A little frustrated....could use an outside perspective

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janel814
janel814 Posts: 88
in Health and Weight Loss
I was at a stand sill last month and then the first week of this month was good but the next two I have been at a stand still. I have been on this journey since Feb 2011 so it has been a little time since I took a week break even thought I change the workout plan up every month. I have lost almost 30 pounds but can't seem to actually hit the big 3-0! I was down 29lbs last week only to gain 2lbs this week. The only reason I am not completely crushed about gaining is that my size 16/18 clothes are pretty much falling off me.

So I poise the question to a forum to get some outside perspective....is it better to feel healthy, lose weight, or fit smaller clothing?

I have a pretty athletic build at 5' 3" and attempting to get to my ideal weight 135lbs by the end of the year; however, I have been in the high 180's for the last two months.

Help please all suggestions are welcome :-)

Replies

  • icerose137
    icerose137 Posts: 318 Member
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    It sounds like you only have scale goals. You need other goals as well because the body doesn't always want to cooperate especially when it's busy building muscle. Also the scale doesn't tell the whole story. It doesn't tell you water weight or muscle weight or fat weight. It just gives you a total number.

    Your scale goals also sound too quick. It takes time for the body to transform, some people change faster than other people, so I wouldn't stress the 135 by end of the year too much.

    Make fitness goals. Things you want to accomplish so you have more than a number to work towards. The fact that you're getting smaller means you're losing fat, and building muscle. That's a good thing. My body is currently doing the same thing and though I desperately want the scale to go down too, I have to remind myself that my body is undergoing a total transformation and I need to be patient with it. The scale will move when it's ready, what's important is that we are both getting a little heathier and a little fitter every day.
  • ShaeDetermined
    ShaeDetermined Posts: 1,525 Member
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    i think it's important to take your measurements every 2 weeks or so.
    sometimes when the weight is stalled you'll be surprised to see that you're dropping inches.
    Measure your arms, chest, thighs, waist, hips etc

    Also, remember to shake things up -both with your diet and exercise - so your body doesn't fall into a rut.

    congrats on your loss till now, and keep trudging along, you'll be happy you did!
  • AliDarling
    AliDarling Posts: 373
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    Feeling good about youself is one of the most important things I think. Looking good and fitting in to every thing is just a bonus. Maybe you hit your plato and need to change up your exercise?
  • starracer23
    starracer23 Posts: 1,011 Member
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    I was thinking the same. You need a shock to your system...change up your diet and your workouts.
  • Ahluvly
    Ahluvly Posts: 389 Member
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    Hello flower,

    Here is my advice which is based on what I think deep down and also what I've learnt about nutrition and energy the past few weeks since joining the gym and having nutrition appointments with the trainers.

    Are you being honest about what you are eating, how much you are eating, working out (exercise) and recording it on MFP? Are you having the correct number of Net Cals a day? Are you eating back the calories you burn off? If you do not eat back your calories then this could be a case of you not eating enough which is why your body is holding on to any surplus weight.

    When you start cutting down on the number of calories your body needs, then it will ultimately grind to a halt where weightloss is concerned. Also, as we weigh less, we need fewer calories to function but you have to make sure you are eating the right amount in the first place - do you see where I'm coming from?

    My trainer explained it to me that if you're working out regularly (in my case, 4 x 60 mins sessions a week) then we need enough energy to carry us through the day. Imagine our body is a fire, if we throw on a big log of wood it will take forever for it to burn through it. However, if we feed it smaller chips of wood, it keeps us going. That is what we need to do with our food to sustain us. I don't know what you have your weekly weightloss down as, lbs wise, but if it's 2lbs a week, I'd perhaps decrease this to 0.5 or 1lb weightloss a week and see how you go on the additional calories? I'm saying this as if I'm assuming you are eating back your exercise calories.

    Hope this helps!

