Frustrated!

kbdelarosa · February 2011

Hey all, just a quick vent and I am trying not to get too down on myself here....I have been at this for 4 weeks now, at 1200 calories a day and religiously doing the C25K plus ballroom dancing several times a week. I stepped on the scale yesterday and I am down ONE pound. ONE! Ugh. I am 5'3" and 142 pounds so I know I can't expect to drop a ton at the beginning like the people on the Biggest Loser (you know, 19 pounds in a week). I am being realistic, but I was hoping to drop a pound a week. I have been under my calorie goal daily and am making sure to eat healthy plus forcing myself to get off my *kitten* and go for a run when I don't want to do anything but curl up and read a book. I will keep at it, I am not stopping, just a little discouraged today. Thank goodness my office is just two people and the other girl doesn't bring in junk. It is times like this I want to down a box of Girl Scout Cookies!

My 20 year hs reunion is in July. I weighed 142 when I graduated, but only 128 when I got married ten years later (my ten year reunion was that year too and I looked great). I need to get back down there! Thanks for letting me vent!

kwardklinck · February 2011

Try eating between 100 and 200 calories more per day. I know it sounds crazy but it works.

morganadk2_deleted · February 2011

your not eating enough 1200 is for a small sedentry woman, and your not sedentry!

you should be eating your exersise calories back , if your not that could be why , your not eating enough!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

Also as you have not got a lot to lose!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit

"Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode) "

Good luck on your journey!

ratkaj · February 2011

I think you are starving yourself. Eat some more calories and you should see a difference

stang41992 · February 2011

Maybe you should change your setting to lose 1 pound a week. The 1200 is not enough for me and not only do I get to eat more on 1 pound a week, but I feel better, and lose weight faster!

cleo77 · February 2011

You are eating too few calories. Your body is holding on to the fat because you are in starvation mode. For your activity level you should be aiming for 1500-1600 calories a day of good fats, proteins, and carbs. I have been eating in this range for 3 weeks and I have lost 2 pounds a week. My activity level is jogging 4 times a week and weight training 3 times a week.

amiramoon · February 2011

If you lift weights you may be gaining muscle and not fat. Don't get discouraged. I am a few pounds shy of you and 3 inches shorter. We will get there! I was at 152 when I started. I went to a dietician who told me to eat every 3 hours and only eat foods that meet a protein/carb ratio of 3:1. For example, if the protein content is 10 don't eat processed foods with carbs higher than 30. I stick to those rules of thumb and keep my calories under bay.

dianam1973 · February 2011

I can't offer advise because I just started this journey myself. I'm about the same height and weight as you, and I know the lbs will probably come off slower than if I was bigger. Just hang in there and I'm here for support! :-) Just don't give up!

P.S. One thing I hate is that my weight loss is usually slow no matter how much I'm working out and eating right, but the minute I splurge, I gain like 10 lbs....lol! Ugh!!

kbdelarosa · February 2011

Thanks all. I did just change my goal from 1.5 pounds a week to 1 and it brought me up to a whole 1250 calories. Geez, I want to get down to 128, not 88! No, I am not lifting weights, because as a ballroom instructor, trust me you use your whole body as resistance. I don't even belong to a gym because I have a full time job, a part time job (ballroom) and a toddler. My limited free time is spent doing the C25K with her (apparently running with a stroller burns 20% more calories so I have that going for me!). I may get some at home dvd's for working out too....

Ok since I must eat more, where is that darned jar of Nutella again? Ha!

3blakekids · February 2011

YOur post is exactly what I would of said myself today. I dont know why I cant lose it as well. I lost .5 this week and really havent bugged from my beginning weight. I am 5 ft and 143 ...same 1200 cal and sometimes dont even hit that. I eat healthy, dont really snack and have started exercising 3 weeks ago. I also have my 20 year reunion in July that I want to lose at least 10-15 poinds for.... I know its frustrating.. but keep doing what your doing. I may start measuring myself instead of the scale. Good luck!

amyoliver85 · February 2011

Everyone on here is right. You need to look at a few things and decide how you are doing in those areas:

1- Have you been measuring yourself? And I mean everywhere. Not just your waist. You should also measure thighs, arms, neck, under your breasts, hips and if you're doing ballroom dancing exercises, you should also measure your calves and your ankles. Inches come from all sorts of places.

2- Water...are you drinking enough? Too much?

3- Eat MORE. 1200 calories is the minimum for SURVIVAL. If you only eat 1200 and then you burn 300, then you actually only ate 900. Log your calories and your workouts faithfully in this program. It will tell you how much you should be eat everyday. Now, I know it's hard--trust me, I don't always make it to that number, but you really need to try.

4- What foods are you consuming? Just because you're eating 1200 calories doesn't mean you're getting the nutrients you need. For example, say you eat 1200 calories, but it was a Big Mac, French Fries, a coke and a cookie. That's a whole lot different than consuming 1200 calories of fruits, veggies and nuts.

5- When are you weighing yourself? Try it at the same time everyday. I do it in the morning before my shower, right after I pee. And make sure it's always with the same clothing or no clothing. Even having your hair tied back one weigh-in and hanging down the next can make a change in that weight.

