Anyone else struggling as much as I am. Just a vent!

I started this journey on June 4th. I re-vamped my entire diet and started going to the gym three days a week. With the scale going up and down the best I can tell is I have lost a total of 2 pounds. I am so frusterated and ready to just say screw it. I am totally obsesed with calorie counting and watching every little thing I put in my mouth. My self esteem has plunged because I can't seem to get this right. I can't keep doing this, but I can't gain any more weight.

On average over the last three months my calorie intake as been around 2000 a day. Not good, it should be lower but if I go lower then that, I am hungry and dont have the energy to make it thru the day or go to the gym. I burn 2200 at sedetary and burn around 500 cals at the gym. Even with those numbers as bad as they are I still should be losing something, more then the lousy 2 pounds.

I know I need to go to the gym more then the three days. But the three day as it is, is a struggle. I work 80 miles from home with a commute from hell and I am a single mom. By the time I get everything done in a day it is around 9pm. There is just not enough hours in a day. I know the calorie count needs to come down but like I said if I restrick too much more I feel hungry and over eat at night when I get home.

I don't want to give up but I dont' want to continue failing either. This is so frusterating.

Is there anyone else that is going thru this too?

*HUGS* I know your frustration.  For the past few months I've been dipping down to 219 and jumping back up to 226-227. But it's mostly because I don't do very well on weekends.

Is there a chance you could fit in a 30 min walk during your lunch hour.  Even if it's just walking around your building for 30 min.  It's still good exercise.

If at sedentary you burn 2200 and then in exercise you burn another 500 that's a total burn of 2700.  If you're eating around 2000 cals - you still have a 700 cal deficit.

That's good!  That's a good number - you should average 1-2 lb loss per week.

Also - watch your sodium.  You should stay at/below 2500mg/day.  Check your analysis as you log your foods.  This should help you too.  It could be that you're retaining water because of a high sodium intake. 

Good luck! ;)

Remember that a 3500 calorie deficit per week (i.e. 500 cal deficit per day X 7 days a week = 3500 cal deficit per week) = 1lb loss.  and about 1-2 lbs loss per week is good, safe and healthy! :)

Thanks for reading my vent. Sodium is a concern and I have been watching that and have seen it as high as 3500 which is not good. Plus the weekends can be tough and I don't drink as much water as I should on those days. So I spend the week playing catch up.

Yes, your right, I should be seeing some loss with a defict but I haven't. I have a defict of at least 350 calories a day so it's not a 1 pound a week but over the last three months it should have been at least 7 pounds but it has only been 2. Where's the other 5??

Just have to keep at it I guess.

Is there a possibility that you are under-estimating your daily caloric intake, or over-estimating the calories you burn at the gym? 

I don't tend to trust the numbers this site gives for calories burned while exercising--so much of that depends on the individual. 

Try rounding the calories you take in up to the nearest 100, and round the calories you burn down to the nearest 100.  That should increase your deficit. 

As for being too hungry during the day, maybe try varying how many meals you have and when you have them.  Maybe you're eating too many of your daily calories for breakfast, and you don't have enough left for dinner that evening.  I have found that if I eat about 300 cals for breakfast, that tides me over enough to have a lighter lunch (300-400 cals), which leaves me room for a substantial dinner, which is when I tend to eat the most anyway. 

Hope some of this helps!  Good luck!  :)

I agree with something Bernasha said - how frequently and how many meals are you having a day.

I tend to do 200 - 300 for breakfast, about 400-500 for lunch 100 cal snack at around 3-4pm and dinner between 400 and 600 cals between 6-7pm and I'm TRYING SO HARD not to eat after 7pm as I normally go to bed between 8 and 9. :)

So watch the sodium.  Drink LOTSA water - get a 32oz container with a sports pop top and fill and empty it twice and you've had your recommended 64oz water.  Anything else is just a bonus. :)

Also - if you need to - to keep your energy up - split your meals into 6 small meals rather than breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Breakfast is really important to help jump start your metabolism. 

I always buy fresh fruit on monday and keep a bowl of fruit on my desk to nibble on through the week as snacks.  Plums are 30 cals each - I also like keeping grapes in some tupperware containers in the fridge here at work.

Good luck! ;) *HUGS*

Like it has already been said you should being seeing pounds drop off with the deficate and perhaps you are under or over estimated calories.  If you are still feeling hungry at times try experimenting with the foods you are eating.  Try to find some foods that are lower in calories so you can eat more.  Keep up the work stick wtih it and you will see results.

