Help, feeling kinda broken!

VryIrishGirl76

I need some outsiders eyes and thoughts on my journals please.
Have been working my not so little butt off consistently and am not seeing major results.
Have firmed up a bit, but have been chasing the same 5 pounds since time began it feels like.

I know that I am sonsistently over on sugar, but aside from my cereal, most is from fruit.
I did just change type, so I am hoping this helps.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

wackyfunster

You need to open your journal.

Sugar isn't terribly relevant to weight loss (thank god)... your net caloric intake is going to be the biggest factor by far.

How long have you been dieting?
What kind of exercise are you doing?

VryIrishGirl76

Ooops, thought I was!
I've changed it now.

I've been tracking for roughly 2.5 months.
I started at 30-40 minutes cardio, just bumped to 60 in the past week or so.

impyimpyaj

Looking through your diary, it seems to me that you really need to eat more. You're having too large of a deficit for your body to function in a healthy way. Keep in mind that your body burns calories just through vital processes like breathing, heartbeat, etc., so right now you're not even eating enough calories to cover those functions, and then you're having HUGE burns through exercise on top of that. Large deficits like that can work for someone who is extremely overweight, but for someone who is closer to a healthy weight range, it's not healthy, and can stall weight loss as your metabolism isn't able to function properly. Try slowly increasing your calories so that you're eating at least a portion of what you're burning through exercise. And try some strength training in addition to your cardio. It doesn't have to be lifting weights if you don't want to do that -- things like yoga, pushups, planks, and other bodyweight exercises can all help with strength. Those strength exercises will help boost your metabolism to get things back to working the way they should be.

impyimpyaj

There's a group on here, I think it's called Eat More to Lose More. You'll find a lot of good information there on why it's important to eat more.

Found it:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

tbetts23

There's a group on here, I think it's called Eat More to Lose More. You'll find a lot of good information there on why it's important to eat more.

Found it:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

This

VryIrishGirl76

Thank you to you both....I had a sneaking suspision that was what the culprit was.
So instead of 1300, bump up to 1500 and see what happens?
I am slowly trying to increase my daily intake.
When I started, it was a struggle just to hit over a thousand!
How long do you think it would take to see results?

melcowenfitness

Two years ago, I was in the same place as you. I thought I was doing pretty well with my eating habits but was not losing weight. Then I got into a workout program that taught me a lot about my nutrition - and I continue to learn more and more each day! The biggest "take away" I can give you is that it's not just about how many calories you eat but also where those calories are coming from and how you're spreading them out throughout the day.

Some quick suggestions for you:

1. The bulk of your calories should come from clean sources with very few from anywhere else. Try limiting your treats to 1-2 times/week and focus more on lean protein sources, fruits, veggies, whole grains.
2. Increase your veggie intake.
3. Try spreading your calories throughout the day. At 1500 calories, aim for 300-400 calories/meal and the leftover calories would be for your snacks. Doing this will improve your metabolism as well as regulate your blood sugars.
4. Drink plenty of water

In making these little changes over time, I've been able to lose and keep off 30 pounds. I eat anywhere from 1800-2100 calories/day and try to eat as clean as possible... but I do have my treats every now and then so that I never feel deprived. When I was eating 1300 calories and not so careful with what I was feeding my body for fuel, I couldn't lose weight and kept creeping upward instead.

Give it a try and if you need additional guidance, let me know!

Mel

impyimpyaj

Thank you to you both....I had a sneaking suspision that was what the culprit was.
So instead of 1300, bump up to 1500 and see what happens?
I am slowly trying to increase my daily intake.
When I started, it was a struggle just to hit over a thousand!
How long do you think it would take to see results?

If I were you, I'd add 50-100 calories per day, except maybe rest days. Try to get up to the point where your "remaining calories" number is as close to 0 as possible. I don't know how long it will take to see results, because it depends on a lot of factors. Don't freak out if you see a little gain in the beginning, because if what you're eating has a decent amount of sodium in it, you might gain some water weight as you start eating more. Water weight doesn't count.

psuLemon

3. Try spreading your calories throughout the day. At 1500 calories, aim for 300-400 calories/meal and the leftover calories would be for your snacks. Doing this will improve your metabolism as well as regulate your blood sugars.

This is false. Meal frequency and meal timing have ZERO affect on weight loss, only control. So whether you eat all your calories in 1 meal or 10 meals, weight loss is the same. And you can't increase your metabolism unless you are gaining muscle. Weight training can lead to higher calories burned throughout due to the repairing process.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19943985



OP,

If you post your age, height and weight we can figure out your caloric needs (CN). I would suspect around 1800. What I do notice, carbs tend to be a little high and protein a bit low. Also, if you want to see more results, replace some of the cardio with HEAVY weight training where you fail around 8-12 reps. Weight training is much better for cutting body fat, which is where you will see the bigger loses in dress/pant sizes and increased definition.

VryIrishGirl76

217.8
5-6
35, almost 36.

VryIrishGirl76

Also, I know I need to add weights, just have not done so yet.

velsbree

Question how hard are you working out? you should not be able to speak a complete sentence. Many people clock hours at the gym but the energy they are putting in is minimal. When I have not eaten right I do not use the same amount of energy on my workout. Try a trainer even for 2 sessions to help you.

VryIrishGirl76

To put it not so delicately, I bust my *kitten*.
Usually keep my heart rate between 128-150.
Interval hills are my torture of choice on the elliptical.
:happy:

psuLemon

Based on your stats, I would have you eat 1900 calories a day. I would NOT eat back exercise calories as I have included that in your TDEE calculation. If you still dont' lose, add another 200 lbs as I am on the conservative side. Additionally, aim to get 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fat.

Also, when you do weight training, that is where you will see the greatest losses. Weight loss isn't everything, if you maintain lean body mass and cut fat, you will "lose weight" slower, but you won't adversely effect your metabolism and you will cut inches faster. And would you rather be 165 @ a size 10 or 170 at a size 8? What do people notice more, weight loss or fat loss? Below is another person I worked with. I had her do ST 4 days a week and NO cardio. She ate 2100 calories on workout days, and 1800 calories on non workout days. She is 5'5" and 36 years old. Below is her response 12 weeks later.

"I just wanted to thank you for your help. You helped me a few months back and I just wanted to give you an update on my progress. 12 weeks ago I started at 154 and 28% bf. I got my bf remeasured last Friday and it was 24%. But I only lost 1 pound. It is crazy to me but I have learned to ignore the scale. You were right that keeping consistent and not giving up my body would finally adjust.

Thanks again for your help!

Stephanie"




http://www.metaboliceffect.com/topic/38-nutrition-lifestyle.aspx

wackyfunster

Try what psulemon said.

Weights will get much better results than cardio with less time invested unless you have over 10 hrs/week to work out, in general. Your first 3 hours should be weights (3 days/week). Cardio after that.

Just my 2c

VryIrishGirl76

Thank you.
I do plan on adding weight training when I get beck from vacation.