Very frustrated & starting to get depressed

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  • thoma450
    thoma450 Posts: 11 Member
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    I'm not bodybuilding, and I know my calorie intake seems really high. My TDEE said like 2000 and some calories which seemed super high to me as well (I'm a teacher, and I understand it's considered a lightly active job, however my school has a policy where we are not allowed to be at our desks any time students are in the classroom, so I'm always standing and walking around, so I consider that moderately active -- am I wrong?)

    I can cut back food for sure, I'll play around with it like some of you have suggested....I'm training for a half marathon so those 900 calorie days I'm running & walking quite a bit...I have a heart rate monitor but its like 5-6 years old, so today I'm going to buy a new one!

    Thanks for support advice everyone :happy: super appreciate it!
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    She is eating 3 500-700 cal meals PLUS 500-700 of snacks (most processed). If she were only doing the meals it would work. Have you looked at her diary? I could never lose weight eating that much. Maybe some women can, but it seems like a large amount of food.

    Runners require lots of calories and lots of carbs. Training for a half-marathon usually means lots of running!
    I'm training for a 10 mile race. That doesn't mean you should eat a bunch of processed junk every day. Not an excuse. Run era need healthy foods to fuel their runs.

    You are how old? How tall?

    And clean-eating is not the end-all, be-all method for everyone!
    I do not eat "clean" but what I see is a diary full of all processed snack type food. I do eat processed good but not every meal and snack. Not sure what my age and height have to do with anything,

    Age and height determine caloric requirements. The OP is younger and probably taller than you. Just because you are a runner, you can't compare your caloric needs to hers. I looked in the diary too. I was going to recommend that the OP track potassium to counter sodium intake, but from the looks of it, she should be getting plenty.

    I have seen far worse "processed snack type food" intake in the diaries of many successful users on this site. I don't think the OP's problem is processed food.

    Actually, odds are that the OP is in cortisol overload from excessive training. It's probably pretty likely she needs to take a break from her fitness routine.

    Ok well she is discouraged by gaining, and it could be from over-eating. I wouldn't consider half marathon training g excessive training, and I would not recommend taking a break from exercise to lose weight. She asked for some advice and mine was to eat less and she can take it or leave it!!! I was just giving my personal opinion based on my past experience. I ran for 2 years with no weight loss, because I was overeating.
    Btw I'm 5'5" and in my 30s
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    1) the ticker on your profile says you lost 5 pounds - was that before this month or are you just exaggerating by saying you haven't lost anything?

    2) Your burned calories look pretty good to me. You're doing a lot of walking and running which will burn a lot of calories.

    3) Sure you have some days over but you also have some days under. Maybe try to keep a log of total calories outside of MFP so you can figure out a weekly average? This is what I do since my days are never the same.

    4) You're not gaining muscle but you may be retaining water (and glycogen) in your muscles after some of the hard workouts. This is part of the naturally healing process for these tissues, similar to how a joint would swell after you sprain it but not as obvious. Drink lots of water, watch your sodium intake and don't forget the monthly cycle effecting water retention!

    5) Take body measurements. You may not notice the small changes in the mirror day to day but the tape measure will show them. Google how to do this properly. Also pay attention to how your clothes are fitting and take progress pictures.

    6) Keep up the good work and be patient!
  • amandamae61288
    amandamae61288 Posts: 39 Member
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    I haven't read all the comments, nor have I seen that you have responded to any questions by commentors, so I apologize if I double anything up.
    Just some suggestions, I am no expert but pulling from things I have heard and read:
    1. What is your activity level set at? Unless you have an active job I would set yourself at lightly active because you log exercise calories for all your burns. If you weren't doing the "MFP method", than the amount of exercise that you do get would probably put your higher in activity level. ( I hope that makes sense).
    2. If you are using MFP estimates for calorie burns I would not eat all of your exercise calories back as they are usually over-estimates. Try eating maybe 1/2 back?
    3. I know you are training for a marathon, so I don't know if this wouldn't be possible given I don't really know how one does that- but can you add in strength training? Lifting, even some body weight training like yoga could help. If you are stuck, from my experience, cardio alone can only get you so far.
    4. Watch your sugars and processed foods. This isn't true for everyone, but the kinds of calories you put in can have an effect. Some suggestions: more fresh fruits and veggies, replace the dried fruit in your oatmeal with fresh or even frozen fruit? ( I use Target frozen mixed berries almost daily- just put a cup in the fridge overnight to thaw and it is the perfect amount of sweetness without the added sugar).
    5. Up your protein. All the cardio and limited weight training combined with low protein could mean you are losing muscle with your fat which could be a big part of the problem. Being a runner, you will still need your carbs, but make sure to get in protein as well and get your carbs from whole grains and not as much processed foods.

    Again, no expert-- but I hope some of these suggestions help.
  • supremelady
    supremelady Posts: 211 Member
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    MFP does not overestimate calories burned.

    Don't give up keep going!!
  • supremelady
    supremelady Posts: 211 Member
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    1) the ticker on your profile says you lost 5 pounds - was that before this month or are you just exaggerating by saying you haven't lost anything?

    2) Your burned calories look pretty good to me. You're doing a lot of walking and running which will burn a lot of calories.

    3) Sure you have some days over but you also have some days under. Maybe try to keep a log of total calories outside of MFP so you can figure out a weekly average? This is what I do since my days are never the same.

    4) You're not gaining muscle but you may be retaining water (and glycogen) in your muscles after some of the hard workouts. This is part of the naturally healing process for these tissues, similar to how a joint would swell after you sprain it but not as obvious. Drink lots of water, watch your sodium intake and don't forget the monthly cycle effecting water retention!

    5) Take body measurements. You may not notice the small changes in the mirror day to day but the tape measure will show them. Google how to do this properly. Also pay attention to how your clothes are fitting and take progress pictures.

    6) Keep up the good work and be patient!

    This^^ sums it up
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Your diary looks good to me. Maybe a bit too many processed sweets, but it shouldn't make a big difference. I'd just make sure also that you're not overestimating your calorie burn, and that you weigh everything (not just use cups and spoons).

    Also double check the entries that you use - I see you've used an entry for 3.25oz of grilled chicken breast that has way too many calories, for example. But the garden salad with vinaigrette you logged at 45 calories... very unlikely!
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
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    My TDEE said like 2000 and some calories which seemed super high to me as well

    TDEE of 2000 isn't high at all. In fact, as someone training for a half marathon, I'd expect yours to be a little higher.
    If your TDEE is 2000, then you would need to eat fewer calories than that on average to lose weight. TDEE calculations take your activity and exercise levels into account already, so you do NOT eat back exercise calories when using the TDEE method. Maybe this is the problem? (you are counting activity twice if you calculate your goal based on TDEE AND eat back exercise cals)
  • Jhodges3793
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    Well honestly if you are trying to lose weight in a short amount of time, try this method out. It's very easy as long as you follow instructions and do everything you are required to do.
  • RM10003
    RM10003 Posts: 316 Member
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    Also double check the entries that you use - I see you've used an entry for 3.25oz of grilled chicken breast that has way too many calories, for example. But the garden salad with vinaigrette you logged at 45 calories... very unlikely!

    Yeah, you had a day recently (Sunday?) where you were under in calories, but over in carbs, fat, and protein, which I don't think should be possible mathematically. Definitely double-check your entries so you have a better idea of your intake.