Weight Loss
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_annyleigh
Posts: 15 Member
Hi,
I would like to lose 20 pounds, but I've been struggling to do so for the past few years. It feels like no matter what I do, I can't seem to lose more than 5 pounds unless I'm not healthy with my eating habits (like eating the bare minimum, etc.) and exercising an insane amount every day. Any suggestions other than inputting all of my info and sticking to a calorie deficit? I would love to hear suggestions for good workouts as well. Anything that helps with midriff fat/love handles, as that's where about 70% of my fat is.
Thank you!
I would like to lose 20 pounds, but I've been struggling to do so for the past few years. It feels like no matter what I do, I can't seem to lose more than 5 pounds unless I'm not healthy with my eating habits (like eating the bare minimum, etc.) and exercising an insane amount every day. Any suggestions other than inputting all of my info and sticking to a calorie deficit? I would love to hear suggestions for good workouts as well. Anything that helps with midriff fat/love handles, as that's where about 70% of my fat is.
Thank you!
1
Replies
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When you say "no matter what I do," can you share exactly what you have done? I don't want to assume you have tried something that you haven't tried yet.
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janejellyroll wrote: »When you say "no matter what I do," can you share exactly what you have done? I don't want to assume you have tried something that you haven't tried yet.
One of the main things I did was run every single day for a half hour, and it didn't seem to make any changes even when I was eating a lot healthier. The one thing I saw improvement was when I was doing Nike+ Kinect, but I don't have enough room in my house anymore to do that because it requires you to be in a really spacious area so it can pick you up on the camera. I used to go to the gym daily and do cardio exercises and then lift weights, but I only lost two pounds and plateaued. I also cut sodas and sugary drinks out of my diet as well, but only lost an additional pound. I have a few Jillian Michaels workout DVDs but haven't tried those yet - should that be my next step or is there anything else you would suggest?0 -
What are your stats (age, height, weight). Also unfortunately you cannot spot reduce, so fat will come off where it comes off.. eventually you can see changes but it may come to the point where you don't have the muscle base to support losing fat in certain areas while still remaining healthy.1
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_annyleigh wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »When you say "no matter what I do," can you share exactly what you have done? I don't want to assume you have tried something that you haven't tried yet.
One of the main things I did was run every single day for a half hour, and it didn't seem to make any changes even when I was eating a lot healthier. The one thing I saw improvement was when I was doing Nike+ Kinect, but I don't have enough room in my house anymore to do that because it requires you to be in a really spacious area so it can pick you up on the camera. I used to go to the gym daily and do cardio exercises and then lift weights, but I only lost two pounds and plateaued. I also cut sodas and sugary drinks out of my diet as well, but only lost an additional pound. I have a few Jillian Michaels workout DVDs but haven't tried those yet - should that be my next step or is there anything else you would suggest?
Have you tried picking a reasonable calorie deficit, logging, and hitting it consistently? By reasonable I mean a smaller goal like .5 pounds a week.
Exercise is optional for weight loss (although it can be great for fitness or being happier with how your body looks), so you can add as much exercise as you enjoy/can sustain, no super-aggressive plans or daily workouts necessary.
You can cut soda and sugary drinks if it makes it easier for you to hit your calorie goal, but if you still enjoying having them, you still can.
When I started here I wanted to lose about 20 pounds. I began logging and hit my goal consistently and I wound up losing more than 40, I'm at a lower weight than I ever thought would be possible for me while still eating foods I enjoy and having a regular life.
If you haven't tried it already, give it a try! If you have tried it and it was hard, let us know what you found challenging and maybe we can help.1 -
What are your stats (age, height, weight). Also unfortunately you cannot spot reduce, so fat will come off where it comes off.. eventually you can see changes but it may come to the point where you don't have the muscle base to support losing fat in certain areas while still remaining healthy.
19, 5'7", and 153 last time I checked.
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janejellyroll wrote: »_annyleigh wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »When you say "no matter what I do," can you share exactly what you have done? I don't want to assume you have tried something that you haven't tried yet.
One of the main things I did was run every single day for a half hour, and it didn't seem to make any changes even when I was eating a lot healthier. The one thing I saw improvement was when I was doing Nike+ Kinect, but I don't have enough room in my house anymore to do that because it requires you to be in a really spacious area so it can pick you up on the camera. I used to go to the gym daily and do cardio exercises and then lift weights, but I only lost two pounds and plateaued. I also cut sodas and sugary drinks out of my diet as well, but only lost an additional pound. I have a few Jillian Michaels workout DVDs but haven't tried those yet - should that be my next step or is there anything else you would suggest?
