Frustrated and need some input!

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michellejayne
michellejayne Posts: 58
in Motivation and Support
So i started on MFP on Jan 4/10 , i have been faithful to log in every day (except 2) , i have been under my calorie goal always except maybe 4-5 days, i log EVERYTHING, 1st month i worked out 5 days a week 20 minutes a day jogging and hand weights, February i bumped it up to 30-40 minutes a day and running and hand weights an do aerobics once a week with an instructor. My frustration is that i have only lost 5 pounds!! I have changed alot , my food, my exercise, i am a diabetic but my diabetes is under great control better than ever!!! What am i doing wrong, i even cut out coffee and drink lots of water, and green tea!! uggg soo frustrating, i go every week to weigh and hope for the big loss and NOTHING!! You would think going from no exercise to over 300 minutes a week something would happen!!!

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  • lreed
    lreed Posts: 348 Member
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    :happy: Sounds like you are on the right path! What are you hoping to lose per week? Did you calculate your calories with that in mind? Are you eating your exercise calories? Keep it up, mix it up! Good luck!
  • lreed
    lreed Posts: 348 Member
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    Do you need to talk to a nutrionist or your doctor? Maybe there is something else off (especially with the diabetes?) They do say slow and steady is better, but I know it's pretty frustrating!
  • michellejayne
    michellejayne Posts: 58
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    I am eating at least 1/2 of my exercise calories sometimes all depends on how hungry i am , the days i go hard i am really hungry and feel i need to eat them, should i be eating all of them all the time??My goal is set to lose 1 lb per week!! My calories are about 1380 a day to start with then my exercise ones on top of that!!!
  • boniekatie
    boniekatie Posts: 147
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    If ou are feeling better and noticing other benefits then don't worry about what the scale shows. Keep up the good work and it will all catch up. DON'T GIVE UP. There is a lot of good advice on here about how to calculate your calories to make sure you are getting enough, you might want to look at that, but if you feel good and energetic, it may just take a little longer for the scale to show how much you know you are changing.
  • nsgrimm
    nsgrimm Posts: 32
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    I feel your pain, I've been exercising, changed my eating habits, and even took phentermine (which people swear by) and I've only lost 18 lbs since October!!!!! I'm very frustrated and discouraged but the way I see it, 18 lbs lost is 18 lbs lost and I'm doing something that's good for my body. I had all of the blood work done and they say everything is normal so who knows.

    Good luck, stick with it, it's worth it in the end even if we can't see change now.
  • mamtz26
    mamtz26 Posts: 22
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    according to what I have read and seen the answer is YES you need to be eating those calories. You want your metabolism to stay active and not go into starvation mode :noway: Also, remember if you are working out muscle weighs more than fat instead of looking at the scale look at the inches you are losing. My instructor told me once to take a pair of old jeans that I knew wouldn't fit and try them on and after about two to three weeks try them on again and you'll start to see a lot better results than stepping on a scale.
  • dbarcelona
    dbarcelona Posts: 5
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    Maybe to many carbs??? Maybe you need smaller meals. I started right after New Years and am down 20lbs. I stay in my calorie range. I try to eat 6 times a day. Breakfast - a kids cliff bar. Snack - orange and maybe some almonds. Lunch - something around 300 calories. Afternoon snack a fruit and some more almonds or a small box of raisins. Dinner - what ever i cook or can heat up - again around 300-400 calories. And a nightly snack - usually some prunes (yuck not my favorite but they help me to stay regular - they are one of the few super fruits), I still have my coffee and usually at least one diet soda. But in between I drink a ton of water. And I try to do at least 45 minutes of cardio at least 5 days a week. Of course i mix it up a bit - but this has been my norm. Dont give up. Never give up. the weight will drop - just keep working at it. And like the other bloger said - mix it up.
  • natspoiledbrat
    natspoiledbrat Posts: 133
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    I think you should try to eat all of the calories you get from exercise. You are still doing great................in 2 months you've lost 5 lbs.! Even if you lost 1 lb a week, you are only off by 3 lbs. It will come to you before you know it. Whatever you do, just don't give up. I think you are doing great and I bet you feel better. I'm sure with the consistent exercise your blood pressure and other health indicators have improved. So like boniekatie said......don't worry about what the scale shows and just stick with your plan, but I would try to eat most of your earned calories.
  • catsdogsandkids
    catsdogsandkids Posts: 21 Member
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    Here lies the problem with shows like the Biggest Loser, Love the program by the way, but the unrealistic expectations sometimes can crush those of this in the real world. So what are you true goals... weight loss or greater health, a few pounds or a reshaping of your body inside and out, more muscle, more endurance, less dependence on diabetes medications, a longer life or a smaller dress size. Please give yourself a free pass, you are making great strides towards all of these goals and remember you are in this for the long haul. I truly feel your frustration because my weight loss feels non-existent but I am on the treadmill and the street for 6 miles a day now, when I started 1 mile seemed to be a challenge, the elliptical for a hour when 10 minutes used to kill me. Do I like the look of my shape yet... no. Do I feel better... 100% yes
  • pjansen
    pjansen Posts: 19
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    I agree with the others, don't give up ever. Like you said, you diabetes are under control better than ever. That's a great thing by itself. Sounds like you're doing everything right. You may explain this to your doctor and see what he/she says. Maybe it's a
    chemical thing? I'm not knowledgable about hormones and glands and stuff, but I guess you're body could be making it more
    difficult for you. Keep up the awesome work. Don't always use the scale as your guide, I use my notches in my belt too. I like that. Keep asking for support here at MFP, you'll always get it.

