Feeling Discouraged :(
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bug1114
Posts: 268 Member
When I started Insanity 38 days ago, I went from eating around 1200 calories a day to 1750. About two weeks ago, I upped my calories to 15% below my TDEE, so I've been eating at 2025. I don't have a heart rate monitor, but I keep track of my pulse while doing Insanity (stays between 130-160 for each workout). On my rest day (Sunday), I still eat 2025 calories. I have lost and gained the same five pounds over and over throughout these last 38 days. It's driving me insane. I also have only lost 1/2 inch from my waist. I am not seeing any significant changes, and for the last three days the scale has been going up. I wouldn't mind so much if I was losing inches, but I'm not! I want so badly for this belly of mine to go down. What am I doing wrong?? Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you!
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Replies
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Hey lady, ok weight fluctuations are so very normal...if you are bouncing around the same five lbs that means your body is using the calories and adjusting. Did you take a look at the topic what to expect when upping calories? That will help you.
Are you doing any strength training? I tell you I eat my tdee - 15% every single day and I do 3 days of strength training and one of those days I do zumba as well (if I am not wiped out for my lifts) and another day of walking...nothing heavy. Strength training helps you to build muscles and those muscle burn fat.
Are you at least netting your BMR? That is important.
Another thing, it has only been 2 wks...I tell people give it at least 4-6wks minimum, it takes your body a while to believe that you are not going to starve it any longer. You lost a 1/2 off your waist...that is significant...give it time...the inches will come off and if you can start a strength training program.
Take a look at the " Before/Progress/After" there are some transformations there that will encourage you.
Remember this is a program that is maintainable after you hit goal...not a quick drop the weight quick and regain because the metabolism has slowed. Plus, eating 1200 cals isn't achievable forever. Please be patient...I was right where you are...I ate 1200, 1350, 1500 and NOTHING...I started eating 1800 weight started coming off, then I went up again when the weight loss plateaued and it started moving again...I too had moments of frustration and do once in a while now...BUT, the one thing I keep in the front of my mind is that I was miserable on the restricted diet...had hardly any energy...was fatigued...and down right grumpy...AND the weight loss halted...so the thought of going back...NEVER. I rather lose fat with minimal muscle loss nice and slow then to drop weight quick, be flabbier and regain as soon as I start eating a normal amount of food.0 -
Hey lady, ok weight fluctuations are so very normal...if you are bouncing around the same five lbs that means your body is using the calories and adjusting. Did you take a look at the topic what to expect when upping calories? That will help you.
Are you doing any strength training? I tell you I eat my tdee - 15% every single day and I do 3 days of strength training and one of those days I do zumba as well (if I am not wiped out for my lifts) and another day of walking...nothing heavy. Strength training helps you to build muscles and those muscle burn fat.
Are you at least netting your BMR? That is important.
Another thing, it has only been 2 wks...I tell people give it at least 4-6wks minimum, it takes your body a while to believe that you are not going to starve it any longer. You lost a 1/2 off your waist...that is significant...give it time...the inches will come off and if you can start a strength training program.
Take a look at the " Before/Progress/After" there are some transformations there that will encourage you.
Remember this is a program that is maintainable after you hit goal...not a quick drop the weight quick and regain because the metabolism has slowed. Plus, eating 1200 cals isn't achievable forever. Please be patient...I was right where you are...I ate 1200, 1350, 1500 and NOTHING...I started eating 1800 weight started coming off, then I went up again when the weight loss plateaued and it started moving again...I too had moments of frustration and do once in a while now...BUT, the one thing I keep in the front of my mind is that I was miserable on the restricted diet...had hardly any energy...was fatigued...and down right grumpy...AND the weight loss halted...so the thought of going back...NEVER. I rather lose fat with minimal muscle loss nice and slow then to drop weight quick, be flabbier and regain as soon as I start eating a normal amount of food.
