Frustrated and stuck...already.

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charissaknouff
charissaknouff Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi. I decided it was time to get healthy and get back on track about two weeks ago. I have spent the past several months eating anything and everything in sight because I was pregnant. We lost the baby at 18 weeks and my eating got even worse because our wonderful friends brought us dinner (and dessert) every night for several weeks. I tell you all this because here lies my frustration: I hit an all-time high during my pregnancy even though our baby wasn't growing well; it was soley because of my eating. In the past two weeks, I have taken a COMPLETE 180....myfitnesspal suggests 1200 calories/day which I have stuck to very well and have worked out at least 3-4 times per week the past two weeks. I have lost a whopping ONE pound and even gained a few ounces back today.

I am only weighing once per week because I tend to get a little obsessed with the scale; so it was a bit shocking today to get on that scale after eating like a rabbit and have gained a few ounces. Really?! I need some suggestions and help on why this is happening. My current weight is 164 and I would like to lose 15 pounds before we are cleared to try for another baby in mid-December. My goal is to provide a healthier, more fit, "home" for our next baby. I am very athletic and still have a lot of muscle....could I be building muscle faster than losing fat and that is contributing to the SLOW weight loss????

I appreciate any and all suggestions!

Replies

  • choconuts
    choconuts Posts: 208 Member
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    Sorry for your loss. :-(

    One thought---are you eating back a portion of your exercise calories? If you are eating 1200, and burning 1000, you would only be 'netting' 200 calories for the day. It's entirely possible you need to eat more to lose more.

    Each body is different, but if you aren't---I'd suggest eating some back and seeing how it goes.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    If you make your diary public, people will have a better idea how to help.
  • Krisengel
    Krisengel Posts: 161 Member
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    I'm so sorry for your loss. Sometimes when you start working out you retain extra water as your muscles are getting used to being worked. My first week back I gained weight, but lost the third week. I think my body took that long to get used to the new routine. Good luck!
  • ksself
    ksself Posts: 9
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    First let me say I am really sorry for your loss. It sounds like your friends were really supportive and great. I know it is frustrating when losing weight takes a while, I hit a kind of plateau a few weeks back and it really was hard to make myself stick with it. For me, I added started mixing things up a little with exercise and I think that helped a bit. Some people even change their goal from losing 1.5 to 1 lb a week and say that that helps some too. Your body might need more calories. Just mix things up bit.
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
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    First of all, I'm terribly sorry for your loss. But good for you trying to deal with your health...taking care of yourself is the absolute best thing you can do right now.

    I can't see your food or exercise diary & but 1200 sounds low if you're exercising. It's highly unlikely that you've gained muscle because it's difficut to do so in a calorie deficit unless you strength train heavily & eat lots of protein (like >100g daily). It's much more likely there's some water retention happening, so make sure you get that water intake up to help flush it out.

    If you log your food & make it public, some of us out here might be able to come up with more specific suggestions for you.
  • charissaknouff
    charissaknouff Posts: 8
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    Thank you for the suggestions! How do I make my diary public??? Didn't realize this is an option! Thanks!!! :)
  • ddiestler
    ddiestler Posts: 353 Member
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    So sorry for your loss. Congrats on getting back into the game and not giving up. I agree with some..maybe up your calories a bit.
  • katiehnoonkester
    katiehnoonkester Posts: 1
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    I am also sorry to hear about your loss. I noticed that sometimes my body goes into starvation mode when I diet really strictly. The first few weeks your body may tend to horde the fat and calories you do take in because it thinks " oh crap i am not getting enough food I need to hold onto some of this fat".

    It helps me if I focus on my sucess at leading a healthy lifestyle, even though the scale may not show it for a few weeks.Usually if you stick with it the scale will reflect your work eventually.
  • choconuts
    choconuts Posts: 208 Member
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    Thank you for the suggestions! How do I make my diary public??? Didn't realize this is an option! Thanks!!! :)

    Off the top of my head, I believe it's 'settings' and then 'diary settings'. :smile:
  • mytime60
    mytime60 Posts: 176 Member
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    Hi It would really help to see your diary. Go to settings..Diary settings then check public.

    I agree with a few of the others though if you are doing some big calorie burn exercising, you may need more calories. Other things may be your sodium intake. If you are over on sodium, you will notice an increase in weight.
  • cjack19
    cjack19 Posts: 158 Member
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    Hi, just wanted to say sorry for your loss. :flowerforyou: Lots of good advice already posted... so I will leave it at that.

    Oh... and add me if you are looking for friends :wink:

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