Need advice on how to really lose weight...

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jaxxeemom
jaxxeemom Posts: 36 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 39 yo and 5' 5.5" tall and currently weigh 150 lbs. I have been trying to lose weight for the last 6 months with nothing really happening. I have maybe lost 8 lbs in the last 6 months. I eat around 1250 - 1400 cals/day depending on if I exercise and I exercise 2-3 x week. I lost 4 lbs in the last 2 months but this is so slow and I seem to plateau for a week or 2 at a time. It's so hard! I have a business, 2 children and it's hard to find the time to exercise. I eat a salad for lunch but I have a large frame and I think every time I try to drop below 1200 cals/day or try to keep it at 1200 even when exercising I'm starving! So hard with boys in the family to eat salads for dinner.... What else can I do?

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  • pinktoesjb
    pinktoesjb Posts: 302 Member
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    do you weigh food and log etc?
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    With the amount that's going on in your life right now, a slow weight loss seems like your best bet tbh. That kind of slow loss means you likely won't have to go through this again next year. But if that comment just frustrates you, I would suggest considering switching to low carb for a while.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    edited June 2016
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    8 lbs in 6 months when you're barely overweight sounds about right, to me. The reason you're starving is because you don't have a lot of body fat to live off of. Yeah, you have some. But not enough to support whatever deficit you're at, is my guess.

    Maybe you should think about recomp at your current weight instead of trying to lose more scale weight.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
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    I'm only an inch taller than you, and I started around the same weight. It took me a year to lose twelve pounds, but I've been able to eat 2000 calories a day (more when I workout)! I've lost weight way faster in the past, but this is the only time I've ever done something sustainable. Plus I've lost fat and gained muscle this time, which makes so much difference in appearance. What I'm getting at is that slow isn't bad! In fact, I think the more slowly one loses, the more sustainable the loss is. If there's no reason other than impatience for you to lose weight more quickly, I suggest learning to be ok with slow!
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    1. If not already doing so, weigh solid food and make sure you choose correct entries when you log.
    2. Readjust your mind set. 4 pounds in 2 months is fine. You shouldn't be losing more than 1 lb/wk at your weight, and .5 lb/wk is not a bad rate at all for your current weight. Also, you don't "plateau" for a week or two at a time. Weight loss isn't linear, some days/weeks you lose, some you don't, some you "gain" (water weight). 4 pounds in 2 months is a loss. A loss is a loss.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    jaxxeemom wrote: »
    So hard with boys in the family to eat salads for dinner.... What else can I do?

    I eat what my famy eats mostly just apropriate portion sizes and add more vegetables/salad on my plate. You have different needs so your plates don't need to be identical.
    Are you getting enough protein and fats in your day? Changing that could help you feel more satisfied.
    Use a food scale. Log everything as accurately as you can. Choose correct database entries.

    Your rate of loss is good for your height and weight actually.

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited June 2016
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    well, you're already pretty close to a healthy weight for your height. I imagine you should change your expectations, because losing 8 pounds at your size in that amount of time is pretty good. Especially 4 pounds in 2 months.

    I have to say though, in addition to making sure you are logging accurately, i would recommend you doing things here and there to increase your TDEE. From the sounds of it, one of the two things is happening:

    1.) You are eating more calories than you think (not 1,200-1,400).
    OR
    2.) You maintain on 1,600-1,800 calories and you are logging accurately and losing appropriately.


    So, try and make sure your logging is correct and try and be more active throughout the day consistently. Walk more, take the stairs, park far away from places, go for a walk on your lunch, go walk around the park, etc.

    Believe me, all of these women saying how they "are losing on 2,000 calories a day" and "oh, well I can eat x amount of calories and maintain". That's all well and good, but they are likely living a significantly more active lifestyle on non-exercise stuff.

