Now what???

sunshine79
sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
For the last month I've steadily gained a pound each week.

I learned I was putting my body into starvation mode by eating too little, exercising excessively and not eating my exercise calories. I corrected this by increasing my calorie intack to the BMR recommendation of 1400 and I've started eating at least half of my exercise calories.

Still nothing!!! Yes I've measured myself as well as weighed myself and no inch loss either. What do I do. I am sooooooo down about the whole this. I only want to lose 10-12lb. Please help. :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:

Replies

  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
    If you're eating your the calories from your BMR, there's your problem. Your BMR is a general estimate of how many calories you burn every day on a regular basis. There needs to be a deficit. I suggest starting all over. Go to My Home > Goals > Change Goals and fill out everything again. MFP gets it right most of the time. If you follow MFP's plan and it's still not working, try not eating your exercise calories again. You just have to tweak it here and there to get it just right for you! Sorry if this post isn't any help. Good luck to you!
  • riannenrings
    riannenrings Posts: 142 Member
    ugh how frustrating!!! i agree, start over and be as honest about youre lifestyle ..sedentary etc as you can and count everything as accurately as you can! ?
  • suziblues2000
    suziblues2000 Posts: 515 Member
    Maybe give it a bit more time.

    Be patient....hang in there....the weight will come off if you're eating enough and exercising enough.
  • jems11021
    jems11021 Posts: 23
    My best advice to you becasue I have been through it myself is to look at what you are eating. I was doing the same thing just counting my calories and exercising ...nothing was happening. So I took out everything prossesed. I mean everyhting I am even making my own oatmeal. My date to poat wieght is fri, but I haver already lost four pounds. It doe not show yet because I gained after joining. The other thing is eat every four hours, no carbs past 7 and no food past 9. Good luck.
  • BeerKahuna
    BeerKahuna Posts: 52
    I think it's more related to too much processed foods and too many carbs as a percentage of your total diet. A quick glance at your diet shows a high carb goal which you sometimes surpass and too little protein. At 1400 calories a 50/30/20 ratio would be 175g carbs / 47g of fat (no more than 15g saturated) / 70g protein. A better mix IMHO would be 45/30/25 or 157g/47g/88g and continue the workouts. Good luck and DO NOT GIVE UP! :happy:
  • sunshine79
    sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
    Thanks for the advice. I have already started over and re-enetered everything into MFP but still no joy :sad:
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
    With only 10 lbs to lose, 1400 is probably too high for your base calories. My friend at 200 lbs is only allotted 1350.
  • baggins706
    baggins706 Posts: 310
    So far I agree with everyone here, start over, first try not eating your exercise calories if that does not work then try eating them. Make sure you get in your daily intake of water (HALF your body weight in OUNCES).

    Watch your sodium intake and try starting your day with a light breakfast...if breakfast really isn't your thing, a fruit, breakfast bar, muffin, a smoothie, a boild egg etc. something...

    Try it all before you throw you hands up, if all fails make a visit to your doctor he/she may have the answer.

    Good Luck!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    1400 may not be too high depending on her exercise. I have 22 pounds to lose and I'm at 1400 and I'm losing inches fine.

    OP: How long have you been eating your exercise calories back? You know this takes time, right? Give it time if you JUST started. It took a month for me to see results. I went from 1200 and leaving about 200 exercise calories to 1400 and eating all of them.
  • taalibahdenise
    taalibahdenise Posts: 12
    If you're only looking to lose 10-12lbs, you've probably just hit a plateau, which means what used to work (exercises/diet) are no longer working. For example, you probably felt like you were "dying" the first time you did 30minutes on the elliptical machine, now it's nothing to it. Unfortunately, we have PUSH ourselves we're close to the finish line. Perhaps you need to focus less on the 'diet" and more on weight/strength training exercise. Be aware that muscle weighs more than fat, but occupies less space. You may be somewhere in the middle with you weight gain/no inches loss. Now is the time to experiment until you get it right.
  • sunshine79
    sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
    I re-entered all of my deatils and restarted 2 weeks ago. At this point I increased my calories to 1400 as that's my BMR (I was previously only eating 1200 and not eating my exercise cals!!!!) and I started eating my exercise cals then too.
  • sindyb9
    sindyb9 Posts: 1,248 Member
    Have you read any of these, The expectations one I think will help you. The less weight you have to loose the harder it is. Try reading some of these they are very helpful.




    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • sunshine79
    sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
    Sindyb9 - Thanks. I have read these and I agree they are very helpful but I guess it can't hurt to read them again:smile:
  • Mookz0r
    Mookz0r Posts: 143
    hi there! I would eat your BMR calories tbh... after all, they are the min your body needs to survive on at rest, so seeing as you're not resting, there's bound to be a deficit.

