Doing this again, but I'm already feeling defeated.

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HavenIryxia
HavenIryxia Posts: 116 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am really frustrated and pretty much confused... Over the past few months when I sort of ate right and worked out Monday thru Friday, the weight I had gained from a weekend or a bad night would fall off in a day or two. Now that I am back in the game permanently and have been eating healthy and maxing my intake to 1300 calories and no more than that, I haven't lost a thing. I might just be overreacting since I should only weigh in once a week, but I wanted to keep an eye on things, and so far nothing is going on... I thought that when you start up a weight loss and fitness lifestyle that the first week or two the weight drops, so I am a bit concerned about what is going on with me.

When I originally lost all my weight on my journey to a healthy life and fitness 3 years ago I kept my calorie intake to 1200-1300 and I worked out every day and within a year I lost 57lbs. Since then I unfortunately gained all of it back, plus another ten pounds. I feel horrible that I let situations in my life get to me and in the end I lost who I was. Now I am just desperately trying to get that back, and I am feeling scared that the weight won't come off this time for some reason.

I know a lot of people will tell me to eat more, but that's what got me here in the first place, I am worried that if I set my calories higher, even when working out that I won't lose... Thank you all for listening, if you have any advice that you could send my way, it would be greatly appreciated. :)

Replies

  • gostumpy
    gostumpy Posts: 156 Member
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    I am in a similar place, I managed to lose 13lbs tracking over the course of a month, just over 2lbs per week... I was ecstatic!

    No idea what happened, but over the next month I didn't log anything, and I weighed myself yesterday and I'm right back up to where I was :(

    My calorie limits are at ~1750 and if I eat to or near that I lose weight... when I'm gaining weight I bet I eat closer to 3000 calories per day.. it's just so easy when one goes out for dinner, or buys fast food lunch and then a full size dinner, etc... and beer, damn I waste a lot of calories on beer.

    I want to get back on track and lose weight again, but like you I'm finding it hard to get motivated...
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
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    You said it yourself; "Within a year I lost 57 lbs."

    You did it once. You know you can do it again.
  • Nataliecatalie93
    Nataliecatalie93 Posts: 44
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    Maybe think about changing what kind of food you eat, rather than how much you eat. A couple years back I ate about 1600 calories but it was filled with "supposedly" healthy food. Food such as wheat toast and eggs for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, snacks such as those "100 calorie diet snacks". For about a year now I have eaten a plant based diet of about 1600 calories. When you eat foods that are straight from nature, your body know what to do with them. Sometimes I eat more and still don't gain weight. My diet mainly consists of veggies, fruits, nuts, brown rice, potatoes, and a few other randoms such as coconut milk, chia seeds, and raw cacao powder. I still do have a vegan/ gluten free processed snack such as an almond milk pudding, but for the most part keep it natural. It is really worth giving a try.
  • Discoqueen77
    Discoqueen77 Posts: 61 Member
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    Just get back up on that horse again and ride.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    You said it yourself; "Within a year I lost 57 lbs."

    You did it once. You know you can do it again.

    Yeah, she also gained 67lbs in return because she didn't create a lifestyle that supported maintaining that loss.

    OP - you'll need to focus on making life changes that will support you being at a lower weight. Great luck to you.
  • bfarrants
    bfarrants Posts: 1
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    I usually stay very private and don't post at all, but I wanted to respond to you. First of all, this is a lifestyle change and not a diet. That is the only way to make this work on a permanent basis. You have probably heard that before, but just think about what that means and let it sink in. Also, your weight gain/loss does not define who you are - ever. Yo-yoing is very, very common and perfectly normal, so don't waste your time (and it is a TOTAL waste of time) worrying about it. Forget about how you look and start enjoying life right now.

    So, a few things about calorie intake and sluggish metabolisms. While keeping track of calories definitely helps to focus on portion size and avoid overeating, it does not necessarily mean all calories are the same. How your body breaks down certain proteins, carbs, fats and the like fuels your body in different ways. There are lots of articles, research and books about metabolism and biochemistry. Do some research/googling on reputable nutrition sites. While I don't advocate gluten-free eating entirely, the research that led to the current craze is quite remarkable. Books like "Wheat Belly" will help. Even a basic textbook on metabolics will help. I would advise you to change your food profile to higher protein and lower carbs - it will make you feel fuller and more satisfied. Even so, remember that no one body metabolizes things exactly the same way. But I think 1200-1300 cals per day is fine, especially if you cut out refined flour and sugar. I know you have heard it before, but concentrate on what you are eating, not just how much. Avoid alcohol for a while - it is a refined sugar. The goal here is not to diet, but to permanently change that way you look at food, especially at what is "everyday" food and what is "once in a blue moon" food.


    Here is another tip...do not eat any where near the amount of calories MFP gives you for exercise. Half it at best. And log real exercise - not walking to the car or taking the dog around the block. I remember one person trying to log vacuuming and sex as exercise (hopefully not at the same time)! While those may exert calories, those are normal lifestyle things, and not something you log. Obviously, eating less and moving more is basic to the equation of losing weight. Maybe upping your exercise or even just changing up your exercise routine would help.
  • Cheyenelikewyoming
    Cheyenelikewyoming Posts: 52 Member
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    Or just don't log exercise at all. I don't and I try and stick to my 1790 per day.

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