What am I doing wrong?

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  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    How long have you been on a caloric deficit? What is your average gross calories? When did you start lifting? Do you weigh all non liquid foods? How accurate are you with logging?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    you are an experiment of one!
    you need to find what works for you!
    there is no silver bullet!

    my personal opinion will not be the same as everyone else. This is good.
    Absorb what you need. Discard what is false.

    I do not know you, or have enough data on what you've asked.
    so I will attempt this "blind".
    For this, I will try and give you a temporary solution! Then you will need to revise it for yourself.
    The same thing we start with may not continue to work in the long term.
    You will adapt!
    This is why the human race is so prevalent and we haven't died out (yet).

    1. Do the follow for 6 weeks. You must be committed.
    2. This is temporary, everything is temporary. It up to you to make it the best it can be always.
    3. Stop eating pasta, bread, rice, potato.
    4. Reduce alcohol to 1 day a week
    5. Consume bacon & eggs for breakfast - cook the bacon under the grill, fry the eggs in butter or lard
    6. For lunch, consume meat & 2 x veg. Do not use sauces.
    7. For dinner, consume meat & 2 x veg. Do not use sauces.
    8. Stay within your given kcals.
    9. One day a week, allow a "blow-out" day. Try not to treat this as a "cheat" day. They are different. Eat as much as you like.
    10. Eat your exercise kcals.
    11. Do NOT do SLOW cardio!
    12. Pay a PT to show you how to do the BIG 5! Later you can mature and do more exotic odd object & chaotic lifting. No yet!
    13. Do the BIG 5, twice a week.
    14. Twice a week, do sprints. NOT LSD running. SPRINTS! Warmup, sprint for a distance. Recover. Repeat. Your ratio should be 2:1. Don't go over 20 minutes.
    15. Once a week, have a fun day of skill exercise. E.g. swim, bike, jog etc... It doesn't matter. Don't go too hard!
    16. Educate your self! Read everything out there. Do not assume it to be true. Do not assume it will work. Try stuff for 6 weeks. Blog it. Diary it. Understand yourself. LEarn what makes you work!
    17. Measure effectively. e.g. I wish to lose 5lbs of body fat over 6 weeks, I will do this by doing the following exercise on these dates throughout this period. I will consume nnn kcals per day. I will have one blowout day per week. I will drop n inches over this period etc... Write down what you're going to do. It's your plan. Stick with it. Remember. IT IS TEMPORARY.
    18. Understand the metabolic/cellular response. Read about it.
    19. Understand exercise isn't all even! There is skill based vs transferable. Skill based helps you get good at the skill. It may NOT produce the effect you desire. Building muscle strength is transferable. Skill based is NOT. YOU WILL NOT GET BIG! Guys cannot get BIG. Getting strength is different to body building. The elite either CHEAT or they naturally have a gene that allows them to succeed. Look at elite swimmers. They look like clones. That doesn't mean everyone can be like them. They are the right size & shape to succeed in their sport. Go to a local swim club. Everyone is a different size! Read about it.
    20. Twice a week, skip breakfast or skip lunch. You WILL NOT go into a catabolic state!
    21. Drink water if you're hungry. If still hungry, eat some cheese. Wait 15 minutes. Repeat cycle.
    22. Understand we are most likely to be fat/protein/carb animals. We need fat first, followed by protein. Carbs are out LAST choice.
    23. Run properly! Read up on minimal shoes. Understand them. Vibrams are great. BUT....experienced runners injure themselves with them BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO IMPATIENT. Build your time and speed slowly.
    24. EDUCATE YOURSELF!
    25. Every 6 weeks. Re-assess. Whatever has happened is temporary. You now may need to TUNE it. e.g. CHANGE is everything.

    Some further reading:-
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/welcome-to-marks-daily-apple/#axzz2N8pXt5kU
    http://www.fathead-movie.com/
    http://www.leangains.com/
    http://garytaubes.com/

    some videos:-
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnwIKZhrdt4
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNYlIcXynwE
    http://www.bodybyscience.net/home.html/?page_id=18

    Good luck!
    It is your life!
    It is within your grasp to be the best you can be :)

    This is way too complicated and completely unnecessary at this point.

    And no offense but most of your references are completely biased to one type of eating and can completely misguide people.

    Thank you for calling this out on being confusing!! I'm reading this post because I am in the same boat - started cleaning things up at the end of December, and haven't seen results yet - and these are the kind of posts that are so defeating to me, because it makes it seem like you have to master every bit of that before one pound will even consider coming off. So thank you for saying that!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it
  • Paul_in_NJ
    Paul_in_NJ Posts: 3
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    Here's a (probably silly) question: When do you weigh yourself -- is it the same time of day? Before, or after, a meal? What are you wearing - PJs or street clothes? (I was surprised to find how much clothes, wallet & keys weigh!)
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Thank you for calling this out on being confusing!! I'm reading this post because I am in the same boat - started cleaning things up at the end of December, and haven't seen results yet - and these are the kind of posts that are so defeating to me, because it makes it seem like you have to master every bit of that before one pound will even consider coming off. So thank you for saying that!

