dont know what i am doing wrong.

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FairyMiss
FairyMiss Posts: 1,812 Member
Okay i am very close to giving up. i have been on MFP for around 6 month now, in that time with the latest pound GAIN this aim i am down a whopping total of 4 pounds, i have been working hard, being careful of what i eat, drink 10 to 12 glasse water, for the past month been doing Insanity , aswell as othere class and general working out at the gym several times a week.

I am getting absolutly nowhere. I am willing to listen to and critques , opinions , suggestions.

my diary will be public for the next 12 hours (its usually just open tofriends)
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Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,709 Member
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    Okay so congrats for the 54lbs loss. Now look at it objectively and truthfully................have you been consistent? If not, then that would be the first reason. Have you changed your workout? If you haven't within 2 months, then the body will adapt to it. If you aren't lifting "heavy" then start now. Since there's not a lot of info, those are the couple of things I can advise.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    I only went back a week in your diary, which looks good food-wise. However, if you are working out as much as you say, you aren't eating anywhere near enough. You are barely hitting 1200 calories on a lot of the days. It sounds counter-intuitive but you need to eat more to lose, especially when working out hard. I sent myself into a 2 month plateau by only eating 1200 calories. Once I upped my calories to a 1700/day goal, weight started coming off again.
  • Dtho5159
    Dtho5159 Posts: 1,054 Member
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    Personally, I think you're netting too low.. You consume around 12-1300 calories yet burn 3-400 which makes your net under 1000.
  • KathyEarhart
    KathyEarhart Posts: 94 Member
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    Marking this to see the responses
  • lisahightower2
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    Hmm, well your food diary is kinda spotty. Are you not eating some meals or just not tracking? My first instinct whenever anyone says they've stopped losing is to think that they actually aren't eating ENOUGH. You need to eat at least the minimum amount of calories plus your exercise calories. There's also WHAT you eat - getting more whole foods and protein into your diet will help.

    My 2nd instinct is exercise. Women in general tend to not want to strength-train or they lift very light weights. But strength training is what boosts your metabolism. Women don't bulk up like men unless they REALLY work at it!
  • kapeluza
    kapeluza Posts: 3,434 Member
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    "Overview (why I'm posting this)
    Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people suceed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is dissapointment. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new commers and vetrans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.

    Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
    Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.

    Phase 2. Reality setting in.
    At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crutial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permenant yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tryies to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.

    Phase 3. The routine.
    At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistant (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becomming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!

    Phase 4. Really digging in.
    This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already suceeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!

    Phase 5. End game.
    5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
    The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficite, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficites you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficite (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.

    Conclusion:

    this is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from.

    Best health to you all!

    -Banks "
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    Are you eating to enough?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit


    This is just a part of it! please read the link above


    Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
    With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
    With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
    With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
    and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)


    Also this might be helpful http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat



    Good luck on your journey
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
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    I'm right there with you. A few days ago, I changed my weekly goal to lose only 1 lb./week which brought my net goal up to 1420 from the 1200 it's been for the last 7 months. I've been stuck for a month so I hope this helps.
  • phatsoslim
    phatsoslim Posts: 257 Member
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    I only went back a week in your diary, which looks good food-wise. However, if you are working out as much as you say, you aren't eating anywhere near enough. You are barely hitting 1200 calories on a lot of the days. It sounds counter-intuitive but you need to eat more to lose, especially when working out hard. I sent myself into a 2 month plateau by only eating 1200 calories. Once I upped my calories to a 1700/day goal, weight started coming off again.

    I totally agree with this. I didn't lose anything for 3 weeks and then I up my calories and the scale is starting to move down again. I was doing the 30 Day Shred at the time so I know I was probably gaining muscle as well as losing fat at the same time.

