Fed up and disappointed

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meags1985
meags1985 Posts: 16
in Motivation and Support
I went on the Medifast diet and lost 13 pounds in the first month. Great. However I lost no inches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I decided that I need to exercise. And with exercise I need to eat more (Medifast is about 1000 calories per day)

So I heard of this "Eat more to weigh less" and I decided no more Medifast. For 3-4 weeks now I have increased my calories to around 1400-1500 per day and exercising about 5-6 times per week. I am doing 30 day shred, Backside Burn and walking.

I should apparently be eating 1930 calories per day so I am slowly increasing calories.

However....even with all my working out, I am losing no inches, and no weight. Infact, I am gaining.
My clothing fits the same too.

I am so disappointed. I know it takes time etc, but surely I should be seeing a little difference by now?????

Replies

  • MommaMolly4
    MommaMolly4 Posts: 2 Member
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    I have no advice, but am in a similar boat. I am 5'7 and maintained 140, size 8. I was able to get back there after both of my back-to-back babies. After getting up to 157 and a size 10 I decided to really commit myself to diet and exercise on May 13, 2012. As of June 19, 2012 (today) I am 165 and now wearing a size 13... Not for lack of trying... I only eat 1,380 calories a day and work out 5 days a week. I am so discouraged and it's to the point that it's all I seem to think about
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    cant help without knowing your exercise habits.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
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    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    Go here, run the numbers. Any time you're increasing calories, you're probably going to hold on to water weight until your body figures out that it's going to be fed on the regular again. You'll start losing again in a few weeks, just be honest about logging, and stay within your cals. Lots of water, and exercise. G'luck.
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
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    Bluntly put...

    STOP DIETING as society sees it. You need to change your focus to that of a healthy lifestyle. A Diet is not some fad bull****. It's the daily habitual intake of nutrition.

    Find your BMR, set your goals 2 pounds a week, and eat up to that caloric intake. It will take more than a few days to kick in.

    Additionally, before you do all of this....Realize, Visualize, Choose, Act, Succeed with your goals.

    EDIT: You are not eating enough. And if you continue your workouts, eat those cals back too (BMR+Exercise=TDEE)
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
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    It could take a lot longer than 3-4 weeks to see results, especially if you are constantly jumping from fad to fad. If you have consistently and honestly maintained a moderate calorie deficit and workout schedule for three months and you haven't had any results, THEN I would say it's time to get frustrated.


    You know it took longer than a month to put the weight on.. it's going to take just as long if not longer to take it off.
  • meags1985
    meags1985 Posts: 16
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    I am working my way up to TDEE-15% as advised bt EMTWL.
    I was told to increase about 100-200 calories each week until eating TDEE-15%

    Why must I eat back the calories I work off????? Surely then I could just not work out at all and just eat my usual calories (TDEE-15%)??

    I log EVERYTHING I eat. My diary is open to view.

    Big Daddy - to me - if I cannot eat crap whenever I feel like it - it means I am on a diet. I have been a bad eater my entire life. So yes, eating 'normally' means I am on a diet!!!! Perhaps in a few months I will change those words to 'regaular lifestyle' but in these initial stages (to me) I am on diet.

    auroranflash - thanks for the link. Apparently my BMR is 1476 and I should be eating 2187.

    Yoovie - I do 30ds 5 days a week, I do Jillian Michael's backside burn 3 days a week and I do a fast paced walk pushing the stroller 3-4 days per week. My exercise ranges from 45 minutes per day up to 2 hours per day (broken up).
  • meags1985
    meags1985 Posts: 16
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    Oh yes I am 5'3 and weigh 148lbs. I want to get to 133lbs

    So I seem to be doing something wrong......Must I up my calories to 2000 immediately?
    Can someone just give me guidance. I cannot and will not give up. I need this lifestyle change for my health too.

    I understand I may initially gain some weight. I can deal with that. But I really hope after 2 months of following good nutrition and exercising to see some changes to my body???? Is that being unrealistic?

    I am very new to this whole eat healthy and exercise thing - so please refrain from negative and nasty comments ;) I'm looking for advice, not to be shot down and made to feel unwelcome here!
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    Then here is exactly whatcha need babe!

    patience and consistency.
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
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    Why must I eat back the calories I work off????? Surely then I could just not work out at all and just eat my usual calories (TDEE-15%)??
    The point of working out is to be fit... You won't get very fit just by eating at a deficit. You'll lose weight, yeah, and it'll help but it takes more than that.

    If you are eating your actual TDEE - 15%, then your exercise is factored in to your TDEE already. Therefore - do not eat back exercise calories.

    There are many ways to do this.

    Myself, I got my sedentary maintenance for a goal weight via Fat2Fit Radio, and I eat that plus some/all of my exercise calories (as monitored by a Polar HRM, not using MFP's way less accurate database) on the days I work out. I could have chosen a higher activity level than sedentary and not eat back my burn (it'd be basically TDEE at my goal weight), but this is how I prefer to do it for now. All the while I make sure I eat more than my BMR, which I recalculate using several (like 6...) formulas and average, whenever I lose weight.

