Desperately need advice! Gained all weight lost ..
awillz101
Posts: 13
I've always been on the heavier side and about a year ago I lost 40 pounds - and lost it quickly. I used this website and had a 1200 calorie a day diet and worked out 5 days a week. I plateaued about 6 months in and essentially gave up and I gained it all back. So I've started from the beginning a month ago - 1200 calories a day, working out 5 times a week and drinking lots of water and the scale has maybe budged 4 pounds. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong - if anything. Any tips if anyone has been through the same situation and how they got through it? Really need to lose about 60 pounds or so!
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Replies
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Hell, I am in the same spot you are!.... Starting all over today, getting pretty sick of it, litterally killing myself hiking 7 to 10 miles at a fast pace with lots of hills and the weight just piles on. Hopefully we can both get back on track!
Good luck!
I'd be happy loosing 10 right now!0 -
It may be possible that your body needs more calories than 1200. I was at 1200 and lost for a bit then stopped. I kicked up the calorie intake to about 1700 and now losing weight again. It sounds counter-intuitive but it does work. Just a thought.0
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1200 calories a day is not enough, especially when you're working out. Go to http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and work out your BMR/TDEE with activity added and choose "lose fat - 20%" to see how many calories you should be eating, and then you don't have to worry about exercise calories, I can tell you I have around 40lb to lose and am consistently losing 1-2lb per week eating 1810 calories :flowerforyou:0
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It's strange, right! Props to you for sticking to it though - it's tough. Thank you
I hope things get better for you as well! Let me know how the journey goes! 0 -
Just continue to work at it. You may not see the scale move a lot but you should see a difference in your body. Just don't give up0
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Just don't give up when you plateau. Patience and the mindset are important. It'll take a while to get used to it again. Just build up slowly.0
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open your diary0
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My first thoughts are 1) you should be higher then 1200 and 2) are you eating back your exercise calories?? If you aren't eating back your exercise calories then your body isn't getting 1200 calories it's getting well below 1000 and that isn't healthy. You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight. Your body needs fuel to function and if you aren't giving it the fuel it needs it will hold onto every ounce you do give it.0
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One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when trying to lose weight is slaving over cardio, day in and day out. It's absolutely not necessary and is genuinely counter-productive.
You shouldn't be doing something you hate in order to lose weight and get in shape. It's not necessary, and the mental state it puts you in is poor for your health, motivation, and weight loss. This is why people yo-yo with their weight. They do crap they hate and deny themselves things they enjoy. They lose weight, but then they get sick of it, and their bad old habits creep back in and they gain the weight back. It's madness.
The reality is that you don't need 7, 10, 15 hours of cardio every week to lose weight. It's much more important to find something you ENJOY doing and do it 2 or 3 times a week for 30-60 minutes. That's all you need for good cardiovascular health. The other side of the coin is muscles - you really need to do HEAVY resistance training at least 2 times a week. A good weight workout can be less than an hour. But losing weight DESTROYS your muscle mass unless you work it hard, and muscle is what keeps your metabolism cranked.
A couple pounds of muscle mass burn more calories in a week than all that cardio.
Just run a calorie deficit, work those muscles, and get some FUN cardio a couple of times a week.0 -
I've always been on the heavier side and about a year ago I lost 40 pounds - and lost it quickly. I used this website and had a 1200 calorie a day diet and worked out 5 days a week. I plateaued about 6 months in and essentially gave up and I gained it all back. So I've started from the beginning a month ago - 1200 calories a day, working out 5 times a week and drinking lots of water and the scale has maybe budged 4 pounds. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong - if anything. Any tips if anyone has been through the same situation and how they got through it? Really need to lose about 60 pounds or so!
i did the exact same - lost 60 then put back on about 50. this time i'm going to gradually increase my cals when i get close to goal and keep logging on here for at least a year whilst maintaining as i just eat crap when i'm not keeping an eye on it.0 -
Good for you getting started again. I wonder though, why did you give up after losing 40 lbs? Is there something else going on in your life you need to address first that is hindering your progress?0
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If you lost quickly, plateaued and gained it all back, I don't understand why you'd set yourself up for disappointment by doing the same thing you did last time. Why not try losing weight slower but in a way you can sustain for life? Try a different path by figuring out what your caloric needs are, eat at a reasonable deficit incorporating a variety of nutritious foods you enjoy, incorporate strength training to limit loss of lean muscle while you lose fat, and do a dance of victory?
