Getting very discouraged...

_Kitten_Kate · January 2012

I am getting very discourage.
I am coming up on a month marker. And I have only lost 4-5lbs. I walk or hike and burn 350-1000 cals 3x a week.
My mfp cals are set at 1370. I currently weight 248-9. I am 5'10' and 36 years old.
I have looked up calculating BMR/RMR on line.. and every single one of the calculators tells me something different. I even did one that required body fat percentage...49%.(per the scales at the hospital)
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
Maintenance
2223
CALORIES/DAY
Fat Loss
1992
CALORIES/DAY
Extreme Fat Loss
TOO LOW!
.
I am not sure if per mfp- I am not eating enough..or eating too much.
I am not sure if I should go by my HRM.... it says my HR in zone averages 129HR. Max when walking is 150...when hiking had gotten up to 187!!
Normal HR for me is 80bpm.
Walking 45 mins I burn 329-350 cals in the "zone" and hiking I did 1200 in 2 hours.
If the HRM (polarFT4) isn't correct and I am eating back my excercise calories... I am eating too much right? ...
but If I don't eat my exercise cals...then my body thinks its starving?....
I just don't know what is correct. I get that nothing is exact.... but NOTHING is correlating for me either!!!
I have 49% body fat... but I am a strong person.. I have muscular legs and calves... and somewhat muscles in my arms and shoulders. All my fat is in hips, boobs, and belly... or so it appears. I had a trainer tell me that I was strong... had a strong core.. but its covered in fat. I guess based on my ability to do the planks and squats and whatever else she had me do.??
I know I am rambling... sorry. Frustration.

Any CLEAR, layman terms, information you can share is appreciated.

And yes it took me 12 years to put in all on... I would like it to come off less than 12 mos. And at 8-10 lbs per month... that would/could happen. And very honestly.... its not all about the lbs. I want to be a size 12/14 by August. If that's losing 60- 80 lbs. Then great!

MaximalLife · January 2012

Would it bother you terribly is I told you that you're actually doing well?

Come on!
Your progress is SPOT ON!

We're not in a race, and this is not "The Biggest Loser".
Nobody's getting voted off the island.

Get your expectations right - 1 lb or so per week, and just stay consistent.
Think of where you'll be in a year!
Totally transformed!

Just set your activity and just follow the MFP recommendations.
That's all I will tell you except that again, you are doing GREAT!

Don't try to fix what is not broken.

MelHoneyRocks · January 2012

5lbs is a great start!!! Keep up the good work you are doing exactly what you need to me doing!

bigdawg025 · January 2012

Would it bother you terribly is I told you that you're actually doing well?

Come on!
Your progress is SPOT ON!

We're not in a race, and this is not "The Biggest Loser".
Nobody's getting voted off the island.

Get your expectations right - 1 lb or so per week, and just stay consistent.
Think of where you'll be in a year!
Totally transformed!

COMPLETELY agree with this ^^^^^!!!! You're doing awesome!

lisy28 · January 2012

I get discouraged to i havent lost weight since April but i have maintain the 180s i started off at 220 here is my advice

never eat less than 1200 cals

if your not hungry dont eat back your excersice calories (some people will diagree with this but what eves)

Always eat brekkie

if your not hungry dont eat!!!

MarilynGrube · January 2012

:0

boobee32 · January 2012

Would it bother you terribly is I told you that you're actually doing well?

Come on!
Your progress is SPOT ON!

We're not in a race, and this is not "The Biggest Loser".
Nobody's getting voted off the island.

Get your expectations right - 1 lb or so per week, and just stay consistent.
Think of where you'll be in a year!
Totally transformed!

agreed. what are you complaining about? You have lost 5 lbs in a month. That is normal. give it more time, you will see it come off. You would much rather it come off slow than immediately, as in being able to keep it off. Yes, we all want to wake up skinny and fit, but it just aint gonna happen.

MarilynGrube · January 2012

That was what I needed to hear... been a bit discouraged myself.. Thanks for the pep talk..even though it was not intended for me

Would it bother you terribly is I told you that you're actually doing well?

