What am I doing wrong? I feel like giving up. =(

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xRachTasticx
xRachTasticx Posts: 65 Member
in Motivation and Support
First off, any and all assistance is greatly appreciated. A little background on me if you don't know it already:
Age: nearly 25
Height: 5'7"
SW 271
CW 249
GW 190

I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I'm exercising at least 4 out of the 7 days in the week, I'm under my caloric goal almost each day and under for the week by about 5k. I walk/jog 5 miles three times a week, and do strength training/weight training once a week.

Prior to introducing any exercise whatsoever I dropped to 248 fairly quickly. Two weeks ago I added in the walking/jogging and weight training. After week one I gained and went back up to 250, and now on week two I'm 249. Am I doing something wrong? I don't feel like I'm losing inches anywhere, but at the same time I have so much to lose that maybe I'm just not noticing? I'm ready to give up, I feel stuck! =(
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Replies

  • oX_Vanessa_Xo
    oX_Vanessa_Xo Posts: 478
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    Giving up will certainly keep you from ever reaching your goal.
  • nursebunny5
    nursebunny5 Posts: 14
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    girl!!! i can feel your frustration!! i have been dieting/eating healthy for 15 weeks and have lost a total of 2 POUNDS!!!! i am doing almost the same stuff as you and i can't figure out why the weight is not coming off. i, too, feel like giving up...........but i know i can't! i am feeling so good and don't WANT to go back to the "old" me. if you need support, you can add me as a friend and we can struggle together!!!

    good luck!
  • xRachTasticx
    xRachTasticx Posts: 65 Member
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    Giving up will certainly keep you from ever reaching your goal.

    Your words are ever so true. I just feel increasingly discouraged as the weeks are passing with no evidence of improvement.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    My guess after looking at your diary is you are not eating enough - your goal seems a bit low for all that exercise but you do not meet your goal most days (averaging around 1300 from the days I saw).

    You should calculate your TDEE and eat at a reasonable deficit
  • oX_Vanessa_Xo
    oX_Vanessa_Xo Posts: 478
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    Giving up will certainly keep you from ever reaching your goal.

    Your words are ever so true. I just feel increasingly discouraged as the weeks are passing with no evidence of improvement.

    Try not no exercising for a week. Then get right back into it again.
  • claire671
    claire671 Posts: 93 Member
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    Just going by what I have learned from this site. If you only started the weight training 2 weeks ago and saw a 1lb gain then this could just be due to your muscles retaining water from the new exercise. I see that the week after this 1lb then dropped off again.

    Sounds perfect to me, you need to let your body adjust to your new routines and give something at least 4 weeks before you can deem it a success or failure.

    Why give up when you've only been doing something new for 2 weeks? Weight loss is not linear and there will always be fluctuations and you have lost 22lbs, this is an amazing achievement! Why not weigh in every 2 weeks if the scale number is important? I would definitely start taking measurements, some weeks my scale doesn't move but the inches drop and that is a better achievement in my eyes. We are our own worst enemies and some days I don't 'see' my weight/inch loss but I have my chart at home with all my measurements that shows me I have!

    Good luck!
  • master_chief88
    master_chief88 Posts: 11
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    if you are doing that amount of exercise, you will be gaining muscle, which is a factor, although you are gaining extra weight, it will be more beneficial in the long run because you will have more lean body mass, which translates to more calories burned, what I would say about cardio, try to do high intensity interval training, this will again help to lose fat rather than body weight (muscle+fat) and the afterburn effect will make you burn more calories over the subsequent 24 hours
  • imtrinat
    imtrinat Posts: 153 Member
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    I always gain a couple pounds when I start a new program. It's just swelling. Hey, you are trending in the right direction! Try to redefine the way you are looking at this. Convince yourself that exercise is just a fact of life and try to find some enjoyment in it. That will ease the stress during the weeks you stall. Check out my profile pic. Same weight across the board. The body has a cool way of making changes that aren't always apparent on the scale. Give it some more time! Giving up is the only way to ensure you fail.
  • missouri_rain
    missouri_rain Posts: 560 Member
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    I feel your pain, I've tried every diet known to man, finally after 39 years of dieting I've found the secret. I've sence became a health coach to help others finally stop this horrible roller coaster.
  • xRachTasticx
    xRachTasticx Posts: 65 Member
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    My guess after looking at your diary is you are not eating enough - your goal seems a bit low for all that exercise but you do not meet your goal most days (averaging around 1300 from the days I saw).

