Need some support/motivation...

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eroni14
eroni14 Posts: 8 Member
in Motivation and Support
Frankly, I have been terrible at sticking to this weight loss stuff. I had been working out hardcore in January (thru early March) and I didn't see any results that I had wanted to see. No weight loss, but maybe an inch or so. I accepted that I was gaining muscle and losing inches, but I desperately wanted to see the scale numbers decrease...

Now it's summer time and it's hot, and I'd prefer to wear tank tops and sleeveless blouses everywhere. I don't have any problem finding the cute stuff and I do wear it, but then I see pictures of myself and am DISGUSTED by what I see. Mostly just the arms and gut that bother me (dimples in my arms?!). The bottom half has always been...full...

I have grown to a D cup in a year, grown a pants size (now a 14 in most brands), and am inching ever so close to 200lbs. At 5'5" I'm way past the "overweight" category and it's seriously getting me down.

3 weeks ago, I decided to hit the gym again. I told myself I was going to take beginning photos, weigh myself weekly, measure myself monthly, and pray that I see some improvement. I started this time at 190lbs.

I've been working out at least 3 days a week and haven't really changed my eating habits at all. I assumed the shock of burning all these calories a few times a week would lead to at least some sort of weight loss. Nope. This morning I weighed myself. Gained 5 lbs.

I'm desperate for answers and maybe I'm just doing this wrong. I know getting healthy requires a full lifestyle change. My lifestyle hasn't changed either way in the past few years and I'm not really sure why I continue to gain weight, especially when I start working out. It makes no sense to me. Perhaps it's just part of "getting old" however at 27 I don't feel that's a good enough excuse. I feel fine, I can breath, I can run on the treadmill and workout for an hour at a time and feel great afterwards. I get my 8 hours of sleep every night and have given up soda for water. I just don't know what to do anymore.

Anyone out there with advice or a similar frustrating story? I need some guidance, motivation, push......................please....

Replies

  • fitkyriel
    fitkyriel Posts: 29
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    I'm not really sure why I continue to gain weight, especially when I start working out.

    Sorry to hear you are so frustrated :( I am the exact same size and shape of you. The reason you could gain when when you start working out, is sore muscles! Even if you don't feel it, it's most likely the cause of weight gain for the first week or so when you workout after going some time without working out. A lot of people give up at this point :(
  • millymoozie
    millymoozie Posts: 150
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    hello
    have you considered opening up your diary ? would help others to help you ,,,i understand your fustration ,there is something that needs tweaking in your diet i think as it sounds like your doing good workouts ,,open up & we can have a look & help you to get it right x friend me if you want ,we can help each other :flowerforyou:
  • DRJJ2004
    DRJJ2004 Posts: 186 Member
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    Maybe you're not eating the right things. Excercise is good, but you have to eat right to lose weight. Try this for a week or two and see what you get:
    2-3 Fruits a day
    3-5 Vegetables a day
    2-3 lean protein
    1-2 Dairy
    1-2 Carbs - cut down on your breads
    At least 8 glasses of water day if not more.

    And workout at least 3 times a week, if not 4 or 5. Track & measure all your food, stay within your calories...don't eat all the extras that you get from excercising. I try and leave them alone..some days I dip into them just a tad...only if I need to. And the water...drink the water!!! You can even add 0-5 calorie drink mix packets to them to get them down. I alternate with plain water and mixed, etc. You should really see results in the first week, if not the second. I hope this helps. I've been doing this for years and it works if you follow it. Good Luck!!
  • eates
    eates Posts: 334 Member
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    My first thought would be "are you eating enough?" If you aren't fueling your body it could be holding on to everything you do give it for dear life.
    At 5'4" I started this at almost 200 lbs and couldn't figure out how I got there. But now that I've made the changes I can see- the extra piece of garlic bread, an after dinner cookie, a mid afternoon snack when I was bored...it all added up to almost 200 lbs.
    I've been in a plateau for almost 3months so I totally get the frustration of not losing. Send me a friend request if you want...we're all in this together!
  • mom111997
    mom111997 Posts: 101 Member
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    hello
    have you considered opening up your diary ? would help others to help you ,,,i understand your fustration ,there is something that needs tweaking in your diet i think as it sounds like your doing good workouts ,,open up & we can have a look & help you to get it right x friend me if you want ,we can help each other :flowerforyou:

    Completely agree. Without knowing what you're eating, it's hard to give advice. OPEN IT!! Don't be shy! We are all in this together!
  • 2bFitNTrim
    2bFitNTrim Posts: 1,209 Member
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    Not everyone will agree with me, but it's hard to lose weight w/just exercise alone unless you spend a LOT of time working out. You have to watch your diet. too. Use this site to the fullest: track your food along with that exercise. Good luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • bevsdietfor2011
    bevsdietfor2011 Posts: 361 Member
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    Hello and welcome,

    I don't have much advice except that you may be eating more calories than you are burning. I am old enough to be your mom but I would love to be your friend and help you all I can. I am also trying to help my daughter who is 24 and overweight to lose what she needs to also. Please feel free to check out my profile and add me if you want to.

    Make sure you log what you eat so you know how many calories you are taking in so you will know how many you need to burn at the gym.

    Good luck, I know you can do this and we are all here for you and we are ALL on this same journey together!!

    Hugs
    Bev
  • kmcgrath1
    kmcgrath1 Posts: 175 Member
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    Don't give up! That's the most I can say. For 6 months I was diligent on my calories and exercise...I lost 6 oz! I didn't give up though. Then I found MFP! The people here are fantastic when it comes to support and ideas.

    It was someone on here that suggested I save my whole grain carbs for dinner and eat nothing but protein in the am and protein and veggies for lunch. Let's just say I lost over 3 lbs that week. That's when I realized each body is different and my body didn't like carbs in the morning and frozen meals for lunch.

    I know how you feel when you say you're disgusted by what you see! I feel the same way sometimes. You just have to look past it and go by how you feel. Are you not eating enough when it comes to fuel for your body and the calories your burning? Just don't give up on yourself! You are totally worth it! :wink:
  • cameralinds
    cameralinds Posts: 239
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    I've always heard that the diet is 80%, maybe even more, of weightloss. If your diet isn't changing, the weight won't come off. There are a few reasons why you could have gained weight while working out. Did you eat more than you normally would eat because you worked out, thinking "Oh, it's okay, I worked out." Or are you eating under 1200 calories? That puts your body in starvation mode. You could also be gaining muscle which weighs more than fat.

    It's not going to be an overnight switch, so don't expect quick results. Quick fixes always lead back to gaining weight plus some. If you keep losing at a slower pace, you're more than likely to keep it off. But it's a lifestyle adjustment, just like you said.

    I'm sending you a request and I'll try to offer what support and advice I can.
    Best of luck! :)
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
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    ok, 1st let me say this...in all caps so you really here it, i'm not yelling at you...just nice and loud so you hear the emphasis on what I'm saying. Here is goes...again not yelling

    YOU CAN'T OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET.
    Going to the gym is great. Before I learned to eat properly I went to the gym for 2 years 3-4 days a week. Plus I worked out at home. Sure, I could bench press 335 lbs but still had a 42" + waist and could see my feet. Then I learned that 70-80% of my results were from my diet. I made small changes and eventually cleaned it up. You have to clean up your diet if you want the hard work you do in the gym to show. You gained 5 lbs probably because you justified eating extra bad stuff cuz you were working out. I figured, heck...I worked out today so I can eat a few extra oreos and it won't matter. Wrong.

    If you'd like some help add me as a friend and send me a message and I'll be happy to help.
  • kithacrash
    kithacrash Posts: 6 Member
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    Hello - and YES, I totally understand. My friends have had to hold me up when I was sobbing in frustration!! Long story short - it took me almost 8 weeks to see a weight loss of just a pound or two (which was likely water flux) - with working out and eating properly! It's soooooo discouraging! BUT here's what I discovered - you might have some issues medically and never even know it. I did. Turns out I have pernicious anemia - and now that I have started treatment, the pounds are slowly coming off - one at time, mind you (and I still think it should have started with more, at first), but off they are finally coming. Don't give up - work some food changes into your diet when you can (like you have started with the water for soda) - cut out all salt intake; take a multi vitamin; and go get some blood work done to make sure your thyroid, etc is all in proper working condition!! If you can, I recommend taking B12 - it's a great boost for weight loss and fluid balance!! Exercise is great - but liefstyle eating habits make up HUGE part of weight as well - you need to deal with both!! Good luck to you - don't let it get you down - reach out to others for support! You are NOT alone! And you can do this!!
  • takemeaway10
    takemeaway10 Posts: 75
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    Not everyone will agree with me, but it's hard to lose weight w/just exercise alone unless you spend a LOT of time working out. You have to watch your diet. too. Use this site to the fullest: track your food along with that exercise. Good luck to you! :flowerforyou:

    I agree with you! Diet and exercise go hand in hand!

