Frustrated - getting no results - why bother???

nautiwench
nautiwench Posts: 8
edited December 19 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

I've been trying to lose weight on and off for several years now. I need to lose about 25 lbs. I'll turn 50 this month.

I have a typically sedentary lifestyle, but I do sail my boat on the weekends, and I do some brisk walking during the week. I'm a nursing student, and one day a week during hospital rotations, I get PLENTY of exercise!

I've been dieting using myfitnesspal for the past 3 weeks now, with an average net of about 1200 calories. I've gone north of 1500 a couple of times when eating in restaurants on social occasions, but I have never gone north of my TDEE. Not once in 3 weeks! I have lost less than one pound, and I am beginning to think there must be something wrong with me, or with what I am doing. I had a physical in December, and I don't have thyroid problems.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks so much!

Jackie
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Replies

  • toshie333
    toshie333 Posts: 295 Member
    can you give me some more info on your stats and calories youre eating?

    eg how many calories are you aiming to eat a day
    whats your tdee?
    etc
  • jchrisman717
    jchrisman717 Posts: 780 Member
    I can't see your stats or your diary - but IMHO - I think as you get older you have to do some sort of exercise plan to lose. You say you get plenty of exercise - but your walking doing your daily routine may not be enough. Your body is used to it - you need to switch it up and do some sort of HITT or weight training.
  • CarbonCopy007
    CarbonCopy007 Posts: 7
    You just started in April, it takes time.
  • nautiwench
    nautiwench Posts: 8
    I used a calculator from another site for TDEE - it came out at a little over 1900. My BMR on this site was 1340 or something. Here's my intake since starting:
    1192, 1448, 1313, 1027, 1171, 997, 1762, 1333, 1223, 1478, 1808, 1189, 992, 1509, 1699, 1508, 1002, 1652, 1241. My exercise consists of 25 mins of walking several times a week, plus sailing on the weekends. I usually sail for several hours. I race competitively. It's not a pleasure cruise. Thanks for helping me!
    Jackie
  • nautiwench
    nautiwench Posts: 8
    I'm pretty busy, and I don't have a lot of time for even more exercise. I am not looking to be a body builder or fitness guru. i just want to get from 165 to 140 and stay there, and enjoy a reasonably healthy lifestyle, with sailing and walking built in.

    I averaged a gross of 1344 cal for the last 19 days! the net calorie intake was lower still!

    I went to Paris last year, ate pastries every day, and lost 7 lbs... because I walked 6-8 hours all day, every day! I can't walk all day at home, because I'm not on vacation, i have to work and study. How does a normal person with a busy lifestyle lose weight?
  • toshie333
    toshie333 Posts: 295 Member
    do you have a heart rate monitor with chest strap? i would recomend eating 1340 a day as your base then using the hrm when you exercise and eating back maybe 1/2 - 3/4 of the calories recorded.
    This workied for me as im pretty sedentary during the week but i do go to the gym 3- 5 times a week.
  • sweetNsassy2584
    sweetNsassy2584 Posts: 515 Member
    If its truly that important to you then you will find at least 30 minutes in your day to exercise.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    from what i have been told as my bmr is very similar to yours, you need to EAT min bmr a day. Take you see and - 20% from that and that is what you should eat a day. net is 1200 min...
  • nautiwench
    nautiwench Posts: 8
    I looked at my exercise- I am averaging 366 minutes per week, and 1470 calories per week, or an average of 52 minutes a day and 210 calories a day from exercise.
  • nautiwench
    nautiwench Posts: 8
    I am averaging 52 minutes a day now.
  • nautiwench
    nautiwench Posts: 8
    I'm not sure I understand. If BMR is 1340, you are saying eat 1340, and if I burn 210 in calories, eat another 105 (half of the 210) for a total of 105 + 1340 = 1445?
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    I used a calculator from another site for TDEE - it came out at a little over 1900. My BMR on this site was 1340 or something. Here's my intake since starting:
    1192, 1448, 1313, 1027, 1171, 997, 1762, 1333, 1223, 1478, 1808, 1189, 992, 1509, 1699, 1508, 1002, 1652, 1241. My exercise consists of 25 mins of walking several times a week, plus sailing on the weekends. I usually sail for several hours. I race competitively. It's not a pleasure cruise. Thanks for helping me!
    Jackie

