so confused and need help

apostle22

I'm so confused about losing weight. When I was younger I didnt track food, I just watched what i ate and worked out and the pounds flew off. I'm 38 now and my ideal weight is 150. I got stuck at 175 and couldnt go lower a few months back. Lost motivation and with the holidays approaching, the diet fell off. 3 1/2 weeks ago and restarted and am working out harder than ever. Lost 4 pounds the first week and got back to 175 and havent dropped anything since.

I cant get past that damn 175!!!!

Now I'm reading up and hearing about carb intake and other things which are contradicting what MFP is telling me to eat. I'm eating between 150-170 grams of carbs, well below what MFP is saying to eat, but higher than other sites are telling me. Other sites say to be around 100 grams of carbs while MFP has the goal at 250.

Also I dont know if I'm not eating enough calories and the whole thing is just frustrating. Its been just over 3 weeks and I can tell my body has changed. My arms have responded quite well and I can already see a big change in the definition. My chest is getting leaner but the damn weight isnt dropping past that 175 which is killing me mentally.

Just wondering what tips anyone can share or if someone can take a look at my diary for the past week. I havent been keeping up with it every week because I keep the same eating schedule.

I'm just freaking out and getting frustrated I guess.

apostle22

I've thought about maybe a thyroid problem since my mother and sister suffer from it but i dont have any symptoms. I lost the first 30 pounds relatively easy but 175 is a brick wall for some reason. I've lost weight like this before and it was always around the 160 mark that I plateau at.

To get from 160 to 150 i knew was going to take some very hard work but i never imagined being stopped dead in my tracks at 175. At this weight, at best i am still 15 pounds overweight. Being at 160 is being just under the healthy weight/fat range for my height, while 150 is golden.

TeaBea

Is there a medical reason that you should be looking for a low carb diet?

The reason I'm asking .... carbs are not the devil .... low carb diets are not a "magic bullet" for weight loss.

You will have differing opinions (of course) .... but my advice is this: concentrate on getting good protien numbers, concentrate on getting healthy fats (fats are not the devil either .... but that's another thread entirely) ....concentrate on getting enough fiber

The number of carbs is what's left over. American diets (especially) .... the carbs are so refined & precessed. Just "rehab" the carbs you are eating, make them count .... and "focus" more on the other macros first.

concordancia

You could adjust your goals in MFP, a common ration is 40 carb/ 30 protein / 30 fat. I haven't actually changed my settings, but this about the ratios I end up with every day.

Basically, I just look at the carbs as a maximum, the protein as a minimum and let fat fight it out between them.

Are you getting any exercise?

Set MFP to lose at most 1 lb. a week and eat back your exercise calories.

Someone will be along shortly to tell you to do a bunch of more complicated math, but it is just an alternative way, the numbers are usually pretty close. For example, I can eat 1250 plus 350 in exercise according to MFP, or I can eat 1700 according to the other method.

Sarah0866

I'm unable to lose weight with the macronutrient ratio that MFP sets...I usually set my macronutrient goals myself on here instead of using the "guided" one. I'd recommend trying a diet with 40% carb, 30% fat and 30% protein if you've been following regular MFP.

Don't get discouraged. You're still trying and you're still logging, and that's what counts

apostle22

You know whats really killing me are the expectations I have of losing weight when i was 30. I think i dropped about 50 pounds in 3 months and i didnt pay attention to calories/carbs/etc. I just ate healthy and worked out.

I think i'm a victim of overthinking and unrealistic expectations. Also I cant get it in my head that eating more will help. I alternate days between cardio and weight lifting and I do them for about an hour a day. I'm averaging anywhere between 1200-1500 calories a day for the past 3 weeks. I should be eating about 1700-1900 a day but i'm having a hard time finding those 400-500 calories without throwing the fat/carbs/sodium out of whack.

Serah87

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

ChangingAmanda

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

This^^^

You're not eating enough. According to the BMR calculator on fat2fitradio.com and using 5'10" for height since you didn't provide that, your BMR is 1787 and sedentary TDEE is 1957.

stephaniemejia1671

Don't feel bad. I've been stuck at my weight too. I just stick with my meal plans and my workout routines. I don't let the scale bother me much anymore. I see my body changing for the better and that's good enough for me. So I suggest you stick to eating healthy and working out how you have been doing. Food can actually help you, don't be afraid to eat the calories you gain from your workouts. The more you eat the more energy you will have for your workouts.

agoofynut

I cant get past that damn 175!!!!

I have a completely unresearched theory, although I've found it to be personally true. I think our bodies get "stuck" at certain weights. Not forever, mind you, but for whatever reason, they tend to like certain weights and just stick there and it's hard to break past them. I've lost a lot and I've had a few places that were hard to push past and took weeks of losing .2 (or nothing at all), just to gain .6, and then the cycle repeats to finally have my body give up and start dropping again. Like I said, unresearched and just my opinion, but after seeing post after post of people complaining that they can't get past (number) I think there is something to it.

Ok, having said that, I'd try bumping up calories for AT LEAST two weeks and see if that gets you to drop. I know it's hard to get in the mindset that eating more will help you lose but it's true for most.

apostle22

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

Read over this and figured out my numbers and according to that i should be eating about 2100 calories a day to lose weight. Thats a lot of food and its so hard for me to understand how eating that much will help, but i'm gonna try it. I figure the way i have been doing it stopped working a while ago so i'm gonna give it a shot.