    Pete
  • michellejayne
    michellejayne Posts: 58
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    what is the common settings for nutritional goals , mine is 50 % carbs, 20 % protien and 30% fat, any advice on this???
  • waguchan
    waguchan Posts: 450 Member
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    Since you have diabetes, don't they have a recommended diet plan for you? I think you might want to see a diabetes specialist dietitian. I am insulin resistant, and I was in the same situation as you. I exercised like an athlete and ate around 1200 calories every day. I got very fit. I was doing triathlons and inline skating marathons, but I couldn't get my weight below 200 pounds.

    I also had gestational diabetes during both pregnancies. Both times, the dietitians were very strict about how many calories and carbs I could eat during each meal. I was told to eat 6 times a day, never more than 3 hours apart. And I was told to always include something with high protein during every meal and snack; never eat carbs without protein; and never eat more than 15 carbs during a snack or more than 30 carbs with meals. By exercises and following the diabetic diet guidelines, I lost weight during both pregnancies.

    I know gestational diabetes isn't the same thing as type 2 or type 1 diabetes, but you should be able to receive medical advice about your diet.

    My dietitians and weight loss doctors recommend that I eat much fewer calories than this site recommends. I don't believe that you need to eat your exercise calories to lose weight. Only eat them if you are feeling really hungry. But if you eat a high protein/low carb snack every 2-3 hours, you won't feel hungry very often. I actually never eat my exercise calories. I set MFP to have a 1000 calorie max. I rarely go over 1000 calories because this is what my doctors recommended. They want me to eat between 800 to 1000 calories per day: closer to 800 if I don't exercise and closer to 1000 when I do. And I haven't gone into starvation mode like a lot of people claim on this site. But I don't recommend that you start doing that without talking to your doctor first.

    Good luck Michelle! We're here for you!

    There could be other medical issues going on too, such as hypothyroid, so please check with your doctor.
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    I was having the same problem. Then I started having some back and leg pain with exercise and went to see my doctor. She ordered a Vitamin D level and found that mine was super low. She gave me some high powered supplements to take once a week for 4 weeks and the weight literally melted off of me (11 pounds in 5 weeks). Now I take calcium with Vitamin D in addition to my multivitamin and my 2 servings of dairy per day. In all I probably take 1000 mgs a day in Vitamin D. Next week, I'm to get my level checked again and she'll give me more of the supplements if it's not closer to normal by then.
  • Carakkm
    Carakkm Posts: 28 Member
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    If you are noticing difference other than weight loss, try measuring yourself and see if there is a difference. Other than that keep going.

    Cara.

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