Help please..

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firefighterswife58
firefighterswife58 Posts: 46
in Health and Weight Loss
I have just started on mfp going into week 4. I am really not happy that I have only managed to lose 5 lbs so far.. am I not working out enough? am I eating too much, too little?? Any advice, suggestions please!? Help on my calorie intake.. I am eating around 1300-1400 calories and trying to work out 4-5 times a week, also eliminating bad carbs as much as possible. Thank you for any suggestions.

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  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Yup

    1) Did you start exercising at the same time you started dieting? if so you're just gaining some muscle. Buy a tape measure and ignore the scales for a while! (Muscle take up only 80% of the same space that fat does for the same weight)

    2) Regardless - 1 lb a week is GOOD - 2lb a week is a healthy limit! You worry too much ;)
  • mbuzalski
    mbuzalski Posts: 30 Member
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    I would just make sure that your net calories are equaling your goal calories. I lose more when I eat my exercise calories.

    Good Luck!!!
  • MzChiz
    MzChiz Posts: 70 Member
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    Yep agreed! 1 lb a week is great! Don't get discouraged! Continue doing what you're doing and it will pay off in the end ;)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    I have just started on mfp going into week 4. I am really not happy that I have only managed to lose 5 lbs so far.. am I not working out enough? am I eating too much, too little?? Any advice, suggestions please!? Help on my calorie intake.. I am eating around 1300-1400 calories and trying to work out 4-5 times a week, also eliminating bad carbs as much as possible. Thank you for any suggestions.

    5 lbs in 4 weeks is great (MFP recommends 1lb/week, but will allow you to set to 2) so you are ahead of the recommended loss/week. The slower you lose the weight, the more likely you are to keep it off.
  • eresin
    eresin Posts: 104 Member
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    wow 5lb in 4 weeks! thats awesome...wish I could lose that fast!

    Your body will be changing fat into muscle perhaps?
  • pareni
    pareni Posts: 2 Member
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    make sure you stay away from bananna's, they slow down metabolism. drink green tea, anything with some anti-oxidant's to help boost metabolism. sounds like you are at a good start. keep going!
  • JPod279
    JPod279 Posts: 722 Member
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    I agree with Mikeyrp. You are doing good. 1 lb a week is a good rate. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. A few years back I went from 275 to 215. My weight loss was 1-1.5 lbs a week on avg. Some weeks I lost more, some weeks less. Unfortunately I let up and went back to 265. I have seen a big loss real quick this time but I know it is not always going to be that way so I am happy that I have come down 11 lbs quickly but I don't expect it to always be like this, even though I am working twice as hard to lose weight this time.
  • firefighterswife58
    firefighterswife58 Posts: 46
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    I am really trying to lose 20 lbs by May 6th. I guess that is not going to happen. Oh well I am just gonna keep trying harder.. Thanks for the advice. & yes I have been working out. I started doing P90X but backed off it a little and have been doing interval running, some walking, and weights for toning.
  • firefighterswife58
    firefighterswife58 Posts: 46
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    I was once up to 290. I now weight 215. I went from 290 to 180 in a few months starving myself.. I do not want to do that again.. I want to lose weight the healthy way! I am very proud I have stuck to something this long!! I am gonna keep going!
  • Supermel
    Supermel Posts: 612 Member
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    Did you take measurements?

    I can relate to your frustration- i have felt the same way with each new lifestyle eating change i have attempted in the last few years. In my early twenties i would cut back for a few days and lose 5-10 pounds in a week! Now my metabolism is screwed up i think. I have been reading Jilian Micheals master your metabolism and i really think there is something to chemicals in meat and aspartame and such messing with our bodies balance. I am trying to clean up my diet in an effort to restore things. But a wicked addiction to pop is making that hard haha. I have to look at in terms of longterm gain and slow but sure wins the race! When i lost weight more quickly 2 years ago some of it did sneak back on. Hard to find a balance, good luck!
  • rachel871
    rachel871 Posts: 113 Member
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    make sure you stay away from bananna's, they slow down metabolism. drink green tea, anything with some anti-oxidant's to help boost metabolism. sounds like you are at a good start. keep going!

