switching it up?

kailyamie
kailyamie Posts: 130
edited September 30 in Health and Weight Loss
I posted about a week and a half ago because I am not losing anything. The first month or so I did like crazy, and I haven't lost anything since the beginning of JUNE! I'm so frustrated. But I have stayed motivated and haven't fallen off the wagon - yet. Someone suggested that at 60-120 minutes a day of cardio that I might be overdoing it, so I cut back on my cardio (doing 30 min on elliptical instead of 60, still in the pool every day though). I am staying at or below my cal recommendation every day, I have tried redistributing my cals between protein and carbs (lower carbs/higher protein) etc. over the last month and a half... Well over this past week I cut back on my cardio, and continued to watch my cal intake like always, staying at/near my goal. Today was weigh in day for me and I gained 1.5 pounds this week!! What gives?!? My cal goal is 1990 cals and I stay right at or just under that (yesterday was 1884) every day.

The thing is, as much as I weigh, it seems like it should be coming off a little easier, or even at ALL for that matter. I know once people get closer to their goal they slow down a lot, but I just started in May! This is ridiculous and I'm [this] close to giving up. I know my calorie deficit is enough that I should be losing weight, so WTF? A month and a half of nothing is discouraging.

Replies

  • ncgatorfan
    ncgatorfan Posts: 517
    Question for you: are you eating a lot of processed foods? Frozen dinners, "healthy" fast food, etc? Could be your adding a lot of extra sugar and carbs, even though it's marketed as nutritious.
  • Keefypoos
    Keefypoos Posts: 231 Member
    Are you eating back th exercise calories?
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    Perhaps you are overestimating your exercise calories? I always reduce what MFP calculates by 25-30%.
  • kailyamie
    kailyamie Posts: 130
    Question for you: are you eating a lot of processed foods? Frozen dinners, "healthy" fast food, etc? Could be your adding a lot of extra sugar and carbs, even though it's marketed as nutritious.
    Nope. Actually hardly eat any processed stuff at all. Mostly fresh fruit/veggies/fish/chicken/ground turkey/egg whites I don't buy prepackaged "diet" foods at all. I used to eat Lean Pockets, but I stopped buying those 2 months ago.
  • kailyamie
    kailyamie Posts: 130
    Are you eating back th exercise calories?

    I tried that too already and gained 3 pounds over 2 weeks and now I'm terrified to even go there bc I've been boucing in and out of the same 3 pounds for a month and a half.
  • WiiFitFan
    WiiFitFan Posts: 156 Member
    Are you getting enough sleep? There have been a lot of studies suggesting that if you don't get 7.5 hours a night, it is very difficult to lose weight. What about your salt intake? Drinking enough water? I'm in a slump myself and trying to figure out what the problem is. Hang in there...
  • Keefypoos
    Keefypoos Posts: 231 Member
    what is your height?
  • jstrohs1
    jstrohs1 Posts: 66
    It would be easier for us to help you if you had your food diary open so all can see!
  • kailyamie
    kailyamie Posts: 130
    Are you getting enough sleep? There have been a lot of studies suggesting that if you don't get 7.5 hours a night, it is very difficult to lose weight. What about your salt intake? Drinking enough water? I'm in a slump myself and trying to figure out what the problem is. Hang in there...

    I actually have cronic insomnia, so some nights I sleep 2 hours if that. It's horrible! I tried taking a Tylenol PM to help me sleep but then I'm so groggy the next day that I can't function. I'm not tired all day though or fatigued any, I just don't sleep. I dunno what's up with that, I just figured some people need more sleep than others? I dunno lol
  • kailyamie
    kailyamie Posts: 130
    what is your height?

    5 feet 7 inches....
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Are you sure you are eating enough? Severely restricting your calories for a long period of time will often result in an initial weight loss, but after awhile your body catches up and realizes it is starving to death. When that happens, weight loss slows WAY down or even ceases.

    Are you drinking enough water?

    Are you eating a balanced diet with as little processed foods as possible?

    As scary as it is when you first start, you have to experiment and find out what YOUR body likes and doesn't like. For example, I can't severely restrict my calories or I gain weight. My body would LOVE if I ate around 3000 calories a day - but that is far too many for me. So, I stay around 2200-2500 NET calories. I always eat back my exercise calories because that is what my body likes.

    All of us are different and this isn't a one size fits all journey. Keep switching things around (and give your body AT LEAST 2-3 WEEKS when you switch something to see results -- it takes our bodies about that long to figure out what we are doing and to show results).
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
    My first thought is that perhaps your metabolism is working hard at this point to reset itself. I'm not sure how you ate in the past but I have read that folks who have either under fed or overfed themselves will have to let their bodies readjust to "normal" eating. And, for a few months , it will stall weight loss. Once the body resets, then weight loss should be fine. I truely am not an expert on this. There are several great posts here about it. Try searching those out.

