Trouble Losing Weight. Any Suggestions?

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jace10627
jace10627 Posts: 8 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi! My name is Jay and I was hoping to maybe find some tips or suggestions from anybody that maybe has had this problem themselves. I started this whole journey over a year ago because I realized at 19 I was very unhappy with myself and the way I looked and felt and just all of it. I wanted to change and I finally stopped putting it off and got to work. I have been using this site for over a year now and have lost 37 pounds so far, which is way more than I ever thought that I could. Like I said I started when I was 19 and am now pushing 21 so being able to lose that much makes me want to lose more that much more. At first the weight seemed to come off really easily, which I know is expected when your diet changes and all that but recently I have not been able to lose any weight at all.

For the past 6 or seven months, I think, I keep fluctuating between 221 and 224. I keep losing inches though. I recently was able to get out of the 20's sizes which was so amazing for me because I haven't been this size since like grade school I think. I know that's a good thing as well but I'm just unsure of how the pounds aren't coming off as well? I work out at least 5 times a week for about 90 minutes. I usually do a combination of things like jogging,some light weight lifting, jump roping and I hit a punching bag. My brother told me that I needed to have more intense workouts and the past two months I have done that but the weight still isn't coming off. I don't know what I'm doing wrong? I don't eat that different from day to day usually. I'm just sort of...stuck. Any help or suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Replies

  • skinnysushicat
    skinnysushicat Posts: 138 Member
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    As you lose weight, you need to gradually decrease the number of calories you eat - you burn less calories because you are smaller (yay for you, well done! :))

    Have you thought about recalculating your goals on MFP with a greater weekly loss, and seeing what calorie allowance it gives you?

    Are you still carefully logging and weighing your food, or have your portion sizes crept up without you realising?

    Well done on your achievement.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    Congratulations on your progress so far!

    How diligent is your food logging? Do you use a food scale for solids and measuring cups/spoons for liquids?
  • amyn1973
    amyn1973 Posts: 2
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    Sounds like you're gaining muscle! I was told once that you sometimes lose inches as your body reconfigures to a smaller, leaner shape but don't always loose pounds. I know that you probably have a "goal" in mind as far as weight, but do you look good, feel good? That's important too, and we sometimes get single-minded on one goal when we're really accomplishing so much on other fronts. You are doing great from what it sounds like....keep going. Don't get discouraged!!
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
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    Sounds like you're gaining muscle!

    Almost certainly not

    To gain muscle you almost always need to be eating a calorie surplus, and even then it's very difficult for a women to put on significant amount of muscle
  • jace10627
    jace10627 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thank you all for your suggestions. I haven't changed my goals or anything for a while so i think I will give that a try. I calculate everything I eat and I've been eating the same stuff for a while now so I know all the measurements from when I first started. I really never thought of cutting more calories because as it is most days I'm only eating between 700-900 on an average day. I didn't think cutting more would be such a great idea but I could be wrong so I'll try that as well.

    Thanks again for the encouragement!
  • paulawatkins1974
    paulawatkins1974 Posts: 720 Member
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    Thank you all for your suggestions. I haven't changed my goals or anything for a while so i think I will give that a try. I calculate everything I eat and I've been eating the same stuff for a while now so I know all the measurements from when I first started. I really never thought of cutting more calories because as it is most days I'm only eating between 700-900 on an average day. I didn't think cutting more would be such a great idea but I could be wrong so I'll try that as well.

    Thanks again for the encouragement!
    No. Do not eat less than 900 a day. You should eat at a MINIMUM 1200 a day. I think you may be eating more than you think. Get a food scale. You will be surprised. I just started using one myself.
  • nofoodforthemood
    nofoodforthemood Posts: 64
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    If you are eating that low then your body goes into starvation mode to protect itself. You need to eat more to lose weight.

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