Need some advice and encouragement!

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AbbyCar
AbbyCar Posts: 198 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'm fairly new to MFP. The first few weeks here I lost 5 pounds. I was estatic! I thought I'd finally found something that worked!! However, the last few weeks, I haven't lost anything. In fact, I GAINED 1.2 pounds. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I am working out and eating within my calories. I'm usually just a few hundred under, just in case my calories are underestimated or my burn overestimated. Can anyone give me any advice? My diary is public, so feel free to peruse it.

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  • juldga
    juldga Posts: 119
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    I think you are doing good unless you are not logging all you eat. Little bites here and there add up as well as condiments and butter/oil things are cooked in. Do you have a good scale? Do you weigh at the same time every day? Do you only weight once a week. There are alot of factors, but if your diary is accurate you are doing great and will lose weight
  • janey84
    janey84 Posts: 4
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    Hi there,
    This is completely typical and normal when starting a weight loss programme. In the first week or 2 you will lose quite a few pounds fairly easily but as your body starts to adjust, your metabolism drops and your weight will plateau. At this point you NEED to up your calorie intake. I know this sounds like diet suicide but this is the only way to increase your metabolic rate. Still making sure your caloric intake is from healthy food options. I'd reccommend consuming an extra 200-300 calories. Try increasing your protein, this is great for fat burning and your body uses more energy actually breaking down and digesting protein. I hope this helps and if you have any specific questions that i could possibly help with just shout! :)

    Jane
  • countrymom75
    countrymom75 Posts: 32 Member
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    BEING TOO FAR UNDER YOUR CALORIE GOAL MAY NOT BE GOOD. YOUR BODY WILL START BURNING MUSCLE INSTEAD OF FAT. TRY TO KEEP IT AT YOUR GOAL THEN IF YOU EXERCISE EAT PART OF THE DIFFERENCE. I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN ABOUT AFRAID TO EAT WHAT YOU BURNED IN CASE YOU MISS CALCULATE THE CALORIES YOU BURNED. I JUST TRY TO KEEP IT CLOSE BUT GIVE MYSELF A LITTLE ROOM. PLUS YOU MAY HAVE LOST WATER WEIGHT IN THE BEGINNING LIKE I DID THE NEXT SET OF LBS DIDN'T COME OFF AS FAST BUT I AM STILL WORKING AT IT. ALSO IF YOUR BUILDING MUSCLE WHILE LOSING FAT YOU WON'T SEE THE SCALE CHANGE A WHOLE LOT. MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT, I THINK? NOT SURE IF THAT HELPED OR NOT.?
    DON'T GIVE UP THOUGH!
  • andrewferk
    andrewferk Posts: 20
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    Stick with it, because it's definitely about commitment. Water weight can have a big effect on your weight. My weight can fluctuate five pounds throughout the day. I think it's good to record your weight in the morning before eating.
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
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    Just going through a few days of your food diary this past week, I see an awful lot of sodium. Sodium can influence the scale somewhat as it will mess with your water retention. So perhaps you might see if you can lower your sodium a bit.

    It is normal to have platuaes here and there in your journey. It helps to have other gauges of success, like measurements, to give you more complete picture of changes that you're making.

    Another hurdle that folks meet is that as they get into an exercise routine, their bodies aren't working as hard to complete it as they were at the beginning. If you can comfortably carry on a conversation while you're doing your cardio, you aren't working hard enough. You want to be able to talk--but not comfortably deliver a paragraph! So it may be time to increase the intensity of your workouts a bit.

    It's a bit concerning that you have 'a few hundred' calories left most days. Undereating may give you a quick weight loss, but rarely a sustainable one. So maybe a goal for this week would be to stay within 100 calories of your goal.
  • AbbyCar
    AbbyCar Posts: 198 Member
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    Thank you all! I ate almost all of my calories yesterday and stayed under my sodium intake. I woke up this morning and weighed .4 pounds less! I also measured myself and I've lost almost two inches from my back, an inch from my waist and a 1/2 inch from my hips! I'll take those results! Now to fill up my day with healthy calories...
  • mielikkibz
    mielikkibz Posts: 552 Member
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    I so know the feeling .. I bought a HRM last week for a more accurate calorie count, and since I bought it, I'm up a lb :( I lost more weight just staying within my calories without the exercise!

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