female,46 5'8"220lbs size 14-16. doing Fitness Pal Wrong?

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dunkindonutmom
dunkindonutmom Posts: 6 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi Everyone! I just want to start off by saying I rarely go to Dunkin Donuts..I don't even like donuts because they are so unhealthy,but I love the DD coffee. I have been slowly gaining weight over 3 years. I used to be 180, now I am 220.I have been following My Fitness Pal pretty religiously for the last 3 weeks..Even though I am a busy stay at home Mom I have packing on the pounds no matter how crazy moving around all day,Total Gym,treadmill, honestly counting the calories & logging them, I cannot lose weight.. I figured by now I would see something by religiously sticking to my Fitness Pal & now am going to add treadmills every day. Have been always active & stuck in this rut,but I am wondering if I shouldn't be eating back the calories? I enjoy basic healthy foods but if I indulge at dinner I am careful not to go over my calorie allotment. Are there any other women out there who are going/went through what I am going through now??? I would love to have input as to what the heck other people have gone through. My husband sees my frustration (he is a Health teacher,lol btw) & he is in the best shape ever & I feel like his butterball wife..Even though he sees me running around all day,I rarely sit only if I need rest. What the heck am I doing wrong? PS If my picture shows up that's a farmer cheese/spinach egg-beater omelet...I am not a vegetarian, we eat nitrate free,whole grains,etc..but I really don't like fruit. I will read through posts of other people later tonight when I have time,just wanted to sound off because I am so darn frustrated.. I love Fitness Pal & recently discovered I wasn't eating enough calories at ALL according to the program,but I don't understand how I can lose 2 pounds then gain it all back plus 1!! It is crazy!!! Argg
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  • mfleeg
    mfleeg Posts: 137 Member
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    One of the things I remind myself is that.... I didn't put the weight on overnight, so I don't expect it to come off immediately either.

    I am not frustrated, but I know that this path towards health is a long one for me. My boyfriend's mom just got gastric bypass and I am irritated whenever I walk in the door and it is "OMG! I lost another 5 pounds this WEEK. In two months, I'm now down 60 pounds!" I guess it is just annoying and frustrating to see it happen so fast, in an unnatural way, that it makes me feel terrible that i am working out really hard and watching what I eat.
  • lbtewksbury
    lbtewksbury Posts: 147 Member
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    My only advice to you would be, make sure you are weighing the food and accurately recording your portions. I would eyeball things thinking I knew portion sizes and once I started measuring, I realized I was eating alot more than I realized. Don't give up , this is very doable and does take time. Good luck!!!!!
  • rCatheriner
    rCatheriner Posts: 48 Member
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    I'm having this same issue and I definitely understand how you feel! Make sure you're taking measurements of yourself. If you're exercising a lot then you're also gaining muscle, and since muscle weighs more than fat, you might not show any changes on the scale. I've been meaning to measure myself, but want to get it done by the same person as before. Just keep at it, remember that the goal shouldn't be to lose weight, it should be to become healthy!
  • Amyy1982
    Amyy1982 Posts: 369 Member
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    You can add me! I workout at home and my dairy is open so maybe it will help give you some tips? I'm losing weight slowly but surely :)
  • alasin1derland
    alasin1derland Posts: 575 Member
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    I understand your frustration. When you eat back exercise calories are you using a heart rate monitor or looking up calories burned on the internet? I found an extreme difference to calories burned with my heart rate monitor than the ones showing on the treadmill, exercise bike and internet. Good luck, hope things turn around for you.
  • dunkindonutmom
    dunkindonutmom Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks for the replies everyone..so many people have a weight problem..I hope we all attain our goals & thanks to people out there that lend an ear & give support in such a friendly way..thanks!!!
  • JoelleAnn78
    JoelleAnn78 Posts: 1,492 Member
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    My only advice to you would be, make sure you are weighing the food and accurately recording your portions. I would eyeball things thinking I knew portion sizes and once I started measuring, I realized I was eating alot more than I realized. Don't give up , this is very doable and does take time. Good luck!!!!!

