Already thinking of giving up hope
saragatch
Posts: 12
I have always been bigger and many times my weight fluctuates. Well right now I am the biggest I think I have ever been. I want to finally lose the weight and keep it off. I have joined a gym and go almost everyday. The days I can't make it I take a walk around my neighbor (about a mile) or I will do 45 -60 minutes of Zumba. I have been maintaining a 1200 calorie goal for 3 weeks now. The first week I lost 3 pounds and for the last two I have been at the same weight. I don't know if I am doing something wrong or if I am just being impatient.
I went from never working out and never caring about what I eat to working out almost everyday and I have stopped eating junk food, fast food, soda, candy etc.
I am 5'6 and currently 212 pounds. Goal weight around 150.
Co-workers have commented they are starting to see a difference but I really haven't. Any advice?
I went from never working out and never caring about what I eat to working out almost everyday and I have stopped eating junk food, fast food, soda, candy etc.
I am 5'6 and currently 212 pounds. Goal weight around 150.
Co-workers have commented they are starting to see a difference but I really haven't. Any advice?
0
Replies
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What was the food consumption of 1200 based on? Your old lifestyle or considering the more active you? This perhaps needs to be revisited, as you would likely do better by eating more.
So many things can temporarily mask progress when we're looking for a loss on the scale. Hormones, stress, sodium, sleep, or simply how it can take the body time to adjust to a new fitness routine. 3 weeks is not enough.
Try to think about why you're looking to make a change. Hold onto those reasons, reassess your food intake level, and keep moving forward. Give yourself another 3-6 weeks at least. You're building a better future, and its not going to happen overnight. (Or in just 3 weeks.)0 -
You should definitely eat more than 1200 calories.
Weigh all of your food, you might be underestimating the amount you are eating, or over-estimating your burns.
As great as stopping eating "junk food" and "fast food" might be, it's not the key to success.
Here, read this thread and let it guide you.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants0 -
I think we are basically in the same boat....feel free to add me as a friend. I posted yesterday that I was really discouraged, and through the encouragement of my MFP friends I pushed on through. I think you need to calculate your TDEE and BMR. I was doing 1200 like MFP told me but I should actually be around 1350. Its a process....and for me, my scale is my addiction. I keep saying that I am going to take the battery out and give it to my husband for two weeks, but I have yet to do it. I also lowered my carbs, and I think that will eventually begin to help....one day at a time
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1200 is very low for the amount of exercise you are doing. If you are using MFP then 1200 is for people who are not exercising. Run your numbers in your MFP profile based on your exercise level and goal weight loss per week. MFP will add additional exercise calories after you enter your exercise which will be your Net Calories. Aim to eat the Net Calories amount or at least half of them. Afterwards, stick to the plan. It will pay off but it takes time so be patience.0
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Well I would not loss hope yet! Sometimes it takes a minute to catch up and then all the sudden you will look down and the scale will show your progress! Keep up the good work 0
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Hi Sara,
Welcome! Patience is a virtue because you are making a lifestyle change. You have went from zero exercise to exercising every day, therefore you are probably retaining some water as your muscles repair themselves. Every time I up my weights in my weight lifting program, I tend to hold on to some water for about a week but then it disappears.
Also, I note by your diary that you are measuring your food rather than weighing it. Get a cheap digital food scale and weight everything. My guess is you are underestimating your calories eaten.
Where do you get your exercise burns from? They seem kind of high. For example, you have something called a zumba run (or is it zombie run?) that burned 200 calories in 30 minutes, then 270 calories in 32 minutes. You don't burn 70 calories in 2 minutes, and those 200 calories for 30 minutes seem high. Just so you are aware, MFP, gym machines, phone exercise apps, and the internet render inaccurate calorie burns. I use a heart rate monitor, which always gives readouts of at least 200 less than MFP and gym machines.
The point of a lifestyle change and losing weight is to be as accurate as possible.
Oh, and where did you get that 1200 calorie count from? Given your age, height, and weight, your calorie intake should be more than that.
