On going problem

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  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    Please help. I am serious about this journey so any respectful words of advice would be appreciated! I work really hard at this probably harder than i should ( prob cause my Dr said its in your genes to be heavy get over it! That comment pushes me to prove him wrong all the time!) .

    I have learnt that not all fat people are that way cause we lack control. I struggle everyday to eat 1200 calories. When I was 247lbs I used to go days without eating then on a good day ate 500 calories. Today I am aware and usually get 1150. I never eat my work out calories. So when people say good job for being under my calories without knowing this is a struggle for me I think not all of us overeat! Some of us have other problems.

    I recently posted I was up 3 lbs ( which later I found was water weight) and I lost like 10 friends. Wow way to be supportive and true. Being accountable to my ladies has made me see this is a problem. Thank you for standing by me!

    I start my day at 6 am in the gym. 50 minutes on the elliptical and then get my kids up. Off to school and then I try to fit in another work out and maybe a walk later. I run this 6 days a week ( chill on Sunday) . My husband says don't work out so much or so hard but my results have always been painfully slow and I think if I don't they won't happen. He says I need to eat more but over and over in my head I hear my Dr say eat less and move more!

    Help whats a girl to do? Am I working out too much and eatting too little and how much should I work out and eat?
    The answer to your question is simple.
    MFP sets goals based on your settings.
    Follow them.
    Set your weekly weight loss for 1 lb.
    Eat back your exercise calories.

    The answer you seek is right there.
  • lisjbxy9
    lisjbxy9 Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm sorry people aren't being supportive:( It's difficult when you don't have that support.
    I was/am in a similar situation, I was eating well, CF'ing 3-4 days a week and NOTHING! My weight wouldb't budge. The guy at the gym told me I must have been doing something wrong becaue the scale just wasn't moving- I ended up seeing a nutritionist-best $175 I ever spent. Although I was eating well, the foods I was eating were causing my body to be inflammed and therefore to hang on to the fat. She put me on an elimination diet for 3 weeks-BAM I lost 14 lbs and found a whole slew of foods that cause me trouble- now I know what to eat and have chosen my foods wisely. The holiday set me back, but I'm back at it and am hoping that I can stay on track and reach my goal.
    I think the key is to find what works for you- for me it was eliminating top allergens and working from there.
    Good Luck!
    Jen
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    If you have been trying to lose weight for a long time, take a diet break for a few weeks and eat at maintenance. A brief break from exercise could be beneficial. Also incorporate a spike day once a week at 2xbmr.
    ^^^^^^^^^^^
    And THIS
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    i think you're not eating enough..... I lost 98 lbs since january 1 2011 and i've hit plateaus a few times... I had to increase my calories by 200-300 and I started dropping weight again. it is drilled into our heads that to be thin you can't eat but that's simply not the case..... it's about making the right choices and feeding your machine (your body).... It doesn't function right if you don't feed it properly.
  • hermanaamber
    hermanaamber Posts: 103 Member
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    This! And, thank you for being my friend.:flowerforyou:
  • Demwitted
    Demwitted Posts: 163
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    I'm sorry people deleted you. Not cool. Weight fluctuations are a part of this thing, and if they don't get that, you are probably better off without them.

    You should be eating your exercise calories. That is probably why you feel drained. Try it for a week and see if you feel better. Also look into incorporating some high energy foods like avocados and eggs.

    My doctor said the same thing to me. I told him I wanted to get into better shape and lose some weight and he says, "Um... have you seen your family?" He's a good GP doctor, but he doesn't push about weight. I live in a pretty fat city. He's probably been griped at about it.
  • scweegie
    scweegie Posts: 59
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    there is the on going debate on whether to eat your exercise calories back, YES! eat more! MFP designs this into your calories. If you are on a 1200 cal diet, burn 200...then that is 1000 cals for the day...so eat them to maintain the 1200. Also may want to consider adding a weight routine to your workout. Also all that time on the elliptical is a lot of cardio, do you eat enough carbs to fuel all that work?

    everyone has an opinion and ideas, don't give up, you will find out what works best for you!
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    You are most certainly eating too little. When you give your body no fuel, it will hoard what you do give it out of fear.

    Think about someone who is only given a piece of bread every day. They would make the most out of it and save what they could. They would probably not move around too much to conserve energy as well. That's what your body is doing. You body is slowing down its metabolism so it won't need as much energy because you're not giving it any.
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
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    1) I can see you in your profile pic. You are a hottie-patottie. Give yourself a break.

    2) 1200 calories a day is some random abstract conceptual magical calorie number for which I can find no real basis on its existence (hee hee). I was a mean angry bear at 1200 calories per day.

    3) You are working hard. Your body needs fuel just like your car needs gas. Eat more. If that idea is scary to you, start small. Add 100 - 200 calories a day for a week or two.

