200 pounds overweight and CAN'T have any substantial loss.
Replies
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Your calories seem very high to me!! It is difficult to tell without lokking at your diary but I would say lower them a bit and add in another workout. It would also be good to look very hard at what you are eating! Home cooked is best remmeber becasue you know what is going into it!!
Wrong. 1600 - 1800 calories is NOT high for a person of that size. I am 320 lbs and my current MFP recommended calories is 1770 (I have MFP marked as sedentary for 2 lbs loss a week so it restricts the calories the most w/o exercise factored in).
To the OP---just keep at it. Are you eating back your exercise calories? I've had some trouble getting past 20 lbs lost and am just keeping at it, working out 4-5 times a week. Friend me if you like as we have similar goals!0 -
Hey all! Thank you SO much for the great words of advise and encouragement. While it is true that I haven't been eating everything that I am supposed to some days I believe I don't log out of habit or the idea that I am going to eat less than what is allocated so I don't log. I know it is mind over matter. I should be able to lose weight with the amount of calories I am eating, however, like I said before I have to get better with actually logging my calories correctly. MFP first suggests eating 2200 calories for a slow weight loss and to date I haven't consciously logged 2000 calories a day ( well maybe not in a long time ). This week I know I haven't done well with my food and the amount of salt I should be consuming. I haven't been the best at getting down water but I know I need to do better. IN fact while I am typing this I am knowing the things that I am doing wrong and I know that I can do it ! I just have a lot to lose and haven't seen the results that I am looking for. However, I have gone down 2 sizes without the weight loss ( So I don't know how to explain that ) but I LOVE to have friends who are doing what I am doing and are willing to support me! I will try up my calories for a week TRUTHFULLY and I will log back in a week's time and report to you all. Thank you SO much.
Also I made my diary public -- however, I must say that often days I start to log but don't log everything into my diary as stated before so I am not sure how much it is going to help. I do eat a lot of processed foods and I am trying to do better! I just want some weight loss and I am just frustrated on how to get there with SO much to lose. I will look into getting a personal trainer but it is SO much money and I am planning on moving to another state in 30 days so I have to save up for that.
THE MFP world is so great, and I love and respect everyone of you for continuing to help each other out.
I WILL KEEP YOU ALL POSTED!
In the begining I had some difficulties too. Once I started forcing myself to log everything, even if its only 1 bit, measuring (found that I was WAY underestimating how much I was eating) and started upping my water It seemed to melt off. I too HATE water with a passion, boring and blah lol but I have found I can not only get enough water but usually over everyday if I drink it ice cold. So each night I fill my 5 water bottles and pop them in the freezer with the lids off that way I can pull them out and they are nice and cold. Not only that ice cold water during a work out is awesome lol at least for me. Feel free to add me if you would like. YOU CAN DO THIS! You just need to find out what is going to work best for your body at this time as far as calories and such. And as you lose this will more than likely change. Play around with your cals and see what number works for you to lose, but give it 2 weeks to allow your body to adjust. And I agree with other, move more
Even just a 30 minute walk a few times a week will do your body good and help your lose faster and get stronger GL! 0 -
Don't be discouraged. If the advice given here doesn't help, go to your doctor and ask him to do a blood test to check you for hypothyroidism. (Any questions on underactive thyroid, feel free to message me. As a matter of fact, feel free to message me period!)0
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Hang in there. Log in everything you eat, I ever add gound black pepper just so I know. Sodium is bad about holding water weight. And you when you start logging everything you will see things tha you can do different. Gets lots of friends on here they can help motivate you. Make your dairy seeable to your friends so they can look at ways to help you as well.
But two things you need to do..
Number 1 DO NOT GIVE UP
Number 2 log everything
You can do this, you can!!!!!0 -
Hang in there. Log in everything you eat, I ever add gound black pepper just so I know. Sodium is bad about holding water weight. And you when you start logging everything you will see things tha you can do different. Gets lots of friends on here they can help motivate you. Make your dairy seeable to your friends so they can look at ways to help you as well.
But two things you need to do..
Number 1 DO NOT GIVE UP
Number 2 log everything
You can do this, you can!!!!!0 -
Hang in there. Log in everything you eat, I ever add gound black pepper just so I know. Sodium is bad about holding water weight. And you when you start logging everything you will see things tha you can do different. Gets lots of friends on here they can help motivate you. Make your dairy seeable to your friends so they can look at ways to help you as well.
But two things you need to do..
