In need of advice, today

cindylu35 · June 2013

My suggestion is to not super focus on so much at the beginning (carbs, sugars, fats, proteins). Don't over-do at the gym and don't under-eat your calories. That is just a lot to "shock" your body and mind with! Just tell yourself every morning "I'm going to eat 1,600 calories today and make smarter choices on the foods I eat". Eating healthier foods means your body can process them faster and will use the calories for good and not evil! lol

Focus on being healthy, knowing that every day, you are doing SOMETHING to better yourself! Once you get a good habit of eating the daily calories, just watch the weight come off!

Remember, the 1,600 calories that MFP suggests is not a "weight maintaining" number. It's to lose weight for your personalized goals. Good luck and if you need help on a daily basis, please feel free to add me as a friend!

bonitacash08 · June 2013

I just want to add that I don't think that 1400 is unhealthy as much as I think it's unrealistic. You can definitely lose weight without doing serious damage to your body that way, but why would you when you can eat like 600 more calories a day and still lose?

Another thing is to consider just how much you were eating before and make smaller cuts to get down to whatever calorie goal you want.

For example: say you used to eat 3000 calories a day in the past. For a week, do 2800. Then drop to 2600. Then drop to 2400.. And so on and so on. You will be able to cut calories in a more manageable fashion without feeling deprived and discouraged AND power those workouts.

As far as exercising every day, if you're simply doing Zumba that won't be a problem. However, if you ever decide to incorporate strength training, it would be wise to give yourself at least a day of rest between workouts. Keep in mind though, you might burn yourself out by trying to exercise everyday. Remember what I said about small, sustainable changes. To go from never working out to working out EVERY DAY is a huge committment and might backfire more than it helps.

I'm not trying to be negative; I hope you don't take it that way. I just know how many times I've started and stopped before I finally figured things out. Once you realize that you have to pick things you'd do for the rest of your life, it really puts it all into perspective.

yksdoris · June 2013

uhh. no; that's a huge generalization. Eating around 2000 kcal per day got me obese because I'm 5'1 tall, on an extremely sedentary job and my current BMR, now that I'm in the top half of the "normal" weight range is 1250. Every person is different - tall, short, skinny, fat, active or in a wheelchair... everyone is different.

however, I agree with the no too drastic measures. Never do for a diet something that you're not willing to continue with for the rest of your life. Also remember: if you lose the weight slowly it is statistically more likely to stay off. You didn't gain this weight in 2 weeks, it will not go away in 2 weeks.

lvnwell2day · June 2013

Wow! Thanks everyone for your support. I am truly fighting back the tears knowing that so many people care enough to offer support and advice. I am once again motivated to take it day by day. I know everyone here is aware of how challenging it can be to make such a signigicant life change. I wish I wasn't so disappointed, but I am committed to make this change which includes changing my perspective. I can't promise that I will not have another "breakdown" like I did this morning, but if I do I hope you all are around to offer support and I promise to share in your successes as well.

Thanks everyone!

bamabutterfly83 · June 2013

You have to take this one day at a time.

Don't think of this as a diet. In my experience (and it would seem yours as well) diets DON'T WORK long term. This is a lifestyle change that is gonna be with you for the rest of your life. It's about getting healthy. The weight will come off slowly but surely as long as you stick to your plan and keep moving forward. :flowerforyou:

WillowWindow · June 2013

You're welcome! Just want to mention one other thing-- losing weight sometimes brings out emotions that are masked by sedating yourself with food. I know from experience. Best to try to address these as they come up and develop healthier strategies than eating to address them. Getting support from others rather than eating is a sign of increased health -- so congratulations on being more healthy already.

jacz83 · June 2013

Life ain't a track meet, it's a marathon!

From an awesome oldie but a goodie --- you can do it, put your back into it!

Be kind to yourself and stick with it. You're worth it.