Thank you for the motivation! I'm not doing anything besides Insanity right now. After I finished I was thinking about doing another round, but mixing Les Mills PUMP in with it as a hybrid for the strength training portion. I do make sure that I net my BMR. I guess I need to get out of the mentality that the weight should be falling off. It was coming off a LOT faster only eating 1200 a day, but it was so hard to stay under that, that's why I upped my calories to begin with. Now that I'm eating more, I don't want to go back down to that, but I do want to see faster results than what I am right now.
I will work on being patient and keep hoping that I will have success with this 
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Oh yes, stay encouraged just in knowing that this is maintainable...those that lose quick gain quicker...who wants that! You can do this...once you add in some strength training you will see changes in your physique that will offset your need to see movement on the scale...it sure did for me:-)0
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I hear ya on the frustration. my week 4 weigh in is tomorrow and the scale has wavered on the same 2 pounds, and there have been no inches lost. I went from 1400 cals to 1500 to 1800 and still nothing. Im not quite at TDEE-15% yet so I still have room to eat more, but Ive been waiting to see if anything happens where Im at now first. I would think with a 400 cal increase that SOMETHING will eventually come off:)
The frustration part is definitely hard to get past. Everyday is a struggle, especially when people ask what I am doing and I say I am eating more, they think I am crazy and no wonder I cant get the weight off. Im optimistic that over the next week here things will finally start showing on my scale. I dont know what I am going to do if it doesnt!0 -
I am discouraged also. Stepped on the scale this morning and I have gained almost 4 pounds this week since I upped my calories
I received The New Rules of Lifting yesterday so it will take a day or so to read it completely through. I walk from 45 min to 1 hour a day and do 30 minutes of a beginners exercise routine. I used to use my Total Gym but hurt my shoulder. When I stopped working out is when I gained the 20 pounds back from an initial loss a few years ago of 90 pounds. I refuse to be fat like that again and it is so frustrating.
I am 58 and have fibromyalgia and arthritis with some bursitis in my hips and shoulders. I can work through the pain but gaining that weight this week is tough
I have been eating 1300 to 1350 calories a day for 5 years now. Seeing the weight gain after eating more is playing with my head
Shelley0 -
I am discouraged also. Stepped on the scale this morning and I have gained almost 4 pounds this week since I upped my calories
I received The New Rules of Lifting yesterday so it will take a day or so to read it completely through. I walk from 45 min to 1 hour a day and do 30 minutes of a beginners exercise routine. I used to use my Total Gym but hurt my shoulder. When I stopped working out is when I gained the 20 pounds back from an initial loss a few years ago of 90 pounds. I refuse to be fat like that again and it is so frustrating.
I am 58 and have fibromyalgia and arthritis with some bursitis in my hips and shoulders. I can work through the pain but gaining that weight this week is tough
I have been eating 1300 to 1350 calories a day for 5 years now. Seeing the weight gain after eating more is playing with my head
Shelley
I found the mindgames the worst with the "resetting" phase. I wanted to throw in the towel every week the scale went up... But have faith in it. Your body will thank you!! I finally went right up to my Cut value this past week, after eating only BMR for the three weeks prior and the scale finally DROPPED almost 4 pounds. It DOES work. just have faith, keep eating your cut value, and put the scale away for a few weeks. Believe me, I will never again eat 1400 cals and try to lose weight on it.
You can do it, and it does work. Let your mind go, and your body will thank you:)0 -
I am discouraged also. Stepped on the scale this morning and I have gained almost 4 pounds this week since I upped my calories
I received The New Rules of Lifting yesterday so it will take a day or so to read it completely through. I walk from 45 min to 1 hour a day and do 30 minutes of a beginners exercise routine. I used to use my Total Gym but hurt my shoulder. When I stopped working out is when I gained the 20 pounds back from an initial loss a few years ago of 90 pounds. I refuse to be fat like that again and it is so frustrating.
