I'm struggling

kallen771991
kallen771991 Posts: 54 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So because the time from thanksgiving through new years is a hectic and treat filled time, i gave myself a little slack. Up until two weeks before new years, i was super surprised because i could fit into all of my size 20 pants, i was weighing in between 245 and 250 lbs and i was excited because i thought i would backslide with my diet change.

Well then i hit the end of my pill pack.... i gained two inches around my weist and hip measurements, which had me in tears. my husband tried to help assure me i was just bloated but its not gone away... i've gotten my eating back on track gradually, back to drinking my morning meal shake, Invested in ovasital to add to it as well. I also decided to do a high protein shake from the same makers as my morning one for lunch. I only intake 340 cal between the hours of 8 am and 3 pm... i have water between but i also have almonds to snack on if i feel i need them or i have an apple. Then at dinner i try to stay within the same calorie bracket i did before, 1350 cal or under. This week has been the most consistant, i tried to quit the sweets and extras cold turkey but i got lightheaded from low blood sugar. (pcos lady here, on metformin for it and the ovasitol has blood sugar control too).

I finally got my weist measurement to come down a little, but my hip line is the same as it was when i puffed out and i weighed in at 254.6 lbs....

I don't understand, i was fine before my monthly, then everything fell apart.. In a year i had lost 57lbs, now i'm back to 49 lbs lost... was it just delayed? i'm so confused by it all.

also i started going back to the gym this week. 60 min walking and 15 min on bike monday, 60 min walking wed, and today i want to do 60 min walking and 30 min on the bike but it might end up just being the walk. my ankle on my right foot is acting weird during the walk so.. trying to read my body's signals. Oh and i've also started getting more tierd in this time?

advice? thoughts?

Thanks a bunch all!

Replies

  • nuttyman82
    nuttyman82 Posts: 10 Member
    We all have step backs. It takes time to get the body to get rid of the extra fluids from the salt and sugars and start to lose weight. I had the same issues. I just work out extra till my body gets use to the routine again. Steps back work are ok. Just focus and know progress is around the corner.
  • kallen771991
    kallen771991 Posts: 54 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    I think you're going to have a huge energy crash eating that little and exercising.

    I would say, raise your calories to 1500-1600 base calories per day. When you exercise for an hour add 200-300 more.

    Trying to force yourself to eat so little isn't going to work long-term.

    I'm not sure what "pill pack" you ran out of...not sure how your other meds affect weight loss. Please talk to your doctor about what's going on if you feel your meds are wrong.

    I was reffering to my birth control, sorry i'm used to calling it that, but i did message my doc about it. I started out at 303.8 lbs, was a serious wake up call, was a little over a year post partum but i still ate like crap, i swear i must of been eating 4000+ calories in a day with all the junk i ate. I NEVER go above 3k on cheat days, its usually between 1900 and 2700 easy, so i don't overdo it so much, but i had just finally, after so long of being stuck in teh 250's reached the 240's and felt good and then holidays happened, and snow... i've been depressed and stressed and really isolated.... which is why i wondered if it was water weight or something.. i just got a grasp on factors from my various conditions and such to figure out what to do with myself regarding supplaments and how to conduct my day.. but backsliding like this really sucks... its hit hard.
  • kallen771991
    kallen771991 Posts: 54 Member
    sandielewis2001 wrote: »
    Weight Loss Does NOT have to be punishment

    Be kind to your body. At between 240-250 lbs you should probably be eating between 1600 - 1700 calories plus exercise calories to lose weight. Focus on foods you enjoy eating in reasonable portions. Spread you calories throughout the day to properly fuel your body for workouts. Focus on exercise that makes you happy and you enjoy. Make changes that feel sustainable for the long term. Know that your weight will fluctuate throughout the month and it is normal to experience stalls, weight loss whooshes and weight gain spikes. Just keep following the process and your overall trend should be downward.

    I try to aim for 1200 cal during the week, according to my fitbit, with my heart rate elevation i usually burn 650 to 860 cal depending on how long i go for. so if i reach that it puts me into quite the deficit, which is what i thought you were supposed to do. The app has me set at 1650 cal exercising 2-3 times a week in settings, bare minimum (little to no exercise)setting puts me at 1360 cal. mind you i'm a stay at home mother of 2, i clean every day, dishes, pickup, vacuuming and sometimes i'll try to stretch and do yoga and will play just dance if i feel up for it. so i'm not 100% where i land, but i thought the over all goal was to burn as much food calories as you can in a day to make a good dent. I can't ever get a straight answer from my doctor on it, so i usually don't bother her.. she's just happy my blood work came back drastically better in comparison to the year before. I just struggle with healthy alternatives at times because a lot of options i have to travel for and gas is seriously 3.09 a gal right now, so that plus what all the healthy alt stuffs cost. I just found it easier to convert to two meal shakes and a large meal in the evening. We eat somewhere between 4 and 6 usually and i don't eat again after that unless its the weekend...