Come on!
Your progress is SPOT ON!

We're not in a race, and this is not "The Biggest Loser".
Nobody's getting voted off the island.

Get your expectations right - 1 lb or so per week, and just stay consistent.
Think of where you'll be in a year!
Totally transformed!

OceansForever · January 2012

4-5 lbs is great for one month. This is the healthy rate you want to see. A pound a week is the best and it seems you are right on target.

You are doing great! Just stick with it.

rml_16 · January 2012

If your average rate of loss is .5-2 pounds per week, you're right on target. I would give anything at this moment to have your problem.

Mamasota · January 2012

Eat more and try chainging it up - less than your calorie goal one day and eat up to maintenance the next. Sometimes that jump starts the metabolism. If you can afford a visit to a nutritionist, you should go. Sounds like you have everything else in place.

bunnzye2 · January 2012

AS LONG AS YOU DO IT, IT WILL HAPPEN. WOW YOU LOST THAT MUCH IN A MONTH? I STARTED IN JUNE AND I LOST TWO OUNCES A MONTH, EVEN WITH EXERCISE EVERY DAY. PRETTY SOON I LOST A WHOLE POUND IN ONE MONTH. I FELT SO SORRY FOR MYSELF. BUT PRETTY SOON I HAD LOST 10 POUNDS EVEN THOUGH IT TOOK FOREVER, BUT I AM NOT THE SAME THING I WEIGHED WHEN I STARTED THIS. LOOKING AT OTHERS WHO HAVE LOST 30 POUNDS SINCE JUNE I WAS PISSED. BUT SOME PEOPLE JUST DONT DO IT LIKE OTHERS. I ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING BY EATING BACK MY EXERCISE CALORIES. HAVE FUN ON THIS QUEST OR YOURS AND JUST CONTINUE. TO BE HONEST, NOBODY CAN TELL YOU HOW TO DO YOUR OWN THING ON HERE, YOU KNOW BETTER THAN ANY OF US. GET DOWN!!

Pocket_Pixi · January 2012

Would it bother you terribly is I told you that you're actually doing well?

Come on!
Your progress is SPOT ON!

We're not in a race, and this is not "The Biggest Loser".
Nobody's getting voted off the island.

Get your expectations right - 1 lb or so per week, and just stay consistent.
Think of where you'll be in a year!
Totally transformed!

I agree with this 4-5 pounds a month is fantastic! Give it time and you will see some really great results, best advice I was ever given is do not look at the short term but rather the long time imagine where you will be in a year with losses like this.

cindyluuhoo · January 2012

It's taken me about 6 months to lose 27 pounds. Some weeks (like now) I do everything right and still don't lose anything - but even gain 2 or 3 pounds back and can't even get those off! I have a goal of losing 40 total pounds by the end of February - but I know that it will be longer. Slower is good - that way your body will keep it off and it becomes a lifestyle and not just a fad. Don't give up!!

cathie2903 · January 2012

4-5lbs in 4 weeks is a great loss....anymore than that and you may struggle keeping it off. Keep going and keep steady at 1lb per week and you will have t nailed.

I know it's frustratiing and can seem slow but it will be worth the effort....good luck!

Music_is_my_soul · January 2012

Would it bother you terribly is I told you that you're actually doing well?

Come on!
Your progress is SPOT ON!

We're not in a race, and this is not "The Biggest Loser".
Nobody's getting voted off the island.

Get your expectations right - 1 lb or so per week, and just stay consistent.
Think of where you'll be in a year!
Totally transformed!

agreed. what are you complaining about? You have lost 5 lbs in a month. That is normal. give it more time, you will see it come off. You would much rather it come off slow than immediately, as in being able to keep it off. Yes, we all want to wake up skinny and fit, but it just aint gonna happen.

I agree as well! 5 lbs in a month is great! It is very healthy to lose it slower. Also, I have been told that I do NOT need to eat back all my calories burned during exercise. Your body will not go into starvation unlike when you just eat less calories than needed. They are there if you feel like you are hungry. Keep up the GREAT work!!!

