Frustrated and Confunsed

skinney1357
skinney1357 Posts: 68
in Motivation and Support
Hi Everyone! I have been on MFP for years and lost over 30 pounds in 2010 (I lost about 2 pounds a week and then 1 pound a week-it took about 6 months). Over the last few months with holidays and what not I gained 10 pounds. I want to get back down to 140. On Jan 2 I started eating 1200-1400 calories and working out again. I do 40 minutes of kickboxing and abs on M, W, F and 40 minutes of circuit training on Tue and Thurs. I also do at least 2 miles on my treadmill (jogging and walking) 5x a week. I also walk my dogs and am fairly active throughout the day. I weighed myself last Friday and I was 152 and today I am 153. What gives? I feel smaller and my clothes aren't as tight but the scale is a bust!

Should I change my routine and workout less or eat less calories or am I just being crazy and it has only been a week? I know it is not possible to gain 1 pound unless I ended up with a 3500 calorie over intake. Could it be salt or water retention? I drink at least 8 cups of water a day. Thanks!

Replies

  • refinedredbird
    refinedredbird Posts: 208 Member
    You cannot always depend on a scale to tell you your success. The best idea is to measure your body to see the results because if you are exercising regularly like you are saying, you are probably building muscle while losing fat. Wait a while, before stepping on the scale again and be patient!

    EDIT: Also, remember that the number on the scale fluctuates during the day. One minute I could weigh a certain number and 2 hours later I'm 2 lbs heavier.
  • mckramer1999
    mckramer1999 Posts: 31 Member
    I'm no trainer, but oh my gosh that sounds like a lot of exercise to start with. I mean, where will you go from there when you hit a plateau?. Maybe you should consider dialing it back a little bit--like keep the 5x per week cardio and then every other week, alternate between the kickboxing/abs and circuit training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then if you hit a plateau, you can add some back on.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    How is your sodium intake?
  • skinney1357
    skinney1357 Posts: 68
    Thanks. I have always worked out a lot. When I started losing weight 2 years ago I had to workout even more! I don't think my sodium intake it high. A normal day of eating is: a smoothie for breakfast and coffee, a special k bar for snack, a chicken or turkey sandwich (sara lee light wheat bread, mustard, laughing cow cheese wedge, pickle, lettuce, and tomato, then for a snack either special k crackers or carrots and cucumbers, then dinner could be soup or lean cuisine, or chicken and cottage cheese. I also usually eat greek yogurt for dessert.
  • brandiellzey
    brandiellzey Posts: 10
    I'm so glad you posted this because I'm having the same results. I have been stuck at 145 for a year now. In october I started working out 5-6 times a week and Jan 1 I cut back to 1200-1400 cals a day. And nothing, scale isn't budging! Its very frustrating and really makes me wanna go eat a big ole cheeseburger. :) seriously... Good to know I'm not alone but hate that someone else is having this same issue!
  • mimiwin
    mimiwin Posts: 42 Member
    It could as well be that you are building muscle and muscle weigh more than fat so the best way to know is to take your measurement . It s much more accurate in the end :) Hope this help !! If you feel better in your clothes too , it s probably because your body is changing even though the weight is the same.. Good for you !!
  • Annaruthus
    Annaruthus Posts: 301 Member
    to be honest, if you say that you feel tighter, and your clothes are looser, then you have made progress. Muscle is denser than fat, and that means it will take up less space than fat will (a pound is still a pound though!)

    I would advise that before you increase exercise, or decrease food, that you measure yourself, and see if you have lost inches. I would measure your waist, hips, and thighs. If you do not have a starting point (as in you have never measured yourself before), then try it for like 2 or 3 weeks. That way you will know if you are seriously plateuing or not.