    I'm 30... i'm scared if i don't get to goal weight within the next 10 year span i never will and i would rather work hard while i have the energy to do it you know? Also want to be healthier for my kids too.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Congratulations on your success so far and your continued commitment to your health! It sounds like you had a successful year over all and that you are getting back to it, as many of us do in January.

    Thanksgiving to Christmas is the hardest part of the year. I always gain a few pounds then, and I try to drop them starting in January. There's a sawtooth in my body weight data on MFP for every single year since I joined, the biggest ones being in the first few years when I decided to lose a good chunk of weight.

    I hope you can "keep calm and follow your program." I also always recommend engaging whatever professionals you can find and/or afford. This would include a doctor, nutritionist, psychologist, physical therapist, personal and/or or group trainer; anyone that helps you move forward with your goals.

    Best of luck!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    kallen771991 wrote: »
    sandielewis2001 wrote: »
    Weight Loss Does NOT have to be punishment

    Be kind to your body. At between 240-250 lbs you should probably be eating between 1600 - 1700 calories plus exercise calories to lose weight. Focus on foods you enjoy eating in reasonable portions. Spread you calories throughout the day to properly fuel your body for workouts. Focus on exercise that makes you happy and you enjoy. Make changes that feel sustainable for the long term. Know that your weight will fluctuate throughout the month and it is normal to experience stalls, weight loss whooshes and weight gain spikes. Just keep following the process and your overall trend should be downward.

    I try to aim for 1200 cal during the week, according to my fitbit, with my heart rate elevation i usually burn 650 to 860 cal depending on how long i go for. so if i reach that it puts me into quite the deficit, which is what i thought you were supposed to do. The app has me set at 1650 cal exercising 2-3 times a week in settings, bare minimum (little to no exercise)setting puts me at 1360 cal. mind you i'm a stay at home mother of 2, i clean every day, dishes, pickup, vacuuming and sometimes i'll try to stretch and do yoga and will play just dance if i feel up for it. so i'm not 100% where i land, but i thought the over all goal was to burn as much food calories as you can in a day to make a good dent. I can't ever get a straight answer from my doctor on it, so i usually don't bother her.. she's just happy my blood work came back drastically better in comparison to the year before. I just struggle with healthy alternatives at times because a lot of options i have to travel for and gas is seriously 3.09 a gal right now, so that plus what all the healthy alt stuffs cost. I just found it easier to convert to two meal shakes and a large meal in the evening. We eat somewhere between 4 and 6 usually and i don't eat again after that unless its the weekend...

    I'm 30... i'm scared if i don't get to goal weight within the next 10 year span i never will and i would rather work hard while i have the energy to do it you know? Also want to be healthier for my kids too.

    I bolded the sentence above because - if you're talking about *this* app (Myfitnesspal) it has you set to 1650 for a reason.

    Eat that amount for a month and see what happens. Like we are saying, you need to eat more and do it over an extended time. 1200 (and even 1360) is way WAY too low, and you're just making it unnecessarily hard on yourself.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,928 Member
    And to comment once more on those 1200 calories: if you only eat 1200 calories, and exercise, for the sake of it for 400 then that's the same as only eating 800 calories. Please, eat more! This is unhealthy in the long run, you risk losing lots of muscle mass, and maybe your hair along the way. There's no need to punish your body.
  • kallen771991
    kallen771991 Posts: 54 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    And to comment once more on those 1200 calories: if you only eat 1200 calories, and exercise, for the sake of it for 400 then that's the same as only eating 800 calories. Please, eat more! This is unhealthy in the long run, you risk losing lots of muscle mass, and maybe your hair along the way. There's no need to punish your body.

    I'm genuinely confused. I thought that's what the goal was? I never could find a streight answer but the way everyone talks, burning as much as you can to whipe out the calories you ate is a good thing right? I've been going by this for months before the holidays. I thought going under the goal was the goal?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    edited January 2022
    kallen771991 wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    And to comment once more on those 1200 calories: if you only eat 1200 calories, and exercise, for the sake of it for 400 then that's the same as only eating 800 calories. Please, eat more! This is unhealthy in the long run, you risk losing lots of muscle mass, and maybe your hair along the way. There's no need to punish your body.

    I'm genuinely confused. I thought that's what the goal was? I never could find a streight answer but the way everyone talks, burning as much as you can to whipe out the calories you ate is a good thing right? I've been going by this for months before the holidays. I thought going under the goal was the goal?

