Just wanting to vent

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FattyPatty70

0
This is my first post here, so please excuse me if I ramble. Just wanted to vent my story about not losing weight. Here we go:

I am a 38 y/o female who is 5'3" and 196. I work approx 11hrs a day and 3-4 of those hours include constant movement, lifting and sweating to unload packages ranging from 1-140lbs for a major shipping company. That is Monday-Friday, then on Saturday I drive for them which takes up about 4 hours (small, inconsistent cardio). This has been going on for about 6 months with no change.

No my diet is not "clean", but started tracking calories (1700 per day) a month ago while attmepting to incorporate more fruits and salads, cut down on my favorite drink, beer and even have a protein bar during my break and a shake after my second job to supposedly help keep muscles fed, but still no help.

I just can't find the time to incorporate cardio during the week since I get home around 9pm and it takes about 2 hours to unwind before sleep and starting over again.

I just think that after some moderate changes I would at least see some sort of results besides the nice muscles that are layered with fat. At least a few pounds would be nice to keep me going on my quest, but nothing so it is very frustrating.

Thanks for reading!
 
Wow, that sounds like a hectic schedule. Let's see what your diet looks like can you give us an example of a typical day of eating? In order to lose weight you need to be on a calorie deficit (burn more calories than you take in).

But let's start to see what your diet looks like.
 
This was as close as I could get for a pretty typical day. The website has me at 1700 cals to lose two pounds a week and on this particular day, with my exercise, came in 200 of short which is about the average of the other days I tracked.

Food Item
Sugar* 1.00
^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1 tsp

Coffee 1.00
^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 8 fl. oz.

Eggs 3.00

Kellogg's Raisin Bran Crunch Serving size: 1 cup (53.0 g)

365 Skim Milk 1.00
^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1 Cup

Water 2.00

Doritos Nacho Cheese Chips 1.00
^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1oz (28.3g/about 11 chips) - 1 snack bag

Sargento String Cheese 2.00
^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1 unit (26g)

Starbucks Tall Cafe Mocha 2% No Whip 1.00
^ Servings consumed: Serving size: Tall 12 oz

Scooby-Doo Fruit Snacks 1.00
^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1 Pouch

ham on roll w/mayo (Manual)
^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1

Naked juice (Manual)
^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1

Dyno nuggets (Manual)
^ Servings consumed: Serving size: 1

Fitness Minutes Calories Burned Distance Heart Rate
Unloading truck (manual) 180.0 -600.0 x
 
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It went in progression of breakfast, lunch and dinner. But thanks for the tip. Am trying to incorporate eating cleaner by searching recipes I can actually tollerate. : )
 
Not to offend but I think you are really mis-calculating your calories OR you may have eaten wayy less than usual on that one day that you kept track of your calorie and just cranked the calories up the next few days.

Try keep close eye on what you eat AND drink in terms of calories for like a week. You should see some weight lost. If you want to drop like 5lbs really quick just cut back on sodium based food and eat fresh, the reduction in salt will allow your body to not retend so much water. Oh, watch the portion control as well.

With all that criticism said, your schedule is INSANE and really difficult to handle a diet. If you can do it, you are amazing. You should give yourself a pat on the back for even attempting it. As difficult as it is, YOU KNOW YOU CAN DO IT. Another thing is try to get a good night sleep or as much sleep as you can on a normal basis b/c sleep will help your body regulate hormones to: 1) reduce stress, 2) reduce hunger, 3) rebuild the body, and 4) re-energize the mind.

Good luck with your journey and ventures. Life is a struggle, it's how you deal with it that shows your characters.
 
Criticism is accepted because I know areas are lacking.

I am not trying to promote any websites, but the tracking I did was on the dailyplate.com because it seemed true to detail/accuracy calorie wise. Did this because evenIwanted to see where certain areas were deficient.

Thing of it is, I think it's truly a matter of being 38 and not being able to walk outside for a while and lose 5lbs while eating whatever like the teenage years. Seems like at this point, it's "all or nothing".
 
You only get one day of the week off? That sounds a bit much.

Looking at what you eat, some of it is good, but it appears most of it is related to a candy bar or snack items like chips or something, and most of what you drink isn't great.

As for making meals, make it the night before. Use the two hours before you go to sleep to prepare tomorrows food items. That way, you wake up, and you have a set plan already and you don't have to burden yourself in the mornings to make meals. Buy bottle waters. They're like 3 dollars for an entire box of them, that's way cheaper than starbucks.

Your meals should include healthy items, and don't fall into the "salad" gap. Pack things like yogurt for snacks, fruits like berries, nuts (almonds are good boosters), bananas, etc. Include things like chicken, tuna, and the likes. Don't just pack a microwave item thinking words like "lean" means it's good for you. Just buy a huge ice box and pack meals in it. Not only does it look funny, but you have your whole day's meal planned out so that makes it awesome to have.

I'm sure if you adjust your eating habits you'll lose a lot.
 
Stingo, the other 8 hours of my day are at a outpatient clinic in a hospital which includes a dietician. She has it engrained in my head that a serving is about the size of a deck of cards. : )

I am attempting to push it harder at the unloading job to try and get my heart rate higher since it was only about 120 on break. Maybe if I can incorporate at least 20-30 mins of cardio on Saturday and Sunday will that help possibly?
 
