Frustrated beyond frustrated!

hummingbird71
hummingbird71 Posts: 298 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My scale is NOT moving in the right direction! I know, I know, don't rely so much on the scale! But how can I not?? I have to stay accountable for my actions and THAT is the main way I do that! But it just seems like NOTHING, I MEAN NOTHING I do is making any difference now! I began this journey last August and had calories set at 1200. Lost quickly for about 8 months...then it began to slow and then stop. Read all about "eat more to wiegh less" so I upped my calories slow at first then up to 1800. Now I seem to be gaining! When I saw the number on the scale going up I decided to reduce my calories once again back down to 1400. Been here at this caloric intake for about 2 weeks. I know my body may not have had time to adjust to this yet but no matter I do it just seems I am not reacting like I should. I have switched up my exercise program (although now I am back to just walking nightly and zumba once a week). Going to begin a "jogging" routine tonight. I have incorporated more fruit-n-veggies in my diary (most days). I did have 2 weekends in a row that one day was NOT GOOD on food choices. But that was over 3 weeks ago. If I was hanging onto water weight due to those days it should be gone by now! My clothes don't feel any different mind you its only about a 3 pound difference from my lowest weight to where I am now BUT ITS 3 POUNDS!!! That is not water weight this long so that means I have gained that either in "fat" or "muscle". Yes I know it could be muscle but then some of my measurements would be changing too....NOPE not on this chick they are not! The only thing I have not done so far is to STOP EATING AFTER 7 PM.... Yes, yes I know that is a myth that you can actually eat anytime as long as you stay within your calorie range, but I have noticed that my body reacts differently when I do eat verses when I don't. And it DOES help me. So that is what I began doing again last night. I DO NOT WANT to give up! I have come too far to do that. BUT I ALSO DON'T WANT TO STAY where I am now either!! I am STILL considered "obese" at the weight I am and I can not stand that!! I want to shed about 40 more pounds if not more but how the hell can I do that if my body will not cooperate? Help...suggestions...advice...hell at this point anything!!!

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    add some strength training to your exercise routine
  • kellicci
    kellicci Posts: 409 Member
    How did you come to the number 1400? Is that under your BMR...if so it may still be too low.

    Also sometime it just take a couple weeks at a new level and then all the sudden woosh! Be patient and stick with it.
  • JennetteMac
    JennetteMac Posts: 763 Member
    I appreciate and really empathise with you. I have a similar record and would like to lose about 5lb to feel happy with myself. Trouble is it just keeps going up and down 3lb or so with no real dip to where I want to be. A fair while back I did the "up the calories" back, with disasterous results after a month, so I cut back to 1200 max and got back to where I am now. But still trying to shift the same last 5lb. I have a pretty much identical exercise routine to the op and a reasonably active dauly routine, though I set my base to sedentry in the hope of kicking it into a better place. The only thing that really shifts any weight with me is a good few days of 1000 calories, and cutting the wheat based/carbohydrate foods.
    Good luck, and I'll keep an eye on this one.
  • hummingbird71
    hummingbird71 Posts: 298 Member
    1800 calories is close to my BMR but if I eat more then that I am certain I will see an increase. I was alreading seeing it at the 1800 calorie mark. I didn't want to go back down to 1200 calories so I picked somewhere inbetween the 1800 to 1200 and just picked the 1400 calorie mark. No reason just sounded like a good number.
  • gail1299
    gail1299 Posts: 2
    Some ideas that MIGHT help. Try to exercise in the morning to get your metobolism going. Be SURE to drink all of your water. Eat more often (obviously less and still keep in the calories)... This will keep your metobolism going contanstantly. Finally... DON'T GIVE UP!!! We are all here for you and WANT you to succeed.
  • justicekenny
    justicekenny Posts: 80
    this ... also, focus on how far you have come .. 46lbs lost so far .. that's a great accomplishment .. cmon, too ez ..
  • castell5
    castell5 Posts: 234 Member
    My son in law strongly recommends weight training prior to a run so you don't burn muscle, but fat.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    It sounds to me like you panicked too soon after upping calories. Some weight gain is typical at the beginning when you do that.
  • conure2
    conure2 Posts: 126 Member
    You might try lowering your carbs. Cut way down on the sugar and potatoes. Just a thought....
  • Blueberry09
    Blueberry09 Posts: 821 Member
    Oh boy, can I relate to this! I didn't have quite as much to lose as you did but I was plateaued after about six months at a 12 lb loss. I managed to hit 14 lbs lost after an additional six months but I still wanted to lose more. I tried everything - eat more, eat less. More exercise, less exercise. Eat all exercise cals, eat no exercise cals. Nothing seemed to work so I tried the eat more plan too and after six months I gained back 9 of my lost pounds and all of the inches that I worked so hard to lose :sad:

    So as of Sep 1 I went back to MFP basics. I set my goal to 1/2 lb week, marked myself as sedentry and am eating back all my exercise calories. My daily goal of 1450 is just slightly higher than my BMR (not MFPs BMR but the one I got tested for by breathing into some contraption for 45 min - that worked out to be 1405).

