Weight Loss Blues

I felt like I needed a place to vent about this, and for some reason feel somewhat insecure about posting it on my Facebook. Something about feeling vulnerable in front of people I try not to feel vulnerable about.

About three weeks ago I met up with a personal trainer to evaluate some fitness goals and work on some things. Truthfully, I used to work out in my basement with free weights about three years ago and got myself into the best shape I've ever been in. But, I also had a physical job, spare time and motivation (my ex left me because I 'got too fat for him to find attractive'). Fast forward to present day, and I'm now stuck at a desk job. I literally cannot leave my post, which is about a 6' x 6' area. I've moved to a new townhouse with my current boyfriend of 2 and half years, where we have no room for any type of workout equipment. Dumbells, yes, but no bench or even a barbell. So I decided to try going to the gym, and realized promptly that I have anxiety about it, to the point I couldn't even remember my routine/sets/how to use the equipment. I just freaked out.

So I hired a personal trainer, which I've been meeting up with twice a week for three weeks now. I've been pretty good with my eating habits lately, although it's hard some days when my other half wants to meet up with friends and go out to the pub, or restaurants, or meeting up with family for dinners, etc. But my other half is being very supportive, so that's reassuring.

But I'm definitely reaching that 'blues' point.

In my mind, I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so while the numbers on the scale haven't changed, that doesn't mean my body composition hasn't changed. I understand it took me about a year to put on this 20lbs, so I know it's going to take more than a few weeks to get my body back into the routine. And I know my job where I literally sit for 8 hours a day is a serious disadvantage to my goals (I would need to do about 1.5hrs of cardio every day to make up for being immobile for much of the day).

I put on my pants this morning, hoping that my lack of weight lost would just be my muscle/fat ratio and that I would have actually lost at least a bit of size. But as I buttoned them up, I felt the same as I did at the beginning of my routine.

Definitely feeling disheartened right now. I'm 5'6" and about 155lbs, fairly muscle dense but it's hidden under 20lbs of fat. I used to be 135lbs, a size 6 and felt very comfortable in that range. So that's my goal to get to again. But the fact that nothing has visibly changed is leaving me a bit... frustrated. Mad. Disappointed. Upset.

As silly as it sounds, the main reason I want this weight loss is because my boyfriend keeps dropping hints that he wants to get engaged. I know that he is going to do something crazy romantic if he does (we often hike into the mountains and climb to the top, or do other crazy adventurous things that are so out of the ordinary). So part of me wants to feel as beautiful on the outside as he makes me feel on the inside. Sounds cliche`, but it's true. I don't hate the way I look, but I miss the way I used to feel when I was at my ideal weight. And I just want to get back there.

So this lack of results kind of hit me this morning, and I just needed to vent. Of course, it just drives me to try harder, but at the same time, I'm trying not to get frustrated.

My goal was to lose about 2lbs a week, give or take a bit while I'm focusing on my weight training (muscle vs. fat weight). But so far, nothing has changed, and I'm trying not to feel like I've failed before I've even really started.

Not sure exactly what I'm asking here. Maybe some feedback. Maybe some advice. Maybe someone else has been here before and might know exactly what I'm feeling. I'm definitely a fighter and I'm not about to give up, not when I know I've already done this before. But this time the results aren't where I expected them to be, and I kind of feel like: "Am I doing something wrong?"

Hi Danielle,

Hang in there with your workouts. It's great that you're taking good care of yourself and trying to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle even if your job keeps you stuck in a chair a lot of the time. It's wonderful that you have a supportive partner, and I'm horrified by people like your ex who leave someone because of weight gain. Jeez, wait till he develops a spare tire in middle age! Anyway, you have a lot going for you. You'll get through this stuck patch, and when you do, you'll feel like the Amazon you are.

Here's my disclaimer: I'm not a nutritionist/personal trainer/exercise physiologist/etc. etc. etc...so please take all this with a grain of unprofessional salt.

The one thing that stood out for me in your post is that it doesn't mention if you're doing any cardio. You say "I would need to do about 1.5hrs of cardio every day to make up for being immobile for much of the day." That may be true, but of course it's not realistic in terms of how much time the average person can spend exercising :). Why not try for 30-40 min of cardio 4-5 days a week and see what happens? I'll bet the pounds start coming off. Also, does your trainer know that you want to lose weight, not just get stronger & leaner? Because if s/he knows that and it's not happening, s/he should be able to offer suggestions or change your workouts to address that - after all, it's why they get paid the big bucks!

