I need help!!

cjacobsen37 wrote: »

If your calories are too low, your body will start hoarding away the fat as it thinks you're starving.

NO. I wish this myth would freakin' die already.

Seriously. Think about it for like 2 seconds. Think about POW's, people living in famine-ravaged countries. Google the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. Heck, even bodybuilders (and other physique athletes) deep into their contest preps. Are they fat and jolly because their bodies are "hoarding away the fat"? NO. They are ACTUALLY STARVING. They lose weight because they are consuming fewer calories than they expend. Full stop.

A quick eyeball calculation puts you in the 6-700 calorie range-unless you’re using a ton of cheese, seeds, high cal dressing. But I’m going to guess that someone who takes the time to count out their croutons just isn’t.

That’s not enough nutrition to feed a toddler.

This is foolish and dangerous.

Foolish because you’re not learning anything. When the rebound hits- and it’s gonna, hard- you’re gonna have a wild binge and eat back all and more. Guilt ensues. How in the hell are you going to cut back further to recoup your losses? Because that’s where this mindset is leading.

Eat more (a lot more) log carefully, and learn new habits so that when you hit goal, you don’t just say Yippee! and fall back into bad habits.

Dangerous because you’re doing damage to your body. When you drastically undereat, your body starts to cannibalize muscle. What’s the most important muscle in your body? Heart.

Is it really worth risking permanent heart or other damage trying to go fast and hard?

Did you start you exercise regimen at the same time you began cutting so hard? Are you sore? Painful muscles? Hurts to walk? Aching thighs, calves, shoulders, back? If so, you’ll pick up pounds and pounds of water weight as your body tries to repair injuries or soreness from unfamiliar exercise.

As far as being embarrassed to say your weight, honey, every single person here has been there. You’re making an honest attempt to work on it. Kudos to you. There is no shame in the game. You’re amongst friends and likeminded individuals all trying to accomplish better health via weight, whether it’s losing or gaining.

Please please please rethink what you’re doing here. Love and respect your body.

I think the most important, fascinating, breathtaking thing I’ve learned losing 40% of me is what a wondrous, delicate yet strong, miracle of a piece of Nature’s machinery am I.

@kathygouldsmith1 piping in to applaud you for being here. Some of the comments in these sort of threads are really harsh and we often see OPs getting defensive or abandoning the thread, but you're still here. Everyone means well and we're rooting for you.

Good for you for sticking it out!!!!

I’m going to quote another new user, @Pikachica who said this yesterday in another thread. I think this is the absolute best summary I’ve read here:

In 2016 I lost a lot of weight by being severely under my calorie goal, because every time I would log in my food for the day, it would tell me: "Oh, you'll lose this much weight by this time if you ate x amount of calories" and the weight was a lot lower the less I ate, so that got me excited and I started eating a lot less because of that... Of course, it wasn't sustainable so I stopped and gained everything plus more.

It’s so tempting to cut cut cut, yet absolutely destined for failure.

There’s nothing wrong with a salad. I eat a giant mixing bowl sized one several times a week, as my husband shakes his head in disbelief at me. But mine includes chopped chicken, roasted edamame (crunchy and tastier than croutons btw!) and feta. I’m a protein freak. Keeps me satiated.

BTW, my husband joined me on MFP about a year ago. He loathes weighing in because he seldom shows weight loss on the scale, but I put my foot down this weekend and bought him size L pants because I was sick and tired of seeing his billowing clown pants. He about had a cow. “You know I wear XXL!” Ya know what? They fit like a glove.

Check out the NSV (non scale victories) thread over under Success Stories. And be sure to take progress pics. I didn’t, and it wasn’t til I saw a photo about eight months in that my brain began to sync with my body and realize that I had gotten a lot smaller.

Everyone’s journey is different.

Eat more, go slower on the weight loss, you’ll learn new habits you can keep, schedule in some snacks, and this will be a much more pleasant adventure when you’re not clawing at the clock til the next bite.

I humbly suggest you consider transitioning to a more satisfying, well-rounded diet. The list of what you're eating doesn't sound at all sustainable or satisfying. Even if you manage to lose some weight with that diet, you're probably not going to be able to sustain it. Most of the people I know who regained the weight (sometimes a lot more than they lost in the first place) basically tried the same kind of "salads, seeds, and supplements" food plan as you're doing. That may backfire ferociously when you can't stand it anymore. There's no point in losing weight if you're just going to give it back.

Anyway, the most likely reason you're not yet losing weight is that you're eating more calories than you think you are. A food scale that measures by the gram is really your most important tool and ally in this journey. For people who have a lot of weight to lose, which, barring some rare medical conditions, means people who do not have a history of eating discipline or a natural disinclination to overeat, a food scale is extremely important. I can promise you when you start using a food scale, it's a very eye-opening experience, as far as discovering how many calories you've really been eating.