Getting discouraged--what keeps you motivated?

Help! I've been on CC for almost a year now--more seriously and focused since beginning of the summer (2007). I keep my daily calories to 1200 and even on not-so-great days don't go above 1400. I track every single thing I eat and drink. I walk the dog 45 min-1 hour/day and since August have upped it to "power walking" to burn more calories. I also do weights, sit ups, etc. every day. I don't own a scale, but when I weigh myself (doctor's office, other people's scales, etc) I'm goin' nowhere.  I've literally lost maybe 2-3 lbs total. What's going on? Am I not working hard enough? Is 1200 cal/day still too much? Don't know if I could go lower!

I'm getting very discouraged. What keeps you motivated when the weight loss is going nowhere?

 

Honestly, you're pry not eating enough.  But your stats would be helpful in determining this...weight, height, age?

You're right--stats would have been helpful!

5'2", 152lbs, age 30, goal weight 130-135.  

I agree with Brandy.  Your body is in starvation mode.  You are probably not consuming enough calories for the physical activity you are doing.  Also, you are building muscle with the all of the physical activity also.  I would assume you have lost inches but it just hasn't translated into a loss in weight.  Am I right???

I would try upping the calories to maybe 1500 or so.  If that doesn't work, change up either your diet or your work outs.  I know a lot of people would disagree with me, but have a free day or two on your diet, or skip a few days exercising.  Anything to mix it up a little and let your body know it isn't starving to death.  I plateaud a few weeks ago.  I had a free weekend (didn't binge, but had mexican and chicken and noodles!)  and didn't exercise for a few days, and then got back on my regular routine, and now I have lost 5 lbs in the last couple of weeks. 

Hope this helps!   Good Luck!!!

I eat when I'm hungry and, at 1200-1400 cal/day, my stomach isn't growling and I'm not hungry outside of typical mealtimes. My clothes fit the same and my muscle definition hasn't changed so I don't think I'm losing inches either. This is why I'm so discouraged! I've had several weekends where I didn't count (didn't go nuts, but probably went over the 1,400 cal mark) and it doesn't seem to make a difference...other than to make me feel guilty for overeating.

Honestly, by using the tools on this site, it says 1700 to maintain if you are sedentary...which means at 1200 cals you would lose a lb a week.  However, with your activities, you pry need an extra 200-300 cals every day.  So I would up it to about 1400 EVERY DAY and see what that does.  And I definitely don't advise going lower than you are now.

Try it for a couple weeks and see what happens...I will say I'm 5'5, 161 lbs, and 26, I eat between 1300-1400 a day and I'm loosing about a lb a week.  But I'm also not as active as you, so you'll pry need a little more.

how's your water intake??? I have the same problem for 2 months now and I have been given the same advice :) so I have upped calories a lil for the past few days and feel great, but also I had stopped drinking as much water (down to 4 - 6 glasses a day EEK) ever since upping it back up the past few days I feel great!!! Come Monday I will know if I lost or not, but until then, maybe log how much water you drink and see if that could be a factor.

DO SOUTHBEACH DIET or something similar. You are probably eating 1200-1400 calories but having the wrong FOODS. Startt eating vegetables and lean meats, instead of too much fruit and definitively no braead, sugar, pasta, potatoe. etc. Give your meatbolism a boost by going for some time into a low cal diet. Belive me it helps i was in your sitatuon a couple of months before. ALso don't forget to have snacks.

i just quit weighing myself several years ago. period. i know it is not conventional wisdom, but i can tell if i am losing or gaining by how my clothes feel, and, actually, by simply looking in the mirror. i find that the scale became my worst enemy over my life, as i will go into a tailspin if the numbers are "too high" or are not moving at all. i have always been heavy and can't count the times that i have been told "you really carry your weight well" meaning "you don't look like you weigh that much". i am very muscular for a woman, and while i am not he-man bulky, i do have significant muscle mass that even men comment on at the gym. i had a very, very difficult year this past year and talked to a therapist about my body. she encouraged me to take care of myself by eating well, sleeping enough and to continue to keep up a good routine at the gym because of the boost to my sluggish metabolism that good muscle mass provides. i am much healthier now at 50+ than i have been in a long, long time. and damn the scale. full speed ahead.

Any diet that requires that you eliminate an entire food group is not going to be well balanced, not going to be ultimately healthy for you, and they tend to be hard to maintain permanently as a lifestyle.  Exchanging white breads and pastas for whole grain versions is a good idea, but definitely NOT eliminating them completely!!  And on a personal note, the couple of times I've tried to go low-carb in the past, on day three I would get a CRIPPLING headache that simply would not go away. 

This is the 2nd post I've seen by you today, sbdier, where you recommend "going low cal" to BOOST metabolism - and each time you've given this advice to someone who is already only consuming the minimum 1200 cals per day!  Are you even READING the original posts?

My recommendation echoes locochik, make sure you are not getting dehydrated, and also make sure you're getting enough sleep.  Most people don't really think about that as being related to weight control, but it is quite important.

well said stella!

Hi lkozarek.

You need to eat more calories, because your body thinks it's starving.

Your body needs at least 1200 calories per day to survive. Here is a very rough scientific break down provided by a dietician for a  5' 2", 19 year old female weighing approximately 100 pounds, sitting around all day and doing nothing (and needing 1200 calories). You are more active, and have different stats, and your body needs more calories.


-The heart needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The kidney needs 12% of the calories (144 cals)
-The Liver needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The brain needs 23% of the calories (276 cals)
-The skeletal muscle needs 30% of the calories (360 cals)

This is a great website dedicated to helping people manage their weight in a healthy manner.  Did you know that the bare minimum a woman should ever eat is 1200 calories a day?  This is a widespread recommendation by the medical community and eating less puts you at risk and should only be done under the supervision of your healthcare provider.  

But even 1,200-1400 calories a day may be too little and put you at risk of losing too rapidly or going into starvation mode and bringing your metabolism to a screeching halt.

The following article will explain why calorie-count.com has chosen to promote healthy, sustainable weight managment.  As you read the article you will recognize many things that people suggest as a healthy approach.

http://healthandfitness.sympatico.msn.ca/Get+ The+Skinny+On+Fat/Fitness/Articles/ContentPos ting_MensHealth.aspx?isfa=1&newsitemid=56 09&feedname=RODALE-MENHEALTH&show=Fal se&number=0&showbyline=False&subt itle=&detect=&abc=abc

=^..^= MOLLY

Original Post by sbdier:

DO SOUTHBEACH DIET or something similar. You are probably eating 1200-1400 calories but having the wrong FOODS. Startt eating vegetables and lean meats, instead of too much fruit and definitively no braead, sugar, pasta, potatoe. etc. Give your meatbolism a boost by going for some time into a low cal diet. Belive me it helps i was in your sitatuon a couple of months before. ALso don't forget to have snacks.

This advice is not supported by appropriate medical evidence, and is not  in conformity with this website's promotion of HEALTHY weight loss and a 1200-calorie minimum for adult women.

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=^..^= MOLLY

Thanks for all the advice! I agree--I don't want to "diet", I'm trying to have a healthy lifestyle and eat well overall. No wonder I'm going nowhere. It seems weird, but I'll up my calories a bit, keep my activity level steady and see what happens. This was actually great motivation, thanks.