Best of luck to you, and don't get derailed because the scale isn't cooperating yet. There's so much more to being healthy and feeling attractive than reaching a specific weight goal. Congratulate yourself on what you're doing right, and keep doing it. I hope you start seeing the results you want!

- Karen

You could try getting an exercise ball to sit on instead of your desk chair. I helps tone your core.

A good weightless app is my fitness pal. It helped me lose 20 lbs in a month!

To the OP: I'd say try crossfit or something similar, with your space situation being what it is. It requires little or no weights (other than bodyweight), there are TONS of free exercise programs online to get you started and they range from the simple to the how-in-the-world-can-the-human-body-be-made-to-contort-like-that! complex, lol! I hear ya' on the having to man a post and not being able to leave. I work 12 hour shifts and try as I might to move and stay active, the majority of the time I just sit. Weight training in combination with cardio is great to keep your metabolism going after you've worked out but if you combine the two (a la crossfit routines), you're going to burn on average twice the amount of calories you would doing just weight training or cardio alone. I've struggled with my weight over the last two years as well and it's a hard thing to deal with. 29 years old, should be trim and in fighting form and instead, welllll...I'm not, lol! I'm glad you're doing it for YOU! and not someone else, as that never goes well if your motivation isn't coming from within. Nutrition (fewer calories taken in than what you expend; burn more than you eat) and exercise (weights, plyometric exercises, cardio, etc.) are the best way to achieve the results you're wanting, those being healthy and long-lasting ones, rather than popping a pill or doing something else that could potentially hurt you in the long run, even if it takes longer. Make it fun; if you can put Adele on or Heart or George Jones if that's who does it for you on the IPod to take your mind off the drudgery of working out, even better. Are there any gyms that offer martial arts or jiu jitsu in your area? I dunno...just some thoughts, not sure if they're worth a look or not. Keep the faith and stick to it; you'll get it! Good luck! :gj:

One of the things that has worked really well for me is an eating cut-off time of 4pm. I eat a large, balanced breakfast - think an egg, some kidney beans, piece of fruit and maybe a piece of toast as well, followed by a moderate sized lunch at around 10-11 (sandwich or a soup/piece of bread or a muffin if I'm feeling bad) and another main, balanced meal at 3:30-4pm. After 4pm, I don't eat anything. I can have soda, tea, black coffee etc ... I allow myself one cheat day every week where I can go out to dinner and out for drinks with friends. I will make occasional exceptions to have 1 drink on an "on" day if it would be socially unacceptable not to. I like this because I'm not obsessively tracking calories all the time, but I find if I eat more or less normally and then STOP at 4pm, I end up eating around 1400-1600 calories per day. I don't feel at all deprived because I'll eat a muffin, a cookie, cake etc. as long as its before 4pm.

I exercise 5-6 days a week, but not intensely. I go on 5-7 mile walks on a few days and horse ride on the others. Otherwise, I'm a pretty sedentary person. I spend a lot of time at my computer working on my dissertation and I'm just not one of those naturally active and "fidgety" people. In the two weeks I've had her, I've already decided my BP and I are kindred spirits. We both love to lay under things (blanket for me, hide for her), eat and watch TV.

My weight is currently at 138lbs. I'm 5'4" I started doing this at the end of November when I weighed 161. It's not been the fastest rate of weight loss, but for me it feels sustainable.

I feel your pain. One aspect you may not have considered - are you on any medications that have weight gain as a side effect? You may want to talk to your doctor.

As mentioned before, the my fitness pal is a great app. It really opens your eyes to how many calories you take in, in a day. You might try adding more cardio in. You can try sneaking in a walk each day at lunch if you have time, maybe that would help. I know I would like to get in better shape, I used to run and I miss it. I just have a hard time, finding time, without giving up sleep, which is also important. Good luck! :)
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I am 5'4" and three years ago I was at my heaviest I've ever been. 240 pounds. I never really cared about my weight. I didn't even know that I had gain soooo much until Halloween and people at work took pictures of me.

