Feeling fat and destined to be fat

fitnessqueen91
fitnessqueen91 Posts: 166 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I feel that never I ever do works. I feel like I should stop running because to be honest I'm not seeing results and I can't seem to lose weight. I weigh 11st 12lb (166 pounds) and I'm 5"7.5 (1.71m) and that's a lot. It's not even muscle. I measured my body fat percentage on the scales at boots and the first reading said 28.7% and the second 29.5%, which is an average reading. I think I will go to get my thyroid tested. It seems like I'm destined to be fat. I just redid my measurements and I'm 41 inches round the hips and 29.5- 30 inches round the waist :(. I just feel that in order to be thin and lose weight I have to eat like a rabbit. Normally I burn 400-700 cals through exercise and walking and eat 1600-1800 cals, which should give me a deficit. Some days I reach a deficit of 1000 cals!

I feel like the fat friend as I have friends that don't worry about their diet and don't do any exercise but are 140 pounds or less. One of my friends is taller than me and is like 145 pounds and does no exercise and doesn't watch what she eats. It's so unfair!
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Replies

  • fitnessqueen91
    fitnessqueen91 Posts: 166 Member
    I don't want to go on restrictive diets eating 1000-1300 cals or less and exercising a lot, but putting the weight back on because I'm constantly depriving myself. I did that before; I was on a low calorie diet, barely eating and exercising all the time and I still struggled to loose weight and I put it on even quicker! How is 1800 cals a lot if I burn say 600 or 700 cals in a day??
  • fitnessqueen91
    fitnessqueen91 Posts: 166 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Reality check: you are barely overweight--between BMI 25.2 and 26. Those scales aren't accurate, but the numbers you mention are somewhat consistent with the BMI for an average woman -- not great, but not terrible, and you don't need to lose that much to get them to a more desirable number, even if they were accurate (but, seriously, ignore them, they probably are not).

    Now, I totally get being just a little overweight but being unhappy with your body and wanting to get thinner and improve -- I'm all about the vanity weight these days. Running is great exercise and probably allows you to eat more without gaining, but it alone won't cause weight loss for most (most easily adjust eating).

    I run, I love it, it helps me increase my TDEE, have goals to work for, and is a wonderful stress release. But if you don't like running, do something else. If you do, don't spoil it by obsessing about scale results -- set other fitness goals and focus on eating for weight loss.

    No, you do not have to eat like a rabbit to lose -- the numbers you mention seem reasonable, but there may be logging issues, MFP can be difficult to figure out at first, especially the database. If you open your diary you can get a review from people here with experience.

    Focusing on your friends isn't helpful. The older I get the more I realize that more people do think about their weight than I realized, but many people do just naturally have a level of activity (it does not have to be intentional exercise) or appetite that leaves them thinner than I would be if I didn't think about it. That's life, though, and there are things I have that others don't -- we all have things we struggle with and things we don't, and weight really isn't that terrible if I had to pick one (especially where you are, and if you get control of it now).

    With respect to body composition, have you considered things like weight training, as others mentioned. It's something I wish I'd discovered when younger and -- along with running -- helped me focus on the positives of my body, being strong, feeling good, and not merely being as thin as possible.


    Yes I know I'm overweight and I don't need a reality check!
  • fitnessqueen91
    fitnessqueen91 Posts: 166 Member
    What am I meant to do to be thin then? Log every single morsel I put into my mouth, become obsessed and develop an eating disorder? Been there, done that!
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    edited August 2016
    you are probably not burning that many. set your goal to 0.5-1 pound (or the metric equivalent) per week. Choose an activity modifier that is true to your activity. Ignore the calorie counts on any machine or HRM. Log everything by weight.
  • smotheredincheese
    smotheredincheese Posts: 559 Member
    I don't want to go on restrictive diets eating 1000-1300 cals or less and exercising a lot, but putting the weight back on because I'm constantly depriving myself. I did that before; I was on a low calorie diet, barely eating and exercising all the time and I still struggled to loose weight and I put it on even quicker! How is 1800 cals a lot if I burn say 600 or 700 cals in a day??

    You don't need to go on a restrictive diet, you just need to eat the number of calories mfp suggests you eat to lose. Are you weighing and logging everything?
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
  • JDixon852019
    JDixon852019 Posts: 312 Member
    What am I meant to do to be thin then? Log every single morsel I put into my mouth, become obsessed and develop an eating disorder? Been there, done that![/

    BED is far more common than anorexia. Having a bad relationship with food hinders with goals. Those problems need to be worked on of you hope to keep the weight you lost off.
  • grannynot
    grannynot Posts: 146 Member
    Losing weight SUCKS, because you can spin it mentally any way you want - until that scale starts heading downward, you aren't eating at a deficit or you're not expending as many calories as you think. Scales don't lie. But we are besieged by advertisements and opinions and essays and blogs ad nauseum, trying to convince us that there's some *secret* and easy way to lose weight.
  • novio50
    novio50 Posts: 778 Member
    don't stress, if it's a lifestyle change, keep changing an adjusting. If it's a short term thing, you're prolly over stressing about it. Here's some free advice: Love yourself more and don't sweat the small stuff. The name of the game is try, fail, adjust. Just when you think you have it, you need to adjust. But stressing isn't going to help your situation.
  • I don't want to go on restrictive diets eating 1000-1300 cals or less and exercising a lot, but putting the weight back on because I'm constantly depriving myself. I did that before; I was on a low calorie diet, barely eating and exercising all the time and I still struggled to loose weight and I put it on even quicker! How is 1800 cals a lot if I burn say 600 or 700 cals in a day??

