I feel stuck

Zantabar · July 2016

So I started my weight loss mid June around June 10th. I cannot remember my exact start date. I do know I weighed 278 at 5'3"when I started. I signed up at my local gym and stopped drinking sodas and bam! Instantly I lost 10 lbs very easily. But it was no by July 3rd I was 273 lbs.

I then decided I would start using a calorie counter(on my kindle sorry myfitnesspal does not work very well on kindle). So I plugged in my data on July 3rd and it told me to consume 2005 calories. So I was highly motivated I logged everything I ate and all my exercise (I prefer the elliptical). I start out with 33 min on the machine alternating between 8 resistance and 1 for 4 minutes each with a 5 minute cool-down.

I started getting comfortable so I doubled my workout on the elliptical. Always staying in budget of calories somewhere around 1700-1800 usually. I am down to 263 and this has been the hardest 10 lbs I have ever worked for. I am just not happy. I feel like I should be further along. Yes I know its 10 lbs! But last week I was down 17 and shot back up. This is a weird roller coaster and I know I have to keep moving.

I just feel like my body is saying okay 10 lbs that's it buddy.

This past weekend I went to two hour workouts (thanks Netflix) because I had shows I could watch. I feels great telling people that I put in 2 hours and im burning 1000+ calories at the gym. I was evening motivated to get up early and workout before work today. I just still feel like I am at that wall.

I am not giving up I am just venting perhaps or maybe someone can offer new insight or something.

thanks

ogtmama · July 2016

10 pounds in 5 weeks is just about as good as it gets

congratulations! I know it's a weird ride but once you hit your stride it gets easier. Take some pictures now for reference when you can't see the difference.

Zantabar · July 2016

eveandqsmom wrote: »

10 pounds in 5 weeks is just about as good as it gets congratulations! I know it's a weird ride but once you hit your stride it gets easier. Take some pictures now for reference when you can't see the difference.

thanks!

I have been meaning to take pictures it feels a little weird thinking about that But I know i'm going to regret it if I don't have some starter pictures. I guess your right I did not see the whole 5 weeks 10 lbs that 2 a week which is my goal.

I just thought being this big I would have lost more by now. Here we go.

dmt4641 · July 2016

10 lbs in 5 weeks is wonderful. Don't be fooled by Biggest Loser or other shows where they are losing a pound a day. That is 1) not healthy and 2) under a doctor's supervision.

Weight loss is not linear. Water weight fluctuations can cause the scale to bounce around, and that is normal. Try trendweight.com or happy scale app to track your weight trends. If your weight is trending down over time, you are doing it right. A few days going up on the scale is fine, as long as the overall trend is down.

Good work and keep at it.

Zantabar · July 2016

dmt4641 wrote: »

10 lbs in 5 weeks is wonderful. Don't be fooled by Biggest Loser or other shows where they are losing a pound a day. That is 1) not healthy and 2) under a doctor's supervision.

Weight loss is not linear. Water weight fluctuations can cause the scale to bounce around, and that is normal. Try trendweight.com or happy scale app to track your weight trends. If your weight is trending down over time, you are doing it right. A few days going up on the scale is fine, as long as the overall trend is down.

Good work and keep at it.

thank you
My app on my kindle does let me see my plug in data and overall my weight is trending downward it is going down. It is just a shock some days to get on the scale and you have been really good and bam 3lbs put on its just a little shock I guess.

but thank you I know this weight did not get on here overnight I just gotta keep moving.

JDixon852019 · July 2016

Your first 10lbs are the easiest to loose. Don't get frustrated. Just keep going. Take photos (front, back, each side) and measurements, the scale sometimes lies.

I suggest adding strength training to your routine. Building muscle burns more fat.

lemurcat12 · July 2016

Bouncing around a lot can be really common at first, especially with lots to lose. I did that for the first few weeks and then settled down to more gradual fluctuations and a more consistent loss rate. Also, make sure you weigh yourself at the same time and under the same conditions--I did it every morning right after waking up (but after going to the bathroom) and never later in the day after eating and drinking. You get used to the fluctuations and see what's normal.

