Losing motivation!
SpookyElectric
Posts: 56 Member
Help! I've been on a huge health kick now for three weeks - this includes eating a very healthy low calorie & low carb diet, really ramping up my excercise and cutting out alcohol.
I generally eat quite healthily anyway, but I have made an extra effort to cut out the snacking and more importantly, the beer & wine!
40 minutes cardio in the morning, 40 minutes in the evening and some kettle bell training (concentrating on core body excercises). This is a significant increase on my previous activities!
After three weeks of this, there is no change to my weight or body shape (I have been doing the measurement thing too) and I'm feeling quite disheartened and wondering what the point is. This morning, I didn't bother with the training as it seemed so pointless - I expected at least a little difference after three weeks.
Can anyone offer any insights or assistance...? If not, I'm openign a bottle of wine when I get home!
I generally eat quite healthily anyway, but I have made an extra effort to cut out the snacking and more importantly, the beer & wine!
40 minutes cardio in the morning, 40 minutes in the evening and some kettle bell training (concentrating on core body excercises). This is a significant increase on my previous activities!
After three weeks of this, there is no change to my weight or body shape (I have been doing the measurement thing too) and I'm feeling quite disheartened and wondering what the point is. This morning, I didn't bother with the training as it seemed so pointless - I expected at least a little difference after three weeks.
Can anyone offer any insights or assistance...? If not, I'm openign a bottle of wine when I get home!
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Replies
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Yeah, I would just give up. Clearly it will never work.0
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Aside from the fact you're probably doing too much cardio, 3 weeks isn't really a long time0
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You're in this for the long haul, I assume. I've only been doing this as long as you have, so I'm by no means an expert. I would wonder if you're gaining muscle?
hang in there!0 -
You're in this for the long haul, I assume. I've only been doing this as long as you have, so I'm by no means an expert. I would wonder if you're gaining muscle?
hang in there!
unlikely to make significant muscle gains in 3 weeks doing 2 cardio sessions a day and eating low calories0 -
When you say "low calorie", just how low are you talking about?
Under 2000? Under 1500? Under 1200?0 -
You're in this for the long haul, I assume. I've only been doing this as long as you have, so I'm by no means an expert. I would wonder if you're gaining muscle?
hang in there!
unlikely to make significant muscle gains in 3 weeks doing 2 cardio sessions a day and eating low calories
No weightlifting and in a deficit... not gaining muscle.
More lifting, less cardio, accurate tracking/consistent deficit, talk to me in 8 weeks.0 -
Don't give up!!! You made the decision 3 weeks ago to be healthy, don't stop now. It takes time to see results. There are so many days I don't want to get up early and hit the gym but after I do it, I feel amazing MENTALLY! The scale is not moving for me but it doesn't mean that's a reason to quit. You can do this!0
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Also, look up your BMR as a quick guideline and try to net that everyday. If you're feeling a little more motivated to understand how you should be eating learn about TDEE and macros. In Place Of A Road Map (search for it with the forum search feature) is full of a lot of knowledge.0
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Typically, aiming for 1200 calories or less in a day. No problem with energy levels or hunger. I'm just finding it hard to find the motivation to continue when I don't even see a nudge in the direction I want to go in!0
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Typically, aiming for 1200 calories or less in a day. No problem with energy levels or hunger. I'm just finding it hard to find the motivation to continue when I don't even see a nudge in the direction I want to go in!
Well you don't have a very healthy understanding of appropriate calorie intake. I would start there. And also weigh or measure but preferably weigh everything you eat and actually LOG everything you eat. You may not have problems now with energy levels and hunger, but 1200 cals OR LESS is hardly sustainable and counterproductive for maintaining lean body mass.0 -
MFP throws up warning flags when you eat less than 1200 calories a day.
There's a reason for that.
If you're really working out daily, you should probably be somewhere in the zone of 1700 to 2500 calories a day depending on the workout routine.
Why is everyone so intent on starving themselves?0 -
Typically, aiming for 1200 calories or less in a day. No problem with energy levels or hunger. I'm just finding it hard to find the motivation to continue when I don't even see a nudge in the direction I want to go in!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?page=1#posts-166259200 -
I hear you
I have been doing everything and lost 2 pounds..now I weighed myself this morning and gained 1 pound. So discouraging..any tips??? 0 -
I hear you I have been doing everything and lost 2 pounds..now I weighed myself this morning and gained 1 pound. So discouraging..any tips???