Number 1 DO NOT GIVE UP
Number 2 log everything
You can do this, you can!!!!!0 -
Dont know why it posted 3 times sorry0
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try this for 2 weeks and see what happens. eat the same calories you're eating now (or whatever MFP has selected for you), but do the following:
1. limit or eliminate processed foods.
2. replace the processed foods with lean proteins (fish, chicken, ground turkey, protein powder, even grass fed beef), healthy fats (extra virgin olive oil, nut butters, nuts), and carbs with a low glycemic index value.
3. drink 12-16 glasses of water a day.
4. limit the amount of grains and bread-type products you eat. if you eat some, aim for whole grains.
^^^THIS^^^0 -
You got this...set some baby goals so you have small victories in your weight loss journey. Anyone can eat an elephant one bite at a time...I truly believe that! (Although, that's probably a bad analogy to use on a site where the majority of people are trying to cut calories...) Anyway, if you're looking at it like "Holy cow! I need to lose 200 lbs!" then that is a very overwhelming number. But if you break it down into increments of 10 or 15 lbs, and focus on your baby goals, you'll feel far more successful and it'll be easier to keep your motivation.
It amazes me how your first post was in desperation, but as you opened your mind to the possibilities you became more aware of things you can change in your daily habits. I think that's a huge accomplishment for anyone to be able to take step back and look at the whole picture. Lots of people seek advice but don't keep an open mind...so kudos to you. I think that's a big step in working towards changing. You've got your plan now, so off you go! :flowerforyou:0 -
You should most definitely be losing some weight. If you're really dieting and exercising the way you say you are, you should ideally be losing about 15lbs a month. I know a lot of people would disagree and say "that's too much" or "too unhealthy" of a weight loss, but that's B.S. Fact of the matter is, if you have over 100lbs to lose and you're properly dieting and exercising, a 1-2lb weight loss per week is great and should be appreciated, however, for a girl your size (and mine, I'm 330#), a weight loss of 4-5lbs/week is normal because our BMR is much higher than most, and it's increased with our activity level.
It's true that being able to see your diary would help us, but I doubt if the type of foods you're eating and the lack of food logging is the reason you're not losing. If you think about it, your weight alone tells us roughly your BMR, which I would think is between 3600 and 3900, and that's if you're rested all day. Figure in the cardio you're doing 3x/week, that bumps your expenditure by a few hundred more, which means your daily calorie allotment, on some days, could be up to 4,000 or more. If you're only eating 1600 - 1800 calories, that's almost equivalent to a smaller woman with a BMR of 2000 consuming 800 cals/day, which obviously isn't going to HELP but maybe STALL her weight loss, not because of the "starvation mode" crap, but because she simply isn't consuming enough to compensate the energy she expends.
Personally, if I were you, I'd consider doing four (4) things:
1. First off, LOG YOUR FOOD! Keep yourself accountable for anything and everything you're putting in your mouth. Don't do what I sometimes have the habit of doing and nibble on things and say "oh, that didn't count anyways" lol
2. I know this is contrary to most beliefs, but I would consider eating a little bit more. Maybe increase your calories to 2600/day for awhile and see what happens. Then, if you find that it isn't working after a couple weeks, slowly decrease the amount of calories until you're back at your 1600-1800 calories. This way you'll know it isn't because you're eating too little.
3. Don't do just cardio. Consider doing some strength/resistance training or weight lifting. This is the type of exercise that will continue to burn fat even after you're done working out, AND it will help increase your [LEAN, not bulky] muscle mass, which in turn will burn more calories.
4. Consider decreasing the amount of carbohydrates you eat. Say, maybe, no more than 100g or so. NO - I am NOT advocating a "low carb diet", though it may work for some, I doubt most will be able to do it forever... I sure can't lol Perhaps a bit more healthy fats, protein and fiber (veggies) will kinda punch through that wall you can't seem to get through. If you must eat carbs, be sure it's healthy (whole grain/oats, beans, etc). If that works, try slowly reintroducing different carbs back into your diet.
Those are the main things I'd consider. And also, LOTS of water.
If none of those work, I would most definitely consider speaking with your doctor and discussing the issue with her to see if there may be some kind of underlying medical issue that's hindering your weight loss. Even if these options do work, I would still suggest speaking with your doctor just to see if he/she could chime in on what you're trying to do.
Best of luck to you, and I hope this helps.