Anyway, sounds like you are going great -- keep it up and don't let overly high expectations get in the way of progress. Try to take a long view; consider if you just stay consistent where you will be in 6 months and a year (and make sure your approach is something enjoyable and manageable so doing it that long doesn't sound terrible).

StaciMarie1974 · July 2016

I am guessing that your weight gain did not happen overnight. In other words, you were not at a healthy weight 6 months ago, right? So it is only logical that it will take time to lose the weight. 2 pounds per week is about as much as you could hope for. The bright side: you weigh less now that in June when you started. And if you keep going, you'll continue to lose weight and become more fit/healthy and month by month you'll get closer to a healthy weight.

dubird · July 2016

Yeah, weight fluctuations can be a stone *kitten*. It's like "i walked that extra mile and gained a pound? i could've had cake instead!" That's why I don't weigh myself any more often than once a week, and usually go a couple weeks between weigh-ins. I'm maintaining now, but I also knew that when I was losing, the amount I was eating was making me lose weight, so I forced myself not to think about the scale. The scale is a tool you need, true, but it's mostly important to use it so you can track your trend. To me, it sounds like you're on the right path, just need to reconfigure your outlook. Which is really hard, I know! But once you make that connection, it does become easier.

If you're feeling discouraged about weight fluctuation, pull up your graph here on MFP and draw a line from start to finish. If it's going down, you're fine, and seeing that line may be what you need to refocus yourself. ^_^

nikki8412 · July 2016

When I was working with a trainer he mentioned not weighing myself too often like the other poster said. Once a week is good and especially in the beginning take pictures and measure yourself. You will lose inches and that's a great motivator. Keep at it! Other tips that have saved me:
No sugar after 5 pm (my bedtime is 10 pm)
No eating 2 hours before bed.
Good luck to you and CONGRATS on 10 lbs!

cdahl383 · July 2016

1-2lbs per week is pretty much where you should be, so I'd say you're right on target losing 10lbs in 5 weeks. As the others have said, weight loss is not linear. Even if you eat the same amount of calories each week your weight loss may stall and then speed up here and there along the way.

Keep up the good work, track your calories, push yourself a little each time you exercise, make it fun, and you'll get to your goal before you know it! Good luck!

Dove0804 · July 2016

I agree with everyone here- great advice. 2 lbs per week is perfect when you have more to lose. It's so hard to be patient- we all want to have lost weight yesterday!

I do want to ask- are you eating back your exercise calories? It sounds like you are- just be aware that a lot of machines overestimate how much you burn. For that reason, a lot of people on MFP only eat back maybe 25-50% of their estimated exercise calories to make sure they're maintaining a deficit. It's something to consider if you find yourself struggling to continue to lose.

Zantabar · July 2016

Wow thank you all for the words of encouragement. I do need to look at the bigger picture of things happening to me. I appreciate all the positive feedback!

I do weigh myself every morning after I go to the bathroom right when I wake up so I get a weigh in the same time daily. After taking a moment to realize how long I have gone and lost 2 lbs a week I can say I'm happy.

Someone asked if I was eating back my exercise calories. Well this is what I am doing not sure if I'm doing it right or wrong. My calorie counter says I should have about 1994 calories in a day. When I workout on the elliptical and I burn 500-540 calories. However I only eat between 1600-1800 calories a day. So not sure if that counts as eating back my exercise calories?

dubird · July 2016

Zantabar wrote: »

Wow thank you all for the words of encouragement. I do need to look at the bigger picture of things happening to me. I appreciate all the positive feedback!

I do weigh myself every morning after I go to the bathroom right when I wake up so I get a weigh in the same time daily. After taking a moment to realize how long I have gone and lost 2 lbs a week I can say I'm happy.

