What's the point?

loubeth22

I've been dieting, exercising, and staying within recommended calories for near 5 months now. I stopped losing anything months ago and eventually came to this site because of all the support and the weight/measurement trackers. Today I weighed in at exactly the same weight I hit 3 months ago. I lose a tiny bit, I gain it back, I lose it again, and back it comes. I've upped my cals. I've dropped my sodium. I've added different/changed my exercise. What is the point of putting in all this effort only to stagnate at the same weight, the same measurements? Why does nothing I do matter? All I wanted in march when I started this was to slim down to fit a certain pretty dress I own by October. In march I needed to lose a total of 10 cm or about 4 inches. 5 months of hard work and determination and I need to lose 10 cm. I am no closer for all the tracking and effort. Why won't the fat just go away?

ElyseL1

do you work out? i was looking at your diary and it looks pretty ok.

tabulator32

walk five miles a day and come back in a month.

xoMeaghan

If it's fat you're just thinking of losing - try upping the cardio, and upping the weights! Muscle burns a LOT of fat so push yourself to the extreme(I mean till you feel your muscles burning) with weights. I used to only life 5 lbs til someone told me to try 15lbs, did squats and could barely hit 8(needed to go to 12 but did it!) I hope this helps !

Edit - I just viewed your journal. Don't forget to eat small meals(5 a day), snacking in between with veggies and fruits. And drink your water!

megkatze

Have you tried a different style of dieting? Maybe a low carb diet? With more fat and protein? Alternately, have you talked to your doctor at all? There are a lot of things that can affect weight loss medically, too.

ecrim

I'm sorry you're feeling so frustrated. That is one of my fears... that I will work hard and not see results.

I did take a peak at your diary and weight, and it seems like maybe you are eating too many calories. I weight almost 50 pounds more than you and it suggested that I eat about 1400 calories per day. If eating less than you are now seems unrealistic, maybe slip in a couple of lower calorie days in a couple of days every week.

Heather_Rider

STOP drinking your calories! You need to move a MINIMUM of 30 minutes to an hour a day. Your diet is okay, but could be better! From what i can tell, it looks as if you are not totally dedicated.

Heavy cream and a 500 calorie coffee? Thats just not a log that says "i want to lose weight".

DanaDark

You also need more protein... averaging 15% a day of your diet... you should up that to 25%.

iWaffle

Heavy cream and a 500 calorie coffee? Thats just not a log that says "i want to lose weight".

Feet to the fire. That's the gospel truth though isn't it? If you're serious about losing the weight, not just sort of want to but really serious, then you can lose the weight.

How bad do you want it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ

rschmmidt

what's the iced coffee drink? That packs a whallop of cals & fat.

I must say, my story is quite like yours. I tried upping my calories and that was a big mistake - I gained, and it was all real weight, because it is still there. I don't think upping calories works for everyone.

I have recently started significantly increasing my protein and lowering my carbs, recommended by a friend. If you haven't tried that yet, you might give it a try. Wish I had more to offer. I just wanted to empathize with you and say good luck!

lolasky

Crossfit!!! Crossfit works, its the greatest workout ever!! HIT with cardio and weights inculded! You cant go wrong...Loosing weight is all about diet and exercise, can't do one without the other I lost 70lbs about 4 years ago and have kept it off by doing just that you can do it, dont lose faith

ocukor1

In order to work for a long period of time, your diet has to be the lifestyle. I don't want to judge you but there is something that you must be doing wrong, and it could be a simple fix. A lot of people here say that this diet or that diet doesn't work for them, they've tried everything, they exercise their butts off and nothing helps. They are missing a point. My wife has been over weight since she was a young teenager, she was saying the same things, I has to walk on the egg shells to avoid hurting her feelings about eating this or not eating that until I finally got her to understand how the human body works and how to avoid pitfalls, and since then she lost over 50 pounds, with still a lot more to go, but very excited about seeing herself some time from now, thin, healthier and happier. And she did that all by herself, she doesnt even exercise. We have found the healthy alternatives for every type of food, and what used to be her drug of choice - cakes and sugar, is not anymore. She has developed an amazing discipline, and I believe it is a life style that is here to stay. That's what I'm trying to point out here. You need to adjust your diet and find the healthier alternatives in the things you like. All the exercise in the world is not going to matter if you don't get a good grasp on how food and nutrition works. Again, I am not judging you, I am just trying to point out what I believe to be important thing to keep in mind.