I work really hard in the beginning of January to get the weight off. I never worked out. But I also never ate passed 6pm. My doctor told me its important to only drink fluids pass 6pm and nothing else.

By may I was down to 210

And by August 2009 I was down to 175

http://img.tapatalk.com/6cd1a915-7aee-6d7f.jpg

Don't lose faith. It takes a slow beginning. If you're taking your weight everyday I'd stop that. Do it once a week. Everyday the body fluctuates, but once a week you'll generally see something.

Morning I'd eat a huge meal like brown rice and chicken. And then some veggies

Afternoon I'd eat a sandwich

And then night (before 6) I'd eat a salad with oil vinegar or fruit.

Hope this helps you out


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I watched a documentary on HBO recently called Weight of the Nation. It's acclaimed, and I agree, that it's the most comprehensive compilation of facts and tips about obesity that's been made. Some things I'm personally working on since seeing it:

1. Any calorie consumed in liquid is wasting your 'budget' - water, skim milk, and black coffee or unsweetened tea only. Even when you juice a fruit you're taking calories that could be spent filling your belly and consuming them for flavor. This adds to the overall calorie count to satisfy you. Your body treats liquid much different than it treats solids in terms of hunger response.

2. Take 2 adults of the same healthy weight with the same lifestyle. One of them has been that healthy weight for their whole adult life and the other was formerly obese and lost weight. The always healthy person can consume 2000 calories a day to maintain that weight as an example. The formerly obese person would need to consume only 1600 calories a day with the same lifestyle to maintain that weight. The metabolism works for the obese size INDEFINITELY. Your body never, according to a lot of research, 'resets' its metabolism. You can NEVER go back to eating like a healthy person who was never obese. This is much of the reason so many people rubberband their weight.

3. Take extremely small steps like not eating after 9, then 8, then 7, or not drinking soda during the week, then include the weekends in a separate step. Master the steps, then move to the next when you're comfortable with it and it has become a part of your regular, preferred lifestyle.

4. If you were to see what obese people's organs look like compared to healthy ones, you'd never look at a piece of fatty red meat off the pub menu the same way again.

You're going to need to be vigilant forever. Don't let that get you down or you will surely fail. I think that's probably the biggest hurdle to losing weight and keeping it off. You need to find a way to not be emotionally discouraged. I can't offer much along those lines in terms of internet opinion. You need to simply change how you do things and learn to love it. Don't let your guard down and don't lie to yourself. Pick goals you feel confident in obtaining and increase them when you're ready.

Good luck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vasiliki

I felt like I needed a place to vent about this, and for some reason feel somewhat insecure about posting it on my Facebook. Something about feeling vulnerable in front of people I try not to feel vulnerable about.

About three weeks ago I met up with a personal trainer to evaluate some fitness goals and work on some things. Truthfully, I used to work out in my basement with free weights about three years ago and got myself into the best shape I've ever been in. But, I also had a physical job, spare time and motivation (my ex left me because I 'got too fat for him to find attractive'). Fast forward to present day, and I'm now stuck at a desk job. I literally cannot leave my post, which is about a 6' x 6' area. I've moved to a new townhouse with my current boyfriend of 2 and half years, where we have no room for any type of workout equipment. Dumbells, yes, but no bench or even a barbell. So I decided to try going to the gym, and realized promptly that I have anxiety about it, to the point I couldn't even remember my routine/sets/how to use the equipment. I just freaked out.

So I hired a personal trainer, which I've been meeting up with twice a week for three weeks now. I've been pretty good with my eating habits lately, although it's hard some days when my other half wants to meet up with friends and go out to the pub, or restaurants, or meeting up with family for dinners, etc. But my other half is being very supportive, so that's reassuring.

But I'm definitely reaching that 'blues' point.

In my mind, I understand that muscle weighs more than fat, so while the numbers on the scale haven't changed, that doesn't mean my body composition hasn't changed. I understand it took me about a year to put on this 20lbs, so I know it's going to take more than a few weeks to get my body back into the routine. And I know my job where I literally sit for 8 hours a day is a serious disadvantage to my goals (I would need to do about 1.5hrs of cardio every day to make up for being immobile for much of the day).

