I hate this.

Options
dearrowan
dearrowan Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm so tired of nothing working. I know that's defeatist and I know it takes time but I'm about ready to start pulling out my own freakin' hair.

Weight loss was going fine after I had my son. I hadn't been below 170 for years before I had him. I had been a thin child and blew up in my teens years as a byproduct of food becoming my closest friend through several lengthy bouts of intense depression.

After my son though, I managed to get on the healthy track. I breastfed for two years during the first of which I dropped to 150. During the entire second year I fluctuated, which I'll attribute to a lot of outside stressors. Every time something bad would happen I would turn to my old friend and once I'd managed to fix whatever it was that was causing the stress, I'd hop back on the wagon.

These fluctuations weren't huge; they went from 5 to 10 pounds. It wasn't until I went through a trial separation with my significant other that I began to balloon. I had stayed at my father's house during this time. I had continued to walk 1 to 5 miles each day for exercise but I was eating. A lot.

By the time we got back together I was nearly 170 again (my father's wife did not allow scales in her house and though I know scales shouldn't be the end all say all, it really is what keeps me from losing my gains). I wanted to die and I know that's dramatic but I promised myself I was downhill only when I started.

I got back on the wagon right away. I managed to wiggle back to the mid 150's. And then I plateaued. I tried everything: more exercise, then less exercise. I switched up my calorie intake, never straying below 1200 and never exceeding 1600.

I ate exercise calories. I didn't eat them. I went Paleo and remembered restriction in any way is certain doom. I gave up sweets nearly entirely and realized the same.

So I took a break. I didn't step on the scale but I tried to be mindful every time I ate.

And I went right back up to the mid 160's as a result.

My reasons for losing weight are mainly based in vanity, I'll admit, but that isn't to say there's no health motivations backing me. There's a lot of heart disease on my mother's side and varying cancers; I carry a majority of my fat in my mid section.

I refuse to believe this is my body's 'set weight'. I have a very petite frame and am small boned. I doubt I'm meant to carry this tire that refuses to budge; it's in no way healthy.

This is a vent and a question: what in the hell am I doing wrong?

Replies

  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Options
    Stick with tracking calories and exercise. Do it for 6 weeks consistently. Nothing drastic with your diet, just eat within your allotted calories. You will lose.
  • Bobbiezilla
    Bobbiezilla Posts: 157 Member
    Options
    I would suggest mixing up your exercise routine too. Every once in a while your body gets used to what your doing, and becomes more efficient, using less energy for the exercise performed. There are a lot more technical terms for what happens and why, but switching to something different for a month or 6 weeks has broken through a plateau of 3 1/2 months for me. Try weights or a new class, or jogging, or swimming.....something that your muscles aren't used to to kick start a better calorie burn. I know it sounds weird, but try a week of increased calories, eat at maintenance, then get back to a deficit, that helps to break a plateau too. Just my 2 cents :) good luck!
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Options
    How are you measuring your portions? Are you using a food scale, measuring cups/spoons, or just eyeballing them?

    ETA: How are you calculating your calories burned through exercise?
  • dearrowan
    dearrowan Posts: 2
    Options
    For exercise I do varying Fitness Blender videos, so I do switch it up. I exercise 3 to 5 times a week depending on other obligations. FB include a calorie range for each video on their site and I base what I enter into MFP based on how I much I feel I exerted myself (took it easier I go for the lower range and if I'm pouring sweat toward the higher range). Other exercises like squats and running aren't entered by me manually as I use apps linked to my account such as Map My Fitness and Squats Pro. For portions I do use measuring cups and spoons but I do not use a scale. I don't drink soda, I don't drink alcohol, I never eat fast food save the rare iced coffee and sweets are reserved to one serving of whatever it may be; I never go over one serving and sometimes I even half the serving because I want to keep the indulging minimal.
  • rm33064
    rm33064 Posts: 270 Member
    Options
    For exercise I do varying Fitness Blender videos, so I do switch it up. I exercise 3 to 5 times a week depending on other obligations. FB include a calorie range for each video on their site and I base what I enter into MFP based on how I much I feel I exerted myself (took it easier I go for the lower range and if I'm pouring sweat toward the higher range). Other exercises like squats and running aren't entered by me manually as I use apps linked to my account such as Map My Fitness and Squats Pro. For portions I do use measuring cups and spoons but I do not use a scale. I don't drink soda, I don't drink alcohol, I never eat fast food save the rare iced coffee and sweets are reserved to one serving of whatever it may be; I never go over one serving and sometimes I even half the serving because I want to keep the indulging minimal.

    Sounds like you're not burning more calories than you are taking in. From what you wrote you really don't know exactly what you are burning or exactly what you are eating. Get a heart rate monitor and a food scale. You can't ballpark this stuff and I'm 100% sure fb exaggerates their calories burned. Theyre trying to sell videos. You just need to be very accurate as to what is going in your body and what you are burning. You work the same way as the rest of us, calories in minus calories out, you just need to know for sure what those numbers really are.

Categories