    First off, you are not burning 600-700 calories in 1 day. Do NOT factor in calories burned in exercise, it is already accounted for in your TDEE calculation.

    Crash Course:
    Calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) which factors in age, weight, sex, height, activity level, etc. Eat 10% to 20% under this TDEE to lose weight (10% is slow deficit, 20% is aggressive deficit). Measure and log all your intake, every single morsel. I saw you mentioned you have a history, so you can do this with a professional or a less aggressive deficit.

    So I suspect you are being too generous in how many calories you burn off. I work out 4 times a week and my TDEE calculator already factored it in - If my treadmill tells me I burned 400 calories, I CANNOT EAT THAT BACK. I suspect you have been.

    And if you want a dumbed down approach, keep subtracting your daily intake by 100 calories every week, until you are losing 0.5lbs to 1lb weekly. Also the smaller you are, the less you have to lose (i.e. a 250lb male cutting weight can lose much quicker than a 120lb female), the slower your progression becomes (hence why I say 0.5lbs per week instead of 1lb per week).

    The bottom line is - if you are not losing, you are eating too much. TDEE Calculators are an estimate, you will have to modify as you go. Not losing? Eat 100 calories less each day and reassess weekly.

    That's not how MFP works.
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
    I don't want to go on restrictive diets eating 1000-1300 cals or less and exercising a lot, but putting the weight back on because I'm constantly depriving myself. I did that before; I was on a low calorie diet, barely eating and exercising all the time and I still struggled to loose weight and I put it on even quicker! How is 1800 cals a lot if I burn say 600 or 700 cals in a day??

    First off, you are not burning 600-700 calories in 1 day. Do NOT factor in calories burned in exercise, it is already accounted for in your TDEE calculation.

    Crash Course:
    Calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) which factors in age, weight, sex, height, activity level, etc. Eat 10% to 20% under this TDEE to lose weight (10% is slow deficit, 20% is aggressive deficit). Measure and log all your intake, every single morsel. I saw you mentioned you have a history, so you can do this with a professional or a less aggressive deficit.

    So I suspect you are being too generous in how many calories you burn off. I work out 4 times a week and my TDEE calculator already factored it in - If my treadmill tells me I burned 400 calories, I CANNOT EAT THAT BACK. I suspect you have been.

    And if you want a dumbed down approach, keep subtracting your daily intake by 100 calories every week, until you are losing 0.5lbs to 1lb weekly. Also the smaller you are, the less you have to lose (i.e. a 250lb male cutting weight can lose much quicker than a 120lb female), the slower your progression becomes (hence why I say 0.5lbs per week instead of 1lb per week).

    The bottom line is - if you are not losing, you are eating too much. TDEE Calculators are an estimate, you will have to modify as you go. Not losing? Eat 100 calories less each day and reassess weekly.

    That's not how MFP works.

    There is more than one way to skin a cat - one can certainly use MFP in this fashion. I do so myself. As long as foods are weighed/measured and one stays below the calorie limit that they set (vs. going with the MFP suggested calories), weight will be lost.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited August 2016
    deleted post
  • I feel that never I ever do works. I feel like I should stop running because to be honest I'm not seeing results and I can't seem to lose weight. I weigh 11st 12lb (166 pounds) and I'm 5"7.5 (1.71m) and that's a lot. It's not even muscle. I measured my body fat percentage on the scales at boots and the first reading said 28.7% and the second 29.5%, which is an average reading. I think I will go to get my thyroid tested. It seems like I'm destined to be fat. I just redid my measurements and I'm 41 inches round the hips and 29.5- 30 inches round the waist :(. I just feel that in order to be thin and lose weight I have to eat like a rabbit. Normally I burn 400-700 cals through exercise and walking and eat 1600-1800 cals, which should give me a deficit. Some days I reach a deficit of 1000 cals!

    I feel like the fat friend as I have friends that don't worry about their diet and don't do any exercise but are 140 pounds or less. One of my friends is taller than me and is like 145 pounds and does no exercise and doesn't watch what she eats. It's so unfair!

    You're not fat. Maybe you need to hear that? I don't know. Realistically, you need to lose slowly at your size to get where you want to be, and the scale is not going to move the way that you want it to. Too many fluctuations for that. Have you really not lost ANY weight over, say, the last 5-6 weeks? Whenever I amp up running or activity, I stall, sometimes for a few weeks. I look at the month-to-month instead. That tells me that I am doing what I need to. And yeah, with the small deficit you're aiming for, you do need to weigh and log everything.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    I have to echo that you aren't really that fat OP.

    Pretty simple really.

