Feeling Demoralised already please help!!

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cookhazel93
cookhazel93 Posts: 17 Member
in Motivation and Support
It's my second week on here and I'm already feeling disheartened.

I've started cycling to work, logging all my food and yesterday was feeling so positive! I weighed myself this morning and found that I'm apparently 39% body fat index. Posted on here as I felt insanely shocked because of it.

Someone posted saying to not take notice and take it with a pinch of salt, my BMI says I am overweight. But another person posted saying they are 10st, the same height as me and overweight.

I'm 11st and my target weight is 10 st so I feel extremely put out by this comment that I will still be 'overweight' by the time I'm at my target weight...what's the point? Please re-motivate me!!

Replies

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,125 Member
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    Have you entered your information into a BMI calculator? And possible goal weights? That might help you choose a goal.

    And then stick with it.

    10 stone is lower than 11 stone so that might be Goal 1. Once you reach that, you might want to go lower, depending on what the BMI calculator says.
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
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    It is only your second week. One of the things with weightloss is that it is not going to be fast. And yes I can completely see why after two weeks you are feeling disheartened because fo lack of progress. But really we have all been there. Keep going on the right path and you will get there one step at a time.

    I seocnd a BMI calculator. Like you I had a target weight and I was shocked that it was at the lower end of overweight, but still overweight. Never the less it remained my target until it was reached. I then reset my target as I was walking the walk anyway. May as well keep following it to the middle of my healthy BMI.

    It is a journey and MFP is there with you on it.
  • Jetamu96
    Jetamu96 Posts: 963 Member
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    cookhazel93 wrote: »
    It's my second week on here and I'm already feeling disheartened.

    I've started cycling to work, logging all my food and yesterday was feeling so positive! I weighed myself this morning and found that I'm apparently 39% body fat index. Posted on here as I felt insanely shocked because of it.

    Someone posted saying to not take notice and take it with a pinch of salt, my BMI says I am overweight. But another person posted saying they are 10st, the same height as me and overweight.

    I'm 11st and my target weight is 10 st so I feel extremely put out by this comment that I will still be 'overweight' by the time I'm at my target weight...what's the point? Please re-motivate me!!

    Don't pay any attention. BMI is just a measurement to give you an idea of what you should be, not a strict limit you need to be under.
    I'm a med student and we actually studied this this year. It's a very basic measurement.
    For example, if a bodybuilder calculated his BMI it would come out overweight or even obese as it only takes into account your height and weight, and muscle is heavy!
    Daily exercise and a healthy diet are what's important. As long as you feel well in yourself then you're fine! Don't take the BMI to heart :)
  • cookhazel93
    cookhazel93 Posts: 17 Member
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    Thanks everyone, Yes I have used a BMI calculator and I am 26.4 which is lower-mid end overweight D:
    it says healthy weight for my height is 7st 10lb - 10st 6lb surely 7 st 10lb would be too thin. When I was 8 stone I look horrendously thin.. Gah this is all too confusing!
    But I think what is important is how I feel in myself. and I need to stop feeling bloated and chubby really. :)

    BMI does seem too simple, yes..! I will carry on with my exercise and keeping track of my food intake.

    Thanks again everyone :)
  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
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    This is a lifestyle change and requires patience. Set small goals (google SMART goals) and reach them. Make good food choices and stay under. Move your body while doing things you enjoy. Turn off your TV and laptop . Get plenty of sleep. Drink water.

    Weigh more often so you can see trends more accurately, but take each individual number at minimal face value. Scales and other impedance devices aren't very good at measuring body fat. Get some calipers and learn how to use them.

    Rejoice in your choices and victories. Recognize defeats without shame and realize it's all just part of the process. Stop comparing yourself to others. No one ever wins this way.

    Rinse, wash, and repeat. Good luck!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,125 Member
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    cookhazel93 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone, Yes I have used a BMI calculator and I am 26.4 which is lower-mid end overweight D:
    it says healthy weight for my height is 7st 10lb - 10st 6lb surely 7 st 10lb would be too thin. When I was 8 stone I look horrendously thin.. Gah this is all too confusing!
    But I think what is important is how I feel in myself. and I need to stop feeling bloated and chubby really. :)

    BMI does seem too simple, yes..! I will carry on with my exercise and keeping track of my food intake.

    Thanks again everyone :)

    You don't have to go to the bottom of the BMI range ... aim for somewhere in the middle. :)

    But like I said, start with the first stone and see how you feel. One step at a time.

  • TravisJHunt
    TravisJHunt Posts: 533 Member
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    Just my opinion on this but there is a huge difference between statistics and actual healthy lifestyle. BMI as simply determined by your height and weight misses taking into account a lot of variables. Bone structure for example is not taken into account using a weight BMI calculation. If you look up any athlete, they all classify as overweight, many obese. You could have two people who look exactly the same in clothing, yet the more muscular person could have a higher BMI simply because muscle is more dense than fat and therefore having more muscle could put you at a higher BMI than someone who is actual more fat. So stop worrying about a static BMI calculation, if you really want to calculate your BMI, at least pay to have hydro-static fat test done instead. As for healthy lifestyle which in my opinion is what we should all be trying to achieve to get us away from body image issues, is much more important. You should be worried about things like heart rate and blood pressure. Your ability to climb stairs without being winded etc. So while scale weight is important, there are many more important factors you should be concerned about.
  • MrsH78
    MrsH78 Posts: 46 Member
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    Had to reply as I don't agree with bmi (I call it something different to body mass index!!!). I started all this at 18st. I'm 5ft 8. Bmi has a healthy weight for me as 10st ish to 11st 7. I reached 12st 4 at my lightest and people would say 'you've stopped losing now though haven't you?' Because if I'd gone any thinner I'd have looked ill. At my healthiest I was 13st which according to bmi is high end overweight and because of that I was still not happy despite being a size 10-12 and feeling amazing and strong. I had a baby over 2 yrs ago and couldn't workout beyond 15 weeks and am only now back down to 15st 8 so exactly halfway between my heaviest and where I was before pregnancy. I look at pictures of overweight 13 st me and wish I was back there now!!
    Set your own goals, get to them and see how you feel and look. I was 11st 4 at 18 but at 37 that wouldn't look healthy.
    Don't let other people's goals affect your motivation. Your goal is yours, theirs is theirs.
    Good luck. Enjoy a healthy lifestyle and see where it takes you.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    Don't compare yourself to other people. Don't panic when your scale uses inductance measurement to guess that you have 39% body fat. You were doing ok before it told you that and it's a brainless machine. It's still a brainless machine. Should you lose a st from your present weight you will not be underweight. Should you do so and find yourself pleased, you can commence to maintaining that weight.
  • cookhazel93
    cookhazel93 Posts: 17 Member
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    Thanks everyone your works make perfect sense to me :D
  • fitgirldc
    fitgirldc Posts: 55 Member
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    Hang in there! I found that I could do everything right and absolutely No change for two weeks, then on the 14th day 2 lbs gone! It's like the body is waiting for you to give up. Just keep pushing through. When I felt I Looked smaller but the scale said I didn't, I tried on a pair of jeans that had gotten too tight and they fit better. Eventually the scale stopped lying when it realized I wasn't giving up and I am rockin' those jeans again! Don't give up!

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