Start a new thread and give more details please0 -
I'm really not starving myself! If I was hungry, I would eat something.
A typical day would be:
Muesli & a banana for breakfast
Salad with salmon, turkey or chicken for lunch (no dressing)
Salmon fillet/turkey steak or similar with steamed veg for dinner.
If I feel the need to snack, I eat fresh fruit (which frustratingly, always takes me over my sugar goal). Other than the 4 cups of a tea a day I have, I drink only water.
I really don't want to go down the route of meticulously weighing all my food or I'll get all OCD about it, but I eat normal, healthy portions.
I'm not sure what else I could/should be doing...?0 -
If you're doing 40 minute cardio sessions you'll be burning up a few extra hundred calories, so need to be eating more to fuel this. It's easy to add a couple of hundred healthily by having a bit of peanut butter, nuts, using coconut oil..0
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Oh and three weeks is no time at all, many of us didn't start seeing scale budges for 6 weeks or more into it, so just keep going. There are more reasons than the scale to maintain a healthy lifestyle
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I notice you have no MFP friends. They can help and be a type of cheering section for you. I have found them to be a great motivation and it's a neat way to "meet" new people. Add me if you like.0
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I'm really not starving myself! If I was hungry, I would eat something.
A typical day would be:
Muesli & a banana for breakfast
Salad with salmon, turkey or chicken for lunch (no dressing)
Salmon fillet/turkey steak or similar with steamed veg for dinner.
If I feel the need to snack, I eat fresh fruit (which frustratingly, always takes me over my sugar goal). Other than the 4 cups of a tea a day I have, I drink only water.
I really don't want to go down the route of meticulously weighing all my food or I'll get all OCD about it, but I eat normal, healthy portions.
I'm not sure what else I could/should be doing...?
If you want to lose weight you have to log as accurately as possible. Sorry. People often underestimate how much they're eating and overestimate how much their moving. Eliminate as much of the error in those as you can and you'll start losing weight.
Besides, do you really think losing only 16lbs is going to drastically change the way your body looks? You're better off eating near maintenance and incorporating resistance training *cough* weightlifting *cough* and scaling back on the cardio. Your weight isn't the issue, it's most likely your body composition that is making you unhappy.
ETA: Don't worry about sugar, worry about fat and protein minimums and let the rest fall where it may as long as you're staying in a deficit. Which you probably won't be doing because of that whole guesstimating how much you're eating thing.0 -
Typically, aiming for 1200 calories or less in a day. No problem with energy levels or hunger. I'm just finding it hard to find the motivation to continue when I don't even see a nudge in the direction I want to go in!
Just because your belly isn't growling doesn't mean your body isn't running on empty.
I'm pretty much sure that I am much heavier than you are, but I eat close to 2,000 calories a day, and I burn about 800 calories every time I go to the gym ( 90-120 min workouts, 5 days a week). The scale hasn't really moved much for me in 8 or 9 months. Because I did a bad job of measuring a while back, my measurements haven't changed in months either. However, pictures do not lie, and my body IS changing. I am wearing the exact same gray tank in most of the pictures.
gray top pics by crochetmom2010, on Flickr
L to R: 4/13, 3/13, 11/12 by crochetmom2010, on Flickr0 -
Typically, aiming for 1200 calories or less in a day. No problem with energy levels or hunger. I'm just finding it hard to find the motivation to continue when I don't even see a nudge in the direction I want to go in!
Just because your belly isn't growling doesn't mean your body isn't running on empty.
If you are overweight your body taps into its fat reserves for energy. 1200 calories is not even a Very Low Calorie Diet.0 -
Can't see what you are eating, so, its really hard to give you any kind of answer.0
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Typically, aiming for 1200 calories or less in a day. No problem with energy levels or hunger. I'm just finding it hard to find the motivation to continue when I don't even see a nudge in the direction I want to go in!
Just because your belly isn't growling doesn't mean your body isn't running on empty.
If you are overweight your body taps into its fat reserves for energy. 1200 calories is not even a Very Low Calorie Diet.
Oh joy...0 -
Hi
I was exactly like you but I kept it up as I really wanted to change the way I felt about myself and to loose the weight to be more healthier.
Your doing great but I found spinning classes really helped me I do spinning 2 times a week and your burning more fat spinning. I also suggest swimming is great too which I do also 2 times a week.
It's finding the right exercise that you enjoy and will be able to work hard exercising.
I find gym workout's boring.
Keep it up0
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