CoderGal · June 2013

CoderGal · June 2013

:flowerforyou:

Next time before you freak out make sure you read up on how the body reacts to different circumstances. All of this is very normal. A typical weight loss graph of someone who is doing good will look like this (I suggest you read the link for some comfort)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1023842-why-i-weigh-daily

Notice how if she weighs at certain points she will think she's gaining weight but really she isn't.

jacksonpt · June 2013

\

I don't disagree, but none of that has anything to do with the OP's post (frustrated from losing nothing this week after losing 2.5 last week compared to lots of rapid weight loss on previous diets). Eating too little isn't causing a stall for her at this point. Could it in time? Sure. But all things considered, I doubt she's goign to get to that point, and she certainly won't any time soon.

So again, are we addressing her post/question, or are we advising her on what she should be doing in general?

CoderGal · June 2013

Yeah I tend to throw out advice all over the place. Welcome to the internet. You can advise the internet to quiet. I can advise you to calm down. She didn't ask a question in her post. She just said she is new and felt lost and needed advice. So yep, I went with that. No need to troll.

jacksonpt · June 2013

Yes Dear.

monjacq1964 · June 2013

have you thought of weight loss surgery?

Teardrop81 · June 2013

Thank you for posting this! This is why I am determined not to give up. I'm 32, and I knew that when I got in my 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, I would look back and wish that I hadn't given up so quickly in my 30s. I have gone on diets before where I lost weight quickly but gained it back even faster when I stopped. I knew what I had to change was the REASON I wanted to lose weight. I had to want it for the right reason, which for me is health and fitness instead of fitting into the "right size clothes" (that's just an awesome result of the hard work instead of being the sole reason like it was before). Since I'm doing it for health and fitness, seeing the scale go up slightly doesn't make me quit anymore. I FEEL better even though my progress is SO SLOW this time. I'm ok with it.

To the OP - I hope that you don't give up! You might look back on this a year from now and think, "if I had just stuck with it then...". Imagine the guilt ten years from now imagining how much easier it would have been to stick with it ten years ago, if that makes any sense. Somewhere inside you KNOW you're doing what you should be and should therefore be seeing results, so just keep it up regardless of what the scale is saying. The scale WILL start to move in the direction you want it to if you don't quit.

Are measuring yourself? You may already be losing inches, which is a definite sign of progress. If you're not mreasuring yourself, I recommend you start. If I hadn't measured myself in the beginning, there were times when I wouldn't have known that I was making progress because the scale wasn't moving, but I was losing inches. Good luck!!

erikmsp72 · June 2013

Well done with the Zumba. Well done, keeping track with MFP. I ate fewer calories per day than it suggested, too -- BUT I did eat back my exercise calories.

Just keep at it. You are on your way! You will get there.

VorJoshigan · June 2013

I hope this comes across as tough love and not as being a jerk.

suck
it
up
:flowerforyou:

-2 weeks is nothing. A blink. That is .0018 of your adult life. If you can't give this change a month or two, you're not ready. There's nothing wrong with not being ready, but don't waste your time/energy if you're not.
-Things are different this time? Maybe that's because you are doing something different. Unless you're happy with the way those 21 years of dieting left you, give something different a chance.
-Calories - at 100lb overweight (been there) it doesn't really matter how many calories you are eating.
--if you eat at a huge deficit, you will get a jump start on your weight loss (over the course of several weeks) but you will eventually stall and feel miserable
--if you eat at a smaller deficit, it might be a more sustainable change (this is my preference)
-Good job on the protein. Try harder on the sugar.

michellechawner · June 2013

This - If you don't eat exercise, you are netting too low.

katinachaos · June 2013

Don't weigh yourself. Easy enough. Hide the scale, take pics and measurements and only weigh once a month. If you are so easily discouraged after only 2 weeks, that scale is going to be your enemy. I gained 2 pounds since my last weigh-in but lost 4+ inches overall in the same time frame. If I only counted on the scale, I'd throw in the towel, too.

Either way, even if you're not losing weight, you're eating healthier and exercising, chances are you're sleeping better, have more energy, and just feel better overall. Focus on that, not on numbers.

Camera_BagintheUK · June 2013

Oh dearie dearie me! Somebody needs to eat a couple of calories more a day! Somebody's very snappy and irritable and grumpy!

In need of advice, today

Replies

Categories