Genuinely stuck and need solid advice, please.

lozzieemay

To cut a long story short.. I have 80lbs to lose, and none of those are vanity pounds, I just am 80lbs overweight and obese. I chose to do it the healthy way & count calories and exercise, and to forget about any faddy diets promising fast results, cause I've yoyo-ed with my weight too many times before and I want to lose this weight but most importantly for it to STAY off.

I started counting calories Monday just gone, and stuck to 1250 a day. I did exercise on the Monday, a jillian michaels body revolution DVD for 30 minutes and burned 346 calories (tracked with a polar HRM, but didn't exercise on the Tuesday or Wednesday..

Well yesterday morning I decided to pop on the scales and see how I was doing, and figured that with 80lbs to lose it should come off fairly quickly.. I hadn't lost anything. Not even a fraction of a pound and actually felt more bloated and heavy.

That ended up disheartening me & I gave up and ate rubbish yesterday evening.

I just feel like I must be doing something wrong? I've cut out starchy carbs like bread, pasta and rice for a while, and also potatoes. The foods I consume within my calorie limit are:

Sugar free low cal squash
Water
Skimmed milk
Eggs
Grilled lean chicken breast
Philidelphia light garlic & herb
Birds eye frozen steamed mixed veggies
Muller lights
Weetabix oaty bars
Baked crisps
Bernard Matthews wafer thin ham
Low low cheese
Cereals - weetabix, Cheerios, shredded wheat
Options 40 cal hot chocolates

What am I doing wrong?

leska1216

Not eating enough.

TavistockToad

where is the fruit and veg on that list?!

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I think cutting out all the food you like is a mistake. Some people do it that way but personally I find that I'm less likely to give up if I don't go super hardcore all at once. Also if you open your diary we can help you more.

But mainly I just want to tell you to be patient. I know it's hard, especially when you feel like you 're working so hard at it, but this is going to take some time. Change small things that you can stick with forever, and see this as a permanent change you're making. If you can't see yourself never eating bread again, then don't cut it out because you'll just feel deprived. Instead try eating smaller portions and then start to swap out healthier foods. I switched from white bread and pasta to whole wheat and mostly from white potatoes to sweet potatoes (but I still have the white ones as a treat sometimes)-- these changes don't feel so drastic and make it easier not to fall off the wagon.

If not seeing a change on the scale is going to make you give up then put the scale away at first and use a measuring tape to track your progress. Just get on the scale every two weeks, or every month. Pay attention to the way your clothes fit. Try to set reasonable expectations. Good luck :flowerforyou:

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

where is the fruit and veg on that list?!

She's got squash and mixed veggies on there.

Chadomaniac

it takes time to lose weight have PATIENCE!

sannsk

In only 3 days, you can't expect to lose a lot of weight. You need to have a little more patience, girl :flowerforyou: Keep up the routine that you do now, maybe eat a litle bit more, drink gallons of water a day to flush out toxins and fat, and don't give up because you haven't lost a lot of weight yet. If you stick to the plan, maybe two or three weeks, then you'll see why you need to hold on...

TavistockToad

She's got squash and mixed veggies on there.

the squash is juice you mix with water to drink.... i dont think that counts!

i'm not saying i am perfect with getting my 5 portions a day, but i try.

sannsk

She's got squash and mixed veggies on there.

the squash is juice you mix with water to drink.... i dont think that counts!

i'm not saying i am perfect with getting my 5 portions a day, but i try.

For some people, squash is a sort of pumpkin (although i don't think that wat the OP meant here...)

IronSmasher

2 days

SuperCrsa

With the 30 day shred I lost ZERO for the first two weeks. Have some patience, give it a month and then look at your results. Measurements too.

finding_sammi

i've got about same to lose as you but mfp gives me 1870 cals daily so dont understand why your allowance is so low?? Maybe I'm missing something...

like_milk

Honestly, it has been less than five days? That's nothing. If you're willing to give up that quickly you'll never succeed. Everyone says it, it's not about diet, it's about forming healthy eating habits for life. If you cannot keep it up in the long run you really will find that you end up 'yo-yo' dieting.

There are a lot of reasons you didn't see the scale change. If you're starting a new fitness regime you will probably be holding more water in your muscles. It could be hormonal. It could be the need for a bowel movement. It could be so many things, but most of all, a few days is not enough time to see real results. Even a few weeks could be too soon to judge, even with a lot of weight to lose! The best thing is to ignore the scale as it's never an excellent way to measure progress anyway.

The best kind of progress to measure is the ones you can really rely on. Making healthy choices is progress you can measure and a positive thing to remember. Fitness level too. Try not to make it just about weight loss.

Like I said at the beginning, if you aren't happy with the changes and find it hard then you will not succeed. I didn't want to put you off but be honest with you. If I could give you some advice I would say, for a little while, ignore the scale and have a much smaller deficit. Don't even think about losing weight just yet. Instead focus on forming some healthy habits you can stick to. It takes a long time to pick up healthy habits and it's unlikely you'll be able to do it all at once. Find problems in your current lifestyle and try to change them, bit by bit, until they become normal, but do it one at a time. That will then give you a really good foundation for weight loss that you'll easily be able to maintain.