Someone asked if I was eating back my exercise calories. Well this is what I am doing not sure if I'm doing it right or wrong. My calorie counter says I should have about 1994 calories in a day. When I workout on the elliptical and I burn 500-540 calories. However I only eat between 1600-1800 calories a day. So not sure if that counts as eating back my exercise calories?

Are you talking your calorie count on MFP? That depends on how you have it set up. If you have it set up to account for regular exercise, then your normal exercise is accounted for you and you don't have to eat extra. If you have it set up WITHOUT exercise, any exercise is extra and should be eaten back. Be aware that MFP vastly overestimates your calorie burns if you enter it here, so if that's what you're doing, only eat back about half of that. If you're using something with a heat rate monitor to calculate your calories burned and are just entering that number, then that's the amount you eat back.

I would also suggest weighing yourself once a week instead. And use a scale with ounces as well as pounds, sometimes if you've only lost half a pound, you won't realize without the ounces noted as well!

Zantabar · July 2016

dubird wrote: »

Zantabar wrote: »

Wow thank you all for the words of encouragement. I do need to look at the bigger picture of things happening to me. I appreciate all the positive feedback!

I do weigh myself every morning after I go to the bathroom right when I wake up so I get a weigh in the same time daily. After taking a moment to realize how long I have gone and lost 2 lbs a week I can say I'm happy.

Someone asked if I was eating back my exercise calories. Well this is what I am doing not sure if I'm doing it right or wrong. My calorie counter says I should have about 1994 calories in a day. When I workout on the elliptical and I burn 500-540 calories. However I only eat between 1600-1800 calories a day. So not sure if that counts as eating back my exercise calories?

Are you talking your calorie count on MFP? That depends on how you have it set up. If you have it set up to account for regular exercise, then your normal exercise is accounted for you and you don't have to eat extra. If you have it set up WITHOUT exercise, any exercise is extra and should be eaten back. Be aware that MFP vastly overestimates your calorie burns if you enter it here, so if that's what you're doing, only eat back about half of that. If you're using something with a heat rate monitor to calculate your calories burned and are just entering that number, then that's the amount you eat back.

I would also suggest weighing yourself once a week instead. And use a scale with ounces as well as pounds, sometimes if you've only lost half a pound, you won't realize without the ounces noted as well!

I use a calorie counter app on my kindle the MFP app does not work well with the kindles (at least mine). My app just tells me that i need to eat 1994 calories and it logs how many I eat. So for breakfast if I eat 300 it says I have 1694 left. When I go workout it keeps those numbers separate.

So if I ate 300 calories but burned 300 by working out it says I still have 1994 calories left. It also keeps my food and exercise calories separate.

born_of_fire74 · July 2016

Taking measurements periodically helps a lot. I do mine once a week since I started in January and it really helps for those periods of time where my weight doesn't change because I can see that my body shape is at least maintaining, if not improving.

dubird · July 2016

Try calculating your daily calories manually. Scooby's Workshop has a good one, but I would suggest using 3 or 4 and averaging them. See if that matches what your app is telling you. I don't know what app you're using, so I have no idea how accurate it is.

StaciMarie1974 · July 2016

If your allowance is 1900 per day and you exercise for an additional 500 - feel free to eat the 1900 and SOME of the 500 if you feel you need the extra. I say some because its hard to get an accurate # for exercise cals burned, and its probably less than you think.

BUT if you're eating 1600-1800, losing weight and feeling energetic - keep going as you are. If you reach a point where you feel like your energy is suffering, or your workouts are lethargic - re-evaluate how much you consume. And every 20-30 pounds, re-evaluate your calorie consumption goal. As you lose weight, your energy expenditure will decrease so you will reach a point where you'll need to decrease your calories in, increase your exercise, or simply aim for a slightly smaller deficit per day. Or some combination of all 3.

I feel stuck

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