Completely Discouraged /cry
Day_knee
Posts: 85 Member
I started this at 235 pounds. I lost 4 of those pounds the first week. I lost one pound the past two weeks. I started four weeks ago with the diet or way of eating. I have adjusted my weight goal from 2 pounds a week to 1 pound a week. At 2 pounds a week MFP gives me 1200 calories. I read so much my head is spinning about how 1200 is too low. Now at one pound a week it says I should be eating 1390. I started exercising ...it'll be three weeks on Monday. I walk on my new treadmill. Each day I have increased my walking so now at this current moment I walk at a pace of 3.2 mph and am able to do 1.7 miles in 33 minutes.
I am frustrated. I feel like I am doing something wrong. I'll open my diary for others to see, and this is scary for me as well and uncomfortable but I seriously cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. Is being on the treadmill 7 days a week too much? Should I be eating back my exercise calories? I don't track how much I burn from MFP as it really seemed to be way too high so I use a different site to hopefully be more accurate. I read where people say eat back your exercise calories and I see ones that say that's stupid and don't do it. I don't want to just give up. But I am also so discouraged. I need some advice or help. Please.
I am frustrated. I feel like I am doing something wrong. I'll open my diary for others to see, and this is scary for me as well and uncomfortable but I seriously cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. Is being on the treadmill 7 days a week too much? Should I be eating back my exercise calories? I don't track how much I burn from MFP as it really seemed to be way too high so I use a different site to hopefully be more accurate. I read where people say eat back your exercise calories and I see ones that say that's stupid and don't do it. I don't want to just give up. But I am also so discouraged. I need some advice or help. Please.
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Replies
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How many calories are you estimating you are burning? (How long do you walk?) I say if it's less than 500 calories worth of exercise you are safe to not eat back your calories for a little bit of a faster loss. If it's more, I would eat back a portion or all of it in healthy foods that will keep your metabolism chugging along! Eating back the calories was a confusing thing for me at first as well, but the system is designed for you to eat them back as long as your lifestyle was set to "sedentary" because that means it has no exercise already built into your calorie goal. People are wary to eat back all the calories only because it's very easy to overestimate exercise and underestimate the portions u are actually eating - so they do it as a safety net.0
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So, to cut a long story short, you started 4 weeks ago and lost 4 pounds. What more were you expecting?
And no you're not "overtraining". Even if you did that half hour walk on the treadmill every day that's probably still under 5000 steps a day which still comes under "sedentary" unless you do anything else. Personally I think you could do with more exercise (aiming for 10,000 steps minimum) and be patient. Weight loss isn't linear. Some weeks you do better than others. It's just the way it works.... That's assuming you weigh everything you eat rather than estimate your food intake.0 -
My advice is to try and not over think it. I also have to stick to 1,200 calories a day, sometimes I do, sometimes I go over a little bit...occasionally i go over a lot. I too have started to exercise. I generally think of my exercise calories as a buffer, if I want to have pasta, or a snack later in the evening...I let myself and not feel guilty because i have earned the extra calories. I totally understand how hard it is, very confusing information over diet and exercise...just be kind to yourself and celebrate the small steps. For example logging your food and being conscious of what you are eating, the fact you are doing exercise - all of those things are great!
Half the battle is understanding the whole diet thing. I really didn't realize how many calories I was consuming, much of my new regime has been about educating myself. Stick with the new regime, and don't over think it - you are not alone in your weight loss journey!0 -
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Another thing... Do you hold on when you you walk on the treadmill?? That reduces your calorie burn by at least 25%.0
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I think 4 lbs in 4 weeks is great! So is starting to walk more and more and working it in to your daily routine. I'm too novice to everything to have much advice, but stick with it! I started at 1200 calories and decided it would be too hard starting out, so I bumped myself up to 1400. I'd rather take it slower at the start and keep with it than burn out too quickly.0
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As far as calorie level/pounds per week, your best bet is to set a level you can maintain.
At your starting weight, unless you are on the tall side, two pounds a week should be fine as you are likely obese. But if you can't stick with it, then eating more/losing slower is absolutely fine, and, yes, mostly encouraged here. I used 1200 for a couple of months and have upped it over the last few weeks...I'll see how it goes.
Personally I wouldn't worry about eating calories back from a short walk. As another poster said above it isn't likely enough to bump you above sedentary.
If you are comfortable with 1390 and can stick with it then do that and just try to be patient.