Have you tried picking a reasonable calorie deficit, logging, and hitting it consistently? By reasonable I mean a smaller goal like .5 pounds a week.
Exercise is optional for weight loss (although it can be great for fitness or being happier with how your body looks), so you can add as much exercise as you enjoy/can sustain, no super-aggressive plans or daily workouts necessary.
You can cut soda and sugary drinks if it makes it easier for you to hit your calorie goal, but if you still enjoying having them, you still can.
When I started here I wanted to lose about 20 pounds. I began logging and hit my goal consistently and I wound up losing more than 40, I'm at a lower weight than I ever thought would be possible for me while still eating foods I enjoy and having a regular life.
If you haven't tried it already, give it a try! If you have tried it and it was hard, let us know what you found challenging and maybe we can help.
Thanks for the advice! I did start out with the .5 pound goal, but it felt like I was eating way too many calories. I have it set at the 2 pound goal, and sometimes I'm about 100 calories over my goal but not usually much more unless I go to a special occasion (like Thanksgiving dinner - I allowed that as a cheat day). I will continue trying to stay under every day and see how that works for me.1 -
_annyleigh wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »_annyleigh wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »When you say "no matter what I do," can you share exactly what you have done? I don't want to assume you have tried something that you haven't tried yet.
One of the main things I did was run every single day for a half hour, and it didn't seem to make any changes even when I was eating a lot healthier. The one thing I saw improvement was when I was doing Nike+ Kinect, but I don't have enough room in my house anymore to do that because it requires you to be in a really spacious area so it can pick you up on the camera. I used to go to the gym daily and do cardio exercises and then lift weights, but I only lost two pounds and plateaued. I also cut sodas and sugary drinks out of my diet as well, but only lost an additional pound. I have a few Jillian Michaels workout DVDs but haven't tried those yet - should that be my next step or is there anything else you would suggest?
Have you tried picking a reasonable calorie deficit, logging, and hitting it consistently? By reasonable I mean a smaller goal like .5 pounds a week.
Exercise is optional for weight loss (although it can be great for fitness or being happier with how your body looks), so you can add as much exercise as you enjoy/can sustain, no super-aggressive plans or daily workouts necessary.
You can cut soda and sugary drinks if it makes it easier for you to hit your calorie goal, but if you still enjoying having them, you still can.
When I started here I wanted to lose about 20 pounds. I began logging and hit my goal consistently and I wound up losing more than 40, I'm at a lower weight than I ever thought would be possible for me while still eating foods I enjoy and having a regular life.
If you haven't tried it already, give it a try! If you have tried it and it was hard, let us know what you found challenging and maybe we can help.
Thanks for the advice! I did start out with the .5 pound goal, but it felt like I was eating way too many calories. I have it set at the 2 pound goal, and sometimes I'm about 100 calories over my goal but not usually much more unless I go to a special occasion (like Thanksgiving dinner - I allowed that as a cheat day). I will continue trying to stay under every day and see how that works for me.
Unless you over-estimated your activity level, it's unlikely that the .5 calorie goal is too many for you, but it all comes down to your results. 2 pounds a week is probably too aggressive for your current weight, but keep in mind that you can also change your goal if you find that you do want to eat more. Good luck!2 -
_annyleigh wrote: »What are your stats (age, height, weight). Also unfortunately you cannot spot reduce, so fat will come off where it comes off.. eventually you can see changes but it may come to the point where you don't have the muscle base to support losing fat in certain areas while still remaining healthy.
19, 5'7", and 153 last time I checked.
I would definitely go slower as you are closer to goal, so 0.5 lb per week, at max 1lb per week. Yes it might seem like a lot of calories but that is what is going to keep you going, keep you fueled, energized and not feeling deprived. You don't want to rush and cut out a bunch of foods, calories and go crazy with the cardio... that will just lead to burning out and, not reaching your goal again and again.
In terms of workouts, if you want to maintain muscle as you lose and have more definition/toned appearance, then I would definitely look into a strength training routine.
And if you start a new workout, you can retain water which can mask weight loss.. try not to get discouraged, believe me just stick to it and keep moving forward.1 -
_annyleigh wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »When you say "no matter what I do," can you share exactly what you have done? I don't want to assume you have tried something that you haven't tried yet.
