Why do I even bother?

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Replies

  • When you start to feel that your going nowhere... You've got to focus on where you came from. Our society is so fast paced and having to wait is no longer second nature. That being said... We didn't get all this 'insulation' over night. You'll get there. We all will. :)
  • Don't give up! You are almost to your goal. Just allow yourself some time to rest your knee and get back into it. If you gave up now, you would feel even worse for not acomplishing your goal. We all get down, but just work through it....the feelings of "why bother" are only temporary. Look how far you have come! That's excellent....focus on that.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    ^this seems like it would be a great idea for you to help understand what you're doing
  • strikerjb007
    strikerjb007 Posts: 443 Member
    If you are going by MFP calculations(I don't use that), you need to eat your exercise calories back. Otherwise, you are causing your body metabolic damage. In fact, if you have been doing that for long, your metabolism may be damaged to the point where it will take a lot of food and patient to get it back to normal.
  • kjohnson754
    kjohnson754 Posts: 54 Member
    Well, I think everyone has pretty much hit the nail on the head. I'm actually gaining weight because muscle weighs more than fat. You sound like my boss with all that working out. She works out for TWO HOURS but doesn't eat squat. I told her she's working out like an anorexic woman. You have to feed your body to keep your metabolism going. Maybe you should talk to a dietician or something. Maybe they can help you fine tune what you're trying to do. You're not really going about it the right
    way. And never give up. I've gained more weight than I've lost but I'll never give up. Bottom line is that I might never get to 185 lbs but my measurements will make it all better. Sometimes we need to stay off the scale.
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  • Kaypix
    Kaypix Posts: 72 Member
    Hey, cheer up, you're within 6lbs of goal, that's huge! So, here's an article from WebMD about your 'happy weight', which basically breaks down why we plateau to a certain degree, and how that all works out:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/ideal-weight-or-happy-weight?

    It's not just calories in - calories out = <0 that you need to lose weight. Our bodies are designed to function at specific calorie points, most around 2000/day. If you want to lose, you should eat a deficit + exercise to create additional deficit, but not below a certain threshold. 1500 calories / day is probably fine if you're not exercising, but if you are and are burning 400 calories / day, that's 1100 calories for your body to effectively function from. It's also what KIND of calories you are eating, whether it be fat, protein or carbohydrate that will determine whether you gain muscle or fat, so keep that in mind as well.
  • berthabunny
    berthabunny Posts: 251 Member
    I messaged you about EM2WL. For other that feel similar to the OP, check this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/680246-tdee-bmr-what-they-are-and-what-to-do-with-them

    Edit: Another member posted the In Place of a Road Map link, that explains a lot of the same stuff as the link above. And really helped me understand what I was doing wrong.
  • leomom72
    leomom72 Posts: 1,797 Member
    i feel the same way..i have GAINED back 15 pounds in a year, and i seriously have no clue how it happened..i eat decent, and i workout, but it happens..i have wanted to give up SO many times, but ya know why i didnt ? because of how hard i busted my *kitten* to get to where i was..so go on and give up, or suck it up, and continue to work..we cant make you decide..just think of how bad you will feel when you get to your starting weight..best of luck
  • AmandaLipphardt
    AmandaLipphardt Posts: 80 Member
    Hope your knee feels better. I'm there with you. Believe me, I've had that thought before but YOU CAN"T GIVE UP! I won't go over the calorie thing because that looks like its already been hit to death but I will add: maybe your mind AND body are bored? Have you tried mixing up your routine? Throw in some yoga, some swimming, anything to change it up. I personally do three days of cardio and two days of weight lifting plus something changed around, with the other two days for rest and recovery. Tonight its weights and hot yoga. I find that the change tends to get me excitied about my work out on the differing days and I don't have the 'why am I doing this' thoughts as often. Plus with the cardio being staggered I'm not beating up my joints as often.
    Stay Strong
  • Admiral_Derp
    Admiral_Derp Posts: 866 Member
    So much truth....Dav,firstsip,Lea,Concrete, and Coder, etc. pretty much nailed it...so i'm just gonna post this for inspiration...it gets me through the hard times:
    tumblr_lpazthHoLt1qa4ihzo1_500.gif
  • Lt_Starbuck
    Lt_Starbuck Posts: 576 Member
    You should realize that anything worth having is worth working hard for.....alllllllll the way until you get there. And then you start working toward the next thing and the next thing and the next thing.