    I've also taken a quick peek at your food diary (my first glimpse at someone else's - I feel a bit naughty! hehe) and you have an interesting mix of foods - some very healthy and some not so. Looking at your diary, it's the biscuits, cakes (even WW, sadly) and toast that bumps up your calorie count quite considerably. I'm not saying to cut them all out - life's too short - but if you're aiming for a low calorie count, aim for things that are going to give you more bang for your buck. I was amazed that half a punnet of strawberries is only something like 50 cals, whereas a boring biscuit is double that!

    I say all that, but I'm on a plateau too... frustrating!
  • sunshine79
    sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
    Mookz0r - thanks for the advice. Todays was not a typical day for me foodwise but I still had to log it as it's vital that I'm honest about what goes into my mouth. I will try to reduce the cakes and toast etc as I do eat too many carbs and have such a sweet tooth. I'll need to get rid of the WW stuff too :ohwell:

    Thanks again
  • ChancyW
    ChancyW Posts: 437 Member
    Hey!

    Maybe eating smaller meals and not so close to bedtime may help. Also, are you drinking enough water? Your body slows down your metabolism if you're not getting enough.

    What are you eating? Lots of raw, natural foods? The more additives in a food, the worse it is for you. Even though it says it only has so many calories the additives can effect your body in a bad way. What about soda and diet drinks? Just because they say Zero calories doesn't mean they're good for you and emerging studies shows that they may actually cause weight gain and food cravings.

    Hope this helps!

    -Chancy
    www.fitwithChancy.com
  • underthebridge09
    underthebridge09 Posts: 22
    Your food diary looks like you're not eating your proteins. Eat a protein with every complex carb you consume, stay away from high sodium, processed foods. Just my opinion :)
  • Mookz0r
    Mookz0r Posts: 143
    No problem! I love cake too, as well as, well, food in general! lol

    I'm like you, I need to log everything, warts and all, so that I can be honest about what I'm doing. Today I had a Zinger Tower Meal that, er, didn't quite get offset by the 5.5 miles I apparently walked!

    When I started this whole weight loss malarkey, I never thought I could do anything other than what I was already doing - I have eaten healthily for years (OK, apart from the very occasional KFC treat!), but it was portion size that was the killer.... and snacking. Like you, I was eating 600-700 cals in snacks during the day, which was more to to with boredom and opportunity than hunger. I was also having waaaay too much coffee! I now try to limit my snacks to about 200 calories max. Breakfast runs at around 300, lunch at 300 and dinner at 600-700, with way more veg than pasta/ rice/ spuds.

    Hope this helps!
  • sunshine79
    sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
    Mookz0r - Thanks. I'm going to try eating clean and see if that helps. No processed foods, no sugar, not white flour
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    I agree, especially with little to lose you absolutely need more protein and less processed stuff. Your body metabolizes food different than someone with say, 40 pounds to lose. 1400 calories may be too little - how much are your exercising?

    If I were you (and I was you at one point) I would try calorie cycing...higher on days you do intense workouts and lower on days you do not. It is time to trick your body into letting go of that last bit of fat it is holding onto.

    Here is a link to get you started on cycling if you're interested...

    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
  • sunshine79
    sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
    Kdiamond - thanks for the excellent advice. I checked out the link you sent, very useful. I'm gonna give the calorie cycling a go as well as trying to clea up my eating. As of now no sugar, no refined wheat, no processed foods, no snacks (not even WW ones). I'm not giving up:smile:
  • theartsymom
    theartsymom Posts: 21
    1400 may be a little high. I'm 199 and eating 1200 a day. I'm losing at a pretty steady weight. I would just vary and see what works best.
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
    For the last month I've steadily gained a pound each week.

    I learned I was putting my body into starvation mode by eating too little, exercising excessively and not eating my exercise calories. I corrected this by increasing my calorie intack to the BMR recommendation of 1400 and I've started eating at least half of my exercise calories.

    Still nothing!!! Yes I've measured myself as well as weighed myself and no inch loss either. What do I do. I am sooooooo down about the whole this. I only want to lose 10-12lb. Please help. :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:

    I fully go with Funkyspunky's post, eating 1400 calories per day for you would be maintaining your weight, that is what you would need to eat once you reach your goal.
  • leakewh
    leakewh Posts: 91 Member
    Go to the doctor and get your thyroid checked.....
  • sunshine79
    sunshine79 Posts: 758 Member
    LotusFlowe - thank for your post. Going by MFP my maintainence calories are 1900 cals per day. 1400cals is how much I need to eat to lose 1lb per week. Also my BMR is 1400 and I know that I should eat below my BMR :smile: :smile:
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