Feels like a losing battle....
PaulThomp23
Posts: 38 Member
This is super long but its kinda been bottled up for a while.....So i started trying to lose weight back in january of 2012 and between then and the end of 2013 i had lost 4 stone ( 25kgs) and everything was going perfectly. I was checking in with my doctor for blood pressure and cholesterol - which despite my 20st size had never been a problem... come january of 2014 6 weeks after my last weigh in i had lost nothing, even though id only missed a week of exercuse classes due to Christmas so time ticked by and 6 weeks later i weighed in again, no loss. This continued to june of 2014 when my doctor finally tells me that he thinks my body has plateaued, and basically i have reached a weight that my body is comfortable maintaining. Not wanting to believe it i continue exercising and eating well and maintained the 102kgs until november 2014 when i went over on my ankle, nearly breaking it only for the fact i wore well cushioned shoes for doing zumba. I tore the ligaments from my toes to my ankle in my left foot and ruptured tendons from my knee to my ankle including some serious damage to my achilles on my left leg as well. 3 months i was out of commission, could barely walk for 6 weeks. The week i could finally get back to class i took them by storm, i was heading to Florida in august and knew i needed to make an impact between march and then so i worked to strengthen my ankle and leg and by july was managing 8 classes a week sometimes more depending on work. I weighed in on my first week back at 114.1kgs!!! Being unable to exercise id put on 12kgs thats 2 stone in 3 months and i wasnt even stuffing my face. My sweets at christmas were saved and i took them into work so as not to tempt myself.
I didnt weigh myself until the week before my holiday, i felt great and was sure id lost all that i had put on and hopefully more, i step on the scales and 112.2 - gutted was not the right word... not even close. 2kgs in 5 months, not ashamed to say i cried my heart out. All that effort, all the skipped treats, not even having a birthday cake because being able to eat junk food on my holiday was my reward.
So coming back from holidays i half gave up when i weighed myself again to find that despite 2 weeks of no exercise and eating anything i could get my hands on to comfort myself and get over my disappointment in myself i had put on.... nothing. Thats right not an ounce. Is all my effort, all the money i spent on exercise clothes and class fees for nothing?
September i withdrew myself from classes, went back to eating whatever i wanted, not caring about the consequences i needed a mental break from my body which despite my best efforts seemed to want to do nothing but ensure I didn't succeed.
I joined a gym, alone, which was petrifying to start with but im over the initial embarassment and no one looks twice. Though i have had a nod from a fellow gym goer when he caught my eye while I was running on the treadmill. That made me feel awesome. No judgement just encouragement.
However despite my best efforts at the gym i am once again 2 months into a regime and have had ZERO weight loss to show for it or to let me know im on the right track. People keep saying muscle is heavier than fat and i could be replacing fat with muscle and itll even out soon... but when is soon? No one can tell me and its frustrating as hell.
Sorry for the rant but ive no one in my life that is either struggling to lose weight or is even attempting to so i thought id reach out to people that could understand.
Thanks
I didnt weigh myself until the week before my holiday, i felt great and was sure id lost all that i had put on and hopefully more, i step on the scales and 112.2 - gutted was not the right word... not even close. 2kgs in 5 months, not ashamed to say i cried my heart out. All that effort, all the skipped treats, not even having a birthday cake because being able to eat junk food on my holiday was my reward.
So coming back from holidays i half gave up when i weighed myself again to find that despite 2 weeks of no exercise and eating anything i could get my hands on to comfort myself and get over my disappointment in myself i had put on.... nothing. Thats right not an ounce. Is all my effort, all the money i spent on exercise clothes and class fees for nothing?
September i withdrew myself from classes, went back to eating whatever i wanted, not caring about the consequences i needed a mental break from my body which despite my best efforts seemed to want to do nothing but ensure I didn't succeed.
I joined a gym, alone, which was petrifying to start with but im over the initial embarassment and no one looks twice. Though i have had a nod from a fellow gym goer when he caught my eye while I was running on the treadmill. That made me feel awesome. No judgement just encouragement.
