WHAT am I doing wrong?? SO discouraged...

LemonCitron
LemonCitron Posts: 116 Member
edited September 24 in Motivation and Support
Hey guys,

I'm a 27 year old female. I am 5'3" and started at 140.4 lbs. I would like to get down to 120 lbs.

I decided to start doing the 30DS again in January and I noticed that nothing came off, so for the first time in like 10 years I decided that I needed to start watching what I eat too. (I did the 30DS last year for 2 months and I shed 10 lbs not watching my food at all)

So I signed up here and started eating as healthy as I knew how. This thing recommended that I eat 1200 cals a day and I was also working out to the 30DS for 5 or 6x a week. In 3 weeks I lost not even 3 lbs. And I was SO hungry all the time.

So about 1 and a half weeks ago I decided to start working out longer, now I'm doing BFBM & NMTZ 6x a week and I upped my cals to 1452 as recommended by some people saying that I wasn't eating enough. Those WO's burn about 400-450 cals each time and I eat those back.

Now I weigh myself and I'm 138 lbs. WTH?

I always ate a lot a crap, hardly any whole grains, veggies or fruit before this, plus I bet my calorie intake was at least 2500 a day. WHY CAN'T I LOSE WEIGHT?? :(

I'm so disheartened. I mean okay, I cheated a few times with candy and a slurpee here and there but I only went over my calories a couple times, otherwise I was still within my limit.

I just don't know what I am doing wrong. How is this even possible that I've only lost 2 lbs in over 1 month? *cries*

Thanks in advance for your help. Also, my dairy is open, if you care to take a look and tell me what I'm doing wrong.

Replies

  • Jessaamine
    Jessaamine Posts: 111
    With the added workouts, you may be adding muscle as you lose the fat. Ignoring the scale, how do you feel?

    I'm not a doctor, of course, but I feel like if you're hungry all the time something is wrong. You are either consuming too few calories or are consuming fluff calories. Maybe try getting more calories from protein.
  • sauza
    sauza Posts: 159 Member
    Are you SURE you are not putting on muscle and shrinking. I know this will sound unbelievable, but is the truth, when I got serious and really stepped up my workouts and nutrition (after starting MFP), I didn't lose a pound, but I went from a size 14 to a size 8. I would not believe it myself if I were not wearing the jeans as we speak. Maybe you are building muscle, weighs more than fat, takes up much less space.
  • amaymorrison
    amaymorrison Posts: 15
    I know exactly what you mean. Im in pretty much the same boat. But I have to say I do feel better overall, I have more energy, and its easier to do workouts etc. I just try to focus on the positive, even if its not much. At least your losing, not just staying the same or gaining. Im sorry, I know im not alot of help. Im just curious to see what adivce you recieve as well. Best of Luck!!
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
    ok - so I looked through your diary, couple of comments:

    1. How are you getting your calories burned? Do you wear HRM? I am wondering if this is accurate - because your daily calories are very close to your totals...maybe you are not burning as much as you think you are??
    2. Do you drink your water? I don't see it logged - this can help alot to curb your appetite, sped up your metabolism, etc.
    3. You should start to track sugar - I am wondering if it is high - due to candy, etc?
    4. Maybe try calorie cycling? I have heard pep on here say it works for them...

    Little perplexing I must admit.....
  • khodges15
    khodges15 Posts: 114
    First things first don't be too discouraged. if you get yourself so down and out mentally, its going to be even harder to lose. Just keep on doin what your doin. eat healthy and exercise and it'll come off slow but sure. Your body may not have a whole lot of fat to burn or it could be stubborn fat thats coming off slow but sure. and depending on how you exercise and your body you could have more lean muscle than fat which weighs more.

    Just keep your head up. We all experience obstacles, challenges, and downfalls. But we just gotta be able to pick ourselves up and keep truckin.