Best of luck to you!0 -
1200 calories will make you feel like giving up after awhile.. that is why you hear so many people tell you not to do it.0
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First is giving up going to solve the problem? No, so don't give up.
Now make sure you are accurately and honestly logging all of your intake. If you use oil to cook with add it, drinks add them, etc. Weigh your portions so you can get a more accurate calorie count.
Read the link that was given to you above.
Also, have patience it does work.
Good luck to you0 -
Alrighty! Thanks to everyone for the advice and encouragement!
To do list!
change calorie goal!
get a digital scale!
get a heart rate monitor
don't give up!0 -
Hang in there. It is SO frustrating to be doing everything 'right' and to see zero progress for your efforts.
First - no point in quitting! What will that do? Only make you continue to feel bad, and make you continue at your current weight or reach a higher weight. Which isn't to say there aren't tweaks needed to your program - there may be.
Second - realistic expectations! We've all been told that we can safely lose about 2 lbs per week, and that is a setting in MFP (did you choose that? I did!). Well, that lowers your calorie goals, sometimes to unsustainable levels and may create too big a calorie deficit (which puts you at greater risk of screwing up your metabolism and of losing muscle mass and bone tissue in addition to fat - you only want to lose fat!). Well, realistically, you should only be trying to lose 2 lbs per week if you are needing to lose 75+ lbs. A pound and a half may be a more appropriate goal for you right now. And as you continue to lose, that goal will get smaller and smaller - which is great, because you will be getting closer and closer to maintenance and to figuring out how to live with your weight and eat the right amounts to stay at that weight.
Others have already talked about the fact that weight loss isn't linear, that there are a number of things that affect the scale reading - so be sure you have other ways to monitor your progress: take measurements with a measuring tape. Figure our your body fat %. Keep notes about your physical fitness (were you short of breath at 30 minutes? is it now at 40 minutes two weeks later? did you add weight somewhere during strength training? did you increase your speed or incline on the treadmill? whatever!). Take pictures - it's hard to see progress when you look in the mirror daily (I still see three chins and my bulging rolls of fat and my enormous arms - but when I look at pictures of me from three months ago and compare them to today, there is unquestionably a ton of visible, clear progress that I just can't see normally).
Third - patience. It sucks, but weight loss that is sustainable and long-term takes TIME. It can take weeks to find out whether or not a tweak was successful, it can take months to feel like you're seeing real progress. And we're putting in all the effort now, but it isn't going to show immediately. If only it were as simple as seeing a loss every single week in direct proportion to the calorie deficit we've created! Alas - it's fits and starts. There will be times you hang on to weight and then the next week, you'll have dropped 4 or 5 lbs. There will be days when you get fed up and just want a freaking cookie but you don't have room in your calorie budget, or you really can't bear to eat another salad or you are just feeling over the whole thing. Totally normal! You just have to figure out how to navigate those bumps, just like you have to figure out how to deal with holidays, vacations, special meals, eating at someone else's home and all the other things real life throws at us. All totally navigable, all requiring dedication and patience. Start remembering that you have to have both big picture and small details - and if one detail isn't great today, you aren't wrecking the big picture.0 -
From a Japanese Animation:
"We evolve beyond the person that we were a minute before. Little by little we advance with each turn. That's how a drill works!"
"Touch the untouchable, Break the Unbreakable. Go beyond the impossible and Kick reason to the Curb!"
"... Don't forget. Believe in yourself. Not in the you who believes in me. Not the me who believes in you. Believe in the you who believes in yourself."
I know this is from a show but these quotes saved my life. The following is for the OT and anyone else from my own Credo: We've got all the power in the Universe to tear the Heavens asunder! Do not let fear or doubt or loathing sap your power! Find your resolve and mold your destiny!
Drill on.0 -
From a Japanese Animation:
"We evolve beyond the person that we were a minute before. Little by little we advance with each turn. That's how a drill works!"
"Touch the untouchable, Break the Unbreakable. Go beyond the impossible and Kick reason to the Curb!"