One of the main things I did was run every single day for a half hour, and it didn't seem to make any changes even when I was eating a lot healthier. The one thing I saw improvement was when I was doing Nike+ Kinect, but I don't have enough room in my house anymore to do that because it requires you to be in a really spacious area so it can pick you up on the camera. I used to go to the gym daily and do cardio exercises and then lift weights, but I only lost two pounds and plateaued. I also cut sodas and sugary drinks out of my diet as well, but only lost an additional pound. I have a few Jillian Michaels workout DVDs but haven't tried those yet - should that be my next step or is there anything else you would suggest?
I would search for physical activities that you will enjoy and want to do and look forward to doing every day and miss when you can 't do them. Running is great if you love it. If you don't then keep searching! You can do the DVDs while you are looking for activities if that doesn't keep you going. I like running... for a while- then I get tired and quit which can sabotage everything I have accomplished. Look for classes like Zumba, yoga, belly dancing, square dancing- there may be introductory offers (4-6 weeks) right now or just after the new year. Walking clubs or just throw on a device that counts your steps and progressively increase your daily totals. Keep looking and you will find something to keep you moving that you will either love or get you to your next activity!1 -
_annyleigh wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »When you say "no matter what I do," can you share exactly what you have done? I don't want to assume you have tried something that you haven't tried yet.
One of the main things I did was run every single day for a half hour, and it didn't seem to make any changes even when I was eating a lot healthier. The one thing I saw improvement was when I was doing Nike+ Kinect, but I don't have enough room in my house anymore to do that because it requires you to be in a really spacious area so it can pick you up on the camera. I used to go to the gym daily and do cardio exercises and then lift weights, but I only lost two pounds and plateaued. I also cut sodas and sugary drinks out of my diet as well, but only lost an additional pound. I have a few Jillian Michaels workout DVDs but haven't tried those yet - should that be my next step or is there anything else you would suggest?
So, eating healthier doesn't mean a calorie deficit. How many calories are you eating every day, and how are you tracking/weighing/measuring those calories?1 -
_annyleigh wrote: »What are your stats (age, height, weight). Also unfortunately you cannot spot reduce, so fat will come off where it comes off.. eventually you can see changes but it may come to the point where you don't have the muscle base to support losing fat in certain areas while still remaining healthy.
19, 5'7", and 153 last time I checked.
Hey, stat twin here! I'm 5'7" and just crossed the threshold into the 140s (currently at around 148-149lbs).
Since you're already at a healthy BMI for your height, it's gonna be tough AND slow to shed the pounds.
I aim for a daily intake of 1300 calories and lose around 1lbs a week. My TDEE is 1800, since I'm quite sedentary with an office job. I manually add my intentional exercise in MFP and eat back around 75% of those calories. So if I hop on a treadmill for a brisk walk and it tells me I burned 150 calories, I log around 100-110 calories in MFP and eat those extra calories.
I measure all my solid foods with a food scale and liquids with measuring cups and stick to my calorie goal. Every day. Accuracy is key.3 -
dfnewcombe wrote: »_annyleigh wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »When you say "no matter what I do," can you share exactly what you have done? I don't want to assume you have tried something that you haven't tried yet.
One of the main things I did was run every single day for a half hour, and it didn't seem to make any changes even when I was eating a lot healthier. The one thing I saw improvement was when I was doing Nike+ Kinect, but I don't have enough room in my house anymore to do that because it requires you to be in a really spacious area so it can pick you up on the camera. I used to go to the gym daily and do cardio exercises and then lift weights, but I only lost two pounds and plateaued. I also cut sodas and sugary drinks out of my diet as well, but only lost an additional pound. I have a few Jillian Michaels workout DVDs but haven't tried those yet - should that be my next step or is there anything else you would suggest?
I would search for physical activities that you will enjoy and want to do and look forward to doing every day and miss when you can 't do them. Running is great if you love it. If you don't then keep searching! You can do the DVDs while you are looking for activities if that doesn't keep you going. I like running... for a while- then I get tired and quit which can sabotage everything I have accomplished. Look for classes like Zumba, yoga, belly dancing, square dancing- there may be introductory offers (4-6 weeks) right now or just after the new year. Walking clubs or just throw on a device that counts your steps and progressively increase your daily totals. Keep looking and you will find something to keep you moving that you will either love or get you to your next activity!
Thank you! I would love to do some boxing classes - maybe I will look into that!0 -
collectingblues wrote: »_annyleigh wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »When you say "no matter what I do," can you share exactly what you have done? I don't want to assume you have tried something that you haven't tried yet.
