Someone give me a kick up the bum!

bexxxster

I've been on mfp for over 110 days now (in a row, yay me lol!) but have been trying to lose weight since I think about Feb this year. I've only lost 18lbs in all this time, so thats about 2lb a month. Which isn't bad I know IF I was aiming for 1/2lb a week, but most of that I lost before I joined mfp, i've actually only lost about 4lbs in the nearly 4 months i've been using the site, and it came off in one go after 3 months of nothing!
I've been slacking the last few weeks since nothing was coming off. Not seeing any changes for months at a time is really taking its toll on my motivation.
I stopped logging my food as i thought it would help me because when I see I haven't got many calories left for the day I panic which leads to me having a binge. And to be fair is has actually worked i've been eating fine, still eating a lot of veg and fruit etc and no panics!
I've practically stopped exercising now, as the exercising I was doing still wasn't helping make a difference. I've tried lots of walking, 'hard' exercising like rowing machine, bike and elliptical machine at the gym I go to and 'soft' exercising like step aerobics and using my wii fit at home. I've tried exercising by dancing, zumba and other things as well.
I've tried exercising more, exercising less, not exercising at all, upping my calories, lowering my calories... not even sure what my next plan could really be.
Whenever I've eaten more than 1200 calories (no matter how much i've exercised) I always maintain, even if its only 1300 Even if I have a really bad week and I binge on chocolate and burgers and whatever else for days for a week or more I just maintain. If I eat 1200 I only lose a few lbs every few months IF i'm lucky. I have tried upping my calories to alot more, not exactly sure of the amount i'm pretty sure i've tried 1300, 1400, 1500 calories but still nothing.
I'm 22, I weigh about 171 (was about 188 when I first started at the beginning of the year), i'm 5ft 2. I'm about to make my food diary public but October the 26th was the last time I logged so you'll have to go back to then to see.

Just really need some advice right now Hope this all makes sense!

lauren3101

Ok, I looked through about 5 days of logging and then stopped - you aren't eating anything! You didn't hit even 1000 cals on any of the days.

Read this :

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Find out your TDEE and start off eating 20 % below that.

Also, your exercise - it's all cardio.

Calories to lose weight
Cardio for fitness
Strength to look good

Is pretty much how it is. I would stop doing so much cardio, grab some weights and look up some strength training moves, or pick up 30 day shred. You should be prepared for a weight gain at first but you will love the look of your body a lot more.

bexxxster

Ok, I looked through about 5 days of logging and then stopped - you aren't eating anything! You didn't hit even 1000 cals on any of the days.

Read this :

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Find out your TDEE and start off eating 20 % below that.

Also, your exercise - it's all cardio.

Calories to lose weight
Cardio for fitness
Strength to look good

Is pretty much how it is. I would stop doing so much cardio, grab some weights and look up some strength training moves, or pick up 30 day shred. You should be prepared for a weight gain at first but you will love the look of your body a lot more.

Oops forgot to mention I went to a phase where I didn't log properly before I stopped logging completely! I honestly do not eat that little I wouldn't be able to cope lol! I also forgot to mention that I tried a little experiment for a week or two where I stopped logging fruit and veg!
I'm a little scared at doing strength exercises as I don't want to end up all muscle lol! Although all the walking and cardio I have done has toned by my legs so well. Wish the same could be said for the rest of my body lol. Thanks for the link, about to pick up my son from school so will have a look when I get back

lauren3101

Ok, I looked through about 5 days of logging and then stopped - you aren't eating anything! You didn't hit even 1000 cals on any of the days.

Read this :

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Find out your TDEE and start off eating 20 % below that.

Also, your exercise - it's all cardio.

Calories to lose weight
Cardio for fitness
Strength to look good

Is pretty much how it is. I would stop doing so much cardio, grab some weights and look up some strength training moves, or pick up 30 day shred. You should be prepared for a weight gain at first but you will love the look of your body a lot more.

Oops forgot to mention I went to a phase where I didn't log properly before I stopped logging completely! I honestly do not eat that little I wouldn't be able to cope lol! I also forgot to mention that I tried a little experiment for a week or two where I stopped logging fruit and veg!
I'm a little scared at doing strength exercises as I don't want to end up all muscle lol! Although all the walking and cardio I have done has toned by my legs so well. Wish the same could be said for the rest of my body lol. Thanks for the link, about to pick up my son from school so will have a look when I get back

Phew, that's a relief!

The link is still a good place to start, you may find that even at 1200 cals it's not enough for you.

It's a common misconception that women turn into the hulk once they start weight training - I thought it at first too.
Here's another couple of links you should read; it explains why we should lift weights and why we won't get bulky. It convinced me to start weight training and I'm actually starting to get quite happy with my body:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/girls-get-your-guns-why-women-should-lift-weights.html

http://www.zest.co.uk/gym/add-dumbbells-to-your-workout-routine/2180.html

http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/women-running-into-trouble/


And sorry to ply you with links, but you should read this ladies success story, it's the one I found the most motivational so I have bookmarked it. Look more importantly at the comparison pictures of her at the same weight - only one with weights and one without. That should give you an idea of the importance of strength training.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/752778-how-wrong-i-was-600-days-of-mfp-lotsa-pics

kenazfehu

Resistance/strength training is really important for keeping your metabolism up, and you won't bulk up with too much muscle. I doubt you have the testosterone for that.

It sounds like you've been trying this, that, and the other thing in rapid rotation, but that can work against you. I think it's very important to choose a plan and keep at it for at least a month or two, even through times when you're not losing much. It can take the body a long time to adjust to new routines. One of the first things that happened when I started eating less was that I got constipated to the extreme and gained weight. Then that started to improve a little bit at a time, and I started to lose a little. I think my digestive system is functioning pretty normally now. I try to weigh only once per month, so I'm not sure where I am with the weight loss, but I think it's more important to focus on my eating and exercise habits than on what the scales is doing.

Good luck!