HELP! I've hit a rut...

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Becks41319
Becks41319 Posts: 156 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm stuck...I have stayed consistent, missing very few days of work out and rarely going over my calorie intake yet it seems I have hit a rut in my progress. I still feel sore when I up my work outs, I can run faster/farther, but I am not seeing results anymore. When I step on the scale it is as if I have gained. I know muscle ways more than fat and all of that, but this seems a little bit ridiculous considering I do not see or feel any sort of change over the passed few weeks. I'm getting a little discouraged. I'm trying to change things up a bit because I'm getting bored and having to MAKE myself work out now when used to I wanted to. Aside from my midsection, I'm happy with my body. I want a flat stomach and a tighter back. I'm 22 years old, burning around 500 calories a day, eating around 1,700 (Set at 1,200 but eating back my calories lost), and I am doing everything from home or at the park .(I cannot afford to join a gym at the moment but it is a future goal of mine.) Any tips or tricks would help greatly. My diary is completely open to the public so feel free to take a look at tell me where I should make some changes. Any sort of help would be appreciated, my family is not active at all, so I don't really have anyone to ask this stuff.
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Replies

  • emilysmallfry93
    emilysmallfry93 Posts: 30
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    I'm feeling the same. I love exercise usually, I love the buzz it gives me. Could you be feeling stressed? Maybe you haven't found something you really enjoy? I have found that I really enjoy boxing and kick-boxing but I can't afford to go to classes at the moment :( Find a friend to workout with maybe?
  • bonitacash08
    bonitacash08 Posts: 378 Member
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    1. Muscle and fat "weigh" the same. Muscle just takes up less space so a pound of muscle looks smaller than a pound of fat.
    2. If you exercise every day, 1700 calories isn't enough food. Try one of the calorie calculators to find a better number for you. It sounds crazy, but not eating enough can be as much as a hindrance to weight loss as eating too much.
    3. You mentioned not being able to go to a gym but make sure you're incorporating strength training into your workouts (only 3 times a week though. Give those muscles a chance to rest). There are a ton of free body weight exercise programs available on Youtube.

    Make sure you take progress photos! I just had a "I'm not getting anywhere" moment last week and I took a look at my progress via pictures and I saw how far I've really come.
  • Becks41319
    Becks41319 Posts: 156 Member
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    I guess I don't really understand progress photos as I don't usually let other people take my photo let alone take my own.
  • Becks41319
    Becks41319 Posts: 156 Member
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    And I have my calories set to where I will lose 1 1/2 pound a week. Should I not set it?
  • tyagow
    tyagow Posts: 11 Member
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    I know how frustrating a rut can be. I am currently in one as well. I would suggest not eating back your 500 calories that your burning. I agree that not eating enough food is just as bad as eating too much food, but your body has gotten into a groove and therefore needs to be kind of jolted back into weight loss. At the beginning, everyone loses a bunch cause there bodies aren't used to the lowered calories or the working out. I would suggest a few days (2-3) of lowered or highered calories then going back to your 1700 calories a day. Maybe this will make your body jump back into weight loss. Don't feel discouraged you can do this!!! Don't let your hard work be forgotten.
  • bonitacash08
    bonitacash08 Posts: 378 Member
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    And I have my calories set to where I will lose 1 1/2 pound a week. Should I not set it?

    With only 13 lbs to go, your goal should be 1/2 a pound a week. I know you want to get the weight off as soon as possible (we all do), but it's not physically possible with such a small amount to lose.
  • TedStout
    TedStout Posts: 241
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    My experience and my advice...for what its worth...eat more and lift weights. You will be surprised at what a difference it makes. I think many of us have hit a rut at one time or another. For me, the weightlifting was a breakthrough. I eat more and am maintaining the same relative weight while still reducing inches where I want them off. Good luck!
  • bonitacash08
    bonitacash08 Posts: 378 Member
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    I guess I don't really understand progress photos as I don't usually let other people take my photo let alone take my own.

    I took my own progress photos. You don't have to share them with anyone but it definitely helps when the scale doesn't show your hard work, photos usually do.