    I was going to say the same thing! I had no idea until I actually starting weighing and measuring my food that I had been eating sometimes double a portion size! And, if you have always been an active person around the house and still gained weight - you are probably going to need to do a lot more than you have been doing. I know it seems like you are busy all day, however, you gained weight at that level of exercise, so you are going to need to do more. Best of luck to you! It sure is possible and you just have to be committed to it!
  • dunkindonutmom
    dunkindonutmom Posts: 6 Member
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    Yes, I agree with what you said.. I plug in my weight on the treadmill 20 pounds less now to make sure I am not getting an overbumped calorie burn !! But I don't own a heart monitor..that would help..Thanks!!
  • Marigoldie
    Marigoldie Posts: 15 Member
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    I had the same problem, working hard at trying to lose, running, watching what I ate, and I kept putting on pounds. I finally went to the doctor and it ended up being thyroid issues. Now I am able to see results but still have to work a little harder than most. Go in and ask for the thyroid test specifically. Good luck!
  • mellynat
    mellynat Posts: 345 Member
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    have u gotten your thyroid checked recently?
  • CherylP67
    CherylP67 Posts: 772 Member
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    How many calories are you eating? I've been reading a lot on this site and it seems like many of us eat too few. MFP said I should eat 1200 a day to get to my goal weight, but I was starving and not losing. I upped my calories and I feel better.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
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    Can't see your journal, and I know that you said you don't go over your calorie allotment but are you using the TDEE -20% method, or the MFP calculation and eating back all your exercise calories too (which yes, you should)? If you're eating too little it can be as detrimental to weight loss as eating too much. Everyone applauds and sometimes automatically applaud people for being under calories, but if you're too far under, that may be why as well. As others have mentioned, possibly water retention, among a host of other issues. If you're eating the right amount of calories and eating back your exercise (or just eating at your TDEE -20%), then perhaps you may need to try upping your calories for a few weeks (weeks, not days!) and see if that helps.
  • meredithkrueger
    meredithkrueger Posts: 38
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    Last year I was doing a lot of treadmill, aerobics, etc and the scale didn't change a lot. This year I have started with circuit training (along with cardio too) and I am seeing a change. Jillian Michaels DVD's are awesome and build muscle and burn calories. The muscles will keep burning and burn more all day. I would run myself ragged with the cardio stuff. Now, I am losing inches and feel so much stronger than before and you can do this with 30-45 minutes a day of Jillian. You will be sore, but it is worth trying.
  • nomadlady7
    nomadlady7 Posts: 24 Member
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    Hi. I'm a 60 year old female and it's taken me a year to lose 25 poinds, but it took me 25 years to gain that weight. I still have another 8 to go and I've seemed to plateau. I'm upping my level of activity now that I've reached a point where I feel guilty if I don't work out every day. I used to give myself two days off. While my weight has remained stagnant, I've lost inches, clothes fit better or are too big. I've been seeing a nutritonist for the past year, she set my calorie intake. Try to eat your largest meal earlier in the day, or do a workout after your largest meal. I had to rework my calorie intake times.
  • geekette411
    geekette411 Posts: 154 Member
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    I find that eating smaller, more frequent meals (6-7 a day, roughly every 2 hours until 8pm) helps me take off weight, even if I eat the same things I normally would in 3 sittings. I think it helps speed up the metabolism and it certainly gives me more energy.
  • NLicht
    NLicht Posts: 2 Member
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    I can only tell you what has helped me. I use a fitbit to track how many steps I take per day. (If you take 10,000 steps a day it is about 5 miles.) I use a combination of step machines and walking throughout the day as opposed to one long workout. This helps keep my metabolism working faster throughout the day. I also purposely try to eat about 150 calories less than my goal to account for any under reporting I might do.

    Based on your height and weight I would guess from the metabolic calculators that you burn about 1900 calories per day without exercise. If you walk 5 miles per day you may burn another 500 calories or so. It takes a net deficit of 3500 hundred calories to lose 1 pound. So it also depends on how many calories you consume per day. If you eat 1500 per day but burn 2400 then your net deficit is 900. That would be a bit less than 2 pounds per week.

    As muscle weighs more than fat you will burn fat and add muscle when you walk so you may not see a decrease immediately. but you should after 5-6 weeks. Other things such as sodium content, which can lead to water retention, and eating more carbs and less protein will slow weight loss. (As you lose weight your metabolism slows so the 1900 will decrease as time goes on requiring more exercise to maintain the 2400 each day.)

    Good luck and try not to get discouraged.
  • zeke1964
    zeke1964 Posts: 18 Member
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    Really watch sodium and sugars.................thats where you can really hold onto the weight. also............ are you eating many small meals throughout the day? The funny thing about weightloss is,.... mathematics , if you arent losing weight. there has to be a case of more in = less out. Keep trying.......NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP!
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
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    Would you be comfortable sharing your diary?
  • MichelleMac58
    MichelleMac58 Posts: 77 Member
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    I had the same problem, working hard at trying to lose, running, watching what I ate, and I kept putting on pounds. I finally went to the doctor and it ended up being thyroid issues. Now I am able to see results but still have to work a little harder than most. Go in and ask for the thyroid test specifically. Good luck!

    Ditto .....I've struggled as well with hormones and thyroid so it is so important to have your levels checked....with some doctors you may have to insist on it! Taking care or even being aware of any underlying medical issues goes a long way in understanding your body and not to be so hard on yourself. Weight loss like the others say doesn't happen quickly unless there is something seriously wrong.....it takes a long time just as it took a long time to put on. Be patient, be positive, love yourself the way you are now because it's today's you that wants you to be healthier!
  • Gagirl79
    Gagirl79 Posts: 193 Member
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    I also feel your frustration!! I have tried MPF several times and this time I am seeing results. My starting weight was 176 but I am only 5 ft 1 inch barely.lol I have really committed this time and have been hitting the gym 4-5 times a week. I have been also drinking lots of water. Finally I have been seeing the results more in my clothes than anything. I'm down to 171.6 but I have lost inches. I'm not exactly sure how many because I have not measured but I see it in my clothes and that is motivating me even more!!! The key is not to give up!! Good luck!!

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