Only 3lbs lost and stuck!!

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MaKisMom
MaKisMom Posts: 65 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been on MFP for over a month now. I eat just below my recommended calories (not significantly, maybe 100 calories below or less), I work out every day. I don't cheat, when I have a chocolate bar, I add it to my diary. I have lost a grand total of 3lbs. That's it. And it's frustrating. I had my baby just over 12 weeks ago. I had hoped I'd be well on my way to my pre-pregnancy weight by now. I'm stuck with 9lbs to go. I need help, or motivation, or something because I'm thisclose to throwing in the towel. It's hard to not see any results.
I switch up my workouts, too. I was doing JM 30DS, but I've been doing it so long it wasn't challenging. I also do JM BFBM. I just started her Ripped in 30. I'll be doing my 4th day today. I plan to stick it out and do the full 30 days of it to see if I see any difference. I also walk almost every day at least 20min pushing my double stroller with my 12lb baby and my 30lb 3yo, through the melting snow. I wear my baby to clean my house. I'm just at a loss here.

Replies

  • missbeezy
    missbeezy Posts: 198
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    Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo do not throw in the towel!! Three pounds is a lot! Place 3 lbs of meat on a scale and see how much it is!!! I think you are doing really great. You could be reataining water, gaining muscle many things. just keep your sodium low, drink pleanty of water (google how much water you should drink for your weight) and swich up your workout. walk one day with baby, the next time jog a few minutes between walks. Lift weights with canned goods or milk, girl you got this and hang in there!
  • KatieJoMoore
    KatieJoMoore Posts: 15
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    Do you fit into your pre pregnancy clothes? Perhaps you should try measuring yourself in addition to weighing and see if you get results. Babies do weird things to your body and hormones and it takes a long time for your entire body to get back to normal, not just your weight, but the whole way your body functions. I'd recommend just keeping up the good work and focus on the fact that you are living a healthy lifestyle and doing something incredibly good for, not only you and your body, but for your baby too. Good luck!
  • isaiahxoxoender
    isaiahxoxoender Posts: 50
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    Try switching your calories up. Like one day take in more and the next take in less. It works for me since I think it confuses my body lol. How much water are you drinking? They say to eat more and it really does work!!!
  • as1789
    as1789 Posts: 46
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    I know you said you're eating around what you are recommended to eat , but are you eating your calories that you got rid of exercising? I wasn't doing that for the first week or two and the scale wasn't going anywhere. Then I started eating back like 100 calories or so of the 300 I burned and it seemed to work.
  • mom2claudia
    mom2claudia Posts: 53
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    I hear ya! I'm at 5 pounds and have worked hard this week only for the scale to decide to take a vacation for a few day. Drives me bonkers! Have you been measuring yourself with a tape measure? Chances are you are losing inches and also building muscle. It would be nice if the scale moved for you, too, but it will! 12 months post-partum isn't all that long, FYI. Your body went through many changes in those months you were pregnant. It takes a little bit of time to fully bounce back. Cut yourself some slack and maybe start measuring yourself. I betcha you're shrinking but just don't know it! And I feel for ya about pushing the kids in the stroller through the snow. I push my almost 2-year-old in his stroller while dragging the dogs with me. Definitely a workout, especially in the snow.
  • dominioniwoman
    dominioniwoman Posts: 19 Member
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    Don't throw in the towel at all. 3 lbs is a great start! When you only have a small amount to lose it takes much longer, the joys of a woman's metabolism!

    Try avoiding certain foods after 4 or 5 pm like whole grain pasta, carrots, bananas. All of these are great for you but it takes a long time for our bodies to digest them and it is better to have them earlier in the day. Also if you can have protein at every meal/snack that will help your muscles which will burn the fat.

    You are doing amazing!
  • EKarma
    EKarma Posts: 594 Member
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    You have to eat at least 1200 cals a day... That's what it takes to keep all your bodily functions going; breathing, heart beat, brain, digestion.. If you don't get at least 1200 cals a day your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to everything. I had this experience when I was 191 lbs.. Couldn't figure it out.. I was working out, and eating like 900-1100 cals a day.. Wasn't drinking.. I was being so good!, but I wasn't being good to my body.. I wasted a whole month doing that and didn't budge.. Got on here and posted and found the error of my ways..

    Eat at least 1200 cals a day.. If you are eating at least this and still not losing, drink more tons of water and cut back on your salt.. You may be retaining water..

    Also, You will fluctuate your weight when you are on your period. I weigh about 2-3 more pounds when TOM is here.

    Just keep going.. If you want it deep down in your soul, then you will get what you want. Good luck..
  • Shantre
    Shantre Posts: 66 Member
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    Hang in there girl!
  • MaKisMom
    MaKisMom Posts: 65 Member
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    I am eating back most of my exercise calories. My one unknown is that I'm breastfeeding and it burns 300-500 calories a day. I add it as an exercise for 300cal. I drink tons of water due to BFing, too. My sodium is well below MFPs recommended amount.

    I don't even come close to fitting my pre-pregnancy jeans. That's my real goal. I gained it all in my belly, so I can get the jeans up, but have a good 3" before they'll come close to doing up. This is my 3rd baby. After my last I was in pre-preggo jeans by 3mos (but I started this pregnancy 10lbs lighter than my other 2).

