Losing faith

Lovemycorgis
Lovemycorgis Posts: 9 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm losing faith here with my weight loss or lack of it. I stayed at 171 for the longest time then after a long wait got down to 169 but there I stayed for two months. Now I'm at 171 again I'm only eating 1210 calories a day and average 15,000 steps a day with the occasional 20,000 about once a week. I was so miserable and tired I started eating some of exercise calories back just 200 a day I usually earn 400-600 a day some times 800, so I still under my calorie intake. This last 10 days I'm just been down and out and craving chocolate so I started eating M & M's, so now I'm not depressing just feeling guilty. I truly understand why people stop dieting because I'm so close to it myself. I'm 53 yrs and still need to lose 17 pounds. I drink whey in almond milk unsweetened because I was having a lot of muscle pain when I exercised, should I quit the whey? I'm under a lot of stress at work, I have a terrible boss could that be part of the problem. I can't quit because I need the money now I'm just rambling sorry :|

Replies

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,634 Member
    As always, the first question here is ... how do you know you're eating 1210 calories a day?
  • Lovemycorgis
    Lovemycorgis Posts: 9 Member
    Is this a trick question lol. I keep a MFP food diary
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
    They mean, how are you entering your food? Are you weighing it on a food scale or are you using cups or guessing?
  • NYtp5031
    NYtp5031 Posts: 3 Member
    Don't give up. Everyone hits a few bumps in the road. Try to get back into your routine and look less at the scale and more at the healt benefits of your change in eating habits and exercise. I find the walks very good for clearing my head. If you do most exercises in the gym take your walks outside. It's refreshing!!
    Sounds like you were doing great so don't give up!!
  • kyrannosaurus
    kyrannosaurus Posts: 350 Member
    Can you open you diary so that we can get a better picture of what is going on? Otherwise there isn't much advice anyone can give.

    Protein supplements won't make you gain weight if you are in a deficit. Do you really need it though? Delayed onset muscle soreness isn't abnormal. Just drink lots of water and keep moving those muscles and it'll go away.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    Please watch this. If you've been doing a low calorie level and lots of cardio for a long time, this is probably your issue.
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHzie6XRGk
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,634 Member
    misskarne wrote: »
    They mean, how are you entering your food? Are you weighing it on a food scale or are you using cups or guessing?

    Right ... this ^^

    As I've read over posts here ...

    -- a few people do some sort of eyeballing/guess thing
    -- a few people enter some food, but not all ... for example some might not enter fruit and veg, some might not enter binges
    -- a few people use cup and teaspoon "measures"
    -- but many weigh their food on a food scale to be very accurate


    Lovemycorgis wrote: »
    Is this a trick question lol. I keep a MFP food diary

    So ... what's your method? How do you know that what you're entering is really 1210 cal?

  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    edited July 2015
    There's only one reason weight is not coming off and that is because you are eating more than you are burning. Just one day of over-eating can undo an entire week of deficit even if you're being super accurate, so that's why it's so important to be accurate every day and consider those days you do eat more to see if that is what is causing a stall. My overeating on the 4th of July basically kept me at a standstill for these nearly 2 weeks, even though I was at or under my goal since then.

    I don't have a large deficit, only about 250 or so calories a day if I am at my goal of 1200 and don't use my treadmill, so it doesn't take much food to put me over.

    My .02 cents: Get out and walk. My mind was in a bad place before I got my butt up and started walking. I basically spent days, sometimes weeks at a time barely getting off my couch (and I slept on it too). I was miserably depressed. It's amazing how moving can make you feel so much better. It gives you time to yourself in your own space and not only that, it gives you bit more calories to eat during the day. :) My new love is my treadmill. I put on my headphones and watch some Netflix and it becomes my space. All the chores, kids, & any other problems kind of melt away for those few miles I walk every day and while it may not burn tons and tons of calories, it sure has caused my stress and depression to all but disappear.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Buy a food scale, weigh and log everything.

    Do cardio if you want, and if you do, only eat back 50% of your calories (if you are losing faster than expected after logging for a few weeks, then up the % you eat back). Lift weights and hit your protein goal to help maintain muscle mass while losing.

    Cheat meals that take you over maintenance will sabotage your efforts. Log the cheat meals too (falls under the 'log everything' rule).

    Eat anything you want in moderation, keeping in mind that your diet will be easier to stick with if you chose foods that make it easier to stay under your calories without feeling hungry.

    Also it would be a good idea to read some of the best forum posts such as:
    Calorie Counting 101
    Logging Accuracy, Consistency, & You're Probably Eating More Than You Think
    A Guide To Get You Started on Your Path To Sexy Pants

    And if you're still not losing after doing this for a month, go see your doctor and get your thyroid checked. TSH, Free T3, Free T4
  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
    Sounds like you're not eating enough
    Use this:
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Here are some other helpful reads once you get your intake correct.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • kat_princess12
    kat_princess12 Posts: 109 Member
    The thing about MFP is that, while it can provide an estimate of the calories you are using, it cannot say for certain how many calories your body in particular is using. I had to stop eating back my exercise calories in order to start losing - I was just maintaining up to that point.

    Since the M&Ms made you stop feeling depressed, that might be an indication you need some higher-energy foods - complex carbs or dairy might help. Are you talking with your doctor about your diet needs?
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    ShellyBell999 wrote: »
    Sounds like you're not eating enough
    Use this:
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Here are some other helpful reads once you get your intake correct.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1

    If she wasn't eating enough, she'd be losing weight... My guess is she's eating at maintenance, and a lot more calories than she thinks.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Bear in mind there's a 20% margin of error in all nutritional labeling.

    Best advice is to change up your workouts - try something new and really push yourself.
  • Ilovebaking13
    Ilovebaking13 Posts: 10 Member
    edited July 2015
    It can be other factors as well. Are you really stressed, getting enough sleep, actually eating enough so your body isn't starving and you end up unhappy? Your body does need sugar, if you felt better after eating mms maybe some fruit added to your protein shake would work?
    To my protein shake I add a cup of spinach, handful of berries, some chia and flax seeds (omega 3 fat and fiber), and half a banana. It'll give you a bit more of a boost with super simple carbs from the fruit it might make your body feel a little better.
    Also are you drinking enough water? I've found when I feel really bad it's cause I haven't been eating right and have bloated up from too much salt or fat and drinking a good bit of water helps flush the crap out of your system.
    If you have only been doin cardio exercises it might be a good idea to add in some strength training to build more muscle, which burns more calories than fat while resting! Start out with simple exercises and focus on form over weight and I think it will start helping you get over the plateau!
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Ilovebaking13 wrote: »
    It can be other factors as well. Are you really stressed, getting enough sleep, actually eating enough so your body isn't starving and you end up unhappy? Your body does need sugar, if you felt better after eating mms maybe some fruit added to your protein shake would work?
    To my protein shake I add a cup of spinach, handful of berries, some chia and flax seeds (omega 3 fat and fiber), and half a banana. It'll give you a bit more of a boost with super simple carbs from the fruit it might make your body feel a little better.
    Also are you drinking enough water? I've found when I feel really bad it's cause I haven't been eating right and have bloated up from too much salt or fat and drinking a good bit of water helps flush the crap out of your system.
    If you have only been doin cardio exercises it might be a good idea to add in some strength training to build more muscle, which burns more calories than fat while resting! Start out with simple exercises and focus on form over weight and I think it will start helping you get over the plateau!

    Muscle burns 4 calories per pound per day. Not going to make a significant difference.

    Advice to weight train in addition to cardio was good for other reasons, but not that one.
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