finding it hard to stay motivated

magsimus89

Hi everyone, I hope I'm posting this in the right spot...

I joined MFP I think around a year or so ago and each time I started using it I only made it about a month. I get extremely upset when I don't see any results after about that long, which I know is kind of soon, but I keep wondering if I'm dong something wrong. The first time I made a genuine effort (Jan '12) I weighed 142 lbs (I'm 5'7) and lost a pound or so over about five weeks (in which time MFP said I'd lose like 20). I was weighed at a doctor's appointment in October and I weighed 153. I was devastated. I wasn't consistently working out but maybe 2 or 3 times a week and then I'd occasionally fall off the wagon.

I started up again Monday, March 4th. My usual diet is the following:
- breakfast: 2 eggs and 2 pieces of turkey bacon, maybe a piece of toast with avocado
- lunch: cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, and an apple
- dinner: usually i have either chicken, subway, veggie pizza, green smoothie, fish, or sushi, with vegetables
- snacks: almonds, fruit, or these NSA chocolate fiber one cereal balls I found on WW
- drinks: only water the last two weeks (8+ glasses a day) except for one cup of black coffee last weekend

I'm an elementary school teacher so eating every three hours is tough. This diet is also usually way under 1200 calories, even though I feel like i'm eating so much. I try to work out 5-6 days a week, but often I work out every day. Lately I've been doing about 40-60 minutes of recumbent biking and sometimes I throw in 20 minutes walking/jogging or elliptical. I just feel like I'm on the right track but it's making me lose motivation.

Am I doing something wrong?
Am I not waiting long enough for results?
Am I missing something in my diet or exercise?
Could I possibly never look better?

I don't really have anyone to talk to, most people tell me I look fine, but I want to look better than fine. I want to be healthy and thin. I just get bummed out and it's hard to keep going.

Thank you to anyone who can help me through this rough patch!

Tatyanakuster

It sounds to me like you aren't eating enough. You should do some research on BMR and TDEE this might help.

I'm definitely bumping this so you can get some more advice!!

Good luck

timetomoveit

I agree you may not be eating enough. Have you tried eating more but smaller meals? You also may want to see your dr. I had weight creep up on me years ago and i worked out & was eating healthy and it turned out i had a underactive thyroid. after 2 weeks on my medication the pounds melted off.All was well then about 2 years ago it happend again. I got my thyroid checked again and it had gotten out of wack as i aged and my dose was increased of my thyroid hormone and off came the weight. Energy got much better. My dr said buy eating the smaller but more often meals it would keep my energy more level and keep my body from going into starvation mode whic slows down calorie burning. I hop this helps! Good Luck

SkimFlatWhite68

Hard to say, can't see your diary.

If you are going by MFP calories, you also need to eat your exercise calories. Sounds like you aren't eating enough for all that exercise. Also, at your height, your weight sounds pretty good. So fat loss will be slower. Patience pays off.

Eat more protein, fibre, good fats and water.

Read the threads under the Eat, Train, Progress group, they are pretty good.