    You should calculate your TDEE and eat at a reasonable deficit

    The calorie goal (1580) was set by MFP with me saying i live a "lightly active lifestyle". I'm a veterinary technician and I spend 40-45 hours a week on my feet at my hospital, generally in about 3-4 12ish hours shifts. When I first signed up I didn't think I would have time to actually exercise so MFP calculated my ideal intake to be 1650. After losing the 22 lbs it decided to drop me down to 1580. I decided to add in exercise in the form of walking a couple nights a week. It felt SO GOOD when I started I decided to try to do it more frequently and then decided to try to jog a bit, as a way to catalyze my weight loss. Now with my food, many days I feel like I get very close to that goal, but once I exercise I have all these extra calories available to eat. I have noticed that some days I just barely break 1100, and it tells me I ideally need to eat 1200, so I will snack on something to bring it up to that level.

    Also, some days when I get close to the 1580 I feel guilty, is that weird?
    Just going by what I have learned from this site. If you only started the weight training 2 weeks ago and saw a 1lb gain then this could just be due to your muscles retaining water from the new exercise. I see that the week after this 1lb then dropped off again.

    Sounds perfect to me, you need to let your body adjust to your new routines and give something at least 4 weeks before you can deem it a success or failure.

    Why give up when you've only been doing something new for 2 weeks? Weight loss is not linear and there will always be fluctuations and you have lost 22lbs, this is an amazing achievement! Why not weigh in every 2 weeks if the scale number is important? I would definitely start taking measurements, some weeks my scale doesn't move but the inches drop and that is a better achievement in my eyes. We are our own worst enemies and some days I don't 'see' my weight/inch loss but I have my chart at home with all my measurements that shows me I have!

    Good luck!

    I guess I just got into the awful routine of seeing the scale drop quickly at first. So in my mind I thought maybe it would always be that way? lol joke is on me. I won't give this up, because it makes me FEEL good. I just was starting to think that maybe I was doing something wrong and counteracting my attempts at weight loss.

    I will definitely get a tape measure and start to track myself in that fashion. I think it would be a better investment for my mental health than this scale. I can't lie, I weigh myself every other day, to every third day. Though my "official" weigh in day is Monday. I think I'm making myself neurotic. -.-

    I'll try to weigh in less, and just let the process do what it does. I know what I'm doing can't be BAD so I guess that is a start.
    if you are doing that amount of exercise, you will be gaining muscle, which is a factor, although you are gaining extra weight, it will be more beneficial in the long run because you will have more lean body mass, which translates to more calories burned, what I would say about cardio, try to do high intensity interval training, this will again help to lose fat rather than body weight (muscle+fat) and the afterburn effect will make you burn more calories over the subsequent 24 hours

    Not to sound dumb, but I am truly fitness ignorant. What kind of exercise/routine would be high intensity interval training? I'm really in the dark when it comes to this. Sorry!
  • Colleen118
    Colleen118 Posts: 491 Member
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    My guess after looking at your diary is you are not eating enough - your goal seems a bit low for all that exercise but you do not meet your goal most days (averaging around 1300 from the days I saw).