"... Don't forget. Believe in yourself. Not in the you who believes in me. Not the me who believes in you. Believe in the you who believes in yourself."
I know this is from a show but these quotes saved my life. The following is for the OT and anyone else from my own Credo: We've got all the power in the Universe to tear the Heavens asunder! Do not let fear or doubt or loathing sap your power! Find your resolve and mold your destiny!
Drill on.
animes always have the best advice 0 -
You are not eating enough delicious foods! Anyone eating 1200 calories a day (well, almost anyone) will want to give up after eating that little for an extended amount of time.
DON'T GIVE UP.
Read this link please
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1187899-in-place-of-a-roadmap-short-n-sweet-reposted
It will help you figure out what you should be eating.0 -
Hang in there. It is SO frustrating to be doing everything 'right' and to see zero progress for your efforts.
First - no point in quitting! What will that do? Only make you continue to feel bad, and make you continue at your current weight or reach a higher weight. Which isn't to say there aren't tweaks needed to your program - there may be.
Second - realistic expectations! We've all been told that we can safely lose about 2 lbs per week, and that is a setting in MFP (did you choose that? I did!). Well, that lowers your calorie goals, sometimes to unsustainable levels and may create too big a calorie deficit (which puts you at greater risk of screwing up your metabolism and of losing muscle mass and bone tissue in addition to fat - you only want to lose fat!). Well, realistically, you should only be trying to lose 2 lbs per week if you are needing to lose 75+ lbs. A pound and a half may be a more appropriate goal for you right now. And as you continue to lose, that goal will get smaller and smaller - which is great, because you will be getting closer and closer to maintenance and to figuring out how to live with your weight and eat the right amounts to stay at that weight.
Others have already talked about the fact that weight loss isn't linear, that there are a number of things that affect the scale reading - so be sure you have other ways to monitor your progress: take measurements with a measuring tape. Figure our your body fat %. Keep notes about your physical fitness (were you short of breath at 30 minutes? is it now at 40 minutes two weeks later? did you add weight somewhere during strength training? did you increase your speed or incline on the treadmill? whatever!). Take pictures - it's hard to see progress when you look in the mirror daily (I still see three chins and my bulging rolls of fat and my enormous arms - but when I look at pictures of me from three months ago and compare them to today, there is unquestionably a ton of visible, clear progress that I just can't see normally).
Third - patience. It sucks, but weight loss that is sustainable and long-term takes TIME. It can take weeks to find out whether or not a tweak was successful, it can take months to feel like you're seeing real progress. And we're putting in all the effort now, but it isn't going to show immediately. If only it were as simple as seeing a loss every single week in direct proportion to the calorie deficit we've created! Alas - it's fits and starts. There will be times you hang on to weight and then the next week, you'll have dropped 4 or 5 lbs. There will be days when you get fed up and just want a freaking cookie but you don't have room in your calorie budget, or you really can't bear to eat another salad or you are just feeling over the whole thing. Totally normal! You just have to figure out how to navigate those bumps, just like you have to figure out how to deal with holidays, vacations, special meals, eating at someone else's home and all the other things real life throws at us. All totally navigable, all requiring dedication and patience. Start remembering that you have to have both big picture and small details - and if one detail isn't great today, you aren't wrecking the big picture.
This is such an exxcellent, motivating post 0 -
Hey, if you can afford it, get a scale with Wi-Fi that can sync with your MFP account. It will log everything for you and you. I love my Aria scale!0
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Keep pushing and never give up! You got this!
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Don't give up! If you are not eating the right food you will feel so bad! I started eating 1500 and then dropped to 1200 just to make sure I can lose the weight before the summer but I am also in good shape and I for the most part eat well. Add me as a friend and look at my diary. You really can do this!!!!0
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What was the food consumption of 1200 based on? Your old lifestyle or considering the more active you? This perhaps needs to be revisited, as you would likely do better by eating more.
So many things can temporarily mask progress when we're looking for a loss on the scale. Hormones, stress, sodium, sleep, or simply how it can take the body time to adjust to a new fitness routine. 3 weeks is not enough.
