im so confused...

Options
AprilChampion
AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
in Food and Nutrition
OK, i've been dieting off and on for a long time. ( loosing weight, gaining weight etc etc yall know how it goes) my youngest daughter is four years old...that should tell ya how long i've been dieting.

I thought i had what works(for my body), i thought i knew nutrition (low calorie, very little fat, low carbs yada yada, make sure you exercise....) but now...i'm really REALLY confused about all this "eat your exercise calories, do this do that, don't do this, don't do that etc....so, while my scale hasnt gone UP, it hasnt gone down either....im stuck at 147 and i just measured myself after working out everyday for a week ( i think...without looking at my calender, i might be off a day or two) because i looked in the mirror and my body just LOOKED different...but, NO CHANGE...........im SO confused about all this food stuff. i really am....i thought i knew, from past experience with my own body what was going to work....limit my caloric intake, work out like normal, watch the fat intake, no junk food, no soda etc etc.....but, instead of the scale changing, instead of my body shrinking, its doing nothing. what am i doing wrong?! i know i couldnt have hit a plateau already cause i JUST started. i'm so confused and think i need help.

Oh, and, with the way that i've been working out, with as much as i do, it tells me i need to eat, in an entire day - 2415 calories...........there would be inCREDIBLY hard to do....1200 is my "diet" calories but then it adds another 1215 (exercise) calories to it too?! I would be eating EVERY SECOND of the day....i cant DO that. not because i don't want to but because it would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to eat that MANY (healthy) calories in one day.

jeez...i think i needa coach.
«1

Replies

  • Samantharose8akaDebbie
    Samantharose8akaDebbie Posts: 407 Member
    Options
    Hello. Maybe you need to back off some of the excercise for a while and see if that helps. Your body may just be begging for some rest. It might be worth a shot? I am on 1200 cals per day. I excercise very little right now. I eat back the few calories that I am alloted and have already lost 19lbs in just over a month..........I wish you luck:)
  • bookepr
    bookepr Posts: 3
    Options
    Hi! I'm not sure how old you are, but I have found that this (diet, exercise, staying in shape) is much harder the older you get. I'm 49 and it's a struggle. At this point though, I'm not as worried about my weight as a number, as how I feel and how I look. I've dieted for YEARS. I have clothes in about 6 sizes. When I can't fit into the clothes I want to...I know it's time to do something. When I lose too much weight, it shows in my face and my deflated chest (WHO WANTS THAT!?!?!?), so I'd rather workout more and be a bit heavier to look differently. Not sure if this helps you, but wanted you to know you're not alone and that maybe you just need to adjust your expectations or your outlook. :)
  • cfischer81
    cfischer81 Posts: 111 Member
    Options
    It sounds like your body is starving! No offense, I'm sure that's not what you're trying to do but if you're only eating 1200 calories a day and then exercising 1200 calories a day that means your body is getting NOTHING! It can't survive on nothing so it holding on for dear life to the fat that you have and the scale isn't moving.

    Eat more! Seriously! Good luck!
  • AprilChampion
    AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
    Options
    Samantharose8al -first, BEAUTIFUL name....my oldest daughters name is Samantha...(sorry, got distracted by your name. :) ) and yep, im taking today off from exercising. I called my gym and asked to meet with a fitness instructor...i scheduled it tomorrow at 9 to see whats going on ( his words not mine) ...


    Bookepr - im 33.
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Options
    I'm curious how you are burning 1200+ calories through exercise on a daily basis. Not that it can't be done, but that is a LOT of calories to burn if you aren't doing incredibly intense cardio for a couple of hours. If you truly are burning that many, then it is important for you to eat back at least SOME of your exercise calories.

    Also, I don't think it is necessary for you to exercise that much! You are going to burn yourself out and also burn your body out.
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    Options
    It doesn't sound like you're eating enough. And this "very little fat" business needs to stop. Fat is essential for brain functions like hormone production and cell maintenance among other things. The trick isn't to strictly limit your fats or carbs, it's to make sure you're eating the right TYPES of fats and carbs. For example plant sources for fat: like nuts and seeds, and complex carbs like the ones found in fruits and veggies and whole grains.