It might be helpful to wear a step counter and work toward increasing your daily steps. A treadmill is okay, but if the weather is decent walking around a park a couple of times a day is good too, and more pleasant IMO. For me gentle walking is a nice way to bump up your activity level without really feeling more hungry.0 -
go to the success forum and you will see people bigger than you succeeding. meaning, u can as well. the best advice is to get from those that were there at some point and some time. but I'll tell u one thing. u have put a time frame on your weight loss and that is a problem, sister. you have a substantial amount to lose, you need to look at this long term and realize it will not take you a month, and it probably will take u a minimum of a year & that is to just lose weight, then starts the life long journey of maintaining. get the time frame out of your mind, learn how to live differently0
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With only a 190 calorie difference between the two calorie goals, you aren't going to lose 2 pounds a week on 1200 calories. You are losing which means you are going in the right direction.
Sometimes we just need to adjust our expectations.0 -
First, as mentioned, be patient. Those first 4 pounds included water weight, which is why it was higher than what you should expect moving forward.
Second, I can't tell from your diary whether you're weighing food or not. If you want to be more accurate with your logging (so that you're more accurate with your deficit), you should weigh all solid foods. Sometimes your diary has cups, but grams in parentheses, sometimes just cups.
Third, if you just recently upped your exercise, even if it's not intense by some standards, you may be retaining water at first, which will go away.
Fourth, if you are weighing once a week you may have missed a lower weight day.
Fifth, ignore the poster who mentioned exercise calories only being important if you enter sedentary and if you burn more than 500. First, if you are using MFP's method, your activity level does not include intentional exercise. No matter if you choose sedentary or active. You are meant to add your exercise. If you are burning 400 or 500 calories, that's a lot of additional deficit. Granted, those burns are often exaggerated. However, I have heard that walking burns tend to be more accurate (don't know if that's true, haven't looked into it). But, you can easily cut that in half and eat those back. If you're accurate with your logging, it would be a good idea to eat at least half. I would agree that if it's only 200 calories or so, though, it's not really important.
Basically, be patient and make sure your logging's accurate. Don't make changes for at least 4, if not 6, weeks.0 -
You've lost 5 lbs in 4 weeks right? That is a good rate of loss. Why are you discouraged?
You just changed your calorie goal and started exercising more. Be patient. Stick to what you are doing for a month at least before making changes.
If you aren't losing after several weeks it is good to check the accuracy of your logging. If you aren't using a food scale you might try weighing your food to improve the accuracy of your logging. Choose correct entries.
You can eat some of your exercise calories if you want. You haven't been doing that so it doesn't really matter if the amount of calories burned you log is accurate or not. If you start eating them you might eat only half to offset overestimated calorie burns.
You will not lose weight every time you step on the scale. It does not mean you are doing things wrong.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p10 -
You're down 5 pounds in either 3 or 4 weeks. What's the problem?0
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You didn't gain the weight in a month. It will take time. You've already made significant progress. Cry if you need to.
Exercise doesn't do much for weight loss but it helps manage mood and stress. Eating back exercise calories is a tricky personal question because they are highly variable. Activity monitors can only estimate the calories expended. When I was reducing, so I would eat half of the estimated exercise calories, just to control hunger.
More protein and fat, and less carbs may help control hunger.0 -
I started this at 235 pounds. I lost 4 of those pounds the first week. I lost one pound the past two weeks. I started four weeks ago with the diet or way of eating. I have adjusted my weight goal from 2 pounds a week to 1 pound a week. At 2 pounds a week MFP gives me 1200 calories. I read so much my head is spinning about how 1200 is too low. Now at one pound a week it says I should be eating 1390. I started exercising ...it'll be three weeks on Monday. I walk on my new treadmill. Each day I have increased my walking so now at this current moment I walk at a pace of 3.2 mph and am able to do 1.7 miles in 33 minutes.
I am frustrated. I feel like I am doing something wrong. I'll open my diary for others to see, and this is scary for me as well and uncomfortable but I seriously cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. Is being on the treadmill 7 days a week too much? Should I be eating back my exercise calories? I don't track how much I burn from MFP as it really seemed to be way too high so I use a different site to hopefully be more accurate. I read where people say eat back your exercise calories and I see ones that say that's stupid and don't do it. I don't want to just give up. But I am also so discouraged. I need some advice or help. Please.
It looks like you are losing, so no need to panic. The basic things that seem suspicious in your diary is the entries in cups for cereal and slices for bread. If these are verified with a scale, fine. If not, try verifying that what fits in your cup or what you consider a slice is indeed what is supposed to be a portion. My slice of bread is around 3 slices of what MFP thinks is a slice, and cereal, what fits in my average cup is closer to 3-4 servings.0 -
Yes, people tend to freak out over the 1200 calories, but mine was the exact same as yours. I was given 1200 calories to lose 2 pounds a week, and 1390 to lose 1 pound a week. I did start out at a lower weight than you (165), but I was very firm with that 1200. (I should add that I didn't start visiting the forums until about half way through my loss, so I didn't have the static buzz or conflicting advice to throw me off.) Since you are starting at a higher weight than me it's possible that you could have a higher daily calorie intake and still lose depending on your height, and you would lower it as you go. BUT if MFP tells you that's what it takes to lose (and you entered everything correctly) then that's what it takes.
