HELP!!!I ADVISE Needed! Am I being unrealistic

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  • Keylarakat
    Keylarakat Posts: 11 Member
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    I completely agree with what (most) of the others posted. Losing 2 pounds a week is what is considered the safest, and what is the most reliable way to make sure you KEEP it off. Which is what I think we all want! :)
    Keep it up, you're doing a great job. Unfortunately we all want it off now :( - but if it was that easy we'd all be super skinny and this website wouldn't exist!
    You're doing the right thing by putting all the things in place you need to keep the weight loss going - eating better, adding and increasing your exercise as you need to... it doesn't sound like you are doing a fad diet or exercise, but making the healthy choices that will help you to do the right thing and KEEP doing the right thing :)
  • melb2003
    melb2003 Posts: 198
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    I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I have a lot of weight to lose and when I first started to exercise, I could barely get things done. Now I'm working out hard practically everyday (my day off is Saturday). I've been hitting plateus here and there for the last 15 lbs. I would suggest, first thing, is keep track of your sodium. What I did was I reflected on my diary and noticed that with the times when I've had 2-4 lbs drops in one week, it was when my sodium was way down. You'd be surprised how something that is low in calories and fat, has a HUGE amount of sodium. It's an option under your food diary settings to track the sodium. Also I would make sure to eat 1500 calories a day. If you want to experiment a little, try to eat back your exercise calories. For me, eating back the calories doesn't work as of now. I tried that for 2 weeks, and gained 4 lbs. I was probably over estimating the calories that I burned, but 1500-1600 is working for me and I'll stick with that until it doesn't.

    I know people have said that 13lbs is alot, which OMG IT IS, but when you have a lot of weight to lose, you do tend to lose a little more than just the 2 lbs that most other people lose. I understand your fustration with not losing even though you feel like you are doing everything right. Just stick with it, as long as you are feeling healthier and your endurance is increasing, you're doing great!! The weight will come off and don't get fustrated with the stalling of the scale here and there. Also, make sure to take your measurements to see the difference as well.

    Good luck, you can friend me if you'd like. I log in everyday and I log everything...the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly days!
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    Steady on people. 13lbs in the first month, especially if the individual was significantly overweight in the first place, is not uncommon at all. Most of it is fluid, not fat. When I first started I lost 10lbs in the first week.

    OP - you've probably stopped losing because you're going at it too hard and too fast. You may not be eating enough for the calories you are burning with your new activities - and when you don't eat enough your body pumps out stress hormones such as cortisol which signal it to hold onto energy reserves (fat) as tight as possible. It does this because it thinks you are in trouble.

    Ease up a little, eat a bit more, and I bet you'll start seeing results again.

    Note: unless you're significantly overweight, 1-2 lbs a week is a reasonable and safe amount to lose. Any more than that and you need to consider adjusting your intake and exercise levels accordingly.
  • chickentunashake
    chickentunashake Posts: 165 Member
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    13 pounds in a month? Yeah, youre not losing enough. Come back when you lose 60 in a month.

    Whoa, we are here to support each other and not being sarcastic. Thank you very much
  • chickentunashake
    chickentunashake Posts: 165 Member
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    Steady on people. 13lbs in the first month, especially if the individual was significantly overweight in the first place, is not uncommon at all. Most of it is fluid, not fat. When I first started I lost 10lbs in the first week.

    OP - you've probably stopped losing because you're going at it too hard and too fast. You may not be eating enough for the calories you are burning with your new activities - and when you don't eat enough your body pumps out stress hormones such as cortisol which signal it to hold onto energy reserves (fat) as tight as possible. It does this because it thinks you are in trouble.

    Ease up a little, eat a bit more, and I bet you'll start seeing results again.

    Note: unless you're significantly overweight, 1-2 lbs a week is a reasonable and safe amount to lose. Any more than that and you need to consider adjusting your intake and exercise levels accordingly.

    Agree completely
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 999 Member
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    HELP!!!I ADVISE Needed! Am I being unrealistic

    Yes, you are.

    13 is AMAZING>> and way more than most people lose in 3 months and you did it in one.
  • Chris_acc_can
    Chris_acc_can Posts: 83
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    everyone one of these "help me threads is the same".


    EAT... IF MFP SAYS EAT 2500 CALORIES THEN DO IT.


    This is becoming a pet peeve as every OP has the same underlying issue, a clorie intake which is well below healthy. Has anyone heard of law of diminishing returns (it's a economics theory but applies). Look it up, that's eactly what you are doing by eating so few calories.
  • melb2003
    melb2003 Posts: 198
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    13 pounds in a month? Yeah, youre not losing enough. Come back when you lose 60 in a month.

    Whoa, we are here to support each other and not being sarcastic. Thank you very much

    Ditto!
  • msjones2831
    msjones2831 Posts: 126 Member
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    Yes, u r being unrealistic. Keep doing what u r doing, it seems like it's working well. Don't be so hard on ur self---I wish I could lose 13 in a month!
  • grex1949
    grex1949 Posts: 130
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    13 pounds in a month is awesome. you need to set your expectation for 1.5 to 2 pounds a week and know there will be some weeks when you don't lose any. it's not a sprint, it's a journey for the rest of your life.