    I mean, like I said, there are many ways to do this.
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,139 Member
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    Start tracking your sodium. Try to keep it under 1500 for a while!
  • jppd47
    jppd47 Posts: 737 Member
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    Why must I eat back the calories I work off????? Surely then I could just not work out at all and just eat my usual calories (TDEE-15%)??

    you could just eat your usually and not work out. MFP starts you at a deficit. so when you exercise you go into it deeper.

    if MFP says you need to eat 1500 cals to lose 1 pound a week. and you workout and burn 500 cals in a day. You are at 1000 cals for the day, which is under what your body needs. when you eat back theses 500 you are now where MFP had you set to loose the pound a week. and your fueling your body to be able to repair bone, and muscle and stay working healthily
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    Crash diets don't work, and you have proven this point once again.
    Try using the MFP recommendations, because that works.
    It's not very sexy to say your goal is to lose 1 lb per week, but the weeks and the pounds add up.
    Give MFP a try - I lost over 70 lbs in 2 years right here.
    It works.
  • meags1985
    meags1985 Posts: 16
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    Thank you for the explanations!!!!!!!!

    Ok MFP says I must eat 1360 calories. So if I burn 500 calories then I really actually need to eat 1860 calories. Got it.
    But then what is the deal with TDEE?!
    oh my goodness so confusing :indifferent:
  • marjoleina
    marjoleina Posts: 189 Member
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    I know it's hard, but could you perhaps just focus on healthy whole food and excercising at a level that is comfortable for you and enter all that into MFP and see what happens? Since your metabolic rate and calorie intake is already calculated, that should work fine. Focus on eating real food, no processed foods and see how it goes. Good Luck
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
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    Thank you for the explanations!!!!!!!!

    Ok MFP says I must eat 1360 calories. So if I burn 500 calories then I really actually need to eat 1860 calories. Got it.
    But then what is the deal with TDEE?!
    oh my goodness so confusing :indifferent:
    It's not confusing.
    Eat the calories in green. And you may need to tweak your numbers to get your input right when it comes to calorie burn and activity setting.
    Don't sweat it. Eat as close to goal every day as you can - that's everything in green.
    It's simple. Good luck!
  • lindsay0515
    lindsay0515 Posts: 52 Member
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    Check out this thread (at the top - red push pin article) on EMTWL. It's a great explanation of TDEE and the timeframe you need to devote to resetting your metabolism if you've been eating way below your BMR for a period of time.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/512956-tdee-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-not-eat-below-your-bmr
  • FitLink
    FitLink Posts: 1,317 Member
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    I am working my way up to TDEE-15% as advised bt EMTWL.
    I was told to increase about 100-200 calories each week until eating TDEE-15%

    Why must I eat back the calories I work off????? Surely then I could just not work out at all and just eat my usual calories (TDEE-15%)??

    I log EVERYTHING I eat. My diary is open to view.

    Big Daddy - to me - if I cannot eat crap whenever I feel like it - it means I am on a diet. I have been a bad eater my entire life. So yes, eating 'normally' means I am on a diet!!!! Perhaps in a few months I will change those words to 'regaular lifestyle' but in these initial stages (to me) I am on diet.

    auroranflash - thanks for the link. Apparently my BMR is 1476 and I should be eating 2187.

    Yoovie - I do 30ds 5 days a week, I do Jillian Michael's backside burn 3 days a week and I do a fast paced walk pushing the stroller 3-4 days per week. My exercise ranges from 45 minutes per day up to 2 hours per day (broken up).

    Because you need to supply fuel for your body to survive. If your BMR is 1476, you burn about 1775 calories a day if you just get up and sit around all day. If you net 1275 calories/day you'll lose about a pound a week. It's not reasonable to expect to net less than 1200, so a pound a week is pretty reasonable for you. At 1275, you should lose a pound a week with no actual exercise. If you exercise, you need to eat at least half od those calories back--I eat them all back.

    And yes, you CAN lose weight by eating 15% less than you burn and just sit around all day. Why couldn't you?

    Calling it diet, BTW, is setting yourself up for failure. When you say you are changing your lifestyle, you psychologically prepare yourself to continue doing it forever. Diets are something temporary.
  • KarinFit4Life
    KarinFit4Life Posts: 424 Member
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    You got some great advice Meags... :) These people know what they are talking about.

    My two cents...dont eat under your bmr please. It will only cause your bmr to lower even more and harm your metabolism further like all the fad diets do.

    If you dont understand how to set up your mfp goals keep asking questions, you will quickly catch up! :flowerforyou: :heart:
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
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    Check out this thread (at the top - red push pin article) on EMTWL. It's a great explanation of TDEE and the timeframe you need to devote to resetting your metabolism if you've been eating way below your BMR for a period of time.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/512956-tdee-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-not-eat-below-your-bmr

    This. :)

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