Annoyed to the point of tears!

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  • Noz7
    Noz7 Posts: 59 Member
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    For 2 weeks now I have been walking at 2,5 mph pace for 60 to 90 mins a day for the past 2 weeks and eating 1200 to 1300 calories a day and that damn scale hasnt moved at all. Im so disgusted and annoyed that I just wanna stuff my face full of crap and give up!! What am I doing wrong here?!?!?!

    Bet you feel better! Am I right?
    The first thing is your body is changing, but maybe the scales aren't showing it. Maybe you were dehydrated when you first weighed yourself, maybe you've eaten salt in the last few days.
    You could try increasing your muscle by weight lifting to increase your basal metabolic rate.
    You could try going low GI foods, eating more regularly across the day.
    Certain foods help you lose, some foods help you keep the weight on:
    'bad foods'
    - alcohol
    - fructose without fibre (soft drink)
    - hydrogenated fats

    'good foods'
    - healthy oils (avocado, flax seed)
    - brocolli
    - garlic
    - green tea

    I supplement magnesium calcium, Vit E and healthy oils.
    It is hardy to 'afford' the healthy oils but they help you stick to your diet. You can have the tiniest amount in a salad. You literally need healthy oil to help move the fat.
    I'm totally against artificial sweetners and they can make you eat more fat, so best to avoid these too!
    More muscle= more energy burned day to day.
  • susancelli928
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    You can't give up and you can't cry because it will only lead you to defeat.. Vent, scream punch something but don't give up. You didn't gain the weight over night and you are not going to lose it over night but to lose is so much harder than it is to gain. See if you can walk a little faster for a minute or two, eat your exercise calories eat more foods that are known for burning fat and cleans out your body. Drink more water and before you know it you will see the numbers on the scale go down. Remember you can do this
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
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    Add me to the "eat more calories" group. I was at a huge plateau a few months ago. I upped my calories to my BMR (1550ish) and MFP told me I'd lose less than 1 pound a week. I averaged losing over a pound a week after losing a pound or two a month eating less calories. I haven't weighed lately... doing the Lenten no weigh in challenge... but I have to say that increasing calories worked for me. I'd at least try to net 1200 (eat 1200/day + eat back the calories you earned from exercise).
  • daddyratty
    daddyratty Posts: 305 Member
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    It's probably too early for the body to be adapting to the cardio movement, especially since there wasn't an initial loss.

    1) Are you also measuring inches? You should, and check these every 3-5 weeks.
    2) Agreed with others regarding too few calories. 1200-1300 calories a day on top of exercise leaves you with a net calorie balance probably below 1000 a day. Your body thinks it's being starved so it refuses to let go of anything.

    My suggestion(s):
    Have a total pig-out day. It does to your body the same thing as when you have to turn a timer switch past 10 minutes before then setting it at a lower level. It will kick your body into gear. Then set your caloric goal to the MFP recommended level. EAT your exercise calories and ENJOY every single one of them! If you get 150-200 calories, have some Skinny Cows in the freezer to go to. If you get 300, you can airpop a half-cup of popcorn kernels and add in almost a full Tbsp of butter. So many suggestions on that front, but I'm sure you get the picture.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,238 Member
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    It is hard to give any useful answers without being able to see your food diary.

    Are you logging everything you eat? I ask because some small things that many of us grab without thinking of it, add up very quickly. This goes for sampling as well. I know I am often tempted to take a small spoon of nutella without logging it, I can rationalize it as only a small spoon, but it is usually at least .5 of a tablespoon which would be 50 calories or more. That adds up through the day. Log everything that passes your mouth.

    Are you monitoring your sodium intake? Too much can cause you to retain water which can hold you at a weight for a while.

    How are you measuring your portions? If you are trusting that say 2 slices of bread are the size they should be, the reality is they are usually not accurate unless you are willing to weight your portions. My experience is that most of the prepackaged serving size stuff will actually be bigger than the amount that is listed, not always by much but it adds up. I suggest getting a digital kitchen scale. It does not have to be expensive. That will help you be more accurate in logging your calories.

    Are you sure you don't have any underlying health issues or any medications you are on that may be hindering your weight loss. If you thyroid is not functioning correctly that will hinder weight-loss. Various medications will do the same thing.

    If opening your food diary doesn't yield anything helpful, maybe this will help.
  • xlacijeanx
    xlacijeanx Posts: 232 Member
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    We don't have access to your food diary so we can't really help you. :( If you went from not exercising or walking at all to all the exercise you've been doing you're probably burning fat and building up your muscles. If you're not paying attention to your sodium levels you should definitely take a look at it. Too much sodium and you'll retain water- if you DO go over sodium, workout and drink lots of water- it'll flush out. I started walking 1.5 miles a night at about 3mph/3.5mph and ate 1200-1300 cals and lost weight- so I'm guessing it has something to do with the food you're eating- make sure you're not eating empty calories and take a multi vitamin. I also suggest measuring yourself. :) Best of luck and don't give up! and remember the quote- “I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.”
  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    I just looked at your profile and saw that you'd lost 27 pounds before you joined MFP. Are you doing anything different now than you were then? I suspect that those who suggest you need more calories are onto something. You might want to bump them up a little bit and see what happens.