Are you snacking?  I snack on my commute home since I'm stuck in the car anyway.  This helps me when dinner comes around; I'm not famished.  Pick easy things to eat so you're not causing a hazard while driving.  That wouldn't be pretty.  Grapes, strawberries, pre-peel an orange or slice an apple before you leave work and put the pieces in a baggie for the ride, chuncks of pineapple or melon in a coffee mug is easy too (coffee mug so you can fit it nicely in your cupholder). 

I actually trust the numbers here on CC BUT I don't trust myself with proper portioning.  Are you actually measuring stuff or are you eyeballing your portions?  Consistently over portioning will most definitely hinder your losses.  I also like Bernasha's suggestion with rounding up on food and rounding down on exercises. 

Don't give up!  It sounds like you mostly need to look at the foods part of your regimen as opposed to the exercise part.  REMEMBER, the more often you eat, the better chance you can make it on lower calories.  And remember that high density low cal foods is key to getting in more food on less cals.

I do over estamate the calorie intake. Somethings it is hard to get exact. I have been trying different food combo's lately to try and get the cals down and not get hungry. The frozen pre pack stuff as way to much sodium so I am now trying to avoid those. The workout count seem like it can't be too far off. I do circuit training for 25 minutes then I walk on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes at 3.5 and then I have been working on the elliptical for about 5-10 minutes which works out to be around 450-500 cals, I'm 5 3 and weigh 246.

So today I have done alright and I'm not hungry at all and I have had 630 cals so far. I always have a Luna bar and a banana for breakfast, today I ate just half the banana for lunch I have had three wasa crackers, white tuna w/ 1tsp mayo and a half cucumber and a peach, I will have a light yogurt around 330 to keep my energy up for the gym. With the protien being this high today I am feeling pretty good. It is really hard it seems to get enough protien in low cal/low fat food to stay full though. Good idea on the snack on the ride home idea. I am going to try that. I have a long and crappy commute so I can get a little stressed plus if I am stuck in traffic and get hungry I don't have the energy for the gym.

Thanks for all the advise. It is very helpfull. I will continue experimenting with my food choices and watch the sodium. Water is huge and I have to do a better job getting the recommended amount in on the weekends. I am going to round up on the food and down for the gym and see if I can get somewhere. Also since I can't really get to the gym more then three days a week I will work on increasing the time I am there to get those burnt cals up.

Thanks everyone. This place is awesome, I can vent my frustration and get some totally great advise :)

Girl! I feel you! I think I might be able to help! In the morning for the next few weeks, try this detox toddy i've used in the past. it's the same concept as LA weight loss' drink to give you a boost and it just might help curb your appetite a bit. (and it's completely natural)

drink one glass of hot lemon water, a teeny-tiny splash of cayenne pepper, and a teeny-tiny drop of honey every morning for a week. this is a cleanser and will help digest your food better and also keep your hunger down.

i read this in a health magazine a few years ago, and my roomate and I have one every now and then to promote good digestion.

also, remember that processed foods might be causing you to be hungrier than you think. processed foods create a bacteria in your intestines that actually will tell your body you are hungry. it's true! i know its gross, but hey, someone's gotta spread the word! eastern medicine has proven this and has linked the foods american's eat to a lot of diseases, too.

good luck! and you sound busy, but take some time for yourself one of these days. take a yoga class or go swimming. something "work-out" related but de-stressing. every mommy needs that!

OMG, that sounds so disgusting, but I will try it. I will try just about anything. So dumb question. Just heat water, add lemon juice and the dash of cayenne pepper and a drop of lemon?  How many oz of water?  I normally have a cup of tea or a small glass of diet soda while I am getting ready for work would that need to be eliminated?

 

to make this drink  can you use bottled lemon juice or does it have to be  juice squeezed from a fresh lemon? and how much lemon juice would you use?

I understand how you feel. I in my 8th week of running every morning (M-F) and eating very healthy. The scale is not moving as fast as  I would like. At first I wasn't eating enough. But I also took measurements. I just took some new ones today and there is  a difference there! So my scale is not moving, but my size is going down. Something for you to think about. Do your clothes fit different, any looser? That is a sign things are going in the right direction. The most important thing is to not give up! You are doing great and it WILL show!

