Ready to give up....

mdayishere

Are u drinking regular soda? If so it has alot of empty calories, also try taking a 10 minute walk 2x a day 4-5x a week. U will get more calories from exercise. If u like seafood at all it is fat free and can be your friend! I have salmon lightly covered in olive oil 2x per week and it has made a big differance. Also light yogart and a handful of almonds as a snack is great. Your body is struggling to learn a new way, hang in there and just start w/ little things to begin with. I wish u the best, Marj

BeantownSooner

You might actually want to start from scratch in my opinion. Looking at your food diary while you are staying under your calories the food choices you're making could be better. Many of your meals are snacks. Start looking to have a very balanced meals and I'd suggest changing your Macro nutrient levels: Carbs/Protein/Fats) to something like 40%/40%/40%. You can do this by going back into your Goals but do Custom and change the percentages then save it.

While it really is about calories in vs. calories out, you'll do much better if you start eating whole foods. There were several examples in the last two weeks where you've had 2 cups of Popcorn and a Dr. Pepper or 2 Hard Pretzels and a small bag of Cheetos for Dinner. Another example is the 1/2 Chicken Caesar wrap which looks like an entry from another source. If you're making this yourself actually log the ingredients you put in it b/c only you know what dressing you used, the calories in the wrap, etc. The generic listing, while helpful in a pinch, are often not the same as what you might be consuming so you're calorie in take is off for that food. Also, these types of foods are packed with Sodium so your likely way over.

Take a look at this food listing from Beachbody. It's called Michah's ladder. These are whole foods for you to use to construct your meals as you desire. The higher on the Tier the better it is for you. If you can stay on the top 2 Tiers you'll have near perfect nutrition. I personally stay in the Top 3 whenever possible. Use this as your guide.

http://www.teambeachbody.com/eat-smart/michis-ladder

Here's what I would suggest. For the next week commit to replacing one of your current meals per day with ingredients only from the Top 3 tiers of Michi's Ladder. Use a whole grain carb, lean protein and fruit/veg in each meal. In week two replace another.

Examples:
- Breakfast: 2 eggs, slice of whole wheat toast (little/no butter) and a small fruit; 1% Cottage Cheese is another great option in place of the eggs.
- Snack 1: Have your Fiber One bar
- Lunch: Salad with Protein such as chicken, use lowfat/nonfat dressings and only use the suggested serving, i.e. 2 Tbsp, Add a piece of whole wheat pita bread
- Snack 2: Could do before dinner or save for later; Have your popcorn
- Dinner: 3 - 4 oz Lean Protein (Lean red meat, chicken/turkey, fish, etc.), Sweet potato/whole grain brown rice, 1 cup or 2 of fresh veggies roasted or sauteed in olive oil

apontet

I'm a 50 yr old male that started with this site 7/30/12 by my doctor's recommendation. I'm 60 lbs overweight and have high blood pressure and peaking toward pre-diabetes. My sugar and sodium intake was WAAAY too high which was causing many of my issues. I have a VERY seditary job in an office as a Computer Systems Technical Support Anaylst and I work as much as 50-60 hrs a week. So my exercise time was none. The first week I started I didnt lose a pound. I didnt see much of an improvement the second week either. I found that eating a quick 10 minute lunch at my desk then taking a 50 minute walk around the neighborhood durinig my lunch hour started helping me lose some weight. I wouldnt look at the scale everyday since it was too depressing to not see any improvement or weight loss just by eating less. Now Im almost done with my second week and I weighed myself this morning and I lost 3.5 pounds in about 12 days. I think the loss started my second week but I didnt look at the scale very often so Im not sure when I started dropping the weight. I think from now on I will look at the scale maybe once every 3 days. Well, I hope you stick to it. I have tried many things in the past but since my doctor opened my eyes to my needs I am more focused on getting my health in order. I know each day is another step to my goal. So I encourage you to stick with it no matter long it takes. Every meal and every time you exercise it's another small step to the big goal of a healthy and happy person and fit body. I wish you the best! TA

Molly182

Losing weight is much more about food than exercise. Don't give up yet. You'll be glad you didn't

jml7403

Don't give up! After I turned 59, I decided that there was nothing I could do to turn back the hands of time except to lose weight. I'm not for sure how much I weighed when I started this 'diet', but I approximate around 212 lbs. I do know at one time I was at 220. I started with the Mediterrean Diet, then switched to South Beach to cut down a bit on carbs. About every month, I alternate between South Beach Phase I and II and the Mayo Clinic Diet. I also have read all I can get my hands on about healthy eating and vitamins. I am now down to 166 which I have not weighed since my son was born in 1991. (I lost 30 pounds while I was pregnant and he weighed 10 lbs!!-the weight loss was do to depression and an abusive husband) So you can do it!! What I like about South Beach is that after Phase I, you slowly add carbs-1 or 2 a week while watching your weight closely. If you hit a plateau or start gaining, just cut your servings of carbs down a bit. Sorry for rambling, but I am so passionate about this, and I feel wonderful! If it wasn't for the arthritis in my back, I would feel 30! I have gone from size 18 to 12, and size 2X tops to larges. The only thing is that I spent way too much money shopping. Hang in there! Another trick of mine is that the hardest time for me not to eat is between 6-8 at night. I either leave the house, call my mom, or go in my bedroom and read a book or take a nap during that time now. Good luck!

