I'm such a failure.

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susiessoaps
susiessoaps Posts: 11
in Introduce Yourself
I am such a failure I struggle so hard to get in shape. I started insanity 60 day challenge three weeks ago and haven't lost a single pound in fact I gained three. I also started running 6 days a week in the evening 3.5 miles I have worked so hard and nothing. I hate the way I look I am so angry with myself it's unbelievable. Not a single change in my body. I won't quit but I have never been so discouraged in all my life I did realize two days ago I have been using my calorie counter wrong. I'm so distraught I can't believe I ruined three weeks of really hard work. I'm such an idiot! You know how hard it is to be 45 fat out of shape and do insanity and run I have worked harder than I ever have in my whole life and NOTHING!! AHHHHHH.........
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  • Leora11
    Leora11 Posts: 5 Member
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    You might have been gaining some muscle. When I started working out I gained a little at first. And how were you using the calorie counter wrong?
  • susiessoaps
    susiessoaps Posts: 11
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    Well they say no more that 1500 calories a day well stupid me logged the exercise and I went by making sure I was always at 1500. so instead of only 1500 I made up for the deficit. so If I burned 900 I ate 900 more to keep it at 1500. I'm a fairly intelligent person I don't know how I could have been so stupid. I guess I should eat 1500 and no matter how many calories I burn don't eat so I'm 1500 ahead can't believe I didn't figure it out duh.
  • Fit_Jesus
    Fit_Jesus Posts: 27
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    Try not to be so hard on yourself emotionally and physically! It sounds like you are working out pretty hard. Try and remember that exercise is a stressor, a good stressor mostly, but also can be a bad one. Try to run only 20 min a day and focus on increasing distance ran over time in the same amount of time. Look into yoga or meditation to help control stress in your life. Think positive. Laugh at yourself when you screw up! We all do it!
  • pechepanda
    pechepanda Posts: 7,939 Member
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    you gain muscle when you first start to work out. youll lose more weight and more fat the longer you keep up with it.
  • MissTomGettingThin
    MissTomGettingThin Posts: 776 Member
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    You did it right!
    1500 is a small deficit. You need to net 1500. So eating what you burn is correct.

    Of course depending where the 1500 figure comes from.
  • Indygirl_81
    Indygirl_81 Posts: 142 Member
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    Try not to be so hard on yourself emotionally and physically! It sounds like you are working out pretty hard. Try and remember that exercise is a stressor, a good stressor mostly, but also can be a bad one. Try to run only 20 min a day and focus on increasing distance ran over time in the same amount of time. Look into yoga or meditation to help control stress in your life. Think positive. Laugh at yourself when you screw up! We all do it!

    Great info!
  • tfoxsail
    tfoxsail Posts: 16
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    Ditto on the muscle gain...it weighs more than fat so you may still be losing fat. However, the calorie counter (as well as how many calories you burn during exercise) is a guideline and not exact...I find that occasionally I have to make my own adjustments to it if I am not meeting my goals.
  • slg426
    slg426 Posts: 2
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    I've read (and I'm not sure how accurate this is, no source) that when you start working out or put your body through sudden changes, it clings to fat or whatever for a while. Same as Leora11, when I started working out I gained a few pounds before I lost any. I weighed 194 (I'm 5'5") and pushed myself WAAAAY harder than I ever had before. For the first few weeks nothing seemed to change and I was super discouraged too. I quit working out for a while. I actually did that several times, for almost 2 years. I would work out for 3 or 4 weeks and not be satisfied with the changes and quit. I lost about 20 pounds that way, real gradually over those 2 years, but even as the number on the scale inched down I couldn't see or feel any changes in my body so I would just say screw it. But over those times I also built up my endurance and my muscles, even without being consistent.

    In December of 2013 I started counting calories on MFP and I was SHOCKED at how much I was eating. Once I saw just how much I was overeating and I started working on that, I saw instant results in my body -- and sometimes the number on the scale didnt change at all, but I could see my body getting stronger and leaner. I'm down to about 145 now, but still working on my fitness, etc. I know it's discouraging and hard right now, but if you're diligent and honest with yourself you will break through this crappy frustrating BS. It gets better!! Don't be too hard on yourself, just keep doing the best you can.
  • dlb777
    dlb777 Posts: 13
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    I totally get what you are saying OP and almost did the same thing. Give it a few days at the 1500 and similar burn level and you might see a few pounds come off all at once.
  • RWTBR
    RWTBR Posts: 140 Member
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    Hi,

    Do yourself a favor and buy the book "The Beck Diet Solution," author Judith Beck. You really need the book.

    Edit: It's not a diet, it can help you with the negative thinking you're dealing with so you don't get discouraged.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I am such a failure I struggle so hard to get in shape. I started insanity 60 day challenge three weeks ago and haven't lost a single pound in fact I gained three. I also started running 6 days a week in the evening 3.5 miles I have worked so hard and nothing. I hate the way I look I am so angry with myself it's unbelievable. Not a single change in my body. I won't quit but I have never been so discouraged in all my life I did realize two days ago I have been using my calorie counter wrong. I'm so distraught I can't believe I ruined three weeks of really hard work. I'm such an idiot! You know how hard it is to be 45 fat out of shape and do insanity and run I have worked harder than I ever have in my whole life and NOTHING!! AHHHHHH.........

    I put on 2lb while doing insanity... But I lost fat so who cares what the scales say? If you're doing insanity AND running then you would be losing weight if you were eating at a deficit.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    you gain muscle when you first start to work out.

