Feeling pretty awful about myself
nfgchick79
Posts: 89 Member
Hi there,
I just started NROL4W and therefore I am eating more with the program. I've been on MFP since around January. Here are my stats:
Height: 5'0"
Age: 32
SW: 134
CW: (before I started eating more) 107
GW: 105 ish but just want to build muscle at this point
So MFP had me on 1200 calories a day. I was very diligent and lost 26 lbs. However I was also working out like a madwoman probably 7 hours a week at least. So after I lost all of the weight I was struggling to maintain the 1200 calorie a day diet. I started reading more about EM2WL and bought NROL4W. The book tells me in order to not lose (just maintenance) for the first month I should be eating 1841 on non-lifting days and 2071 on lifting days. I decided that was craziness and went with the cut number which comes out to 1541 and 1771. So I've been doing that for about 2-3 weeks and I have got to say I feel fat, bloated and horrible about myself. I feel like all of my hard work has just gone down the drain. My stomach has never been flat but it was SO close but now I have a GUT!! I'm so upset, I don't know what to do. I can't imagine going back to 1200 calories but eating this much is horrible too. Somebody please help me! I won't get on the scale because I am deathly afraid to see how much weight I have gained. Oh and the pictures of me on my profile were taken a week ago. I've bloated up more from there
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My diary is open too. I have it set at 1500 because I don't want to change it back and forth for lifting and non-lifting days. Also a bit of advice on how much cardio I should actually be doing. I used to do a ton but now I am doing the 3 days a week lifting and only a little bit of cardio. THANK YOU.
I just started NROL4W and therefore I am eating more with the program. I've been on MFP since around January. Here are my stats:
Height: 5'0"
Age: 32
SW: 134
CW: (before I started eating more) 107
GW: 105 ish but just want to build muscle at this point
So MFP had me on 1200 calories a day. I was very diligent and lost 26 lbs. However I was also working out like a madwoman probably 7 hours a week at least. So after I lost all of the weight I was struggling to maintain the 1200 calorie a day diet. I started reading more about EM2WL and bought NROL4W. The book tells me in order to not lose (just maintenance) for the first month I should be eating 1841 on non-lifting days and 2071 on lifting days. I decided that was craziness and went with the cut number which comes out to 1541 and 1771. So I've been doing that for about 2-3 weeks and I have got to say I feel fat, bloated and horrible about myself. I feel like all of my hard work has just gone down the drain. My stomach has never been flat but it was SO close but now I have a GUT!! I'm so upset, I don't know what to do. I can't imagine going back to 1200 calories but eating this much is horrible too. Somebody please help me! I won't get on the scale because I am deathly afraid to see how much weight I have gained. Oh and the pictures of me on my profile were taken a week ago. I've bloated up more from there
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My diary is open too. I have it set at 1500 because I don't want to change it back and forth for lifting and non-lifting days. Also a bit of advice on how much cardio I should actually be doing. I used to do a ton but now I am doing the 3 days a week lifting and only a little bit of cardio. THANK YOU.
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Replies
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The bloat is very normal. Please check out this blog on the EM2WL.com website as I think it will help you even though you aren't doing a reset because the same symptoms can occur just from raising cals:
http://eatmore2weighless.com/how-to-deal-with-bloat-during-your-metabolism-reset/
Hang in there! You are on the right path and I hope that you will eventually get yourself up to the numbers recommended for you!
Oh and as for the cardio, it sounds like you have it about right. 3 days lifting plus 2-3 days cardio is the usually recommended amount and of course you can tweak a bit to suit your needs.0 -
Thanks for the link. I'm doing those things the best that I can. I'm so upset about how I look and feel that I'm contemplating throwing in the towel. My husband wants me to do the NROL4W for one month and then re-evaluate if I still feel bad. I'll probably listen to him but I can't help but feel like I am undoing everything I worked my butt off for. It doesn't help that all of the "short lady" threads in the main section have women talking about how little they eat and how much they work out.0
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First of all, great job on what you've done so far! I have a lot further to go than you do, but my suggestion would be to at least finish stage 1 of NROLFW before you make a change. I think your body is likely responding to the muscle you're building and that's where the bloat is coming from. Be sure you're getting plenty of protein especially after those lifting sessions and try not to judge progress by the scale. My feeling is that you were likely losing some muscle while you lost the initial weight, so you may gain some scale weight as you progress on New Rules. However, I think you are going to have an amazingly toned body if you stick with it. It takes some time to see the results, but definitely keep taking pictures so you can really step back and look at your progress.0
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Thank you so much for your feedback! Getting that much protein is super hard but I'm trying. Just ordered some whey protein that another lady recommended. It's hard looking in the mirror and seeing a big bloated belly. I was doing some weight training prior but mostly light weights with my cardio. I'm noticing my arms look a bit more toned already. I just hate with a passion how bloated I look!!0
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a lot of people stay motivated by choosing to hide the scale that first month. i'd go even further and stay off the scale during entire stage 1 of nrol4w0
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Put the scale away and concentrate on the lifting. You are brand new at it so your body is not sure what is going on.. Give it the full 6 or so weeks that Stage 1 is, and at the end of your rest week retake your weight and measurements. Thats the best way to gauge change. YOur body will retain water for a long time after lifting, so its best to take your measurements when at complete rest...hard to do, but most accurate:)
Protein is a must. do whatever you can to increase protein, especially after lifting. It will help:)
Keep at it!!0 -
Oh please don't throw in the towel my friend...please friend me and look at my pics...muscle will burn fat and you will see changes as you progress through the program.0
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You've only just started! A little bloat is normal when you change up ANYTHING in your routine. But once your body adjusts, in a month or two, the bloat should disappear. Just keep with it! If you give up now, how will you ever know what you could truly accomplish?0
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Thanks ladies! I feel a little bit better today. I broke down and weighed myself and found that I have only gained 1.5 lbs in 3 weeks. My other measurements have stayed the same (lost half an inch on my hips) and my biceps all of sudden looks pretty awesome. I am however still worried about the eating thing. I can't helped but be freaked out by the (what feels like) an immense amount of food. I really hope that I never have to go back to 1200 calories a day 0
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I started NRWL4W back at the end of Feb and I am just finishing it. I wanted to lose those last 10, over the past 6 months I have actually gained 5 pounds (probably more my fault than the diet, as I did have some rather huge calorie days... eh.. I love food). I will say that I like the changes I have made even though i'm heavier. My arms are awesome now, and I just love my back. I can definately tell that I have made great changes to my legs. Don't give up yet, even if you gain weight you might find that you will love your body even more in the future, just wait and see
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