I put on my pants this morning, hoping that my lack of weight lost would just be my muscle/fat ratio and that I would have actually lost at least a bit of size. But as I buttoned them up, I felt the same as I did at the beginning of my routine.

Definitely feeling disheartened right now. I'm 5'6" and about 155lbs, fairly muscle dense but it's hidden under 20lbs of fat. I used to be 135lbs, a size 6 and felt very comfortable in that range. So that's my goal to get to again. But the fact that nothing has visibly changed is leaving me a bit... frustrated. Mad. Disappointed. Upset.

As silly as it sounds, the main reason I want this weight loss is because my boyfriend keeps dropping hints that he wants to get engaged. I know that he is going to do something crazy romantic if he does (we often hike into the mountains and climb to the top, or do other crazy adventurous things that are so out of the ordinary). So part of me wants to feel as beautiful on the outside as he makes me feel on the inside. Sounds cliche`, but it's true. I don't hate the way I look, but I miss the way I used to feel when I was at my ideal weight. And I just want to get back there.

So this lack of results kind of hit me this morning, and I just needed to vent. Of course, it just drives me to try harder, but at the same time, I'm trying not to get frustrated.

My goal was to lose about 2lbs a week, give or take a bit while I'm focusing on my weight training (muscle vs. fat weight). But so far, nothing has changed, and I'm trying not to feel like I've failed before I've even really started.

Not sure exactly what I'm asking here. Maybe some feedback. Maybe some advice. Maybe someone else has been here before and might know exactly what I'm feeling. I'm definitely a fighter and I'm not about to give up, not when I know I've already done this before. But this time the results aren't where I expected them to be, and I kind of feel like: "Am I doing something wrong?"

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I only skimmed the replies, but it sounds like you are wanting to do a body re-composition.. aka lose fat and build some muscle. This is not going to be the kind of thing where you see amazing changes in a week or three.. it really is a long-term build-up kind of thing. One day you will look back and be proud, but I'd advise you to not look in the mirror and get discouraged now or feel bad that your pant sizes aren't shrinking because a recomp takes time and dedication. It really pays off in the end though. The weight stays off unlike diet and fads.. and you will be healthier as well.

Also, you didn't really talk about what you are eating. It is really pretty much impossible to do what you are trying to do without figuring out your nutrition very thoroughly.. aka what your body needs and then figuring in a moderate deficit. Lots of people eat this or eat that, try to eat only certain kinds of foods, etc. but it is really simple: eat less than your body needs.. with caveats. I use myfitnesspal.com to track my foods. And yes, I weigh everything and put it in exactly. Eating what I think is 1/2 cup of ice cream may actually be closer to 1 cup of ice cream and that is a big difference. Guesstimating just doesn't work. In fact, after going through all this stuff myself I would go so far as to say that if you aren't figuring out your nutrition that your workouts will only go so far to help you.

That said, losing 2lbs per week of fat like you are talking about is way too much, especially if you do want to build muscle. If 1lb of fat is 3500 calories, so you are talking about cutting 7000 calories from your maintenance. Lets say your BMR is 2000 just for an example. If you were cutting 7000/week, that means you are only giving yourself 1000/day. This is way too low for most people and would basically be telling your body that you want to starve it all of a sudden. This would actually slow your metabolism down further and you may be breaking muscle down along with fat also.

A great formula for figuring out what your BMR is called the Katch-McArdle formula. It is:

BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM)Where LBM = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100

The thing is that you absolutely have to have a good estimate of your body fat % to calculate it properly. There are several places you can go online to post your anonymous pictures for experts to help you like on bodybuilding forums or you can ask your personal trainer to help. Measurements aren't very good, but the Navy one is one of the more accurate:

http://fitness.bizcalcs.com/Calculat...=Body-Fat-Navy

Once you figure out your nutrition, if you do end up at the gym or doing weights then you will want to get some good protein into your body for tissue repair, etc. I encourage you to do a google search on recomp and macro nutrition so you can figure out your fat/carb/protein/etc. needs.

That's a start. There is so much more to this than popular culture discusses. It really is a lifestyle change, but it is worth it.. for your own feelings of self-esteem, for your health, for your future.

Best of luck!