BikerSueB · January 2012

Hi, It sounds like you are doing the right things! I have been watching my caloric intake ad increasing my exercise over the past month and I have lost between 4-7 pounds, depends on the day!
Remember slow and steady helps you burn it off and keep it off. I will be excited to hear what you have lost over the month of February!
Stay focused, I know it is hard not to get discouraged, but, you can do this.

CharityEaton · January 2012

Discouraged is seeing 23 pounds come off in 5 months and then sitting there for SIX weeks! never did I give up and after going through everything, and recalculating all my numbers. I increased my cals by about 200 per day, cut back a bit on the hardcore workouts, increased my protein (it's too low on MFP) and after just 4 days of this I dropped a pound already!

The past 6 months my average weight loss was at most 4.5 pounds a month some months I only lost 3 pounds, but as long as your losing that's all that matters...the less you have to lose the harder it gets and it is sooo frustrating! Let that frustration push you to seek advice from others and try new things! It's worth it trust me....just came from where you are right now but I never gave up. I searched and searched for a way to fix but this was after hitting a stand still for 6 weeks. You are still losing if you think it's hard now wait til you hit that ever dreaded plateau...you will lose your mind!

Good luck! Keep at it you are doing an awesome job! This is not easy!!!

Brunner26_2 · January 2012

How are you calculating your hiking calories burned? MFP has hiking in the database, but you're using some other method. Other than that I see that some days you have extra calories, but other days you go over. It appears to even out, so you're netting what MFP wants, more or less.

crobinson0923 · January 2012

I think you are doing really good!! By looking at your diary I would say that you might want to up your protein just a bit, especially since you are active, that isn't enough. You can go into your goals and change it so that a higher percentage of your calories are coming from protein instead of carbohydrates. At any rate, you are doing great, just keep plugging along.

bjcomiskey · January 2012

You are doing great. Don't throw in the towel now! Soon you will start building more muscle and the muscles will burning calories more efficiently.

I've lost 5 lbs, too. So have both my daughters. And I am realizing that 5 lbs is about as good as it's going to get, in spite of all the effort I'm putting into this. I spent all last year watching for a week or two, getting discouraged, then going off plan and then getting started again. I ended up the same weight I was when I started the year.

Let's make this the year we try something different. Slow, consistent effort that will produce long term sustainable results!

Keep up the good work.

ckapes · January 2012

Did you measure yourself? You could very well be losing a lot more inches then weight with all the exercise you do. As everyone said you are doing great. Slow but sure. As some one reminded me, it took you a while to put this weight on, it is going to take awhile to get it off. Hang in there

yumgun · January 2012

Have you considered lowering your carbs and focusing on quality of food? You are doing well but when you say "but If I don't eat my exercise cals...then my body thinks its starving?.... " that sounds miserable you should not be starving after a work out and a quick view of you diary it looks like your causing repeated sugar spikes through out the day, you can inbox me if you want to chat but keep up the good work don't be so hard on yourself.

trinajoy7 · January 2012

I think you are doing very good, don't be hard on yourself, be encouraged, you will get there

cherbapp · January 2012

Ok...I thought I would put in my 2 cents because I am 5'9" and I started (again) in October at 258 lbs. So quite similar to you...

I did all those calculators and stuff when my weight seemed slow...I was shooting for two pounds a week, and after the first 3 weeks it wasn't even close.

I did figure out my problem...I bought a BodyBugg to find out what I was actually burning in a day...or at least a better idea than a generic calculator would give me. I found out that on my sedentary days, I was only burning about 1800 per day...not the 2250 MFP or other calcs were saying. So that 450 calorie difference is why I was only losing a pound a week instead of 2! It sure made me move more...and not eat back exercise calories unless I still have a 1000 calorie daily deficit after eating more.

Today marks my 100th day in a row of logging into MFP and I have lost 28 pounds in that time. I think I have it figured out...but I still hit plateaus and ups and downs...but after keeping a spreadsheet for the last month on calories actually burned (bodybugg) and calories actually eaten (mfp) it proves that it's PURE MATH. According to the numbers I should be down 6 pounds in January and I am down 5.4, but I ate too much salt and drank a ton of water for a couple days, so it will be right on in the morning I bet.