Much Love and Aloha,
-Ihilani Kapuniai-0 -
You should most definitely be losing some weight. If you're really dieting and exercising the way you say you are, you should ideally be losing about 15lbs a month. I know a lot of people would disagree and say "that's too much" or "too unhealthy" of a weight loss, but that's B.S. Fact of the matter is, if you have over 100lbs to lose and you're properly dieting and exercising, a 1-2lb weight loss per week is great and should be appreciated, however, for a girl your size (and mine, I'm 330#), a weight loss of 4-5lbs/week is normal because our BMR is much higher than most, and it's increased with our activity level.
It's true that being able to see your diary would help us, but I doubt if the type of foods you're eating and the lack of food logging is the reason you're not losing. If you think about it, your weight alone tells us roughly your BMR, which I would think is between 3600 and 3900, and that's if you're rested all day. Figure in the cardio you're doing 3x/week, that bumps your expenditure by a few hundred more, which means your daily calorie allotment, on some days, could be up to 4,000 or more. If you're only eating 1600 - 1800 calories, that's almost equivalent to a smaller woman with a BMR of 2000 consuming 800 cals/day, which obviously isn't going to HELP but maybe STALL her weight loss, not because of the "starvation mode" crap, but because she simply isn't consuming enough to compensate the energy she expends.
Personally, if I were you, I'd consider doing four (4) things:
1. First off, LOG YOUR FOOD! Keep yourself accountable for anything and everything you're putting in your mouth. Don't do what I sometimes have the habit of doing and nibble on things and say "oh, that didn't count anyways" lol
2. I know this is contrary to most beliefs, but I would consider eating a little bit more. Maybe increase your calories to 2600/day for awhile and see what happens. Then, if you find that it isn't working after a couple weeks, slowly decrease the amount of calories until you're back at your 1600-1800 calories. This way you'll know it isn't because you're eating too little.
3. Don't do just cardio. Consider doing some strength/resistance training or weight lifting. This is the type of exercise that will continue to burn fat even after you're done working out, AND it will help increase your [LEAN, not bulky] muscle mass, which in turn will burn more calories.
4. Consider decreasing the amount of carbohydrates you eat. Say, maybe, no more than 100g or so. NO - I am NOT advocating a "low carb diet", though it may work for some, I doubt most will be able to do it forever... I sure can't lol Perhaps a bit more healthy fats, protein and fiber (veggies) will kinda punch through that wall you can't seem to get through. If you must eat carbs, be sure it's healthy (whole grain/oats, beans, etc). If that works, try slowly reintroducing different carbs back into your diet.
Those are the main things I'd consider. And also, LOTS of water.
If none of those work, I would most definitely consider speaking with your doctor and discussing the issue with her to see if there may be some kind of underlying medical issue that's hindering your weight loss. Even if these options do work, I would still suggest speaking with your doctor just to see if he/she could chime in on what you're trying to do.
Best of luck to you, and I hope this helps.
Much Love and Aloha,
-Ihilani Kapuniai-
THIS PERSON IS SOOOO ON!!! This is what worked for me! If you follow those 4 steps you WILL loose weight and FAST! If not, than there would be something very seriously wrong with you.0 -
I know that diet is a significant portion of weight loss.... but I think that exercise helps more for some people. You need to move. If you have a very sedentary life, then 1600-1800 calories may just be keeping you at maintenance. I'd try busting down to 1400 for a week to ten days and see what happens... or get some exercise in there. I started with just walking the block around work
She is nearly 400 pounds, If 1600-1800 is keeping her at maintenance then she has a serious metabolic issue and needs to be treated by a physician!0 -
I find personally that staying under calories doesn't work if you're eating bad foods or not eating often enough. Try snacking and cutting out any really bad fast food or unhealthy foods at home. That and get yourself moving...may that be: dancing around the house while you clean or cook, doing some house fix up projects, park a couple blocks from work and walk, talk the stairs instead of the elevator, take a walk around the neighborhood with a pet or by yourself. Anything you can find to keep you moving around should help boost your metabolism. And a personal trick I found is drinking green tea or herbal tea throughout the day instead of soda or just plain water. It tastes so much better than plain water all day too!
Good luck! I know you can do it!0 -
I find personally that staying under calories doesn't work if you're eating bad foods or not eating often enough. Try snacking and cutting out any really bad fast food or unhealthy foods at home. That and get yourself moving...may that be: dancing around the house while you clean or cook, doing some house fix up projects, park a couple blocks from work and walk, talk the stairs instead of the elevator, take a walk around the neighborhood with a pet or by yourself. Anything you can find to keep you moving around should help boost your metabolism. And a personal trick I found is drinking green tea or herbal tea throughout the day instead of soda or just plain water. It tastes so much better than plain water all day too!
