Frustrated...seven weeks in and <2 lbs loss

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MrsRipdizzle
MrsRipdizzle Posts: 490 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone. This is my first post. I'm VERY frustrated right now. I started walking back in June...30 mins 3-4x a week to get started (moving from a VERY sedentary lifestyle). Then on July 1st I started the C25K program. In addition to the program I added on walking (on a treadmill, various modes and inclines) to equal out a total of 60 mins. I'm currently in week 7 of C25K (anyone not familiar ~ that is 5 min warmup brisk walking followed by 25 mins of jogging).

I've NEVER been able to run (I was the asthmatic who had to walk the timed fitness mile in elementary school) so I started C25K to prove to myself that I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to...and of course I was looking for the additional bonus of weight loss.

HAH.

Since I joined MFP almost one month ago (July 21), I've lost a total of...wait for it...less than two pounds. When I first started walking back in mid-June I was 187. I'm currently looking at 181.8 lbs. I've been logging my food (almost everyday but sometimes on weekends I get off track). When I do my 60 min workouts I burn (according to my HRM) between 600-700 calories (sometimes I workout for 70-75 mins if I'm taking advantage of the runner's high). So, after having read lots of threads about eating back exercise calories...I made sure to eat *most* of them back (sometimes I eat all of them, sometimes only half of them, I vary it up not according to any schedule). I workout at the minimum four days a week, but generally five days a week.

As far as diet is concerned...while I'd love to lost weight rapidly, I know that I will put it back on just as quick if I don't get control over my eating. So I've decided to eat a regimen of fairly healthy (though not always) foods. I refuse to do low-carb (I lose it quick but gain it back just as fast). This MUST be a lifestyle change...NOT a DIEt , for me to succeed.

So, here I am...down less than 2 lbs...frustrated as hell. Figured I would have lost quite a bit more given how hard I'm working (and having gone from a total couch potato who ate entirely too much). It's been SEVEN WEEKS since I started C25K...not just two weeks. By now I should have seen more results...right?

OHHH, and I'm not just talking scale losses....I took my measurements and there has been very little loss in my measurements. So little that I have to count them in stinkin' centimeters. My clothes do not feel much different. My calves, on the other hand, have definitely gotten tighter and more toned. But I'm still fat. I feel every bit of it too.

I also just got a scale that shows body fat percentage, muscle mass percentage, water weight, etc. I was appalled to see my body fat percentage said 35%. :o( My muscle mass says 35-36%. I'm 5'4", 181.8 lbs, mid-large bone structure. I'm looking for advice, encouragement, success stories, ANYTHING to help me stay focused and start LOSING some mass.
P.S. I started the 30 Day Shred today...got through it with a few modifications...but I'm hoping maybe this will throw my body a curveball and it will RESPOND. ;o)
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Replies

  • moriaht
    moriaht Posts: 251 Member
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    Its 80% diet, 20% exercise. You need to start eating healthier plain and simple.
  • jayruth
    jayruth Posts: 7
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    Hi there. I'm sure some much more knowledgable peeps will be along shortly but wanted to tell you not to give up. I went through something similar where for the first five weeks I lost barely any weight - I lost and gained the same four pounds a few times during it. I kept plodding along and trusting mfp. Then suddenly one week and without changing anything, I lost seven pounds. Just like that. My water intake was the same two litres a day and the seven pounds have stayed off, so I know I wasn't just dehydrated. Keep at it! I think sometimes the shock of exercise you are not used to makes your body cling onto the fat, but it seems to figure out you are serious and starts playing by the rules :)
  • Gwooh
    Gwooh Posts: 80 Member
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    I do not eat my exercise cals back. Maybe lower your carbs and up your protein, you do not have to drastically lower your carb count...but I would make it more balanced with higher in protein. It has taken me a few runs to see what my body would react to. It’s reacting well to a lower carb diet. I try not to eat more than 1200-1400 cals per day. Plus I walk everyday. A mile into work, I get up from my desk and climb the stairs once, and I walk when I get home. My family has made adjustments to help me.

    I am 187 5'6" female 30 years old.
  • songbird1973
    songbird1973 Posts: 90
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    Also you might have your thyroid levels checked. I have a friend that was having the same problem, and after medication she started losing weight regularly. Hope this helps.:smile:
  • akgrl1020
    akgrl1020 Posts: 179
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    You might want to check out a couple of books, "Eat This, Not That", or Jillian MIchaels "Master Your Metabolism". They helped me really examine what I was eating, and were such a huge help to me. Do you use a food scale, or measuring cups for portion control? Good Luck!
  • Bearface115
    Bearface115 Posts: 574 Member
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    dont get discouraged! im on week 7 day 2 and i have lost like 3 pounds, but the inches are rewarding enough in itself. TRUST me when i say your body is going through the turning fat into muscle phase. Im changing my diet too because i want more loss and beleive me i am no getting serious! add me and we will support eachother!, PLEASE DONT GIVE UP! you should be very proud of yourself!
  • SWgal
    SWgal Posts: 62
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    Good job increasing your physical exercise! Keep that up, take those frustrated feelings and sweat them out...

