I am starting to feel a bit defeated.

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freakaleek1
freakaleek1 Posts: 58 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am starting to feel a bit defeated. I have changed the way that i have been eating to a more healthy plan. However for some reason my weight is not really changing. I cut back on eating meat to one day a week which i like and i only eat fresh fruit and veggies. I lost 8 pounds the first 2 weeks eating this way however with in the last three days i have gained back 4 pounds. I really dont understand. I only eat 1250 calories a day and i walk 4 days a week for exercise. I eat my meals at 8am, 10am,12pm.3pm and 5pm. I dont eat past that unless its a small piece for fruit. I dont know if i should add more meat now and cut back on the veggies and fruit?!

Any suggestions??

Replies

  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    Are you eating your exercise calories?
  • shesnotthere
    shesnotthere Posts: 117
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    Can I ask why you aren't eating meat? Are you getting protein from something else? Honestly, it sounds like you aren't eating enough calories.
  • maemiller
    maemiller Posts: 439 Member
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    sounds like youre under eating. how much exercise do you do and do you eat the calories back after you worked them out.
  • Shanzstar
    Shanzstar Posts: 197
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    protein protein protein at every meal. Eat chicken, pork, fish, turkey... its ok. your body needs the protein to make lean muscles :)
  • glenna221
    glenna221 Posts: 46
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    Add me as a friend and I'll look at your diary. I'm also a vegetarian. I've recently started adding more beans (lentils, black beans) and whole grains (buckwheat, quinoa) to my diet. I feel like it's made a difference.
  • MisterDubs303
    MisterDubs303 Posts: 1,216 Member
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    Honestly, just keep right on going. There are so many possibilities as far as the diet (like sodium, maybe you were dehydrated before, etc.) that the adjustment may just take a week or so to work itself out. I would recommend more protein, though (just based on your original post).
  • indiankel
    indiankel Posts: 163 Member
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    What kind of fruits are you eating? Some have higher sugar content which wouldn't be good. If you are exercising you should be eating back at least 75 percent of the calories you burn but still creating a deficit to lose. Have you cut out bad carbs? Protein will also help in weight loss because it fuels your muscles, and muscles will help burn more calories.
  • mduvall612
    mduvall612 Posts: 9
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    Hi

    Have you considered increasing your exercise routine? For instance each week you challenge yourself to walk longer or faster? Last summer I walked at least 3xs a week and didn't lose any weight. This year I started running and I've lost 7 lbs. Each week I try to increase/challenge myself to do more whether it's increase my run time or increase the incline on the treadmill. I also changed my eating habits this summer which I didn't do last year. Also strength training may help too.

    Good luck!!
  • lilsailorx
    lilsailorx Posts: 5 Member
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    Your body is probably in starvation mode. It needs protein to survive and is more than likely trying to keep its energy stores. Your body needs good natural forms of fat to burn while your working out. When your body stals in weight loss sometimes jump starting it again is just a matter of giving your body more energy to burn. Also especially with women water weight will fluctuate quite a bit...Sometimes up to 4 or 5lbs a day. If you like yogurt Chobabi Greek is awesome, all natural, and has 14 grams of protein per cup:)
  • thisdesiderata
    thisdesiderata Posts: 8
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    I've taken a look at your diary and I was shocked to see how low your protein goal is for trying to eat only fruits and veggies. My sister is a vegetarian and has been for a long time. She fills her diet with really great fruits, veggies, whole grains and dairy but doesn't leave out protein which is vital to losing weight. You can still be vegetarian without losing out on protein. Eggs, nuts, dairy, and even using protein supplements will help you keep your protein levels high and also help you feel more full. I have a similar calorie goal to you and I am eating at least double the protein you are.

    Also, don't eat less than 1200 calories a day. Your body will go into starvation mode and you will inevitably gain everything back. I've been there, it's horrible.

    Good luck!
  • Teeladog
    Teeladog Posts: 157 Member
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    You probably need more protein. You don't have to eat meat to get protein either. I do eat meat but only 4 times a week or so. Otherwise I get protein from dairy (yogurt and cheese), nuts, beans, Quinoa etc. Make sure to eat back your exercise calories too....
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
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    My $.02 as a vegan: You don't need as much protein as a lot of people think!

    48-60 grams a day is all most people need, including myself.

    I get plenty of protein with beans, whole grains, vegetables, and non-dairy milks like soy milk and almond milk.

    But you do need to eat more in general! Add more of the above-mentioned foods to your meal plan and get in more calories from healthy vegetarian options (you still eat eggs and dairy, I assume? There are a lot of healthy options in those foods, too!)

    Also, try to weigh in once a week at the same time of day under similar conditions to get a more accurate view of what how your weight loss/gain is going. For example, I only weigh-in Saturday morning, before I eat anything, naked.
  • freakaleek1
    freakaleek1 Posts: 58 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I am going to try really hard on adding more protein in some way. maybe energy bars, nuts or something. I really hope that solves my problem. I thought it could be workouts so i started this morning by adding a light impact aerobic that i am going to do each morning for 30 minutes and build up from there to hopefully jump start my metabolism.
  • auntjenny74
    auntjenny74 Posts: 72 Member
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    Just throwing this out there - I tend to gain anywhere from 2-5 temporary pounds around when my period is due, and then after a few days they disappear. This is often a cause of sudden, temporary weight gain in women because of water retention.

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