    Also, for support and motivation, feel free to add me!
  • weeziews
    weeziews Posts: 162 Member
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    Hi, I understand your frustration and having been going through the same similar things. The advice I've been given and the things I had read and learned are these:

    Drink a lot of water. When weighing yourself take into consideration if you have recently had a good, long, hard workout or even if it is TOM. You may have water weight gain that is showing on the scale.

    Change up your workouts so that your body doesn't get use to them and fall into a rut.

    You mentioned you haven't changed your eating habits, maybe you don't need to. But have you taken a look at what you eating compared to how many calories you are burning? Maybe there are some tweaks you can do to your food that will help. More whole grains, veggies, fruit, less carbs (white flour), which tends to stick to our guts.

    Also, I just started zig zagging my caloires because I am not seeing any weight loss. I have lost inches, but like you, I am eager to see the pounds melt away.

    I hope this helps and please feel free to add me as a friend. I'm always looking for more motivation and there are a lo to great people on here that help!!!
  • takemeaway10
    takemeaway10 Posts: 75
    Options
    Hello - and YES, I totally understand. My friends have had to hold me up when I was sobbing in frustration!! Long story short - it took me almost 8 weeks to see a weight loss of just a pound or two (which was likely water flux) - with working out and eating properly! It's soooooo discouraging! BUT here's what I discovered - you might have some issues medically and never even know it. I did. Turns out I have pernicious anemia - and now that I have started treatment, the pounds are slowly coming off - one at time, mind you (and I still think it should have started with more, at first), but off they are finally coming. Don't give up - work some food changes into your diet when you can (like you have started with the water for soda) - cut out all salt intake; take a multi vitamin; and go get some blood work done to make sure your thyroid, etc is all in proper working condition!! If you can, I recommend taking B12 - it's a great boost for weight loss and fluid balance!! Exercise is great - but liefstyle eating habits make up HUGE part of weight as well - you need to deal with both!! Good luck to you - don't let it get you down - reach out to others for support! You are NOT alone! And you can do this!!

    Believe it or not, you just reminded me to take my vitamins for the day.
  • fitkyriel
    fitkyriel Posts: 29
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    Speaking of vitamins, try taking Probiotics!

    And yes, don't be shy with your diary, we all eat "crap" food every once in awhile... but sometimes people think they are healthy things to eat, and there people here who can educate, not ridicule :)
  • oracle730
    oracle730 Posts: 19
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    You have more motivation than you think...you have started this process. Consider yourself supported because we all have the same problem and we can all empathize with your situation. As far as advice, I have been on MFP since the beginning of November 2010 and have lost 36 pounds so far...so keep going, you CAN do it too!

    We think that we have to give up everything we love to loose the weight when that is just sabatoge. You must eat things that you love if you want to keep this up for the long haul. That being said, I have found that I must eat lots of veggies and fruits and less meat and fat/sugars. Find lower calorie versions of foods that you love...I LOVE ICE CREAM, but I have learned that I can eat frozen yogurt (they have most of the same flavors as my favorite ice creams) and I have a trick that I eat the yogurt straight out of a measuring cup (1/2 cup is the serving size). That is my treat and I don't feel guilty about it at all.

    Be careful with serving sizes/portions! Some foods you can eat less of than others and rack up more calories...just read labels. Invest in a decent kitchen scale and measure your meats...when we start this journey we are not always right when judging portion sizes and weights of foods. Most other foods you can measure with measuring cups. After a while you can estimate serving sizes but early on it is important to use the tools. :)

    Chin up! You are worth the time and effort you are putting into this!
  • eroni14
    eroni14 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thanks for all of the kind words and encouragement. My MFP diary hasn't been updated recently - I think it'll show the Jan-March times I was logging but I stopped logging once I gave up out of frustration. I think I logged a couple times a few weeks ago but haven't since then either. I will try and unlock it and start logging everything.......................

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