    INCREASE:
    Water...more water!
    Vegetables
    Fruits

    DECREASE:
    Fast food
    Processed snacks
    Sodium (add this to your tracker perhaps?)

    Don't feel like it has to be ALL done in a day. Make a plan to change one habit per week/month etc.
    Changing behaviors and sticking with these changes requires patience. It is well worth it!
  • CoCoMa
    CoCoMa Posts: 906 Member
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    Also check your sodium and sugars. They may be affecting your loss, and yes, don't give up! Thanks for sharing your food diary btw!
  • armaretta
    armaretta Posts: 851 Member
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    Make sure you are eating good quality food too. The kind of food you eat makes a difference. If your body isn't getting the proper nutrients, then it's not going to respond in a healthy way to any kind of exercise. Not only the quantity, but the quality of the calories really does make a difference.
  • debdptg
    debdptg Posts: 94 Member
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    I peeked at your diary - it looks like you are doing ok on the calories, but maybe you are not eating enough protien. Make sure you are getting the right amount of protien when you are exercising so much because it will help you build muscle (which burns more fat).

    Also, don't get discouraged. I lose weight in chunks. I will lose 3 lbs one week, then nothing for 3 weeks, then 1 pound the next, then up one the next, etc. You get the idea. But, over time I am losing weight - and I am doing it while maintaining a lifestyle that I can continue with.

    Friend some folks for motivation - ***** about the new oreo cookie coming out (3 layers, really?) - and stick with us. The magic happens slowly for some, but it will happen for you.
  • manorexicmarshmallow
    manorexicmarshmallow Posts: 80 Member
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    my sense from reading your food diary is you need to get a whole lot more disciplined about logging the actual amount of food you are eating, there are a ton of days where you don't have complete and accurate food diaries.

    Probably if you did that, I suspect the problem is that some days you eat too little and thus don't start your metabolism and then you have cheat days where you eat too much, with the end result being not a very high weekly calorie deficit and not eating enough to continually stimulate your metabolism.
  • aflane
    aflane Posts: 625 Member
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    Here's my advice. First, add sodium to your nutrition counter. You're eating MASSIVE quantities and not even realizing it. Increase your water intake -- MINIMUM 8 - 8 oz glasses per day... especially to flush out all that sodium you've been eating. Stop skipping meals. It won't save you any calories in the long run, since you'll be hungry later and will either eat more or snack more. Aim for more fruits and veggies. I see an occasional serving of veggies, but not that often. It really is diet related.

    Keep up with the activity though. But be forewarned... the numbers that MFP gives you for calories expended are NOT ACCURATE!! You could be sabotaging yourself by eating back all the calories that MFP gives you. The only way to know what you are burning is to use a heart rate monitor (HRM) with a chest strap, calibrated to your height/weight/age (and even that has a 10% margin for error).
  • meowthania
    meowthania Posts: 76
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    I'm with SWgal on this - more water, fruits, and veggies! the fiber in the fruits and veggies will help you stay full, and "regular"

    HM_day has a support group - it's somewhere on the forums, feel free to join us. We are just starting up some easy going challenges right now to create good habits.
    Currently we are tracking 1 fruit/1 veggie every day, and have a minor exercise challenge in too.

    Feel free to add me - Highest weight: 210 - CW 149. GW - changes every day...
  • fionat29
    fionat29 Posts: 717 Member
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    Please, please don't give up. I know how incredibly frustrating this is for you. But eventually you will kick your body into submission and start noticing a difference. We've all had bad experiences but together we can do this! :flowerforyou:
  • _Sally_
    _Sally_ Posts: 514 Member
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    Its 80% diet, 20% exercise. You need to start eating healthier plain and simple.

    I agree. I took a quick peak at your diary and there are a lot of processed foods (likely very high in sodium - you should begin to track this) and sweets. This will hinder weight loss.

    Also, not tracking on weekends could mean you are not reaching the target calorie deficit you need on a weekly basis to lose weight.

    You need consistency and and more focused effort on eating healthier foods. It's not just counting calories, but it is also the quality of the calories. You don't need to be perfect in your diet, but you need to be more consistant than not, to see the results you are expecting.