    You should calculate your TDEE and eat at a reasonable deficit

    The calorie goal (1580) was set by MFP with me saying i live a "lightly active lifestyle". I'm a veterinary technician and I spend 40-45 hours a week on my feet at my hospital, generally in about 3-4 12ish hours shifts. When I first signed up I didn't think I would have time to actually exercise so MFP calculated my ideal intake to be 1650. After losing the 22 lbs it decided to drop me down to 1580. I decided to add in exercise in the form of walking a couple nights a week. It felt SO GOOD when I started I decided to try to do it more frequently and then decided to try to jog a bit, as a way to catalyze my weight loss. Now with my food, many days I feel like I get very close to that goal, but once I exercise I have all these extra calories available to eat. I have noticed that some days I just barely break 1100, and it tells me I ideally need to eat 1200, so I will snack on something to bring it up to that level.

    Also, some days when I get close to the 1580 I feel guilty, is that weird?
    Just going by what I have learned from this site. If you only started the weight training 2 weeks ago and saw a 1lb gain then this could just be due to your muscles retaining water from the new exercise. I see that the week after this 1lb then dropped off again.

    Sounds perfect to me, you need to let your body adjust to your new routines and give something at least 4 weeks before you can deem it a success or failure.

    Why give up when you've only been doing something new for 2 weeks? Weight loss is not linear and there will always be fluctuations and you have lost 22lbs, this is an amazing achievement! Why not weigh in every 2 weeks if the scale number is important? I would definitely start taking measurements, some weeks my scale doesn't move but the inches drop and that is a better achievement in my eyes. We are our own worst enemies and some days I don't 'see' my weight/inch loss but I have my chart at home with all my measurements that shows me I have!

    Good luck!

    I guess I just got into the awful routine of seeing the scale drop quickly at first. So in my mind I thought maybe it would always be that way? lol joke is on me. I won't give this up, because it makes me FEEL good. I just was starting to think that maybe I was doing something wrong and counteracting my attempts at weight loss.

    I will definitely get a tape measure and start to track myself in that fashion. I think it would be a better investment for my mental health than this scale. I can't lie, I weigh myself every other day, to every third day. Though my "official" weigh in day is Monday. I think I'm making myself neurotic. -.-

    I'll try to weigh in less, and just let the process do what it does. I know what I'm doing can't be BAD so I guess that is a start.
    if you are doing that amount of exercise, you will be gaining muscle, which is a factor, although you are gaining extra weight, it will be more beneficial in the long run because you will have more lean body mass, which translates to more calories burned, what I would say about cardio, try to do high intensity interval training, this will again help to lose fat rather than body weight (muscle+fat) and the afterburn effect will make you burn more calories over the subsequent 24 hours

    Not to sound dumb, but I am truly fitness ignorant. What kind of exercise/routine would be high intensity interval training? I'm really in the dark when it comes to this. Sorry!

    Eat back some of your workout calories if you noted "lightly active" and MFP dropped your calorie goal. Also, don't feel guilty about reaching your calorie intake, you should come as close to that as possible.If you are adding in more working out, your body requires the additional fuel.

    HIIT workout example would be something along the lines of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.
  • Salt_Sand_Sun
    Salt_Sand_Sun Posts: 415 Member
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    Normally I'd say you are not eating enough - but being that you are 249lbs 1200-1400 cal should result in weight loss.

    Keep in mind that adding weights to your routine will often result in a gain and even a stall for the first week as your body will retain water to heal the muscles. Drink LOTS of water (min 100oz per day). Watch the sodium level on your diary and try to stay under 2500.

    I would also suggest you try to keep your carbs under 200g and your protein closer to 100g. Protein will help your muscles heal and continue to burn calories even when you are not lifting!! And make sure you NET at least 1200-1400 calories a day!! Net is AFTER your exercise calories. I'm not saying eat all your exercise calories back.... but your body needs the fuel to keep going and keep burning!!

    Do not give up.
  • xRachTasticx
    xRachTasticx Posts: 65 Member
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    Normally I'd say you are not eating enough - but being that you are 249lbs 1200-1400 cal should result in weight loss.

    Keep in mind that adding weights to your routine will often result in a gain and even a stall for the first week as your body will retain water to heal the muscles. Drink LOTS of water (min 100oz per day). Watch the sodium level on your diary and try to stay under 2500.