Good luck! I know you can do it!0 -
First, the amount of calories is not nearly as important as the quality of the calories, which several people have touched on.
Second, consider adding some strength training to your exercise program. Building muscle will help you to burn more calories long term, even after you're done your workout. If you're not sure how to go about that, maybe consider having one or two sessions (or more, depending on your budget) with a trainer so that you can learn0 -
Thank you so you all! I am definitely going to change the QUALITY of the food I am eating as well as the calorie count. I know that the quality of the food is just as important if not more than the quanity of the food. You all have given me great information and I am going to use it to my advantage. I am going to eat HEALTHY and not just in my calorie count. I WILL be able to get this weight off, and I am SO motivated this morning. It will NOT happen overnight but I will ALWAYS remember everything and all of the advice that I am getting on this site. I LOVE you all, and I am going to post my progress next week using all of the suggestions given here. I WILL KEEP YOU ALL POSTED!0
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Do you check label content/ my doctor advised me that for every 100g in weight of food the fat content needs to be 5g or LESS. AND NO HIGHER THAN 5G OF FAT PER 100G OF WEIGHT.0
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try this for 2 weeks and see what happens. eat the same calories you're eating now (or whatever MFP has selected for you), but do the following:
1. limit or eliminate processed foods.
2. replace the processed foods with lean proteins (fish, chicken, ground turkey, protein powder, even grass fed beef), healthy fats (extra virgin olive oil, nut butters, nuts), and carbs with a low glycemic index value.
3. drink 12-16 glasses of water a day.
4. limit the amount of grains and bread-type products you eat. if you eat some, aim for whole grains.
I totally agree with the above - while there is disagreement/arguments on both sides whether a "calorie is a calorie" - I have found that I do SIGNIFICANTLY better weight-loss wise when I choose non-processed food. If I choose items such as a 100-calorie Goldfish snack pack (and others like it but stay under my calorie goal), compared to making choices like 100 calories worth of almonds or pumpkin seeds (and hit my calorie goal or even go OVER!), I know the second choice is better for me overall and I see better weight-loss results.
Good luck!!!0 -
you can't assume you have a deficit unless you count every single calorie. that which gets measured, gets improved.
here, read this: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/11/10/healthy-eating/0 -
I just looked at your diary, and your daily goal is 2520. What are your settings for your diary? I also see a ton of food that is basically junk-cookies, candy bars, waffles, grits, fries, etc. I would try cutting down on empty carbs like these and adding in more fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and lean protein.
Some people lose easily just from a deficit. I unfortunately do not. I have to watch my carbs, especially processed carbs.0 -
You HAVE to put it all in your diary or you don't really know what you're calorie intake is. Little things make a big difference and not putting it in your log doesn't mean you didn't eat it, it just means you didn't write it down. Unfortunately, the scale goes by what your body ate, not what your hand wrote :happy:
Also, for your own motivation you might want to set some smaller goals, they make the light at the tunnel a little closer.0 -
I just looked at your diary, and your daily goal is 2520. What are your settings for your diary? I also see a ton of food that is basically junk-cookies, candy bars, waffles, grits, fries, etc. I would try cutting down on empty carbs like these and adding in more fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and lean protein.
Some people lose easily just from a deficit. I unfortunately do not. I have to watch my carbs, especially processed carbs.
+1 to everything she said ... A part of it is portion control, but you also have to think about what you eat. It doesn't mean giving up delicious things, but make them a TREAT, not something you need every day... because you don't. Find another hobby besides food. Believe me, we're all in the same boat there.
For me, when I'm tempted, I literally visualize fitting comfortably in a plane seat on the way to enjoy an adventure vacation in a country I've never been to before.... that does it for me. I'll have the coffee with calorie-free sweetener rather than that donut.