6- Try a DIFFERENT workout. If all you are doing is ballroom, you might not be getting the right kind of exercise for your body. Go out for a bike ride, pick up a pair of weights. You definitely need to do some weight training to build muscle so you can boost your metabolism. I go to boot camp because we never do the same thing two days in a row. We are always working different muscle groups. That is soooo important. Don't give up on your cardio but make sure you add some weights.

7- Track things OTHER THAN CALORIES on your MyFitnessPal. Make sure you are tracking things like sugar, fiber, sodium and carbs. The thing is, you need BALANCE in your diet. And if you're not closely tracking all of these things you might be going severely over or under on something and creating imbalance. I have struggled with this for years and even though I have a better handle on it now, MyFitnessPal has shown me I am still struggling.

And of course, don't give up. Maybe your body isn't ready to lose weight right now. But you shouldn't give up. You are making yourself HEALTHIER. And that should always be the primary goal. Sure, weight loss can be a part of getting healthy. But so is increasing your lung capacity, creating a greater range of motion and building muscle.

Think of those things too!

ShrinkinMel · February 2011

yep I agree try eating more for a couple weeks. Eat all the calories you burn in your activity and see if it starts coming off. It's been working for me though I am one in the BMI over 32 that can really do 2 lbs a week.

kbdelarosa · February 2011

1- Have you been measuring yourself? And I mean everywhere. Not just your waist. You should also measure thighs, arms, neck, under your breasts, hips and if you're doing ballroom dancing exercises, you should also measure your calves and your ankles. Inches come from all sorts of places.

I have....lost nothing so far

2- Water...are you drinking enough? Too much?

I drink a ton, especially when I dance!

3- Eat MORE. 1200 calories is the minimum for SURVIVAL. If you only eat 1200 and then you burn 300, then you actually only ate 900. Log your calories and your workouts faithfully in this program. It will tell you how much you should be eat everyday. Now, I know it's hard--trust me, I don't always make it to that number, but you really need to try.

I am looking at my net calories, I usually eat about 1500 a day, because I usually burn 300 with exercise.

4- What foods are you consuming? Just because you're eating 1200 calories doesn't mean you're getting the nutrients you need. For example, say you eat 1200 calories, but it was a Big Mac, French Fries, a coke and a cookie. That's a whole lot different than consuming 1200 calories of fruits, veggies and nuts.

No fast food for me. I eat very healthy, whole grains, lots of veggies and chicken and turkey....the other day I had one hersheys kiss...ha ha

5- When are you weighing yourself? Try it at the same time everyday. I do it in the morning before my shower, right after I pee. And make sure it's always with the same clothing or no clothing. Even having your hair tied back one weigh-in and hanging down the next can make a change in that weight.

Yup...same as you!

6- Try a DIFFERENT workout. If all you are doing is ballroom, you might not be getting the right kind of exercise for your body. Go out for a bike ride, pick up a pair of weights. You definitely need to do some weight training to build muscle so you can boost your metabolism. I go to boot camp because we never do the same thing two days in a row. We are always working different muscle groups. That is soooo important. Don't give up on your cardio but make sure you add some weights.

I run, speed walk and do ballroom, but this weekend I am getting back on my bike and training for the upcoming MS150.

7- Track things OTHER THAN CALORIES on your MyFitnessPal. Make sure you are tracking things like sugar, fiber, sodium and carbs. The thing is, you need BALANCE in your diet. And if you're not closely tracking all of these things you might be going severely over or under on something and creating imbalance. I have struggled with this for years and even though I have a better handle on it now, MyFitnessPal has shown me I am still struggling.

I do....I am always great with carbs and sugar, something I never was before!

Will keep on keeping on!!!!!!!!! Thanks for your great post!

pammilou · February 2011

Girl, I feel your pain. I'm actually trying the 'eat more' thing this week myself because I've been doing this for 7 weeks now, lost 4 pounds right away in the first two weeks (which was really just some I'd gained over the holidays) then NOTHING. I am doing the next running program leading up to 10k, so run 4-5 miles, 3 x a week, and weight training 2 x a week. But I also eat 1200 calories, and sometimes just barely that. I'm not hungry so I just don't think to. So maybe we're in the same boat - eat more? I'm going to try to not necessarily add a lot more, just add an extra banana, use light mayo instead of completely fat free, and things like that to see if I can boost the calories, and my weight loss. If you ever just need to vent, feel free to message me!

jude666 · February 2011

Thanks all. I did just change my goal from 1.5 pounds a week to 1 and it brought me up to a whole 1250 calories. Geez, I want to get down to 128, not 88! No, I am not lifting weights, because as a ballroom instructor, trust me you use your whole body as resistance. I don't even belong to a gym because I have a full time job, a part time job (ballroom) and a toddler. My limited free time is spent doing the C25K with her (apparently running with a stroller burns 20% more calories so I have that going for me!). I may get some at home dvd's for working out too....

Ok since I must eat more, where is that darned jar of Nutella again? Ha!

I HIGHLY recommend 30 Day Shred if you're after some at home workout dvds, i'm only on my 5th day of level 1 but i am loving it. Already seeing some changes. Like you, i don't have massive amounts to lose so I think it is a lot slower. I am trying to just focus on toning up etc. the rest will follow later.

Frustrated!

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