Feeling Discouraged

DCcomicbookgirl
DCcomicbookgirl Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been trying desperately to lose weight for over two weeks (I've actually been trying for months, but kicked it into high gear for the past two weeks), and nothing is happening.

I workout every day (1.5 hours on weekdays and 1 hour on weekends). One weekdays I do an hour of circuit training, involving weight lifting, lungs and squats, sit ups, and push-ups, and then do half an hour of running. On weekends I just do cardio. I also have at least a thousand calorie deficit every day (most days the deficit is much larger). I only drink water except for one coffee a day and have completely cut out any junk food. My only weakness I guess is that I have a bagel every day (carbs).

I've been doing this workout routine since late April, but just started counting calories about two weeks ago. Though I can tell I'm eating less, I haven't had anything other than water to drink or many sweets in months, so my diet hasn't changed drastically.

I thought with all this work that I would have lost a little weight. Wrong. Every time I lose a pound or two I gain it back. I'm not even gradually going down. I would even be fine with this as I would explain it as muscle replacing fat, but my inches haven't changed either.

I'm feeling frustrated and depressed and I fear the anorexia I suffered with in high school will return if i don't see some results soon. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong.
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Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    What are your stats? How are you measuring your calorie intake? How are you measuring your exercise calories?
  • DCcomicbookgirl
    DCcomicbookgirl Posts: 16 Member
    I'm not sure what stats are. My measurements and weight? I measure both my calorie intake and exercise calories on a Fitbit. I also compare it with the monitor when I run on the tredmill
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    Yes, age/height/weight.

    How are you determining how many calories you're eating though? Food scale? Measuring cups? Eyeballing portions? Most likely you're eating more than you think and/or burning less than you think.
  • DCcomicbookgirl
    DCcomicbookgirl Posts: 16 Member
    23/5'5/165 lbs.

    I use measuring cups for the food I make at home (most of it). And googled how much my bagels are (on Tim Horton's website) it was confirmed by my Fitbit. If I can't trust my Fitbit to track my calories burned, how should I track it?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    I would suggest purchasing a food scale to start weighing everything out on, which will be much more accurate than measuring cups. As for the Fitbit, if it's a HR-based one I would forego it for the circuit training and log manually. Heart rate is really only good for steady-state cardio.
  • DCcomicbookgirl
    DCcomicbookgirl Posts: 16 Member
    Alright I will do those things. Thank you very much for your help. I truely mean that and am not trying to argue for the sake of arguing. But I still am very confused. I am a mathematician by trade and it just doesn't make sense to me. I had, yesterday a bagel and nine shrimp. That was all the food I consumed and that is a regular day. Mathematically, shouldn't I be losing weight?
  • lplanck4
    lplanck4 Posts: 7 Member
    I'm wandering if your eating enough? you said you have a thousand calorie deficit daily.
  • DCcomicbookgirl
    DCcomicbookgirl Posts: 16 Member
    Yes, at least. Though some days it is much larger than that.
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
    That sounds like too big of a deficit. My stats are 33yo, 258lbs at start, 5'6, moderate exercise level and was given 2150 calories a day. I have a deficit of anywhere between 200 to 800 calories a day depending on how I've eaten, and so far seeing a steady weight loss. Maybe your body isn't getting enough fuel to burn much?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    In addition to the good advice you've already gotten:
    1. Its only been 2 weeks, weight loss isn't linear. Water weight fluctuations can easily hide weight loss for a week or two.
    2. You have less than 50 lbs to lose and should be aiming for 1 lb per week loss.
    3. In addition to a food scale, double check the entries you are using in the database.
    4. Are you doing cheat days or are there days where you go off plan and don't log? Aiming for such a steep deficit can cause many people to overdo it on free days without even realizing it.
    5. Take a deep breathe and be patient. This is not a life or death situation, and it's only been 2 weeks. If you feel at all like you are slipping back into ED tendencies, please talk to a professional.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,122 Member
    I don't mean this to sound rude, but it doesn't matter if you are a mathematician if you are using the wrong numbers, you're going to be wrong and underestimate your calories. Weighing food you will find is far more accurate. So you have 9 pieces of shrimp. Not every piece of shrimp is the same size. I guarantee the bagel you eat could be 20% more weight than the package says. If you truly are at 1000 calorie or more deficit, weight would be falling off of you. You shouldn't have that big of a deficit anyway. You don't have 100's of lbs to lose.

