i'm stuck! :( help!

livelifenow91

So, i'm stuck between 171 and 172... it's so frustrating...been there for about 3 weeks (if you don't count the 4 days i was sick where i gained two pounds and then lost them again). i know i eat some sweet snacky foods, but not THAT often, one or two a day..but they're low cal so i figured it'd be okay. I'm ALMOST always under my calorie goal by about 300-500 (i eat the 1200 recommended, but then exercise for the deficit). right now i'm doing 30 Day Shred every day (on level 3 starting today). I'm doing the couch to 5k program 3 times a week, and the hundredpushups.com program the other three days a week. sunday i take a rest and only do 30DS. I also am doing a squat challenge...started with 10 squats and add 5 every day. sometimes i do some extra weight lifting at the gym (i try to do 3 times a week, but with school/work that doesn't always happen).
So...with all this...why can't i lose any weight? will it come off eventually with this? Am i expecting results too soon? i'm so confused!
help please

Starbuck2020

Hmm. I would try eating more for about a week. I was working out like crazy and people told me to eat more and it worked. Who would have thought? Also, I would try not eating those type of snacks for a week as well. Let your body focus on the only the good for awhile and see how you feel.

Pedal_Pusher

stop eating the sweet, snacky foods. No, seriously............

livelifenow91

i know... i'm working on limiting that.. one to two a day of very small portions is a big change from what it used to be, and i know that if i stop altogether i'll crave it for days and then i'll binge...so i'm going slow on that..

lep_623

My boss used to be a personal trainer and she said that someone should only weight every 2 weeks to a month... I can't do it, but I am sure it would help... and that your body is adjusting by building muscle... muscle weighs more than fat so keep at it and give it a little bit of time, like maybe when you finish 30 DS... also maybe measure yourself, you may have lost inches just not weight... I did that stayed between 309-311 for 3 weeks and then measured and had lost 3 inches all over You can go it just be patient and dont give up!!

livelifenow91

My boss used to be a personal trainer and she said that someone should only weight every 2 weeks to a month... I can't do it, but I am sure it would help... and that your body is adjusting by building muscle... muscle weighs more than fat so keep at it and give it a little bit of time, like maybe when you finish 30 DS... also maybe measure yourself, you may have lost inches just not weight... I did that stayed between 309-311 for 3 weeks and then measured and had lost 3 inches all over You can go it just be patient and dont give up!!

Thank you so much! i appreciate your thoughts a lot. i usually have my official weigh-in/measurements on sundays...maybe i'll have lost some? we'll see

MThurs

Hmm. I would try eating more for about a week. I was working out like crazy and people told me to eat more and it worked. Who would have thought? Also, I would try not eating those type of snacks for a week as well. Let your body focus on the only the good for awhile and see how you feel.

I definitely agree! I've been using MFP for a quite a while now and notice that "shorting" the daily calorie allowance (even the earned from burned cals) doesn't work. When you filled out your initial questionnaire for MFP it asked what your "goal" weight loss was and figured your calories to hit that goal - so eating what is suggested is the amount that will get you there - so eat them - even the earned from burned ones.

Also, keep your eyes lightly on the numbers - a reference only and not the main focus for "I'm winning" or "I'm losing". Focus always on what you're doing right and take your "Atta Girls" from that. Running, Squats, Push ups, Clean Eating - those changes are the MAIN goal. They produce a healthier life and overall healthier quality of that life.

You're doing GREAT - keep going FORWARD!!

livelifenow91

Thanks...the probelm with eating more is that I'm always full...like I eat enough that I'm satisfied...should I be making myself eat more or eat higher calorie things (like peanut butter)?

fieldeffect

My boss used to be a personal trainer and she said that someone should only weight every 2 weeks to a month... I can't do it, but I am sure it would help... and that your body is adjusting by building muscle... muscle weighs more than fat so keep at it and give it a little bit of time, like maybe when you finish 30 DS... also maybe measure yourself, you may have lost inches just not weight... I did that stayed between 309-311 for 3 weeks and then measured and had lost 3 inches all over You can go it just be patient and dont give up!!

I'm finding that the opposite approach (weighing every day) and graphing the data helps me a lot. The reason for only weighing once a week is so you don't get demoralised by fluctuations, but I find that seeing all the daily data on a graph does two things for me:

- Helps me never get demoralised about weight gain, because with daily readings over time you start to see a clear trend line (so if I go up a lot, I can see visually that it is so far outside my trend that I can be confident it will only be temporary)

- Prevents scares... Let me put this to you... Your trainer says only get weighed once a week because your weight can fluctuate a lot.. So what if your one weekly weigh in happens on a day where you have fluctuated a long way up? You'll now be demoralised for the whole next week because you feel like a failure, when in fact you probably dipped down again the next day.

I'm not an expert in this by any means, just experimenting with logic and psychology I have a nicely formatted Excel spreadsheet template if anyone is interested

fitQueenbeast

... muscle weighs more than fat so keep at it and give it a little bit of time

Ummmm muscle does not weigh more than fat. They both weigh the same. One is just denser than the other. A pound of fat is the same as a pound of muscle.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/busting-the-muscle-weighs-more-than-fat-myth.aspx

This link shows an actual picture of fat versus muscle and they both weight the same. Clearly the fat is bigger, yet they still weigh the same. It's all about density.

http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

These are just several of many articles backing this statement up. Pay close attention to the recommendation to "throw out the scale", too.

fieldeffect

Thanks...the probelm with eating more is that I'm always full...like I eat enough that I'm satisfied...should I be making myself eat more or eat higher calorie things (like peanut butter)?