    Progress is sooooo slloooow - it really gets disheartening. All through Sep I was going to change my plan again come October 1 because I wasn't seeing results. Well I stuck with it and today I seem to be 4 lbs down again. Although that will likely change again tomorrow. My weight fluctuates madly from day to day. I'm going to stick with this plan until the New Year and see how it is then.

    I guess all I'm trying to say is that you're not alone in this. I'm sure there are many others like me and you out there. Just keep with it. Results WILL come - you just have to give it time and be patient. Easier said than done - I know!
  • blakejohn
    blakejohn Posts: 1,129 Member
    some where on the scale there is a screw to calbrate it just turn that screw and you'll be at tha wieght you want
  • Jazzy1961
    Jazzy1961 Posts: 6
    Don't feel bad, I started this two months ago and haven't lost one pound. I do have an underactive thyroid, but take meds to regulate it. I exercise a few times a week and eat the suggested 1,200 calories. I'm at a loss as to what I should do going forward.

    Keep the faith, you've hit a plateau.....you'll get off it with your continued persistance!
  • kellicci
    kellicci Posts: 409 Member
    Aha. Okay so your BMR is 1800ish and you were eating 1200 for quite some time. That's well below your BMR. I'm sure you did lose weight b/c that's quite a deficit but your body has gotten to a point where it thinks it doesn't have enough fat to keep taht up and it put the breaks on your weight loss. So of course the second you eat more you body thinks "OMG fuel! At last!" and it saves it all (and you gain). If you're not gaining or losing at 1400 I say stabize there for another week then slowly add a little more until you're at 20% under your TDEE let your body get used to this new calorie level gradually.

    If you're pretty sedantary (desk job like me) and your BMR is around 1800 then your TDEE should be around 2160 if you cut 20% from that you're back to 1730. So I say set your goal to around 1750 A few under your BMR won't hurt but 400 under is way too much to be sustainable.
  • tjmist
    tjmist Posts: 45 Member
    Every time we work out and get into a routine our bodies begin to adjust and the same exercise stops losing its efficacy over time. Zumba once a week may have shocked your body into an early loss in the beginning, but little by little your body will adjust and require more activity to continue to lose. When this happens adding an exercise or at least trying a different one should help. Mixing up your work out routine and adding to it will confuse your body and challenge it further, and may help you break through the plateau. Good luck!
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
    1800 calories is close to my BMR but if I eat more then that I am certain I will see an increase. I was alreading seeing it at the 1800 calorie mark. I didn't want to go back down to 1200 calories so I picked somewhere inbetween the 1800 to 1200 and just picked the 1400 calorie mark. No reason just sounded like a good number.

    I believe you are confusing the acronyms BMR and TDEE. BMR is what your body would burn if you did NO activity all day long...just laid in bed. I'm not sure of your height, but for a 41 year old female at 189 pounds your BMR is probably around 1550.

    Your TDEE, which is what you burn including your regular daily activity, is probably around 1800. That's also what some call your "maintenance calories". So, yes, if you were eating at or above TDEE you would gain or stay the same.

    Also keep in mind that if you use the calculation for TDEE less 20% (suggested by Kelli), you're eating at an activity level other than sedentary. Using that plan, you should NOT log your exercise calories in MFP and eat them back. Can't have it both ways. :)
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
    You might try lowering your carbs. Cut way down on the sugar and potatoes. Just a thought....

    I'll second the motion. Looking at your diary, I see a lot of "protein" bars, Balance bars, Fiber One bars, that have significant sugar; a lot of bread, frequent use of white potatoes. There were several days you had 200g of carbs, and 75 to 100g of that was sugar.

    Try changing up the ratio and type of your macros--fewer carbs, more fat and protein--and see if that helps. Way fewer grains and processed foods, a small sweet potato or a green salad sometimes instead of white potatoes, berries or cherries more often instead of apples or bananas every day.

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