    It's not nearly as complicated as people make it. Find a reasonable calorie goal. Weigh/measure your food and log everything. Be patient. Tweak as needed, but only after giving it time to work.
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
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    Without being able to look at your diary it is impossible for anyone to answer your question.
  • arizonaladybug
    arizonaladybug Posts: 91 Member
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    My sympathy for how frustrating this is--but losing a couple of inches is a great start.
    I have to ask if you are still drinking soda or even diet soda because quality of calories does matter--a lot!
    After being stuck I went into Reports and really broke down my eating. I cut out my favorite beverage and replaced it with
    sparkly water. I let go of most of the dairy I consume, most of the wheat, all potatoes, reduced my sugar by half......and suddenly I've lost another 5 pounds.
    Funny thing is I don't miss those things.
    was your sugar cut down like sugar from fruit? or just sugar in general. Im always over on my sugar becuase of fruit. I love fruit but it seems like I might need to cut if out..
  • livelaughlove384
    livelaughlove384 Posts: 100
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    I also have been doing this since January and I have lost 20 lbs and i have not exercised one bit. Without being able to see your diary i can only guess that it has to do with what you are eating. Please dont feel defeated as we all change in different ways. We didnt all gain wait over night so please dont think it will come off that way either.Feel free to add me as a friend if you like. Stay strong and keep moving forward.:happy:

    well you're a man, and we all know you have magic weight loss abilities :p

    Actually no...I've lost 21lbs since January 3rd and I have not exercised either.
  • Amy106Days
    Amy106Days Posts: 172 Member
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    Here's a (probably silly) question: When do you weigh yourself -- is it the same time of day? Before, or after, a meal? What are you wearing - PJs or street clothes? (I was surprised to find how much clothes, wallet & keys weigh!)

    Great Point! I weigh 5-7 lbs more before bed then I do 1st thing in the morning. So weird how that works.
  • simplynaturalfarm
    simplynaturalfarm Posts: 73 Member
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    Actually, Monkeybars was very UNconfusing and uncomplicated in re. to diet. And it works for men and women and I can say for my husband's family, their cholesterol and bp issues disappear on that diet. I eat that way and I have lost 10lbs in 2 weeks and I eat as much meat and low carb veg as I want. When I compare it to my low cal diet, I am a much happier person (who can complain about eggs fried in ghee, home grown bacon for breakfast, home grown chicken bacon ranch salad for lunch, grassfed steak and steamed broccoli with cheese for supper?) And all this was done with almost no exercise because i have bronchitis that is provoked with exercise. :( Now I will admit that it is not necessarily the best diet for everyone, but modifications work well. My SIL becomes skin and bones when she does it (she had to due to allergy issues while nursing one son), and she requires carbs in healthy forms that I can't do. Good fats are my friend.

    My hubby being a man does lose 2x as fast as me - he is very carb intolerant (his bp goes through the roof), and when he eats "clean" , weight just melts off him.

    I was having a sugar craving and added stevia one day and the cravings went through the roof - this is after eating clean for weeks. I was hungry for pizza, pop (I never drink pop!), sugar, chocolate, icecream etc. DH told me he was having the exact same problems and while our diets were clean (we did not yield to temptation *G*), we both gained weight that day. Sugar or even carb free sweets are not my friend!
  • Beata375
    Beata375 Posts: 68 Member
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    Is that a Dairy Queen Blizzard? Maybe start there?

    Yes it is ~ that picture was taken a year ago with my son. I haven't had dairy in over 2 months ~ and haven't had ice cream longer than that.
  • Beata375
    Beata375 Posts: 68 Member
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    Thanks so much everyone... I have changed the settings on my diary ~ hopefully someone can help me break this cycle.

    As for some of the questions ~ I weight myself once a week ~ typically Sat/Sun morning. It seems like I've been gaining and losing the same lb for ages.

    I've cut out dairy out of my diet, I actually gave up bread for Lent so that's definetly not an issue. Typically don't eat pasta/potatoes.

    Thyroid has been tested ~ all was fine.

    The Blizzard in my pic is an old picture. Its a goofy one of me and my little guy.

    Oh and when I weigh in it is the same way every week ~ 1st thing in the morning before I eat/drink anything ~ after emptyin bladder, in just undergarments.

    And I don't drink soda ... only water and one coffee a day (and 1 starbucks drink a week).

    Have taken measurements. No pants don't fit looser :( Sadly. Actually feel the same, and perhaps in thigh area pants seem tighter?!

    I measure all my food. Use a scale. Log religiously and am honest. I am 5'4 134.6 lbs and put Lightly Active with a 1200 calorie "start" ~ I eat those and most of my exercise calories.

