Stuck and need some motivation!!

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devineyallen
devineyallen Posts: 33
in Motivation and Support
I started MFP about a month ago and lost 7 lbs my first week and 5 the second and third week combined. I have been drinking water religiously, exercising about 30 minutes on the elliptical (which i switch it up and do the stationary bike or treadmill also) 4x a week, doing weight training and have hit a hard spot! This morning i weighed and am 0.6lbs heavier than last week. I have been consuming about 1000-1100 cals/day and am allowed 1200 (not counting what i get added from exercise) and I rarely go over. As far as my eating i mostly now consume chicken, fish and shrimp (b/c all are lower fat and lower cal than beef), eat fruits and veggies daily and usually a yogurt too. The only thing i did differently this past week was i had pizza over the weekend. It was my first "splurge" in the month time since i started. I don't want to deprive myself of things just because i'm trying to eat healthier. I need some motivation!
Not sure if I'm doing something wrong or if the weight gained is from weight training (bicep curls, tricep pushdowns, quads and hamstrings)?

Replies

  • sophjakesmom
    sophjakesmom Posts: 904 Member
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    You have lost 12 lbs in a month. That averages 3 lbs a week. That is super! Now your body is probably taking a breath to adjust. Weight loss is not a straight line down and weeks you don't lose, are often your body's time to contract. I suggest taking your measurements, so on weeks you don't lose, you can see if you are losing inches. don't get discouraged. It really is how you look at it. I have chosen 5 lbs a month as my goal, so when I do have those weeks, I still feel like I am on track. You can do it my friend. Just stay at it.!
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    just thought i would we send you some advice as daft as it might sound if your not eating enough , you are more prone to pick or give up . so advice below on eating your calories back and what goals to aim for according to your bmi..
    Are you NOT eating 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
  • LovingMe19
    LovingMe19 Posts: 380 Member
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    Sounds lke you need to eat more. Your body needs fuel to get through all those workouts you mentioned. And eating less than 1200 calories a day is not good for you at all. I hot a plateau as well, for about 2 months and kept floating around the same 3 pounds. I upped my calories and eat about 1300 on days my workouts aren't so intense and 1500 when they are. The scale is moving for me now, but slowly.
  • susygarcia1029
    susygarcia1029 Posts: 3
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    Wow!!! That is great weight loss. Good for you!!!!
    You are going a little hard core though. Is this something you can maintain your whole life or are you just working for a specific event? You are consuming no more than 1200 calories. You can be shifting your body into starvation mode. You could try taking a rest day and increasing your calories by about 120 calories. See if that helps. Don't get discouraged you are doing wonderfully. I think you need to increase your caloric intake though. Good luck!!
  • changeisgood55
    changeisgood55 Posts: 274
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    I don't think you're eating enough calories. You may want to increase that along with maybe eating a few different things too. Did you measure yourself when you started cause maybe you are losing inches and not pounds. And if you are building muscle remember muscle is denser than fat so the scale maybe a bit higher but it's ok. Don't give up because you are doing the right things. Just change it up a bit and you will be fine. Good luck!
  • devineyallen
    devineyallen Posts: 33
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    Thanks everyone! I'm new to the message boards and don't know how to reply to each post separately. I haven't done measurements but I think that would be a good idea, esp to see if i'm losing inches although maybe not pounds every week. I will try to consume more calories and see how that works. I am not trying to lose for a specific event. I just want to be down to the size i was when i got married 4 years ago and i want to be healthy and change my lifestyle and it be forever!

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