Confused & fed up :(

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ellaye2014
ellaye2014 Posts: 2
in Getting Started
Hey.

I have never posted on here before, so excuse me if I'm doing it wrong, but I'm so frustrated.

I have a LOT of weight to lose and I want to lose at least 125lbs of it this year. Everything I've read online, all the calorie calculator thingies and even MFP put my recommended caloric intake to lose weight at around 2000-2500 calories. Some even at high as 2900! I have been eating well under that - around 1200 a day - by following the Weight Watchers ProPoint plan and eating lots of fresh fruit & veggies, good carbs like sweet potato, Greek & natural yogurt, chicken, etc. I've had a couple of blips when I ate some bacon, pasta and bread (on separate days) but still came within my points & calorie allowance.

In the first week, I dropped 13lbs. I know most of that would be water weight, but every time I step on the scales, it's like the scales keep rising.

My second proper weigh in day is on Wednesday, and I'm scared that I will have gained back some if not all of the 13lbs I dropped in the first week.

I know there's natural weight fluctuations, but it seems like what I'm doing isn't working and it's stressing me out. I'm checking my weight every day, hoping to see a downward shift but it just isn't happening.

I wanted 2014 to be my year because 2013 was so sucky, but part of me wants to give up because it seems pointless if I'm just not losing weight.

Replies

  • ellaye2014
    ellaye2014 Posts: 2
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    I realise how whiny I sound, but it's a huge source of anxiety for me. I don't want to be fat forever but I'm not convinced that reducing my calories is going to work. Is that illogical? Am I being impatient? I have this huge fear that there's something physically wrong with me that means I can't lose weight. I constantly check the calorie content of food and input what I might eat into MFP and work it all out so I'm 100% certain I'm not eating more calories than I think. But when I see people eating 2500 cals and losing weight and I'm fatter and stalling on 1200, it seems impossible. The only thing keeping me from throwing in the towel is the fact that I definitely won't lose weight if I eat like I used to.
  • andreaamak
    andreaamak Posts: 42 Member
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    I understand wanting to lose it all at once and see automatic results, but you have to be patient! It's all about calories. Burn more calories that you eat and you will lose weight. Weigh and measure all of your food and track it accurately on mfp and you will start to see results if you're following the guidelines!

    You can do it :)
  • marlamoreau
    marlamoreau Posts: 3 Member
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    It's only been two weeks... and stress can actually make you gain weight. If course your body is adjusting to a new diet, so there will be fluctuations. DON'T weigh yourself everyday or fixate on numbers... make the lifestyle change, stick to your diet and exercise, and it will happen. It sounds like you're freaking out and giving up when barely any time has passed... you can't expect overnight change in ANYTHING having to do with life. If you stick to your plan and in let's say 2 or 3 months things are still rocky consider modifying it. Lust for results discourages progress.
  • Shuuma
    Shuuma Posts: 465 Member
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    No giving up! You've got this!

    I think it's easiest to start with finding how much you need to eat just to exist. You can calculate that here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    That number will be the number of calories you need to consume just for daily living. If you add in exercise, you need more to fuel your body.

    Sometimes, we feel like we're large, so we can eat less and lose more, but in reality, our metabolism will slow down to preserve energy and your weight will stall.

    Try upping your caloric intake (it seems frightening, but it works!) and eat back at least half of your exercise calories. That seems to be a successful blueprint. Every twenty pounds or so that you lose, recalculate and adjust.

    You can do it!!

    Also-There are a ton of very knowledgeable folks here that can maybe explain what I did better and more accurately.
  • TheAmsicles
    TheAmsicles Posts: 3
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    Keep going! And really, resist the temptation to weight yourself more than once a week. It's the one thing I've really taken away from all those fat clubs I've belonged to. If you're on and off the scales all day, you never get a 'true' picture of your weight loss.

    Pick a regular time and outift (if you're not in the comfort of your own home...) and only get on the scales once a week. I do mine every Thursday morning, and it makes a huge difference. It also helps keep me on track if, say, on a Tuesday, I want to sack everything off, drink a bottle of wine and eat a pizza. I don't, because I know I only have 2 days till weighing time. And then, if I've lost, I feel so good I don't want to eat the junk anyway.

    Srsly - you can do this. Think like a viking. No mercy. x
  • djk721
    djk721 Posts: 59 Member
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    well, for what its worth, here are my thoughts....

    First of all, don't weigh yourself everyday. When I first started, I only weighed every 2 weeks! Don't obsess the number on a scale. I recommend you measure your body--chest, waist, hips, upper arms, thighs, etc...but only once a month.

