Weight loss frustration

Options
bethcothern
bethcothern Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there! I started eating healthier about a month ago. I keep my daily caloric intake to about 1200 calories per day. I have recently started walking 5 miles per day and started circuit training 3 days ago. I am 44 years old and this is the first time in my life that I haven't been able to lose weight. I am overweight by about 10 pounds in my opinion and really needed to tone up and build a little muscle. Anyone have any ideas what I may need to add to lose a few pounds.
«1

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    Your diary is closed, but often when people don't lose weight when they expect to it is due to a logging issue.
  • bethcothern
    bethcothern Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    I honestly eat mostly fruits and veggies and high protein. I honestly always go towards the high end when logging in what I eat!
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Options
    Weigh your food and log correctly. Don't use generic or "homemade". Change your goal to 0.5-1 pound of loss per week since you are only within 10 pounds of your goal.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    bethcothern wrote: »
    I honestly eat mostly fruits and veggies and high protein. I honestly always go towards the high end when logging in what I eat!

    What you eat is going to be less important than how many calories you're eating. Are you weighing all your solid food? Are you entering your own recipes (not using "generic" or "homemade" from the database)? Have you double-checked the calorie counts on the foods you eat frequently to ensure you're using the right database entry?
  • bethcothern
    bethcothern Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    Well, I haven't gone to the extreme of actually weighing solid foods but I lost about 15 pounds a year or so ago doing the exact same thing except I'm actually a lot more active than I was then. I basically stick to a common sense low glycemic foods diet for the lost part.
  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
    Options
    If you're really honest about your calorie intake and you're sure you only take in 1200 a day after exercise, I would highly consider recomp instead of focusing on that last 10 pounds. You'll find that those last ten pounds won't come off but the inches will.
  • bethcothern
    bethcothern Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    Thanks for the info!
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Options
    GI index has nothing to do with weight loss. Its calories in/calories out. Simple. I eat poptarts and ice cream and still lose. As long as you are in a deficit you will lose.
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
    Options
    If you aren't losing, it could be because you aren't logging correctly as the others have said. However, did you set your calories or did MFP? And are you eating your exercise calories? Some people don't do well if they are eating too FEW calories and some people don't lose if they eat their exercise calories. Everybody's different. But if I were you, I would let MFP set the calorie target and then log every single bite. Even if it's a cucumber or a stalk of celery.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Options
    With 10 pounds to go - weight loss will be slow. Water weight can easily mask weight loss if we are talking about 1 or 2 weigh-ins. Water weight is from higher sodium, time of month, sore muscles, waste, etc.

    Weighing food is so helpful, especially fruit. What's a medium apple anyway?
  • bethcothern
    bethcothern Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    Thanks for your reply. I am soon to be 45 and have recently noticed my energy level has gone down and I don't have the strength I once did. I weigh 139 and I'm 5'3" and have a medium frame. I don't look overweight but I feel like I am all flab and don't have a lot of stamina as I once did. I will sometimes go over in my calories if I have been very active during the day. I will start weighing my food. Thanks for the tips.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Options
    BeYouTiful94 wrote: »
    Weigh everything. Even if you are just eating a bunch of fruits and veggies, those can add up. 10 pounds is a small amount, and if you're trying to lose that 10 from an already relatively low BMI, it's going to be more difficult that losing 10 pounds from an overweight or obese BMI. You'll have to be very accurate in logging.

    You might see long periods of no loses, or even gain. Also, you just recently starting walking 5 miles and doing circuit training so your muscles might retain water to repair themselves from this new, increased activity level.

    Also, you said you want to build a little muscle, and I really hope you mean just a very very very little, because a 1200 calories, that's about all you can expect. At 1200 calories, which is a very aggressive goal for 10 pounds anyway, you're actually more likely to experience muscle loss rather than buildings any, but if you do, it will be minimal. And to go with that desire to build muscle, muscle weighs more than fat, so if you were to increase your calories and do more strength training, you could see weight gain there. Don't be so focused on the 10 pounds. Be more focused on the results in the mirror. Take some pics, and keep measurements.

    Agree with everything but this. 1 pound of muscle weighs the same as 1 pound of fat. Its just that a pound of fat takes up more space than a pound of muscle.

  • donjtomasco
    donjtomasco Posts: 789 Member
    Options
    When did you weight yourself on your initial weight? Did you have clothes on, had you just eaten? When do you weigh yourself now? Best to weigh first thing in the morning after you've done your business, then check your weight at the same time the next time you weigh. That can make a big difference.
  • bethcothern
    bethcothern Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    I haven't cheated at all, that's why I'm so frustrated. If I eat a snicker bar I log it but I have honestly eaten what's on my log. A year ago, my log looks pretty much the same except my weight changed drastically!
  • bethcothern
    bethcothern Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    In reply to your response. I weigh myself in the mornings when I get to work. I work in a medical office and use the scales there. My weight generally only fluctuates an ounce or two when I'm not trying to lose weight.
  • ummijaaz560
    ummijaaz560 Posts: 228 Member
    Options
    You can log everything thing you put in your mouth, but if you're not weighing everything you don't know if you're eating 1200 calories.
    If that snickers bar says it's 250 calories per whatever gram(s) it could be upwards of 20% higher than what the package says.
  • bethcothern
    bethcothern Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    cathipa wrote: »
    GI index has nothing to do with weight loss. Its calories in/calories out. Simple. I eat poptarts and ice cream and still lose. As long as you are in a deficit you will lose.

    The reason I mentioned that I eat from the low glycemic index is because if I ate pop tarts and ice cream I would starve to death! I find that I get to eat more if I eat from this list, I feel fuller longer so I don't go over my calories for the day.

Categories