    Do bananas really slow down your metabolism?? :S
  • JPod279
    JPod279 Posts: 722 Member
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    make sure you stay away from bananna's, they slow down metabolism. drink green tea, anything with some anti-oxidant's to help boost metabolism. sounds like you are at a good start. keep going!

    Can you cite anything that proves bananas slow down metabolism? I can't find any research that proves that statement. I'm not trying to be a jerk, I just want to know where you get this information as I eat 1 or 2 bananas a day. I did a search and cannot find anything that supports this.
  • mountaineers64
    mountaineers64 Posts: 1
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    When you first start the program, make sure you track every bite you eat, and every minute you exercise. You want to consume no more than 1200 NET calories a day. If you're weight training, remember muscle weighs more than fat - i.e. you may be losing inches but not pounds. Lean protein and fiber will help keep you from feeling hungry, as will water consumption. Veggies & most fruit have very few calories. My carb (not just "bad" but all) consumption, at least the first month, was very, very little. I slowly reintroduced healthier carbs after that first month. For exercise, I walk 5 days a week for a minimum 30 minutes, at about 3.5 mph.

    If you're not terribly overweight, the pounds may come off a little slower. I have lost 27 pounds in a little over 3 months, with 8 to go. I was about 10 pounds overweight for my age and stature, but decided to keep losing because I feel good and look better than I have in YEARS! I have had no ill effects as I did when dieting in the past, (no lightheadedness, crabbiness, etc.) This is all designed to for the weight to come off slower, so it's easier to keep it off. Stay with it - you're doing great. Be patient, and be committed.
  • navvs15
    navvs15 Posts: 165
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    make sure you stay away from bananna's, they slow down metabolism. drink green tea, anything with some anti-oxidant's to help boost metabolism. sounds like you are at a good start. keep going!

    Do bananas really slow down your metabolism?? :S


    I was thinking the same thing...What in bananas actually slows down your metabolism? :noway:
  • jeepzilla
    jeepzilla Posts: 201
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    It takes time you must have patiences... it took me almost three weeks to get down to 200 I had 6 pounds to go...just keep on working out eating right and good things come to those who wait... :)
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    I've never heard that bananas slow the metabolism, but it is pretty widely known that they are one of the most "sugary" of all fruits, so if you eat a lot of them without accounting for the sugar, it's conceivable that they can slow the weight-loss process.
  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
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    You are doing great! I know you'd probably like it to fall off faster, I know I would but hang in there you are doing awesome!

    P.S.~ I was looking at your profile pic....I also have a son with autism and work with kiddos with autism.:love:
  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
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    5lbs in 4 weeks is very good progress IMO.

    Losing weight is not something that happens overnight, it is something you have to work at but also you have to be patient.

    The best way to loose weight is slowly and steadily, as this allows your body to get used to it's new calorie allowence, new exrcise regime etc.... It is also easier to maintain.

    Yes you could lose 5lbs in a week going on some stuoid, radical diet but once you start eating normally the weight wil pile back on.

    This way you are eating nromally and still losing weight!
  • FiremansWifey
    FiremansWifey Posts: 3
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    Im finishing up my 4th week also...... I ws stuck at 5 lbs for about 2 wks, then I added more exercise in my day....by about 15 min more and it seemed to help bcuz I am now 6lbs down....and according to my scale I have lost another BUT I have to go weigh at my moms bcuz our scales weigh differently. I started weighing at hers first so thats the scale I have to stick with lol AAANYWAY try adding even 15 min more a day, and also measure instead of weighing sometimes..... sometimes the scale wont show but the tape will.........
  • FiremansWifey
    FiremansWifey Posts: 3
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    Im finishing up my 4th week also...... I ws stuck at 5 lbs for about 2 wks, then I added more exercise in my day....by about 15 min more and it seemed to help bcuz I am now 6lbs down....and according to my scale I have lost another BUT I have to go weigh at my moms bcuz our scales weigh differently. I started weighing at hers first so thats the scale I have to stick with lol AAANYWAY try adding even 15 min more a day, and also measure instead of weighing sometimes..... sometimes the scale wont show but the tape will.........

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