Feels like I'm getting NOWHERE!!!

tkimbre2
tkimbre2 Posts: 63
edited September 26 in Motivation and Support
I have been exercising for 3 months now, 5 days a week for an hour, sometimes 2. I never go over my calories and I try to eat back most of the ones I burned (because that was what I was told - to net at least 1200 calories). However, I am not seeing ANY results!! I am at the point to of just throwing in the towel and not worrying about getting to 130 lbs. I just have 20 lbs to lose. When I wake up I feel lighter, but the scale actually keeps creeping up - a half a pound every few weeks! I don't know what to do anymore! I see everyone on here losing every week and I am extremely proud of everyone, but I wish I could weigh-in and be excited to say I've lost 1 lb!!! I'm just frustrated and don't know what to do anymore! Help! :sad:

Replies

  • innocenceportrayed
    innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
    I feel the same way!

    BUT

    People on here have urged me not to give up. That your body takes time to adjust to losing weight and that you CAN do it if you really want to. Push through the depressing part of it and know that you have support here from people who have gone through and are going through the same thing. =)
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
    You've lost 26 lbs! You should be proud of that!
  • as1789
    as1789 Posts: 46
    Don't give up! Are you taking measurements? You could be losing inches with muscle replacing fat.
  • live2smyle
    live2smyle Posts: 592 Member
    26lbs lost since January is pretty good! I dont know exactly your start date but everything I have read says losing 1-2lbs a week is the healthy right way to lose it. Also are you taking your measurments? When the scale does not move you will most likely see the measurments going down down down.

    Stick with it! Your doing great :happy:
  • QueenofCups
    QueenofCups Posts: 365 Member
    I am sorry, I don't have anything to tell you to help you lose the weight, just wanted to say I am there with you.
    I have "gained" 5 lbs back in the last 1.5 weeks and I don't get it. I have been "good" (yeah, I eat some processed foods and whatnot, but all under calories) and I exercise 7 days a week. I have lost 70lbs so far but cannot seem to get under 150. I have been stuck here for 6 months, gained and losing the same 5 lbs.

    I hope it passes for you and for me! ((HUGS)) don't give up, exercise the best antidepressant. But maybe worry less about the weight and what you are eating. That is what I am going to try for a while....
  • Ann_Marie_76
    Ann_Marie_76 Posts: 152 Member
    I am in the same exact boat!!! I have lost only 2 pounds in the last 2 months and a total of 5 pounds since the beginning of this year. I feel your pain...but DO NOT GIVE UP!!! I refuse to. Keep at it. One of these days it has to pay off!!
  • jannyiggle
    jannyiggle Posts: 6
    Mmmm I've been on here 3 weeks now. First week I lost 3 lbs - great. Since then nothing and if anything I have put a few ounces back on. I am exercising like never before and eating better than before, I am hoping that all of a sudden my body will get the idea and do what it should! Good luck and just keep going, you are not alone! Jan
  • amelia_atlantic
    amelia_atlantic Posts: 926 Member
    There are tons of posts about this. Just search "plateau" and you'll get a lot of great info!

    To paraphrase them:
    Try going OVER by a few hundred calories once or twice a week.
    Change your exercise routine (pick up a class, do some high intensity interval training...etc)
    WEIGHT LIFT
    Eat protein

    I know it's frustrating! Just don't give up! It all takes time. :flowerforyou:
  • nomadcelt
    nomadcelt Posts: 4 Member
    Can I ask what training you do, specifically?
    What is your diet like? Are you sticking to the carb/protein/fat allowances?
    Do you think you look worse?

    What is your Body Mass Index? Has this changed?