All im going to say is I know it sucks... A year ago today I was a size 2-4, 5'9 and feeling pretty damn good about it. Now I have gained about 15 ibs, (size 6-8) my pants dont fit right and every time I put them on all my insecurities raise their ugly heads. It doesnt matter what you look like, its how you feel about how you look. I just got engaged and I have been trying desperately to get back into my old work out routines... Sometimes though it can be really frustrating when I work out. After a work out I feel great.. then when I shower and put on my fav. pair of jeans my mood drops. I know it takes a while to get back into shape, but im impatient and I wanna feel good now because I know how good I felt then. You are not alone, if you keep at it and dont let that feeling get out of control then you will get back to where you want to be in time..

But believe me I know waiting is a :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r:. :rolleyes:

It doesn't have to suck. My fitness pal is a amazing tool, and free! Use it. There is so much I could go into about losing weight on here but who knows if you will read it. If you would like my advice feel free to PM me. I'm best with working with guys, but have have trained my wife through losing pregnancy weight twice, I dropped 30 lbs off of her both times. With out fad diets you can't stick to or crazy workouts.
Me :)
http://img.tapatalk.com/46bcafec-9646-c81d.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rob

It doesn't have to suck. My fitness pal is a amazing tool, and free! Use it. There is so much I could go into about losing weight on here but who knows if you will read it. If you would like my advice feel free to PM me. I'm best with working with guys, but have have trained my wife through losing pregnancy weight twice, I dropped 30 lbs off of her both times. With out fad diets you can't stick to or crazy workouts.
Me :)
http://img.tapatalk.com/46bcafec-9646-c81d.jpg

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^This!!!! I probably should have written something short and sweet like Rob when I replied before, but I was trying to give you some tools like the BMR equation to get started. The bottom line is that MyFitnessPal or some other nutrition tracker is really pretty much mandatory. Nutrition is sooooooo important and often ignored or done incorrectly when someone starts an exercise routine. I know diets don't work, I know that some of the crazy exercise plans don't work either, but this does. I am female and lost just shy of 30lbs this way in conjunction with weights/exercise. I wasn't obese to start with, but the weight I did have stays off! I am also stronger and healthier overall. You can do it! :)

Best of luck!

Its not that working out/eating well sucks. its just that I can sympathize with the weight loss blues. A lot of the good feeling that comes with getting in shape is how it affects your psyche. You have to understand that working out alone isnt enough. You have to feel good mentally to feel good physically regardless of your body type or how fit you are. Some people have a more visual relationship with their emotions, being fit on the outside affects how they feel on the inside. Sometimes you dont want to wait for your outside to feel as good as the inside, or your having a bad day and you just want your goals to be met. Everyone can give you advice on how to get in shape, but half the time you feel like "I know I know, im just grumpy and I want it now!" There are alot of reasons to feel impatient about wanting to get in shape. All I was trying to say was that she isnt alone and that as long as she keeps with it and doesnt let that emotion go crazy then she will get there in time.

Oh my goodness. The amount of replies this thread has gathered made my jaw drop this morning when I checked in. Never imagined I’d get that kind of response, haha. Hopefully I can do justice in return!

Karen: Thank you for the kind words. As the first reply I read, it was great to see such a positive tone. Haha. Actually, I did see my ex not too long ago. He put on about 20+lbs and has a total beer gut now. Too funny. Poetic justice, much? ;-)
In regards to the cardio, I’ve been stepping that up to about 2-3 times a week when I have the chance. My other half does shift work, so sometimes our schedules are chaotic. But the gym I go to is on my drive home from work, so that makes it easier. Currently I do about 30-45 minute sessions on my cardio, although I just recently got back into it (same time I started my weights again), so I’m definitely getting back to my regular pace. With a cruddy knee, I’ve been careful with my cardio until I get that a little stronger and more stable. Thankfully, it didn’t bother me once last week, so I’ll probably bring up the intensity a notch and see how it goes. With a bit of luck, this increase in intensity will get me more out of this plateau. Fingers crossed!

Bobbafett: I spoke with my chiropractor about that. The common thing I’ve heard is that, yes, it is good for your form, but it can also cause strain on your lower back :-( I work at switchboard, so I’m forever angling forward to reach for things.
I also downloaded My Fitness Pal when I first started this. It is a great app, for sure!