    No
  • maryseb63
    maryseb63 Posts: 98 Member
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    I am such a failure I struggle so hard to get in shape.. I'm so distraught I can't believe I ruined three weeks of really hard work. I'm such an idiot! You know how hard it is to be 45 fat out of shape and do insanity and run I have worked harder than I ever have in my whole life and NOTHING!! AHHHHHH.........

    YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE. And second of all, you have not ruined 3 weeks of hard work. You have worked out, you have made yourself stronger. It could be muscle. That is a lot of exercise. And you must be feeling better just because of it. This is a journey that will take your whole life. Love yourself and take it a day at a time.
  • Kickinkim418
    Kickinkim418 Posts: 257 Member
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    I am such a failure I struggle so hard to get in shape. I started insanity 60 day challenge three weeks ago and haven't lost a single pound in fact I gained three. I also started running 6 days a week in the evening 3.5 miles I have worked so hard and nothing. I hate the way I look I am so angry with myself it's unbelievable. Not a single change in my body. I won't quit but I have never been so discouraged in all my life I did realize two days ago I have been using my calorie counter wrong. I'm so distraught I can't believe I ruined three weeks of really hard work. I'm such an idiot! You know how hard it is to be 45 fat out of shape and do insanity and run I have worked harder than I ever have in my whole life and NOTHING!! AHHHHHH.........


    Wow, why are you beating yourself up and putting so much pressure on yourself? Look at how much you have accomplished and I bet you are a whole lot better off than you were before you started doing these things. You have to look at this as being baby steps...each goal you accomplish gets you closer to an overall life overhall and more to where you want to be. It really is hard to guess why the scale isn't budging, but just know that you have to figure it out on your own..don't give up. For example, you can be running and working out, but also eating just the same or too little or too much or not incorporating the right KINDS of foods into your diet. Set little goals and tweak your diet...for example, try to make a goal of eating more veggies and fruits during the day or drinking MORE water, etc....you will get there...you will see results.....Change is not going to happen in one day...it is small steps each and every day....Good luck!!!
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    You know how hard it is to be 45 fat out of shape and do insanity and run I have worked harder than I ever have in my whole life and NOTHING!! AHHHHHH.........

    No, I don't. But I do know what it is like to be 50 years old, 94lbs overweight and so out of shape, I got winded walking up the 3 steps to my front porch.

    If I had determined myself a failure by week three because I didn't see any change, I would never be where I am now. I have lost 54lbs, can easily walk/hike 6-8miles and am fitter and healthier than I have been since my teens.

    Consistency and patience are key to a successful weight loss.
  • CherriBell
    CherriBell Posts: 2 Member
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    Hey hey don't beat yourself up so much. I had that mentality and trust me, it gets you no where. Yeah you might make a mistake or fall of your diet or gain weight back or screw up but guess what? You're a human. Humans make mistakes and screw up. It doesn't mean you instantly failed at everything and it's over, it's just a temp setback. Just get back on it and keep on going. :smile:
  • Jim_Barteck
    Jim_Barteck Posts: 274 Member
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    1) Your food diary isn't open, so no one can offer any real solid advice as to whether or not this has a dietary component or not. Are you logging *everything*? Every sample, nibble, and lick of a spoon, add to your daily caloric intake. Are they all present and accounted for?
    2) Your weight on the scale can be affected intensely by the amount of water your body is retaining. That can change for a multitude of reasons: muscle repair, menstrual cycles, sodium intake, overall hydration levels. Your bowel movements, or lack thereof, can also be playing a role as well. And all that is aside from what's going with your fat and muscle levels.
    3) Add a tape measure to your weight loss toolbox: the scale can, and will, mess with your head. A tape measure never will. Measure your: neck, shoulders, chest, waist, hips, upper thigh, calves, upper arms and forearms. Write those measurements down. Now every month re-measure. That will tell you far more surely what changes are happening across your body better than a scale and more reliably than your mirror.
    4) In the grand scheme of things, three weeks is nothing. I understand that it *feels* like an eternity once you've decided to lose weight, but it's not. That weight didn't appear overnight. Buckle up, because this is going to be a long trip. Be patient with yourself and your body. If you religously log your food and follow your calorie targets without cheating them, you'll be happily surprised to find that you're not a failure at all.
  • stephe1987
    stephe1987 Posts: 406 Member
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    You can eat back exercise calories, but:
    1) You are probably eating more than you think. Log everything including drinks, fruits and veggies. Weigh/measure your food/drinks.
    2) You are probably burning less than you think. MFP and most gym machines overestimate how much was actually burned.
    Keeping these things in mind, I think it's fine to eat back some exercise calories, but I usually recommend no more than half just so you don't end up eating more than you thought.
  • radario
    radario Posts: 59 Member
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    Hey you have made progress! You've started an exercise regime - always a good thing - and you've figured out what you need to fix in your calorie counting - you didn't waste 3 weeks, you learned extremely valuable stuff that will set you up for success.

    The only time wasted was the time before we bothered doing anything about our weight.

    Now please, prrrretty please, take a long hard look at the enormous amount of negativity and self-loathing oozing from your posts and promise yourself you're going to fix it. Remove the word failure from your vocabulary. The only failure is giving up. We ALL make mistakes and have weak moments - move on. Have a better day the next day.

    Positivity begets positivity; please be kinder to yourself - you've done nothing thousands of other people here haven't also done.

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