Am I being impatient?

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Replies

  • Shrelana
    Shrelana Posts: 248 Member
    I have considered measuring but then I figured if I was losing inches I would be able to tell by how my clothes were fitting. I guess its worth a shot!

    I used to think that, then when I started losing, I initially got discouraged b/c I was still wearing the same jeans....the thing was, I was wearing stretch jeans! So, they were stretching out to basically one size larger, and I wore them until I was in a size smaller without even realizing they were fitting differently. Definitely do measurements! :)
  • Ashshell
    Ashshell Posts: 185
    Also, a lot of people will tell you that your expectations are unrealistic and you should be eating more than 1200 calories.

    ...and that's the only applicable part of this post.

    In your opinion, perhaps. I know what works for me.
  • ctroxell2004
    ctroxell2004 Posts: 56
    I was doing the same thing-I'm 5"1 and I was eating 1200 a day....I was always hungry no matter what.

    I stepped it up to 1600 calories a day and have been losing inches on my waist and also notice my face and neck is thinner....
    but haven't noticed a change on the scale.

    So don't LIVE by the scale.
    Seriously......only weigh yourself once a week-it might help with you not seeing any progress.
  • ami5000psu
    ami5000psu Posts: 391 Member
    Don't eat back your exercise calories.

    Whatever you do, don't listen to this. You should be eating back your exercise calories unless you have done the TDEE method where they are factored in.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    Yup and what will you do after you get married? Throwing my 2 cents in because its my opinion day will you continue to do this 20 years from now or is this just to look good in wedding pictures?
  • rhelenl
    rhelenl Posts: 2 Member
    I'm kind of in the same boat. I'm 5'7, 205 lbs. I lost 40lbs in 6 months on my own (before I discovered MFP) and I seem to have hit a plateau since joining. I'm eating 1200 calories/day based on the info I put into MFP (desk job, lose 2 lbs per week, etc) and I eat back my workout calories (4-5 workouts/week ranging from cardio to HIIT to weight training) and the scale seems to be stuck at 205 for the past month.

    I eat smaller meals more often throughout the day, I've found this way leaves me feeling satisfied all day and less likely to reach for junk or get the munchies. I upped my water intake to 2 litres per day and I noticed that I'm not hungry as often. I would try the smaller meals/more often if that is something that works for your lifestyle. Also increase your water intake, I think I read somewhere that sometimes your brains says you are hungry when really your body is thirsty.

    I really haven't noticed a difference in clothing size or muscle definition on my plateau. Based on the advice others gave you I think I might up my calories to 1500 (plus eating back workout cals) to do a 1lb/week deficit, that may be what my body needs and also will be more sustainable moving forward.

    Good luck to you! I hope we both see a difference soon!
  • crlyxx
    crlyxx Posts: 186 Member
    Also, a lot of people will tell you that your expectations are unrealistic and you should be eating more than 1200 calories.

    ...and that's the only applicable part of this post.

    In your opinion, perhaps. I know what works for me.

    But she's 5'6, 200 pounds, eating 1200 calories PLUS workout videos for 30 minutes, which could be around 200 calories lost. With this, she's only truly eating 1000 calories. That's terrible for someone her weight. Not healthy at the least bit. It's probably killing her metabolism. Baby steps.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Also, a lot of people will tell you that your expectations are unrealistic and you should be eating more than 1200 calories. If it works for you, it's perfectly fine. I eat 1200-1300 calories per day and am completely satisfied. I never eat back my exercise calories and I typically lose 1.5-2lbs. per week. I am down 16lbs in 6 weeks and I am definitely not undereating or starving myself. I'm also not in a rush to lose weight, but I'm not going to complain about it coming off easily. Everyone is different and you just have to find what works for your body.

    Start monitoring body composition and you will probably change your mind. Not all weight loss is the same. There is weight loss and then there is fat loss. Weight loss is fat + lean body mass (LBM) and fat loss is just that, fat. Minimizing LBM loss should be a goal during your journey. The more lbm you have, the tighter and more lean you will be. Also, if you have more lbm, you will need to lose less weight overall to achieve your goal.

    Now, since the OP only has 30 ish lbs to lose, aiming for one lb per week is ideal. Also, making sure you aim for 1g of protein per lb of lbm (about 70-80% of your total weight would suffice) and around .35g of protein per lb of lbm is ideal as well. Higher protein will help maximize muscle retention. Below is a good link to demonstrates the difference of how a body can look when you have more lbm. This girl gained 20lbs of muscle and has a leaner and tighter body. The perception that you need to weigh less to look better is false.

    Also, it's a lot easier to maintain lbm than gain lbm; when you gain muscle, you need to go through bulk and cut cycles.


    OP, since you are doing 30DS, just set your account to lightly active and 1 lb per week. You can adjust macro's to around 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats and this can help ensure your P/F is adequate.



    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    MFP is designed for you to eat your exercise calories back. If you're hungry all the time, you may want to consider eating more. I'm 5'6" and 10 pounds heavier than you are. I eat 1600 calories a day plus most or all of my exercise calories (and I do some form of exercise almost every day, which means I typically eat 1800-1900 calories every day). I also try to drink 3 liters of water every day.
    My goal is set to lose 1.5 lbs a week, and I've lost almost 24 pounds since the beginning of January.

    Weight can fluctuate several pounds in a day for any number of reasons, and new or vigorous workouts can cause your muscles to retain water, which may show up on the scale. It will come back off, and drinking lots of water will help with water retention.

    Take body measurements, measure/weigh your food, and eat a modest calorie deficit. If you focus on building a healthy body and fueling it properly, you will like the end result, even if it takes a little longer to get there. I'm smaller now than I was when I got married 3 and a half years ago. Of course I would have liked to have been smaller at my wedding, but I didn't know then what I know now.

    Make it a lifestyle, not a destination.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Also, a lot of people will tell you that your expectations are unrealistic and you should be eating more than 1200 calories.

    ...and that's the only applicable part of this post.

    In your opinion, perhaps. I know what works for me.
    ...le sigh. Tell me again how eating below your bmr is healthy?
    argue with science all you want to, it's amusing to watch.

    you gave bad advice, it's okay. I'm not judging YOU for it, but if you start getting poopy and defending it, then we'll have problems.

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