    Best of luck!! <3
  • andipandi
    andipandi Posts: 91 Member
    find out your BMR. do lots of cardio...google HIIT training...diet is 80% exercise 20% in weight loss and maintaining. you'd be surprised how quickly you can out eat your exercise. your BMR will give you a more accurate count of your caloric needs. i personally have lots of little tricks so if you want to take a look at them i think they're in a few other of my posts. good luck!
  • tlschlp
    tlschlp Posts: 54
    If you are going to weigh yourself, you should also measure yourself! Also, take pics every 30-days or so. There is more than one way to measure any type of success!

    With that being said, don't let the numbers bother you! Your body is going to fight losing the weight it's grown attached to! Stick with the healthier lifestyle! Even if you don't lose very quickly, you will be better for it in the end.

    Best of luck!
  • tjjotoad
    tjjotoad Posts: 22 Member
    Don't get discouraged! I know I hit a plateau, and I think everyone does, but you will get through it. In my case, I had to change up the way I was eating as well as my excercise to get my body out of it's rut. I also started doing different workouts every day, which helped. Are you taking measurements? I would do that too because as you build muscle, you may not see the change on the scale. Muscle is more dense than fat so you may be shrinking in size but maintaining your weight.

    In any case, don't give up! You will find a lot of support on this site. Hang in there!
  • ncahill77
    ncahill77 Posts: 501 Member
    You don't have a lot to lose so it's going to come off a lot slower than those of us that have a lot to lose. Also have you been tracking your inches lost? I bet that is changing drastically while your weight might not be, yet! Also make sure you drink plenty of water and add in some more fruits and vegetables to your diet, I see some from time to time on your diary but you should make that a daily part of your diet.
  • drog2323
    drog2323 Posts: 1,343 Member
    email sent! should be sitting in your inbox.

    chin up and keep positive!
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    I looked at your food intake and it looks good. You do have a few cheat days, but nothing atrocious. You are not tracking any water, I hope you are drinking it.

    The only thing I can say is I thinkg your goal might be too high. I am 5'4" and I would love to be at 140. I think losing 1/2 lb a week is good. You have to be reshaping with all that exrcise and toning. I think you need to focus on the physical changes instead of the number on the scale. according to a generic chart I looked up the would put you at a 25 bmi. Normal. You may be less than that in actual terms.

    You are not doing anything wrong. Keep up the good work and look for other ways to measure your success.

    Best wishes.
  • oneway29
    oneway29 Posts: 1
    you may have cut you calories back too quickly. try eating the amount that this site recommends for you to lose 1/2 a pound a week for like a month and then up it to a pound a week. if you cut your intake to quickly you can put your body into a kind of starvation mode, which means it will try to maintain your weight. when it comes to healthy, long lasting weight loss slow and steady wins the race. best of luck.
  • sweetsarahj
    sweetsarahj Posts: 701 Member
    Check out this topic:

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

    There is A LOT of useful information for those of us who don't have *that much* weight to lose.

    After I read it, I stepped up my weight training, starting eating more (a LOT of protein) and only a few weeks later, I'm fitting in pants that were too tight before.

    Also, you'll discover this if you read the thread, that the scales can be tricky for light people- a couple pounds in water weight and thats it- our motivation goes out the window. I kicked my scale under my bed to die a lonely death. From now on I'm measuring my progress with pictures.

    Good luck!
  • kbdelarosa
    kbdelarosa Posts: 183 Member
    We are in the exact same boat! I am also 5'3" and weigh 139.5. In 8 weeks I am down 3 lousy pounds. I too am eating 1200 calories a day, working out daily (alt. between c25k and the shred, bike on weekends and teach ballroom at night). Then two weeks ago I started zig zagging (or cycling) my calories between 1200 and 1600 since I was told I was eating too little. I eased up on carbs and sugar... still nothing. I haven't measured yet, but my jeans still feel just as tight!
  • Ral263
    Ral263 Posts: 318 Member
    Taking a look at your diary....

    You are eating maybe one serving of vegetables a day. Eating healthfully is NOT just about eating X amount of calories-- it's about eating quality calories.

    You seem to be eating a lot of processed, low-quality calories-- the instant oatmeal, cheerios, flavored yogurt, slurpee, etc etc.
    Even if they seem like they are "healthy," they are really just empty calories that can really derail your progress.