Youbeyouibei: Hm. The Cross fit idea always daunted me back in the day, but you bring up a valid point. Using our own body weight can be really difficult sometimes, especially if you’re combining that with other challenging aspects to a workout (balance, movement, etc). I’ll look into that a bit more than before, thank you.

Life is definitely about focusing on yourself sometimes. I mean, who else is going to look out for you 100%? Thankfully, I have a fairly good ‘fight’ aspect to me, so I don’t give up easily when presented with challenges. Too much of a problem solver for that. “This isn’t working? Lets tweak it and find a way to get results.” So the crossfit suggestion is great. Adds another tool to my arsenal. Once I’m done training with my personal trainer (I signed up for enough sessions to give me a good foundation), I do plan to get into some form of martial arts. My boyfriend’s family is doing Karate right now, and his sister wants to get into the weapons aspect of it. So we might partner up and hit that together over the winter. Very excited!

Bellatrix: That’s a very valid point, actually. I’ve heard that before with various times. I typically stop eating by 8pm (normally because I can’t get home to make supper until 6pm most days). Haha. Aww that’s cute about your BP being your kindred spirit. I sometimes think that of my Crestie (sleep through the day, bouncing off the walls when no ones around…)

Julie: Not currently. I went off my one medication after I was having these seemingly ‘random’ symptoms for about two years. Doctor couldn’t place it. After some research, I determined it was Hypoglycemia, and upon further research, it turns out this medication was getting linked more and more to cases of hypoglycemia in women. So I went off the medication and have been watching my diet very closely ever since.

DrDooLittle: It really does! And not just calories. Since my bought with sugar-related issues, I read my labels all the time on food. I can’t believe how much sugar is in things. Like a can of soda. It’s disgusting. My co-workers were all on ‘diets’ at one point, but were calorie counting rather than sugar monitoring too. So I took them aside and used sugar cubes to show how much sugar is in what they ate.

I wish they taught that kind of thing in school. More nutrition based stuff, for sure. Gah. I wish I could walk at lunch. I used to! But I work in an industrial area now and there’s nowhere to walk without PPE. And as attractive as I look in a hard hat and boots, the guys operating the CAT equipment might not enjoy me hanging around the yard. I hear you on the finding time thing. I spent about 2 hours in my car each day driving to and from work. That really really cuts into my time some nights.

Solar: Congratulations on the change! That’s fantastic to hear. Amazing how good we feel after some changes, isn’t it? I only weigh myself weekly, and typically go more by how my clothes feel than my scale anyway. Thanks for the inspiring reply
MrLang: Hmm. I might have to look that up. I love a good documentary, no matter the subject. And that raises some fantastic points as well. After cutting out sugar from my diet as best I can, I find it’s easy to wrap my brain around the concept of eating well for the rest of my life, and focusing on it. Food is fuel, after all. The more I eat well, the less my body tolerates bad food. I can’t eat cheesecake anymore. It’s too sweet and too rich and I get almost nauseous from it. So that’s a really good defense mechanism.

Thanks for the amazing response. I will be checking that out for sure.

Sentinel: After your response, I sat down and did a bit more calculations. Mainly casual ones based on caloric intake and output. You are correct. My goals are currently unreasonable. Even with a combination of working out daily with a mix of strength training for muscle development and then cardio to utilize these, it would be asking a lot to get to that 2lb a week goal without sacrificing something at the moment. And I’d much rather feed my body correctly and get it into better shape than just drop weight magically. So I’ll re-evaluate my goals a bit better.

I do keep a daily journal of my food intake, even on my ‘free’ day (which I give myself every Sunday due to family dinner at my boyfriend’s place). After a bought of sugar-related issues, I’ve been monitoring my food much more carefully, as it was making me horribly ill not too long ago. Basically, I would eat food and my blood sugar would crash due to my body overcompensating in balancing it. Whole foods with a high glycemic index helped this until we found out why my body was doing that. Since then, sugar is a big no-no in my day to day life. I do the cooking in the house, so I have more control of that. A portion of protein with each meal, higher fiber, more vegetables than I’ve ever eaten before, whole foods like cooked beans (from dried beans), plenty of herbs and spices to avoid sauces, lots of home made dishes, etc. I’m certainly not perfect, but nothing comes into my house anymore that I wouldn’t put into my body. So that helps as well. I do 3 medium sized meals daily (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 2 snacks. My portion sizes were something I was guesstimating on, but have gotten more on track recently. So that could have been affecting it prior. But I’m happily measuring out all my stuff now, and have my fridge stocked with grab-and-go options. Amazing how jealous people are at my work when I walk in with a ‘good lunch’. Everyone else is busy microwaving their frozen dinners.