krazyforyou

Please dont give up. Lower your carbs, making them only from veggies and dairy. Up your protein and get out and move. Try walking . Start at 1 mile and up it each week till your doing 5 miles daily, doesnt have to be only one walk. Then see how you are doing. Let me know and feel free to add me if you like.

dougii

Heavy cream and a 500 calorie coffee? Thats just not a log that says "i want to lose weight".

And then there is the candy. Stop eating back your exercise calories and give up all of the sweets. Veggies and fruits in; candy and heavy cream coffee out. Increase the calories from exercise to 500+ a day and don't eat them back. Just my 2 cents but I agree with the poster that said if you really want this you will find a way......

blair_bear

walk five miles a day and come back in a month.

Like Jarrod the Subway Guy!!

tajour

One more thing I'd suggest: Spend the next week and carefully MEASURE everything. I tend to get sloppy about my portion sizes over time. My husband laughs at me, but about every two weeks, I'll get out the scale, zero out my cereal bowl, and WEIGH my shredded wheat just to make sure I'm still eyeballing it correctly. And believe me, I ALWAYS weigh my meat portions at dinner and any sauces I add are carefully measured.

Yes, it's a pain. But it might help.

AJ_Pete

You totally have the right attitude.:noway:

Maybe you don't want this enough... but you don't have the best diary. Play with your calorie intake, change your type of exercise, MIX THINGS UP. And change your mindset most importantly!!!!

NO MORE sugary, fatty crap until you can get things under control. Try your hand at eating mostly clean.... it REALLY helped me.

Katbaran

Ok, everyone had good suggestions of things to try and tinker with to get you losing. I peeked at your diary and my comment is that you are eating a LOT of processed food. Now I'm not a totally clean eater, but I do try to eat mostly fresh food. I do eat bread, pasta and rice once in a while, but in small quantities. I hope I don't sound preachy, because that is not at all how I sound in my head! Take some of these suggestions the nice folks made and run with them--one or two at a time! You'll drive yourself nuts trying to do it all at once and some things will conflict with others.

Good luck!

rjt1000

I've been dieting, exercising, and staying within recommended calories for near 5 months now. I stopped losing anything months ago and eventually came to this site because of all the support and the weight/measurement trackers. Today I weighed in at exactly the same weight I hit 3 months ago. I lose a tiny bit, I gain it back, I lose it again, and back it comes. I've upped my cals. I've dropped my sodium. I've added different/changed my exercise. What is the point of putting in all this effort only to stagnate at the same weight, the same measurements? Why does nothing I do matter? All I wanted in march when I started this was to slim down to fit a certain pretty dress I own by October. In march I needed to lose a total of 10 cm or about 4 inches. 5 months of hard work and determination and I need to lose 10 cm. I am no closer for all the tracking and effort. Why won't the fat just go away?

Seriously, your eating habits suck. It's all junk. And your calorie goal is high. I'm male, 5'8" and weighed 195 when I started. My calorie goal was 1400. Yours is something like 1700. Eat real food, not coffee with cream, and packaged junk like Snickers bars. You don't lose weight by TRACKING calories. You lose weight by not eating calories and by burning calories.

celieber

The answer to weight loss is simple... eat less. It sounds stupid, but it is true. All this stuff about exercise is great; exercise is good for you, but if we're talking weight loss here, it starts in the kitchen. I found that sometimes I had to come in under the target cals to make something happen. If you really want it, TAKE IT!

katydid25

I'd eat more fruits and veggies and less packaged foods. Stick to the outside of the grocery store. Drink more water and less sugary, calorie filled drinks.

How do you figure your calorie burn? I'd suggest getting a HRM if you don't already have one and watch your heartrate. You also seem to be putting a lot of time into working out, but could achieve the same calorie burn by upping the intensity.