I really need to get measurement tape. My body is changing but in a weird way. It happens every time I work out I bulk up. Everytime, about three months or so in I start looking like a linebacker or a brick wall with boobs and I stop working out. My bra's and underware are too big and I have had to buy new. My tops are starting to fit different, smaller in the arms and I am loosing some of that gross back fat, but my pants are not really getting any looser, they do feel better in the waist I guess, but thru the tights and ass they are tight, tighter then they were when I started. I do more cardo and light weight training for toning so it's not like I am doing the stairstepper or lifting heavy weights.

Your right, though. I am feeling better and I am getting healthier and I guess in the end that is what is really important. Being skinny sure would be nice though :(

<big hug!>

it can be really frustrating when you aren't seeing the differences you want to, especially when you work so hard! Here are a couple of suggestions that have worked for me and some of my friends -

1) try increasing your calories a bit. Sometimes, your body just needs an energy boost for a day or 2, then you can go back down. I find what works best fo me is 2-3 days at my "weight loss" calorie level, then a day at maintenance. That seems to keep my body from starvation mode.

2) Vary your workouts. If you are doing the same thing for the last few months, your body will have adjusted, and you won't see the same results. Try changing the type or time of your workouts - if you normally run, try biking, or increase the speed, distance. or add intervals - they work you harder, but without adding a lot of extra time to your day.

3) Check your measurements, or even better - your body fat content. You can pick up some calipers called Accu-measure (I think). About $25 and will give you an idea if you are losing body fat vs just weight.

4) eat 4-5 meals a day, about every 3-3.5 hours. Someone in an earlier response made the same suggestion - and it's a really good one! Just break your meals into smaller sections. and try to keep the last meal pretty small.

5) track everything, your food, exercise, mood, time of month, etc. And if whatever you are doing for a ocuple of weeks doesn't work, change it. You can change calories, type of foods you are eating, change your cardio by increasing time or intensity. Sometimes just taking a day or 2 of rest is great too! If what you have been doing has stalled you out - it;s time for a change :)

Stay strong and you'll get there!!!

This is so weird.

 I just posted an extremely similar vent.   I started June 15 or so, and I've lost 2 lbs.  I work out every day!  I was wondering if there was something wrong wiht my metabolism.

I can't give any advice, except that you mentioned giving up:

 I wouldn't do that if I were you.  Maybe you aren't losing the weight you like, but you HAVE to be healther than you were.  That's the one thing I take away is that even if I'm not losing any (GRRRRRRR) at least I can stay on the treadmill twice as long as I could before.  Breathing is better and my muscles dont hurt just because I use them once in a while :-)

 Maybe its not much, but working out 3 times a week WILL help you live longer and healthier whether you lose weight or not.

Good luck!

If you can, it's probably a good idea to go to the doctor and get your thyroid and glucose levels checked.  I don't have thyroid issues (I'm just fat), but I have several friends with hypothyroid who cannot lose weight even though it seems mathmatically impossible.  It's also important to remember that folks with misbehaving thyroids swing between hypo and hyper thyroidism depending on a variety of factors.  I'm not a doctor, and I'm not saying this is what's going on with you, but at least you would know and could get some good advice for dealing with it. 

It might be scary, but being frustrated like you are is no picnic either.  Just know that all that hard work hasn't been wasted - You're decreasing the chances of stroke, heart attack and alzheimers, you'll live longer for your kids and grandkids, and set agood example, even if you don't lose a pound.  Take care!

If you are doing only light weights for toning, you aren't burning much calories at all, nor are you building muscle.

Meanwhile you are averaging only 10-20 minutes of cardio 3x's a week. That is not much. I suspect your workouts are burning only half the calories you think they are.

NOW, I definetly applaud you for making the effort and starting *somewhere*!!! Don't get me wrong! But, if you aren't willing to cut your diet back a few hundred more calories, then you must up your workout intensity and time.

Ideally you would increase the weights and lift heavier (choose a weight that you can lift 8-12 times but no more than that), while also doing cardio for at least a half an hour. But since it sounds like you have concerns about bulking up, then maybe a better place to start is to skip the weights entirely and use your hour in the gym to walk on the treadmill the full time - one hour, 3x's a week. 3.5 mph is fine place to start (personally, it's the fastest I can walk).

I have also read that for beginners with a lot of weight to lose a good strategy is to break up your walking into smaller periods throughout the day. So for example you might walk 30 minutes in the morning and 30 at night. Or spread it out into three 20 minute walks. This wakes up the body and keeps it guessing, while revving up the metabolism.

A good goal is to try to walk at least 30 minutes most days of the week. If this is impossible for your schedule (and I know what it's like to be a single mom!), then one hour 3x's a week would be the next best thing.