Stuck not moving!! Getting discouraged

amazon35

Hi MFP fam. Can anyone help me please? I have been on here for 5 days. I started my mission on 1/4 and within a week dropped 10 lbs. I've been logging faithfully and exc everyday some days harder then others. I'm under my calorie count everday. But I haven't moved a lb or even a half lb. I refuse to stop but I need some suggestions to figure out how to get it jump started again. Irritated I wanna cupcake! LOL j/k

kristinapowell

I have a question then. Are you having a cheat night every once in a while. Sometimes your body can become used to your diet and you stop seeing the results. You have to sometimes throw it for a loop to get the results that you want. Also what types of exercises are you doing?

amazon35

No...no cheat nights or anything. I walk for 35 min and end up walking between 1.75-2 miles during that time and I also do the 30 circuit traing at Planet Fitness 4 days a week. I do Biggest loser Yoga the days I don't go to the gym. Some days I miss the yoga but not often.

kristinapowell

You need that cheat meal about once a week. It helps shock your system and it will help you to keep loosing weight. I used to live with two personal trainers and we were really strict about everything we ate except for Sunday night we would go out and have dinner and order something that was definitely not part of our diet. For one it helped you to appreciate what you were doing the rest of the week but it really does help your weight loss.

JennKie1

It really depends on your starting weight, what you're eating, how many calories you're consuming, and more. Sometimes, it may be a matter of not eating enough calories. 10# that quickly makes it hard to set realistic goals for yourself too. I lost 9# in my first 10 days, and then it came to a screeching halt. I was sooooo discouraged. In the next 20 days I only lost 3 more pounds. So, thanks to a wonderful member's (helloitsdan) advice, I upped my calories, and it started coming off again. There's no one generic answer for anyone because all of us are so very different. I will try to find the link he posted about TDEE, etc. It was really helpful and made a big difference for me (and many others according to what I've seen here). I'll look for it and then repost when I find it.

I disagree about "needing" a cheat meal. I don't think any of us "needs" it, but I don't think that we have to deprive ourselves either. It's o.k. to treat yourself once in awhile as long as you keep it in check.

Anyway, I will find that link and put it up here shortly. Hang in there, you're just getting started. 10# is amazing!!!

JennKie1

Here it is!! Yay for Dan!! If nothing else, it's really informative. But, it helped me a lot. I was "stuck" too, and at a complete loss as to what I was "doing wrong". As it turns out, I just needed something a little different than the generic MFP plan. I'm just 11# from my goal now. :happy:

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

quirkytizzy

1) Early weight comes off FAST. Combo of water weight and the body going "Wtf, we are not eating as much as we used to? Huh?"

2) 10 pounds in less than a month is INCREDIBLE. Take that as motivation, not as proof that you are failing!

3) Weight loss is not linear. Your body doesn't know the difference from one week to the next - it's all about how it averages out. It's not uncommon to drop a chunk initially and then the rest goes slower. That's the normal progression of things - you aren't doing anything wrong.

EatClean_WashUrNuts

Nothing happens overnight. Success comes through perseverance.

amazon35

Thank you so much with the link!! I am trying this thing called pa... pa....patience. Not sure how we're going to work out but hey fought with her this many years it's time to give her a chance. I've decided to shock my system a bit by eating high protein for a week and see what that does. I also am going to change up my exercise routine a bit see if I can't get a reaction. The one thing I nooticed though is people saying to eat the calories from exercise. I never do. Am i wrong for that?

now_or_never13

Thank you so much with the link!! I am trying this thing called pa... pa....patience. Not sure how we're going to work out but hey fought with her this many years it's time to give her a chance. I've decided to shock my system a bit by eating high protein for a week and see what that does. I also am going to change up my exercise routine a bit see if I can't get a reaction. The one thing I nooticed though is people saying to eat the calories from exercise. I never do. Am i wrong for that?

I would say you should be... your daily calories already have a deficit built in. Not eating back your exercise calories can cause too large of a deficit which in turn will cause you to lose muscle mass and your metabolism to slow eventually. You want to ensure you eat enough in a day to preserve lean mass as when you try to lose weight and go on a calorie deficit you will lose muscle in the process.