How about taking in your extra calories straight before you exercise? That also has the benefit of giving you more energy for your workout. I find that if I have a banana before I go to the gym it makes my cardio work ever so much easier.

I know how you feel though... When you feel like you don't need to eat more, it feels like it would be silly to do so. The way it was explained to me recently was that below some level you will not benefit from reduced calories because your body will conserve and you'll just feel tired, above the magic level you will start to gain weight, but right AT the level you will be losing at a good weight and also properly fuelled, and being properly fuelled will make your workout more effective.

That sounded like I know what I'm talking about didn't it?

kuntry_navy

Go without the sweet snacky foods and some of(if any) processed foods for say 4 days. You still may not drop any. Then treat yourself to some of those sweets, etc. You may gain a pound or two, but don't sweat it. A quick fast and then insulin re-boot, may get you dropping again. Don't count out that you're gaining muscle either though. Like they say, slow and steady wins the race

fieldeffect

... muscle weighs more than fat so keep at it and give it a little bit of time

Ummmm muscle does not weigh more than fat. They both weigh the same. One is just denser than the other. A pound of fat is the same as a pound of muscle.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/busting-the-muscle-weighs-more-than-fat-myth.aspx

This link shows an actual picture of fat versus muscle and they both weight the same. Clearly the fat is bigger, yet they still weigh the same. It's all about density.

http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com/muscle-to-fat.html

These are just several of many articles backing this statement up. Pay close attention to the recommendation to "throw out the scale", too.

There should be party poppers that go off at the point where every thread turns into a discussion about muscle weighing more than fat

My personal opinion on throwing out the scales is that they are useful while they are a motivator (I.e. when they are the primary way that you can see that you are succeeding), and then maybe a hindrance once you start to have to worry about smaller changes closer to your target weight. I find it crazy how many people on here are obsessing about how they need the scale to say they are 5 lbs lighter... That's so small as to be a rounding error for me

Maybe a good idea is to get mechanical scales that make it hard to see small changes - if you can't detect the tiny change in where the needle is then it probably doesn't matter

724a

First: Your weight loss ticker shows you 1/3 toward your goal. That's great! Congratulations!

I weigh myself every day, at the same time and with the same scale on the same floor. I expect some fluctuations but by keeping the time of day and the scale [about] the same I'm reducing fluctuations we experience throughout the day. That is, weighing yourself in the morning before breakfast and mid-afternoon are two different places in your normal changes for the day. Be consistent. I like daily numbers because it gives me regular feedback but everyone is different.

As for a plateau, I run into them now and then. I'm currently on one for the past week. It's natural. See if you can reduce the treats a little more without feeling you will reach the point where you'll binge. I've been there; totally banning something can backfire. It's more psychological than physical but it is still real. If you know eliminating them will lead to a binge then don't push that button too hard. But, maybe, reduce them by 1 to see if that helps. Everyone is different so it's trial and error.

I like kuntry_navy's suggestion too. Eliminate the treats completely for a few days to see if that helps. Or maybe only have 1 treat per day. If you know it isn't permanent it might not be so stressful.

believe22

Ive been stuck for like 9 months, so I know how you feel. Try upping your calories for a few days then go back to your normal (and by upping, I mean like 100/200 more a day, dont go crazy) see if that doesnt help.

LaDonnaLoves

Help, I'm Stuck!

It was really helpful knowing I'm not the only one who feels this way!

NdBuk

... muscle weighs more than fat so keep at it and give it a little bit of time

Ummmm muscle does not weigh more than fat. They both weigh the same. One is just denser than the other. A pound of fat is the same as a pound of muscle.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/busting-the-muscle-weighs-more-than-fat-myth.aspx

This link shows an actual picture of fat versus muscle and they both weight the same. Clearly the fat is bigger, yet they still weigh the same. It's all about density.

Err, yeah. so what you're saying there is muscle weighs more than fat. It's more dense. It has a higher mass to volume ratio. it is heavier. It weighs more.

Yes, I agree that a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Strangely, it also weighs the same as a pound of bricks, a pound of feathers, a pound of gold and a pound of sherbert. Unfortunately that argument is about as useful as saying gold costs the same as potatoes because $50 of potatoes costs the same as $50 of gold.

Take a piece of muscle and a piece of fat OF THE SAME SIZE / VOLUME, the muscle would be heavier.
The whole point of this statement is for people to understand that they should measure as well as weigh because the scales don't tell the full story. You can loose fat and build muscle ending up at exactly the same weight, but you will be slimmer because the volume of the muscle you have built is less than the volume of fat you have lost.

I wouldn't throw away the scale though. That's like walking round with only your left eye open, suddenly realising you have a right eye too, then closing the left and opening the right. you still only have one eye open.

Just remember that the scale isn't the be all and end all. It's one piece of information as to your fitness and health and should be taken in context along with the other information you have to hand (such as measurements, and any other running / lifting / general fitness goals / stats you have)

Doesn't really help the OP much. I just got wound up by the 'it doesn't weigh more, it's just denser' comment. [/rant}


Edit - Sorry FieldEffect - Not been round here enough to realise this is a regular war - just got dragged in. I'll crawl back under my rock ready for the ensuing storm. I guess this is a bit like CD / Vinyl on DJ forums or Mac / PC on the techie boards..

eileenchristine

I was doing the 1200 or less a day. Now am eating round 1400 to 1600. Feel so much better and I am losing just as much weight! Go figure. If you posted your diary might help people give you ideas on where you are straying? You sound very active. Eat more of the healthy stuff and drink drink drink !

Let us know how you do!