For my part, I'm lifting 3x a week and using TDEE-20% and it's slower but I know the flub is going away forever.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-120 -
1200 calories a day is not enough, especially when you're working out. Go to http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and work out your BMR/TDEE with activity added and choose "lose fat - 20%" to see how many calories you should be eating, and then you don't have to worry about exercise calories, I can tell you I have around 40lb to lose and am consistently losing 1-2lb per week eating 1810 calories :flowerforyou:
Thank you so much! Just put all my information in and it's extremely helpful as well as your advice! I'll definitely be increasing my calories - that's just what I needed to hear! 0 -
Eat more calories0
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Lifestyle change, eating properly for your body to function will help you succeed instead of seeing this as a diet or something you are going to start and stop when goal reached. Read up on TDEE and BMR and all that fun stuff and see if that is something that you maybe interested in as others have suggested.0
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1200 calories a day is not enough, especially when you're working out. Go to http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and work out your BMR/TDEE with activity added and choose "lose fat - 20%" to see how many calories you should be eating, and then you don't have to worry about exercise calories, I can tell you I have around 40lb to lose and am consistently losing 1-2lb per week eating 1810 calories :flowerforyou:
Listen to this advice. Why?
If you can't eat the way you're eating for the rest of your life (ie 1200) what do you think is going to happen when you eat more again? It'll come back.0 -
You said you have lost 4lbs in a month. Sounds about right to me. Just keep doing what you are doing.0
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If you're serious about it, then educate yourself about what your body NEEDS. 1200 calories a day probably isn't even in the ballpark to being enough for you. Food is fuel - and when you're exercising, you need more of it.
Also, you need to learn an entirely new lifestyle and relationship with food during and after your weight loss, because it you go back to your usual patterns after you hit your weight goal, you're going to gain it all back.0 -
I've always been on the heavier side and about a year ago I lost 40 pounds - and lost it quickly. I used this website and had a 1200 calorie a day diet and worked out 5 days a week. I plateaued about 6 months in and essentially gave up and I gained it all back. So I've started from the beginning a month ago - 1200 calories a day, working out 5 times a week and drinking lots of water and the scale has maybe budged 4 pounds. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong - if anything. Any tips if anyone has been through the same situation and how they got through it? Really need to lose about 60 pounds or so!
Not eating enough. Guaranteed.0 -
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when trying to lose weight is slaving over cardio, day in and day out. It's absolutely not necessary and is genuinely counter-productive.
You shouldn't be doing something you hate in order to lose weight and get in shape. It's not necessary, and the mental state it puts you in is poor for your health, motivation, and weight loss. This is why people yo-yo with their weight. They do crap they hate and deny themselves things they enjoy. They lose weight, but then they get sick of it, and their bad old habits creep back in and they gain the weight back. It's madness.
^^^This!
If your good health is dependent on something you hate, you will fail. Make lifestyle changes that make you happy. Eat foods that are delicious and find activities you enjoy. Good health is not a punishment.0 -
Agreed^. 4lb in a month = 1lb a week. That's the rate you should aim for. No faster.0
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I am in the same boat I was an MFP success story, then my life changed. 1 year ago I ran a half marathon, now id struggle to run for the bus. I have put all of my weight back on and hate it. I am struggling to get motivated, I feel like a failure, my mfpals are still here they are brill and I log in regularly. I have just posted a pic from my hol that i am just back from shocking, it is shocking I am the fat bird I swore I would never be again...... okay enough whinging I need to get on the ever elusive wagon.0
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OMG I am in the exact same spot as you! 2 yrs ago I lost 50 lbs doing the 1200 cals and working out and gained back 20 in like the last 5 months! Im sooooo scared I will gain it all back but I CAN NOT get the scale to drop no matter what I do so...........I have figured my TDEE and am going to give it a try at eating 1800 cals a day! can't hurt and maybe it will even help. we will see! good luck! feel free to friend me!0
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I've always been on the heavier side and about a year ago I lost 40 pounds - and lost it quickly. I used this website and had a 1200 calorie a day diet and worked out 5 days a week. I plateaued about 6 months in and essentially gave up and I gained it all back. So I've started from the beginning a month ago - 1200 calories a day, working out 5 times a week and drinking lots of water and the scale has maybe budged 4 pounds. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong - if anything. Any tips if anyone has been through the same situation and how they got through it? Really need to lose about 60 pounds or so!