    Edited to add: here's a link to my progress. Again, you definitely don't have to post them here but it does wonders for the mental part of this whole process.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/998893-3-month-progress-pics
  • dblaacker
    dblaacker Posts: 153 Member
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    I commonly see a lot of professionals recommending that people try interval training once they've hit a rut. It helps to change things up and confuse the body a bit, so the body has to work harder and maintains calorie burn for a longer period of time. Also, are you getting enough sleep? Lack of sleep and stress were the biggest issues leading to my weight maintenance, but now that it's summer and I'm less stressed and sleeping more, I've dropped about 2 pounds since my last weigh-in. Try some sort of yoga and/or meditation each day. Just set aside five minutes and sit down someplace comfortable and just breathe. Doing this will help with focus and paying attention to your body so you don't over-do it with exercise or food.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    Gonna be up front and tell you that you eat a lot of garbage. I mean, you could technically lose weight by eating the 75% junk that I see in the past 3 days of your diary, but your weight loss might be erratic due to bloat from sodium. Your workouts need to be fueled with healthy foods, not stuff loaded in sugar and saturated fat.
  • ttesta20
    ttesta20 Posts: 35 Member
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    Try cutting out the processed foods and you will see a huge difference. Whoever coined the phrase "abs are made in the kitchen" was absolutely spot on. Think of your body as a car and food as your fuel. If you put crappy gas in the car, it's not going to run nearly as well as if you put in quality fuel. You may up your water and protein intake, and lessen your carb and sodium intake too. Good luck!
  • srk369
    srk369 Posts: 256 Member
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    And I have my calories set to where I will lose 1 1/2 pound a week. Should I not set it?

    The closer you get to your goal, the smaller you want your deficit to be. I would not jump down to 1200, I would up it maybe 100/wk until you get to the 1/2-1lb wk loss number.
  • silverinc13
    silverinc13 Posts: 216 Member
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    I notice a lot of high sodium days, low on protein and from what you're eating probably low on fiber as well. Try incorporating some greek yogurt and more fresh fruits and veggies into your diet along with lean protein to get some nutrients in your diet! Canned tuna isn't much more expensive that ramen and is so much better for you!
  • sullrico18
    sullrico18 Posts: 261 Member
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    Definitely agree with the advice above! I'd also add to make sure you're measuring yourself on a monthly basis---even if the scale doesn't move, you could very well be losing inches.
  • Becks41319
    Becks41319 Posts: 156 Member
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    At the moment I am not entirely in control of the eating part of my diet. I do what I can to stay within my calorie goals but I do not buy nor prepare the food. That will change here in a few weeks (hopefully) but for now I cannot do much about what I eat. The most I can control at this point is the workouts. When I have to eat what is given me, is there a way around all the junk despite?
  • Genzoid
    Genzoid Posts: 1
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    The posters are right - you are burning SO much per day (500 is a lot!) and you may not be consuming enough. You can vary your workouts - hulu, youtube and netflix have a lot of great workout videos. Go with Janis Saffell for kickboxing and great cardio, but also do a search for pilates and barre stuff for toning. I do barre classes for toning and barely workout and my weight loss (while not astronomical) is apparent, but also my muscles are very toned. Substitute some healthier choices, such as veggie smoothies (I am not a fan of veggies, so I have to be creative and sneak them in) - http://laurenconrad.com/blog/post/sip-this-a-kale-smoothie-that-doesn-t-taste-like-grass-green-recipe has a great recipe. Just mix kefir (packed with protein), spinach, kale and any fruit (I prefer berries because they are lower in calories, but you can do whatever) - great smoothie, tons of vitamins, low cal!

    good luck honey, don't worry - you will get there for sure.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    At the moment I am not entirely in control of the eating part of my diet. I do what I can to stay within my calorie goals but I do not buy nor prepare the food. That will change here in a few weeks (hopefully) but for now I cannot do much about what I eat. The most I can control at this point is the workouts. When I have to eat what is given me, is there a way around all the junk despite?

    You're a big girl, 22 years old. Eat what you want.
  • Becks41319
    Becks41319 Posts: 156 Member
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    At the moment I am not entirely in control of the eating part of my diet. I do what I can to stay within my calorie goals but I do not buy nor prepare the food. That will change here in a few weeks (hopefully) but for now I cannot do much about what I eat. The most I can control at this point is the workouts. When I have to eat what is given me, is there a way around all the junk despite?

    You're a big girl, 22 years old. Eat what you want.

    Well, duh. This is a unique situation, but like I said hopefully it will come to an end here in a few weeks.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    Do you ever eat fruits or vegetables? Lots of salt and carbs is what I see in your diary.
  • Becks41319
    Becks41319 Posts: 156 Member
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    Do you ever eat fruits or vegetables? Lots of salt and carbs is what I see in your diary.

    I love vegetables, fruits not so much, but I eat them when they are available. When I have more control on it, my diet usually insists of a lot of salads and vegetables with dip, stuff like that simply because I love cucumbers and carrots and that type.

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