Getting really discouraged!

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  • cydonian
    cydonian Posts: 361 Member
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    My input:

    1. How much are you trying to lose a week? It sounds like you're trying to lose about 20 pounds total? You should only be shooting for 1/2 pound to 1 pound loss a week.....nobody should TRY to lose more than that unless they are really obese. The less you have to lose, the more difficult it will be.

    2. You're only eating 1200 calories a day, does that mean net, or what you put in your mouth? If you're only eating 1200 and then burning off a couple hundred through exercise without eating it back, you may not be eating enough. You should eat your 1200 plus eat back whatever you burned off.

    3. Are you taking your measurements? Often you can sculpt your body and build muscle (ie look and feel better) but not actually drop pounds. I suggest taking your measurements either once or twice a month along with weighing in once a week.

    Good luck!

    1) I'm trying to lose about 10 pounds. I'd be happy at 129 but my technical goal is 125. I am currently 136. I have MFP set to 1 lb per week, I believe.

    2) I always eat 1,200, a little more if I know I'm exercising that day. But always at least 1,200 net after I get done exercising :) I know about eating back exercise calories and how important that is!

    3) I am going to start measuring myself, I think that is a great idea. I haven't done my thighs in about 3 months but I'm curious to see if the number is lower.
  • cydonian
    cydonian Posts: 361 Member
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    Are you drinking lots of water? Water helps cleans your body and helps all your systems work better.

    Yes, I have tripled how much water I drink! In lieu of cutting out soda, I drink water instead. :)
  • cydonian
    cydonian Posts: 361 Member
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    I'm so sorry you are feeling discouraged hon...
    I'm a big guy who has had a lot to lose with a lot left - but I think you nailed something that needs to be pointed out...
    Your success story on the shorts... That is actually huge!
    Losing inches (without actual pounds) is a wonderful thing believe it or not! It means that you are replacing fat with lean muscle. you may not see an actual drop on the scale, but instead see it in better fitting clothes, tighter thighs, butt, etc...

    There are a LOT of abs, bottom, and thigh workouts that do not require weights or a gym and I bet those would help you!
    Also - you might be cutting out TOO many calories (I know crazy but we read it all the time right?) If your body is fighting you to hold on to every pound it has because it is feeling starved - you are going to not see a drop on the scale either...

    I wish you the best of luck and as we are always our own worst critics I feel your pain on posting pictures lol - BELIEVE ME...
    Please hang in there - you are here and posting and logging and that demonstrates committment to getting a healthy version of where you want to be - I applaud you!!!

    I think you said what I wanted to tell myself but couldn't convince myself of it, haha! I haven't had to change my diet that much, I think I was eating around 1,200-1,400 per day prior to starting MFP... so I'm wondering if it assuming that I need 1,500 and dropping me to 1,200 to lose weight is part of the problem. I haven't dropped my calorie intake THAT much and may need to compensate with more exercise and eating back those exercise calories. I work a desk job so my body could use more exercise, for sure
  • rossanaguerrero
    rossanaguerrero Posts: 2
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    Diet and Exercise go Hand in Hand, you can't loose weight in a healthy manner without consistently doing both.
    It's hard, trust me, to burn 1lb of fat, you need to burn 500 calories a day, everyday which is equivelent to about 1 hour of cardio training per day!! A bit hard to fit into a busy lifestyle, but it is doable if you keep your focus and are 100% committed.
    To loose weight, you also need to speed up your metabolism, which means 6 small meals per day instead of 3.
    Thats all I can suggest for now, Good Luck!
  • Fochizzy
    Fochizzy Posts: 505 Member
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    I have no words for how large my thighs and butt are (one of my thighs is larger than your waist).

    Haha, awwww! Don't say that about yourself. I feel you though, I measured my thigh a while ago and it was 22'' or something stupid (it may have been 24''!). I wanted to barf.

    Lol, no it wasn't hyperbole, my thighs are about 32" around. But yeah, I stand by squats and lunges
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    Honestly, I have been getting discouraged just like you. I was trying so hard to stick to 1200 calories and wasn't losing any weight. Then I read that 1200 is too little when you're exercising and it will actually cause your body to hold on to weight because it's going into starvation mode. Then I bumped up my calories to 1500 and still not losing. I've also just started a bootcamp at my gym so it's possible I'm putting on muscle weight before I lose any fat weight.

    All I know is it takes a long time to see results so let's try not to get too frustrated and give up! I'm actually pretty much having to restart everything today anyways from a nice weekend vacation that attributed a few extra pounds back to my body...

    Actually, the 1200 magic number is the minimum calories you need to consume to get a full value of daily nutrition, IF you are eating the right foods. Starvation mode is a relatively undefined term. Your body will go into a fasting mode if you routinely consume few calories. Moving your calories up will cause the body to readjust to a higher calorie intake. If you go back to 1200 for awhile, you should see some weight loss.

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