Anyway, I lost steadily. I worked out 3-4 times a week either doing 4.3 mile per hour walks for an hour, or doing workout videos on youtube. I now weigh 132 and am in maintenance at around 1800 calories a day. It took about 5-6 months to lose the 30 pounds.
As everyone says, weight lose is not steady. Even when you do everything right you can lose 3 pounds one week and then nothing for 2 weeks. There was a month when I was discouraged thinking I wasn't losing anything, then I went back to the chart MPF makes to graph weight loss and I realized I actually had lost 2 pounds that month. It's just hard to notice sometimes.0 -
How many calories are you estimating you are burning? (How long do you walk?) I say if it's less than 500 calories worth of exercise you are safe to not eat back your calories for a little bit of a faster loss. If it's more, I would eat back a portion or all of it in healthy foods that will keep your metabolism chugging along! Eating back the calories was a confusing thing for me at first as well, but the system is designed for you to eat them back as long as your lifestyle was set to "sedentary" because that means it has no exercise already built into your calorie goal. People are wary to eat back all the calories only because it's very easy to overestimate exercise and underestimate the portions u are actually eating - so they do it as a safety net
I am walking approx 1.7 miles at 3.2 miles per hour. my treadmill says I burn 150 calories..mfp says I burn 500 and a fitness website I use seems a bit more accurate because it asks my weight, the incline level miles per hour etc..and that says 250. I rarely eat back those calories. I know I have on a day or two but I dont typically do it. YOu know how some say do it and some say don't. Its frustrating.0 -
Another thing... Do you hold on when you you walk on the treadmill?? That reduces your calorie burn by at least 25%.
what do you mean by hold on? like the handle bars? No, holding on feels a bit awkward for me. Am I supposed to hold on to them? forgive my ...dumbness but I have honestly never really exercised before. I just get on and walk like I would down the street.0 -
You're down 5 pounds in either 3 or 4 weeks. What's the problem?
I don't know if there IS one necessarily...its mostly me seeing others do so much more. A woman on my friends list said she lost 6 pounds this week. I think I am just worried I am not doing something right. I have not exercised like this ever before in my life...I have no real understanding of how to lose weight so I tried to make it simple..like the CICO thing. I try not to over think it but I feel behind in the four weeks Ive done this. Maybe it's all in my head.0 -
You're down 5 pounds in either 3 or 4 weeks. What's the problem?
I don't know if there IS one necessarily...its mostly me seeing others do so much more. A woman on my friends list said she lost 6 pounds this week. I think I am just worried I am not doing something right. I have not exercised like this ever before in my life...I have no real understanding of how to lose weight so I tried to make it simple..like the CICO thing. I try not to over think it but I feel behind in the four weeks Ive done this. Maybe it's all in my head.
It is all in your head.
You're losing weight. There is no problem.0 -
I started this at 235 pounds. I lost 4 of those pounds the first week. I lost one pound the past two weeks. I started four weeks ago with the diet or way of eating. I have adjusted my weight goal from 2 pounds a week to 1 pound a week. At 2 pounds a week MFP gives me 1200 calories. I read so much my head is spinning about how 1200 is too low. Now at one pound a week it says I should be eating 1390. I started exercising ...it'll be three weeks on Monday. I walk on my new treadmill. Each day I have increased my walking so now at this current moment I walk at a pace of 3.2 mph and am able to do 1.7 miles in 33 minutes.
I am frustrated. I feel like I am doing something wrong. I'll open my diary for others to see, and this is scary for me as well and uncomfortable but I seriously cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. Is being on the treadmill 7 days a week too much? Should I be eating back my exercise calories? I don't track how much I burn from MFP as it really seemed to be way too high so I use a different site to hopefully be more accurate. I read where people say eat back your exercise calories and I see ones that say that's stupid and don't do it. I don't want to just give up. But I am also so discouraged. I need some advice or help. Please.
It looks like you are losing, so no need to panic. The basic things that seem suspicious in your diary is the entries in cups for cereal and slices for bread. If these are verified with a scale, fine. If not, try verifying that what fits in your cup or what you consider a slice is indeed what is supposed to be a portion. My slice of bread is around 3 slices of what MFP thinks is a slice, and cereal, what fits in my average cup is closer to 3-4 servings.
