Need Support

hi i have been working on this for five weeks starting to get a little discouraged i am following my calories 1200 a day and i joined the gym going 3-5 days aweek. i dont want to give up i feel like i should have lost something by now

You haven't lost anything in 5 weeks on that strict of a regimen? Hmmm. That's odd. Maybe you're just building muscle for the time being. Just don't get discouraged! That's the worst thing to do! Keep it up and you will eventually start seeing results!

Eating at a deficit and building muscle? Doesn't happen. Very likely that you are not logging your food intake correctly. Please invest in a kitchen scale and weigh everything before you eat them.

First off….CONGRATS on making this commitment and life change!!!! I’m not a single mom but I am 33 yo and will be 34 next month. I started MFP on July 2, 2012 and have lost 122 lbs since then. Ideally I would like to lose 166 lbs but I want to make sure that I get to a point that is sustainable. I am happy where I am at no and very proud of where I have come from. Another 20-25 lbs would be fantastic. I’ve struggled with weight all my life but was pretty good at keeping it in check as I was very active in sports and working out. That was until 7 yrs ago when I just got frustrated about having to constantly watch what I eat and gave up. As I gained weight, the thought of losing weight was hard b/c I knew I had so much to lose and felt that it was an insurmountable goal. I tried losing weight, did lose some but then would gain it back b/c where I wanted to be seemed so far.

I believe I had sleep apnea (I self-diagnosed myself with it based on what I read), my legs swelled, my body ached all the time, I had no energy and some days just getting in and out of my car or bed seemed to be a chore.

I finally had enough and decided that I needed to make the change. I wanted to be able to play and have fun with my 7 nieces and nephews (all 5 yrs old and younger), I wanted to feel better myself and look better. I realized that I had to do it for MYSELF and only myself.

Here is what I have learned and what has helped me on my journey (this is just what has helped me and my opinion):

Get the mindset that this is not a “diet” it’s a lifestyle change. I correct my friends and family all the time when they say I’m on a diet. I have had to work hard at changing my mindset and mentality. I know this is something I have to do for the rest of my life as I do not ever want to get back to where I was before.

Life happens! There are going to be days that you don’t have the motivation to work out, or at an event that you want to eat some things that you typically don’t. Go ahead and not work out or have that 2nd piece of cake. Those things aren’t going to kill you. Work out a little more if you know you are going to be eating more. Just let those things be the exception and not the rule. Do everything in moderation. Allow yourself to participate in life and don’t feel guilty for it and don’t beat yourself up. I know it’s a lot easier said than done. I’m still working on it.

Start slowly. Who cares if it takes you 1 yr to lose 100 lbs or 5 yrs to do so. It is not a race and our bodies respond differently. Also with food and exercise, start slowly. Eliminate some things in your diet at once and then gradually eliminate the rest of them. Same with exercise….I have a really bad knee from sports (have had 5 surgeries) and am limited on some things that I can do. Working out in the beginning was hard for me and painful. I discovered aqua aerobics was easier on my knees and provided a good workout. After a few months of that and losing weight, I was able to introduce other activities and my knees felt better. I have worked myself up to doing spinning 6 days a week along w/ a weight circuit. But this did not happen overnight.

I plan out my meals and schedule my exercise in my calendar so that it serves as a constant reminder on what I have to do for the day. When I eat out I always try to look up the menu and see if there are any nutritional facts before I go. Then I know exactly what I want to get before I get there and how many calories are in it. Don’t be afraid to make modifications at the restaurant and ask for things on the side or eliminate things from the meal.

Be honest when keeping your diary. I log everything even when I eat that 2nd piece of cake or have a 2nd helping of a meal. Try your best to not overestimate the calories you burn on exercise and underestimate what you are eating. The only person you are hurting is yourself. I have discovered that the calories for exercise in MFP are a lot higher than what you actually burn. I invested in a heart rate monitor to better track my burn and that has helped me quite a bit.

Switch things up a bit every few months. I switch up what I eat and my exercise routine every few months so my body does not get used to the same thing and routine.

Speaking from someone who never thought it was possible to lose the amount of weight I have lost, it is possible. Figure out what works for you and do it. You CAN do it and BELIEVE you can do it!! You can see some pictures from my transformation on my profile. Feel free to add me as well.

Sorry for the super long post but as I wrote this things kept coming to mind. Again this is what has worked for me and may be different for each person on here but I wanted to provide people with things that have helped me as I did learn things from others on here as well.