exercising more, eating better, getting bigger. :(

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LiviLouLou
LiviLouLou Posts: 15
in Motivation and Support
Hi everyone, (The photo sees to have come up huuuge...hopefully this will work? http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2hqy03r&s=6 )

So I posted a topic yesterday about how my quads are growing and I don't like it. People asked for a picture so voila.
The first one was taken about 3 weeks ago..and I was definitely at my happiest then. Before this photo I was losing weight completely the wrong way (I've lost around 40 pounds since April) but this was through not eating enough and over exercising. My "net" at the end of the day would be a maximum of 200. The first photo was just after I started working out properly (by this I mean not just running for 3hrs a day but doing a little less cardio and more weights). I was also just starting to increase my food intake. My net was still only arund 6-800 though.
The second photo was taken last night. For the past 2/3 weeks I've been doing what everyone reccommends to lose ewight and get in shape. I eat between 1250-1500 cals a day and usually burn off anything from 4-600. (through weights and cardio.) I workout 6x a week, eat extremely clean (everything I eat is off an tree, animal, or out the ground!) No wheat at all..I use coconut flour and make "healthy treats" (so basically cakes made from egg whites, coconut flour, milk and baking powder) the only dairy I eat is yogurt for either breakfast or dessert. I eat 6 small meals a day (Again this is what everyone reccommended) but as you can see..I look SO much bigger. I actually weigh the same which is confusing..but its like I have actually gained fat. I really want to look like I did in the first photo again (but less wide..my stomach/body area is taking a long time to tone up).
Last night after I took that photo I sat in front of the mirror and cried for over an hour. Its so frustarting seeing people eat so much junk and not work out and they look amazing. I was trying to do this properly and changed my goals to "fit" rather than just "thin" but I'm scared I will go back to my old ways of excessive cardio and not enough food.
I really need some advise. I'm sorry this sounds so dramatic but I struggle hugely with my appearance. I've never been completely happy and I'm scared I never will be. I sometimes eat protein bars or drink shakes so will cut those out. I just feel like I've tried everything and nothing is working. I see so many fitness girls who eat up to 2500 cals a day(all healthy of course) and do a ton of weights but they just look amazing: totally defined and toned, not bulky, not "too big" but not like a twig. I feel so lost and confused and just cannot decide where to go from here.

Replies

  • rubixcyoob
    rubixcyoob Posts: 395
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    I really can't notice a difference.

    Are you sure it's not a more mental concept, you're eating more and using weights, so you think you're bigger?
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
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    Honestly, the only difference I notice is that you look SLIGHTLY more toned in the second pic. But you really need to look hard.

    I am not any kind of a professional but I would recommend finding someone to talk to about body image issues. You are extremely fit, trim, and slim in BOTH pics. I'm getting the feeling that what you are seeing in the mirror is NOT what everyone else is seeing when they look at you.

    Best of luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
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    Good health is what is important in the long run. You look so slender and pretty, so I think that you are being too much of a perfectionist. Throw out the camera, hide the mirror, throw out the fashion magazines, and concentrate on becoming stronger and fitter within a normal weight range.

    Enjoy yourself when you exercise. It's all about how you feel, not how you think you look.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    You look great! Thanks for sharing the pictures. And yes, your legs are beautiful! :flowerforyou:
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
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    I agree with the other posters. You look slim and toned in the first picture, and very slim and very toned in the second. What you are describing is nowhere near reality.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
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    you look the same if not better in pic 2. rock the muscles, chica!

    kthnxbye. :)
  • mastock64
    mastock64 Posts: 8
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    In the first few weeks, as you gain muscle/lose fat, it can look like you are getting bigger and your weight can stay the same. This is because muscle weighs more than fat, but also because as your muscles grow, they can push your flesh outward, compensating for the fat loss and even taking up more volume.

    But don't worry!----This is the time that so many people give up, thinking the diet and exercise are not working. The time will come (soon) when the fat melts off at a faster rate than you are building muscle. Then, you will become smaller, lose weight, and see some definition.

    Hang in there!!!
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
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    In the first few weeks, as you gain muscle/lose fat, it can look like you are getting bigger and your weight can stay the same. This is because muscle weighs more than fat, but also because as your muscles grow, they can push your flesh outward, compensating for the fat loss and even taking up more volume.

    But don't worry!----This is the time that so many people give up, thinking the diet and exercise are not working. The time will come (soon) when the fat melts off at a faster rate than you are building muscle. Then, you will become smaller, lose weight, and see some definition.

    Hang in there!!!

    um...did you even look at the pics? She is small
  • mastock64
    mastock64 Posts: 8
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    um...did you even look at the pics? She is small

    "um" I see no pictures. And who cares if she is small? What I said is still true.

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