    It sounds like your training is causing you to lay down a bit of muscle and this should not be worried over. When you body reaches its natural muscle balance for the exercising that you are doing then you will notice more fat being lost.
  • mmcr
    mmcr Posts: 1
    Please don't give up....Remember, you are gaining 'muscle weight" and replacing the "fat" weight. How are your clothes fitting???? That really should be your guide. I completely understand how you feel, I'm a "numbers girl" and tend to concentrate on the numbers on the scale and not how my clothes are fitting.
  • Shawnae1
    Shawnae1 Posts: 2
    Don't watch how much weight you are losing. Look at it this way. Have you tried on a pair of pants or something that you couldn't get in before and now you are able to at least get them on? Are you able to workout longer without giving out of breath or huffing and puffing? Are you seeing your body being toner? Then you are making progress! I thought at once the same exact thing but in actuality what happens is your body starts turning the fat into muscle and it seems as if you are not getting anywhere. But if you look at the above and you see improvement, then you are getting somewhere. Good luck on your journey! Wishing you the best!
  • melandcurt
    melandcurt Posts: 16
    I have the same exact problem here, I do think I'm toning and maybe that's what's causing the gain but I have been running consistently 3-4x a week since January, been on here for over 40 days with almost no days of going over the calories (most of the time, pretty far under because of exercise) and I'm actually heavier than I started with by about a pound. It sucks, it really, really sucks and it's so hard because all of my friends seem to be losing like 15, 20 pounds by now. I know my thyroid is kind of a dud and I need to get in to the doc for that. Have you had yours checked? I also now have a running injury so I'm pretty scared of what is going to happen to all the toning progress I've made if I have to take a break from running. :(
  • tkimbre2
    tkimbre2 Posts: 63
    I am, but that's over a period of going up and down for about a year! I keep that on there for motivation, but I just look at it and get annoyed lol. My goal was to be in a 2-peice by summer and I thought it was achieveable in JANUARY. I joined MFP about 3 weeks ago and still no results. It definitely sux.
  • Wayne_LV
    Wayne_LV Posts: 2
    Could be that you are building muscle with all those workouts. Muscle weighs more than the fat it replaces, so while the scales may show you are gaining weight, you well may be increasing your fitness. As someone else already mentioned, take measurements and see if you are losing inches.
  • Sherry1979
    Sherry1979 Posts: 457 Member
    Awesome job on what you've already lost first off!!! :flowerforyou: As for the not losing right now, it's more than likely a plateau where you've lost a good amount already & now your body is going to fight it. Obviously you know how to do this since you've already had a good loss & I don't know what type of exercise you are doing and you may already do this but sometimes switching up the type of exercises you do can help break thru a plateau as can adding extra water in your day (if you're not already drinking an outrageous amount of course). Whatever you do, DON'T give up. . .you've came this far so you KNOW you can do this and get where you want to be!!! :smile:
  • raindncer
    raindncer Posts: 10
    You also have to keep in mind that the scale doesn't show everything. Muscle weighs more than fat. Even if the scale doesn't move down or even comes up a little, you know that you are healthier with exercising and making the right food choices. Go by how your clothes feel and how you feel. You are building muscle and toning I am sure with the exercising. Also if you are eating your calories back that you are burning, try only eating half of them back to see if that helps you push past this point. Just hold on and keep going, you won't regret it!!!
  • tkimbre2
    tkimbre2 Posts: 63
    I do mainly cardio exercises like Zumba, cardio classes, or running at the park or on the treadmill. I also do Body Pump 2 days a week which is strength training with weights. My BMI is still at 25.9 and hasn't changed. I do adhere to all my daily limits and I try to eat things that are good for you. MFP has me at 1270 calories a day, so IDK what's going on.
  • jamesncupit
    jamesncupit Posts: 1
    Try reducing your carbohydrates in the morning. I learned a very good tip from my mother... it's the 30/30 rule. Get 30 grams of protein within the first 30 minutes of waking in the morning. I usually go with greek yogurt and string cheese. And not artifically sweetened greek yogurt, get the plain stuff--higher protein the better (try Fage nonfat). And then NO carbs within 3-4 hours before bedtime. A large amount of protein in the morning will keep you feeling full, will regulate your blood sugar levels and everything you burn off throughout the morning will be pure FAT. I say this b/c the first thing your body burns is carbs. If you have taken in primarily protein, you body will feed off its fat reserves helping you to shed pound easier. If you're intaking carbs in the morning, you body will burn those calories first and not what is already stored in your body. Does that make sense? Try it for a week or 2!! The only thing you have to lose is a pound or 2!
  • tkimbre2
    tkimbre2 Posts: 63
    I just started doing that last week because I was frustrated that the scale wasn't budging. I'll measure again tomorrow and hopefully I'll see some sort of results.
  • amm703
    amm703 Posts: 111 Member
    I am in the same boat. Over the last month I have not lost anything and after yesterday I have not lost any inches from last month......but I will continue to fight, the fat cells are not going to win.
  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
    I've been on MFP for what seems like years. Probably not that long, but definitely over a year to lose 30 pounds. I've been slowly losing weight over this time. Sometimes I take breaks. What this means is that I will "maintain" my weight for 1-2 weeks to give my body something different. I do this every 6 months or so. Sometimes girls, let's face it. You're tired of being hungry all the time.

    This particular hiatus, I went on vacation. I did a lot of hiking, but I also did a lot of eating. When I got back, the scale said I was .5 pounds heavier than when I left. Over all, not too bad.

    Hang in there, I'm getting to the point.

    This week, immediately following my vacation, I've found it difficult to get back into the swing of things. I have been eating modestly, but going over my calories. Probably maintaining. Not overly exercising. Yesterday I took a brisk walk, for about 50 minutes, ate a mini blizzard at diary queen to find out it was 400 calories - putting me 133 calories over. (And my goal is set to only lose .5 pounds a week)

    I weighed myself today and lost a pound.

    I have learned that my body does well when I throw strange crap at it every now and again. Sometimes your body just needs more fuel than you're providing it, and it could be affecting your weight loss. I would try maintaining your calories for a week, and then get back in the game and see if that helps. Sometimes your body needs a break!

    Good luck!!!
  • nomadcelt
    nomadcelt Posts: 4 Member
    You need to cut down to only one strength training session a week. I do two per week in order to increase my mass and size. Instead of one of the strength sessions, do a fartlek / interval session - it's incredibly effective at burning fat and not touching muscle.
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