    I would also suggest you try to keep your carbs under 200g and your protein closer to 100g. Protein will help your muscles heal and continue to burn calories even when you are not lifting!! And make sure you NET at least 1200-1400 calories a day!! Net is AFTER your exercise calories. I'm not saying eat all your exercise calories back.... but your body needs the fuel to keep going and keep burning!!

    Do not give up.

    Oh wow!
    I had no idea I needed to have a net of 1200. I thought I was being good by eating just a total food of 1200 on work out days.
    I will try my best to work on that! I LOVE protein, so increasing that should be easy. I try to watch my sodium intake as well as carbs but I will watch them even more closely now. I will admit I'm very bad about hydrating myself. I hate plain water, though that is the only thing i drink, besides, unsweetened tea, and my morning coffee. I do not drink sodas or juices.
  • SheShe_13
    SheShe_13 Posts: 30 Member
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    Don't give up! I think everyone on this journey hits a bottom where they don't lose weight for a while. Before I became a MFP member I dropped 20 pounds on my own with no exercise. For me weight loss has been an up and down challenge, but I DO NOT weight myself everyday anymore! My weight yoyo's and I do not want to get discouraged. Maybe the reason you're not losing weight is because you are at too much of a deficit. I would experiment with my carb and fat intake and increase my caloric intake a little. I also agree with others that it may be due to the fact you're gaining muscle, which is good! DON'T GIVE UP! You owe it to yourself to continue on this journey. It was easy putting the weight on, hell getting it off!
  • JanaCanada
    JanaCanada Posts: 917 Member
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    You are doing great!! The new "plateau" is normal for starting a vigorous exercise routine. Since it takes 3500 extra food calories to gain a pound, you are not gaining by food intake; it is likely water retention to soothe your achy torn muscles!

    Your job is active and now you have a very active workout schedule, so eating back at least half your exercise cals. is not a bad idea, but first, try using a different TDEE calculator than MFP's. I find this site's calculations to be a bit lower, calorie-wise, than most. Just google "TDEE calculator" - there's a ton of them out there. Then, eat TDEE-20%. But most of all, stay with it! Your body is adjusting, as is your metabolism, so what you are experiencing is normal....and the good news is that it's temporary, too!. :)
  • wildechild74
    wildechild74 Posts: 64 Member
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    bump
  • frasergentles
    frasergentles Posts: 11 Member
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    You are not eating enough on your exercise days... your metabolism is likely on the go slow and your body is hanging onto everything it can to make up for such a large deficit. Eat 80% of your TDEE and you will be back on track.
  • savlov30
    savlov30 Posts: 233 Member
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    I would say that you are not eating enough and that you go out to eat a lot. I would say the reason you are not losing is what you are eating. To lose weight you have to fix your diet. It is 80% kitchen 20% working out. Try eating over 1200 calories and I would say don't go out to eat for a week and see if that works.
  • xRachTasticx
    xRachTasticx Posts: 65 Member
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    You are not eating enough on your exercise days... your metabolism is likely on the go slow and your body is hanging onto everything it can to make up for such a large deficit. Eat 80% of your TDEE and you will be back on track.

    Thank you for suggesting this. Thank you EVERYONE who suggested this and who has replied to me on this topic. I truly had NO IDEA I was supposed to eat those calories back. Now that I do, I will be working hard to focus on that, and prevent my body from going into starvation mode!
  • tj1376
    tj1376 Posts: 1,402 Member
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    Prior to introducing any exercise whatsoever I dropped to 248 fairly quickly. Two weeks ago I added in the walking/jogging and weight training. After week one I gained and went back up to 250, and now on week two I'm 249. Am I doing something wrong? I don't feel like I'm losing inches anywhere, but at the same time I have so much to lose that maybe I'm just not noticing? I'm ready to give up, I feel stuck! =(

    If its only been two weeks since you added the exercise, why are you stressing? It takes time for some peoples bodies to realize the changes brought on by introducing exercise, especially if you weren't doing anything before. This is not a quick fix type of thing, you have to stick with it to see results and for some people it will take longer to see results.

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