    you're undereating.
  • Kaylyn221
    Kaylyn221 Posts: 123
    You need to change up your exercise. Granted you are walking and that is good! However your body is used to walking and doing the same {exercise} on a daily basis.

    As for a busy schedule, you can make the time if you really want it. I am a 'normal' person with a very busy lifestyle and I still manage to find at least 1hr of everyday, for fitness. Heck you don't even have to do 1hr, 30mins. tops!
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    I used a calculator from another site for TDEE - it came out at a little over 1900. My BMR on this site was 1340 or something. Here's my intake since starting:
    1192, 1448, 1313, 1027, 1171, 997, 1762, 1333, 1223, 1478, 1808, 1189, 992, 1509, 1699, 1508, 1002, 1652, 1241. My exercise consists of 25 mins of walking several times a week, plus sailing on the weekends. I usually sail for several hours. I race competitively. It's not a pleasure cruise. Thanks for helping me!
    Jackie

    you're undereating.

    Listen to Taso. He's right. You need to eat more.
  • MissC787
    MissC787 Posts: 175 Member
    DON'T GIVE UP! Thats the easy way out! Ask for tips and tricks around here, and lots of people will respond. Adjust your calorie intake, try a new workout routine. Just DON'T Take the easy way out!! Good Luck!
  • tuffytuffy1
    tuffytuffy1 Posts: 920 Member
    I used a calculator from another site for TDEE - it came out at a little over 1900. My BMR on this site was 1340 or something. Here's my intake since starting:
    1192, 1448, 1313, 1027, 1171, 997, 1762, 1333, 1223, 1478, 1808, 1189, 992, 1509, 1699, 1508, 1002, 1652, 1241. My exercise consists of 25 mins of walking several times a week, plus sailing on the weekends. I usually sail for several hours. I race competitively. It's not a pleasure cruise. Thanks for helping me!
    Jackie

    you're undereating.

    Listen to Taso. He's right. You need to eat more.

    This. Eat more. Aim for at least 1500 a day PLUS any calories from exercise. It works, I promise.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    1. Don't give up. You didn't put the weight on overnight, it won't come off overnight. :)

    2. You're close to your goal weight already. That means it will be difficult to lose it. If you have your goal set at anything more than 1lb/week in MFP, then you need to change that, because it's an unrealistic goal. Try .5lb/week and see if that works better.

    3. Eat more. You're likely not eating enough, making it hard to lose. Eat a little more for a few weeks and see what happens.
  • hdroddy
    hdroddy Posts: 122
    Need to eat more. I know, it seems counter-intuitive. But it will help.
  • giselle9938
    giselle9938 Posts: 194 Member
    Dont give up, have you tried to find professional help? I was stuck on the same weight for a couple of months until my doctor and a nutrisionist completely changed what I was eating.
  • stephanie1133
    stephanie1133 Posts: 211
    As a whole, you are under eating, as others have said.
  • hazymary
    hazymary Posts: 190 Member
    Not to get off subject.....but......what kind of a boat do you sail and where? I crew on a 34 ft. C&C out on Lake Ontario we race Friday evenings.

    I'm 54, I don't listen to all the crap about how it's harder to lose as you get older, I HAVE to put my goals FIRST also, make time, it doesn't have to be more than 30 min/day.

    DO listen and up your calories.....it may take a few weeks....but it helped me...I started lifting heavy and uping my calories, finally after a month of dismal weigh ins the scale is moving again.

