Seriously about to give up..help
stefizzle9109
Posts: 26
Just like all dieters, I need to vent, and hopefully someone can help me.
Ive been on MFP since October 2011, and Ive lost roughly 40lbs. I hit my goal of 1200 calories a day and then the weight loss began to slow down then halted. So, I read an article on here about upping your calories, which I did to 1400 calories, my BMR is somewhere around 1700 and TDEE is 2100. Well I did this around a month or so ago. I lost 2lbs last week and I was excited, this week apparently I gained it all back.
This is the two pounds Ive been fighting since the middle of march. I feel like my whole diet is failing and I have no where else to turn or try to change up. I was doing Zumba every single night, but I could not keep up with the calories I needed to reconsume. So, right now I have been focusing on not doing anything really except arm strengthening.
Im not sure what to do and im so upset right now (Emotional eater here), I want to give up. Help please
Ive been on MFP since October 2011, and Ive lost roughly 40lbs. I hit my goal of 1200 calories a day and then the weight loss began to slow down then halted. So, I read an article on here about upping your calories, which I did to 1400 calories, my BMR is somewhere around 1700 and TDEE is 2100. Well I did this around a month or so ago. I lost 2lbs last week and I was excited, this week apparently I gained it all back.
This is the two pounds Ive been fighting since the middle of march. I feel like my whole diet is failing and I have no where else to turn or try to change up. I was doing Zumba every single night, but I could not keep up with the calories I needed to reconsume. So, right now I have been focusing on not doing anything really except arm strengthening.
Im not sure what to do and im so upset right now (Emotional eater here), I want to give up. Help please
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Replies
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i think its time for you to pick up some weights and start resistance training.. by adding more muscle you will add aesthetic shape to your body and your metabolic rate will be much higher so you can eat more because of your new muscle mass... i can eat much more now than i could when i was overweight (no it wasnt 18lbs ago like on my profile thats just my recent cut i weighed much more).. add more muscle then you can have more dietary freedom. you will NOT look big and bulky like a man because women dont have enough testosterone and its just not possible for you to get that big..
if you have more questions on getting started add me and send me a message.0 -
Have you recalculated your daily calorie allowance? After 40lbs loss you are significantly smaller and will require less calories per day (great job by the way!)
Otherwise, it just sounds like you're in a plateau. My advice would be to lock the scales away in a cupboard for the next three months and stop weighing altogether - but keep on eating under your TDEE and exercising as normal. You'll bust through the plateau eventually.0 -
First, go back through the "setup wizard" and re-set your goals. Since you've lost 40 pounds, you're a different person with different caloric and nutritional needs (I do this every couple of pounds).
Second, this is a normal symptom of undereating - you lost weight but your body can't rebuild itself, so you don't have the muscle you need to continue weight loss. Your current state reminds me very much of the times I tried to low-calorie my way to weight loss, and the reason why I've been trying and giving up for 32 years now. "Resetting" your metabolism may involve a slight weight gain - DO NOT BE ALARMED BY THIS. The scale is not your friend right now, stop weighing for a while and focus on healthy eating.
Third, it might be time to try something totally different - monty619 has offered help with resistance training. This will lose weight slower now but give you muscles to burn off calories, and you'll have better tools to keep the weight off when you reach goal. It also involves a different way of eating, and you may need the change just to accept that you ARE NOT ON A DIET. You are adjusting your lifelong eating habits. If you feel you're in a rut, take monty up on his offer and try something different.
I'm seriously considering adding some more resistance and less cardio to my plan. I'm losing weight, but some resistance training will add calorie-burning muscle for the long haul.0 -
Exercise is the key. It turns your muscles into spongues. When you have sugar in your blood stream it has to go somewhere, which will be either the muscles or stored as fat.
You also need to fuel your body correctly! Follow the recommended calories and get them in!
When I went through my transformation a year ago I felt like I was force feeding myself in the beginning, but after a few days my stomach adjusted and the fat came flying off!
Pick a regular exercise routine you can stick to for consistency.0 -
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This helped me more than anything else..... she is a true inspiration. If you do anything at all....seriously...just read this. There are three parts...read all three
http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/my-exercise-history/0 -
Exercise is the key. It turns your muscles into spongues. When you have sugar in your blood stream it has to go somewhere, which will be either the muscles or stored as fat.
You also need to fuel your body correctly! Follow the recommended calories and get them in!
When I went through my transformation a year ago I felt like I was force feeding myself in the beginning, but after a few days my stomach adjusted and the fat came flying off!
Pick a regular exercise routine you can stick to for consistency.
Very true, also the days I'm getting more lifting in, I'm always lighter the next day. Lifting weights is definitely the key. I have been working out with friends boxing 3 days a week, the other days I do combo cardio and weights, and they aren't losing weight and I am. Nevermind the inches I'm losing. Even on weeks that the scale doesn't move I consistently tighten up and am losing inches. I never understood the importance of weight training but now I do.0 -
You should be eating at least your BMR for sure...You said you are at 1400 cals/day but your BMR is 1700 cals/day....This may be part of the problem...You are still not eating enough...HTH!!
DON'T GIVE UP!!! You have done AMAZING so far!!
Great site to calculate your BMR, TDEE....