lynnldt

I just signed up yesterday, and just wanted to say how much this motivation and support board is going to be helpful to me, just by reading other peoples weight and food issues. Turning 60 this year, and weighing more than I ever have in my life, was a wake up call. Hoping by documenting food intake and what I eat, along with exercise and drinking more water will set me on the right track. To" ready to give up."..... keep going, one foot in front of the other, don't ever give up,

smilesalot1969

You really need to swap out a lot of those junk type snacks and replace it with proper food.. Fruit, veg, lean protein and try and add in a couple of snacks rather than just three meals. Also i'd increase your calories and make sure you hit your target every day. I dieted and trained like crazy for 6 weeks before the scale budged and it only started to move once i upped my calories from 1200 to 1400-1500 per day because my intake was too low and im 43

JlenniferL

Don't give up!! I am on a 1500 calories per day. Have not gone over my daily. Limit your soda intake or drink ice tea. I only have a soda if I have 200 calories left over. My hubby @ I weigh out all our foods. I ate out yesterday with the sis in law @ craved a greasy burger @ fries. Settled for a nice chicken salad. Hang in there, it's worth it in the long run. I'm down 9.9 lbs since July 14th.

vbmama2012

Don't give up! It IS frustrating when you don't see movement on the scale, for sure. However, you're 2 weeks into this, and you're finding your way to a healthier means of eating.
I was 205 lbs at age 40, diagnosed Diabetic. I NEVER did any exercise, didn't watch what I was eating, and when the reality hit, I had to make those changes too! I agree with everyone who says you didn't put it on overnight, so don't expect to lose it overnight! It's a slow process, intertwined with "re-learning" habits!
I also work a desk job, and started out doing a casual 1 mile walk every night. I never thought I would get through even that, thought it would kill me. I pushed through, added a mile at a time, within a month or 2 each time, and was up to walking 5K at a fairly brisk pace (completing a walking 5K in 41 minutes, less than a 5 minute walking mile!). Now, I'm up to doing C25K (just finished week 4) and doing Power 90 at home.
It's a huge amount of working out, but I'm also not just starting out.
My point is, stick with it! Don't be a slave to the scale numbers, and genuinely see how you FEEL...how do your clothes feel, how does your overall energy feel? If the clothes start fitting better, if your energy is higher, it DOESN'T MATTER what the scale says...those are more of a testament to your overall health! You got this!!! Keep going!!

DLKeeble

First off, I noticed most days you are not netting the very minimum of 1200 calories. You should watch your sodium intake. You are new and your food choices will change as you go. Your body will want healthier choices the more you have them. Add more fruits and vegetables. Baby steps, and don't give up all your old favorites, just don't have them as often. If you say I can never have that again, you will set yourself up for failure.
Keep logging and use measuring spoons, cups and a food scale if you have one. It is amazing the difference in a 1/4 cup of something and the ounces or grams of the same item. Those differences add up over the course of the day.
DRINK WATER!
Best of luck and don't stop, you will only be cheating yourself. I am 52 btw.

Marie31450

I was just as frustrated as you were. I too had a restricted cubicle job for years and thought my metabolism up and died because the scale refused to move even tho I cut calories! But..don't give up.. The scale for me has finally started to budge after weeks of staying the same. I started to make better food choices like more fruits &veggies , and watched the sodium. I drink water all day and I was never a water drinker..always soda. Also started to hit the gym 4 or 5 times a week ..doing Zumba or treadmill or bike for cardio and then some weight training as well..I also checked out the eat more 2 weigh less group on this site and tried that for a while to reset my metabolism..so hang in there and you will start to see results if not on the scale at first, definitely in the way clothes fit and your overall energy! If you would like to..feel free to add me as a friend.

jlevie313

Don't give up! Try eating healthy foods lots of fruits and veggies because cutting out fast food and soda is hard and its just the 1st step! I know when I started working out and eating right I did not lose lbs but everything was fitting looser so just remember its not always the number on the scale I go by how I feel and how my clothes are fitting! I went through a rough month so I am now back to tight pants! Starting over! Don't give up so you dont have to start over like me

pennyknipprath

Please don't give up!