    At your level of physical activity, as a trainer, I would hesitate before recommending you decrease your food intake. Food is fuel, and like cars, if you don't have enough, you won't be going very far!
  • tammietifanie
    tammietifanie Posts: 1,496 Member
    Bump
  • KylieAlyssa26
    KylieAlyssa26 Posts: 6 Member
    The scale is evil. It does not account for muscle weighing more than fat, nor does it actually see a person as a person. It sees 100lbs as 100 lbs no matter how it sits, or how much muscle tone there is. Take out the measuring tape and do neck, chest,waist,hips, and thighs/legs. Or just look at how those jeans that were too tight a month ago now slide on with ease.
    Since I am upset with the scale...gain 3 pounds in a week...but had to put my pants in the dryer :-/ oh well
  • jilly1130
    jilly1130 Posts: 52 Member
    I was having the same problem. I have found that for me, it really matters what kind of food I am eating at the 1200 calorie level. If I eat carbs, they have to be complex (brown rice, steel cut oats) and I do not eat carbs with my evening meal. If I am going to eat them, it is for breakfast and maybe lunch. I avoid all sugar, including fruit -- cheating for me is to have a grande skinny vanilla latte as there is sugar in the dairy part. I eat lots of proten -- my afternoon snack is a protein shake with 0 carbs and 32 grams of protein. However, I hate vegetables and my goal for this next week is to get them in!

    Everyone is different but you might want to give this a try -- high protein, low complex carbs, lots of vegetables, little to no sugar. I work out everyday as well and my trainer helped me figure this out.

    Good luck!
  • CA_Emily
    CA_Emily Posts: 12 Member
    I would examine the quality and quantity of food you are eating. You are doing a ton of exercise! I wish I could motivate myself to exercise that much! For all that exercise your body needs fuel!

    You need to make sure you are eating enough of the right nutrients to nourish yourself and not just feel full. You can be full, but your body can be starving for nutrients. Are you getting enough fat? Are you getting enough calories? Are you getting enough proteing? Enough calcium? Fiber?

    I would focus on eating more food. I would focus on whole, non-processed foods. I would increase my fat intake. I would increase protein. I would stop eating lean cuisines. If the soup were canned, I stop eating that too. I'd stop with lunch meat. I'd cut out preservatives as much as possible. I'd cut my processed sugar intake as much as possible.

    Eating higher quality, nutrition dense, real food works for me. Eating more calories works for me. Just my suggestion.
  • mmmelissah
    mmmelissah Posts: 7 Member
    Ok...so I recently discovered that evern though I have a few calories banked at the end of the da, due to exercise, I am STILL going OVER my goal calories for the day!!

    I need help from 3-6pm....I eat lunch around noon and then head to the gym around 4. We typically sit down for dinner around 6:30, but by the time I get home I am FAMISHED.....and make poor choices. Any ideas on how to fix this?
  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
    If you feel smaller and your clothes are getting looser, you're losing inches instead of direct pounds, probably gaining muscle along the way, etc. You're still doing just fine! Ignore the scale!
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    Ok...so I recently discovered that evern though I have a few calories banked at the end of the da, due to exercise, I am STILL going OVER my goal calories for the day!!

    I need help from 3-6pm....I eat lunch around noon and then head to the gym around 4. We typically sit down for dinner around 6:30, but by the time I get home I am FAMISHED.....and make poor choices. Any ideas on how to fix this?

    It would be a good idea to post this in your own thread. You run the risk of not being seen here on this thread. Many who come in will be going to directly comment on the original post and you may get overlooked for this reason. You will get a good response if more people see the separate post in the forum.
  • skinney1357
    skinney1357 Posts: 68
    I have the same problem with starving around 3 pm. I usually go for a walk or do a workout then. I don't eat overly processed foods. I don't know what it is! I did take measurements so hopefully in another 2-3 weeks I will see results there. I think I am going to cut a portion of exercise out and try to stay as close to 1200 as possible. !
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
    confunsed?????
  • skinney1357
    skinney1357 Posts: 68
    Obviously a typo
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Check out this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    please, please check it out.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Definitely check out he thread that Trogalicious put up.

    You may also want to take a peek at people that have reached their goals and what they are doing in regards to maintenance to give you an idea of whether you are on the right track.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/816542-let-s-hear-it-for-maintainenance

    For more information about fitness and nutrition, I highly suggest checking out and joining this group: (Read all the stickies. It's great information to know.)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

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