However despite my best efforts at the gym i am once again 2 months into a regime and have had ZERO weight loss to show for it or to let me know im on the right track. People keep saying muscle is heavier than fat and i could be replacing fat with muscle and itll even out soon... but when is soon? No one can tell me and its frustrating as hell.
Sorry for the rant but ive no one in my life that is either struggling to lose weight or is even attempting to so i thought id reach out to people that could understand.
Thanks
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Replies
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I feel for ya man sounds like you've had it rough. You seem to do a lot of aerobic work do you do any strength training at all and do you track you calories? I'm down 92lbs myself and still have a ways to go, but I can understand your frustration with the scale.0
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Totally sympathise having injured myself enough times, the frustration of being out of action is unbearable.
What you consume is what has the impact on your weight in terms of fat rather than exercise. Exercise, cardio, will burn extra calories but what you consume is the most important part of losing weight.
Have you read this thread? If not, give it a read, it's very helpful and should set you on the right track to see the weight come off.
As has been said above, strength training is also very useful. It's helped me massively, as has the cardio I do, but ultimately exercise gets you fit, being accurate tracking your food intake and eating to a set of macro goals is what sheds the fat.0 -
I feel for ya man sounds like you've had it rough. You seem to do a lot of aerobic work do you do any strength training at all and do you track you calories? I'm down 92lbs myself and still have a ways to go, but I can understand your frustration with the scale.
Yeah since starting the gym ive incorporated the weight machines. I know my fitness levels are increasing because i can run for longer periods on the treadmill without having to stop and i alternate legs and arms with the weights on each visit to the gym. I think its the food aspect thats the worst for me. My diet i think is evenly balanced, no fizzy drinks, no sugary snacks, all meals home made and portions are adequate and yet one person tells me im not eating enough and the other is telling me to just make adjustments to make it better rounded. Anyone these days can call themselves a nutrionalist but none of the ones ive spoken with gave the same advise as the last lol0 -
Totally sympathise having injured myself enough times, the frustration of being out of action is unbearable.
What you consume is what has the impact on your weight in terms of fat rather than exercise. Exercise, cardio, will burn extra calories but what you consume is the most important part of losing weight.
Have you read this thread? If not, give it a read, it's very helpful and should set you on the right track to see the weight come off.
As has been said above, strength training is also very useful. It's helped me massively, as has the cardio I do, but ultimately exercise gets you fit, being accurate tracking your food intake and eating to a set of macro goals is what sheds the fat.
Id consider my diet quite well balanced.
Breakfast is porridge/oatmeal & tea - both with skimmed milk
Lunch is a salad or a jacket potato or whats left from dinner the night before
And dinner is always home made, but varies from night to night - always fresh ingredients though.
No fizzy drinks, no sugar in tea/coffee or cereal
No unhealthy snacks/choc/crisps etc
Water and fruit as snacks
My brother on the other hand can eat his way through a multi pack of crisps and gorge himself on unhealthy food without gaining a pound. He got the good genes i guess (i got the brains lol)0 -
Hey hun sounds like a tough journey. Once you get into a regime so you basically stick to the same foods and similar exercises?
The main thing with plateaus is that your body has become totally capable of doing what you're asking it to do which is why you need to change up your diet and exercise every couple of months.
I know it might sound silly but I watched the biggest lower which gave me motivation when I was having bad days, jillian Michaels is a Goddess she is amazing at what she does and her dvds are phenomenal they made me feel stronger as I lost weight.
Also how are you deciding what to eat are you purely sticking to a calorie limit? Because you may find iifym.com helpful. It tells you your calories but also tells you the amount of fats carbs and proteins and fiber you should be eating.
If you are doing cardio try doing some hiit, there are loads of videos on it in youtube.
Motivation and direction and helpful tips I think are so useful too so I would say start following people on YouTube or Instagram.
I follow Emily skye, kayla itsines, Heidi somers and my favourite jen heward. They are so positive and funny quirky girls and it just makes it all seem a bit more achievable.
I hope something I have said helps.
If you ever need help please ask, I just think why don't we all share what we have learnt so far.
Oh and don't listen to your doctor your body is not comfortable being any weight if you reach a plateau just try to change it up.