I got the bread calories and slices from the actual bread loaf. It says its 120 or 130 for two slices. I don't remember exactly as I am not in the kitchen. Perhaps I just not eat bread? or just make a half sandwich instead of a whole? I weigh all other foods like my meat or potatos and even veggies. The cereal box says its 120 for cinnamon life for one cup. I get my measuring cup out and measure it along with the milk. I am thinking I just need to maybe be more strict with my bread and perhaps no cereal. I am going to re evaluate these two options. Thank you. I will see how to adjust these two items. I appreciate the help0 -
I started this at 235 pounds. I lost 4 of those pounds the first week. I lost one pound the past two weeks. I started four weeks ago with the diet or way of eating. I have adjusted my weight goal from 2 pounds a week to 1 pound a week. At 2 pounds a week MFP gives me 1200 calories. I read so much my head is spinning about how 1200 is too low. Now at one pound a week it says I should be eating 1390. I started exercising ...it'll be three weeks on Monday. I walk on my new treadmill. Each day I have increased my walking so now at this current moment I walk at a pace of 3.2 mph and am able to do 1.7 miles in 33 minutes.
I am frustrated. I feel like I am doing something wrong. I'll open my diary for others to see, and this is scary for me as well and uncomfortable but I seriously cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. Is being on the treadmill 7 days a week too much? Should I be eating back my exercise calories? I don't track how much I burn from MFP as it really seemed to be way too high so I use a different site to hopefully be more accurate. I read where people say eat back your exercise calories and I see ones that say that's stupid and don't do it. I don't want to just give up. But I am also so discouraged. I need some advice or help. Please.
It looks like you are losing, so no need to panic. The basic things that seem suspicious in your diary is the entries in cups for cereal and slices for bread. If these are verified with a scale, fine. If not, try verifying that what fits in your cup or what you consider a slice is indeed what is supposed to be a portion. My slice of bread is around 3 slices of what MFP thinks is a slice, and cereal, what fits in my average cup is closer to 3-4 servings.
I got the bread calories and slices from the actual bread loaf. It says its 120 or 130 for two slices. I don't remember exactly as I am not in the kitchen. Perhaps I just not eat bread? or just make a half sandwich instead of a whole? I weigh all other foods like my meat or potatos and even veggies. The cereal box says its 120 for cinnamon life for one cup. I get my measuring cup out and measure it along with the milk. I am thinking I just need to maybe be more strict with my bread and perhaps no cereal. I am going to re evaluate these two options. Thank you. I will see how to adjust these two items. I appreciate the help
Slow down. You're going a little crazy here, thinking you have to eliminate things WHEN YOU ARE LOSING WEIGHT.
However, measuring cups are not as accurate as a scale. The serving size on the box won't just say "1 cup". It'll say "1 cup" with grams in parentheses. Use the grams.
As far as bread, no need to give it up. Again, the package will list the grams per slice. If you weigh a slice, and it's higher (or lower) than the grams on the package, adjust your entry accordingly.
This will all become second nature after a while.
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You're down 5 pounds in either 3 or 4 weeks. What's the problem?
I don't know if there IS one necessarily...its mostly me seeing others do so much more. A woman on my friends list said she lost 6 pounds this week. I think I am just worried I am not doing something right. I have not exercised like this ever before in my life...I have no real understanding of how to lose weight so I tried to make it simple..like the CICO thing. I try not to over think it but I feel behind in the four weeks Ive done this. Maybe it's all in my head.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Just because someone lost more than you doesn't mean that you are doing something wrong.0 -
Thank you everyone for your advice! I feel a bit less frustrated. after my post I hoped on my treadmill and walked 1.7 miles in 33 minutes at 3.2 mph. I suppose in 4/5 weeks its actually a 1pound loss a week and that is good. I guess I just felt discouraged because that first 4 pounds lost was in the first week. I am committed to being healthier and I know it's going to take me a long time to lose weight. I am sorry to have complained. I am so new to this way of life of exercising and eating better that I expected more. I don't know what I am doing half the time but I read a ton and try to understand better, this way of life and dieting. There is SO much to digest in terms of how to do this and how much weight is normal to lose and to eat back exercise calories or not or to walk more or not or to rest from exercise days or not. I know one thing I need to do is up my water. I am not drinking enough I think.
Anyhow thank you guys so much. I am a newbie just trying to work it all out.0 -
You're down 5 pounds in either 3 or 4 weeks. What's the problem?
