So frustrated and second guessing everything...

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Krisstah
Krisstah Posts: 136 Member
in Motivation and Support
i used to feel very confident that i had myself on the right plan.. same with excersizing, i felt like my calories were low enough that i could get by, but these last few days have been such a struggle.. 1570 calories is hard enough to live on, and lately i dont feel confident enough in MFP's guesstimates on calories burned through excersize.

i hate not having any answers or feeling in the dark... it makes me feel lazy even while im excersizing, cause im thinking to myself.. my heart rate isnt up enough.. or im barely sweating, what if im not really burning anything.. i dont know how many calories i should be having in a day, i dont know know what im burning all day, i dont know what amount of calories im burning from excersize... and tomorrow i dont even wanna eat anything cause im just so sick of feeling lost and uninspired.

I work 12 hour shifts and granted on my days off, i put in 80 min of excersize or more, and im on my feet all day, walking constantly, cleaning, scrubbing, doing dishes.. on days im working, i went though all the trouble to buy a HRM only to have to send it back because it didnt let me put in any personal info, and every website on the internet tells you something different.. one site tells me to have 1900 calories, another says 2000+.. MFP says 1800... i dont know where im supposed to be at, what i should be eating daily and if im even burning enough calories to have a deficit.. im questioning everything..

Today was an awful day for me.. and i only went 180 calories over my limit and i honestly feel like i just sat down and ate a bath tub full of pure lard.. i just want an answer.. What the hell is my daily calorie goal supposed to be =(

Replies

  • gambit82
    gambit82 Posts: 5
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    first of all please dont be so hard on yourself. Stop looking at getting in shape as a chore. Look at it as a passion something you enjoy. Dont look for unrealistic goals. Set a small goal for yourself like I want to lose 1 lbs in 3 weeks and if you get their sooner be happy :) Try to get your fat from good food sources instead of the bad fats. I use to be 200lbs and cut to 160lbs now I want to gain some weight but muscle mass. Eat healthy. Try HITT training. Remember cardio, weights, stretching and mental health all go hand in hand if you lack on one you're only as strong as your weakest link. There is no secret answer. Your look great and hang in their. One step at a time.

    Feel free to add me as a friend or anyone else who wants to add me please send a friend request I will accept and lets all keep each other motivated.
  • Krisstah
    Krisstah Posts: 136 Member
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    Thanks.. but my issue here is, i dont know what my proper daily calorie limit is.. because i dont know what im burning in my daily life, or from excersize.. and its frustrating me, so ive set myself super low, but still dont even know if thats low enough.. 12 hours at a physical job and 80 min of activity on days off.. maybe im not burning enough to be able to eat 1570 calories.. i dont know??
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
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    So far MFP levels are working for me. I am steadily losing.
  • Krisstah
    Krisstah Posts: 136 Member
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    Glad its working for you..
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    this is a good explanation of how to figure out what your targets should be. Check it out - the numbers you get form MFP can be unrealistic at times especially if you set it for 2 lb loss per week.

    If you work through this post and follow the steps you will be eating 20% less then what you burn a day. this gives includes both you calorie deficit as well as averaging in you exercise burn, Makes it easier to track.

    If you have a pedometer and you get in you 10,000 steps a day you are moderately active!
  • photojunkie28
    photojunkie28 Posts: 292
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    bump ..don't have time to answer at this moment, have to go. Feel free to friend me or I will try to post on here and be of some help later. Hang in there!
  • Scully0007
    Scully0007 Posts: 6 Member
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    Sending you strengh and power so you don't give up and eat that tub of lard you feel like you ate. Give yourself a break, you're trying and it sounds like you're trying hard. It won't be easy, if it was there would only be skinny people in the world.

    I started exercising because I was approching a certain number on the scale I didn't want to go over. I didn't change my eating habits and I think I started eating more because I was hungry more with the exercise. After I started exercising I saw that number I didn't want to see on the scale plus some - I was gaining weight! I stumbled on MFP and at the very beginning I didn't see much success either. Then I realized I wasn't always being honest with myself. I may have been underestimating the portions I was eating, nibling without logging it, and overestimating the exercise. Once I realized this and started measuring things and being more consertive with my estimates things started to improve. I also started logging every bite and being more accountable to myself. Once I stopped eating my exercise calories to create a larger deficit things really started to improve. (There is a whole debate raging here about that one. To eat the exercise calories or not, that is the question. Seems there are two different camps.)

    I trust the MFP calorie calculation - for myself anyway - so I don't think that's it. I had set my activity level to seditary and struggled to determine how many calories I was burning in every-day activity. I ended up buying a Fitbit on eBay to help me with that. I've only had it too weeks now but I like it so far. Last weekend I walked a ton and it kept track of my steps and calorie burn and it syncs with MFP to give me exercise (daily activity) calories. When I exercise it and MFP are pretty close. The Fitbit gave me way less calories for 'cleaning' than what I was entering into MFP. You can try to lower your activity level in MFP and see if that changes how many calories it allows you then log activity from there. So I only log my exercises into MFP and let Fitbit determine the rest based on my activity level for the day.

    One other thing I did was start working out with Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 DVD. My son's girlfriend bought it and suggested I give you a try. I had been using my cable companies On-Demand personal trainer workouts. Jillian sure means business and I think that helped a lot too.

    So keep playing with things until you find your groove and remember, YOU CAN DO THIS!

    Hugs!

    Kathy

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