    Thank you for any help. I truly feel so unbelievable defeated... and not sure what my next step should be.
  • missorinda
    missorinda Posts: 2 Member
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    I could be off on this (correct me if I'm wrong) but "lightly active" in your setting could be the problem. I had that too and barely lost any weight through all of January, despite painstakingly counting every tiny calorie. I was so annoyed.
    Then I read on these boards that a woman with a desk job who does the Insanity workout three times a week is considered "sedentary." That's a lot more exercise than I do! So I realized I had my setting too high. I set mine to sedentary and it automatically lowered my calories from 1380 per day to 1210, and now I'm starting to lose some pounds.
  • simplynaturalfarm
    simplynaturalfarm Posts: 73 Member
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    134lbs at 5:4 is not shabby - maybe you are closer to maint than you think?
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
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    I use the sedentary setting and then add in activities. I use a FitBit to automatically add in my normal daily activity and add in whatever exercise activities I do. It seems to work for me.
  • carla8270
    carla8270 Posts: 15 Member
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    I have no advice as I am in the same boat. I lost 20 pounds with diet only (at 2 pounds a week). As soon as I have introduced exercise (First Leslie Sansone walking and the last 3 weeks Chalean Extreme), I have lost and gained the same 2 pounds for 6 weeks. I haven't yet checked my measurements because I know if I didn't lose inches I will give up. I eat around 1500 calories and exercise 5 days a week. I am so, so frustrated. Just sending hugs :)

    Edited to add: I increased from 1380 to 1500 as I quit losing. Increasing hasn't helped, either.
  • purple_furry_aubergine
    purple_furry_aubergine Posts: 22
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    I'm not an expert, I'm still learning about all this myself, but if I understand correctly, with a 1200 goal, you possibly need to make sure you eat back ALL your exercise calories. I try and aim to be at the most double digits away from the goal displayed for that day. If your daily intake is 1400, but you burn 500 of them in exercise, then your body is only getting 900 calories fuel excluding exercise. It's something I think is a little confusing about the way it's set out, I understand why it adds exercise calories on to your totals, but I think it can be a little misleading when you look and say "I've eaten 1500 calories today, that's above my calorie goal so I don't need more" when if you've burnt some serious calories, you likely do need more.

    As I said, not an expert. That's just my take on it, and regardless how informed / ill-informed, it might not work for you, but if you're feeling defeated at the moment, it has to be worth a try? Good luck!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Thanks so much everyone... I have changed the settings on my diary ~ hopefully someone can help me break this cycle.

    As for some of the questions ~ I weight myself once a week ~ typically Sat/Sun morning. It seems like I've been gaining and losing the same lb for ages.

    I've cut out dairy out of my diet, I actually gave up bread for Lent so that's definetly not an issue. Typically don't eat pasta/potatoes.

    Thyroid has been tested ~ all was fine.

    The Blizzard in my pic is an old picture. Its a goofy one of me and my little guy.

    Oh and when I weigh in it is the same way every week ~ 1st thing in the morning before I eat/drink anything ~ after emptyin bladder, in just undergarments.

    And I don't drink soda ... only water and one coffee a day (and 1 starbucks drink a week).

    Have taken measurements. No pants don't fit looser :( Sadly. Actually feel the same, and perhaps in thigh area pants seem tighter?!

    I measure all my food. Use a scale. Log religiously and am honest. I am 5'4 134.6 lbs and put Lightly Active with a 1200 calorie "start" ~ I eat those and most of my exercise calories.

    Thank you for any help. I truly feel so unbelievable defeated... and not sure what my next step should be.

    I honestly think you are under eating. .I see it all the time with people doing beachbody programs. At a minimum, you should follow the equation in the CLX book for your base calories. Any exercise on top of that would be more calories. Based on the beachbody calculator, your base calories would be 1500 calories. So if you exercise on top of that you would need more calories. Also, you really do not need to cut out blizzards or any other type of food unless you have an intolerance. Many of us still lose fat while eating pasta, sushi, ice cream, etc... There is no requirement to eat clean when it comes to fat loss. And considering your calories are averaging 1300, I would try to up your calories to around 1600.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    I have no advice as I am in the same boat. I lost 20 pounds with diet only (at 2 pounds a week). As soon as I have introduced exercise (First Leslie Sansone walking and the last 3 weeks Chalean Extreme), I have lost and gained the same 2 pounds for 6 weeks. I haven't yet checked my measurements because I know if I didn't lose inches I will give up. I eat around 1500 calories and exercise 5 days a week. I am so, so frustrated. Just sending hugs :)

    Edited to add: I increased from 1380 to 1500 as I quit losing. Increasing hasn't helped, either.

    You added exercise and barely increase calories. Also, as you lose weight, you will need to reduce your calorie deficit. I would try to set your calories around 1700 to see if that helps pending you are tracking your calories properly.

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