I dont know what to do

Good for you for walking!

Even though it is really hard now, don't give up. As you lose weight walking will become easier, but walking more even without losing any will help it become easier too. The walking is great for your heart, and you won't get better unless you push yourself. Even walking 2 blocks will increase your ability until you're walking 3, then 4, and so on.

Also, I try to eat back my exercise calories because I'm not just exercising to lose weight, I'm doing it to get in shape. I want to be able to run, to go on ten mile hikes (I don't actually want to go on a ten mile hike, but I want to have the option). I want to be able to keep up with my best friend when we try new things like stand up paddleboarding or doing fun 5ks. I can't do those things unless I build a good foundation. You see people that are "skinny fat" sometimes, which means they don't weigh as much, but they also aren't in good shape. I want to be in good shape and skinny, so I exercise to increase my strength.

MFP already has a calorie deficit built in, so by eating the surplus calories allowed from exercise you'll still be at a deficit for the day. You have to eat enough calories to sustain your body, otherwise you can't gain more muscle or become stronger.

Good job though, 2 blocks of walking is better than none!

No exercise you do should cause you pain, other than maybe some muscle soreness. If walking is going to stress your feet/knees too much, don't push it. You will only end up injuring yourself and putting yourself off exercise longer.

Look into some simple bodyweight/home exercises you can do at home that are low impact. Squat in place. Do wall sits. Do "girly" pushups (from your knees). You could even use your milk jug as a weight. Look up some beginner yoga videos. There are a lot of resources out there for ideas on simple moves you can do in the comfort of your own home so that you can pace yourself and avoid injury.

yep thats exactly what i am thinking... thank you ...

You don't have to eat exercise calories back but it is important to work on maintaining your lean muscles and increasing your cardio vascular fitness. If you can walk two blocks then do it. Try to increase the distance every week by a bit. Google geriatric exercise and find some things you can do sitting. Leslie Sansone has some great DVD's called Walk Away the Pounds that you can do at home and modify as you need to.

Exercise shouldn't cause you a lot of pain but there also is something to "no pain, no gain". Just eating less and remaining with muscle weakness and poor cardio fitness isn't the answer. If you swim, that's great exercise too. Just keep moving. A FitBit might be a good motivational tool for you to see if you can improve your activity.

My husband is in the same place. His weight prohibits him from doing things easily so he doesn't do things which in turn makes it so he can do less and it goes on and on. It doesn't seem to bother him because he's still at a point where eating whatever he wants is more important than being healthy but it bothers me because the rest of us have to make concessions for his inability to participate in life. Keep your eye on your goal and keep pushing forward.

thank you all wonderful peeps!!

After making a couple changes - 64 oz water friday, measuring since friday and swimming half hour and walking yesterday, i broke the stupid plateau or whatever it was. (maintenance inadvertently).

i am now down past that stupid number!!! im going to keep this up.

yipee yahooey!!!!

it wasn't that hard either.

yay nice one!!! :flowerforyou:

I was just thinking this - could this be true?

If a person has been maintaining their weight for a time, because of overestimating the calories eaten, then as soon as the person begins to lower just 500 calories a day, then the weight ought to come off 1 pound a week. so maybe i was just 500 calories over each day.

from http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat#calories

"It’s traditionally suggested that you subtract 500 calories from your maintenance level per day. This 500 cal/day would net a 3,500 calorie deficit by the end of 1 week. Since there are 3,500 calories in 1 pound of fat, it’s a simple way to lose 1 pound of fat per week. Or so it seems.

Many people quickly learn that this simple formula doesn’t typically pan out in the real world. There are a number of reasons why it doesn’t – most notably is the fact that as we lose weight, our metabolic rate drops. Most of this is due to the loss of tissue… which means less mass to support and move around. Some of this has to do with what’s referred to as adaptive thermogenesis (or zomg! the starvation mode), which is basically your body shifting into conservation mode in response to the energy shortfall.

The formula also fails quite often due to the fact that even if metabolic rate was static, very few people come close to accurately creating a 500 cal/day deficit. As noted above, it’s common to have people underestimating their calorie consumption and overestimating their calorie expenditure. Not to mention the fact that the 3,500 calorie/week deficit assumes we’re losing fat tissue and nothing else, which is rarely the case.

Put simply… the rate of weight loss is not always linear.

Of course when the formula doesn’t pan out… when people don’t lose their targeted 1 lb of weight per week… they blame it on calories not working rather than the obvious. Manage your expectations according to reality! If you expect to lose weight each and every week and to reach your goal weight looking exactly like the model on the cover of your favorite magazine, you’re likely to wind up disappointed and frustrated.

We have an alternative solution.

What you estimate your energy expenditure to be isn’t all that important compared to what you do after you estimate it. Remember, you’re not signing a binding contract here. You’re simply estimating how many calories your body burns in a day. From there, you can set calorie intake above or below your estimation in order to gain or lose weight respectively.

Our recommendation is to autoregulate this intake on the fly based on what’s happening in real time. You don’t set your car to cruise control and expect to arrive at your destination without touching the breaks or turning the wheel, do you?"

Water Water Water! 1/2 your weight in ounces. So if you weigh 200, you need to be drinking 100 ounces a day!

Again, a food scale is critical. Without it, no one can help you by looking at your diary. Your diary is incorrect, who knows how many calories you are eating, you certainly don't.

then i wasted all this time!!!!!

You didn't waste the time...you're just learning. You can do this!

wants to lose fat

doesnt have a scale

not sure if serious

This plus

goes out for pizza and tacos to 'fix' the problem

Drink more H2O. Make exercise a REGULAR part of your routine. Meaning-- commit to at least 3 workouts each week, 40-60 minutes each. When you plateau again-- increase your work outs and/or intensity of work outs. As far as MY weight loss goes, exercise is every bit as important as eating at a deficit.

^This! You have to drink more water, 3 glasses is not enough. Working out, especially adding in strength training. Try getting some 5 pound weights and taking a long walk while holding them. Nothing big but I will be harder than just a regular walk. Do something for 15 minutes everyday that will get you a little bit closer to your goal weight.