Does this make sense to anyone?

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anamaule
anamaule Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Maybe kind of a long story...stay with me please :)

So last year everything was great, was comfy in my clothes and that's what was important to me at the time. I'm 5'10 and weighted about 162. I've also played roller derby for the last 4yrs.
Anyhoo, we moved in November, and everything went to crap. I gained 12lbs, was waiting to get settled before trying to find a team to play on, etc.
Finally in mid January I joined a team and got back on the regular practice schedule (2x a week for 2hrs) and measuring with a chest strap HRM, burning 1000-1200cals per practice! That's part 1 of my issue. You would think at the very least if I ate the same, but maintained the regular practice schedule, I'd see soooome kind of change on the scale? yeah, wasn't happening.
Since I'd had enough of feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and some of my regular pants I couldn't wear b/c they were too tight, I decided to do something about it.
Next, i cut out my daily 2-3cups of coffee that had about 300cals worth of creamer in it to 1 cup in the morning on the weekend (took vitamin with caffeine to manage that). I really only drink water all day (70-90oz/day, been like that forever).
I'm almost at 2wks of consistently logging every day, right around 1200cals. Just this week I started adding in some arm workouts with 8lb dumbbells and some specific leg/bum exercises annnd walking for about 30mins/day.
After all of this, I have lost 4lbs in 5wks...does that make sense? Am I really expecting too much too fast? I honestly didn't think so considering all the changes I've made in the last month or so...

*I'm a creature of habit when it comes to food just for ease of it...such as oatmeal and banana in the morning...special k with 2% milk; eggs, spinach, salsa on whole wheat bread; healthy dinner recipes from the six o'clock scramble site...

Replies

  • missyme10
    missyme10 Posts: 38 Member
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    I think you are expecting too much. You are loosing at 1 1/4 lb per week and that is good. 1 1/4 pound of fat removed takes a calorie defecit of 4375 calories in 1 week which is 625 calories a day - and you're doing this consistently for 4 weeks.

    Stop worrying, you're doing great and if the weight loss slows, don't panic as it happens to just about everyone.

    As long as you are getting fitter and the weight is heading in the right direction, you're doing it right - slow and steady, it's not a race.
  • sbecknc
    sbecknc Posts: 27 Member
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    I was in your position a number of times in the last two years. I would feel so fed up at trying things and seeing no impact at all, so I would try something else. Then, three things happened

    1) I started phasing in my changes so that instead of this wall of impossibility, I was constantly challenging myself. It wasn't immediate denial of all things yummy on New Year's Day. I phased creamer out of my morning coffee in November... added a cup of green tea before my coffee in December, also started going to the gym... then in January as the holiday food was eaten, I replaced it with a few things at a time of healthier food, just not getting the bad stuff back in the house. I upped my weights at the gym. I started dancing for cardio more often, And then, just about the time I was about to give up (about 10 or 11 weeks in) I started seeing the changes. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep me going.

    2) At the same time I was seeing the changes, I saw a sign. No, not a prophetic sign, a real, handwritten sign at the gym that said, "It takes 4 weeks for you to notice changes from exercise, 8 weeks for those closest to you to see it, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world to notice. Don't stop now - they're about to see the new you." It took longer than 4 weeks for me, but once I had gotten to the point where one or two people had seen something, I didn't want to stop. That sign reinforced that I wanted to keep going because I had finally added up enough time to make a difference in my fitness.

    3) House of Cards came out. Sounds silly, but I really wanted to see it, and I really DIDN'T want to veg out on the couch for 12 hours of TV Watching. So I made a deal with myself. My gym has Wi-Fi, so I am only allowed to watch House of Cards on my iPod while I'm on the treadmill or the elliptical. I don't work as hard as I should when i"m doing that, so it doesn't get to count as my cardio every day, but even if I'm just plodding along because I"m interested in the story, it's more active than I would be were I watching on my couch. It's all slow, but if taking it off slowly means I might keep it off? I'm game!
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
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    weight loss is happening at the right speed. Give it time! Losing slow is best.
  • anamaule
    anamaule Posts: 5
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    thanks everyone!
    now that i re-read that, it may have been more of a vent of frustration. looking at the big picture, slower is better bc that leads to it staying off i suppose :)

    though, while i was browsing the threads after posting, i came across the whole TDEE/BMR way of eating and calories consumed. it's definitely intriguing, but scary as hell with the info i calculated!!! if i considered what i'm doing right now, i've been in a bad place for a while with cal deficits :-/
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    Ana, you're doing fine. Continue on. :smile:
  • ScientificExplorerGirl
    ScientificExplorerGirl Posts: 535 Member
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    I would be ecstatic if I could lose 4 pounds in 5 weeks. You are doing a fantastic job!!
  • HealthyishWithMaggieG
    HealthyishWithMaggieG Posts: 397 Member
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    I think you are expecting too much. You are loosing at 1 1/4 lb per week and that is good. 1 1/4 pound of fat removed takes a calorie defecit of 4375 calories in 1 week which is 625 calories a day - and you're doing this consistently for 4 weeks.

    Stop worrying, you're doing great and if the weight loss slows, don't panic as it happens to just about everyone.

    As long as you are getting fitter and the weight is heading in the right direction, you're doing it right - slow and steady, it's not a race.

    Uh... if my 2nd grade math is correct, she's losing 4 pounds in 5 weeks, which is .8 of a pound in each week, not 1.25.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    You're losing at a good rate right now. It's true what they say: "weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint". Just settle into your routine and the weight loss will happen. :)

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