    Exactly right. Eat the calories MFP recommends. You will lose around 8 pounds a month, which is plenty fast. Also, you need to "eat back" your exercise calories so the net calories are at the goal number.
  • natvanessa
    natvanessa Posts: 230 Member
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    It has taken me over 6 weeks to just lose 7 pounds and I am working out and eating healthier than you!! And I'm happy with my progress so far....

    I really wouldn't complain. Also, you do realize the faster you lose weight the faster you could gain it back right??
  • grex1949
    grex1949 Posts: 130
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    Steady on people. 13lbs in the first month, especially if the individual was significantly overweight in the first place, is not uncommon at all. Most of it is fluid, not fat. When I first started I lost 10lbs in the first week.

    OP - you've probably stopped losing because you're going at it too hard and too fast. You may not be eating enough for the calories you are burning with your new activities - and when you don't eat enough your body pumps out stress hormones such as cortisol which signal it to hold onto energy reserves (fat) as tight as possible. It does this because it thinks you are in trouble.

    Ease up a little, eat a bit more, and I bet you'll start seeing results again.

    Note: unless you're significantly overweight, 1-2 lbs a week is a reasonable and safe amount to lose. Any more than that and you need to consider adjusting your intake and exercise levels accordingly.

    ^^^This, too.

    Agree completely
  • AlmstHvn
    AlmstHvn Posts: 378 Member
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    Congratulations on jumping on the "health train"! I was at a similar starting weight when I joined in July 2011. It's a wonderful feeling when clothes start to get baggy and you feel so much more energy!

    When I started, I was working with a trainer and we didn't even do any weight checks for the first few months - she said it was going to fluctuate quite a bit and she just didn't want me to worry about it. We also took measurements at the chest, belly button, hips, thigh and calf to start watching progress over time. There's going to be a lot more successes than what you'll see on the scale. (Clothing fit, inches lost, firming up legs, etc.) Rejoice in every one!

    Feel free to send a friend request if you like!

    11842605.png
  • 3ofmine
    3ofmine Posts: 136 Member
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    Thank you very much for all the posts I know 13lbs is good and I am ok and happy with that but I am also ALOT overweight more so than most. The few posts who were more rude I am eating. The exercise everyday and MFP tells me some days I need to be eating almost 3000 calories and I am a bigger person but I can't eat that much food. I eat around 1500-1600 calories a day which leaves 1000-1100 left over I am NOT starving myself and I don't expect it to happen overnight. I thought because I was heavier than you usually lose more to start off and I wondered if I was wrong or being unrealistic with expecting to have lost more. I don't measure so I have been going by the sale and how my clothes are fitting which my clothes are just the same..no change with how they fit. I do want to lose it slowly an the thing I have given up like soda I don't intend to start drinking it again because it makes me feel bad and bloated. Thank for the "realty check" and I do appreciate the posts who were trying to be helpful and encouraging!
    Angel
  • dolldreams
    dolldreams Posts: 245 Member
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    13 lbs is a great loss. Congrats! If you really feel like you've stalled, try switching up your exercise routine a bit.

    I do walk a way the lbs too but if I do it too many times in a row, my body gets so well adjusted I could do it in my sleep. Hard to get the heart rate up after a while. I switch to something different and then go back to it after a while. Works for me.
  • Serenstar75
    Serenstar75 Posts: 258 Member
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    I agree when someone said the faster you lose, the faster it goes right back on. With my divorce, I lost 50 lbs in 4 months. It was insane, but I was stressed, walking a lot and working out and NOT EATING. I gained back 20 of it and it didn't take long to regain. So it's like being back at a starting point and wanting it to go in a healthier way now. 1-2 is realistic per week. Initial month often has water loss.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    You're doing so well! I've been here for a little over 2 months and have lost 7-8LBS. I'm envious of your 13LBS! :smile:
  • Serenstar75
    Serenstar75 Posts: 258 Member
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    Your first post sounded like you're eating and doing everything. It's a long journey. It's also a confusing one, because we have a billion things thrown at us for what is supposedly "right" or how it's supposed to be. It's hard to know what is right or not. I think you're on the right track, taking the necessary steps in all the right places.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    Thank you very much for all the posts I know 13lbs is good and I am ok and happy with that but I am also ALOT overweight more so than most. The few posts who were more rude I am eating. The exercise everyday and MFP tells me some days I need to be eating almost 3000 calories and I am a bigger person but I can't eat that much food. I eat around 1500-1600 calories a day which leaves 1000-1100 left over I am NOT starving myself and I don't expect it to happen overnight. I thought because I was heavier than you usually lose more to start off and I wondered if I was wrong or being unrealistic with expecting to have lost more. I don't measure so I have been going by the sale and how my clothes are fitting which my clothes are just the same..no change with how they fit. I do want to lose it slowly an the thing I have given up like soda I don't intend to start drinking it again because it makes me feel bad and bloated. Thank for the "realty check" and I do appreciate the posts who were trying to be helpful and encouraging!
    Angel

    If MFP says you're supposed to be eating twice as much as you are, you need to eat some more. Make sure you're eating all natural - no artificial sweeteners, no calorie-wise, no "light" or "low-fat". Just eat real food, lean meats/poultry, fish, healthy oils, nuts, cheeses, seeds, lots of fruits and veggies. Sometimes I know when I decide to "eat healthy" I go overboard in the other direction and end up eating too little. I didn't get overweight by not being able to eat enough. I'm not going to shed the weight by not eating enough either.

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