Frustrated! Need some commisseration

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MindiKat
MindiKat Posts: 49
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm really frustrated. I was on here for a while and life got crazy with my son graduating and heading off to college and the baby starting high school then I started a heavier load of classes and we had some changes at work AND home and it has just been chaos. I've conquered the quit smoking food urges and managed not to gain any post quit weight - February will be 1 year - and managed to get back to logging my food but I've lost all of 3 pounds.

I try to exercise but between family, work and school there is so little time unless I'm reading a textbook on my recumbent bike. I try to eat better but its hard. We do a lot of take out because otherwise we might not eat at all. That poses two problems - sometimes I just don't eat and we are in a small rural town so the food options are not so healthy. Even so - I still stay under my calorie goal or barely over it (1200) and nada! I'm tired all the time and rarely want to eat so what the heck is going on? Anyone have any advice how to jump start it or am I doomed until I can make lifestyle changes?

Replies

  • dreamgurl2324
    dreamgurl2324 Posts: 191 Member
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    I have noticed since i've started eating better that i have aLOT more energy. I feel like you that i dont have a lot of time to make good choices through out the week so i cook on sundays usually about 4 hours total and i cook breakfast morning snack lunch and afternoon snack for the entire week and i just have to grab it in the mornings and go. I do enjoy cooking dinner each night but you could defintaly cook that ahead of time.Thats just what has helped me..Good luck!
  • jamie11k
    jamie11k Posts: 82
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    It is common to expect weight loss by keeping calories low (1200 minimum, accidental or otherwise). Many MFP members will agree, you need to fuel your body with more calories-especially when working out- to rev up any weight loss. Keep up your hard work and try to schedule exercise into your day/week just like you would a class or an appointment. Arm yourself with snacks high in protein between meals... Good luck!
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    If you're eating a lot of take out, you are likely getting a LOT more sodium than you realize. Are you tracking that in your diary?

    Try to make time on the weekends or something to plan out your week's menu. Cook ahead and freeze meals for fast and easy dinners if that will work. A lot of people on this site do just that and have lots of suggestions (try the search feature on this forum).

    Also, try to make time for an extra 30 minutes of exercise anywhere you can. There's a spot in your day somewhere where time is being spent doing something you can sacrifice, or modify. Remember...somewhere someone busier than you is running!! (that's from a Nike ad campaign).
  • Ephena
    Ephena Posts: 615 Member
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    I don't think your doomed, just gonna have a rough time of it. I hit a plateau and got a lot of advice about eating more, especially protein so I did just that. And I started loosing weight again. But...(you knew there had to be one right?), after a few weeks of heavy protein I noticed I was feeling very sluggish and tired (even with time in the gym and plenty of sleep). So I'm currently cutting back on some of the protein and adding a bit more carbs (all this really means is I'm back to eating bread) and working lots more fruits and veggies back in. It'll take a few weeks of experimenting for you to get things dialed in but you'll get there. Because of time constraints you might want to see if one day a week you can take some extra time to cook up a bunch of stuff then "package" it out for quick grab and go food during the week.
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
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    My guess / suggestion is that a life style change is required.

    As your life seems extremely busy. Try & plan your meals for the week and per-prepare what ever you can on the weekend.

    Also, it seems that you are tired and stressed. Perhaps you need to take some time during the week to relax? If you have the time and means to try a yoga class 1x per week I would highly recommend. Another possibility with regards to being tired is that the food you are eating is not the right mix for you. Perhaps you need more protein or other nutrients in your diet. If you are defaulting to fast food out of convenience and still staying in the 1200 calories per day range. Perhaps the low nutritional value of the fast food is slowing you down?

    Note: These are just thoughts and suggestions from my limited experience. I am not a doctor or nutritionist!

    Best of luck with your journey.
  • minigirl2
    minigirl2 Posts: 61 Member
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    As many here at MFP can testify, Jillian Michaels has a few great workouts that come in just under 30 minutes in length. Here's what I do to work it into my day, and I am a busy, full-time working mom with two kids in middle school. I downloaded Jillians' workouts (Ripped in 30 and 30-Day Shred) to my iPhone and iPad and take either device with me to the gym at lunch or before work and knock out a workout that incorporates weights, cardio and ab exercises. Of course, you can do them at home, too. So you work up a little sweat, hit the major muscle groups and you are done in time to get on with your busy life.

    I strongly recommend Jillian's workouts. She is a godsend for people like us! Good luck and get movin', girl! :smile:

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