And one bad day doesn't have to derail your efforts. Everyone has bad days. Just jump back into it, try to eat better, and get some exercise.

yksdoris

Not eating enough.

pfft.

To the OP: The scale fluctuates. This morning I was 0.8 kg (that's 2 lb) heavier than I was yesterday morning - I did not go over my calorie goal by very much yesterday and anyways, it takes 3500 calories to make one lb of fat. I DEFINITELY didn't go over my calorie goal by that much! So obviously it's not weight I've gained. It's just weight I'm carrying.

Do you have sore muscles from the workout? If yes, you're probably retaining water. It will come off in one big drop in a day or two. Where are you in your menstrual cycle? the females often put on (again, mostly water) weight at certain points of the cycle - when and how much varies per person. For me it's about 2 lb about a week before; that then stays the same for 1,5 weeks. Then drops a LOT in one go.

One tip I would like to give you: if you want to stick with the calorie counting, make sure you're not hungry. It can be done with staying at a fairly low goal. You can eat almost endless amount of carrots instead of chips. Or cucumber sticks with pepper and salt (no dip!). You CAN have a physically full stomach and still be under your calorie goals; you just have to figure out which foods to eat and which not. chicken, fish, tomatoes, beans, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cottage cheese and the like are your friends! On the other hand, cereal, bread, potatoes and rice you should be careful about. While they're healthy, and full of "the good stuff" you should watch the quantities of nuts and fruit. They're high in fats and sugar respectively. On the otehr hand, steak is good for you! particularly tenderloin, which has almost no fat and is pure protein. Just imagine: grilled tenderloin with green beans, cauliflower and broccoli: low cal and yum!

Donnarose82

It took time for you to gain this weight it's going to take time and patience for it to come off.

Sarauk2sf

Not eating enough.

So, she has not lost weight since Monday as she has not eaten enough? That makes absolutely no sense.

Sarauk2sf

While you should be eating a decent amount of nutritiously dense food for health reasons, what you are eating is not an issue for weight loss.

Weight loss is not linear - it is masked by water weight fluctuations that can be caused by a bunch of things including monthly cycles, change in macro mix and water retention in muscles due to exercise (very likely in your case).

Weigh yourself no more than once a week but look at the longer term trend.

Also, make sure you accurately weigh, measure and log all your food.

Mads1997

Even with a lot of weight to lose you have to give it more than 3 days to see results. 2 weeks to a month you should see some inches lost or scale weight. Just keep doing what you had been doing.

lozzieemay

She's got squash and mixed veggies on there.

the squash is juice you mix with water to drink.... i dont think that counts!

i'm not saying i am perfect with getting my 5 portions a day, but i try.

I don't like fruit or vegetables, not for lack of trying either as I've force fed myself them previously but just can't seem to get myself to like them.

I do eat some fruit which I forgot to add to the list - bananas, apples.. and I eat frozen veggies.

I also use macro super greens powder, which gives all the vitamins, nutrients and goodness of veggies.

louised88

Honestly, after a week, I wouldn't worry too much! maybe you might be better to weight every two weeks or every month and measure every month as well (I know if I weigh every week I can fluctuate by 2 or 3 lbs and I get very discouraged at even a .5lb gain, so I only weigh once a month, at the same point in my cycle.)

Your food choices seem pretty good, but you could always add more veg, eg I use frozen spinach in scrambled eggs (Birdseye do these, you just throw them in the microwave for 3 mins and then stir them into your eggs.) I also keep ziploc bags full of carrot sticks, cucumber sticks and apple slices in the fridge so I can grab a snack if I'm feeling nibbly.

Even if you can wean yourself off the squash and onto plain water (I often find even sugar free stuff triggers massive carb cravings in me) that would also be a huge step! You could also make soups yourself, Lidl and Aldi do a soup mix with veg and barley, it's really simple and filling, but still low cal! Fish is also great, as is lean red meat (I tend to have spinach with everything, but any fibrous greens are great, filling and healthy.) Or make simple, fresh salads with your fave ingredients, I love baby spinach, roasted red pepper (I roast whole ones, chop them and then reheat as needed), red onion, goats cheese and turkey or chicken.

If you're still feeling discouraged though, why don't you weigh and measure yourself now, plan a menu for four weeks, get out to exercise 3/4 times a week, make sure you get proper sleep and not think about weight or anything like that, and then see how you feel at the end? I bet you'll have lost inches and lbs and just feel so much better. If you haven't lost anything you can pop along to your dr and see if there's any underlying issues, if nothing else, being able to bring along your food and exercise diary can speed up the process (they'll know that you've tried diet and exercise).

louised88

She's got squash and mixed veggies on there.

the squash is juice you mix with water to drink.... i dont think that counts!

i'm not saying i am perfect with getting my 5 portions a day, but i try.