Just my opinion.

kitmao

Try something different and do a low carb diet (as suggested above). Try dropping your carbs to between 50-100 grams, bringing your protein up and filling in the rest with healthy fats (no vegetable oils).

MissFit0101

Oy I'm surprised at all these responses. I have a question for you. When you log your food, are you finding something similar in the database and logging it or are you making your own recipes?

MissFit0101

I've been dieting, exercising, and staying within recommended calories for near 5 months now. I stopped losing anything months ago and eventually came to this site because of all the support and the weight/measurement trackers. Today I weighed in at exactly the same weight I hit 3 months ago. I lose a tiny bit, I gain it back, I lose it again, and back it comes. I've upped my cals. I've dropped my sodium. I've added different/changed my exercise. What is the point of putting in all this effort only to stagnate at the same weight, the same measurements? Why does nothing I do matter? All I wanted in march when I started this was to slim down to fit a certain pretty dress I own by October. In march I needed to lose a total of 10 cm or about 4 inches. 5 months of hard work and determination and I need to lose 10 cm. I am no closer for all the tracking and effort. Why won't the fat just go away?

Seriously, your eating habits suck. It's all junk. And your calorie goal is high. I'm male, 5'8" and weighed 195 when I started. My calorie goal was 1400. Yours is something like 1700. Eat real food, not coffee with cream, and packaged junk like Snickers bars. You don't lose weight by TRACKING calories. You lose weight by not eating calories and by burning calories.

Um if you knew any math you would realize the 1700 was AFTER exercise calories were added in.. not NET!

Goal_Line

Are you confident the estimate of calories burned in exercise is correct. 4 weeks ago I changed my work out - weight loss stalled. I turns out the estimate go calories burned in my new lift program was high.

andreanicole686

Being honest your diet looks like crap. Get rid of the coffee that is INSANE! Make your own coffee and get a light creamer. Which will be only 15-30 calories instead of 500. Eat protein with complex carbs in the morning. You need to eat a bigger breakfast!!! Try egg whites with veggies and wheat toast or an english muffin.

Your lunch needs more protein, veggies with a complex carb and dinner should have protein and more veggies,

Also you need healthier snacks. Your not losing weight because your not eating enough and your also eating crappy foods. If you want something sweet or salty try having a refuel meal once a week.

33neenaj

UP your calories to 1800

Melanie_RS

ouch, you have to give up the high calorie coffee every morning! and no more heavy cream or snickers!
seriously? snickers every day?


where's the veggies???
where's the basic foods?

skip foods from a package that need to be microwaved.

then, up the cardio to serious sweating action and there's no way you won't see results. your diary needs a major overhaul though.

loubeth22

I was on lower cals very little fat just before I joind MFP. 4 weeks and I lost muscle mass and gained fat so I took some advice from a fitness buddy who told me to drink full fat iced coffee over an entire day as I needed fats and that was the easiest way to add them in. I'm off the coffee as of tomorrow and I'm going to drop the cals down to 1400 as suggested.

I have been really upset about this all week. I've had no chocolates for 2 months and then my partner decided to buy a whole load of them. Comfort food at its best. He's taken the last of them to work today so they're out for now.

Don't eat the exercise calories? I read over and over to eat at least half of them.

33neenaj

Being honest your diet looks like crap. Get rid of the coffee that is INSANE! Make your own coffee and get a light creamer. Which will be only 15-30 calories instead of 500. Eat protein with complex carbs in the morning. You need to eat a bigger breakfast!!! Try egg whites with veggies and wheat toast or an english muffin.

Your lunch needs more protein, veggies with a complex carb and dinner should have protein and more veggies,

Also you need healthier snacks. Your not losing weight because your not eating enough and your also eating crappy foods. If you want something sweet or salty try having a refuel meal once a week.

You have a KFC biscuit in your diary and you have the nerve to judge someone else's diary lmao

33neenaj

OP eat what you want...UP your calories a bit and just make sure whatever you're eating stays within your caloric goals!