I’ll check out the BMR and get back to you on that. Anything to do with body mass calculations I’ve always avoided. When I was 135lbs, 5’6”, I was told that I was still ‘overweight’. Meanwhile, I was actually a size 6, very lean muscle and honestly wasn’t sure how much more I could ‘lose’. There wasn’t any bulk. So it made me leery about those kind of calculations, I suppose. I didn’t quite believe them to be as accurate as they promised. But I’ll give it another chance and see how it goes this time around.
Thanks for the awesome response!

Sissy: It does suck sometimes. But, I think it’s definitely hard for girls, given how strong visual recognition is within our society. A lot of pressure, even though we don’t realize it. But we’ll get back into our pants! Especially my skinny low rise jeans. Oh man. I miss those like crazy.

Rob: Yep, I love that app. I use it daily. I’m not sure exactly what kind of questions to ask you via PM, but I’d love to hear any input. I read all of these responses, so alternative input is something I value. We all have different approaches and experiences. After all, not everything works for every body. Hopefully we can chat a bit soon for sure. I’ll try not to take up too much time.

Sentinel: Haha. No I liked your response! It was great. Gah. Diets really aggravate me, so we’re on the same page there. I guess that’s why I just felt a little frustrated. I felt like I had this going for me, all my ducks in a row, but apparently I’m just being a bit impatient, unreasonable and still need to tweak a few things. But congrats on the 30lbs! That’s great. I’m really hoping to drop this 20lb sometime in the near future. And keep it off with a nice lifestyle switch. My boyfriend’s family ALL have diabetes. All of them. Mother, father, aunts, uncles… So this change up isn’t just for me either. Since I do all the cooking, Dan is getting used to new foods too. I’m more than happy to commit to the ‘Lifestyle’ change aspect, if to get both of us eating better and prevent any conditions like that down the road. Especially with a family history.

Sissy: That makes perfect sense. I love my workouts (okay, except anything to do with triceps… but I still do them. I just make faces). Part of us just want to know that we’re doing something right, and that feedback can come from our own bodies. When we don’t get that feedback we’re looking for, it’s easy to get a bit frustrated. Everyone’s had that point. And after it, everyone’s had that awesome feeling of being successful.

So thank you so much for all the feedback. I feel like there are a few more things I can tweak, a few more aspects I can add and try out, and found some reassuring encouragement here from you guys. Can’t put a price on this kind of support, so thank you

I really like My Fitness Pal as well, and it helped me lose 20 lbs and maintain over the holidays.

I think having a goal of 2 pounds lost per week is too much. That seems like a better goal for someone who has 50+ pounds to lose. I would set your goal to .5-1 pound a week. You'll have less disappointment and more motivation with a smaller target.

Don't forget about making sure you're consuming ENOUGH calories. That's something I ran into early on, and saw other people having difficulty with. If you're not eating enough to fuel your burn, your body's metabolism is going to slow down and cling to the fat it has! I think the bare minimum is 1400/day after you calculate exercise.

I would also take measurements of yourself, so that you're not focused on the number on the scale. Measure thighs, waist, butt, arms...wherever you feel you could lose a couple inches. I found that kept me motivated because there would be weeks when the number on the scale wouldn't budge, but the tape measure showed I was losing inches.

And most of all, you can do it! :) Managing one's weight is one of the few things a person can truly control these days, all it takes is some determination!

I dont know if you would be interested in this but have you thought about picking up a contact sport? I weighed 345lbs three years ago and then I found Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I dropped to 260-270 in ten months only going to 2 1 hour classes a week. After that I amped up the training and am now down to 218 as of a few days ago. From being barely able to do warm-ups to now doing 4 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes, 4 Kickboxing Classes, and 2 MMA training sessions a week. It's definatly a life saver/changer. Any gender, any size... really anyone can do it.