    Is there a chance MFP is overcalculating the amount I'm burning for my exercise?
  • amyoliver85
    amyoliver85 Posts: 353 Member
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    I've been on MFP for over a month now. I eat just below my recommended calories (not significantly, maybe 100 calories below or less), I work out every day. I don't cheat, when I have a chocolate bar, I add it to my diary. I have lost a grand total of 3lbs. That's it. And it's frustrating. I had my baby just over 12 weeks ago. I had hoped I'd be well on my way to my pre-pregnancy weight by now. I'm stuck with 9lbs to go. I need help, or motivation, or something because I'm thisclose to throwing in the towel. It's hard to not see any results.
    I switch up my workouts, too. I was doing JM 30DS, but I've been doing it so long it wasn't challenging. I also do JM BFBM. I just started her Ripped in 30. I'll be doing my 4th day today. I plan to stick it out and do the full 30 days of it to see if I see any difference. I also walk almost every day at least 20min pushing my double stroller with my 12lb baby and my 30lb 3yo, through the melting snow. I wear my baby to clean my house. I'm just at a loss here.
    Okay, saw your last post after I posted. CHECK YOUR BMR AND YOUR GOALS.

    Since 1200 is the minimum to survive no matter how fit you are, if your BMR is only 1400 calories, then your max deficit created by eating 1200 calories per day is 1400 in deficit over the course of a week. So it will take you 2.5 weeks to lose a full pound safely and I stress SAFELY.

    This means to me that if you have been on MFP for a month and you've lost 3 lbs then MAJOR congrats are in order and despair needs to be shipped straight out of the stratosphere and left for dead. You could also take a shotgun to it just to be sure.

    Really, don't worry about it. You appear to be doing fine.

    Just make sure that you are logging your exercise and eating those calories back and you'll reach your goal safely and effectively sooner than you think.
  • MaKisMom
    MaKisMom Posts: 65 Member
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    No TOM here while I'm BFing. I do feel swollen, though. My rings are tight. The 1200 calories, I know we need it, but is that gross or net calories?

    Thanks for the support and advice!! I know it's only been 12 weeks, but after wearing maternity stuff for 7mos I miss my old clothes!!
  • Lexie28
    Lexie28 Posts: 219
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    I had the same problem. I was doing almost 2 hours of cardio a day and I wasn't losing. Very frustrating....I took a week off and just struck to my 1200 calories a day...and I lost 2 pounds that week. I am back at the gym but have reduced the amount of exercise that I had been doing....my body seems to be doing better. Sometimes...you can over do it on the exercise front. There's a fine balance between calories in and calories burned. Good Luck :flowerforyou:
  • MaKisMom
    MaKisMom Posts: 65 Member
    Options
    I've been on MFP for over a month now. I eat just below my recommended calories (not significantly, maybe 100 calories below or less), I work out every day. I don't cheat, when I have a chocolate bar, I add it to my diary. I have lost a grand total of 3lbs. That's it. And it's frustrating. I had my baby just over 12 weeks ago. I had hoped I'd be well on my way to my pre-pregnancy weight by now. I'm stuck with 9lbs to go. I need help, or motivation, or something because I'm thisclose to throwing in the towel. It's hard to not see any results.
    I switch up my workouts, too. I was doing JM 30DS, but I've been doing it so long it wasn't challenging. I also do JM BFBM. I just started her Ripped in 30. I'll be doing my 4th day today. I plan to stick it out and do the full 30 days of it to see if I see any difference. I also walk almost every day at least 20min pushing my double stroller with my 12lb baby and my 30lb 3yo, through the melting snow. I wear my baby to clean my house. I'm just at a loss here.
    Okay, saw your last post after I posted. CHECK YOUR BMR AND YOUR GOALS.

    Since 1200 is the minimum to survive no matter how fit you are, if your BMR is only 1400 calories, then your max deficit created by eating 1200 calories per day is 1400 in deficit over the course of a week. So it will take you 2.5 weeks to lose a full pound safely and I stress SAFELY.

    This means to me that if you have been on MFP for a month and you've lost 3 lbs then MAJOR congrats are in order and despair needs to be shipped straight out of the stratosphere and left for dead. You could also take a shotgun to it just to be sure.

    Really, don't worry about it. You appear to be doing fine.

    Just make sure that you are logging your exercise and eating those calories back and you'll reach your goal safely and effectively sooner than you think.

    LOL thanks. That makes me feel better. Just checked my BMR and it's 1228. So...it's going to take years to lose 9lbs!!!
  • ninpiggy
    ninpiggy Posts: 228 Member
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    Do you fit into your pre pregnancy clothes? Perhaps you should try measuring yourself in addition to weighing and see if you get results.

    Agreed because sounds like you're exercising a lot. Don't forget, muscle weighs more than fat.
    Also, make sure you're drinking plenty of water. The scale isn't the only way to calculate success. :)
  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
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    if you are bfing then you naturally burn more calories than the average woman so you should not be on 1200 cals/day if you set that low. You should be no less than 1400, and with that said I know that it may seem like it goes against what you think is correct, less in and more work does not = more weight loss, what it will equal is loss of muscle and not fat. You will retain more water when bfing as its needed for milk production. You would need to work out less than an average woman to get the same results as milk production alone will raise metabolic rate. I also recommend a good healthy big breakfast for 2 reasons, 1 it will further raise your metabolic rate and 2 it will help with milk quality for the kid. The reason for plateaus (which you have not really hit) is that the body has adapted and 3 pounds gone while bfing is a phenomenal loss. You did not gain the weight overnight so do not expect it to come off overnight. If you need diet and advice tips there are lots of good sources on here and lots of people who are so full of crap that their eyes are brown, so research it yourself and educate yourself. A bfing woman has totally different dietary needs than other women so take the time to educate yourself and stay away from the fad diets they only work short term, this is a marathon not a race my love. Look at this as a chance to make it a lifestyle change and get the weight off for life.

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