I'm close to giving up.

Options
13

Replies

  • lesle1
    lesle1 Posts: 354 Member
    Options
    It can get really frustrating when you are so close but feel like you are so far away. In the last three years I have lost 90 pounds yet find that I am fighting the last 15 myself. I have noticed that at this stage of the game it is best to keep up with your water and bump up your strength training. Now your body wants to hold on for dear life no matter how good your diet is, so you need more muscle to ramp up your metabolism. At first you won't see a big difference in the scale but you will see the inches in your tape measure coming off. That is good as it means that you are building lean muscle and with that the last 15 pounds or so will start to melt off too. They always say the last 10 pounds is the hardest to lose, but I am finding that by uping my strength it is coming off now. For the first few weeks all I saw was the inches going and the scale being the same, but now the scale is moving down again. If you want to keep walking as a your strength then try doing longer intervals or more times a week. I now walk about 1 to 2 hours a day, not always at the same time, I go in the morning and again in the evening. Or you could try a 20 minute workout and then an half hour walk on your exercise days. Also a food journal is very important now, even more so then when you started. Keep your calories to whatever you have set for yourself and chart everything. Once you have reached maintance again then you won't have to keep such a strict journal, but for now it is best. A real pain in the butt I know but seems to be working for me. Whatever you do don't fall into the temptation of trying on of those fad quick lose diets they have out there, it may seems like the answer now, but will come back to bit you in the rear later. Good luck :)

    Don't give up. I was heavy since my 25 year old was born and I've had problems with weight most of my adult life. You're young. Get rid of the weight now instead of letting so much time go by. I had to walk 60 minutes a day to see any results. That got too easy so I had to up my workout. Now I love being active.

    1200 calories isn't enough.
  • jzrharv
    jzrharv Posts: 126 Member
    Options
    "I just want to get to a healthy weight for my height (150lbs)"

    Where did this number come from? Charts, graphs, tables, they all are based on conglomerations of all kinds of people, churned out with statistics (otherwise known as baffling with BS) and with a dollop of "scientific" veneer. BMI charts are the most egregious, primarily made for sedentary couch slugs who don't eat much (but don't do much of anything physical either). During my Jazzercise teaching years, when I was teaching 4 classes a week (plus rehearsals), running 5 miles on alternate days and eating fairly low calorie, the BMI charts said I was obese. Oh yeah, lots of use from those charts. And lots of assumptions are embedded in many of these charts. All the charts etc. should always be taken we a grain of potassium salt.

    A better way? Easy, do you fit in the clothes you want to fit in? Can you do the physical things you want to do without either wedging yourself into it with a crowbar or or gasping for breath after a few minutes? Are your physical dimensions dropping (fat takes more space, muscle weighs more). Does your doctor no longer get a horrified look when she scans your latest blood work results? Scale, schmale. You want to lose poundage, guaranteed? Move to the moon.

    Is your goal what YOU want or what the charts tell you to want? And if YOU want it, as the dip wad who used to shill for the Gazelle exercise machine said, "You can do iTTTtttTTTT*!".

