Ready to throw in the towel...

polar5554
polar5554 Posts: 576 Member
edited September 24 in Motivation and Support
Ok I am real close to giving up with using MFP and excersising altogether.

I lost 75 lbs on WEight watchers with barely any excercise. I've been counting calories for about 3.5 weeks now AND doing P90 and have not lost anything. I may have lost one but then gained. I am stuck at 130 and can't get past it. My goal weight is 120.

I am currently eating roughly 1350 calories per day. I don't know what I am burning with my p90 cause I do not have a HRM.

What is the problem? Should I go back to WW??

Replies

  • shezza737
    shezza737 Posts: 95 Member
    Are you eating enough? Eating back at least some of your exercise calories?
    Drinking enough water?
    I bet you will find you have lost inchs even if the scales have not moved. I have read a lot of posts like this and it does seem to be the case. Did you take your measurements when you started at all?

    With regards to WW, why don't you try following the WW plan at home but logging it into MFP to see if this helps?
  • JoanCG
    JoanCG Posts: 22
    Don't give up! My weight was stuck for more than 5 days then started moving again. If possible, invest in a HRM.
  • Maybe you've just hit a plateau. I just ended 3 weeks of no weight loss and hoping it's heading down again. Don't get discouraged. Weight watchers is counting calories they just do it for you.
  • Phoenyxlove
    Phoenyxlove Posts: 150 Member
    Are you measuring yourself? You could be losing inches and gaining muscle with p90x. You are so close to your goal weight that those last 10 pounds won't come off as quickly as in the beginning. Get out your measuring tape as I'm sure you'll start noticing differences and keep up the great work!
  • you really can't give up -- it's all about changes all together
    EVERYONE gets stuck at some point and some more than others
    hang in there and ensure you are eating every 2-3 hours something and if you are doing P90X it may be that muscle is coming about ---

    remember calories are one thing but inches are another and sometimes us women don't eat enough and especially don't drink enough

    look up the fullbar -- this guys has it all figured out and he is a gastric bypass dr. that would rather teach us how to fix our issues and save the surgery for those that really really need it

    good luck
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    You aren't eating enough. You are starving yourself. On your daily summary page there should be an equation:

    GOAL FOOD - EXERCISE= NET Your goal everyday should be to make your Net calories be between 1200 and matching your Goal calories (so for you the range is 1200-1350). 1350 is perfect for when you dont exercise, but when you do you should be eating enough back to keep your body from thinking you are starving.

    I even see a few days where you only logged 700 calories- that's really bad for your body!

    Also, 10lbs from 130-120 are going to be slow- because these are not "health" lbs, you should be mentally set to be losing .5 lbs per week, not 1lb.
  • Ambrogio1
    Ambrogio1 Posts: 518 Member
    Why did you leave WW? Just wondering if you had these struggles before using mfp
    Maybe you are not calculating foods properly? WW, MFP and any other system uses the same calculations. Burn more hten you eat. you could be in a plateau. These are the hardest times to get through. Push through, adjust something. Maybe some good old fashion rest
  • jenalderman
    jenalderman Posts: 411 Member
    I just came off a two week plateau and, like you felt like giving up. I couldn't figure out where I was going wrong and turns out I wasn't. Suddenly off melted 5 lbs! Our bodies are so unpredictable with so many variable factors. Give it time. If you are truley working the program the results will catch up. I do agree with the "not eating enough theory" . Any time I get stuck for too long I take a day of two of maxing out my calories. It seems to do the trick. Please hang in there. Weight loss is simple math. This coming from a 45 year old who has tried everything. What you put out just has to be greater than what you take in and eventually the results will follow.
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
    Throwing in the towel gets you nowhere. Those last 10 pounds are the slowest to come off. I am assuming that weighing 120 is a healthy weight for you according to your height. Exercising is good for your heart and lungs; it is more than about weight loss, it is about LIFE GAINED! Use whichever food program works best for you (I have heard nothing but good things about weight watchers who use that format), but consider this a lifestyle and don't do something just for the sake of losing weight that you are not going to be able to sustain as your new lifestyle. Good luck and don't give up!
  • Sugar_Apple
    Sugar_Apple Posts: 951 Member
    Congrats on you weight loss, you have done an awesome job.
    Dont be so hard on yourself because the last 10lbs are always the hardest plus you are now exercising and gaining muscle and toning. Maybe you should forget about the scale and use measurements and the way you look as an indicator of progress.