    Good luck and stay focused.
  • Lightjulesloves2run
    Lightjulesloves2run Posts: 91 Member
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    You are not eating near ur daily goal. Very few veggies/fruits. 500 cals in veggies and fruit are better for you than 500 cals of pizza. etc. Are you exercising? If you really don't know..talk to a dr. sometimes other things are going on with our bodies. What ever you do..don't give up!!!!!!
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    Looking at your fodd diary, it doesn't look too bad, but it does look like it is very heavy on carbs and fattier foods, and low on protein proportionately. I would suggest increasing lean protein (turkey, chicken, fish - not sausage, wings and ribs), and swapping some of the snacks - more veggies and fruits rather than cheese and tortillas and things like that.
  • yeabby
    yeabby Posts: 643 Member
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    You may also consider eating more produce. You are probably missing a lot of nutrients.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    I'm going to plagiarize myself. I just wrote this on another thread about a similar situation...
    Plateaus are just evil. I was on one for 6 weeks. I've only lost 2 lbs in the last 2 months. It's incredibly frustrating and hard to stay motivated and not just throw in the towel. I just kept researching and finding ways to tweak my diet. Then I'd try them out for a week or two and monitor my results. I don't want to jinx it by saying I've broken through it, but I'm currently trying something else that I hope will work. At least I was down to a new number this morning after a few days of it.

    You just have to keep researching, learning about your own body, and figuring out what works for you. Problem is, what works for one person may not work for another.

    My opinion is, if you're stalling, whatever you're doing is no longer working. Your body has adapted. Your body is getting along just fine thankyouverymuch with what you're doing. You have to change it up. But figuring out how to change it is not always easy.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
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    Adding a lot more fruit and veg could be helpful too. They are very low cal for the most part, and that is where your body gets many nutrients. The more veg I eat, the easier it is to lose weight. I went 2 weeks very low on veg, and am up 8 pounds.
  • jane130
    jane130 Posts: 28 Member
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    You are already eating the bare minimum amount of food. I would try eating more. Try not to go more than a few hundred calories below whatever MFP is telling you to eat (talking about net calories). Make sure you are taking care of yourself, get enough sleep, try do reduce any sources of stress, and make sure you are giving yourself rest days.
  • FairyMiss
    FairyMiss Posts: 1,812 Member
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    when ever i try eating more i tend to gain.
    as far as skipped meals, i think those are only on weekends , if i eat a breakfast at 11 not so much eating lunch.
  • Gary6030
    Gary6030 Posts: 593 Member
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    I'll agree with everyone I dont' think you are eating enough calories. You might try jumping up to around 1400 calories. Also something I've noticed with my journey is what I call "Body Monotony" Body Monotony in my mind is this. Eating the same things, Doing the Same Things week after week. I'm a routine kinda person. My food journal is boring. So I have to remind myself each week to throw something new in. A different type of protein, fiber or fat. To keep my body working and challenging it to process food differently. I don't have any scientific knowledge on this subject, but as a general rule in life when we hit a monotonous period don't we just kinda coast? It makes sense that our bodies react the same way. So for me I would say throw out what you are eating and try something totally different. Try some Thai Food or something that would be out of the ordinary for you and really focus on eating more healthy calories. Throw out insanity and get Kettleworx or get a spinning bike.

    On a side note why would you ever give up? If you really feel that way you might already have? Just food for thought. *No those aren't extra calories* Have a great day and hang in there!
  • Tzavush
    Tzavush Posts: 389 Member
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    "Overview (why I'm posting this)
    Best health to you all!
    .....

    -Banks "
    Sorry didn't want to quote the lot, but wanted to recognize it and say thanks.
    I was looking for something this morning. I've been in a slump for a couple weeks and not really gaining or losing, but feeling just really de-motivated. I think this may have been exactly what I needed to see this morning to start my week off a little better,
    so... Thank You
  • TS65
    TS65 Posts: 1,024 Member
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    when ever i try eating more i tend to gain.
    as far as skipped meals, i think those are only on weekends , if i eat a breakfast at 11 not so much eating lunch.

    Eat more. If you've been eating this few calories for a long period, you might gain a minimal amount initially before your metabolism kicks in (when you up your calories). It's a short term thing.
  • Gary6030
    Gary6030 Posts: 593 Member
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    One other thing to consider. It seems from your food diary you are eating alot of processed foods. Maybe try researching clean eating and see if this helps. Best wishes to you!