    Sarahx
  • woofers1803
    woofers1803 Posts: 23
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    Definitely make a fitness goal as well. Muscle weighs more than fat, so you might be losing fat, but gaining back the same amount of muscle! That killed me the first few weeks of my journey. I'm also a muscular build, and having a goal that isn't on the scale is a must because people with similar builds will tend to gain and keep muscle more easily. My goal is to be able to run a mile by October. I had knee surgery a couple years ago and the weight has kept me from running since then. If I run and I'm 175, I don't care if I didn't make 150 by then. It's all about the things you can do. Take note of things like sleeping better, being able to do more in your workouts, and having to buy new clothes. Sometimes the scale just can't show the whole picture.
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    Even though we are all slaves to the scale, your measurements are THE best way to measure progress! The scale doesn't show the whole story! Your clothes falling off is WAY more important than what the scale says. You could also have your body fat tested every few months. Look online for body fat testing in your area. I like the Bod Pod because you are in a capsule with air instead of dunked in a tank of water.
  • wbutterfras
    wbutterfras Posts: 34
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    Is weight the only thing you are tracking? I don't know what your workout is, but you could still be loosing fat while building new muscle. If you're old clothes are too big, you're obviously doing something right. Maybe you could start measuring things like your waist or neck also.

    As far as your question goes, I would say if you feel and are healthy and that makes you happy then go with that. If you still need or want to loose the weight or be smaller, then go for that. Either way, stay committed and believe in yourself. You know they say that insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.
  • tgosney
    tgosney Posts: 9 Member
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    Hi! I am doing the same thing too. I had a standstill when I started using the new gym at my work. Then finally shed a few pounds a week ago and now doing the same hovering over 162-163.5....it is frustrating! I am jogging/walking, using the elliptical and adaptive motion trainer at work, using the weight machines, and also attending yoga classes as well as yoga videos at home. A very good variety of a workout and do it about 6 days a week.

    I think what we are going through is losing inches and building lean muscle tissue. If your clothes are falling off like mine, then we are on the right path. We need to remind ourselves that the scale just gives us the overall number of ourselves...it doesn't take our BMI at all! I've been through this before about 8 years ago to when I went from 260 down to 195lbs....just stay working out and it will shed!

    Our paths are pretty close...I started using this app in February of this year, but I started changing my eating habits in January 2011. I started at 203lbs and now weigh 162lbs. I am about 5' 5" and my goal is 140.

    Oh...check out this blog:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/196502-for-the-people-who-work-out-like-crazy-and-are-not-losing

    This helped me. :-)
  • brnsgrsbody
    brnsgrsbody Posts: 254 Member
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    I went through your diary as I see most people didn't do. Getting the weight and bodyfat to come down is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. As a Veteran of the Navy I used to always stuggle to not look "Thick" and to actually look like what I was talking about fitness and nutritionally. I was eating all the wrong foods most of the time and fad dieting the others.

    You have to get on a solid healthy lifestyle that includes foods that are lower on the Glycemic index. Eating a ton of bananas and watermelon is not the answer just because they are a fruit. Their natural sugar content is too high.

    Change to apples, oranges, and grapefruit. Maybe cantaloupe, strawberries, and blueberries for sure.

    My reads are Tosca Reno: The Eat Clean Diet and The New Rules of Lifting for Women.

    They both are helping me with my journey of getting fit. I have lost 33 pounds total and 9 pounds since being on here. Weightloss will get slower on the scale the more you work out with weights but you will look better. Make sure you use the measuring tape and keep measurements.

    Friend me if you want to see my diary.
  • elizabethblake
    elizabethblake Posts: 384 Member
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    Hi! I took a quick look at your diary and maybe you should start tracking sugar? Sugar hides in a lot of places you'd never think of, and it can cause you to hold onto water weight.

    It also looks like there are days when you've had a good amount of calorie burn, but didn't eat back your exercise calories.

    Additionally, processed meats like luncheon meat and hot dogs contain a lot of additives and sodium, which can hinder your weight loss efforts.

    That said - Congrats on baggy clothes! You're obviously doing something right!
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    Checked out your diary but didn't take notes.

    You're eating a lot of foods that are high in sodium so you're frequently exceeding 2500 mg of sodium. Your body will try to flush that sodium by making you thirsty so you'll drink more water but you keep tossing more sodium in.