    1200 calories isn't a lot of food. At your weight you should be eating significantly more, particularly if you are exercising a lot.
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    Options
    Samantharose8al -first, BEAUTIFUL name....my oldest daughters name is Samantha...(sorry, got distracted by your name. :) ) and yep, im taking today off from exercising. I called my gym and asked to meet with a fitness instructor...i scheduled it tomorrow at 9 to see whats going on ( his words not mine) ...


    Bookepr - im 33.

    be careful, seeing a fitness instructor is great, but he does not necessarily know a thing about or have certifications in nutrition.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    Options
    THere are about a billion different ways to lose weight. Low fat, low carb, low calorie, keto, atkins, weight watchers points, pills, shakes, soup diets, cabbage diets, liquid diets, fasting, cycling, and of course, starvation/crash. Most of them work temporarily, but eating healthily and in moderation is about the only way I know of to lose AND keep the weight off.

    The best way is to inform yourself. Check the online calculators for your BMR and energy expenditure, then eat at a deficit, depending on how much you have to lose. Get to know your body. If you eat xx calories, do you feel content and alert? If you eat LESS, are you crabby and tired? If you eat this much, do you feel stuffed and crash an hour or two later? Can you keep eating and doing what you're doing forever? (Big point!). Because if it's a temporary "diet" thing, chances are, as soon as you lose the weight you want to and start eating "normally" again, the fat will pack right back on again. .

    It's tempting to want to rush to the finish line, but will it be possible to maintain that? You aren't losing weight for an acting job, then planning to put it back on, right? You want to stay the lesser weight for a long time? So, lose the weight slowly and comfortably and enjoy life while you do so. Eat things you like (in moderation) and learn to like things that are good for you.

    There is such a thing as exercising too much. You may overdo it to the point you burn out and quit entirely. Your body needs time to recover between sessions, as well. Slow down a bit and enjoy the journey.

    You don't have to eat all day in order to meet your calories. Almonds, eggs, peanut butter are all very nutritious and high in calories for a tiny bit. I like to put peanut butter in celery sticks for a quick, easy, nutritious snack. Or sprinkle black pepper on a hard boiled egg. Or a handful of almonds...which are 150 calories an oz! Of course, if you are eating fat free, low cal foods...you are missing out on a lot of potential...both calories and nutrients. Some fat is necessary and good for you...don't be afraid of it.

    What works for me might not work for you. Give one thing a few weeks to see if it works, and change it up, if it doesn't. But what ever you do, don't give up!:flowerforyou:
  • AprilChampion
    AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
    Options
    I'm curious how you are burning 1200+ calories through exercise on a daily basis. Not that it can't be done, but that is a LOT of calories to burn if you aren't doing incredibly intense cardio for a couple of hours. If you truly are burning that many, then it is important for you to eat back at least SOME of your exercise calories.

    Also, I don't think it is necessary for you to exercise that much! You are going to burn yourself out and also burn your body out.

    i work out for over an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. i do cardio, strength training and curcuit training. PLUS, i do yoga at home. i AM extremely active. On top of that, i have three smaller children that i keep up with on a daily basis, cleaning a huge house, homeschooling my oldest daughter and taking care of several animals. I AM burning alot of calories.

    Im not saying i dont WANT to eat my exercize calories, just that with as active as i am it would be INCREDIBLY hard to do. I would have to stop and eat *SOMETHING* every couple of minutes. my stomach cant handle that. i STRETCH eating 1200 to 1300 calories a day...and THATS eating regular meals. this morning i ate three whole eggs, four pieces of wheat toast with margarine and i was FULL. im literally NOT hungry at all right now and i ate that three HOURS ago. how can i force myself to eat?! i cant. ill end up making myself sick and not WANT to eat. in addition to the 100+ ounces of water i drink all day.

    see my point? everyone is missing my point. its not that im not eating enough. im eating PLENTY. i just CANT force myself to eat when im not hungry. i KNOW my body and overeating WILL make me sick. i cant JUST eat 2400 calories a day without making myself sick.
  • willywonka
    willywonka Posts: 743 Member
    Options
    You're doing great, it will come off!! I may have mis-read your post but did I thought you said you didn't see a change in one week of exercising every day. It takes weeks, sometimes months to see the results on the scale but look at how your clothes fit and how you feel. Keep at it and you'll be at your goal in no time :happy:
  • AprilChampion
    AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
    Options
    You're doing great, it will come off!! I may have mis-read your post but did I thought you said you didn't see a change in one week of exercising every day. It takes weeks, sometimes months to see the results on the scale but look at how your clothes fit and how you feel. Keep at it and you'll be at your goal in no time :happy:

    thanks i appreciate it.