I am honestly with you. When i was about two years younger i weighed 125. And i am 5'. I went to the doctors and she told me i weighed 147. i wanted to cry!
So i began to count my food. i bought that weight watchers point calculator for $15. (i do no have a smart phone...so...i cant use anything fancy.) for my height, age and size, my points were 26 a day. As i began to keep track, i realized i actually was not eating enough and when i did eat, it was really fattening.
I started eating more, more fruits and veggies to fill me up. i weighed myself as of yesterday and i am maintaining 135lbs. though i do not feel like i have lost anything! my number has changed but my measurements didn't change. maybe my hips but not my thighs or arms. so i am with you on that!
even reading how our foods are processed and where they come from. i am getting more and more depressed.
we can do it though lady. just got to keep working out harder. :p

I HIGHLY suggest reading the book "The Beauty Detox Solution". It is an amazing book written by Kimberly Snyder.
It really opened my mind...not only to the good foods I SHOULD be eating, but also to how my body works and WHY I should eat these foods.

I read the responses and saw people recommending low but not to low calorie intake so i figured id try to help. To figure out the lowest caloric intake you should eat for maximum weight loss without putting your body in starvation mode is this,

take your weight (W) and multiply it by 15 so Wx15 = X. X would be what is called your maintenance calories (the amount of calories you would want to eat to maintain your current weight) now subtract 500 from X and that is the lowest amount of calories you should eat a day for optimum weight loss so Wx15-500
(if you were looking to gain weight you would add 500 calories instead of subtract them)

So for you, 155 x 15 = 2325 (2325 is your maintenance calories) now 2325 - 500 = 1825. so for optimum weight loss you would want to aim for 1825-1900 calories a day.

Now lets talk macronutrients. Macronutrients are the big 3 things you want to watch when dieting, they are Protein, Carbohydrates and fats.

Myself personally, since most of my workout is mainly weights with some cardio I prefer a 40/40/20 diet split, which means I like 40% of my calories to be from protein, 40% of my calories to be from carbohydrates, and 20% to be from fats (Healthy fats that is, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat NOT trans fat and saturated fat, although trans and saturated are hard to completely avoid.)

To figure that out, you need to know that,

1 gram of protein is 4 calories
1 gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories
1 gram of fat is 9 calories

so now to figure out your macros,

Protein - 1825 x .40 (the 40%) is 730 calories. 730 / 4 (4 calories per gram) = 182.5 grams of protein (to consume daily)
Carbohydrates - 1825 x .40 (the 40%) is 730 calories. 730 / 4 (4 calories per gram) = 182.5 grams of carbohydrates (to consume daily)
Fat - 1825 x .20 (the 20%) is 365 calories. 365 / 9 (9 calories per gram) = 40.5 grams of fat (to consume daily)

That is basically what you should base your diet around, you can change it around alittle if youd like and do say, 40/35/25 or 45/35/20, but as stated about you really need a high protein intake, and a pretty high carb intake.

hope this helps you some and isnt to complicating! also I highly recommend www.bodybuilding.com they have a great informational section as well as forums to read up on! (just be alittle careful what you post, most of the posters arent as friendly as on here :oops:)

I'm not a fan of the whole "if it fits your macros" approach. Yes track your macros but don't eat a snickers bar because it fits into daily macros. Healthy filling foods are rocket fuel for the body.

I started on a very strict medical diet in February this year, and while it doesn't bother me much, I'm in nearly the same place you're in. I didn't originally do it to lose weight, but it's been a nice side effect.
I'm 5'2, and the last time I was comfortable with my weight was when I was 145 lbs (I'm very dense and muscular). In February, I weighed 216, and I now weigh 180. That's thirty six pounds that I've lost, and I still haven't lost a pants size (I'm still a 38").
I also suffer from depression, so I just use my natural hard headedness to push myself forward. I just tell myself that I haven't failed until I've given up. If you think it will help, I can post pictures of me at my peak weight, and where I am now. The diet I'm on cuts out all grains and most other carbs. I understand that this may not be the healthiest thing for everyone, but it's nearly solved my unique digestive problems. I wish you the best of luck!