    *modulate/warble your voice as though someone has your pinkie in a pliers.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    Options
    Like was previously stated, I also noted that you eat out quite a bit. It is really hard to know what you are eating when you eat at a restaurant, so I usually add things separately and use the "worst case". For example, if I eat grilled chicken with rice and steam broccoli, I add all that separate instead of going for one of the already plated meals in the database. Then I usually add some oil/butter on top of that because I know restaurants use a lot more than you do at home. I think that will help get your intake more accurate.
  • bhankiii
    bhankiii Posts: 217 Member
    Options
    Try fasting a day or two each week. On these days limit your calories to less than 500. Plan ahead what that means in terms of food so you have a plan. On the rest of the days of the week eat your normal 1500 calories. Also, try giving up sugar entirely. It's in practically everything but it's easily removed from your diet. I've been doing these two things for 6 months, lost 45 pounds, with no signs of reaching a plateau. Good luck.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    Options
    Try a month of eating close to goal and no going out to eat.
    Stick with lean meats, low fat dairy, fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains and nuts.
    If man makes it, don't eat it.
    Try that.
    I bet you see a change.:flowerforyou:
  • 2012newbie
    2012newbie Posts: 88 Member
    Options
    I think with the P90X thrown into the mix, you might be building muscle, too, so I would suggest just staying around 1300 calories a day and continue with your activity, maybe bump up the walking a little or speed it up, keep up with the other exercises and increase your water. My routine is lower carbs, make sure to get enough fiber also, look at where your calories are coming from.
    Do you eat alot of salty food, it stalls me, I have to make sure I'm drinking lots of water if I'm eating salty food. Don't give up on yourself. You are worth the effort, and if you think youre depressed and crying right now, think how much gazillion times worse it will be if you give up and regain what you've lost and have to start over again. Been there, done that, and it's hard enough to get yourself remotivated when you are in a stall. When you've gained it back it takes forever to get remotivated. Don't even go there.
    You are worth the effort to put in the work. Nothing worth having ever comes easily. Hang in there!
  • patchesgizmo
    patchesgizmo Posts: 244 Member
    Options
    DON'T give up. if I read correctly you just changed your exercise up to more, could the weight gain be from muscle instead of fat? what are your measurements like, are they going down or up?
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Options
    Insanity and P90X are not going to cause immediate weight loss. Those are going to cause your body to retain water for a while. You have to pick a calorie deficit and a workout program and stick to it for a few months to judge it. And don't use the scale as your report card. With extreme exercise your body is going to react in non-scale ways.
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
    Options
    For starters, the scale isn't the end all!! I have gained a few pounds in the last few weeks but my measurements continue to go down!! Make healthy choices for yourself! Do as much as your own cooking as possible! Throw away those processed foods! Eat as clean as you possibly can and exercise!!!! Log every day everything you eat!! And drink water throughout your day!! Do not give up! Aren't you worth the effort??
  • 2012newbie
    2012newbie Posts: 88 Member
    Options


    Ditch the scale for a while and concentrate on a fitness based goal and fueling your body to achieve it. It really depends what you like but it could be running, rowing, cycling further or quicker, increasing your lifts, being a better dancer, whatever.

    that is really great advice. This is how I started this time, it was for my health, not a number on a scale. I started just watching my carbs and trying to eat sensibly and as a side thing I kept track of calories, too. I got alot of really bad labwork back on January 2, and I felt like I was fighting for my life, never felt like that before, and this has been a different experience for me than any other during all my yoyo years and too many to count diets. So going for fitness instead of a number on the scale could be the right course of action for you and a lot of people. To get healthy be fit, enjoy your life, keep up with your kids, etc. Those are
    the things that make life worth living. Go for it.
  • Jbarbo01
    Jbarbo01 Posts: 240 Member
    Options
    I may be harsh here, but I took a look at one day of your diary and your diet is pretty much garbage. You ate processed food at every meal. People may say a calorie is a calorie but its not. Check out the The Eat Clean diet and eat that way for a few months, and I will be shocked if you dont lose weight. Someone trying to be healthy and trying to lose weight should not even consider a lean pocket. If it has more than 10 ingredients in it or ingredients you cant pronounce in it, do not eat it. Cut down on sugar, processed carbs, that means no white sugar, no white bread, no white rice, no white flour at all.
  • Tashmayes
    Tashmayes Posts: 244 Member
    Options
    I think someone has already mentioned this but looking at your diary...way too many processed and packaged foods. Use your calorie allottment wisely. Fresh fruits and veg, natural PB, lean meats.... no frozen dinners, granola bars etc. Those foods are high in sugar and sodium and have no nutrition. Re-vamp what you are eating and the weight will start to come down. Good luck!
  • jordanreddick
    jordanreddick Posts: 197 Member
    Options
    Don't give up on yourself, you have to change up your activity and foods. Once your body gets used to the same thing it accomodates itself to prepare for it every day. Change up your activity and what activity your are doing each day and the length of time to shock your system to speed up the metabolism again. Metabolism's get lazy too :laugh:
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    Options
    I am 5'3 and weigh about 153 pounds. I have been at that weight (+/- 5 pounds) for close to 8 years. I have tried eating 1,200 plus eating back work out calories, I have tried 1,200 and not eating work out calories back. I have tried 1,500 calories base plus eating work out calories back and not eating work out calories back. My body just isn't having any more weight loss unless I eat very little (around 900 calories), which I am not going to do (I did it once 8 years ago, got to 130 pounds) because the second I eat more than that -- I gain, even though scientifically, I should not I still do. To not gain weight back at my current weight, I can eat up to about 1, 700. I can live with that long term, so what that's what I do. I work out to keep toned up and let it go.

