Suggestions please!!

Leimaro
Leimaro Posts: 148 Member
edited December 23 in Social Groups
To all the ladies who have lost lbs, but found it hard to lose when they first started; I need your help!!

I started on my own to lose weight before joining MFP and I lost 8lbs in 14 days (255 - 247). :bigsmile: Yes, there was probably some water weight in the mix. After MFP, I only lost 3lbs for an entire month (247-244). :huh: Since, last Saturday, my weight went back up to 247 and has stayed there until today. :frown: Last Friday, I spent all day and night walking through Disneyland with graduates. It was like walking twenty miles. So, I figured that the lack of sleep (24hrs without) threw my metabolism off. Sleeping off and on the next day, probably did the same. Well, Sunday back to normal. Monday = normal day which includes my regular 10 mile walk. Today = normal + 40 minutes of Zumba. On all days I carefully watched my calories, even at Disney. I can't help feeling a little discouraged because for an entire 5 weeks on MFP watching my calories and exercising, in the end I have lost nothing :cry: :sad:

The reason I metioned the past few days is because the first two weeks (8lbs lost) I was eating between 1200-1300 calories. Then all of the following MFP, I slowed down a lot and for 3 weeks. I thought maybe I was eating to little calories. :indifferent: So, after reading some success stories and eat more to weigh less, I saw that I should up my calories. I did to around 1700. Once I did that, I gained the 3 lbs. back with doing the same exercise activities. :cry:

I read about BMR and TDEE and I think I understand how I need to adjust to lose weight. I'm 5'10" weigh 247 now :mad: my BMR is 1832 cals (on several sites) and my TDEE averages 2350 cals. My goal is 150lbs and at that weight my BMR would be around 1404cals. MFP says at 1404, I should lose 1.7 lbs a week without exercise. I changed my calorie goal 10 1460 that puts me at 1.6lbs week loss and will exercise (burn 500 calories) to balance out the other .4 lb. I am hoping that this will give me a 2lbs loss per week. I believe a I have a slow metabolism. If I exercise more I will eat more but not more than I need to maintain the 500 calories for a 1lb. weekly loss). I also ordered a HRM to track calories burned.

I am trying to find a balance to lose consistently and it's not working so far. :grumble: I don't want to go back to 1200 calories. I changed my macros to 50-30-20 and I always drink more than 64oz. of water daily. I walk 10 miles and lift weights 3xs a week. This week I am boosting activities to at least 30 minutes on two other days. My close feel like I lost weight but not more than the 8lbs.

Please, give me your thoughts or suggestions if you had this problem when you first started and how you overcame it. So, frustrated!! :angry:

Replies

  • midwestdawn
    midwestdawn Posts: 60 Member
    Quote: Monday = normal day which includes my regular 10 mile walk. Today = normal + 40 minutes of Zumba.


    Hi! I don't fit the specifics you requested (I haven't lost my weight yet), but I have a question...how often do you exercise and what do you do? Do you walk 10 miles every day? And then do Zumba on top of that?

    I tried eating higher calories for six weeks, but I lost no weight. Right now I'm getting better results at 1300-1500 calories, and I exercise (walk and jog) 4 days per week (45-70 minutes). It's not fast weight loss, but I am losing. I'm 5' 1.5" and weigh 176.
  • LifeinDC
    LifeinDC Posts: 34
    I'm wondering about the pace that you are walking -- it might be more high intensity training would be a better use of that time. If you are already walking super fast and definitely getting exercise, then I'd thinks about checking in with the doctor, doing the measurements so you can track if you are losing inches, and playing around with the types of food you eat. I'm not a believer in any one diet, since counting calories and eating healthy works for me, but maybe you need high protein, low carb. Or the opposite (healthy carbs of course). Just some ideas.
  • Of course I am looking for that miracle pill to take all of this weight off of me but I realize that it is just going to take hard work. I have gone through some life changes and I have become very sad and depressed therefore I have gained about 20 lbs in the last four years! I need to get rid of that 20 plus another 20 in order to be at my ideal weight. If you have any suggestions please feel free to let me know. I have given up soda, and I am trying to give up bread and pasta, any suggestions on how to either given them up or replace them with something healthy??:happy:
  • midwestdawn
    midwestdawn Posts: 60 Member
    loritilton - you may not have to give up bread and pasta completely. Whole wheat bread and whole grain/Barilla Plus-type pastas are more filling. Just measure the pasta to be sure you're only eating one serving (I can eat a whole plate of it if I'm not careful!).
  • Leimaro
    Leimaro Posts: 148 Member
    Thanks everyone for the suggestions. After about 10 days, I figured out what was happening. I lost the 3 lbs that I gained back. I didn't eat back my calories when I exercised, or not much of them, and kept them down to 1450. I was following the idea that you to eat more when exercising would keep you from starvation mode and blocking weight loss. Well, after a better understanding, I realized that it is only true after reducing and burning calories needed to lose 1-2lbs. After trial and error, staying at 1300-1400 cals with the same exercises has helped me to lose. I can't go over unless I am really hungry or my workout was extreme in my terms. I will try this adjustment for a couple of weeks and see how it goes. Thanks again!
  • That is what I am doing is making sure I do my best to meet my base calories and at least have close to 550 left over 5-6 days a week
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