I do rugby, swimming, hiit, lissc, riding, hiking and weight training. Mixing up what you're doing will never let your body normalise.
Anyways good luck hun. Keep that chin up. Xxx0 -
For my weight loss ive only done strength training and walking...no high intensity cardio and it has worked for me, but ultimately it's my diet that has helped me to lose the weight. Why not try logging your foods for a few days and see how many calories your actually taking in, it might be more than you think. I used to have a scoop of peanut butter before bed, but when I actually measured it one night I was adding 300+ calories at the end of the night without realizing it.0
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VintageMojo1987 wrote: »Hey hun sounds like a tough journey. Once you get into a regime so you basically stick to the same foods and similar exercises?
The main thing with plateaus is that your body has become totally capable of doing what you're asking it to do which is why you need to change up your diet and exercise every couple of months.
I know it might sound silly but I watched the biggest lower which gave me motivation when I was having bad days, jillian Michaels is a Goddess she is amazing at what she does and her dvds are phenomenal they made me feel stronger as I lost weight.
Also how are you deciding what to eat are you purely sticking to a calorie limit? Because you may find iifym.com helpful. It tells you your calories but also tells you the amount of fats carbs and proteins and fiber you should be eating.
If you are doing cardio try doing some hiit, there are loads of videos on it in youtube.
Motivation and direction and helpful tips I think are so useful too so I would say start following people on YouTube or Instagram.
I follow Emily skye, kayla itsines, Heidi somers and my favourite jen heward. They are so positive and funny quirky girls and it just makes it all seem a bit more achievable.
I hope something I have said helps.
If you ever need help please ask, I just think why don't we all share what we have learnt so far.
Oh and don't listen to your doctor your body is not comfortable being any weight if you reach a plateau just try to change it up.
I do rugby, swimming, hiit, lissc, riding, hiking and weight training. Mixing up what you're doing will never let your body normalise.
Anyways good luck hun. Keep that chin up. Xxx
I love the biggest loser, thats what motivated me to start (that an embarassing rollercoaster incident in busch gardens when the operator came and in front of everyone on the ride very loudly asked me to move to the 'fat person' seat as he called it)
Im looking into all the things you've mentioned, ive made a list of them to check out. The UK isnt very experimental as regards classes and such, the gym and the aerobic classes they provide are about the limit lol
As regards food, im not calorie counting as such but making sure the foods i am eating measure up on this app as far as fat/carbs/protein etc go.
Thanks for replying though, i do enjoy the vhat with others who are on the same journey.0 -
How do you find the gym? Feel confident or like you're not entirely sure what you should be doing? X0
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Never in your story there is a mention of any food logging. Buy a scale. You portion awareness sucks and you eat too much0
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Never in your story there is a mention of any food logging. Buy a scale. You portion awareness sucks and you eat too much
Since i started using this app properly i have been logging all my meals and all the time spent in the gym. I dont 100% trust how accurate the calories burnt section is on the exercise section but i log it just to keep a track and make sure that im always improving. As for logging food, i am doing that and according to the app i am always under my calorie intake for the day and my fat/protein/salt goals etc0 -
VintageMojo1987 wrote: »How do you find the gym? Feel confident or like you're not entirely sure what you should be doing? X
The first time i went i was extremely nervous, now i am alot more comfortable doing it by myself. Still not 100% sure what im doing as regards getting results in specific areas but feel that im still in that "learn how to use the machinery properly". I've just bought a guide from LDMN (or close to that) which seems very detailed and has been getting rave reviews0 -
Don't get your self down two years ago I was in a wheel charlie unable to walk I had fractures both my hips and torn the muscles which hold your pelvis bones together. I was told I would be unable to move around properly for months id have to have intense physiotherapy and hydrotherapy to even be able to hold my own body weight nothing was more demoralising than knowing if your child falls you can't go and pick him up give him a cuddle.
Yet here I am walking lightly running and playing with my children gosh since the accident I've even had another little boy, you've just got to push yourself further and harder than you can even imagine. Nothing's impossible. Believe in yourself!