I don't like fruit or vegetables, not for lack of trying either as I've force fed myself them previously but just can't seem to get myself to like them.

I do eat some fruit which I forgot to add to the list - bananas, apples.. and I eat frozen veggies.

I also use macro super greens powder, which gives all the vitamins, nutrients and goodness of veggies.

I just saw this after I posted my reply. You'll get a taste for them! It took me a month or so, to be honest, but now I love them! Especially super fresh ones from farmer's markets. Fruit can be quite high in sugar, so if you can get maybe 3 or 4 of your 5-a-day from vegetables it's probably better, at least from a weight-loss point of view.

AthenaErr

patience - your body is adjusting. After a fortnight see how its worked. You might be eating a wee bit too little but you'll see by how you feel after sticking to it for at least a week, ideally 2.

xSakura

It takes time If you're going to weigh yourself, always do it in the morning, before you've eaten and had a wash etc.. Increase your calorie intake slightly, you may be eating a too little for your height / weight. Try to do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, even if it's just walking

Best of luck, and I agree, it is disheartening.. But don't give up! :flowerforyou:

EvgeniZyntx

While you should be eating a decent amount of nutritiously dense food for health reasons, what you are eating is not an issue for weight loss.

Weight loss is not linear - it is masked by water weight fluctuations that can be caused by a bunch of things including monthly cycles, change in macro mix and water retention in muscles due to exercise (very likely in your case).

Also, make sure you accurately weigh, measure and log all your food.

Quoted for emphasis. Listen to this.

Eat at a small deficit
Exercise for health
Time is your friend.

libbymcbain

I started off with a similar amount of weight to lose as you. I started off eating 1500 cals a day, did well, thought I would drop it to 1300 a day. It became more difficult to do and my weight loss slowed. Back up to 1500 a day and bingo, weight loss speeds up a bit.

Another thing that worked for me was upping my fibre rich foods, so yes fruit and veggies , but also pulses. And I try to eat pretty clean- no processed stuff, artificial sweeteners etc.

I do think that weight loss is down to calorie deficit, and nutrients etc are for health. But I also think that is you are giving your body what it needs nutrient wise you are less likely to be hungry and the process will be easier and more pleasant for you.

Also, be aware of your cycle- it can have a real impact.

Poods71

If you make things too hard for yourself you will never stick to it. Try eating what you normally eat and just make sure potion sizes are ok and replace high fat things with low cal options like cheese, milk etc. I understand that some people don't like fruit and veg and if you just don't like them there is no point trying to force yourself. Maybe once you get further down the line you can try things here and there and you might surprise yourself what you do like.

Log EVERYTHING, there is no point kidding yourself, it just shows on the scales and the waistline. Even if you don't like what you see on there it good to look and see where you are going wrong.

Exercise is good too but don't try to run before you can walk, work it up slowly an it will become a habit and part of your life rather than some chore you force yourself to do.

And most important of all put the scale away for at least 2 weeks maybe even a month and I guarantee when you step on them again you will get a nice surprise.

I don't know if you have friends on here yet but It definitely helps for motivation and accountability.

Feel free to friend me if you like.

Most of all Good Luck! :flowerforyou:

Poods71

Went in to have a wee nosey at your diary and you are definitely not eating enough. When you starve yourself like that your body hangs on to everything because it is being starved. I used to eat 1200 cals but found my weight stalled so I upped to 1400 and started losing again and I am only 5' 2".

sannsk

I advise you to add sat. fat and fibre to your tracking list. You need lots of fibre and as little as possible of sat. fats.

And also, with that amount of calories, you won't last two weeks, let alone the rest of your life. You'll also lose virtually no weight... Up your calories for a week to 1500 and see what happens...

robin52077

i've got about same to lose as you but mfp gives me 1870 cals daily so dont understand why your allowance is so low?? Maybe I'm missing something...

you picked "one pound per week" and she picked "two".
I guess she missed where it said "recommended" next to the 1 lb.
Good for you for reading and doing it smarter.
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OP: change your goal to 1 lb per week, meet your goals, eat veggies, drink water, exercise for strength and endurance, not to "burn calories", and have PATIENCE. You're not "stuck" if you've only been at it 3 days....

Miryana72

Hi, you shouldn't cut out on carbs because you need it for energy but instead choose carbs of low GI value meaning the food is released into your blood stream slowly. Sweet potato is good, whole grains, noodles, basmati rice. You can find a web site which can help you with the low GI choices. Fruits we grew up on like apples, oranges, pears are low GI, banana is med GI, and watermelon is high GI. You really should be getting the 5 foods groups each day with the serving sizes for adults for a healthy diet. Good luck

myofibril

Not eating enough.

She's 80lbs overweight, not 8. Good lord.

The only real advice that can be given is a) give it a few weeks as her body adjusts.

If after say 2-3 weeks there has been no movement then check

b) the accuracy of calorie counting (are you eyeballing or weighing?)
c) the accuracy of your calorie burn (are you over estimating)
d) your measurements