One of the main things I did was run every single day for a half hour, and it didn't seem to make any changes even when I was eating a lot healthier. The one thing I saw improvement was when I was doing Nike+ Kinect, but I don't have enough room in my house anymore to do that because it requires you to be in a really spacious area so it can pick you up on the camera. I used to go to the gym daily and do cardio exercises and then lift weights, but I only lost two pounds and plateaued. I also cut sodas and sugary drinks out of my diet as well, but only lost an additional pound. I have a few Jillian Michaels workout DVDs but haven't tried those yet - should that be my next step or is there anything else you would suggest?
So, eating healthier doesn't mean a calorie deficit. How many calories are you eating every day, and how are you tracking/weighing/measuring those calories?
I was eating about 1400 calories per day when I was eating healthier. My Apple watch would track my exercise, and I would manually log my calories in MFP for each of the foods I ate by using the Nutrition Facts. I haven't tried using a food scale, maybe that would be a better way to log.1 -
_annyleigh wrote: »What are your stats (age, height, weight). Also unfortunately you cannot spot reduce, so fat will come off where it comes off.. eventually you can see changes but it may come to the point where you don't have the muscle base to support losing fat in certain areas while still remaining healthy.
19, 5'7", and 153 last time I checked.
Hey, stat twin here! I'm 5'7" and just crossed the threshold into the 140s (currently at around 148-149lbs).
Since you're already at a healthy BMI for your height, it's gonna be tough AND slow to shed the pounds.
I aim for a daily intake of 1300 calories and lose around 1lbs a week. My TDEE is 1800, since I'm quite sedentary with an office job. I manually add my intentional exercise in MFP and eat back around 75% of those calories. So if I hop on a treadmill for a brisk walk and it tells me I burned 150 calories, I log around 100-110 calories in MFP and eat those extra calories.
I measure all my solid foods with a food scale and liquids with measuring cups and stick to my calorie goal. Every day. Accuracy is key.
Yeah, it's really slow moving. When I was really active a few years ago I hovered around 135, but since I'm quite sedentary as well (I work at a call center) I feel like I just keep gaining and gaining. That's a great method for logging, I'll have to give that a try!0 -
_annyleigh wrote: »collectingblues wrote: »_annyleigh wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »When you say "no matter what I do," can you share exactly what you have done? I don't want to assume you have tried something that you haven't tried yet.
One of the main things I did was run every single day for a half hour, and it didn't seem to make any changes even when I was eating a lot healthier. The one thing I saw improvement was when I was doing Nike+ Kinect, but I don't have enough room in my house anymore to do that because it requires you to be in a really spacious area so it can pick you up on the camera. I used to go to the gym daily and do cardio exercises and then lift weights, but I only lost two pounds and plateaued. I also cut sodas and sugary drinks out of my diet as well, but only lost an additional pound. I have a few Jillian Michaels workout DVDs but haven't tried those yet - should that be my next step or is there anything else you would suggest?
So, eating healthier doesn't mean a calorie deficit. How many calories are you eating every day, and how are you tracking/weighing/measuring those calories?
I was eating about 1400 calories per day when I was eating healthier. My Apple watch would track my exercise, and I would manually log my calories in MFP for each of the foods I ate by using the Nutrition Facts. I haven't tried using a food scale, maybe that would be a better way to log.
I agree with those that suggest using a food scale to weigh solids and cups to measure liquid. And also with the suggestion to drop your goal to .5 to 1 lb loss per week. It helps so much. Burning out on lower calories is a real thing as is water gain from exercise.
Being a woman, there’s going to be quite a bit of fluctuations on the scale from water. Alas.
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I feel your pain and had the same issues. I’ve tried over the years to loose weight unsuccessfully. First time I tried I was eating pretty healthy avoiding carbs, going for a walk during lunch and the gym after work and lost 2 lbs in 4 months, very frustrating and I gave up. I decided almost 3 weeks ago to try again but this time I’m tracking ALL my calories and staying under 1300 per mfp. I’m eating healthy overall but chocolate is my weakness so I make sure I leave enough calories for some or else I’m not going to stick to it and I’m not restricting carbs. I also have a Fitbit now which helps me make sure I’m active enough to burn enough calories with some walking and weights. I haven’t gone crazy on working out like I did the first time which I hated and there’s no way I was going to be able to keep it up. So far it’s working great and I’ve lost 4lbs in these 3 weeks which is way more than I have in the past and I feel like I am really going to hit my goal this time and I don’t feel miserable or deprived. Hope this helps!0
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