I am 58 and have fibromyalgia and arthritis with some bursitis in my hips and shoulders. I can work through the pain but gaining that weight this week is tough
I have been eating 1300 to 1350 calories a day for 5 years now. Seeing the weight gain after eating more is playing with my head
Shelley
I found the mindgames the worst with the "resetting" phase. I wanted to throw in the towel every week the scale went up... But have faith in it. Your body will thank you!! I finally went right up to my Cut value this past week, after eating only BMR for the three weeks prior and the scale finally DROPPED almost 4 pounds. It DOES work. just have faith, keep eating your cut value, and put the scale away for a few weeks. Believe me, I will never again eat 1400 cals and try to lose weight on it.
You can do it, and it does work. Let your mind go, and your body will thank you:)
Wow, Ryann, I know you said you had a loss, but I didn't know it was a 4lbs...WOW...that is awesome.
Shelley be encouraged, it is a process you have to reverse the damage done and let your body know that you will be consistent in feeding it and it will stabilize and then the loss will happen. I know it is hard seeing the number on the scale, but it is just that a number filled with water weight...you will start to lose. I can't say when, but at some point the body just starts to release the fat. As you workout, you will start to see a difference in the mirror and with measurements...get the tape out hun and get ready for inches lost.
You can do it! Stay strong! You don't have to eat 1300 to lose weight trust me!!!0 -
Thanks for the encouragement. The first thing my brain wanted to do was not eat breakfast and have a shake for lunch. So many bad ideas are programmed in there!
Maybe I should up my calories. I believe I am set at 1600 but according to the NRFL book, that is what I should eat on non-workout days and I should be up to 1867 on workout days.
My TDEE is 1912 and 15% of that is 1626. That is why I chose 1600. But I guess using the book numbers you do not eat back exercise calories and if you use the TDEE, you do? So I should be eating between 1600 and 1800 calories?
It is tough to up my food intake when I seem to be getting fatter every day *lol*
Shelley0 -
Thanks for the encouragement. The first thing my brain wanted to do was not eat breakfast and have a shake for lunch. So many bad ideas are programmed in there!
Maybe I should up my calories. I believe I am set at 1600 but according to the NRFL book, that is what I should eat on non-workout days and I should be up to 1867 on workout days.
My TDEE is 1912 and 15% of that is 1626. That is why I chose 1600. But I guess using the book numbers you do not eat back exercise calories and if you use the TDEE, you do? So I should be eating between 1600 and 1800 calories?
It is tough to up my food intake when I seem to be getting fatter every day *lol*
Shelley
Shelley,
What is your BMR and what activitly level did you choose? It sounds like maybe you chose sedentary. If so, please recalculate using moderate.
Once you have that number, I would suggest eating 15% from that number. I too did the NRFL calcs at first when I got started, which had me at about tdee - 20% which I had to finally go up in cals to get to the 15% cut value. I stalled after a while at the lower number, went up and got weight going again. I am pretty close to goal, so not so much worried about the scale, but fat loss...I mean who cares what the scale says if you are getting into your goal size and see visible fat disappearing.0 -
My BMR is 1397 and I think I chose moderate but I will check. My pants are tighter too. I have gained 6 pounds in a week
I'm off for my walk even though my legs and arms are sore from the workout yesterday. I have to keep moving
Thanks for the help,
Shelley0 -
My BMR is 1397 and I think I chose moderate but I will check. My pants are tighter too. I have gained 6 pounds in a week
I'm off for my walk even though my legs and arms are sore from the workout yesterday. I have to keep moving
Thanks for the help,
Shelley
Ok, so your tdee at mod is 2165. So your daily intake should be 1840 and if you burn over 440 then you start to eat the excess. Sounds like you are lifting and you can hold water because of water retention due to muscle repair...0 -
in regards to healthy sustainable weight loss... it's more a marathon than 100 yard dash. slow and steady pace will get you to the finish line much more reliably than going all out for a little while and giving up (that's what i did, and as soon as i went back to eating like a normal person after starving myself... i gained 30 pounds!)
be the tortoise not the hare!0