    You might also want to look at *what* you're eating. For me, if I eat too many carbs I can't seem to lose weight. If I eat too few then I'm sluggish and have no energy to work out. I have found through trial and error that there is a certain range for me that is my *sweet spot* so to speak where I can gradually lose weight but still feel good. (Typically between 100-150 for me net carbs, more if I'm working out heavily.)

    Most of all, don't give up! I've been on here since January but have been working on it since August. In all that time I've only lost 16 pounds! I have started losing more inches lately though and know that eventually the scale will catch up. (I've been weight training so I know it will be slow losing for awhile.) Take your measurements, take pictures and take a deep breath. If you quit you will never lose the weight. Hugs to you.
  • Christineb1
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    Don't give up! I have been going to a weight training class (tonight began week four) and we are doing springs, crunches, push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges etc. All painful and I have not lost a pound either. However, several people have said I look slimmer and muscle does weigh more than fat so it is possible my body is changing. The trainer I spoke with said I might not loose any weight for weeks but in 6 weeks I would see a big difference in myself. DO NOT GIVE UP!! Eat healthy foods not prepackaged and give it four more weeks. Depressing right now but it will be worth it.
  • alifer
    alifer Posts: 387 Member
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    Do you have more energy than you did before? Are you sleeping better? Are your clothes fitting looser? If you answered yes to those just be patient. I'm not a professional, but muscle weighs more than fat. If you are working your muscles more and staying within your calorie needs the weight will come off. More muscle also burns more fat even when you are resting.
  • ultracinch
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    I know how you feel...been there several years. I want to share this with you because I too have been annoyed to the point of tears for several years. I love myself and I have confidence but sometimes just felt like I was tired of being FAT. I reached my highest weight at 248lbs and thats when I decided enough was enough. I lost some weight on my own but it wasnt coming off quick enough.
    I decided to try the Shaklee cinch program and I am loving it. At a starting weight of 234.5 lbs I am allowed 1800 calories a day on
    this program. I drink 2 shakes a day, eat 2 snacks a day and have a large meal of about 800 to 1000 calories (thats alot of food)
    and so far in 3 wks, I have lost 7lbs and 14.5 inches!!! I am amazed and so excited and motivated so to keep on losing, I stick to the plan everyday. I exercise 30 mins 5 times a wk on my treadmill...thats it. I am planning to kick my exercise up a notch and start using my Nor**** track ski machine and alternate with the treadmill to keep defining my body. tomorrow is my weigh in date so I am excited to see how much more I lost and how many more inches. If you'd like to know more about this program, let me know. I will help you with anything you need. dont give up. I am so happy and I feel so good...I feel like I finally found something that works for me.
  • maherrera
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    don't give up! that's what happened to me, too. and i was told (and also realized) that i was doing too much too soon. i've been sedentary before i joined MFP and decided to finally start exercising. i felt too giddy to lose weight, i walked for 30 minutes everyday for 2 weeks was conscious of my calorie intake but still did not lose a single pound! i changed everything especially my mindset that weight loss will happen immediately. i realized our body also needs rest so i exercised only at least 4 times a week for 30-45 minutes each time. i also started lifting light weights. so far, they're working. in here, it's still 0 weight lost because this is a new account i created but i've already lost 6 lbs and my old pants are now a little loose.

    just keep going!
  • gmaanneliese
    gmaanneliese Posts: 41 Member
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    First of all, don't give up. Think long term. You are making healthy choices not just to see the number on the scale go down but to fuel your body better.

    Second, Sodium, sodium sodium. I didn't think this was an issue until I found out the recommended amount on MFP is almost double the recommended amount by physicians. For example, my MFP recommended sodium for the day is 2500 mg, but the physicians recommendation is 1500 mg. You have to eat very very clean to stay under 1500 mg. Sodium is in almost everything, even raw vegetables.

    So start reducing your sodium.

    Third, I have found the scale takes a while to catch up to my hard work. It seems like I won't see anything for weeks and then boom, there it is. And it doesn't seem to have anything to do wity cycles, or muscles or any of the things people say. It just happens when it happens.
  • CARM19
    CARM19 Posts: 1
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    I agree with everyone else. Don't give up and I know you don't really want to...you are just really frustrated which is a normal.
    I also agree with the people that say you may not be eating enough calories, your body will hang onto everything if it thinks it is going into starvation mode.
    Another thought is: When you start to exercise you start to build muscle and muscle weighs MORE than fat but in the long run it burns fat long after you are done exercising. Muscle is the gift that keeps on giving.
    Also I recommend an exercise you really enjoy or look forward to, though I walk too...I love my Wii and I spend hours on it at a time, to the point I feel guilty having so much fun and getting in so much exercise in at the same time!
    Hang in there and know there are alot of us out here in the same or similiar prediciment.
    :smile:
  • brandy66763
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    Thank you all so very much for your kind words, encouragement and suggestions! I'm going to do some adjusting and give it a couple weeks to see how it goes. Thank you all again :)
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    You aren't doing anything wrong. You just need to keep going. Can you walk a little faster? Or for longer? Keep building up the stamina and you'll be able to do more, and then the weight will start to drop off.