Totally Bummed..Lost .8 Pounds

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lap1970
lap1970 Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Well...I am blessed to wake-up this morning...and blessed to be able to exercise...so I am grateful and don't want to come across as negative and ungrateful...but I am really bummed about my loss this week. It seems as if my body just doesn't want to let go of the fat no matter what I do. I know a loss is better than a gain...but I could of not worked out and ate the way I always ate for this. You can lose .8 just using the restroom! It is easy for me to maintain my weight...even when not exercising. When I add exercise and diet...the scale will not move! One time I even went "Biggest Loser" style...worked out like a mad woman...did the calorie in...calorie out thing...veggies...meat...whole grains...etc...and after a month...lost a whopping one pound.

My food diary is open (I been logging for this past week) if you want to take a peak and make any suggestions. I know I need to drink more water and on some days my calorie intake was low...but I thought it would balance out with the days I ate higher calories. I have read many articles on "starvation mode"...my doctor told me that isn't true...that with all my fat, my body would start using that...he said just eat when I am hungry and if I am not hungry don't eat....even if I haven't ate much that day.

I log my calories burned / steps taken via my Bodybugg.
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Replies

  • finnvalley
    finnvalley Posts: 32 Member
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    Hi Lap. I'm no expert by any means - I've only recently really started to try getting my weight under control - but could it be that you're not eating enough? I've read tons about how not eating enough is counterproductive to weight loss, and when I increased what I ate, the scales started moving again, albeit slowly. I can totally relate to your frustration - I was using the exercise bike like mad, doing taebo, walking up and down the stairs, anything to get moving but didn't lose anything...in fact, the scales went up. Then I rediscovered mfp, read 'in place of a roadmap' and upped my calorie intake.
  • jbruced
    jbruced Posts: 210 Member
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    Maybe you gained some muscle weight? Are your clothes fitting better or feeling looser?
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    Well, I would get a second opinion. I really think a lot of doc's really don't know about how to lose weight, especially for a woman. It really is different for women, compared to men. Men can usually lose weight fairly quickly. Men have more muscle, which makes a huge difference, and we have our TOM. Going below 1200 cal's can certainly slow down your metabolism. I saw you had some days in your diary where you did really well, and others where you only had 800 cal's in a day. Your ticker says you've lost 18lb's! That's really good! I don't know when you started, but you will have some weeks where you're losing, and some when you're not. I personally try not to weight at all during TOM, and if I do, because I'm obsessed, at times, I don't take it seriously. Now, I know that the IF'ers might have something to say about the low cal's being a cause of not losing weight, but there is a difference between eating at a VLCD, and having days where you make up for it, by taking in 2,000 cal's on the off days. Another possibility could be that you are having a plateau. If it's a plateau, you should try maintenance for a while, then go back to a deficit. This will help "jumpstart" your metabolism again. You can eat at 1200 cal's and lose weight, but after some time, your metabolism may slow, and you will hit a plateau. How long did it take you to lose the 0.8? That's actually good if it's just one week. Also, how much weight do you have left to lose. The last 10 or 20lb's are really hard to lose! These are all possibilities, that I've mentioned, but if we really want to pinpoint the problem, I could use some more info, like height, weight, and how long you've been at it, how long does it usually take you to lose how many lb's, and so on. You also could have a medical problem that's preventing you from losing, or medications can also have an effect.
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    :smile: PS, I have worked with many doctors, and some of them just don't know squat about some things, especially weight loss.
  • mywise
    mywise Posts: 43 Member
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    I would go in a deficit according to what your bodybugg is telling you..... u are already in a deficit according to your daily mfp goal but its even larger if you go by the bodybugg... maybe you are not eating enough??? I have a bodymedia and was normally in a 1200 deficit and lowered it to around 750 and dropped my xtra 30 min/day cardio sessions and am dropping 2 pds. a week.... What is your weight and height???
  • ApexLeader
    ApexLeader Posts: 580 Member
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    you are probably underestimating your food calories or overestimating your exercise calories or both.
  • Katetw
    Katetw Posts: 188 Member
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    WHAT?! healthy weight loss is 0.5-1 pound a week. You're on the high end of that. It means you are probably (hopefully!!) making actual real lifestyle changes, which you will keep forever. People who lose a lot so quickly will just get it back, it is not a sustainable weight loss.

    Also, the less you have to lose, the slower it will come off. What are your stats?

    Anyway, congrats! YOU ARE DOING GREAT!!!!! :)
  • HollyHobbitToes
    HollyHobbitToes Posts: 131 Member
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    I don't see anything wrong with a .8 loss...our bodies are all different and some of us have to work a little harder to lose....your diary looks pretty good although there are days where you are eating too few calories...one thing I did was stop eating so much fruit and eating more veggies instead...could just be the sugar content in the fruit....do you take any supplements? Try taking a chromium supplement and a kelp supplement....as well as a good b complex...works for me and I lose close to 2 pounds per week eating a LOT of food and don't kill myself with exercise....add me as a friend if you like...
  • dacadoo
    dacadoo Posts: 32
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    hey a loss is a loss big or small! Be proud of your commitment to good health!!! Hugs...
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    You can lose .8 just using the restroom!