-Z0 -
Hi
Pay attention to things you don't think about. Condiments have calories (ketchup, mayonnaise, etc). Are you measuring your salad dressing? Are you licking the knife after you spread the peanut butter? Little things but the calories add up. And you might want to find a way to eliminate 200 calories or so out of your diet. 1800 is probably pretty close to maintenance if you are like me (I was 395 and pretty sedentary). Good luck.0 -
Please do! You can do this!! I would definitely say it comes down to quality and sodium from what I can see. It's all restaurant food, and even if kept under goal it's all really bad junk food with TONS of sodium. Places like Waffle House will need to become a thing of the past for quite some time...and even when you're at a place where you COULD go back..you maybe wouldn't want to. :-) I lOOOOVE food. And I found that the "cleaner" the food, the more I could eat. Which I LOVE. LOL! Also keeping the sugars in check. I love Think Thin bars. They are 230 calories with 20 grams of protein and 2g of sugar. Arctic Zero is an ice cream replacement which is 150 calories per PINT! Finding things like this helps me a lot. Lots of water to keep retention down. I do microwavable steamed veggies and load my plate up. Salads the size of your head. LOL! Lots of colorful veggies like peppers etc..avocado for fat, lots of lean protein and a low cal dressing or vinegar. I measure my dressing with a tablespoon. I measure my meat with a scale. That way you know exactly what you're eating. Jello mousse cups are sugar free, 60 calories and yummy. I put some redi-whip on top and it's a great chocolate fix. Cut out the pizza/waffle house all that stuff and feed your body with awesome food. You will feel better and more motivated. Up the exercise. Try and make it closer to 45-60 minutes to really get the heart rate up and go for 5 days a week. It will also make you want to eat better! Keep us posted!!! :-)))Thank you so you all! I am definitely going to change the QUALITY of the food I am eating as well as the calorie count. I know that the quality of the food is just as important if not more than the quanity of the food. You all have given me great information and I am going to use it to my advantage. I am going to eat HEALTHY and not just in my calorie count. I WILL be able to get this weight off, and I am SO motivated this morning. It will NOT happen overnight but I will ALWAYS remember everything and all of the advice that I am getting on this site. I LOVE you all, and I am going to post my progress next week using all of the suggestions given here. I WILL KEEP YOU ALL POSTED!0 -
Thank you AGAIN all of you beautiful posters who replied to my situation. You will all be pleased to know that I have lost 8 pounds, (of water weight I am assuming); after accurately counting my calories and holding myself accountable for my future in success regarding weight loss. I have been making HEALTHIER choices and hitting the gym much more frequently. I continue to hope that the months ahead will give me similar results and I will at least be able to lose weight consistently after tracking my sodium and calories. I am truly making this a LIFESTYLE change and picking healthier options when I go out to eat and drinking more water, I am averaging about 1800 calories a day or less FOR REAL this time! LOL. Before I know I wasn't be honest with myself and trying to make myself feel better by not tracking it, but since I am SO MUCH more aware of people and my success on here I am accountable by keeping my diary open and communicating with my friends on here. MFP is awesome.
THANK YOU so much for everyone's support and I am completely blown away and proud to be apart of this team!0 -
i am very very proud of you!!! you seemed to have tackled your biggest hurdle head on, which was food, and started making better food choices! and look at that great reward: 8 POUNDS!!
but just like with everything else, you must adapt to changes and grow. continue learning from every meal and every training session. i know with the right attitude, proper motivation, and good goals, you can make it!0 -
You can do this!! Remember to to make sure you are eating enough calories, if you under your goal calories your body doesn't get the nutrition it needs and can go into starvation mode, storing the calories instead of burning them.
And know it takes time...It's taken me a year to loose 20 lbs, learning along the way!!0 -
At needing to lose such a large amount you defiantly should see a dr and get checked out then you should start to do some exercise. It'll increase the metabolism and help you really burn the fat off. I started out at 382 which according to BMR is 210 pounds over weight. After my dr. Ran the body fat tests and etc they found my weight for my frame should be around 200-220 to be optimal. From there they check my heart, lungs, and etc every month to make sure I'm staying healthy and not hurting my heart and etc. I'm to a point now where they are going to start to go every 3 months. You can do it, but I believe you can't do it on diet alone. Some people might be able to, but a good majority needs the exercise to jump start everything and it really helps you keep track and focus. If you don't want a dr go to a local gym and get a trainer that way they at least can guide you on low impact exercises til you get healthier and can do more.0
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You can do this!! Remember to to make sure you are eating enough calories, if you under your goal calories your body doesn't get the nutrition it needs and can go into starvation mode, storing the calories instead of burning them.
And know it takes time...It's taken me a year to loose 20 lbs, learning along the way!!
You can't go into starvation mode until you are lower body fat, of you have large fat stores your body will not go into starvation mode. I recommend lady hawks post on the forum about starvation mode. She is a well know mod around these parts.0 -
LOG YOUR FOOD! I am amazed at how quickly it adds up! Increase your WATER, you need to hydrate your body especially if are working out! Also, if your climate is nice...walk, as well as continuing the 30 min workouts you currently do, or if walking is not possible, add one more day to your exercise routine! Biggest thing? DON'T GIVE UP! DON"T GIVE IN! You can do it! Keeping trying!
M0
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