    But what ever you do dont give up....:flowerforyou:
  • elzettel
    elzettel Posts: 256
    Don't throw in the towel just yet. I am pretty much in a like situation. I started Insanity about 3 weeks ago. MFP has me at 1200 cals. I've lost about 16-17lbs but have been struggling with the last 5lbs...so I thought Insanity might help and tone me up. I'd do just fine at 1200 cals (eating back my exercise cals too) but by the 3rd day or so I'd be ravenous and would end up snacking all afternoon. I went to the Beach Body site and used the nutrition calc and it said I should be eating 1900cals...yikes! I ended up signing up there (the free subscription) and was contacted by a coach. I asked him what I should be eating and he agreed it should be 1800-1900 cals. I've put on 3lbs...but have noticed some toning. I'm trying not to FREAK since the scale is moving in the wrong direction. I try to remind myself my clothes are still fitting the same. I'm trying to work on getting my nutrition back on track. Amazing how some poor decisions bring out my sugar cravings in full force! You might want to increase your cals a little bit...last night I burned 500cals in just over 40 minutes. I've never done P90X so I'm not sure how it compares to Insanity. Have you noticed some new or toned muscles? As I understand it, muscle burns fuel more effieciently and you need more to keep going. Hope this helps and keep up the great work!
  • Try cutting back the Carbs, keep your sugar intake to less than 30g a day.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Ok I am real close to giving up with using MFP and excersising altogether.

    I lost 75 lbs on WEight watchers with barely any excercise. I've been counting calories for about 3.5 weeks now AND doing P90 and have not lost anything. I may have lost one but then gained. I am stuck at 130 and can't get past it. My goal weight is 120.

    I am currently eating roughly 1350 calories per day. I don't know what I am burning with my p90 cause I do not have a HRM.

    What is the problem? Should I go back to WW??

    Read this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner

    For someone at your level assessing your progress simply using the scale is meaningless. Let me ask you this: if the weight on the scale went down but you gained fat and therefore looked fatter (indicating loss of muscle / lean mass) would you be more or less happy?

    As I suspect body recomposition / sculpting is really your goal not arbitary weight loss. The scale simply won't reflect that in isolation. You could go back to WW, you could stick here, but I doubt either would really bring you happiness in the long term as you haven't really learned what is going on with your body or how it works. I don't know you but I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty. Your body is more amazing than you ever could imagine....

    Now is the time to focus on fitness goals, to get out your soft measuring tape, to assess using photos, BF % AND the scale.
  • Healthyby30
    Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
    When you first start an exercise program you might hold on to a few lbs, mostly water b/c your muscles are adapting, etc. You also might be building up a bit of muscle. Give it some time and see what happens. If you are eating right and you are working out then you ARE doing something better for your body. Don't concentrate on the scale so much, use a tape measurer, body fat percentage, etc.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Ok I am real close to giving up with using MFP and excersising altogether.

    I lost 75 lbs on WEight watchers with barely any excercise. I've been counting calories for about 3.5 weeks now AND doing P90 and have not lost anything. I may have lost one but then gained. I am stuck at 130 and can't get past it. My goal weight is 120.

    I am currently eating roughly 1350 calories per day. I don't know what I am burning with my p90 cause I do not have a HRM.

    What is the problem? Should I go back to WW??


    As a man 1350 is not enough, you should not go below 1500 Net. You are not losing weight as you are doing intense exercise on very little fuel. change your goal to 1500 and estimate calories burned by entering circuit training into the exercise section and eat the 1500 and the cals you burned doing exercise. MFP works if you do it correctly, which at this point you are not following the program.

    With very lettle left to lsoe you should set your goal at 0.5lbs/week anymore and you risk losing muscle, not just fat.
  • fitgirl4life
    fitgirl4life Posts: 111 Member
    Ok I am real close to giving up with using MFP and excersising altogether.

    I lost 75 lbs on WEight watchers with barely any excercise.


    You're right. Exercise is over-rated. You'll do much better sitting on the sofa. Good luck.
  • dcmiles37
    dcmiles37 Posts: 7 Member
    DON'T GIVE UP, I USE WW AND MYFP. I POST WHAT I EAT ON MYFP AND IT HELPS ME KEEP UP WITH HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN DOING THE PLAN. YOU CAN DO BOTH. ALSO KEEP EXCERCISING EVEN IF YOU ARE DOING WW, YOU LOSE MUCH FASTER.
  • RGPargy
    RGPargy Posts: 285 Member
    You're right. Exercise is over-rated. You'll do much better sitting on the sofa. Good luck.