    Try replacing these things with whole grains (ie, Steel cut oats in lieu of the oatmeal/cereal) and non processed foods (like plain nonfat yogurt flavored with cinnamon instead of the flavored yogurt, grilled chicken breast instead of the turkey), and add at LEAST three servings of vegetables to each lunch and dinner, and I bet you'll see results immediately :)
  • damonmath
    damonmath Posts: 359 Member
    Sugar is brutal and will stop your progress in its tracks. I lost a good week to a one night sugar binge. It will send your body into starvation mode.

    If you are starving, eat an apple (granny smith) and some Non-fat Greek Yogurt. Greek yogurt is super high in protein and combined with the apple will give your body a shot of lean protein with a carb booster. This is an awesome snack. I replaced my ice cream binge with this one.

    Calorie burn counting is not exact. I try to give myself a buffer zone of around 100 calories so that if I recorded incorrectly, I will be ok.
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
    Some thoughts I have - I noticed that you're eating back all your cal. That is fine if 1) you have a HRM and pretty much know exactly what kind of burn you're getting AND 2) you are weighing out ALL your food and know exactly how much you're eating. You may actually be eating more cal than you are burning off, and hence, no weight loss. Going out to eat is really hard, b/c altho there may be laws now saying that rest. have to post nutritional info, they don't state how "accurate" they have to be, and in some cases, they are WAY off (and not in your favor).

    Another thing, like people have mentioned - if you're doing a lot of strength training, you may be building up some muscle, so your scale won't reflect it, but your measurements will.

    Don't despair! I have the same problem that I'm struggling with right now, in fact. I just gained a lb, and I can't seem to lose it. I just changed my cal. goal (like you) to increase my cal, b/c I suspect I'm not fueling my workouts, but time will tell. I can see that I look more toned/fit in the mirror, but the scale doesn't show it. Just keep at it - you're doing the right thing for your body. You may just need to tweak things a bit to figure it out.
  • lwood42
    lwood42 Posts: 18
    The strength training you are getting from your yoga is creating a a dense muscle just like resistance training will do for you. But, this may even add muscle mass. Try doing only two strength training or yoga workouts a week and add extra cardio workouts. It's also useful to do cardio workout in intervals, increasing your speed each minute for four or five minutes and then repeat four or five times. This is a Body for Life trick. I know it is so hard to lose weight and the older we get the more we have to mix it up and shock the body! It also might be that you are eating too many calories, atleast the last few days. I noticed you are having wheat products pretty liberally...Is your blood type O? In eating for your blood type, drastic I know, O's are suppost to stay away from wheat products and gluten, table sugar, corn, starches. You might want to look into that unless your not O ofcourse. Plus you can try the Bladderwrack seaweed herb supliment recommended for that blood type. This helps the O's digest their foods better.

    These are htings I tried and tested that have worked for me. I am 44 now and its an uphill battle losing weight. I have to pull out all the stops!! So atleast you know you are not alone.
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
    When we do not have alot of weight to lose, it just take it sweet time. I have been doing this since november and have lost 8 pounds in 19 weeks. It is just 0.4 pounds a week... That is just how it is. I expect to be around 122 by next november....it is 18 pounds in one year. It suck but it is what it is.
  • LemonCitron
    LemonCitron Posts: 116 Member
    ok - so I looked through your diary, couple of comments:

    1. How are you getting your calories burned? Do you wear HRM? I am wondering if this is accurate - because your daily calories are very close to your totals...maybe you are not burning as much as you think you are??
    2. Do you drink your water? I don't see it logged - this can help alot to curb your appetite, sped up your metabolism, etc.
    3. You should start to track sugar - I am wondering if it is high - due to candy, etc?
    4. Maybe try calorie cycling? I have heard pep on here say it works for them...

    Little perplexing I must admit.....

    I just bought a Polar 6 last week. So now when I log my cals that's why the HRM is telling me. Oh, I altered those totals to match what I am doing. Was I not supposed to? lol.

    I drink about 5-6 glasses a day. I know, not enough...

