but maybe even your adrenal glands.

Or, get tested for PCOS, it really makes it difficult for some women to lose weight.

Just some suggestions, hope they help!

susannamarie

(And, by the way, someone posted that a pound of fat weighs more than a pound of muscle. That is not true. A pound is a pound whether its fat & muscle or feathers & bricks. But think about how much larger a VOLUME of feathers vs bricks you have to have to make up that pound. A pound of fat is simply a larger VOLUME than a pound of muscle. Therefore, if you gain muscle and lose fat you will lose inches because the volume of muscle is smaller.)

Nobody said that a pound of muscle weighed more than a pound of fat. You added the "a pound of" yourself.

adriana_hackney

My best suggestion would be up your calories. I know it sounds odd, but you will do better (and essentially lose more) if you eat more. There are articles to support this and many testimonials. I'm sure someone will provide you with a link these. I don't have them. You need to breath, stay calm, and KNOW that you can and will do this!!! I wish you the best!!!

-A

jamiesadler

HCG is not a scam as noted by another member. I lost over 70 pounds before I switched to going to the gym. The biggest problem I see is you are not eating foods in the proper proportion. You should be at 40% protein and 30% each of fat and carbs.

JoshuaL86

Hey OP! It's hard for your mind to grasp that you have to eat more to lose weight, because we have been pounded by the media, doctors, dieticians, and friends that to lose weight we actually have to eat less. It's not about eating more or less, it's about the calories and the type of calories you consume. When I first started working out, I wasn't eating my exercise calories back and I was losing weight just fine. Then I started stalling, so I tried eating my exercise calories back, and it jump started my loss again. Don't be afraid to eat more, your body needs the fuel.

Sh1tsRainbows

as Lizzy would say "EAT MOAR"

Chris_acc_can

Did some research online for you. For the average person (IE anyone not on the biggest loser ranch) you weight loss goal for the week should never exceed 2 lbs a week. Even 2 Lbs a week is agressive depending on your weight (you should set a target of 1-1.5lbs).

Your goals may be too lofty. Also people have talked about starvation mode. To put it into persepective see below:

"As a general rule though, most nutrition experts recommend never going below 1,000-1,200 calories a day if you're dieting on your own. It's also worth bearing in mind that the body doesn't suddenly 'enter' and 'leave' starvation mode. It's a gradual process - so you don't need to panic if you do go below your calorie intake very occasionally."

It seems as though your calorie intake being regularly at or below 1200 is not helping your cause. Also, I think you are drinking way too much water. The average person needs 1/2 oz for every pound. Obviously on days you train this will increase. You might want to adjust this value down. Since 60% of our body weight is water, the amount you drink may be impacting the scales, and covering up and losses you ahve actually realized.

Finally don't get discouraged, the process takes time and although you may not be losing weight I bet you are noticing increases at the gym (whether it be the weight you the lift or the length/speed at which you do cardio). Keep it up.

joec63

What has already been mentioned. You need to eat more with that much excercise. Also 30g of carbs ? Carbs are not evil per se. You can eat whole grains just hit your macros. I ussually taper off through the day but it doesn't matter. There is tons of advice on proper macros and percentages and they vary by opinion. I'll tell you what works for me on a cut and you can do with it what you will.

Daily
50% Protein
30% Carbs
20% Fats

So, for instance you're on 1200 calories which is low IMO. That would be 600Cal(P), 360Cal (C), 240Cal (F) or 150g(P), 90g(C), 26g(F)

If that's too much protein for you then try a 40/40/20 ratio. Regardless, for the amount of weight you're trying to shed this isn't a sprint. It's a marathon and should be a lifestyle change so you're not back here doing it again. You didn't put it on overnight and it won't come off quick either. You have to suck it up and be diligent in tracking what you put in your mouth. You have ALL the control. Blunt maybe but it's true.

Key to succes IMO: Plan your meals ahead of time. It's all in the planning.

ashleywright144

You are over thinking. Take a step back, I suggest yoga to calmn down. I don't know your height or weight but 1200 calories may not be enough. Water is excellent when trying to lose weight but don't knock out your electrolights. Remember this decision should be a lifestyle not some fab diet. The reason why those other plans didn't work is because they were plans and plans change or end. This needs to become the lifestyle that you want.

chrishgt4

(And, by the way, someone posted that a pound of fat weighs more than a pound of muscle. That is not true. A pound is a pound whether its fat & muscle or feathers & bricks. But think about how much larger a VOLUME of feathers vs bricks you have to have to make up that pound. A pound of fat is simply a larger VOLUME than a pound of muscle. Therefore, if you gain muscle and lose fat you will lose inches because the volume of muscle is smaller.)

Nobody said that a pound of muscle weighed more than a pound of fat. You added the "a pound of" yourself.

Exactly - it is correct to say that muscle weighs more than fat.

Obivously, the assumption with the above statement is that we are talking about the volume of one weighing more than the same volume of the other. To make the assumption that they are comparing 1lb vs 1lb is totally illogical.

shellyt1

Take a deep breath and start the day over. After looking for the quick fix for many years, I'v finally got that I have to excercise and pay attention to what I eat and measure it out. It is a stuggle at times but happy with the healthy choices and some weeks the scale doesn't move and some times in the wrong direction but I can't give up and you shouldn't either. Hang in there!

jbella99

go buy Tosca Renos Book Eat Clean Diet, Get a subscription to Clean Eating Magazine.......... This changed my life!!! I was on a plateau for 2 years until I implemented this in my life.... I've lost 10 pounds since starting this 6 weeks ago, I feel amazing and i eat more than I ever have before without feeling guilty.

shimewazaMan

Aw, hun. I'm so sorry to hear that! I know all to well what it feels like to think you're doing well only to be disappointed when you step on the scale. I haven't read through all the responses and I am sure you have received some great advice. Here are a few more suggestions. My apologies if any of these are repeats.

First of all, I find that personally, my weight can vary by a few pounds from day to day depending on a number of factors from the previous day. To account for that, I won't use a single day's measurement to track my progress. I'll weigh myself three days in a row and take the average.

Also, what kind of exercise are you doing at the gym? Two hours is a LONG time to be at the gym if you are working at a high intensity level. Depending on your calorie intake, you may want to actually cut down on your workout time. Also, I have found in general that my best weight loss comes when I do workouts that combine aerobic and strength training (like intense circuit training). Try to avoid spending long stints on exercise machines at a low intensity. That is fine at first, just to build your aerobic base. But once you have a pretty good aerobic base you want to up the intensity to kickstart your metabolism.

I have fallen in love with the maxc interval training pilosophy. (This is what is used in videos like "Insanity".) Try a workout like this. (I got the idea from RossTraining.com - AN AWESOME SITE!!!!!!). Pick four different exercises. They should all be fairly aerobic - things like burpees, explosive jumping, karate punches, kicks, etc. Perform each exercise at max intensity for a minute getting as many reps as you can. Go right from one exercise to the next at the end of the minute. Then immediately do the same for 45 seconds. Then do the same for 30 seconds. And then the same for 15. This will take about 10 minutes and if you really push your hardest, it will kick your butt!!!!!!!!! If you really want to kill it, perform the above 2 or three different times picking 4 different exercises each time. The first week I added this to my training I lost 5 pounds. I am on week two now, so not sure how much I lost. But I can already see a big difference. Hope this helps hun!