Help me what am I doing wrong?

hi

First off- those are some beautiful babies you have there! Is that an Easter pic? Too cute!

Second off- chances are you're not eating enough to fuel yourself, especially a busy Mommy of six! If there's one thing I would have you do it's to read the info here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

You DO NOT have to starve yourself to lose weight and I would almost guarantee that you're not eating enough, then once a week or two you binge as your body tries furiously to get enough nutrients. There is a much better and easier way

Mommie Johnson, so pleased to meet you...I am a mom that delivered 5 babies, and have four beautiful ones I am raising right now...I am so glad Gemi put out a call on her board to come here and let you know that you are not alone and I hope I will make you smile. Hun, all you need to do is eat:-)

I used to be a low caler, after delivering my last baby at almost 40 I planned to drop the weight quick like I have done my whole life...this time though I was trying with 1200 cals, 1350 cals, then 1500 and after tears, killing myself at the gym (taking body pump 3 times a week, zumba 2-3 times a week, walk at lunch time, sometimes run/walk on treadmill, then would do ellip at home) girl I was losing NOTHING....then one day I ran across a board that talked about eating more...BMR, TDEE, and I was like WHAT IS THAT? BUT THANK GOD FOR THAT DAY!!! At suggestion of posters I immediately read an excerpt of New Rules of LIfting Weights for women and found I wasn't eating enough...that is why I couldn't lose the weight.

So, I bumped my cals to 1800, would eat back 200 on lift days (got the book and started doing some serious heavy lifting) and more on cardio days...did more research as I went along on TDEE and BMR and so on...and after 12 wks I plateaued...yep stopped losing...guess what I did...I WENT UP IN CALS again...I went up to my TDEE -15%...as I walked through it I shared it with people that started trying it, became overwhelmed with the response and at the prodding of I believe Gemi too, started a group called "Eat More to Weigh Less" I will send you an invite and I pray you take a moment to read at least the top three topics on there...it will be an eye opener for sure...

It is a slow weight loss, but a gratifying, life changing one...you not only lose weight, you lose inches and if you join the lifting crew, you will TRANSFORM your body:-) Oh and the most wonderful thing is finding out you don't have to cardio yourself to death, matter of fact it works against you (you would have to get to reading in the posts..) but now I do zumba once a week, try to do HIIT walking at lunch once a week and weight lifting for an hour 3times a week! THAT IS IT!

Hello MommieJohnson!

I totally understand the "How the heck am I supposed to lose weight eating more?! Isn't that how I gained weight in the first place??" mindset. I just shoved my way through it recently.

A brief summary of my story: last year, at 27, I was 300 pounds and about to get married. I wanted to lose weight for my wedding, and then to have babies after. So, for the 3 months before my wedding, and the 2 months after it, I starved myself to 250 pounds. Then when I had to move in August, I just said "okay, maintenance, let's try it" and it kinda worked, but I know I was still eating less than I needed, and ended up gaining a few more. September came and I went back to hungry and miserable all the time and worked my way down to 246... and got stuck. So I said "EFF THIS I'm eating like a normal person until February when we go home"... Through 3 months of travel, holidays, and eating more than I was supposed to... I didn't pack on a "holiday 10" I got a Holiday 30. 30 pounds in 3 months is scary. I've never gained that fast before in my life! When I went back to "low calorie" (not even super low, I'm talking 1600-1800 calories per day with a hefty exercise routine).. I only managed to lose 6 pounds before I got stalled again.

Then I stumbled across the group that Gemi and Lucia are talking about and it got me thinking. So for all of April I did some research, and wore my Heart Rate Monitor all day, and realized that I am burning an average of 3000 calories per day (this includes my exercise)... After following their advice I raised my calorie limit to 2600 per day (that's right 2600 healthy calories) at the beginning of this month, kept my exercise the same and I'm already seeing the difference... Mostly in inches, maybe a little in pounds, but definitely in overall mood, energy, and *life*

Starving yourself is not the answer (unless you want to lose muscle mass and hit a plateau) but that's what sells books and magazines and has been popular for SO VERY LONG. It's a Myth that has become a Truth. Food is not evil, calories are not little hellspawn, and eating enough to live is not a bad thing. Fuel your body with good things, and get good movement, and it will reward you with good things.

Good luck to you!