Hi Ladies!

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C1131
C1131 Posts: 25 Member
This seems like a good spot to check. I need some bucking up as I've been doing this for weeks and the scale refuses to move. I'm thinking it's my age (50), but many of you seem to be losing. If I hang out here will it rub off?

Seriously, though, did any of you have trouble getting started? How did you fix it? I'm an ex Weight Watchers person so I've been tracking my food forever. I'm eating less now and exercising more. However, my pants are just as tight and the scale doesn't move. Help!

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  • nmiller0813
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    Open your diary up, please, so that we can take a look at it and possibly give you some advice.

    I am 52 and have lost over 56 lbs this year, so it can be done! :-)
  • ann121212
    ann121212 Posts: 290 Member
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    Perhaps try something radical (for you) to shake it up. Your body is very smart and has learned to easily exist on you current diet/routine - maybe some cross training - the 5/2 diet - dont diet (i know it is a lifestyle and not a diet you are on at all, but the word fits) at all for a while - instead of walking try swimming - walk up and down hills instead of flat - ride a bike - try high protein. TRY anything - just dont give up :happy:
  • C1131
    C1131 Posts: 25 Member
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    Diary is now public. Have at it. Note that I was in Mexico without internet access last week so that week is blank.

    Ann121212, I believe you are correct. Decades of training have honed my body's skills at not using stored fat. I started dieting in 1972 so it's had plenty of practice. I will win this one, I'm just hoping to not have to go below 1000 calories per day. It is so darn annoying that every time I complete a day's log MFP tells me that 'If I eat like this every day' I'd waste away to nothing in no time. Yeah, right! Shows what you know MFP!

    Cheers!
    Gail
  • ann121212
    ann121212 Posts: 290 Member
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    Just Ann will do - that name was taken when i joined - so was Ann1 and Ann2 and Ann12 - so i just plonked in a long number to get past that page lol
  • tekwriter
    tekwriter Posts: 923 Member
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    I found if I set my calorie goal and stayed with it I lost just like on WW but for free. I have a lot to loose though. I also did find it an eye opener to see the calories on some things I had had taken for granted. Good Luck!
  • sjsmith9
    sjsmith9 Posts: 35 Member
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    Just adding my 2 cents :) I'm a Jenny Craig Client, no I don't do every meal on Jenny, can't afford it and not practical all the time but I do have consultations weekly since it is provided. I too have had a problem where the scale just doesn't move but on the other hand I have lost some inches and have taken things up in the waist and can wear a Large top instead of XL. But the butt has not changed other than firmed and lifted some, pants may have some extra room just under the buttock area but fit snugly across the rear. Have you measured to see if maybe this is your case also? My consultant constantly lets me know that if I take in below a certain calorie level I'm not going to loose because the body will say hey, you are trying to starve me so I'm dropping the metabolism even more. I am just not burning the calories up. The inches lost is due to building muscles or firming up.
  • cybersheel
    cybersheel Posts: 145 Member
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    sjsmith9 is right. Your calorie intake is probably too low. Sounds daft but you won't get slimmer if you eat too few cals. Your body will store as much as it can then.
    I wasn't losing weight for a while and it turned out to be a low thyroid problem so make sure you and bloods have been medically checked for any problems.
    Good luck. You might have hit one of these lovely plateaus when nothing makes a difference for a few weeks.
  • ruthlesswr
    ruthlesswr Posts: 114 Member
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    Sorry guys, much as I'd love to believe it's possible to be eating too little, there's tons of research that shows that while, yes, the body will adjust its metabolism to conserve fuel and burn more efficiently, it is not NEARLY a big enough change to make the kind of difference that would cause you to gain weight if you are eating at a deficit. Please go check out the "Eat, Train, Progress" group here - the two people who manage that group are super knowledgable and will help you out if you ask their advice, but be prepared for some tough love. If you don't want to go that route, I would at least recommend going to this link:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read
    Read up on things there. Towards the bottom there is a link about "starvation mode". It's all very interesting and there are links to scientific research so it's not just somebody's opinion.
    Usually, the key is to be very very rigorous in your logging and to weigh or at least measure EVERYTHING. The most likely reason to not be loosing anything is that you are eating more than you think you are, or that you are not burning nearly as many calories as you think you are. MFP is well known to over estimate calorie burn for almost everything.
    I think of it this way, I didn't get to where I am by being _good_ about estimating what I should be eating, so for at least a little while I need to retrain myself by being super aware of what and exactly how much I'm eating. Maybe someday I'll have retrained myself well enough that I can go back to just sort of estimating, but for now, at least, I know that I'm not good at it so I have to weigh and measure.

    I did look at your diary a bit, but it's hard to see any patterns with your vacation. I couldn't really look at it too in depth, but did some spot checking and did notice that sometimes you are pretty high on sodium. It's just possible that you're retaining water from that. Also, if you've changed your exercise routine and are now exercising a LOT more than you used to be, it is likely that your body is retaining a bit of water while it heals sore muscles. That will drop away once your body is used to the new routine.
    Good luck!
    Ruth
  • C1131
    C1131 Posts: 25 Member
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    Thanks for the replies. I also tend to agree that the estimation of calories burned is just plain too many. However, my ultimate goal is to eat as many calories as possible to lose/maintain. I've tried the plan of always eating the bare minimum you can manage and found that it does not lead to happiness in the long run. So I am feeling my way to lower numbers. Eventually I'm sure it will work. Just annoying while I'm fiddling around trying to get the 'right' numbers.

    Due to Thanksgiving (aka National Food Allergy Exposure Day) I was quite under the weather the last several days and suddenly the scale dropped. I'm now starting to feel better and able to eat without feeling wretched. The next few days will expose whether there is any actual weight loss involved or if it was just about having a completely empty gut and an inability to abuse my muscles for a few days. Guess I do fast occasionally, just not intentionally.

    Cheers!