Can anybody help?

mommasamfa
mommasamfa Posts: 87 Member
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
I cannot lose weight to save my life. I keep gaining. I'm not losing inches anymore, if anything I'm gaining them back. I cry because of it. I don't have a support system outside of here. I've been going through a lot of stress. I'm not sure what else I can do to get off these pounds!

Replies

  • EWilliamson
    EWilliamson Posts: 50 Member
    IF...you stick to this fitness pal AND workout YOU will lose weight! Just hang in there! Only weight once a week! Same time and naked! It will happen just stick with this!!! :) GOOD LUCK :)
  • thirtyby40
    thirtyby40 Posts: 702 Member
    It would be easier to help if you told us what you are doing to help yourself lose weight. Do you exercise? Do you eat all of the calories MFP is allotting you? If you do exercise do you eat back your calories (or at the very least part of them). You have been doing great by the looks of your ticker, you probably just need to intensify your workouts or add in a little extra or adjust some eating. Do you eat prepackaged foods? may be time to read labels more closely since your body is hitting a wall there must be some explanation...
  • fitcounselor
    fitcounselor Posts: 53 Member
    What have you been doing to date? Don't get discouraged! It will come off. Sometimes it simply takes a shock to the system to get it to happen.

    If I can help, please let me know. I'm a beachbody coach and I help people with their fitness and nutrition for free. You can learn a bit about me on my blog - www.thefitcounselor.com. If you'd like my help, you can join the team beachbody community (for free) through my website and we can go from there! Wishing you nothing but the best on the remainder of your journey. You've come too far to turn back now!

    Regards!
  • missy7212
    missy7212 Posts: 1
    I agree with the prior post. If you have not started weight training.. definitely start. You will burn fat faster & the inches will come off. Good luck!!
  • SaraTonin
    SaraTonin Posts: 551 Member
    Stressing won't help you either. :) You're releasing stress hormones like cortisol that put your body in a frantic state - wanting to hold onto fat.

    Do some yoga, and try not to worry so much about any numbers. You're living a healthier life! That's something to celebrate!
  • helen_baird
    helen_baird Posts: 18 Member
    Hi ..u have already done brilliant. :smile: .. it sometimes goes like this, I had a friend, at the slimming club I was at, she was sticking to the diet and some weeks she would put on!...it really got her down ! our slimming consultant advised her to change her usual diet menu , and start doing exercises she did'nt normaly do, so she did, and it worked! ..So c'mon u can do it look what u have achieved already!...just keep going..:flowerforyou:
  • MisdemeanorM
    MisdemeanorM Posts: 3,493 Member
    Consider making your diary public?

    Possible reasons -
    eating too little?
    Overestimating your calorie burn and eating too much?
    Are you weighing your food?
    Are you logging every bite that you eat? (I tend to estimate and also to substitute (ie, instead of logging my particular banana bread recipe I will use a generic entry in the database) so I know my counts are more of an estimate. I would get more specific if I plateaued.)
    Normal plateau? How long has it been?

    Solutions
    Weigh your food
    Reconsider how many calories you are eating and your activity level and be sure you are counting things accurately
    Shake it up - change your exercise routine (are you giving yourself days off? be sure to!) / Change your diet - zigzag your calorie intake for a while. Possibly splurge a day a week for a bit to jump start your metabolism if you think you're body is adjusting to a new low intake level.
    possibly medical checkup?
  • mommasamfa
    mommasamfa Posts: 87 Member
    I have tried everything. Weight training, cardio, mix, zig zag, eating differently. I watch everything down to the potassium, sodium, sugar fat and carbs. I change my workout plans I have lost the 39 lbs without MFP. You are actually supposed to weigh yourself in once a week if that's the type of person you are I've been told by certain trainers to weigh in everyday. I am currently doing P90 today. I generally do a various mix of everything. I have tried doing one thing constantly. Always have. But now my body has been gaining weight. I was losing weight when I wasn't working out and sticking to the same diet. I just recently changed my MFP to lose 2lbs per week instead of 1lb because I seemed to do better with that, but I have no idea. I eat all my calories maybe a little less as long as I'm above 1200. Nothing is helping. MFP has actually made me gain weight than lose it. And I've lost friends over this. Its not the easiest thing. I cannot do yoga, and its really hard with my life NOT to stress.
  • stevemcknight
    stevemcknight Posts: 647 Member
    If your diary were public, I would take a look and see what I recommend. 99% of the time when my clients don't get the results that they're looking for, they will admit that their diets "could be better." If that's the case with you - then why wait to make it better?

    Are you overeating/binging? Are you eating junk (including those 100 calorie packs or whatever - it's still junk, just in smaller packaging!) Are you getting enough protein?

    Weight loss is about food/nutrition/consistency. Health/Fitness is about exercise. (yes - of course it overlaps some.)

    Write us a detailed (and completely honest) post about what you've been doing and there are people here with good advice to help. Then it's up to you to follow it and keep steady.