    After getting a Garmin Forerunner which tracks my daily activity, i found out that i'm on average walking 3,000 steps and burning 1,400 calories a day. 1,600 on days i work out. I'm 5'4. So imagine my surprise when i realized why i wasn't losing weight as fast as all of these online calculators said i should! And i exercise 4 times a week and I work HARD in the gym!

    So, my point is... your losing weight at an appropriate weight. But if you're that concerned about it, try and count as accurately as possible and increase your day-to-day activity a little bit here and there. You can also play around with the idea of Intermittent Fasting if that helps you with satiation on a low calorie diet.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Lounmoun wrote: »
    jaxxeemom wrote: »
    So hard with boys in the family to eat salads for dinner.... What else can I do?

    I eat what my famy eats mostly just apropriate portion sizes and add more vegetables/salad on my plate. You have different needs so your plates don't need to be identical.
    Are you getting enough protein and fats in your day? Changing that could help you feel more satisfied.
    Use a food scale. Log everything as accurately as you can. Choose correct database entries.

    Your rate of loss is good for your height and weight actually.

    This^

    Learn portions for ALL food. Portions for food you will be eating at maintenance. I eat "regular" dinners, but my portion of veggies is the largest thing on my plate.

    Proteins & fats stick with me longer than just veggies. You're doing great!
  • jaxxeemom
    jaxxeemom Posts: 36 Member
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    Wow! Such great advice, encouraging and I love the fantastic flow chart! I have been logging my food for over 2 years now, some days I weigh my portions, some days I guess my portions. It depends on whether I made it myself or if I bought a meal at a restaurant or I was at a bbq etc. It's tough being vigilant. Thank you to everyone for being nice and not bitchslapping me! I probably do have some days where I unknowingly am eating more than what I log because it's not something that is in my regular diet or I don't have a real account of how many calories are actually in it. Like take for example a slice of pizza we get occasionally from the pizza place down the street, you can guess by googling how many calories in a slice of pizza (which comes up as 272 btw!!!) but do you really know what that slice is compared to the other pizza place downtown? It's a guessing game. So, lately I've been really good, like we haven't had pizza for 3 weeks, I've replaced my lunch with a salad and trained my body to be ok with that. (I used to be starving if I only had a salad for lunch) but now, I actually have more energy and I am exercising more. That's good. I also try to switch things up a lot, not get used to too regulated of a diet and trick my metabolism by one day having oatmeal, one day yoghurt and fruit for breakfast etc. Anyway I am glad to hear that my impatience seems to be half my problem. The other part is loading up on veggies and not carbs when having family meals and the last part is truly tracking and weighing my portions. Thank you mfp peeps!! You're a nice bunch : )
  • Zipp237
    Zipp237 Posts: 255 Member
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    I think everyone has to do their own thing, but here are things that I've done that worked for me...

    Staying full. I eat four, five, six times a day. And I eat breakfast so that I don't pig out later.

    Eat healthy. It's much easier to stay full when I eat healthy and it's much easier to get my nutrients.

    Drink water. On occasion, I'll have a diet pop, but most days (and weeks), I just drink water. When I drink pop, I eat more.

    Exercise. If there is time to watch TV, there is time to turn on some music and dance. Dancing is good for the legs!

    Think differently. When I start thinking cake, I immediately think of something else to do and then I do that. After a while, I have less "Cake!" thoughts. I guess you can retrain a brain!

    Count the calories and nutrients. I like to know how I'm doing. It's hard to get all the necessary nutrients in when calories are limited, so I pay attention to all of it. This lets me plan things out - knowing where I'm doing well and where I'm not helps me improve my diet.

    Trust myself. I know me best. I can't do those three or ten day challenges/cleanses. I need to eat a healthy, balanced diet every day. So, people who say, "C'mon, you can have a donut!" and "You should do this cleanse with me" and all that stuff...I have to ignore them. My way works for me.

    Of all of it, I'd say Trust Myself is the most important. Trust yourself. You know you best.

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