    Some of that sodium is coming from processed foods, especially hot dogs. I am not a good snob - I used to say "I eat anything dead or slow moving" but I won't put a hot dog in my mouth. I know that all food has an allowable percentage of rat hair and mouse droppings but hot dogs aren't for me!

    You're pretty much staying within the MPF guidelines in terms of net cals and carb/protein/fats (again, I didn't take notes). I didn't use MFP's percentages or net cal recommendations (I'm pretty much done losing weight) and I my diet went very well. IIRC, my carb/protein/fat percentages were 25/50/25.

    There many reasons for my approach and the most simple one is that I didn't think that my body needed all of those carbs.

    Have you ever heard of anyone getting fat eating chicken and fish?

    How about someone gaining weight from bread, potatoes, and lots of fruit?

    Suggestions:
    1 - weigh yourself every day and keep notes about unusual things. If you don't weigh daily, it's a real crap shoot to figure out what's going on with your weight.
    My weight and notes are here: http://cbeinfo.net/weight.htm
    I don't keep notes any more but I weigh and track my BP daily. Notes help 'cause they can help explain sudden changes in your weight.

    2 - cut back on the sodium. I've had a couple of times when I ate lots of sodium and my weigh jumped up a pound for a couple of days

    3 - change your percentages. It won't hurt you to go from carb-heavy to protein-heavy for a while. Give it a month and see what results you get.
  • brnsgrsbody
    brnsgrsbody Posts: 254 Member
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    Checked out your diary but didn't take notes.

    You're eating a lot of foods that are high in sodium so you're frequently exceeding 2500 mg of sodium. Your body will try to flush that sodium by making you thirsty so you'll drink more water but you keep tossing more sodium in.

    Some of that sodium is coming from processed foods, especially hot dogs. I am not a good snob - I used to say "I eat anything dead or slow moving" but I won't put a hot dog in my mouth. I know that all food has an allowable percentage of rat hair and mouse droppings but hot dogs aren't for me!

    You're pretty much staying within the MPF guidelines in terms of net cals and carb/protein/fats (again, I didn't take notes). I didn't use MFP's percentages or net cal recommendations (I'm pretty much done losing weight) and I my diet went very well. IIRC, my carb/protein/fat percentages were 25/50/25.

    There many reasons for my approach and the most simple one is that I didn't think that my body needed all of those carbs.

    Have you ever heard of anyone getting fat eating chicken and fish?

    How about someone gaining weight from bread, potatoes, and lots of fruit?

    Suggestions:
    1 - weigh yourself every day and keep notes about unusual things. If you don't weigh daily, it's a real crap shoot to figure out what's going on with your weight.
    My weight and notes are here: http://cbeinfo.net/weight.htm
    I don't keep notes any more but I weigh and track my BP daily. Notes help 'cause they can help explain sudden changes in your weight.

    2 - cut back on the sodium. I've had a couple of times when I ate lots of sodium and my weigh jumped up a pound for a couple of days

    3 - change your percentages. It won't hurt you to go from carb-heavy to protein-heavy for a while. Give it a month and see what results you get.

    GREAT ANSWER!!!! ^^^^^^
  • janel814
    janel814 Posts: 88
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    Okay just a little bit more information about me, all of your suggestions are great but some of them are things that I do.....

    I invested in a BodyBugg so I track my total calories burned all day long, so if you see my calorie intake may go over the suggested amount it is b/c I have had a high calorie burn day. I keep my calorie intake at or just under 1000 cal difference. I also take measurements and pictures each week.

    I workout 2xs a day - cardio (Turbo Fire) in the morning and strength (ChaLean Extreme) in the afternoon.

    Some of my non-scale goals are to fit into a size 14 jeans by Aug 14 (my b-day) and size 10 by the end of the year. Also getting my body fat down to about 24-25% by the end of the year.

    So overall, I do see a change but I was lookng for an outsiders view point.

    Thanks so much for all the great input :-)
  • janel814
    janel814 Posts: 88
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