    I look good, feel good, and am good health even though I am technically 13 pounds overweight. I've accepted that I will never be 115 pounds, even though somebody with a different body type that is my height can be at the weight and be healthy. Every now and then I drop my calories to 1,500 (like now) to see if I can lose more. But if it doesn't, I don't get discouraged.
  • BobOki
    BobOki Posts: 245 Member
    Options
    Just my observation from looking at your food diary :

    -In the last 14 days, you had 7 days you went over your daily goal......On day by almost 1000 calories.
    -You eat a lot of processed food.......the Chinese Buffett you listed had 950 calories but didn't listed sodium. I bet there was 2000-2500mgs of sodium in that meal. Won't cause you to gain fat, but I bet you are retaining lots of water weight.
    -You ate at City Barbecue alot in the last week.......again, once a week isn't bad but you are getting a lot of processed, high sodium food.

    You need to find a way to stay at or below your daily goal 99% of the time........and drink lots and lots of water.

    Not trying to be hard on you, but I think it's time to recommit to the process. Adding some strength training will help a lot as well.

    I agree with this post. I see massive differences in weight (up to 5-6lbs) when I lay off sodium and go with a more proteian diet. I have only been doing this a little while but even eating out everyday (work) I have found ways to eat somewhat decent (meat, veggie, bread.. short sweet and simple, no mixed stuffs) and I have lost like 18lbs thus far.

    *edit weight. Forgot I lost another 2.2lbs ;P *
  • LMP1979
    LMP1979 Posts: 54 Member
    Options
    Don't give up. Measure your successes that you have already done first. You are exercising and here at MFP!! Way to go!

    By looking at your Diary: I am not a pro but I'm not getting paid for my opinion here either. UP your protein and lower your carbs and processed foods/sodium!!! Your carbs are high and I hate making promises, but once you cut back regularly on that sodium I can almost bet...
  • Psyb3r
    Psyb3r Posts: 176 Member
    Options
    Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Just a note, we'd had a friend from out of town come this last 4 days, which is why my totals were all over the place as he wanted to eat out all the time. I normally try not to eat out that much. Also some of the days are when I had switched my goals to maintainence which is 1850, but now that I've dropped back to lose again, they show really over calorie now. I'm almost never over sodium like that.
    I think I'm going to try to cut out some of the carbs that I'm eating, and try to eat less processed foods. It might be a few days before I start though because I just went shopping and I don't want to waste what food I just bought.
    I'm also going to try to eat out less. I've got approximately 1 month till vacation, so I'm going to try not to eat out until then. And I'm going to stick with the P90X/Insanity workouts and see if a few more weeks of that will show some results.

    I asked my husband to take the scale away from me. So my next weigh in won't be until right before vaca.

    Wish me luck!

    P.S. Thanks again for all the suggestions!
  • LadiDeeJay10
    LadiDeeJay10 Posts: 19
    Options
    Don't give up on reaching your goal. There is always some stumbling blocks in your way, but you can over come those and reach your goal.

    Keep the fight in you and you will be back on track.
  • tgrady20
    tgrady20 Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    I can definitely relate...for the past couple of weeks, I have been 0.5 - 0.8 lbs heavier. I'm not sure what's wrong because I have been tracking my food and staying under my daily calorie allowance for most days and I've increased my calories burned with a job/walk run. I use a HRM for the calories burned. I'm still not sure why the scale is slowly moving upward. HELP...need some encouragement too! I refuse to give up though!
  • Eleisabelle
    Eleisabelle Posts: 365
    Options
    There's a more positive attitude! :)

    Don't forget to drink lots of water, too. That will help flush all that excess sodium out of your system.

    Good luck--and no matter WHAT happens, enjoy that vacation!

Categories