frustrated, confused and need help/advice

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2

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  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    birksybabe wrote: »
    How would I open it up to others? I'm new to this and have no friends on here. I would definitely appreciate the help

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • mizzlarabee
    mizzlarabee Posts: 134 Member
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    Why has your instructor arrived at 2500 calories? I also second the suggestion of opening your diary. Would just make it easier to get more accurate advice.

    My honest take on it - it sounds like you are doing too much. Ideally, you want about a 500 calorie a day deficit, between nutrition and exercise. Any more than that can be a bit too aggressive, and by the sounds of your dieting history, you may need some repair on your metabolism.
  • Mysharonah86
    Mysharonah86 Posts: 2 Member
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    A great way to aid in losing weight is to start lifting weights. More muscle mass means that your resting caloric burn will be higher. Sometimes spending hours at the gym doesn't help if you're doing constant cardio exercise. Studies have shown that doing high intensity for short periods (20 - 30 minutes) can do more for caloric burning than an hour on the elliptical. I'd suggest taking a look on YouTube at some great HIIT workouts (most are about 30 minutes or so) and can really get your heart going, which is key.

    As for eating, try cooking with fresh veggies and eating fruit for snacks. You'd be surprised at how much veggies you can eat like carrots and zucchini before feeling full while still keeping under your caloric goal. Your instructor is telling you to eat a lot of calories because if you don't eat enough your body will go into starvation mode and store any calories you eat.

    Another tip is to eat after you work out. It doesn't have to be a meal, but a small snack filled with protein like a handful of nuts or cup of yogurt. This way your body will not be forced to eat at your muscles for fuel after a workout.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    Do you find yourself very caught up in concerns about weight and shape? You are spending a lot of time at the gym, and it sounds like you also have a history of restricting food too much. I think you need to be evaluated by a psychologist who treats eating disorders. They can do an assessment and help you to understand what you are experiencing, and help you figure out referrals/treatment if needed.
  • birksybabe
    birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
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    Metafit is like HIIT it's a great cardio work out. I have one to ones with my gym instructor.. as for the veggies I do that too because I love veg
  • scottacular
    scottacular Posts: 597 Member
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    birksybabe wrote: »
    I don't burn off 1200 every time I go to the gym but I do go for hours at a time I do metafit, spinning, swimming and other exercise. I do calorie counting by weight and I go for healthy food. I know that if I eat 1500 I should loose weight irrespective of what exercise I do but I've managed to loose about 6 lb in 3 months and it's frustrating the hell out of me because I work so hard

    A good rate of weight loss is 0.5 lbs a week. 6 lbs in three months is 2 lbs a month, which is 0.5 lbs a week. Sounds like you're actually doing well.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    edited May 2015
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    These steps in this order:

    Step 1: Make sure your calorie burns are as accurate as you can be. Heart rate monitor for steady state cardio (running, biking). Otherwise, use MFP's calculations and cut them in half(ish). Or realize that calculating calorie burns is never completely accurate and TDEE instead (which is what I did because I was sick of guessing).

    Step 2: Make sure your intake is being measured accurately. This means using a food scale to weigh solids and measuring cups for liquids and following this advice: community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    Step 3: IF you are not meeting your calorie goals, start adding more calorie dense food into your diet. Peanut butter, oil, avocado, ICE CREAM, cake, chips, etc.

    Step 4: Monitor your results and adjust your calorie goal accordingly. Losing too fast, add calories. Losing too slow, remove calories. This should be done by watching your rate of loss over months, not weeks.
  • Mysharonah86
    Mysharonah86 Posts: 2 Member
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    birksybabe wrote: »
    Metafit is like HIIT it's a great cardio work out. I have one to ones with my gym instructor.. as for the veggies I do that too because I love veg

    If you're already doing the workouts and eating veggies then definitely start lifting! Also, you may want to look at the quality of the foods you're eating. It may all come down to diet. Food is not the enemy but can aid in weight loss when done right. Love your body by being mindful of the foods you put in it.
  • birksybabe
    birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
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    Yes I do get caught up about weight and shape I've been like it since being a child.....I spend a lot of time in the gym because I enjoy it. Not only am I getting fit and burning calories it helps with depression. I've started to look at my weight in a different way like " I maybe overweight but I'm probably fitter than most"
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    mizzlarabee wrote: »
    Why has your instructor arrived at 2500 calories?

    If the burn really is 1200, it's a reasonable number.

    IF....!

  • mizzlarabee
    mizzlarabee Posts: 134 Member
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    birksybabe wrote: »
    Yes I do get caught up about weight and shape I've been like it since being a child.....I spend a lot of time in the gym because I enjoy it. Not only am I getting fit and burning calories it helps with depression. I've started to look at my weight in a different way like " I maybe overweight but I'm probably fitter than most"

    Excellent perspective! Being fit and having a certain body type are mutually exclusive.
  • blueiii31062
    blueiii31062 Posts: 22 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Consider getting your resting metabolic rate tested. (Mine is 1483, so eating 1500 calories without exercise would not make me lose weight.) Everyone's rate is different. I agree with girlviernes above - I would get checked out by a physician. Rule out thyroid issues, eating issues, etc.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    blueiii31062 wrote: »
    Consider getting your resting metabolic rate tested. (Mine is 1483, so eating 1500 calories without exercise would not make me lose weight. Everyone's rate is different. I agree with girlviernes above - I would get checked out by a physician. Rule out thyroid issues, eating issues, etc.

    what? You would lose weight eating 1500. Just not a lot.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Eating at your RMR will result in weight loss, unless you're comatose.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    If you are going to workout that much you absolutely need to eat enough food to properly fuel your body. No way around it. It will also make weight loss a bit more tricky because it is hard for us to get accurate calorie burns, so you don't really know how much you are burning and then it is hard to know how much additional food you need. You'll need to take pains to measure your food accurately, probably eating 2500+ is a good idea (build up to it), if you can't get yourself to eat more and/or measuring and calorie counting super accurately makes you feel more obsessed with food/calories/weight, you really need to work with a therapist to guide you to do this healthfully.
  • birksybabe
    birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
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    My instructor did a basal rate and she said for my weight I should eat 2500 daily then she said because of the work at the gym I do it should actually be more. ( she's the one who trains me and knows how much exercise I do.....but because she knows about my eating disorder in the past and that I wouldn't eat anything til gone 5 in the evening she said try for 2000 and gave me advice on how to eat the calories.
  • birksybabe
    birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
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    I stopped adding my exercise into this app because it was adding extra calories to eat and I didn't and couldn't eat them. Is that bad?
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    birksybabe wrote: »
    My instructor did a basal rate and she said for my weight I should eat 2500 daily then she said because of the work at the gym I do it should actually be more. ( she's the one who trains me and knows how much exercise I do.....but because she knows about my eating disorder in the past and that I wouldn't eat anything til gone 5 in the evening she said try for 2000 and gave me advice on how to eat the calories.

    Is your instructor qualified to give you nutrition advice?

  • birksybabe
    birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
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    Yes she is
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    birksybabe wrote: »
    My instructor did a basal rate and she said for my weight I should eat 2500 daily then she said because of the work at the gym I do it should actually be more. ( she's the one who trains me and knows how much exercise I do.....but because she knows about my eating disorder in the past and that I wouldn't eat anything til gone 5 in the evening she said try for 2000 and gave me advice on how to eat the calories.

    Is your instructor qualified to give you nutrition advice?

    Is MFP?

    :drinker:

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