    You can accept the status quo, or you can do whatever it takes to change it.

    Chances are pretty good that accurate weighing of you foods with a food scale and tracking your intake will allow you to lose weight. Calories outs is a lot tougher to estimate than calories in.

    If that is too tough for you then accept it and learn to love yourself the way you are.

    No point stressing if you aren't willing to do the work to change.

    Took me 6-7 months to go from obese to the top of normal BMI. Now I'm working on 25% body fat. I added strength training, fiddled around with my calories, had a diet break...results: only lost 1 pound in 7 weeks or so.

    But I'm not quitting.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »

    not again..

    this is twice today that I did not check and I got the "stupid" award..three times in two days..

  • I don't want to go on restrictive diets eating 1000-1300 cals or less and exercising a lot, but putting the weight back on because I'm constantly depriving myself. I did that before; I was on a low calorie diet, barely eating and exercising all the time and I still struggled to loose weight and I put it on even quicker! How is 1800 cals a lot if I burn say 600 or 700 cals in a day??

    First off, you are not burning 600-700 calories in 1 day. Do NOT factor in calories burned in exercise, it is already accounted for in your TDEE calculation.

    Crash Course:
    Calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) which factors in age, weight, sex, height, activity level, etc. Eat 10% to 20% under this TDEE to lose weight (10% is slow deficit, 20% is aggressive deficit). Measure and log all your intake, every single morsel. I saw you mentioned you have a history, so you can do this with a professional or a less aggressive deficit.

    So I suspect you are being too generous in how many calories you burn off. I work out 4 times a week and my TDEE calculator already factored it in - If my treadmill tells me I burned 400 calories, I CANNOT EAT THAT BACK. I suspect you have been.

    And if you want a dumbed down approach, keep subtracting your daily intake by 100 calories every week, until you are losing 0.5lbs to 1lb weekly. Also the smaller you are, the less you have to lose (i.e. a 250lb male cutting weight can lose much quicker than a 120lb female), the slower your progression becomes (hence why I say 0.5lbs per week instead of 1lb per week).

    The bottom line is - if you are not losing, you are eating too much. TDEE Calculators are an estimate, you will have to modify as you go. Not losing? Eat 100 calories less each day and reassess weekly.

    That's not how MFP works.

    There is more than one way to skin a cat - one can certainly use MFP in this fashion. I do so myself. As long as foods are weighed/measured and one stays below the calorie limit that they set (vs. going with the MFP suggested calories), weight will be lost.

    You can use it however you want, but assuming the OP is using MFP's NEAT calculation and adding exercise in, the other poster is incorrect.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    I don't mean to make it personal..so don't take it that way..but I'd suggest you lose the attitude first before weight.

    Your replies to people who posted were rude at best. The FIRST person who needs to help you is YOU.

    It starts upstairs..if you want help..act like it..people here are generally supportive from what I have seen?

    good point and this is thread #2 today!
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    edited August 2016
    Based on the OPs previous thread, she is just looking for people to tell her that she isn't fat.

    OP, you need a food scale and log everything you eat. You do not need to develop obsession over it. But you said yourself that you are not logging "every morsel that goes in your mouth." Problem solved.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited August 2016
    What is the exercise that you are doing that gives you 400-700 each day? By that I mean, how much are you running (how often, how long) and walking and doing other purposeful exercise (not lifestyle activity)?

    You're likely eating too much and in all likelihood your bf% is higher than the Boots scale but all is not lost. You can lose the weight if you get things in order. I'd suggest being more polite to the people on this thread who are trying to help you with that. None of us are getting paid or benefiting from trying to help you and your failure doesn't affect us negatively in anyway so we are free to quit on you. Show some appreciation to folks who are giving up their time to guide you through this.
  • benjaminhk
    benjaminhk Posts: 353 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »

    Was this thread originated by a bot? The linked post contains almost the exact same text in some places.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited August 2016
    I do not care how much you run, if you run a 1000 calories worth of miles a day and that's the way you try to stay in a deficit everyday... that don't work.

    I did post something positive to help earlier and deleted it after seeing thread number 2 and all the negativity and rudeness on this one.. So good luck it with OP.. :)
  • Ian_Davies
    Ian_Davies Posts: 122 Member
    A friend phoned me yesterday for advice on how to lose weight, she was complaining of chunky thighs..although like you she looks great...but its her view like yours thats important...

    We talked about her recent use of coconut oil in food and her increases in the fibre and protein and perhaps she should change these...but 30 minutes when i asked about cutting out the sweets it was all...oh that might help too.

    I wanted to lose weight so
    - i log (not all the time but solid for a few months then break for a bit)
    - i made my changes habits...cut alcohol out first, and increased daily water consumption
    - improved my breakfast first...then targeted snacks...then moved on...each step has helped a little...I only ever go 500 cals under my recommended daily limit, so its been a slow improvement but its been more enjoyable.

    Recently i slipped and put on 4kg...but i am still down 12kg overall so i can cope with that.

    What i learned in this ramble...is if you want something badly enough you have to act and make the steps...so i chose the logging, walking, having water or coffee instead of a beer etc
This discussion has been closed.