    I DO feel great, i have more energy and when i noticed my body in the mirror while changing this morning, i was shocked when i measured myself and didnt see any difference in the measuring tape. i definitely LOOK different but theres no change in the scale OR the tape...thats why im so confused.
  • willywonka
    willywonka Posts: 743 Member
    Options
    I completely understand, how tall are you if you don't mind me asking? I'm short (5'2) and it did seem to take a while for me to start seeing the numbers but the changes are happening, especially since you can already see it in the mirror :flowerforyou:
  • Crunchytxmama
    Crunchytxmama Posts: 169 Member
    Options
    First of all, take a deep breath. This is going to be a long haul and if you get panicky about every little detail this early on, this won't be a long-term change for you. I am a perfectionist and an all-or-nothing thinker, and it was one of the things that kept me fat for many, many years. It's all about what you do day in and day out that will have you seeing the changes you want. Sometimes it will be weeks before you really see those changes, but not only are you changing your body, you are changing your mind, and your habits.

    Take a second to stop and listen to your body. Are you hungry a lot, or feeling weak or tired? If not, don't feel like you need to force yourself to eat! It takes time to notice your body's patterns. If I eat junk or go way over my calories for a few days, then for the next 3 days or so, 1200 calories is a cinch! Then by day 4 or 5 of 1200, I start to get really hungry and I need to eat those exercise calories. Some days I don't make good food choices with eating nutrient dense foods that keep me full...and I find myself extra hungry or feeling weak, so I might eat my exercise calories that day and the next day I'll try to make my calories much better quality calories. By good quality I mean lots of protein, no processed carbs, good fats (fat is your friend :bigsmile: ), lots of fruits and veggies.

    All this business about you HAVE to eat your exercise calories, I personally think is bull. You will KNOW if you are starving. You'll feel like crap and your workouts will suck. You'll probably get dizzy when you stand up too fast. Your body will tell you what you need. However, some days you really will need them, and I wouldn't ignore those cues just for the sake of losing weight. Doing that for a prolonged period of time will cause your weight loss to stall and your body could go into starvation mode.
  • AprilChampion
    AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
    Options
    I completely understand, how tall are you if you don't mind me asking? I'm short (5'2) and it did seem to take a while for me to start seeing the numbers but the changes are happening, especially since you can already see it in the mirror :flowerforyou:

    im five foot five. (TECHNICALLY 5foot 4 and three quarters but whats a quarter of an inch??? lol)
  • AprilChampion
    AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
    Options
    First of all, take a deep breath. This is going to be a long haul and if you get panicky about every little detail this early on, this won't be a long-term change for you. I am a perfectionist and an all-or-nothing thinker, and it was one of the things that kept me fat for many, many years. It's all about what you do day in and day out that will have you seeing the changes you want. Sometimes it will be weeks before you really see those changes, but not only are you changing your body, you are changing your mind, and your habits.

    Take a second to stop and listen to your body. Are you hungry a lot, or feeling weak or tired? If not, don't feel like you need to force yourself to eat! It takes time to notice your body's patterns. If I eat junk or go way over my calories for a few days, then for the next 3 days or so, 1200 calories is a cinch! Then by day 4 or 5 of 1200, I start to get really hungry and I need to eat those exercise calories. Some days I don't make good food choices with eating nutrient dense foods that keep me full...and I find myself extra hungry or feeling weak, so I might eat my exercise calories that day and the next day I'll try to make my calories much better quality calories. By good quality I mean lots of protein, no processed carbs, good fats (fat is your friend :bigsmile: ), lots of fruits and veggies.

