feeling frustrated

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adagolden
adagolden Posts: 146 Member
in Motivation and Support
ok, so I have been consistent on this site for about a month now....I work out almost everyday, just finished week one of insanity, stay at or very close to my 1,200 calories, watch what i eat, lots of fruits and veggies, and I am only down like maybe a pound or two. I see all these before/after pics and its so motivational, but this is frustrating...am I building muscle because I feel stronger but I just wonder why I am not having all this great success? I will take any and all advice/suggestions please.

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  • Dellonious1
    Dellonious1 Posts: 209
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    Besides watching you calorie intake, are you watching how much sugar? I lost 10 lbs my 1 st month here and haven't lost any more. And I work out every day. :sad: Good thing is I have not gained any weight. Best of luck to you!!!
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    A pound or two is great. This is not a diet it is a new lifestyle. It took time to put it on and it will take time to take it off. If you stick with it, don't make excuses to stop, just think where you will be in a year.
    I started last August and have lost 30 lbs. I am 2 sizes smaller without any exercise. I was happy to see a pound or two go. It was better than gaining. It's not always about the scale. Are your cloths fitting better? Do you feel better? Did you lose any inches?
  • adagolden
    adagolden Posts: 146 Member
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    think i am ok with sugar, but I will start to check that out, thanks
  • enlarsh
    enlarsh Posts: 67
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    I had the same problem when doing P90X. The massive amounts of time I invested were not paying off. I'm finding better success by switching to Jillian Michael's DVDs and watching my diet more closely by using this site. Make sure you eat the additional calories from exercise. Go back and read the first posts here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition
  • blueocean52811
    blueocean52811 Posts: 83 Member
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    A pound or two for 1 week is great. Plus, remember muscle weighs more than fat. so by gaining more muscle you may not lose as much weight. Just keep your head up and take it one day at a time.
  • SilentRenegade
    SilentRenegade Posts: 245 Member
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    When I first started on this site in like... March I think... I lost NOTHING. In fact I gained like 4 pounds... then I kinda started taking it a bit more seriously by logging things etc. I was getting really frustrated also because I was on depo, and reading all these horror stories about how it's not possible to lose weight, it's a losing battle, etc.

    Also when I finished the first week of Insanity I was stuck at the same weight, and I went into it thinking "I am going to lose like 20 pounds from this yay!" (Well not 20 but you get the idea).

    So I started researching a lot of stuff.... and I found something that broke that and I dropped a lot in two weeks (about 10.5 pounds).

    I started drinking TONS more water. I might have to go to the bathroom a lot, but I feel "clean" I dunno, just like... it's weird haha.
    I also started zig zagging my calories. One day 1300-1400, the next day 600-700, the next day 1300-1400. On the low days I did no extreme exercise, mainly just my normal daily routine of walking around at work, etc.

    Even if it is just water weight, that's fine because depo put on 15 pounds of water weight for me, so something is better than nothing.

    I lost 3 inches off my waist and an inch off my hips, which was a huge deal because usually my hips are the LAST to go....

    But keep going! If you feel stronger, that's something. And take your measurements! Me looking better in my clothes is MUCH more motivating than what the scale says...
  • Uk_Yogini
    Uk_Yogini Posts: 167
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    Hi there.

    I just took a peek at your diary and apart from your salad at lunch I didn't see any other greens. I would suggest eating more veggies and protein & less dairy.
  • adagolden
    adagolden Posts: 146 Member
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    I feel so much better and you're right, it's a new lifestyle...I just was hoping for faster results, but I am committed to this, I won't be stopping
  • catroseann
    catroseann Posts: 4 Member
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    You are building muscle, muscle weighs more than fat. That means that your weight loss & your muscle gain are balancing each other out right now. How you feel is what truly matters!! You are doing a great job. Believe me I know it's frustrating!! I lose weight really well the first month of a diet or so, then it just stops. I plateau early! If it sounds like I've done this before.......I have. lol Keep up the good work & the pounds will start coming off too!! :)
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
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    I think your sugar and carbs are a bit high. It might be worth cutting out any type of bread/wheat for a week (as an experiment). Also, skip the cereal(s) in the morning, eat a healthy/lean protein with a fruit/vegetable instead.
    Basically, don't eat anything processed.
    Just my opinion.
  • demoharry
    demoharry Posts: 6
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    A lot of people quit exercise programs after about 30 days because they don't see much progress - Dont be one of them!
    The first month is just a milestone, once you get into the 2nd week of the 2nd month, things will turn around especially if you're eating the right types of food in your 1200 cal plan.