  • DCcomicbookgirl
    DCcomicbookgirl Posts: 16 Member
    To answer question 4. I do not have cheat days.

    Thank you all very much for your help and time, I truely mean that. I will perhaps wait and see for another couple weeks. I will admit in the last couple weeks I have been eating less and less to try and kick start the weight loss, but maybe that is depriving myself of fuel.

    I appreciate the support and advice. I was quite sure I would be told to increase my deficit and was worried because I already feel tired and weak most days from the amount I am burning. Your answers have inspired me. Thank you.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    In addition to the good advice you've already gotten:
    1. Its only been 2 weeks, weight loss isn't linear. Water weight fluctuations can easily hide weight loss for a week or two.
    2. You have less than 50 lbs to lose and should be aiming for 1 lb per week loss.
    3. In addition to a food scale, double check the entries you are using in the database.
    4. Are you doing cheat days or are there days where you go off plan and don't log? Aiming for such a steep deficit can cause many people to overdo it on free days without even realizing it.
    5. Take a deep breathe and be patient. This is not a life or death situation, and it's only been 2 weeks. If you feel at all like you are slipping back into ED tendencies, please talk to a professional.

    ^^this^^ plus, even though some are questioning whether you are eating enough, if you are eating at a deficit you would be losing weight. Use a food scale and the MFP data base, being sure to verify the entries (some are just wrong).
  • DCcomicbookgirl
    DCcomicbookgirl Posts: 16 Member
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    Just get a dang food scale.

    That does appear to be the overwhelming consensus.
  • CaladriaNapea
    CaladriaNapea Posts: 140 Member
    You need to be eating more than a bagel and nine pieces of shrimp. That is not enough to fuel your body--not calorie wise, not nutrition wise.

    You are not obese. This is not an emergency. The weight will come off, I absolutely guarantee it, but the best way to go about it is not to lose as much as possible as quickly as possible. Slow and steady wins the race. Instead of creating such a massive deficit through over-exercise and under-eating, instead make small, sustainable changes to your routine that you plan on doing for the rest of your life. Large drastic changes are only going to summon your ED and, once you are unable to continue exercising 90 minutes a day and you allow yourself to eat regular food again, result in you regaining the weight. Honestly, this is what I would recommend:

    1. Use a flexible dieting approach instead of an all-or-nothing approach. This means that you make targeted specific changes to your diet, such as eating higher protein and fiber in order to increase satiety, or trying to achieve certain fitness goals. Realize that you are not going to be 100% perfect. No one is. That is why we are humans. The key here is not to eat perfectly, exercise perfectly, or lose weight perfectly. The goal is to make healthy progress one step at a time.
    2. Realize that weight loss is not linear. During the first week of my weight loss I gained weight. Hormones (your time of the month), salt intake, water retention from muscle repair and soreness (because you have been working out so much), and how constipated you are can all stall out your weight temporarily. You are a mathematician, realize that weight loss is, quite simply, math--trust the math. It won't let you down if you are healthy about it.
    3. Honestly to me it sounds like you are already struggling with your ED. I would recommend seriously re-evaluating the healthiness of your approach and possibly talking to someone. At the very least, I would find a coach/trusted person to hold you accountable on the healthiness of your approach mentally.