I know how important it is to see the result on the scale, but it's not the only measure of sucess.

I'm 48 will be 49 next month. I also have a desk job. You can do it.

Watch "Fat Sick and nearly dead". It's a documentry on Netflix very inspiring.

I watched this and fasted for one weekend. Drank fluids only and Odwalla juice the green one looks gross taste great.

This jump started my weight loss, but more importantly helped my stomach get used to eating less food. Sort of shrunk a little.
Then I started eating foods very high in nutrients. Friut, veggies, a small portion of lean protien. I realize I'm a serious carb addict so I cut out most if not all starches, bread, crackers etc..

Small changes make a big difference example 1 cup fresh pinnaple is a lot fewer calories then 1 cup of canned pineapple in it's own juice. The differnce was a shock to me, I only eat fresh now. I gave up mayo on sandwiches use spicey brown mustard only. I like the one with horseradish in it for a kick. Old habbits die hard, but try alternatives you may find in some cases you actually like it better.

Instead of running to Taco Bell at lunch I brought tennis shoes to work and I leave them there. I walk hard for 40 minutes everyday at lunch. Then eat my lunch while I work. Yeah I'm sweaty after , but so what.
Gave up Pepsi drink mostly water or occasionally Crystal light and learned to embrace being a little hungry. Decided if I worked a little harder at work, I think about food less. Win Win!

I have a treadmill at home and walked for 1 hour after work. Then later read something about getting a better workout outside. Walking on a trail that's uneven makes your muscles work differently trying to keep you stable. It's more enjoyable to me and makes the time go faster. The next thing you know I'm walking 2 hours at night. Yes we eat dinner about 7:45 to 8:00 PM but it's worth it.

I feel great! Food cravings were more manageable once I started eating foods high in nutrients. My body craves less because I'm getting what I need.

I have lost 33 lbs in three months. I even have some other issues slowing me down, new high blood pressure meds seems to be slowing weight loss. My mother is in last stage Breast Cancer. I had to go for a week to CA to help my parents as much as possible. I still watched food intake and cleaned and cooked for them the entire time which actually burns calories. I was on my feet the whole time. No internet to access MFP while there.

Life is never easy we can't give up or you may end up like my Mom. Fat increases the chance of Breast Cancer. She is 400 + lbs and has been using a power chair to get around for 10 years. Breast Cancer, Diabetic, Hyertension, Heart Failure at 65. This is what we face if we don't at least try.

Keep trying! Please, you wont' let the fat win, if you keep at it. Sooner or later the scale will show your efforts. !! Pretty Please. :happy:

Absref71

Hi,

2 weeks is nothing, your body doesn't even really know whats going on yet. You have 2 choices here, 1 is to keep trying and at the very worst you will be healthier for it or 2, give up and inevitably regret it.

If I may ask did you "myfitnesspal" do the amounts of carbs proteins and fats for you? I only ask as you have 54% carbs, 30% fat and 15% protein as your goals

I have had a look through your diary and can see a few key things you may want to watch out for and try.

Breakfast: Your breakfast is not very healthy. Instead of having your cheese stick and fiber bar how about trying a bowl of oatmeal. You will have more energy throughout the day and will feel fuller as well.

Lunch: Ok now how important is this dr pepper to you? Fizzy soda drinks alone are a huuuuuge glass of sugar, cut this out and not only will you start seeing results but you will again have more energy and less cravings for sweets. (briefly explained: the sugar causes a spike in your insulin levels but once you insulin levels drop quickly they will drop below normal and cause you to crave sugar again, a very crappy never ending cycle)

Your other lunches like the wraps and such are very good, well done, ill be using a few myself.

Snacks: Ah I see you like your crisps... yeah... not good... but there is an alternative, not great but better, give some wholewheat nacho chips a go taste good and the saturated fats are much lower.


Im not gonna lie, getting into shape is not always easy and requires dedication but damn does it feel good to look in that mirror and see some abs starting to make an appearance!!

Now get out there, go for a walk, a jog, the gym, squash, swim, tennis, hell kayak if you like it, keep at it and dont give up. When getting fit we all screw up, we all have a few bad meals but the important thing is to get back on track as soon as possible.

If you need any advice feel free to ask any time

trixiemou

Dont give up treat yourfirst two weeks as l learning curve. Take a look at your diary and see what you thnk you can improve on.

I am 52 and have been doing this now for six weeks, seven coming up. My weight has come off then gone back on. I must admit it was four weeks later when I looked back over my diary and thought Ok I am now going to have two weeks of seriousely behaving myself and see if it makes a difference. On the positive side I have lost four pounds so far so it is coming off........slowly.....which is better for you.

Good Luck