    For me I eat 40% protein 50%carbs and 10%fat but I workout 2 hours every day (cardio/weights). In about a week I will be adding an 30-60 mins per day.

    If you're not very active try plan out a 50% protein 40% fat and 10%carb meal plan :) You will lose a lot of fat on that too( although it will take about a week to get used to the low carbs). But once youre used to it, your body will using the fat as energy first..
  • kerenf
    kerenf Posts: 24 Member
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    like catro said about muscles, they weight more than fat and if you are working out every day you are probably gaining muscle. Make sure you are getting enough protein and keep an eye on how clothing fit you (maybe even do the check in measurements at the home section of this site to keep track of your size).. you could be loosing in mass more than weight :)

    I think your doing great! Keep up the great work :)
  • demoharry
    demoharry Posts: 6
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    I think your sugar and carbs are a bit high. It might be worth cutting out any type of bread/wheat for a week (as an experiment). Also, skip the cereal(s) in the morning, eat a healthy/lean protein with a fruit/vegetable instead.
    Basically, don't eat anything processed.
    Just my opinion.

    I agree.

    This is really important!! : Dont eat processed foods or foods that are high in sugar in it unless its a natural source like fruit. If you crave a lot of foods or an emotional eater, with diet and exercise those bad habits will slowly leave your life.


    (BTW congratulations bluebird321 on your impressive weight loss)
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
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    ok, so I have been consistent on this site for about a month now....I work out almost everyday, just finished week one of insanity, stay at or very close to my 1,200 calories, watch what i eat, lots of fruits and veggies, and I am only down like maybe a pound or two. I see all these before/after pics and its so motivational, but this is frustrating...am I building muscle because I feel stronger but I just wonder why I am not having all this great success? I will take any and all advice/suggestions please.

    With roughy 30 pounds to lose, you should be set up to lose about a pound a week (not 2 pounds). So perhaps check your settings to see what you set up.

    You don't eat enough on many days. I saw a few days where you didn't even hit 1000 calories, and that was before exercise. You should be eating at least some of your exercise calories.

    I also saw an awful lot of processed carbs and usually not enough protein. MFP defaults to 65% carbs, which I think is pretty high, and you exceed that fairly regularly. With the amount that you work out, you should be aiming for about 1 gram of protein per pound of goal body weight per day in order to protect your muscle mass as much as possible. With the amount of protein you're lacking, you are tearing down your muscles, not building them up. When you eat insufficient protein, your body destroys your muscles to get the amino acids it needs; when you exercise, you actually damage your muscles and they rebuild while resting if there is sufficient protein available to do so--in your case, there isn't.

    Why do you eat almost no fat? Your body needs more fat than you are taking in.

    It would be a good idea to prepare more of your own food and rely much less on pre-packaged foods as well.
  • ColoradoRobin
    ColoradoRobin Posts: 510 Member
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    Take measurements now to compare. On weeks when I haven't lost any weight, I have noticed that I have lost inches. It helps me track my progress. I keep it all in a spreadsheet so I can follow it over time and stay motivated. I don't lose 2 lbs per week, but I'm still making progress and that's all that matters. My new lifestyle is healthier, and I'm sticking with it. If I can do it, so can you! :flowerforyou:

    Also eating more protein is important to preserve muscle mass, especially when doing any kind of strength training. Raise the percentage of protein in your Goals tab, and lower carbs. The defaults are too high in carbs in my opinion. A balanced ratio of protein, fat, and carbs is more healhy while trying to lose fat and keep muscle.
  • adagolden
    adagolden Posts: 146 Member
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    thanks for all the insight all. I am not a cook, but will try to add more veggies, protein and less sugar. I think I can live without bread for a week and see how that goes. I appreciate all the input.

    But what about those days that I just am not hungry to eat my 1200 calories? i don't want to eat just to get my numbers up, so would protein shakes help? I don't really know what to do.

    I will look at the recipe section of the boards here for some easy ideas.

    How do I change my settings in daily allowances for carbs and protein? Can't figure it out?

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