    Yep - it's hard work to plan ahead and set yourself up for success at the beginning, but once you get into the rhythm of things, it gets much easier. You can do it!

    Good luck!
  • SheilaSisco
    SheilaSisco Posts: 722 Member
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    I looked at your diary... you need to eat more, plain and simple. Your body is afraid to let ANYTHING go because it isn't getting enough fuel. You need to be NETTING at least 1200 calories a day and then your body will feel more comfortable with letting it go... For example... your calories are set at 1200... if you exercise 600 then you should be eating at LEAST 1800 calories that day. I was like you for a few weeks and wasn't losing anything... I bumped my goal to 1300 and made sure I ate a vast majority of my exercise calories back and the weight flew off... I eat around 1250 NET calories a day typically and I am still losing. I know it sounds counterproductive... but I've learned that a lot of 'dieters' go too far to the opposite extreme when they want to lose weight.... sometimes you have to eat more than you think in order to lose the weight. Seriously... bump the calories (try to NET 1250-1300 daily), make sure you're drinking plenty of water, watch the sodium, LOTS of veggies, and I bet within a week or two you'll see a loss... try it.
  • SheilaSisco
    SheilaSisco Posts: 722 Member
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    Here's my advice. First, add sodium to your nutrition counter. You're eating MASSIVE quantities and not even realizing it. Increase your water intake -- MINIMUM 8 - 8 oz glasses per day... especially to flush out all that sodium you've been eating. Stop skipping meals. It won't save you any calories in the long run, since you'll be hungry later and will either eat more or snack more. Aim for more fruits and veggies. I see an occasional serving of veggies, but not that often. It really is diet related.

    Keep up with the activity though. But be forewarned... the numbers that MFP gives you for calories expended are NOT ACCURATE!! You could be sabotaging yourself by eating back all the calories that MFP gives you. The only way to know what you are burning is to use a heart rate monitor (HRM) with a chest strap, calibrated to your height/weight/age (and even that has a 10% margin for error).
    I agree with the HRM... BUT... MFP is not ALWAYS that far off on it's calculations... it really all depends on the person. I've discovered it is EXTREMELY accurate for me... I have been eating all of my exercise calories back and losing just fine. Granted, I know it isn't right for EVERYBODY, but it is right for SOME, so don't knock it completely out of the question... she could be one of the people it's accurate for...
    I sg
  • MrsRipdizzle
    MrsRipdizzle Posts: 490 Member
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    Wow, thanks for all the comments so far!
    Yes, I know...I'm not diligent in logging EVERYTHING because sometimes I can't always find the nutrition info on some of the prepared (like at a non-chain restaurant) things I eat...but I know for myself a general idea. I had been logging, obviously, for my own knowledge...but if I open this up to allow others to see it, I'll need to be more accurate. I don't EVER skip meals. I like food. :o) I almost ALWAYS start with a protein shake for breakfast...then do my workouts...then lunch...snack....dinner....snack. I try to eat every 3-4 hours. I'm lacking on veggies lately...agreed. I eat salads nearly everyday but I'm getting bored with them. Originally, I wasn't eating back my exercise calories and eating closer to 1200 cals (still wasn't losing)...then I started eating more and lost a couple ounces here and there.
    I'm really concerned my hormone levels are out of whack. What I haven't mentioned yet...and please don't criticize me for this...I did that stoopid HCG diet last year (Oct-early December). I lose 23 lbs but by mid-January, I got very sick (my immune system was shot) and I picked up every illness under the sun until stinkin' April. So I gained a good portion of my lost weight BACK. :o/ I'm fairly certain I messed something up in my body. GAHHHH! Which is why I really want to do this the good old fashioned way because I DO NOT want it coming back.
  • MrsRipdizzle
    MrsRipdizzle Posts: 490 Member
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    Oh and YES, I use a HRM! I loooove it! The treadmill is off big time (it's low) compared to what I burn on my HRM (and it's all set up with my numbers). So all the calories I log are ones off my HRM....and actually I don't log them ALL. For instance, if I burn 657 cals, I log 600. I always round down.
  • aflane
    aflane Posts: 625 Member
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    Add sodium to your tracker. WHAT you're eating could be shooting you in the foot. Water retention can be monstrous!

    As a rebuttal to the HRM vs MFP calories burned discussion: Used the stationary bike at the gym last night for 30 minutes going at a nice pace (about 12-14 mph). The reading on the bike's display (without my height/weight or age entered) said I burned 420 calories. MFP says 457. My heart rate monitor read 295. That's a BIG difference in my opinion. I'll trust the HRM's readings, since it has my vital statistics entered into the calculations.

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