    You can't out work a bad diet.
  • mommasamfa
    mommasamfa Posts: 87 Member
    My diary wont' really tell you anything. I've given up really putting the right things. I had not eaten too well yesterday. But not horrible.

    Also, I have a shattered pelvic bone, two torn ligaments in my right knee, a broken hip socket, nerve damage, a messed up back, chronic pain, hypertensia, hypoglycemia, high cholesterol, migraines, and asthma. So losing weight is not just an aesthetic thing for me. I don't want to be in pain anymore. I know most of you can't understand what its like to be 23 and have arthritis and not be able to have a boyfriend because no one knows how to deal with your medical issues, on top of the fact that you're a single mom. So I really need help.
  • stevemcknight
    stevemcknight Posts: 647 Member
    I have tried everything. Weight training, cardio, mix, zig zag, eating differently. I watch everything down to the potassium, sodium, sugar fat and carbs. I change my workout plans I have lost the 39 lbs without MFP. You are actually supposed to weigh yourself in once a week if that's the type of person you are I've been told by certain trainers to weigh in everyday. I am currently doing P90 today. I generally do a various mix of everything. I have tried doing one thing constantly. Always have. But now my body has been gaining weight. I was losing weight when I wasn't working out and sticking to the same diet. I just recently changed my MFP to lose 2lbs per week instead of 1lb because I seemed to do better with that, but I have no idea. I eat all my calories maybe a little less as long as I'm above 1200. Nothing is helping. MFP has actually made me gain weight than lose it. And I've lost friends over this. Its not the easiest thing. I cannot do yoga, and its really hard with my life NOT to stress.

    I personally weigh in every day to watch trends, then average all 7 days for my current weight. I gain/lose up to 3-5 pounds a day, and of course I weigh in the same time every day - first thing out of bed. Average is the way to go.

    As for exercise, when you say tried everything - how long have you stuck with each thing. Some processes take weeks to start working! Bouncing back and forth between exercise/diet plans is the best way to have limited results imo.

    For many of my clients who struggle with a long plateau, I recommend doing the induction phase of Atkins for a while to bust through it. It's not really about the low carb as much as it's about eliminating all the junk from a diet for weeks on end.

    I can't see how MFP made you gain weight exactly - what do you mean by that?
  • stevemcknight
    stevemcknight Posts: 647 Member
    My diary wont' really tell you anything. I've given up really putting the right things. I had not eaten too well yesterday. But not horrible.

    I think we put our finger on the solution :)

    I'd be more than willing to help, but make that thing public so I can look in, and of course, keep it honest. For what it's worth, ALL of my clients have their food journals public (either here, livestrong or elsewhere) so I can check up with them. It's the absolute key to sustained weight loss from my experience!

    You can do this - be honest and open - there are tons of great, amazing people here who will help you!! :)
  • mommasamfa
    mommasamfa Posts: 87 Member
    My diary is now public. I have stuck with things for long periods of times, I'll vary my cardio or my weight training because certain ones are really hard on my joints and somedays I can't do it. So instead of doing nothing all day, I go ahead and do a different exercise, like kickboxing instead of 30 day shred. Or dancing instead of P90 sweat 3-4. Sometimes I move boxes in my house and clean instead of doing weight training and cardio videos.

    I have gained weight since being on MFP. I used another program, an app on my phone, before using MFP and I lost a lot of weight through that. I've gained 4 lbs back in total in a few weeks, but I never really seem to lose. I'm very frustrated. I have little money, because I am a single mom who just moved across country, so I can't go fancy with my meals. I'm quitting smoking too so I have more money and the money I do have I'm going to use to take a vacation for my birthday since I haven't had a vacation since I was about 14.
  • maserati185
    maserati185 Posts: 263 Member
    Momma... I know I can't understand what it is to be you... but you have SOMEthing working for you. You have SOMEthing in you that says you can do this. Hang on to that SOMEthing. You're right. You are a single mom and that is dang hard! I tried it out for a while. Hardest thing ever. But if you can do THAT, you can definitely do this. Keep hanging on to that little place inside of you that says this can happen. DON'T give up. Look at how proud you are in how far you've come!! You can go so much farther than your mind is telling you. My husband said when he was in boot camp, they were running him like crazy and he was like "I can't do this! I can't do this!"... but he said his body kept going, no matter what his mind said. You CAN do this. With arthritis and medical issues, there is SOME exercise out there you can pull off. You don't have to go fast. And as far as nutrition, maybe that's the next huge key in moving down the lbs. Baby steps. Baby steps. Teach your mind what your body already knows.
  • mommasamfa
    mommasamfa Posts: 87 Member
    Its just that I've been losing weight for years without trying. Now that I try and I do eat healthier, nothing happens but gaining weight.
  • mommacool
    mommacool Posts: 138 Member
    The best thing I have done for myself is add and increase my fruits and vegetables. I try to limit my processed foods ( Esp. processed carbs, crackers, breakfast bars, breads etc.) You can get a lot of food with fruits and vegetables for less calories. And the nutritional benefit might help kick your metabolism into gear. It is a lot of food for your body to digest. I don't always eat back all of my exercise calories on the day I burn them, but usually eat them the day before or after. I look at my weekly calorie trend to make sure that for the week I am at my goal. I have lost about 2 lbs per week since I joined in January. I have been totally committed and have not had a bad week. I never eat less than 1200, my goal is 1300, and eat my exercise calories. And log every bite that goes into your mouth. Hope this helps.
  • stevemcknight
    stevemcknight Posts: 647 Member
    Ok, I took a look (nothing logged for today) at yesterday - a couple quick notes. I'm running out of the house right now - so it's quick... I've been told that I can possibly come of as an *kitten* in type - please please please please don't take it that way at all - I'll just give my opinion on a couple things that will help. I'm a personal trainer, not a nutritionist, so this is stuff I've found in my experience with my clients as well as myself.