    And if you are eating too few calories, your body thinks it is starving and will hold fat!!

    Try this for a month---CONSUME your recommended calories for a 2 lb. a week loss. That includes everything you EAT and DRINK!
    Get at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. You CAN do this!

    Be mindful of what you eat, but not FRANTIC! Carbs and fats aren't the enemy--you just need to include them in your daily calorie count.

    If you drink pop--even diet soda--STOP! This is hard, but it will help. I promise!

    And remember, you didn't gain it all in a month, so you won't lose it all in a month either....

    Don't give up! Its not a sprint, its a marathon. It is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
  • Shuuma
    Shuuma Posts: 465 Member
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    Another thought: Take pictures now, at the beginning of your journey and every week or so. You'll be surprised at changes you will see in a picture you won't necessarily see in the mirror.

    Take measurements once every few weeks. Sometimes, I don't lose a pound but will lose inches and my clothes fit differently.
  • jess135177
    jess135177 Posts: 186 Member
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    You can do this!
    I know you do weight watchers but you can lose weight just counting calories. (plus its free!) Also don't beat yourself up over "blips" (bacon, bread ect) there is NOTHING wrong with those foods as long as they fit in your calorie allowance. Since you are new just make sure you are weighing a measuring EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth. 1200 calories isn't a lot, just make sure you are depriving yourself and setting yourself up for failure.

    Also as far as your weigh in, I weigh in daily just so I can see the trends in my weight fluctuation. You just have to take them in strive and look at the big picture.
  • Amethysta79
    Amethysta79 Posts: 37 Member
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    Definitely don't weigh yourself every day. I made that mistake the last time & ended up giving up as I was gaining a pound, losing a pound, gaining 2 pounds etc etc over a day & got myself into a right old state.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
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    Based on your post, I'd guess that you're just setting yourself up for failure if you continue to use a number on a scale as such a strong source of motivation.

    This process is going to take awhile. Try just weighing yourself every 2 weeks, or better yet, every month. Take pictures and measurements, and be consistent with your logging.

    Do not let this be your whole life. Live your life and let this be as small a part of it as you can. Getting keyed after two weeks isn't going to help this be sustainable for you.
  • zombiemomjo
    zombiemomjo Posts: 546 Member
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    I agree! Step 1, breathe.... Step 2, it's only week two, and if you don't lose (or even if you gain), average the two weeks out! You lost a major chunk your first week, and your body is adjusting. If at your third weigh in you haven't lost again, you're still down from where you started, but I agree that you'll need to look at your calories. It does sound frightening to eat a bit more to lose, but there are SOOO many success stories on here with that exact situation, and it works! Some people stall out for weeks or even months. I've been at this since January 2012, and I'm only down 20 lbs from all of the fluctuations-plateaus, gains, losses, gains, losses, plateaus. I keep mixing my workouts up, trying different calorie amounts, and I'm finally slowly losing again. Just knowing that you are trying to take control of the situation should be a huge victory for you! Not the number on the scale, but the fact that you are fighting the fight and starting the journey to being the healthiest you that you can be. The numbers on the scale are truly evil. One of my plateaus lasted three months, and I finally binged and weeks off of exercise. I ended up feeling so much worse about myself after that than the scale being stuck every made me feel. As long as I keep trying, keep trekking down this path to being fit and fabulous, that's what I consider the win. Stick with it!
  • Jill1249
    Jill1249 Posts: 11
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    In my lifetime of dieting, I have read that you can eat TOO LITTLE calories and not lose because your body is holding one to every bit of fat to survive. I don't know how much you weigh, but it seems to me that eating 2000 calories a day, from what you say, would be in line with what you need to do to lose weight!!!!!! I wish you all the luck!!!!!!!!
  • Linda09189
    Linda09189 Posts: 80
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    First off.....STOP WEIGHING YOURSELF EVERY SINGLE DAY.... that alone is enough to stress someone out, you gotta just keep at it, eat clean like your doing, and it will work, if didn't take you over night to put it on, you have to realize that it will take longer to take it off....2500 calories seems way to much, but also I don't know how much you weight, personally I wouldn't eat anything more then 1500, I currently stick to around 1200-1300 and I want to lose 100 pounds, and you gotta move, even if it's just a walk, or stand up sit downs at home.....good luck if you want a new friend that will be honest you can friend request me, I'm not here to say how great things are, I wouldn't want anyone to say that crap to me.....:smile:

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