    Have you ever calculated your BMR and TDEE. Subtract 10 - 20 % from your TDEE and aim for that calorie goal daily. I recently started eating more (yes, MORE!) and I lost weight!
  • Kahlan_sw
    Kahlan_sw Posts: 8
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    I'd suggest upping your calories and probably fluctuating your intake so you average out to a reasonable number of calories over the course of the week instead of only looking at it day to day. If you aren't eating your workout calories (at least half of them) then you probably aren't getting enough nutrients and calories to allow your body to burn off anything. Lets say you have your minimum of 1200 calories, plus 600 calories a day from workouts. Add half of your fitness calories to your base for a total of 1500 per day or 10,500 in a week. Then vary your calories so you have a day or two at 1200 calories, then a day or two at 1800 calories. this will shake up your body's routine a little bit.

    as for the friends that deleted you.. they weren't friends :) hugs!!!!
  • TinaS70
    TinaS70 Posts: 52 Member
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    bump
  • WallyGirl358
    WallyGirl358 Posts: 69
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    Congrats to the success you have already made! I don't believe one can over exercise however they can under eat. You definitely need to add more calories to your diet plan. Eat at least 1000-1100 a day and add peanut butter and carrots to add some extra calories. You get protein and veggies at the same time. Keep in mind it isn't necessarily bad if you are heating regular foods as long as the calories aren't going over. I had this same issue because I was eating ALL low-cal, low-fat, etc. Now I eat regular food and limit the portions to my daily allowance of calories. So far it's working and I always add at least 1/2 the exercise calories. Good luck! You'll get there.
  • firefly171717
    firefly171717 Posts: 226 Member
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    Whoever stopped being your friend because you gained, isn't worth being your friend that is crazy, and people gain all sorts of weight!!!! Thank you for being brave and telling us about you struggles! I am here for you and I support you!
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    Hi there,
    maybe you should cut down the exersice a little,did you know the more exersice you do the more you want to do it's acually like a drug...
    cut it to about 500 a day maybe and take a weekend off?

    could you not find something small to eat? like nuts?
  • Carlamere84
    Carlamere84 Posts: 38
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    I think 1200 calories is too low. I started MFP in the beginning of December, and MFP put me on 1560 calories per day. I've lost 13lbs in the month of December, I haven't weighed myself this month yet. But I eat pizza, hot dogs, and anything I want really; just in proportion. When you work out, you should eat those calories back. Why? Because MFP gives you a calorie limit to lose weight, not to maintain it. Therefore you are already on a low calorie limit. If you eat too few calories you will gain everyhing back; guarantee it. I've been there and done that, it's not good. I say eat a little more, and you will lose more weight. Keep exercising though, and keep your head up high.
  • Moin78
    Moin78 Posts: 41 Member
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    I guess the thing that concerns me is that you say that on a good day you eat 1150 calories. We need to eat at least 1200 to keep our bodies from going into starvation mode. I think this may be why your results are slow in coming to fruition. I know that it can be hard to reach that goal, but it is a necessary thing or your body will start storing your intake as fat because it doesn't know if or when it will get the nutrition it needs.

    There was a while there when I was struggling with getting enough calories, so I feel your pain, but please try to eat at least that much and maybe your results will happen more quickly.
  • marciml
    marciml Posts: 41
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    First of all... Best of luck on your journey.

    My bit of advice is to eat your exercise calories. If you are working your body so hard, but giving it so little to use for energy, it will hold on to every bit of nutrients you give it. I know how hard it is to eat more when you are trying to weigh less, but truly your body needs healthy fuel to burn fat. Your body is in a survival mode. It wants to be sure that you have what you need to survive, so it won't let go of anything unless you feed it well.
  • Umpire57
    Umpire57 Posts: 389 Member
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    Not all doctors are nutritionist.

    They have been trained to say that and actually MOST of the time it is true but there are times when the opposite is true which sounds like it is in your case.

    Up your calorie intake for a month to the point where you are over 1200 but under your allotment for the day and see what happens.

    Don't get those extra calories from junk like sweets and sugar.

    Weigh in weekly (not daily) and don't let a "bad week" discourage you.

    Note: I am not a doctor and I do not play one on TV.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    2) 1200 calories a day is some random abstract conceptual magical calorie number for which I can find no real basis on its existence (hee hee). I was a mean angry bear at 1200 calories per day.

    It's based on the average requirements of your bodies organs for calories. The brain, heart, kidney's, etc... use calories to function (some as high as 400 calories a day). And due to this information, the National Institute for Health came up with these guidelines. This is why I always cringe when people tell me they eat less than that and they are doing fine. Unfortunately, many people don't realize the issues until it's too late.
  • PattyfromToledo
    PattyfromToledo Posts: 74 Member
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    Muscle weighs more that fat so don't be down on yourself ... my trainer was the one who told me abourt this sight so that where I found it... he also told me that as good as this sight is that it doesn't take into account people who are weight training and doing some intense cardio work outs. Your body needs more protein than what it allows so he told me to adj that against the carbs they allow. I think you if try that you may see some better results. Also, change up what your doing, the more you do the same thing the more your body will get used it to. If you use an eliptical for 30 minutes you may need to ramp it up to 40. Change it up. Also... it's ok to skip a day... 6 days might be a bit too much. Good luck!!!:smile:

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