    For some reason my sugars are always really high. I don't always eat candy. This past weekend I kind of went over board. But most of my sugars are from yogurt, fruit and frozen yogurt/sorbet treats.

    What is calorie cycling? Is that where you vary your cals?
  • LemonCitron
    LemonCitron Posts: 116 Member
    I know exactly what you mean. Im in pretty much the same boat. But I have to say I do feel better overall, I have more energy, and its easier to do workouts etc. I just try to focus on the positive, even if its not much. At least your losing, not just staying the same or gaining. Im sorry, I know im not alot of help. Im just curious to see what adivce you recieve as well. Best of Luck!!

    Thanks :) It somewhat helps to know that there are other people like me out there. What you are saying is what my boyfriend says too. And you both are right. It's just hard :)
  • LemonCitron
    LemonCitron Posts: 116 Member
    We are in the exact same boat! I am also 5'3" and weigh 139.5. In 8 weeks I am down 3 lousy pounds. I too am eating 1200 calories a day, working out daily (alt. between c25k and the shred, bike on weekends and teach ballroom at night). Then two weeks ago I started zig zagging (or cycling) my calories between 1200 and 1600 since I was told I was eating too little. I eased up on carbs and sugar... still nothing. I haven't measured yet, but my jeans still feel just as tight!

    WTH??? Our bodies suck! LOL. I haven't really measured either but yeah, everything feels just as tight!! :(
  • LemonCitron
    LemonCitron Posts: 116 Member
    Taking a look at your diary....

    You are eating maybe one serving of vegetables a day. Eating healthfully is NOT just about eating X amount of calories-- it's about eating quality calories.

    You seem to be eating a lot of processed, low-quality calories-- the instant oatmeal, cheerios, flavored yogurt, slurpee, etc etc.
    Even if they seem like they are "healthy," they are really just empty calories that can really derail your progress.

    Try replacing these things with whole grains (ie, Steel cut oats in lieu of the oatmeal/cereal) and non processed foods (like plain nonfat yogurt flavored with cinnamon instead of the flavored yogurt, grilled chicken breast instead of the turkey), and add at LEAST three servings of vegetables to each lunch and dinner, and I bet you'll see results immediately :)

    That was a bad week for me. I usually eat at least 3-4 veggies a day and about 2 fruit. And I'm really upset about the oats thing, because that's what someone told me to buy and I went and got the HUGE value pack at Costco. Dammit!! LOL.

    And I'm so confused about the whole grains thing. I'm eating 'whole grain' cheerios and the bread I eat is whole grains. And I thought those oats were good too.Ugh. I don't even know. I'm so confused...
  • LemonCitron
    LemonCitron Posts: 116 Member
    Check out this topic:

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

    There is A LOT of useful information for those of us who don't have *that much* weight to lose.

    After I read it, I stepped up my weight training, starting eating more (a LOT of protein) and only a few weeks later, I'm fitting in pants that were too tight before.

    Also, you'll discover this if you read the thread, that the scales can be tricky for light people- a couple pounds in water weight and thats it- our motivation goes out the window. I kicked my scale under my bed to die a lonely death. From now on I'm measuring my progress with pictures.

    Good luck!

    LOL. This is encouraging. I will check out that thread. There is so much different advice, it's so confusing!! :D
  • taiyola
    taiyola Posts: 964 Member
    I kn how you feel! However I gained weight but lost inches... try measuring... :)
  • denitraross
    denitraross Posts: 325 Member
    ok - so I looked through your diary, couple of comments:

    1. How are you getting your calories burned? Do you wear HRM? I am wondering if this is accurate - because your daily calories are very close to your totals...maybe you are not burning as much as you think you are??
    2. Do you drink your water? I don't see it logged - this can help alot to curb your appetite, sped up your metabolism, etc.
    3. You should start to track sugar - I am wondering if it is high - due to candy, etc?
    4. Maybe try calorie cycling? I have heard pep on here say it works for them...

    Little perplexing I must admit.....

