How is this possible?

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kristilynne84
kristilynne84 Posts: 26
in Motivation and Support
I am sooo discouraged! I have not been (admittedly) very strict about MFP, but my diet has improved, I am eating out less and drinking a LOT less soda. I have also been exercising a couple of times a week. I'm about half time keeping track on MFP, maybe a little less.

And yet, I have not lost anything, in fact this morning I was UP (again!). I am soo discouraged--I know i need to be more strict about MFP and such, but when I am very strict I start to have huge guilt feelings whenever I go over my calorie limit, even by a little bit. I haven't recorded every day, either, but I have definitely been trying to eat out less and drink less soda and juice. My fridge and cupboard are filled with healthy foods....

*sigh.......can anyone help? I know what I need to do, but I think I just need to hear that I won't keep GAINING weight if I stick with this and get better about tracking.
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Replies

  • pamperedpenguin
    pamperedpenguin Posts: 95 Member
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    You definitely will lose weight! Just stick with it. Some weeks are harder then others and the whoosh! You lose 5 lbs in one.
    Don't get discouraged!
  • bakerygirl78
    bakerygirl78 Posts: 6
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    I am sooo discouraged! I have not been (admittedly) very strict about MFP, but my diet has improved, I am eating out less and drinking a LOT less soda. I have also been exercising a couple of times a week. I'm about half time keeping track on MFP, maybe a little less.

    And yet, I have not lost anything, in fact this morning I was UP (again!). I am soo discouraged--I know i need to be more strict about MFP and such, but when I am very strict I start to have huge guilt feelings whenever I go over my calorie limit, even by a little bit. I haven't recorded every day, either, but I have definitely been trying to eat out less and drink less soda and juice. My fridge and cupboard are filled with healthy foods....

    *sigh.......can anyone help? I know what I need to do, but I think I just need to hear that I won't keep GAINING weight if I stick with this and get better about tracking.

    The weight loss will come, just focus on what you HAVE accomplished - less soda, couple times a week of exercise & eating out less.

    You can do it. We all get discouraged - just keep going. :flowerforyou:
  • mrs_chico
    mrs_chico Posts: 9 Member
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    Thats the thing about weight loss...when I lose lbs I feel on top of the world...when I gain (or plateau) I get so discourage I want to quit...and in the past I usually do just simply quit. This is the advice I can give you: stay with it! The time will pass either way, stay strong during these crappy days, weeks, or even (ugh) months when the scale doesn't move. Drink more water, add in and extra workout. The lbs will drop off!!!! YOU CAN DO THIS!!! :)
  • enigmachik
    enigmachik Posts: 150
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    You really need to track everyday. At least for 90 days. Human beings are notorious for underestimating how many calories they eat and overestimating how much they exercise. This is true even with tracking, but is almost unavoidable without tracking. If you very consistently track, you will see results.
  • Angie_1991
    Angie_1991 Posts: 447 Member
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    don't get down...we didn't get fat over night it isn't going to fall off over night either. Sick with it! STick with us!!!
  • athenaheim
    athenaheim Posts: 496 Member
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    I have been there. Just remember you can do it and you have a great support team here.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    Do a better job of tracking is step #1. That way, you can see where you may be "going wrong" with your diet/exercise. That, and make sure you compare the MFP logs to the labels. There's some foods that are on the MFP logs twice - make sure you get the right ones! I had one today that gave me an extra 100 calories. Luckily, I saw that it was wrong, but I found the right one on the list.
  • tinad120
    tinad120 Posts: 267 Member
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    I am sooo discouraged! I have not been (admittedly) very strict about MFP, but my diet has improved, I am eating out less and drinking a LOT less soda. I have also been exercising a couple of times a week. I'm about half time keeping track on MFP, maybe a little less.

    And yet, I have not lost anything, in fact this morning I was UP (again!). I am soo discouraged--I know i need to be more strict about MFP and such, but when I am very strict I start to have huge guilt feelings whenever I go over my calorie limit, even by a little bit. I haven't recorded every day, either, but I have definitely been trying to eat out less and drink less soda and juice. My fridge and cupboard are filled with healthy foods....

    *sigh.......can anyone help? I know what I need to do, but I think I just need to hear that I won't keep GAINING weight if I stick with this and get better about tracking.