I can't remember if you said how many calories you eat in a day... most of the time the numbers on MFP are set far too low. You should never NET below your BMR.

amazon35

it says that i should be eating 1960 a day. Which I don't think I ever do I might come within 500 cal but that's about it. Im just so scared to gain any weight back that i've worked so hard to loose. I just looked through the closest i've been is 600 typically i'm between 800-1500 cal away from my daily.

hunterman95

It really depends on your starting weight, what you're eating, how many calories you're consuming, and more. Sometimes, it may be a matter of not eating enough calories. 10# that quickly makes it hard to set realistic goals for yourself too. I lost 9# in my first 10 days, and then it came to a screeching halt. I was sooooo discouraged. In the next 20 days I only lost 3 more pounds. So, thanks to a wonderful member's (helloitsdan) advice, I upped my calories, and it started coming off again. There's no one generic answer for anyone because all of us are so very different. I will try to find the link he posted about TDEE, etc. It was really helpful and made a big difference for me (and many others according to what I've seen here). I'll look for it and then repost when I find it.

I disagree about "needing" a cheat meal. I don't think any of us "needs" it, but I don't think that we have to deprive ourselves either. It's o.k. to treat yourself once in awhile as long as you keep it in check.

Anyway, I will find that link and put it up here shortly. Hang in there, you're just getting started. 10# is amazing!!!

This^^^^^

Read helloitsdan's post. Lots of good info there. You need to make sure you have your goals set properly, and the info he provides will help you do that.

5 days without a loss is nothing. I will regularly go 2-3 weeks without losing, then all of a sudden lose 3-5lbs. I just came off one of those 3 week streches. Just stay the course. As long as you burn more calories than you take in, the weight will come off. The only other advice I have is to make sure you drink lots of water.

I've had some 35 years of nothing but cheat days, I'd say I've used them all up! That being said, I do have "cheat" days on special occasions (holidays, vacation, etc.), ignoring my goal, but not going overboard. Hey, we still have to live a little, right? But I'll generally spend the next couple of weeks having to work off the weight I gained from a cheat day, so I make sure I only do it sparingly. I think it depends on the person. A planned cheat day on a regular basis seems to help some people, but if you lack the discipline to get right back on track the next day, it could be a bad thing.

I was told that with a lot of weight lose, I could either eat back my exercise calories, or not. Eating back exercise calories becomes more important when you have less to lose. I generally eat some of my exercise calories back, but try not to eat all of them. It seems to work for me.

Good luck & hang in there.

KenosFeoh

I think you should just continue to log your food as accurately as you can, stay within your allowed calories, and keep going. As already said, weight loss is not linear. Some weeks you lose. Some weeks you stay the same. And some weeks your weight goes up for no obvious reason. You just have to keep going through it all. Your body is making a lot of adjustments at the cellular level, and it takes time.

mmddwechanged

You are doing so well! Five days isn't long enough to worry. I've been on a plateau for about a month now. Don't do a cheat meal unless you log it. This does work. My careful logging gives me very accurate information. When I do the math using my TDEE it's clear why I'm maintaining and it's helpful to look back at daily records. Keep going dont change,

amazon35

Hunterman you look amazing!!!!! Ok thanks to guys I don't feel so bad. I looked at the link and I think i get it, the cal seems to be on the money. From what it says I need to eat more. I'm not used to eating this much all day. I was a one huge meal a day person. It's going to take alot of prep to eat that much. It just seems like I'm eating all day! Which in my mind equals gaining weight.

quirkytizzy

Thank you so much with the link!! I am trying this thing called pa... pa....patience. Not sure how we're going to work out but hey fought with her this many years it's time to give her a chance. I've decided to shock my system a bit by eating high protein for a week and see what that does. I also am going to change up my exercise routine a bit see if I can't get a reaction. The one thing I nooticed though is people saying to eat the calories from exercise. I never do. Am i wrong for that?

Depends on what your calorie goal is. If you are at 1200ish + or so and burn off a few hundred during exercise - yes. Otherwise you'll net too low and your body won't have enough go-juice to continue sustaining those workouts. If you have a higher calorie goal and have included your exercise into your daily routine (meaning you chose "active" or higher on your activity level) then you'll probably be okay.