    LOL!! :laugh:
  • pyro13g
    pyro13g Posts: 1,127 Member
    Going from no exercise to P90 is going to add muscle and your scale will most likely go up. It's a good thing if that happens. It would be better to track percent body fat at this point in time along with upping your calories.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    Your food diary is all over the place:

    Tue 22nd Feb: 739 calories
    Sun 20th Feb: 1101 calories
    Sat 19th Feb: 546 calories

    546 calories??? :huh:
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    [/quote]
    As a man 1350 is not enough, you should not go below 1500 Net. [/quote]

    She's female, but has the gender set wrong. (see profile, not many male mothers around... well with the exception of Elton John of course...)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    As a man 1350 is not enough, you should not go below 1500 Net. [/quote]

    She's female, but has the gender set wrong. (see profile, not many male mothers around... well with the exception of Elton John of course...)
    [/quote]

    I didn't read the profile, just looked at the first page. OP you may want to change your gender to female, if you keep it as male you will be over estimating calories burned from exercise as men at the same weight burn more than women. (only applicable if you are using MFP's calories burned calculator)
  • gillleeman
    gillleeman Posts: 397 Member
    Make time for exercise now or make time for illness later.
  • polar5554
    polar5554 Posts: 576 Member
    OK...After reading all your reponses, I am NOT gonna give up!! Thanks to ALL...Even the sarcastic responses... :tongue:

    You're all right...I shouldn't use the scale as an indicator, but during my WW journey, that's what kept me motivated!!! It's hard when I get up every morning at 5 AM to step on the scale and not see it move (or even move up)...It's really frustrating...I will say that I am pretty sure i HAVE lost inches, but failed to measure myself prior to starting my P90 (I'm really mad at myself for that).

    To everyone that said I'm not eating enough and my calories are all over the board...Please know that there were a few days that I forgot to track or was just plain negligent.

    So I am 5'3 and want to get to 120. Are you saying that 1350 is too little. I am NOT (at this time) eating my exercise calories. Should I be? How many calories should I be consuming?

    Also, I have never logged my exercise cause I'm not really sure how to. I dont' know what P90 would go under. If anyone can help, that would be awesome!!

    You guys are sooo awesome!!! Thanks for your support!!!

    BTW...I will change my gender back.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    OK...After reading all your reponses, I am NOT gonna give up!! Thanks to ALL...Even the sarcastic responses... :tongue:

    You're all right...I shouldn't use the scale as an indicator, but during my WW journey, that's what kept me motivated!!! It's hard when I get up every morning at 5 AM to step on the scale and not see it move (or even move up)...It's really frustrating...I will say that I am pretty sure i HAVE lost inches, but failed to measure myself prior to starting my P90 (I'm really mad at myself for that).

    To everyone that said I'm not eating enough and my calories are all over the board...Please know that there were a few days that I forgot to track or was just plain negligent.

    So I am 5'3 and want to get to 120. Are you saying that 1350 is too little. I am NOT (at this time) eating my exercise calories. Should I be? How many calories should I be consuming?

    Also, I have never logged my exercise cause I'm not really sure how to. I dont' know what P90 would go under. If anyone can help, that would be awesome!!

    You guys are sooo awesome!!! Thanks for your support!!!

    BTW...I will change my gender back.

    Yes if you are doing a program like Power 90, you need more fuel and should eat most if not all of the calories you burn, if not you risk burning muscle as you lose weight.
  • pyro13g
    pyro13g Posts: 1,127 Member
    Also realize that when you did WW with no moderately exercise, you also lost muscle. Time to get it back and P90 will help.
  • ka_42
    ka_42 Posts: 720 Member
    You have done SO well! Great job on your loss :) I'm stuck around 130 too. I assume that if I step up my exercise I will lose but I've been doing minimal exercise for so long I don't feel up to it like at the beginning of my journey. Let's kick these last few pounds (I have 7 more to reach my goal)! I think you should start measuring now and try eating some of your exercise calories back and see what happens! Best of luck!!!!
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    You've not really responded to the feedback which pointed out to you that by only going back a week in your diary there were three days where you ate well under 1200 calories, of which one was just below 800 and one as low as 600.

    Then you say you were NOT logging your exercise calories, so does that mean you were actually exercising on that intake??

    How can you possibly think this will yield any results? What is your body supposed to function on?
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