    Where, exactly, do you think weight goes when you lose it? Don't discount the positive here--you lost over half a pound, with a considerably small weight loss goal (at least according to your ticker). That's good.
  • CariS001
    CariS001 Posts: 169 Member
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    0.8 is great! And each week will vary... you will have lower weeks, maybe even + weeks, look at the over trend.

    Looking at your diary, I might suggest increasing the protein and veg, see how that does. Sometimes, it's just about shaking things up a bit. Do you weight train? Interval train?

    Don't lose heart!!!! Plod on, make the right choices, it will all come!
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    You could be getting fatter.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
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    Weight loss isn't linear. Just keep going and take your time getting to goal weight. Don't stress weeks where you lose less. There will be weeks where you lose more. Just enjoy the small successes as they come, keep working out, weighing and measuring your food, and take it in stride.
  • lap1970
    lap1970 Posts: 32 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I appreciate the words of advice. This weight loss stuff can be pretty confusing. I have actually gotten serious and gotten back on track two weeks ago. The 18 pound loss has been what I have been able to maintain since I first got serious over a year ago...then I fell off...and I am back ...picking up where I left off.

    I have 31 more pounds I would like to lose. Technically to be at the weight I am supposed to weigh for a 5'5 inch woman (based on all the charts out there) I need to lose 56 pounds.

    I currently exercise on my lunch break....35 minutes on the treadmill. Intervals...1 minute all out sprint....then 2 minutes walking. I sometimes add Zumba a couple of nights a week. I have not incorporated weights ever in my weight loss journey...that is probably the key. I just need to wrap my brain around it. I am so used to cardio..it is hard to believe weights would get the weight off...even though I see so many success stories! I will add weights this week and see what happens.
  • Grace4DebraAnn
    Grace4DebraAnn Posts: 124 Member
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    .8 is a very nice loss. Don't be so hard on yourself. Everyone loses at different rates. Have you been taking measurements as well? Sometimes the weight loss slows downs but when you do your measurements it shows that you are shrinking as your body is toning its muscles. Do your clothes feel looser, how you feeling? It isn't always good to base how you are doing by the scale. It is hard not to do that I know. But keep up what you are doing, don't give up. We all hit platau's too at different points in our weight loss journey. You are so worth it!
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
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    If you want to shake it up try more protein and way less carbs in your diet for a couple weeks and see how your body responds....
  • doubleduofa
    doubleduofa Posts: 284 Member
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    I'd be happy with that loss! I think you are doing great. I suggest experimenting! You may want to tweak a few things - check calorie intake (not too low), find ways to add more fruit/veg, change up workout routine (if stale)...those are just some of the things I do. My weight loss is slow, but I'm ok with it because I don't want to gain it back when all is said and done. I'm working hard to build new habits. It's not easy when for 32 years you've done things a certain way.

    Good luck!
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    After reading your diary...

    You need to be more consistent with calories... Lots I of 600/800 says. Use 1200 as a minimum.

    More water needed!!!

    Also on a lot of days your carbs are way too high, which is likely a huge part!

    Set your calories at maybe 1500 as your exercising... 35% carbs (max) 35% fat, 30% protein. If you are hungry and need extra calories eat more protein.

    Also watch sugar. Keep to around 30g per day.

    Home, goals, change goals, custom...

    Food, settings, track sugar.

    Keep sodium to 1500 or less 2 days before weigh in, rest your muscles and drink your water.

    May as well give it a shot, but stick with it Obe month for a true picture.

    0.8lb isn't a terrible loss though either!

    Good luck!

    Zara
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I agree, .8 is a good loss!

    However, looking at your food diary, there is room for improvement for sure. It looks like you're about halfway to your goal according to your ticker, so you have when - less than 20lbs to go? If so, the bad news is that weight loss usually slows down as you have less to lose, so you can't expect big losses like you may have been getting when you first started.

    As for calories - there are several days, almost all of them actually, where your net for the day is really low. One day your net was only 721 cals after exercise, another day, with no exercise, you only ate around 800. I see one net total of only 571!! Not good. :noway:

    Food is fuel - eat too little for too long and you're giving your body a reason to store fat rather than burn it. Your metabolism eventually slows to match the low food intake, making it harder and harder to lose over time. If your daily goal is 1510, you should be eating that much, or very close to it, and eating back your exercise cals so you net that much.

    Edited to add:

    I've had my best success and lost the last stubborn 10lbs and quite a bit of fat since setting my goals and eating according to this topic: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912914-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    Read it, run your numbers through the tools linked there and follow all the steps to see how much you should be eating - you can and should be eating a whole lot more than you are, and you can and lose the weight/fat this way. Seriously the best move I ever made and I wish I had found it three years ago!

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