I am SO glad you posted this! I lost 70lbs 2 years ago and gained back 30. I am so upset. I exercise 5 days a week but the weight is slowly going back up. I gained 3 lbs just this weekend alone and my calories did not go above 1200. I so feel your pain and am about to cry just thinking about it. I am wishing you all the best and I know exactly how you feel.0 -
1200 calories a day is not enough, especially when you're working out. Go to http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and work out your BMR/TDEE with activity added and choose "lose fat - 20%" to see how many calories you should be eating, and then you don't have to worry about exercise calories, I can tell you I have around 40lb to lose and am consistently losing 1-2lb per week eating 1810 calories :flowerforyou:
Thanks for that link--very helpful!0 -
1200 is NEVER enough and it is not sustainable, as you found out!
Read up on the "road map" and the "Eat More to weigh Less" groups. And, don't listen to anyone who tell you to not eat more, they are wrong.
Two best posts on MFP (in my humble opinion):
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience0 -
Be patient! Slow and steady wins the race. It's tempting to cut your calories back to the bare minimum and exercise like a madman to blast the weight off, but it's not really sustainable in the long term, and your body will slowly force you to give up. Instead, focus on making measured, reasonable changes to your diet, find exercises that you enjoy, and let the pounds drop off one at a time. View yourself as a work in progress. Doing it this way can help you make permanent changes to your lifestyle, which *keeps* the weight off.
And if you have a bad day and eat exceptionally poorly, or you can't be bothered to exercise (and that happens to all of us), forgive yourself, forget about it, and get back on the program the very next day.0 -
I also lost 40lbs and I've gained back 26lbs I gave up becuse I was tired of getting up early to work out and not loose any more weight. This went on for a few months. I can look back at photos and wornder if I was gaining muscle?? It does weigh more than fat. I could kick myself for giving up. I got up early today and worked out. I will pledge to myself that this is my life and I need to change if for me!! Not just to loose weight then stop doing what I have done to just regain it. Today is the day I take charge of who I am and who I want to be. 0
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1200 calories a day is not enough, especially when you're working out. Go to http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and work out your BMR/TDEE with activity added and choose "lose fat - 20%" to see how many calories you should be eating, and then you don't have to worry about exercise calories, I can tell you I have around 40lb to lose and am consistently losing 1-2lb per week eating 1810 calories :flowerforyou:
I went on that website (it is easy to use--I like that) and it says that I need to eat 1627 to lose ("lose fat - 20%) and that my TDEE is 2,035. MFP has me at 1,410 instead of 1627. I'm confused--does that mean I am not eating enough? Does it mean that I should be eating all my exercise calories back (I average about 150 calories worth of exercise a day--some days 500)? According to that website, I should be losing 3.3 pounds a month and I am only losing about 2 pounds a month. ???0 -
If you lost quickly, plateaued and gained it all back, I don't understand why you'd set yourself up for disappointment by doing the same thing you did last time. Why not try losing weight slower but in a way you can sustain for life? Try a different path by figuring out what your caloric needs are, eat at a reasonable deficit incorporating a variety of nutritious foods you enjoy, incorporate strength training to limit loss of lean muscle while you lose fat, and do a dance of victory?
For my part, I'm lifting 3x a week and using TDEE-20% and it's slower but I know the flub is going away forever.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
Thank you! The link is really helpful, I didn't know about any of this information until now! It's a great tool!0
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