    Get better with tracking. Congrats on making healthier decisions, because it's the small changes that will really add up. But to see progress a little sooner, track what you eat, and track your workouts. People tend to underestimate calories eaten (healthy foods still have calories) and overestimate exercise calories, which in the end ends up being calories intake > calories expended = gain. Buckle down, track your calories, and you will see results.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
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    You have to track in order for it to work.It is very easy to overestimate calories burned and underestimate calories consumed

    Log consistently everyday and give it time :flowerforyou:
  • crimznrose
    crimznrose Posts: 282 Member
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    One thing I can say is eating out is diet sabotage - even on the healthy menu. Most restaurant foods (fast food & dine-in restaurants alike) are loaded with sodium. Even if it's a healthy option on the menu, it's usually packed with sodium. Sodium retains water inour bodies, so a lot of that weight could flush through your system as water weight loss after just a week of eating clean.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    You're either:
    (a) not in a caloric deficit, or
    (b) haven't been in one for a long enough time
  • Marksman21
    Marksman21 Posts: 126 Member
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    One tip: Plan your meals.

    For me, its far easier to know my calorie level when I plan my meals ahead. What I'm going to cook, when, when I gonna eat it. Stick to it, and sometimes enjoy yourself when you got some wiggle room on the plan!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Not going to work if you just track randomly... If you bite it, write it! :drinker:
  • PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot
    PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot Posts: 596 Member
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    I've found that losses come in bunches. I can go 3 weeks without losing anything, and then drop 4-5 in the course of 5 days. Keep at it, it will pay off. Best of luck!
  • PaulW2MD
    PaulW2MD Posts: 44 Member
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    You got to track. Otherwise you are going to screw it up. The worst diet I hear from my patients is "the I'm trying to eat better" diet. With no rules, no structure, no results. Sucks but true.
  • PaveGurl
    PaveGurl Posts: 244 Member
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    I find it's really easy for me to out-eat my exercise - if I don't measure stuff, I'm torched.
  • towardthefinish
    towardthefinish Posts: 4
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    You explained it perfectly in the second sentence. In order for weight loss to happen, you have to eat less calories than your body needs during the day. This forces your body to use it's calorie reserves for the energy it needs - i.e. excess weight, fat, etc.

    If your not being strict about your diet, and only tracking about half the time, then you might be severely underestimating what your eating on those days. You stated you have a house full of healthy food - but weight loss is not about healthy vs. non-healthy foods...weight loss is about calories. I can easily go over my calories by eating strictly fruits and vegetables all day long....even the healthy foods have calories.

    Take a deep breathe, and commit to strictly tracking EVERYTHING that you eat or drink - no matter how insignificant you think it may be. Keep that up for 6-8 weeks and you will lose weight.
  • LavaDoll
    LavaDoll Posts: 595 Member
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    Have your thyroid levels checked.
  • Pie319
    Pie319 Posts: 129 Member
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    I've found that losses come in bunches. I can go 3 weeks without losing anything, and then drop 4-5 in the course of 5 days. Keep at it, it will pay off. Best of luck!

    THIS
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
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    The thing is - you do kind of have to track every day for it to work. It's way, way easier to eat a calorie than it is to burn one. Bodies are sneaky little jerks - they really don't want to get rid of any of their hard-won stores, so they will do everything they can to trick your brain into eating more, and will also at the same time try to convince you that you're not actually eating more, especially if you've sent it a signal that you plan on eating less.

    If it's stressful, it can help just to track - don't worry about the goals, just write everything down. Every day. And then you can see where you can make the small changes that have the biggest impacts - like maybe you think "I'm only having one soda a day!" but you realize you're drinking it out of a 32-oz mug. Or "oh, carrot cake, that's healthy!" and you track it and realize it's like the most calorie-dense food on the planet and it would be better just to eat a couple of Twinkies. I know those sound like dumb examples, but see "sneaky jerk," above - when I got back to tracking after a long period of "oh, I'm eating healthy, I'm just meant to be this weight" I realized that what I considered a serving of pasta was actually three, which you'd think I would notice since there are only 8 in a box. That kind of thing creeps up on you.

    You're already facing in the right direction - keep going and you'll get there!

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