    Your body uses probably more than 1200 calories just to keep you alive if you were lying in bed all day. Pumping blood, staying warm, digestion, cell repair, bone strength, growing hair and nails, producing energy for your brain and heart, keeping your immune system healthy, keeping your brain working correctly, etc. Then you are adding ACTIVITY above and beyond that. You're taking a shower, getting dressed, walking to and fro, doing dishes, laundry, other chores, whatever your daily routine is. You're even adding more activity with purposeful exercise. All of that takes energy in the form of calories.

    Under-eating will lead to all kinds of problems you don't want, trust me. Been there.

    This is basic stuff to help you understand. No, you don't want to be eating LESS than your goal, unless it's just a few calories less. Try to stay within 50-100 calories of your goal every day, either over or under. You can use a weekly goal like some people do so they have a bit more flexibility. Please read these from, "The Most Helpful Posts," sections and the Help article from Myfitnesspal:

    Getting started:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    Exercise calories:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1

    From "Help"
    https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-
  • ChickenKillerPuppy
    ChickenKillerPuppy Posts: 297 Member
    I so hear you, but eating at 1200 calories is not sustainable, and you want this to be something you can sustain, so as hard as it is to do, I urge you to try and eat in a calorie deficit without being so extreme. To give you context, I am a 49 year old woman who is 5'4" and weighs 122. I can lose at 1700-1800 calories a day and maintain at 2000-2100. Now I am very active, but still. What is important is not losing weight, but keeping the weight off. You want to make habit changes that you can sustain. Think about taking a smaller calorie deficit (eating more) so that you feel you can sustain these habit changes you are implementing. The cruel reality of weight loss is that there is no finish line. What you do to lose the weight you basically have to do (plus a few hundred calories a day) to maintain your weight, so you want to make changes that you can keep up in the long haul.

    For whatever it's worth, I like to drink on the weekends. My husband and I do not have children, and part of what makes our weekends fun is going to brunch on Saturday and Sunday, which involve me having not one but TWO cocktails at brunch. I knew if I was going to create a lifestyle I could maintain I needed to account for my boozy brunch weekend. I have done so, by modifying my calorie intake during the week (which is still 1400-1500 calories a day), and having more on the weekends (between 2000-2600 depending on the week).

    If you really want to keep the weight off, think slow, think sustainable, and think "could I make this change forever."
  • kallen771991
    kallen771991 Posts: 54 Member
    ChickenKillerPuppy wrote: »
    I so hear you, but eating at 1200 calories is not sustainable, and you want this to be something you can sustain, so as hard as it is to do, I urge you to try and eat in a calorie deficit without being so extreme. To give you context, I am a 49 year old woman who is 5'4" and weighs 122. I can lose at 1700-1800 calories a day and maintain at 2000-2100. Now I am very active, but still. What is important is not losing weight, but keeping the weight off. You want to make habit changes that you can sustain. Think about taking a smaller calorie deficit (eating more) so that you feel you can sustain these habit changes you are implementing. The cruel reality of weight loss is that there is no finish line. What you do to lose the weight you basically have to do (plus a few hundred calories a day) to maintain your weight, so you want to make changes that you can keep up in the long haul.

    For whatever it's worth, I like to drink on the weekends. My husband and I do not have children, and part of what makes our weekends fun is going to brunch on Saturday and Sunday, which involve me having not one but TWO cocktails at brunch. I knew if I was going to create a lifestyle I could maintain I needed to account for my boozy brunch weekend. I have done so, by modifying my calorie intake during the week (which is still 1400-1500 calories a day), and having more on the weekends (between 2000-2600 depending on the week).

    If you really want to keep the weight off, think slow, think sustainable, and think "could I make this change forever."

    I just didn't realize i was way overdoing the restriction... that opens my eyes. I thought i was doing good... i usually end up going over by quite a bit between friday and sunday. mainly because my husband is usually off work but also sat and sun are special breakfast days for us because he's home or we don't have school to do. Never realized how much pancakes were calorie wise lol but i have been stressing over this so much, if i go over what it says on the myfitnesspal app i stress so much about what i ate or the extra i had... i never hit or go above 3000 cal unless we like... have a two meal eat out day in the city or something.

    So just to clarify, i don't want to goo under what the app says is my goal for the day?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,162 Member
    edited January 2022
    kallen771991 wrote: »
    ChickenKillerPuppy wrote: »
    I so hear you, but eating at 1200 calories is not sustainable, and you want this to be something you can sustain, so as hard as it is to do, I urge you to try and eat in a calorie deficit without being so extreme. To give you context, I am a 49 year old woman who is 5'4" and weighs 122. I can lose at 1700-1800 calories a day and maintain at 2000-2100. Now I am very active, but still. What is important is not losing weight, but keeping the weight off. You want to make habit changes that you can sustain. Think about taking a smaller calorie deficit (eating more) so that you feel you can sustain these habit changes you are implementing. The cruel reality of weight loss is that there is no finish line. What you do to lose the weight you basically have to do (plus a few hundred calories a day) to maintain your weight, so you want to make changes that you can keep up in the long haul.

