Confused and Frustrated

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katzpawz
katzpawz Posts: 754
in Motivation and Support
I don't mean to gripe. No, I DO mean to gripe. Is anyone else, upon completing your diary for the day, frustrated by the blurb that reads "if every day were like today, you'd loose X pounds in five weeks?" I have been consistently UNDER my calorie goal for the last three-four weeks or so, and have not lost anymore weight. In fact, I've been fluctuating by 3-5 pounds. Since I had lost a total of 10 pounds, that 3-5 pounds is significant. It's so aggravating to eat right and exercise and be disciplined about completing my food/exercise diary and that 5th week comes 'round, and I'm nowhere near the projected weight loss.

I'm going to "keep on keeping on" because I know to lose a significant amount of weight will take time. But I just need a little emotional boost--or at least get into some smaller jeans!

Thanks to all for letting me gripe!

Replies

  • Behavior_Modification
    Behavior_Modification Posts: 24,482 Member
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    Hang in there, it will get better. By the laws of physics, it has to. Just keep remembering that a pound is 3500 calories. That's 350 of those little 100 calorie packs that we Americans love so much. So to lose just one pound you need to burn off a LOT! I can totally relate to your struggle. I wish you luck and know that you are not alone.
  • cdavis1126
    cdavis1126 Posts: 301 Member
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    This website is great for tracking what you are eating but do you have an actual fool plan you are following?

    I've lost 51 lbs since October by sticking to a few rules on my food plan. www.myfoodlovers.com

    Weigh in only once a week. Weigh in as soon as you get up after you pee. Do not weigh yourself thru out the day, you are only saboutaging yourself.
    Eat something within 1 hour of waking up. Eat every 2 to 3 hours all day long until 1 hour before bedtime.
    Become a label detective and remove all food that has ingredients like white enriched flour, white sugar, high fructose corn syrup.
    Snacks should be kept under 200 calories.

    Here are the correct proportions for each meal for a woman:
    total calories - between 300 to 500
    protein between 15 to 30 g
    carbs - 30 to 45 g
    fat - 20 to 30 % or LESS of total calories
    fiber - at least 5 g (20 to 25 g/day)
    Sodium - LESS than 700 mgs per meal.

    I also work out everyday. Like I said 51 lbs gone in less than 5 months. This food plan absolutely works. It's taught me how to eat, how to cook, the right portions. It's not a diet, it's a new lifestyle that I will do for the rest of my life.

    Hope this helps and check out the website.
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    Thanks for the support.

    I went into the Reports function on MFP and did some analysis of my eating habits for the past 30 days. It seems that I'm consistently UNDER my target for protein and OVER it in carbs, even though my overall calories have been on track. I'm going to make some adjustments and see what sort of improvements will follow! I also seem to be a bit high on the sodium so I'll be watching that as well.

    Folks, use these reports! I'll be posting on this thread over the next few weeks to share any new developments. For the last couple of weeks, I've been beating my head against a wall. Now, I have something concrete to work with and feel much more empowered!
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    Thanks for the support.

    I went into the Reports function on MFP and did some analysis of my eating habits for the past 30 days. It seems that I'm consistently UNDER my target for protein and OVER it in carbs, even though my overall calories have been on track. I'm going to make some adjustments and see what sort of improvements will follow! I also seem to be a bit high on the sodium so I'll be watching that as well.

    Folks, use these reports! I'll be posting on this thread over the next few weeks to share any new developments. For the last couple of weeks, I've been beating my head against a wall. Now, I have something concrete to work with and feel much more empowered!
  • iRun4wine
    iRun4wine Posts: 5,126
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    I understand your frustration, but keep in mind that the website is simply crunching numbers- and by numbers, I mean your calorie intake only. It's not taking other things into account (if you went over on your sodium by a boat load, if you didn't get enough water in that day, the TOM, if you're lifting weights and building muscle, plateaus that inevitably happen, etc.) It's meant to be a rough estimate (and I don't think it's necessarily super accurate), so try not to take it *too* seriously (although easier said than done!) :flowerforyou:
  • EKarma
    EKarma Posts: 594 Member
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    you have to rmember to be eatig at least 1200 cals every day. if you do not eat at least that you will probably not see a whole lot of a difference. I was stuck at the same weight for a month because I thought eating 900-1000 cals would help me lose faster.. This is not the case. Your body will hold onto all those cals and go into starvation mode. This is a lifestyle change too.. If you're eating too few of calories than this will be another diet that will probably fade out, because thats too unreasonable to be a lifestyle change. Stick to at least 1200 cals everyday and exercise. If you are having a hard time reaching your 1200 cals then maybe re-introduce milk into your diet (I think that's one of the first things we cut out). Nuts are a good way to add cals without having to eat a whole bunch. peanut butter, granola, raisins, fruit. This stuff can add much needed cals without making you feel like you have to eat a whole other meal..

    I'm not really sure if this is your situation, but it kinda sounds like it. Like I said I was stuck at 191 forever for cutting back my cals way too much.. Hope this helps and keep going and smiling. :happy:
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    I'm staying above 1200 calories a day. I looked back at my exercise log, and discovered that there were more days than I realized that I hadn't hit my targets (most of my exercise is walking and some yoga). I understand that all the numbers are, at least to a point, approximations, but I did discover some areas that need improvement. I'll make the adjustments and see what happens. Eating a few less carbs and a little more protein probably isn't a bad idea anyway!

    Thanks for the encouragement!
  • sheiladderr
    sheiladderr Posts: 11
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    Thanks katzpawz for posting this. I've been pretty good for the last couple of weeks and haven't lost anything. I was really frustrated yesterday and thought about giving up, but I realized that was just silly giving up would be worse for me. I know we can do this! It's just going to take time.
  • FireMonkey
    FireMonkey Posts: 500 Member
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    I have to keep changing things up every so often when I get stuck on the same weight for weeks. Good for you that you were able to analyze what's holding you back. :flowerforyou:

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