Ps. After 18 weeks of sheer determination I was able to walk (ok it was a hobble) my mum down the aisle, I've improved with ever day since.0 -
chanelle_cartier wrote: »Don't get your self down two years ago I was in a wheel charlie unable to walk I had fractures both my hips and torn the muscles which hold your pelvis bones together. I was told I would be unable to move around properly for months id have to have intense physiotherapy and hydrotherapy to even be able to hold my own body weight nothing was more demoralising than knowing if your child falls you can't go and pick him up give him a cuddle.
Yet here I am walking lightly running and playing with my children gosh since the accident I've even had another little boy, you've just got to push yourself further and harder than you can even imagine. Nothing's impossible. Believe in yourself!
Ps. After 18 weeks of sheer determination I was able to walk (ok it was a hobble) my mum down the aisle, I've improved with ever day since.
You're doing such a fantastic job!
i know theres nothing physically impeding me from doing what needs done and i know im not technically alone in the respect that there are tons of other people out there that really need to push themselves to get half as far as some other losers but i do find it easy to become discouraged because I don't have that support network to keep me motivated. Thats not to say that im not responsible for my own motivation because at the end of the day im the only person who can decide why im doing what im doing. 0 -
CICO- calories in calories out. Tight logging, food scale. If that and all your work doesn't get results, you are lying to yourself or you're not human. lol Sounds like you've got the dedication, so you can do it! It took me years of frustration, working out, eating right, even doing drugs. The ONLY thing that made sense and actually worked was counting cal. /being honest with myself. I lost 66 bs this way, hardly worked out at all. I've upped my exercise but I don't have to. You can do this!0
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I was in your boat of not being able to lose not matter how much I worked out or how often I logged my food. I was completely frustrating. When I looked back I noticed I was cheating; an extra bite here, a few bites there, maybe a Hershey's Kiss there. These things really added up over time. I also noticed that I wasn't drinking as much water as I thought. The idea of drinking 64 oz of water a day does not appeal to me. So I got a water bottle- I use the same on everyday, yes I wash it at night - if I drink for of those I get all my water and often more. It has helped to stay hydrated. (My water bottle is just over 16 oz.)0
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I feel the same way. The days I exercise hard and hardly eat I lose nothing. The days I eat a little more and moderately exercise it seems the weight goes down. I think my problem is I weigh myself everyday morning and night.0
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So I've never had an injury really derail me from being active (I haven't really been seriously hurt since I was a kid), which is really lucky, and that sucks you had to go through that, and its so great you've come out on the other end. As for the rest, I totally get it, I have a lot of weight to lose and have started and failed more times than I can count and I understand completely how it feels to work so hard, and keep your calorie count down and still step on the scale and see nothing, or worse, a gain! What I've learned is that you have to keep at it, it's hard, and it sucks and I know is hardly a consolation, but the results will come and you will feel great! Good luck
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Thanks for all your responses guys and ladies (hard to tell from the user names lol) i feel more dedicated this time round and will get to where i wanna be by hook or by crook... i am cataloguing my food and i am at the gym more. Just a matter of getting the balance totally perfect.0
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prometheus369 wrote: »Never in your story there is a mention of any food logging. Buy a scale. You portion awareness sucks and you eat too much
Since i started using this app properly i have been logging all my meals and all the time spent in the gym. I dont 100% trust how accurate the calories burnt section is on the exercise section but i log it just to keep a track and make sure that im always improving. As for logging food, i am doing that and according to the app i am always under my calorie intake for the day and my fat/protein/salt goals etc
How long have you been logging your food with the app like this? It seems you're on the right track, sometimes you just have to give it a while for the scale to start showing results of all your hard work. 6 - 8 weeks is the time frame after which you really have to ask yourself some serious questions (may need to change up what you're doing).
The "Sexypants" post is great. Read this link as well to review your logging practices. As a matter of fact, read as many of the posts linked in the stickie / Announcement post at the top of the General Diet forum as you can.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1
Especially with all your injuries, Love, you may be pushing it a bit too much on the exercise front. You're doing this to improve your body; if it's repeatedly having the opposite effect (we all have an injury here and there), it may be important to ask yourself if you should slow down a bit, or take other measures to prevent these injuries. Safety first!0 -
You can still have the treats, btw. I do and I'm also hyperglycemic! I have small, measured ones But there's probably something in the dinner you eat that has more calories than you know. It's easy with oil or butter, particularly. Or misjudging portion sizes, etc.