    For whatever it's worth, I like to drink on the weekends. My husband and I do not have children, and part of what makes our weekends fun is going to brunch on Saturday and Sunday, which involve me having not one but TWO cocktails at brunch. I knew if I was going to create a lifestyle I could maintain I needed to account for my boozy brunch weekend. I have done so, by modifying my calorie intake during the week (which is still 1400-1500 calories a day), and having more on the weekends (between 2000-2600 depending on the week).

    If you really want to keep the weight off, think slow, think sustainable, and think "could I make this change forever."

    I just didn't realize i was way overdoing the restriction... that opens my eyes. I thought i was doing good... i usually end up going over by quite a bit between friday and sunday. mainly because my husband is usually off work but also sat and sun are special breakfast days for us because he's home or we don't have school to do. Never realized how much pancakes were calorie wise lol but i have been stressing over this so much, if i go over what it says on the myfitnesspal app i stress so much about what i ate or the extra i had... i never hit or go above 3000 cal unless we like... have a two meal eat out day in the city or something.

    So just to clarify, i don't want to goo under what the app says is my goal for the day?

    In general, you don't want to go lots under your goal, and that means the goal after exercise calories have been added (if you followed the instructions and set up your MFP profile based on daily life before exercise).

    However, if it helps you, you can think of that as not going over your goal on average over some not-too-long period of time, like a week.

    Why am I pointing that out? It sounds like you enjoy eating some pancakes (or whatever) on special breakfast days with your husband, like that's important to you. It's OK to eat a little (not vast amounts) under your calorie goal on the weekdays, save up those calories and spend them on Saturday/Sunday.
    Essentially, you'd look at your daily average calories in MFP for the week, and make those be right around your goal calories, that kind of +/- 50 per day range.

    If it helps you, it's fine to work with that weekly average per day number, within reason. (By "within reason", I mean it's probably not a great plan to eat zero food for 5 days, and go all stuff-a-rama for 2 days, to average out OK. But I'll bet you wouldn't want to do that, anyway.) What you want to do is use strategies that make it easier and more pleasant for you to stick with your calorie goal, on average. I hope that makes sense!
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 661 Member
    It took me a while to learn this, but you don’t have to eat like you’re on a diet while dieting.

    Those protein shakes sound awful, and there’s no way you’ll want to sustain that. Why not balance your foods better during the day. Eat lots of veggies and protein. My meals are wonderful, and I look forward to them.

    9wsryay5cm1q.jpeg
    wkhm0a92sxto.jpeg

    You can find ways to eat real food, that tastes really good. No need for “diet foods”.
  • kallen771991
    kallen771991 Posts: 54 Member
    crb426 wrote: »
    It took me a while to learn this, but you don’t have to eat like you’re on a diet while dieting.

    Those protein shakes sound awful, and there’s no way you’ll want to sustain that. Why not balance your foods better during the day. Eat lots of veggies and protein. My meals are wonderful, and I look forward to them.

    9wsryay5cm1q.jpeg
    wkhm0a92sxto.jpeg

    You can find ways to eat real food, that tastes really good. No need for “diet foods”.

    Oh i love the shakes, don't get me wrong, They have a lot of nutrients i need and also probiotics. The lunch one has strictly plant protein which helps with my pcos, animal protein can trigger inflammation but i already have a steady diet of lean meats with my dinners. Both shakes are very good for my body and I snack in between, either veggies, almonds or apples. :) i enjoy them.

    The main reason i did this was so i always had something. For the longest time i would just skip one or the other because of lack of ingredients in our stores or if things were too expensive for budget. one of these containers lasts me a month a piece so its spread out pretty well between checks.

    Over the last 6 years or so i found out i have many different conditions, pcos being one of them, that other doctors dismissed as strictly bipolar disorder when i was young. So for years certain conditions were overlooked or not ever considered. When i talked to my doctor about my eating habits and was honest about habbits when i had high anxiety or deep depression, she said that i had an eating disorder and it was going to be harder to separate myself from food like that. I delbt with a lot and food was the only thing i could control, so i went from normal eating to super fast, super abundant eating and feeling hungry when i was super upset in one way shape or form.. which was a lot in the first 21 years of my life. So the shakes help with that, i have put a TON of work in, not just in diet but also with my mental health.

    From Nov 2019 to now, is how long i've been at this, I've been working blind in some areas, and others i sorta knew the drill. Found out more about PCOS and how it plays into my health, my GAD and Depression impact my eating on their own so combating that is a must, but the PTSD is the worst part of it all, when i have epsiodes i either have the urge to eat nothing but sweets or i get sick when i eat anything. It's all a process but I've worked out the plans, the shakes are just an aid for me :)

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