I don't know if there IS one necessarily...its mostly me seeing others do so much more. A woman on my friends list said she lost 6 pounds this week. I think I am just worried I am not doing something right. I have not exercised like this ever before in my life...I have no real understanding of how to lose weight so I tried to make it simple..like the CICO thing. I try not to over think it but I feel behind in the four weeks Ive done this. Maybe it's all in my head.
You are doing fine. Averaging a very sustainable pound a week means 52 pounds a year. I would not change anything at this point other than ceasing to compare yourself to others.0 -
Glad you're feeling better, but I still recommend investing in a food scale.0
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@booksandchocolate12 - thank you for posting the chart! That is interesting.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
I like this quote very much!
@Day_knee - no words of advice to offer as I am new to this site but Congrats on the 5 pounds! Something must be working.0 -
I don't know if there IS one necessarily...its mostly me seeing others do so much more. A woman on my friends list said she lost 6 pounds this week. I think I am just worried I am not doing something right. I have not exercised like this ever before in my life...I have no real understanding of how to lose weight so I tried to make it simple..like the CICO thing. I try not to over think it but I feel behind in the four weeks Ive done this. Maybe it's all in my head.
6 lbs a week!! That sounds to me like my husband and his friends comparing fish they caught
I don't know the stories or stats, so the fish might have been that big or there might be other factors too.
The only consistent advice I have seen is that exercise is for fitness, eating well is for weight loss. Don't stop the walking, it's a great healthy habit! But I'd also pump the brakes on the over thinking, CICO etc. Find a calorie level you are comfortable to maintain and keep it up. It sounds to me like you are doing the right things!
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As everyone said, you're losing at a very respectable pace. It's possible/probable that it will even slow down over time as you approach your goal weight. It doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong, just that losing weight and keeping it off is a long-haul process, not a quick one.
We're so bombarded with ads and magazine headlines about impossibly high rates of weight loss that it's easy to get a crazily skewed view of what's possible. Women's World magazine this week has a cover story promising you can lose 46 pounds in 3 weeks. I literally laughed out loud in the checkout lane when I saw it, because short of amputating a couple of limbs, that is NOT possible. But not everybody knows better. And to someone who expects those insane rates of loss, one pound a week might feel cruelly disappointing, even though it means you burned 3500 calories more than you ate that week, which is GREAT!
Stick with it, OP, and just learn to evaluate promises and expectations rationally. A pound of fat is 3500 calories- even if most women ate nothing all day (which is miserable and unhealthy and should absolutely not be attempted) we still wouldn't lose six pounds of fat a week. It just takes time. If you have a lot of weight to lose, it can take a lot of time.
But that time is going to pass whether or not you're using it to move more, eat less, and learn about maintaining your health, so why not go for it and be fit and trim in a year rather than staying the same or gaining more?0 -
emmycantbemeeko wrote: »As everyone said, you're losing at a very respectable pace. It's possible/probable that it will even slow down over time as you approach your goal weight. It doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong, just that losing weight and keeping it off is a long-haul process, not a quick one.
We're so bombarded with ads and magazine headlines about impossibly high rates of weight loss that it's easy to get a crazily skewed view of what's possible. Women's World magazine this week has a cover story promising you can lose 46 pounds in 3 weeks. I literally laughed out loud in the checkout lane when I saw it, because short of amputating a couple of limbs, that is NOT possible. But not everybody knows better. And to someone who expects those insane rates of loss, one pound a week might feel cruelly disappointing, even though it means you burned 3500 calories more than you ate that week, which is GREAT!
Stick with it, OP, and just learn to evaluate promises and expectations rationally. A pound of fat is 3500 calories- even if most women ate nothing all day (which is miserable and unhealthy and should absolutely not be attempted) we still wouldn't lose six pounds of fat a week. It just takes time. If you have a lot of weight to lose, it can take a lot of time.
But that time is going to pass whether or not you're using it to move more, eat less, and learn about maintaining your health, so why not go for it and be fit and trim in a year rather than staying the same or gaining more?
I am one who will definitely make myself nuts over all the stupid weight loss things I see all over the place. It makes it more confusing for someone like me who has never attempted this before, to really get a good understanding. I have learned that CICO is the way to go. I panicked when I didn't see the scale move. I don't have a set time limit and I have it in my head that it's going to take at least a year to do this correctly. I hopped on my treadmill after my original post, walked 1.7 miles at 3.2 mps in 33 minutes..I took a shower..and feel better. and I know everyone is right that I need to adjust my expectations. My journey is going to be so different compared to others. thank you for all the advice
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booksandchocolate12 wrote: »Glad you're feeling better, but I still recommend investing in a food scale.
I have one. I will be more diligent about weighing my food! even bread!0
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