    Best of Luck! I think you definitely will get to your goals, don't give up. Just keep researching and be as accurate as possible with your logging. Get a heart rate monitor and a digital food scal if you don't have one already.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Are you getting enough sleep? There have been a lot of studies suggesting that if you don't get 7.5 hours a night, it is very difficult to lose weight. What about your salt intake? Drinking enough water? I'm in a slump myself and trying to figure out what the problem is. Hang in there...

    I actually have cronic insomnia, so some nights I sleep 2 hours if that. It's horrible! I tried taking a Tylenol PM to help me sleep but then I'm so groggy the next day that I can't function. I'm not tired all day though or fatigued any, I just don't sleep. I dunno what's up with that, I just figured some people need more sleep than others? I dunno lol

    Try taking Melatonin. It is the chemical that makes us feel tired and some of us don't produce enough of it to fall asleep by ourselves. You can find Melatonin supplements just about anywhere. I buy mine at Sam's Club in a big bottle.
  • Keefypoos
    Keefypoos Posts: 231 Member
    Ok from what I have checked out you should be eating around 2200 Kcals a day thats the Rest Metabolic Rate for you age sex and height

    I would try eating those Kcals a day and try to keep excercise down to no more than 1000 Kcals a day and not eat back any
    as your BMI is higher than 30 the health risks are greater from being over weight than not eating back your calories.

    regards
  • kailyamie
    kailyamie Posts: 130
    Ok from what I have checked out you should be eating around 2200 Kcals a day thats the Rest Metabolic Rate for you age sex and height

    I would try eating those Kcals a day and try to keep excercise down to no more than 1000 Kcals a day and not eat back any
    as your BMI is higher than 30 the health risks are greater from being over weight than not eating back your calories.

    regards

    Where are you getting that figure from if oyu don't mind me asking? MFP has mine set at 1990 per day with an activity level of sedentary. I used to have it at "light" b/c I'm a SAHM and I'm all over the place w/ my kids and I have a home daycare too so I'm busy with kids all day, definitely not sitting (I'm popping back and forth to the counter to reply to this while trying to get toys picked up!) all day but I changed it to sedentary b/c I thought maybe I was overestimating how many calories I was burning. It just seems like it shouldn't be this complicated. Basic math tells us that if you burn more than you consume, you lose weight - so I don't understand why it has to be so complicated, but I'm definitely frustrated.
  • staceyo1211
    staceyo1211 Posts: 163
    Bump. Im in the same boat. Ive been stuck all month even tho I exercise daily and stay within my calories.
  • Keefypoos
    Keefypoos Posts: 231 Member
    I Did a google search and tried a couple of BMR/RMR calculators and took and average

    using RMR which is the calories you need to maintain your body in rest mode IE asleep for 24 hours a day. Any extra activity, counts to weight loss ie lightly active and of course specific excercise.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
    http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php

    the later is one I use
  • kailyamie
    kailyamie Posts: 130
    I Did a google search and tried a couple of BMR/RMR calculators and took and average

    using RMR which is the calories you need to maintain your body in rest mode IE asleep for 24 hours a day. Any extra activity, counts to weight loss ie lightly active and of course specific excercise.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
    http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php

    the later is one I use

    Thanks so much for the info :)
  • Vilmarie76
    Vilmarie76 Posts: 5 Member
    Well I can tell you I have been on that boat,for almost two months I did not lose anything and then changed up my exercise program and that was it,I also cut out almost all high sugar items from my diet and that also helped. I do want to tell you to hang on do not give up....you are stronger than you think and will get through this little hump and be glad that you did not give up.

    SW:200
    CW:172
    WL:28 lbs.
  • catwrangler
    catwrangler Posts: 918 Member
    do you do any strength training? weight lifting, etc.
  • kailyamie
    kailyamie Posts: 130
    do you do any strength training? weight lifting, etc.

    Nope, I really don't have access to that right now.
  • shar140
    shar140 Posts: 1,158 Member
    What catwrangler said, plus have you changed your workout any? I know how frustrating it is to lose weight quickly at first, then have it diminish, I've been there. I think what I've learned now is that I can't keep doing the same thing and expect the same results - ie, I have to increase the intensity of my workout as I become more fit. Going for a 1 mile walk when I weighed 65lb more than I do now took a lot more effort (and therefore burned more cal) than it does now!! (like, I could barely walk a mile lol)

    Also, have you noticed any difference in your measurements or how your clothes fit? I am also the type that the scale won't budge, but my inches will change.
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