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/0 -
My weight does that all the time. It will be on a downspiral, then suddenly hike back up. I just keep going with exercise, and make sure I'm eating enough of the right things. A friend pointed out to me that it doesn't matter if you're under your calorie goal every day if what you are eating isn't very healthy! Keep at it! :flowerforyou:
http://www.thedontquitpoem.com/thePoem.htm0 -
Exercise is the key. It turns your muscles into spongues. When you have sugar in your blood stream it has to go somewhere, which will be either the muscles or stored as fat.
You also need to fuel your body correctly! Follow the recommended calories and get them in!
When I went through my transformation a year ago I felt like I was force feeding myself in the beginning, but after a few days my stomach adjusted and the fat came flying off!
Pick a regular exercise routine you can stick to for consistency.
Well said! Thank you for your post. I am at the starting line and this makes sence to me!0 -
You and I are in the same boat! I got to 40lbs lost and have been bouncing between 228 and 231 for the past two months. I've tried eating back exercise calories for a whole month but that didn't work. now I'm lowering carbs and upping cals and water. You can friend me if you want and I can tell you if it worked for me. By lowering carbs I mean going from about 300 grams a day to 100 grams a day and upping cals from 1300 to 1500 and upping water from around 100oz to at least 128oz a day...
I lift weights, do crunches and situps as well as cardio workouts. I'm upping my workouts from three 30 minute sessions a week to five 30 minutes (or more) sessions a week this month too! Stay positive and keep on trucking. You probably need to recalculate your caloric goals as 1200 may be too low for you. You can do this. You are strong!!! Think of the 40lbs you have lost!! You are an amazing person! YOU CAN DO IT!!!0 -
First of all, congratulations on your loss! This is the point in your journey where it gets hard and you wil lbe challenged. I know I was and currently still am. The first 30 pounds were EASY compared the five I've lost in the past few months .... <--yeah, it's frustrating!
What I would recommend is (if you haven't already), changing your goal to 1 pound per week. I did this recently and it's really helped. Second of all, incorporate some strength training into your routine -- it's an awesome way to change the way your body looks, you'll burn more calories at rest, and it's awesome being strong. Third, focus on hitting your macros. I must admit, I didn't even try to look at your diary -- but after the first 30 pounds were dropped, I focused on making better, more nutritious choices daily. My macros are set at 40-30-30 (c/p/f) and I try really hard to hit those or close to those each day. These were recommended to me by a friend that's a nutritionist/trainer.
Finally ... remember why you started. Sure, it's easier to give up and go back to your old habits -- but that's obviously not what you want. Even if it takes twice as long to lose the rest of your weight, you're still so much better off than you were when you started this journey!!
Good luck, stay strong, and you CAN do this!!0 -
Love that video. Thanks for the post!0
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Amazing video!
I agree with the rest of the posters about eating enough. I truly believe that you need to fuel your body properly to not slow your metabolism by starving yourself. You also have to fuel it with the right amounts of protein AND Carbs ~gasp~
Last year, I was training for Sprint Triathlons and limiting my calories. I don't think I was eating enough... I barely lost 12 pounds in 7 months. Very disappointing for the amount of working out I was doing. Now I realize, I wasn't giving my body enough fuel!
Keep it up and you will get there!!0 -
Wow... the responses you have gotten are awesome! People are very helpful on here and I am impressed. I have to add another tool that helps me and might help you. I keep a journal complete with my drawings, pics I have cut and pasted in there and maybe clippings from magazines etc. Also, when I have set a goal for something, I keep a list of all the reasons why this is what is best for me, why I want it, why choosing the other way leads to disease, illness, death. It might say something like: "I cannot binge eat because... " or "I am exercising today because:" and when I am feeling low motivation, emotional, upset etc, I go there and re-read all the reasons why I am going to make the right choice today and stick to my guns. Pics help. Don't give up... the other way leads back to where you came from and you left that behind for good reason. Peace~0
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Please see this Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZaZniN-cpE&feature=relmfu
Critical and will help you and anyone else who feels they are no longer losing weight, though they are eating less and exercising more.0 -
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!! cried the Swanee River after watching this~!....Thank you...LOVED it~0 -
Thank you everyone for the support and advice. Im not going to give up, but everyone appears to know it gets aggravating. I do consistently measure myself, and Im seeing results that way. I just recently did the readjustment for my goals (two weeks ago). Im going to go back to working out (and eating more of course!)0
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OMG thank you for posting this because the advice you got reallllly helped me. Im also going to take all of your advice. I would love to have strong friends to help support me, feel free to add me ladies.0
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You should be eating at least your BMR for sure...You said you are at 1400 cals/day but your BMR is 1700 cals/day....This may be part of the problem...You are still not eating enough...HTH!!
DON'T GIVE UP!!! You have done AMAZING so far!!
Great site to calculate your BMR, TDEE....
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
This is so hard for me to do right now, I'm on South Beach so mainly eating veggies and proteins and I cannot seem to get in the 1700 calories that my BMR says I should consume, but I feel like i may need too, the days I'm a lot lower in calories, I am up on the scale. I think it's hard for someone who has been dieting for most of their lives to get over this mindset of low cal/high exercise. I go the exercise down pat. I really need to work on calories. It's hard, I'm just not hungry.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448
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