What I am trying to say is...yes...you are doing great...but if you think it should be better according to your calorie deficit, you might find out that you just aren't burning what you think you are.

Hope this helps!! And don't get discouraged...loss is good...no matter how little. I feel your pain though...the sooner we get there, the more fun it is!

smdurica · January 2012

Ask yourself how long it TOOK YOU to put on the extra pounds. The pounds that say off are the ones you lose just as gradually as the ones you gained.

stroken96 · January 2012

I get discouraged too, since September to today up and down same 4 pounds!

I have changed my goals!

Never giving up!

_Kitten_Kate · January 2012

How are you calculating your hiking calories burned? MFP has hiking in the database, but you're using some other method. Other than that I see that some days you have extra calories, but other days you go over. It appears to even out, so you're netting what MFP wants, more or less.

I use my HRM whenever I am walking/hiking. And last Tues it gave me 1198 cals. Should I go by MFP or my HRM?

_Kitten_Kate · January 2012

I think you are doing really good!! By looking at your diary I would say that you might want to up your protein just a bit, especially since you are active, that isn't enough. You can go into your goals and change it so that a higher percentage of your calories are coming from protein instead of carbohydrates. At any rate, you are doing great, just keep plugging along.

I am usually over per MFP in protein... and under in carbs. I am not a big Carb eater anyway... other than sugary stuff some.

_Kitten_Kate · January 2012

Ok...I thought I would put in my 2 cents because I am 5'9" and I started (again) in October at 258 lbs. So quite similar to you...

I did all those calculators and stuff when my weight seemed slow...I was shooting for two pounds a week, and after the first 3 weeks it wasn't even close.

I did figure out my problem...I bought a BodyBugg to find out what I was actually burning in a day...or at least a better idea than a generic calculator would give me. I found out that on my sedentary days, I was only burning about 1800 per day...not the 2250 MFP or other calcs were saying. So that 450 calorie difference is why I was only losing a pound a week instead of 2! It sure made me move more...and not eat back exercise calories unless I still have a 1000 calorie daily deficit after eating more.

Today marks my 100th day in a row of logging into MFP and I have lost 28 pounds in that time. I think I have it figured out...but I still hit plateaus and ups and downs...but after keeping a spreadsheet for the last month on calories actually burned (bodybugg) and calories actually eaten (mfp) it proves that it's PURE MATH. According to the numbers I should be down 6 pounds in January and I am down 5.4, but I ate too much salt and drank a ton of water for a couple days, so it will be right on in the morning I bet.

What I am trying to say is...yes...you are doing great...but if you think it should be better according to your calorie deficit, you might find out that you just aren't burning what you think you are.

Hope this helps!! And don't get discouraged...loss is good...no matter how little. I feel your pain though...the sooner we get there, the more fun it is!

How is the body bugg or that Jillian Michaels thing different from a heart rate monitor? I was thinking of getting one... but didn't know if it was worth the $$.
Thanks for the encouragement. I do feel like I should be losing more though. But I also know its harder to loose as we age. I spent 12 years gaining.... Whats 12 mos to lose it I guess?

_Kitten_Kate · January 2012

Have you considered lowering your carbs and focusing on quality of food? You are doing well but when you say "but If I don't eat my exercise cals...then my body thinks its starving?.... " that sounds miserable you should not be starving after a work out and a quick view of you diary it looks like your causing repeated sugar spikes through out the day, you can inbox me if you want to chat but keep up the good work don't be so hard on yourself.

I am not usually hungry after a workout. But from what I have read here... if you don't eat your exercise cals you could go into stavation mode. But logic tells me... it'll be a while before my body thinks its starving. It has plenty to feed on.
How am I causing sugar spikes? My biggest sugar intake is a Peanut butter and banana smoothie in the am. Other than the occasional treat. My sugars are normal. I am always over in protein and under in carbs. I don't pay too much attention to the other stuff. Just try to keep cals at or below the limit. Of course there is the occassional splurge. but nothing too bad.

Getting very discouraged...

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