    I'm not sure what your goals are, whether it is to improve your body, improve your health, take on an event or just weigh less... but....

    You can't start working toward something and a month into it say, 'well this is harder than I thought, so I'm probably going to give up.'

    You can't aim for a goal haphazardly without a plan and without knowledge and comprehension of what it will take and expect yourself to make consistent progress, much less reach where you are aiming.

    You could save yourself some pain, agony and frustration and learn the best way to go about reaching your goals - THEN settle in with the idea that it is going to take a year. Yes a YEAR - if it takes less- awesome! If it takes more - well, you're YOU - you can totally handle it.

    If you are doing the correct workouts to reach your goal, and eating within the proper nutrition and calorie window to be able to handle those workouts and your everyday life, and you still see no changes in measurements, body fat or weight after 3-5 months - THEN you have a real plateau and then you can worry about increasing your intensity or shifting some things around to blow past it.

    But this is not a plateau - it is a failure to launch correctly, - which is the easiest thing to fix of all the problems you could have stumbled upon.

    Learn.
    Work hard.
    Be patient.
    Keep going....
    Don't stop unless it is for your victory dance.

    Decide today that it is going to take a hell of a lot to stop you. You're no weak pushover and today is the day you're going to start proving it to the world.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Calculate your maintenance calories. Be realistic about your activity level.

    Eat that for six weeks and report back.
  • stryke3
    stryke3 Posts: 5 Member
    You've been stuck for a whole month and you want to give up?


    ....Seriously? I was stuck for 2 YEARS, and I never quit.


    Weight loss isn't a race. It isn't linear. It doesn't always make sense, and it's not easy.
  • Well, thanks for slapping some sense into me guys. I really appreciate it. I'm going to try and keep close to how many calories my body needs to function for a few weeks and hope that I see some improvement in how I feel overall and my weight. It's a little harder since being the military you have to be a certain weight or you fail and that doesn't look good so I don't have all the time in the world to lose weight. Although I am close to my maximum weight, I'd like to be under it so I don't have to be taped. I am going to read the articles you guys supplied me. Thanks again :happy:
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member

    Lolz - didn't see this when I posted the same thing...
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Relax. You don't have to suffer to reach your goals.
  • mathera26
    mathera26 Posts: 90 Member
    So you upped your calories and then burned EXTRA at the gym than what you've been doing? That kind of kills the point of upping your calories, no?

    I will be honest....a month of no budge is not a plateau. You can lose weight without exercise. It would be a bit more helpful if your diary was open.

    But quitting is not an option. That's the weak way out. Don't do it...no bulge ever disappeared from quitting!


    Well Said.
  • Stay off the scale for awhile, take your measurements, and eat more whole food. If you are burning as much as you say you are, you are not eating enough.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    You've been stuck for a whole month and you want to give up?


    ....Seriously? I was stuck for 2 YEARS, and I never quit.


    Weight loss isn't a race. It isn't linear. It doesn't always make sense, and it's not easy.

    *jaw drop* And here I was starting to get a little growly because I've only lost a pound in the last three weeks.....attitude adjusted! Wow!
  • It be-s that way sometimes. You just don't know what life has in store for you so you have to just hang in there. You get a bad hand sometimes but at least you're still in the game. I hope you hang in there so you can be an inspiration for me.
  • Lt_Starbuck
    Lt_Starbuck Posts: 576 Member
    dont just hang around anywhere.

    dont just wait for life to happen to you.

    you go happen to life.

    seriously.