    I just bought a Polar 6 last week. So now when I log my cals that's why the HRM is telling me. Oh, I altered those totals to match what I am doing. Was I not supposed to? lol.

    I drink about 5-6 glasses a day. I know, not enough...

    For some reason my sugars are always really high. I don't always eat candy. This past weekend I kind of went over board. But most of my sugars are from yogurt, fruit and frozen yogurt/sorbet treats.

    What is calorie cycling? Is that where you vary your cals?



    You are doing it correct with the HRM then (and yes you should change it)...btw - do you like the Polar 6? I have tried a couple and did not find they seemed accurate..

    You are rigth on the water - up to at least 8

    Add your sugar to your counter (remove carbs maybe for now) to see if you can see a trend..

    Yes Calorie cycling is reducing calories one day, increase the next..but your weekly total is still the same....

    Good luck - and feel free to add me as a friend if your looking some support, etc :)
  • LemonCitron
    LemonCitron Posts: 116 Member
    ok - so I looked through your diary, couple of comments:

    1. How are you getting your calories burned? Do you wear HRM? I am wondering if this is accurate - because your daily calories are very close to your totals...maybe you are not burning as much as you think you are??
    2. Do you drink your water? I don't see it logged - this can help alot to curb your appetite, sped up your metabolism, etc.
    3. You should start to track sugar - I am wondering if it is high - due to candy, etc?
    4. Maybe try calorie cycling? I have heard pep on here say it works for them...

    Little perplexing I must admit.....

    I just bought a Polar 6 last week. So now when I log my cals that's why the HRM is telling me. Oh, I altered those totals to match what I am doing. Was I not supposed to? lol.

    I drink about 5-6 glasses a day. I know, not enough...

    For some reason my sugars are always really high. I don't always eat candy. This past weekend I kind of went over board. But most of my sugars are from yogurt, fruit and frozen yogurt/sorbet treats.

    What is calorie cycling? Is that where you vary your cals?



    You are doing it correct with the HRM then (and yes you should change it)...btw - do you like the Polar 6? I have tried a couple and did not find they seemed accurate..

    You are rigth on the water - up to at least 8

    Add your sugar to your counter (remove carbs maybe for now) to see if you can see a trend..

    Yes Calorie cycling is reducing calories one day, increase the next..but your weekly total is still the same....

    Good luck - and feel free to add me as a friend if your looking some support, etc :)

    I do like the Polar F6. I have no idea how accurate it is though. I'm trusting it to be! lol.

    I'm really going to try more on the water part.

    I know I need to eat less sugar. Man that is going to be hard!!

    I will add you, thanks!
  • Ral263
    Ral263 Posts: 318 Member
    "And I'm so confused about the whole grains thing. I'm eating 'whole grain' cheerios and the bread I eat is whole grains. And I thought those oats were good too.Ugh. I don't even know. I'm so confused..."


    Okay so here's the run down on whole grains. There are refined grains (white flour, has very little to no nutritional value) and then there are 100% whole grains, which are very good for you.

    Food companies are allowed to combine say, 95% of white flour with 5% whole wheat flour and say it's "whole grain"-- which in actuality, there is very little nutritional value in that food since it contains very little whole grain.

    When you look at the ingredients, look for ONLY. I REPEAT ONLY. The words, "Whole grains, Whole Oats, Whole Wheat Bran, Whole Oat Flour, etc. If it says "Enriched Oat Four" or "Enriched Wheat Flour"--- that is NOT whole grain.

    An easier way to determine whether a product is to look at its fiber content. One serving of the product should have 4g of fiber or more.

    Hope this helps!
  • hippiechel
    hippiechel Posts: 170 Member
    bump. having similar problems. i stopped working out this past week cos i just feel so discouraged! i used to eat A LOT of junk, 2000-3000 calories no problem but now i feel like i am eating so much less but the weight is still not coming off. i did jillian michael's about 3 times a week or so but didn't feel any inches coming off either. once i get well (sick now), i have to start exercising again.

    people are welcome to add me/give me advice/look at my diary. i know i don't eat good a lot of the times but this is WAY better than what i was eating last year.
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