Why does the weight just HANG ON? + Fibromyalgia

bethanycopley1980
bethanycopley1980 Posts: 75 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Seriously....i know in the beginning, especially if you are really heavy, sometimes you can lose a few pounds right out the gate. My body just doesn't think it should do that or something. I've been at this for almost 2 weeks now, and I haven't lost anything in at least 4 days. I know i had a high calorie day a few days ago, but it was still HALF of what i used to eat.

The only thing I can think of, is that it must be time for me to start moving, no matter how painful it is. Im in the middle/end (I hope) of a Fibro flare and have not started even walking yet. Everyone says it gets better when you start exercising, but its hard to see that when it hurts so much some days Im scared to bump into anything.

I have Gaiam TV app and have access to several of Leslie Sansones Walk Away The Pounds videos. I like them. I just haven't restarted them.

Maybe today will be the day.

Replies

  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Eat consistently less calories every day than your TDEE, and you will lose weight over the long term. Did you eat at or above your TDEE maybe 3 times in the past week? That will stall progress. At least it does for me.
  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
    Hi. If you read through the forum posts here for any length of time you'll see that the people who lose weight really encourage others to weigh things instead of using measuring cups or eye-balling the amount. I'm here to tell you this really, truly works. I've been doing that and logging every day for almost 3 weeks and it is working so much better than when I used measuring cups and guessed on a few items. I thought there was something wrong with me, other than being fat and old LOL, that I was not losing like I thought I should. Then I weighed a serving of pasta, and oatmeal before cooking, and cheese and even large pieces of fruit. Wow. Things can be a lot heavier than you think even though the item fits in a measuring cup! Those extra calories add up, especially when you are cutting back just 500 calories a day. Please, please try weighing everything and logging every single thing for a couple weeks. You will be soooo happy.
  • bethanycopley1980
    bethanycopley1980 Posts: 75 Member
    Eat consistently less calories every day than your TDEE, and you will lose weight over the long term. Did you eat at or above your TDEE maybe 3 times in the past week? That will stall progress. At least it does for me.


    Im going to have to google what a TDEE is...is that a setting on here?
  • bethanycopley1980
    bethanycopley1980 Posts: 75 Member
    Hi. If you read through the forum posts here for any length of time you'll see that the people who lose weight really encourage others to weigh things instead of using measuring cups or eye-balling the amount. I'm here to tell you this really, truly works. I've been doing that and logging every day for almost 3 weeks and it is working so much better than when I used measuring cups and guessed on a few items. I thought there was something wrong with me, other than being fat and old LOL, that I was not losing like I thought I should. Then I weighed a serving of pasta, and oatmeal before cooking, and cheese and even large pieces of fruit. Wow. Things can be a lot heavier than you think even though the item fits in a measuring cup! Those extra calories add up, especially when you are cutting back just 500 calories a day. Please, please try weighing everything and logging every single thing for a couple weeks. You will be soooo happy.

    I'm eating pre-packaged meals (mostly) for the moment...the only things I measure are my almond milk and protein shake. I watch my sodium, and keep it around the 2,300mg allowance, except for the other day.

    Maybe I am just hyper sensitive to what i eat and need to be more mindful and start moving. Maybe the scale will jump a bit for me then.

    I *know* that a pound is 3500 calories...but seeing a 3 pound jump overnight because i ate 2300 calories instead of 1500 and not taking it off for 3 days was a little frustrating.

    ...maybe my scale needs to take a swan dive out my window.
  • eatspopcorn
    eatspopcorn Posts: 63 Member
    How much water do you drink per day? I find that if I don't consistently drink a lot of water I will be up on the scales from water retention and it takes 3 days for it to come back off!
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    1. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    2. If you aren't already using one, get and use a food scale. Weigh all solids. Measuring cups/spoons are not accurate:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    3. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    4. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    Your average calories over the last week were 1748 per day assuming your logging was accurate. Yes, you do eat a lot of prepackaged meals so there's no need to weigh there but there was a bit of peanut butter, your protein powder, spaghetti, an "average costco sampling trip" (No idea what that is but it sounds like walking through the store eating things then going home and putting in an obscure calorie total). Point being.. You are eating at or above maintenance.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    but seeing a 3 pound jump overnight because i ate 2300 calories instead of 1500 and not taking it off for 3 days was a little frustrating.