    All this business about you HAVE to eat your exercise calories, I personally think is bull. You will KNOW if you are starving. You'll feel like crap and your workouts will suck. You'll probably get dizzy when you stand up too fast. Your body will tell you what you need. However, some days you really will need them, and I wouldn't ignore those cues just for the sake of losing weight. Doing that for a prolonged period of time will cause your weight loss to stall and your body could go into starvation mode.

    see, thats the thing, im NOT hungry at ALL with the 1200 calories. im actually FULL between meals. i eat three FULL meals a day, with MAYBE a snack in between if i have the time. I feel fantastic, am not tired, have more energy then i did before i started working out.
  • Crunchytxmama
    Crunchytxmama Posts: 169 Member
    Options
    Then for today, you are doing find with your calorie intake. Next week might be different. Those deficits do seem to start to stack up and one day you might find yourself absolutely famished. Just take it day by day, and listen to your body!
  • AprilChampion
    AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
    Options
    Then for today, you are doing find with your calorie intake. Next week might be different. Those deficits do seem to start to stack up and one day you might find yourself absolutely famished. Just take it day by day, and listen to your body!

    what are deficits? i keep seeing that and everytime i do, i get even more confused.
  • jessw86
    jessw86 Posts: 29
    Options
    I go to the gym and do an hour of cardio on the elliptical (3x's a week) and I burn about 500 calories per hour... I'm still active throughout the day but I only consider the caridio calories as calories I should try to make up for in food, at least most of them anyway. I was trying another "diet" before MFP and reached a plateau because I increased my workout so drastically but was eating so little. I started MFP and have been keeping within one hundred calories of my limit and honestly I saw that plateau just go out the window in only a week. I know everyones body is different but I think you have to find a balance between work out and calories you can't go to extreme with one or the other. If you don't want to eat so many calories you might wanna just try backing off the exercise a bit until your body adjusts then bump it up again. I'm sure you'll get there... don't get discouraged!!! :)
  • Crunchytxmama
    Crunchytxmama Posts: 169 Member
    Options
    When you sign up for MFP (or any other calorie counting site), they calculate your weight loss goals based on math. 3500 calories = 1 lb. on the scale. The first thing MFP figures out is how many calories you are currently eating to maintain your weight. If you are eating more than it takes to maintain your weight, you gain weight. If you eat less calories than it takes to maintain your weight, you will lose weight. So, for example, if MFP told you to eat 1200 calories a day to lose 1 lb. per week, at the end of 7 days, it thinks you will have a calorie "deficit" (how many calories you are under what you need to maintain your current weight), of 3,500 calories, based on what you ate and your activity (minus exercise that you input yourself). They factor in what you set your activity level at (sedentary, lightly active, etc.), to come up with that number. So in theory, if you ended Monday with a 500 calorie deficit, and Tuesday with an 800 calorie deficit, and Wednesday with a 450 calorie deficit, you would actually lose 1 1/2 lbs. that week (in theory, the math doesn't always truly work out that way). So if you have huuuuge deficits every day, by doing extra exercise you might be losing an unreasonable amount of weight and you could put your body into starvation mode.
  • cola4surf
    cola4surf Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    I was the same starting weight but at 5'7". i just started a couple of weeks ago and have lost a few pounds. I think what people on MFP need to be careful of is not under-estimating their caloric intake and over-estimating their caloric output. I have been better about measuring out portions and weighing food to make sure. It is difficult at first but eventually it is easier to estimate correct portion size. Also, I take spin most days during the week and it only accounts for 600 calories (at most) burned per day. That is an intense 60 minute workout. To burn over 2000 calories every day you would have to be running a marathon.

    I don't know if all of MFP's calculations are correct so I, as a rule, under-estimate the amount of calories I burn with exercise. I also over-estimate the calories I take in. So far that has worked for me. I can tell I am eating less and loosing weight. Portion size is tricky. For example, this morning I ate two pieces of toast with portobello mushrooms (grilled) and earth balance spread. I also had 3 sips of my son's homemade smoothie and that accounted for 412 calories. That is not a huge meal. I am full but, if I don't work-out, I can only eat like that 2 more times today. If I snack I will surely exceed my intake goal of 1200. My plan is to take a core-board class tonight that will only burn about 500 (I still under-estimate). I probably will end up eating back the calories for sure.

    Don't get discouraged. Making healthy choices and staying active is what is most important.

Categories