Try to think about why you're looking to make a change. Hold onto those reasons, reassess your food intake level, and keep moving forward. Give yourself another 3-6 weeks at least. You're building a better future, and its not going to happen overnight. (Or in just 3 weeks.)
^^ This is the perfect reply0 -
Hang in there, girl. I was getting horribly discouraged as well. I am the same weight as you and 2 inches shorter. When the good folks here tell you to recalculate your TDEE they aren't kidding. I went here http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ to do it and found that 1200 calories/day simply was not enough. I have also since gone back into My Goals and reset my macros (which have taken me about a month and 14 vids to understand). Get the digital scale: it's not as scary as it sounds. Get out the evil tape measure as well. I found that inches were changing even when the scale wasn't. I also purchased a little FitBit that I wear all day to count my steps. And I use MapMyWalk for when I do my walkies. I happens slowly, but it does happen once you start eating enough.0
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1) You've just changed routine so your water weight will be all over the place (your body retains water to repair muscle) once you get used to the routine your progress will be less erratic.
2) get a tape measure, the scales only measure your overall weight - fat, muscle and water, if people have noticed a difference you may have lost more fat then the scales tell you. I would rather lose inches than pounds as noone but me can see the pounds, so start measuring and log that too.
3) also is your 1200 net or total, if you're only eating 1200 total regardless of how much exercise you do that's way to low, most on here advise to net your BMR
4) you've lost 3 pounds in 3 weeks that's actually good progress
Chin up you'll get in the swing of it x0 -
I used to think lifestyle changes were a marathon, not a sprint. Now I'd say they are more like a maze. Not everything is a step forward, but everything is an opportunity to learn.
As mentioned by many posters 1200 calories is difficult to sustain. I started MFP at 1680 calories per day and as I lost weight, my target dropped to 1230. Per my doctor's suggestion I was not eating exercise calories. I couldn't keep up 1200 per day and my exercise routine. I ended up raising slowly back to 1700 calories and I am still losing. It is a much more sustainable eating regime. If you are using the MFP settings then set your goal to 1.5 lbs per week and plan on eating around half your exercise calories back. Or consider using the TDEE method that takes your exercise into account. With the TDEE method you eat the same calories every day. Even if you don't want switch to the TDEE method, it is worth looking at one of the TDEE calculators to see how many calories you are actually burning per day. To lose 1.5lbs per week you should be averaging 750 calories per day below that number.
It is hard not to focus on the scale, however look for other ways to measure success. Photos, tape measure, exercise logs, etc will all help you see improvements even if the scale isn't moving. The scale is both a curse and a blessing. There is a considerable amount of variation due to hormones, diet (salt), etc. The scale might not move as expected for a week or two, and then there will be a sudden drop.
Do focus on a food scale. I have found it to be worth every penny. Weigh everything. You might find that single serving package labeled as x g actually has more or less than marked. Accurately logging your food and drink will give you the confidence to know that you are in a deficit. It is that confidence that gets you through the times when the scale is not behaving as you think you should.
I'm a firm believer in taking this one day at a time. I get up each morning with two goals (1) eat under my calorie goal (2) exercise at least 30 minutes. I know, if I do those two things every day, that I will lose inches and pounds. The changes will not happen over night, but they will happen in the end. By focusing on the behaviors rather than the scale, I have another measure of success. I actually drop a pebble in a jar each night before bed when I've hit those two goals. I'm going to have to get more pebbles soon.
You will hear about all types of diets here - clean eating, paleo, ketogenic etc. You need to find what works the best for you within your calorie goals. That might take some experimenting. For me, a high protein diet works best. I have reduced carbs, but not drastically so. You need to figure out what works for you that you can live with.
Don't give up, because that is the only way you will truly fail.0 -
This^You should definitely eat more than 1200 calories.
Weigh all of your food, you might be underestimating the amount you are eating, or over-estimating your burns.
As great as stopping eating "junk food" and "fast food" might be, it's not the key to success.
Here, read this thread and let it guide you.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
DO this.0
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