    Seriously, I wish you the best of luck. You can do this. Just take a deep breath and commit to small, sustainable, and lifelong changes that will bring you health physically and mentally.
  • DCcomicbookgirl
    DCcomicbookgirl Posts: 16 Member
    CaladriaNapea wrote: »
    You need to be eating more than a bagel and nine pieces of shrimp. That is not enough to fuel your body--not calorie wise, not nutrition wise.

    You are not obese. This is not an emergency. The weight will come off, I absolutely guarantee it, but the best way to go about it is not to lose as much as possible as quickly as possible. Slow and steady wins the race. Instead of creating such a massive deficit through over-exercise and under-eating, instead make small, sustainable changes to your routine that you plan on doing for the rest of your life. Large drastic changes are only going to summon your ED and, once you are unable to continue exercising 90 minutes a day and you allow yourself to eat regular food again, result in you regaining the weight. Honestly, this is what I would recommend:

    1. Use a flexible dieting approach instead of an all-or-nothing approach. This means that you make targeted specific changes to your diet, such as eating higher protein and fiber in order to increase satiety, or trying to achieve certain fitness goals. Realize that you are not going to be 100% perfect. No one is. That is why we are humans. The key here is not to eat perfectly, exercise perfectly, or lose weight perfectly. The goal is to make healthy progress one step at a time.
    2. Realize that weight loss is not linear. During the first week of my weight loss I gained weight. Hormones (your time of the month), salt intake, water retention from muscle repair and soreness (because you have been working out so much), and how constipated you are can all stall out your weight temporarily. You are a mathematician, realize that weight loss is, quite simply, math--trust the math. It won't let you down if you are healthy about it.
    3. Honestly to me it sounds like you are already struggling with your ED. I would recommend seriously re-evaluating the healthiness of your approach and possibly talking to someone. At the very least, I would find a coach/trusted person to hold you accountable on the healthiness of your approach mentally.

    Seriously, I wish you the best of luck. You can do this. Just take a deep breath and commit to small, sustainable, and lifelong changes that will bring you health physically and mentally.

    Your words are very inspiring. Thank you very much.
  • dlkfox
    dlkfox Posts: 463 Member
    CaladriaNapea wrote: »
    You need to be eating more than a bagel and nine pieces of shrimp. That is not enough to fuel your body--not calorie wise, not nutrition wise.

    You are not obese. This is not an emergency.

    3. Honestly to me it sounds like you are already struggling with your ED. I would recommend seriously re-evaluating the healthiness of your approach and possibly talking to someone. At the very least, I would find a coach/trusted person to hold you accountable on the healthiness of your approach mentally.

    ^^^^ I really agree with this.

    Please be patient with yourself. It sounds like you are trying too hard too fast.

    Change your focus from weight loss to healthy eating - focus on eating ALL the calories in the proper macros (fat, carbs, protein) because that is what is good for your body.

    Then trust the math. The weight loss will happen over time, just not your timeline. You can't look to the scale for positive reinforcement. Look to your logging for that positive reinforcement.

    Take care of yourself, and best of luck.
  • everher
    everher Posts: 909 Member
    Also, perhaps if you've suffered from an ED before it's best to discuss this sort of thing with a doctor or specialist specializing with EDs. The last thing you need is to relapse and dieting can be a very slippery slope.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,482 Member
    DCcomicbookgirl wrote: »
    23/5'5/165 lbs.

    I use measuring cups for the food I make at home (most of it). And googled how much my bagels are (on Tim Horton's website) it was confirmed by my Fitbit. If I can't trust my Fitbit to track my calories burned, how should I track it?
    BMR is approximately 1570. Based on workouts add 500 calories and another 300 calories for NEAT. So you're well into 2370 calories per day to maintain. Subtract 500 to lose 1lbs a week and your intake should be about 1870. If you're not eating up to that, then your body is going to adapt to just the calories you're providing even if they are very low. That adaptation is usually a SLOWER METABOLIC RATE.
    So how many calories are you consuming a day?

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