    I know yesterday is just a single day, but just a couple cheap, quick ways to improve your overall nutrition.

    Your calories look fine - but the macro nutrients could be changed a bit. Protein is key! It burns hotter than carbs/fat (25% more calories to digest it) so add more, not to mention the muscle building properties.

    I like the ration of aiming for your body weight in g of protein, then balancing carbs/fat what works for you. I don't think carbs are the devil (as opposed to what you might think i do, given my diary) but I do think sugar is the devil's best friend. Stop the sugar - which includes things that very quickly become sugar. It doesn't help anything.

    Stuff that is basically the same as sugar are: fruit, enriched bread, white anything (pasta, rice, cereal) "nutrition bars" and many other things. *(I can hear it now... fruit!?!?!?!?!? yeah - I know... it's the "good" sugar - but really, it's all the same stuff in your body basically. Fruit has redeeming value in the antioxidants and vitamins/minerals, but the sugar is extra calories.)

    Ok, going through your diary from yesterday - I'll make a couple super fast suggestions (I'm going to be late!) UGH!

    Breakfast - none - ok, we all know you should eat ASAP out of bed! Get your digestion rolling. Digesting food is the single best calorie burn you can do! Seriously - eat all day long! I suggest whole eggs for breakfast. Dietary Cholesterol is different from Blood Cholesterol! It's kind of a myth that eggs are bad for you - it's crazy healthy fat!

    Snack 1 - dried fruit - ok, not bad - check to see what's added to it. I'm guessing SUGAR!!! Go with fresh fruit if you need - or even better VEGGIES!!!!!

    Lunch - cheese tortias. Not bad - but here's what I do to help. Use real cheese, not the reduced fat kind. Again - it's good fat! Then of course, whole wheat wraps, but even better if you want to skip the carbs/calories - use a huge lettus leaf for a wrap and add some veggies to it. You'll add tons of vitamins and nutrients to an otherwise plain, quickly digesting wheat wrap.

    Snack 2 - Granola bar - I like that you're putting snacks between meals - awesome. However, bars are filled with junk. Even the "good" ones. Skip a bar and go for a whey protein shake instead. Whey protein is about the cheapest meal you can get. Mix it with water and you're getting 220 calories, 52g Protein, 4g Carbs, 4g Fat - pretty awesome! If you blend ice - it tastes like a Wendy's Frostie (kind of)

    Dinner - Good choice! Beef jerky is awesome! Although it can be a bit high in sodium, great way to add protein! I love the stuff! The regular kind has the least carbs and highest protein.

    Wine - ok, we all have to relax and have a good time, but if you're at a plateau - that's the stuff that will keep you there. If you want to bust through this plateau, cut the junk out - and sadly, the junk is wine/beer too!

    OK, for real - I gotta run!

    I hope this stuff helps - it's hard to say with a sample size of one day that I looked at what you normally eat, but maybe some ideas that will help?

    Best of luck and please check in if you need anything!

    Peace!
  • mommasamfa
    mommasamfa Posts: 87 Member
    I eat snacks due to my hypoglycemia, if I don't I'll get super duper sick. Yesterday was a crap day. The reduced fat wasn't even what I had bought, but someone else, but I can understand that. I had my first glass of wine in about a couple months Id say? last night due to stress and I was craving some. (I don't think its right to completely deprive yourself of everything you're craving) The craisins again, bought for me. I know I sound full of excuses, but the suggestions you gave aren't very cheap. My job doesn't really allow too much food. I "skip" breakfast because I wake up at 1030 work out then eat at noon. so I guess that's technically my breakfast. I don't have too many veggies, but they're expensive. I do eat them a lot for snacks when I have the money. I know you're just looking at one day's worth of food. LIke today I ate 2 eggs, skim cottage cheese and a granola bar (they're cheap). Lunch was apples, craisins, pretzels and granola bar. Dinner is quesadillas again. I think I may have an idea to what one of my problems is, I just restarted my birth control, and it's making me bloated. So I'm hoping "this too shall pass" Thank you so much for your help.

    (I know I sound *****y and unaccepting of your advice, but I am listening just kind of showing you a bit more of where my mindset is, i guess is a good way to put it)
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