I'd drop my calories by 100-150 a day under what's suggested for your TDEE before taking a deficit. It's not uncommon for those estimates to not fit exactly.0 -
If you've been under calories and logging everything you eat (even mustard, half and half, and so on), as well as weighing food) then I'd suspect that if it's been more than 2 or 3 weeks you are overestimating your exercise calorie burn. Try only eating back half or three-quarters of your exercise calories.0
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The fantastic thing is no matter what has been thrown at you you've come back fighting it takes a strong person to do that.
I did my knee in last year so I totally understand the frustration but you can do this.
As other posts have said a varied routine will help
Good luck0 -
'Sweet Poison' by David Gillespie. Watch him on You Tube. With sugar the more i eat the more I want. The less I eat the less I want. I've lost interest in chocolate. But it's important to eat 3 satisfying healthy meals a day, not to starve yourself. As you rely on the healthy food you will move away from the sugary food and then your appetite control kicks in naturally and you'll start to enjoy the satisfaction of real food and your weight will correct itself. Rule number one- don't diet. Rely on healthy food.0
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I am a great believer in exercise as much as you can. For example, if you are walking, up the pace by a minute/mile. Every day just give a little bit more until you are giving all you have.
It might help to just try a 7 minute work out routine (Johnson & Johnson do a fantastic free one that you can choose low impact exercises) and do as much as you can. I do mine at home as it takes no space at all and requires hardly any equipment (a chair for tricep dips).
Build up each week. It is not high impact, the main thing is you exercise to exhaustion (sweating and unable to breath/do another press up....I have seriously scared people in the gym
). Whether that state happens after one press up or 100.
There is a paper on this, that some people respond far better after 20 minutes of exhaustion exercise than hours at the gym.
I hope this helps and doesn't come over as preachy. This is what works for me. Perhaps it might work for you.
Sending you motivational thoughts.
Keep at it bro
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OP, you've said a lot of things but it's like a bad movie where the answers are elusive. So once again: You have a food scale, you've been logging consistently. So: How MANY calories do you eat??? Some people who've posted and want to help you would have a better idea if you opened your food diary. They've been at this for a long time but we/they have to know (I'm a newbie here)
Otherwise only thing I can say is "awww it sucks. sorry to hear about your struggles".0 -
OP, you've said a lot of things but it's like a bad movie where the answers are elusive. So once again: You have a food scale, you've been logging consistently. So: How MANY calories do you eat??? Some people who've posted and want to help you would have a better idea if you opened your food diary. They've been at this for a long time but we/they have to know (I'm a newbie here)
Otherwise only thing I can say is "awww it sucks. sorry to hear about your struggles".
According to this app my daily calorie in take should be 2030, im usually well below this once i put in my exercise for the day, but whether the apps calories burnt amount is close to being correct i dont know. Like i do zumba every week, and according to this app an hour of zumba burns 994 calories..?! I know it can be quite intense with alot of speed involved but not quite that much.0 -
Double check your protein. I was having trouble losing and my doctor said to increase my protein (lean healthy protein like fish, beans, ect) because that helps keep you full and gives you energy. I notice when I eat more protein I do tend to lose a little more weight. Don't give up!!0
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Struggles like this stink. I feel for you man. How to help you is made difficult because we really don't know much. We don't know you calorie goal, we don't know how carefully/accurately you are logging, we don't know if you are eating your exercise calories, and more. I will also recommend http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1 Read it carefully and follow its advise.0
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I suggest you quit counting your exercise calories. If the app says you need to eat 2k to lose weight then eat that.0
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Like i do zumba every week, and according to this app an hour of zumba burns 994 calories..?! I know it can be quite intense with alot of speed involved but not quite that much
To burn that many calories in an hour doing Zumba you need to be working at a very high level. There are probably very few people who can work out hard enough for that type of calorie burn. Try either logging your exercise (but put it in the notes so you have a record) that way you won't be tempted to eat back your calories. Also you will be able to measure how many calories you are eating.
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