    Good luck with racing and your fitness goals.
  • jchrisman717
    jchrisman717 Posts: 780 Member
    Completely understand the being busy - but maybe you could take one or two days a week and not walk and do some weight lifting. You will not become a body builder unless you are putting in hours a day and lifting quite heavy and then still its difficult to achieve a body building body as a female. But you will greatly tone, reduce inches and burn more fat if you add some weights to your work out.

    I did this from personal experience - Here's something I posted on another forum:

    What I can tell you from personal experience is that some years ago after I had my son I was trying to get the baby weight off and started doing aerobic classes, step up classes, zumba, etc. I was not a big girl - before my son I weighed about 108 lbs and am 5'2 - but I was thick and was wearing about a size 9/10. My gym closed and the only gym close to me was a Gold's Gym (known for big body builders). But since it was the only option and the girls who were doing my classes started doing their classes there - I went in a joined. They wanted to do an "assessment" of me to get me started out with a personal trainer. I took it with a grain of salt as I thought they were just trying to bulk me up and sell their personal training classes. The girl who did my assessment was a very toned but definately looked curvy girl. At this time I was doing back to back classes just about every day so my endurence and stamina was great. She told me if I did a weight training program just three times a week, she promised me I would drop inches and size. She told me it would only take me 20 min. either before or after my classes I was already doing. She set me up on what she called a 10/10 program. I think it was 10 machines/10 reps - three times. It was easy to follow and didn't take much time, and the weights were not extremely heavy just enough to feel the burn on the last reps. In about 2 months I was down to a size 2 - everyone in my class was commenting on how good I looked - I was very toned and fit. It was the weights that did it - not the cardio classes. If you are not into heavy lifting - you can still get the benefits of weight training without putting in 2 hours at the gym.

    And ditto on what everyone else is saying - you need to eat more to get better results.
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
    I used a calculator from another site for TDEE - it came out at a little over 1900. My BMR on this site was 1340 or something. Here's my intake since starting:
    1192, 1448, 1313, 1027, 1171, 997, 1762, 1333, 1223, 1478, 1808, 1189, 992, 1509, 1699, 1508, 1002, 1652, 1241. My exercise consists of 25 mins of walking several times a week, plus sailing on the weekends. I usually sail for several hours. I race competitively. It's not a pleasure cruise. Thanks for helping me!
    Jackie

    you're undereating.

    Listen to Taso. He's right. You need to eat more.

    ^^^ Yup
  • nautiwench
    nautiwench Posts: 8
    Thanks, everyone for the advice and encouragement. I will make a point of eating a little bit more. I had a little success over the last couple of days, possibly due to resolution of monthly female fluid changes.
  • nautiwench
    nautiwench Posts: 8
    Mary, we have a San Juan 28, and we sail in Tampa Bay. We race with our local club on Saturdays, mostly. I am sure you enjoy the C&C. A C&C will probably be our next, move-up boat. FAST!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    You are actually pretty active especially as a nursing student and you sail. Try eating 1600-1700 calories everyday. The reason you lost more in Paris is you ate more calories.
  • lc971
    lc971 Posts: 104 Member
    "Patience Grasshopper" :)) I lose about 1 lb a week, sometimes none. Why bother? I feel so much healthier.

    Don't be discouraged, just keep trying. If you can survive being a nursing student, you can survive the frustration of losing weight.

    Good luck in your wt. loss, and your nursing career.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    I agree with the Jedi on this post!
    Eat more!
    1500-1800 daily should do it.
  • senimmo
    senimmo Posts: 2
    I will add my nickel's worth :smile: contrary to what we have heard for decades: Eating less does not always mean weight loss. It took my mother in law (the coolest woman on the planet!) Six years to get me to learn that. Too few calories puts a body into "survival" or "starvation mode" and it stores EVERYTHING. Eating more puts it back in "working" or "burning mode". And as active as you are in the nursing field, you'll do great!
  • bunny1006
    bunny1006 Posts: 325 Member
    bump
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