    I'm just trying to point this out, ok? I'm not being critical. I'm just letting you know that according to your log, you recently had a three day stretch where you ate 2248, 1780, then 2300. This is not a 3 lb gain of FAT overnight. But if you had been eating ~1550 every day for a while, if you suddenly eat 550 calories MORE than average for a few days in a row, there will be some water-weight gain and some actual food mass in your gut gain for at least a couple days. That's just how it is. If you don't like seeing those big jumps, then you probably should try to pick a reasonable goal every day to stay under. And then stay under it every day.

    If you find the need to exceed your calorie goals for three days in a row, and that upsets you, maybe your ~1550 goal is too low. Maybe you should raise your daily goal a little.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Your weight on the scale isn't going to change instantly based on your calorie count for today or the day before. Your changes in weight can lag several days to a couple of weeks behind your intake, but in the long term the trend will follow your eating. So just keep at it and trust that what you're doing today does have a payoff.
  • bonestm
    bonestm Posts: 29 Member
    One of the side affects of Fibro is water retention. That could be part of it. Just stick to it and don't get discouraged. Like previously mentioned you have to be consistent and weigh everything. Start moving when you can cause it WILL get better.

    This should not be a deit that you do for just a little while till you loose weight, it should be a new life style of healthy eating in moderation.

    DON'T GIVE UP, and use MFP for support.

    Feel free to friend me, we are here to help each other.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Im going to have to google what a TDEE is...is that a setting on here?

    Google can tell you. Or you can get a basic estimate of it here http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    Here's how you use TDEE numbers. TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a day. If you eat more than this number on average, you gain weight. If you eat under this number on average, you will lose weight. It's just an estimate.

    But for instance, I know (from experience and my FitBit) that my TDEE is about 1950 on average, unless I'm really exercising. What this means is if I eat less than 1950 every day, I will lose some weight. If I want to lose about a pound per week, I would need to eat at about 1450 every day. If I want to lose about half a pound per week, I can eat about 1700 every day on average.
  • HelloSweetie81
    HelloSweetie81 Posts: 55 Member
    I just wanted to say that I have fibromyalgia as well (I named it Marla,) and that exercise really does help improve some of the symptoms. I know when you're always exhausted and hurting, a workout seems like the exact opposite of what you should do, but it has seriously improved my quality of life. Just start slow, and then build your way up. Good luck to you.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    OP, read this success story:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1202245-sweat-tears-and-the-sea-three-years-of-mfp

    I feel like you could relate to her story and possibly benefit from adding her as a friend. Just know that it's going to take a while and that it is possible.
  • bethanycopley1980
    bethanycopley1980 Posts: 75 Member
    but seeing a 3 pound jump overnight because i ate 2300 calories instead of 1500 and not taking it off for 3 days was a little frustrating.

    I'm just trying to point this out, ok? I'm not being critical. I'm just letting you know that according to your log, you recently had a three day stretch where you ate 2248, 1780, then 2300. This is not a 3 lb gain of FAT overnight. But if you had been eating ~1550 every day for a while, if you suddenly eat 550 calories MORE than average for a few days in a row, there will be some water-weight gain and some actual food mass in your gut gain for at least a couple days. That's just how it is. If you don't like seeing those big jumps, then you probably should try to pick a reasonable goal every day to stay under. And then stay under it every day.

    If you find the need to exceed your calorie goals for three days in a row, and that upsets you, maybe your ~1550 goal is too low. Maybe you should raise your daily goal a little.


    HOLY CARP...you're right. I guess I was just feeling/thinking that I was doing better than I thought. As for the Costco trip...I had 3 samples of stuff, and someone had loaded a 350 calorie sample trip in the system so I went with that.

    Im going to have to be more diligent and less whiny :)

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