20 days and nothing but a yo-yo

Originally I was set for 1200 calories a day but thanks to the wonderful posts and tools on this site, I found that I should be more towards 1600 cal/daily. So after 20 days, probably about 1/2 of that time at 1200 calories, I have gained and lost the same 2 lbs. I am back to where I started. :(

I am working out 3-4 times weekly (cardio). Also, I am feeling good with a consistent 1500-1600 calories/daily of good foods though the variety is a little mundane and i miss fruit.

My goal is 12 lbs to lose. Thats IT! I am inspired by those on this site shedding an amazing amount of weight and I can't drop a measly 12lbs??

Not sure where I am going wrong however I will continue and hope I can make adjustments to see some results. :smile:

Replies

  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    are you measuring?
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    20 days is nothing.

    Be patient. If you are accurately logging your food and exercise you will lose.
  • hsmirnov
    hsmirnov Posts: 7 Member
    there's a very good chance your loosing fat and gaining muscle, give it a little while and stay strong, it'll happen :D
  • kopacat
    kopacat Posts: 4 Member
    I'm only measuring weight which I think is a mistake. I should start taking the rest of the measurements. I'll start today. Thanks!
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
    It's a lot harder to lose 12 pounds when you are close to your goal weight, vs someone who has 100 pounds to lose. Keep with it, and be dilligent - you can do this!
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    there's a very good chance your loosing fat and gaining muscle, give it a little while and stay strong, it'll happen :D

    Probably not. It's very hard to gain muscle in a calorific deficit unless you are doing a serious weight training programme.
  • ms_leanne
    ms_leanne Posts: 523 Member
    I'm giving myself a good 4 weeks on my new increased calorie limit. Has been two weeks now and I weigh in tomorrow.
  • sunshine_gem
    sunshine_gem Posts: 390 Member
    If you don't have much to lose then it becomes a lot harder. What are your stats? Also why aren't you eating fruit? Fruit is good and an excellent source of fiber. If your diet is mundane then there is more chance you'll get bored of it and end up binging. I would also say add some strength training in, cut back on the cardio and stop weighing yourself. As someone else said, measure yourself because that will give you a much more accurate measurement of your progress.
  • KilikiMom
    KilikiMom Posts: 237 Member
    calm down...relax...it hasn't even been a month yet....give it at least a month on the 1600/day and MEASURE! do not focus on the number on the scale....it will lie to you...over and over again
  • mander8282
    mander8282 Posts: 20 Member
    Don't go by the scale....I am trying to lose 10 pounds, and I have about the same amount of time in as you. I went down 3 right away, then gained one back and now i am stuck at the down 2 pound mark. BUT.......My pants fit better, I feel stronger. I feel less bloated and gross. My back fat love handles are almost gone already. Hoping my pot belly starts shrinking next.....At any rate, as slow as it seems to go, you probably are gaining some muscle, which weighs more than fat. So just because your scale doesn't go down, doesn't mean you are not making progress :)
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    How many carbs, protein and fat are you eating?
  • ltowne
    ltowne Posts: 129 Member
    1200 calories isn't enough for me either. I think that if you pick your food correctly...lean and clean...you will begin to notice a difference. I (personally) would not eliminate fruit. Yes, it is high in sugar, but it is such a source of important nutrients that the body needs. Stay away from processed foods and be patient. You are at the beginning of a journey even though you don't have much to lose. Hang in there and add me as a friend if you like for support. I only have about 10 more to lose too and it is going so SLOW! I know the frustration :flowerforyou:
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    20 days is nothing.

    Be patient. If you are accurately logging your food and exercise you will lose.

    This. I've been yoyo'ing for 7 months. :tongue:
  • mphack
    mphack Posts: 1
    What you're eating is important too. Get yourself a copy of the South Beach Diet - not to follow it exactly but to learn about different foods and how they can affect weight loss. It's well written and very informative and you can learn a lot from it. For me, part of my success came from cutting out all the white stuff- white bread, pasta, rice, potatoes - all the high carb/low fiber foods, and substituting other things like high fiber breads, high fiber wraps, and high fiber english muffins for instance, and having small portions of sweet potatoes instead of regular white potatoes. And learning to eat 5 to 6 times a day was good too. Calories are important for sure, but where they come from is equally important. Good luck!
  • LuciaLongIsland
    LuciaLongIsland Posts: 815 Member
    Nobody loses "amazing " weight in 20 days. It is not even a month. I have been on here a year and a half. I have only lost 30 pounds so far. You need patience.
  • neacail
    neacail Posts: 228 Member
    2lbs isn't really a big enough change to be able to determine anything. Personally, I can fluctuate that much from day to day. I've decided to just back away from the scale for the time being, and stick to measurements.
  • kopacat
    kopacat Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks everyone for the support!! I think I have now been convinced to measure and skip the scale (and the frequency of using it).

    I haven't cut out fruit completly but have cut down since my sugar totals were so high. I still have apples especially due to the fiber but have pretty much cut out the daily banana. Tried to add more veg to whatever meal I am eating as well.

    I'm hoping to have a tiny bit of progress in April and I need to increase my patience :)
  • FATJAKE5
    FATJAKE5 Posts: 162
    Scales lie and are inaccurate at best. Unless you have a certified scale. My scale said I gained 9 lbs in one day. It will also give as many as 5 different readings right in a row. Other days it gives consistant readings each and every time. If I go on the "Scarsdale Diet, I will lose 12 lbs in 4 days. If I told you how much I lost in a 30 day period years ago when I was young, no-one would beleive me. But the 30 guys I worked with who weighed me each morning on their scale bear witness to the facts.
    This program to me, is a health program, not a diet. I look at the advantage of managing sodium, cholesterol and the rest to get healthy. When I get healthy enough, I will start P90X. It requires no weights or special equipment. Starts you out slow and you don't even have to do the exercises correctly. You do what you can @ your own pace. Every 3 weeks or so the program changes and you do something completey different. No boredom. As you progress you do the exercises better and better. Try cutting down your sodium intake to match you calorie intake. 1000Mg Sodium for each 1000 Calories consumed. At least that is what my cardiologist told me. In the first 3 weeks I got off 6 blood pressure pills by managing Sodium.alone. Stay the course. I plan to be where I want to be in a year to a year and a-half. Only 60 lbs to go. LOL!