Hey Patty,

First off, you are on the right path. You are doing the research, asking the questions, tracking your calories and all with an incredibly stressful schedule. To answer your last question: yes, any additional physical activity you can add in will help. However, it looks to me like your diet is severly lacking in nutrients and I wonder if your stress levels (even you "feel" okay emotionally, your lack of rest can stress the body) are part of why your body is clinging on to your fat stores. Could you swap out some of the snacks for fruits or vegetables? Apples and baby carrots come in convenient packages. Have a cup of yogurt? Also, how spread out are your meals? Do you eat little bits throughout the day or do you have to jam them all in on a short break?

Also, I agree with tic -- get the best quality sleep that you can. If your body isn't rested, it is VERY difficult to burn fat, even if you are doing everything else right.

Keep up the good work!
 
FattyPatty70 said:
Stingo, the other 8 hours of my day are at a outpatient clinic in a hospital which includes a dietician. She has it engrained in my head that a serving is about the size of a deck of cards. : )

I am attempting to push it harder at the unloading job to try and get my heart rate higher since it was only about 120 on break. Maybe if I can incorporate at least 20-30 mins of cardio on Saturday and Sunday will that help possibly?
Click to expand...

Try weighing your food - I think you might be surprised at the results.
 
FattyPatty70 said:
Thing of it is, I think it's truly a matter of being 38 and not being able to walk outside for a while and lose 5lbs while eating whatever like the teenage years. Seems like at this point, it's "all or nothing".
Click to expand...

That's patently false. I am going to be 40 this year, was 100 lbs heavier than I am now, have given birth to 2 children, am a single mother who works is a stressful and demanding business and made up my mind one day that I wanted a HOT body more than I wanted a beer, more than I wanted Doritos, more than I wanted to sit on my couch and "unwind" after work, more than I wanted to be like everyone else who goes out for Happy Hour after work and eats Buffalo Wings and pops TUMS like they were Livesavers. I made a choice and knew without a doubt that whatever it took I would do it.

This is the same choice we make in every are of our lives and the beauty of it is that we ALL GET THE EQUAL RIGHT TO CHOOSE. You choose Doritos and Scooby Gummy Snacks and it equals stretch pants, heartburn, bad breath, bad skin, water retention and hating yourself. You choose to get yourself up an hour early to prep some fresh veggies, tuna and other healthy snacks for your drive and do some jumping jacks, pushups and stretching you get loose pants, clear mind, nice rosy skin, fresh breath ( OK maybe not RIGHT after you eat the tuna) and the satisfaction that you aren't settling for less than the best for your body mind or spirit. Aren't you worth that effort? What makes you relegate yourself to cheap processed food and sitting on your couch?

I don't say this because I feel I am superior, not in the least. I have been trapped in the prison of thought that elements outside of me were in control and I was at their mercy for many years. I still struggle everyday with temptation- my body is tired I don't want to run sprints, drive 45 minutes at 4:30 AM to train and pose and sweat, eat JUST chicken and green beans, push myself out of my routine and what feels comfortable. Sometimes it is a sheer force of will to make myself do what it takes.

I don't regret one moment I have given all my effort to get what I want when I see it come together. When I slide on a my size 2 wardrobe, when I go to the company sales meeting and the men who work for the same company drop their jaws when I walk through the room, when every eye at the neighborhood pool is stuck on me in my bikini- it is worth each drop of sweat, every bit of pain, every piece of chocolate covered cheesecake I could think of and stuff in my cakehole ( and boy howdy, could I totally DO that!). Totally and completely worth not choosing easy.

Make up your mind what it is that you want and figure it out. Time is ALWAYS there for what we want to do. Committment can be towards things that help or hurt us. Make one choice and build upon it. Keep doing MORE. You can. You know you can. We were not placed on this earth to just wait around for good stuff, we need to go out and grab it and make it happen for ourselves.
Good luck and work on reframing your thoughts.
 
Mel Def said:
That's patently false. I am going to be 40 this year, was 100 lbs heavier than I am now, have given birth to 2 children, am a single mother who works is a stressful and demanding business and made up my mind one day that I wanted a HOT body more than I wanted a beer, more than I wanted Doritos, more than I wanted to sit on my couch and "unwind" after work, more than I wanted to be like everyone else who goes out for Happy Hour after work and eats Buffalo Wings and pops TUMS like they were Livesavers. I made a choice and knew without a doubt that whatever it took I would do it.

This is the same choice we make in every are of our lives and the beauty of it is that we ALL GET THE EQUAL RIGHT TO CHOOSE. You choose Doritos and Scooby Gummy Snacks and it equals stretch pants, heartburn, bad breath, bad skin, water retention and hating yourself. You choose to get yourself up an hour early to prep some fresh veggies, tuna and other healthy snacks for your drive and do some jumping jacks, pushups and stretching you get loose pants, clear mind, nice rosy skin, fresh breath ( OK maybe not RIGHT after you eat the tuna) and the satisfaction that you aren't settling for less than the best for your body mind or spirit. Aren't you worth that effort? What makes you relegate yourself to cheap processed food and sitting on your couch?

I don't say this because I feel I am superior, not in the least. I have been trapped in the prison of thought that elements outside of me were in control and I was at their mercy for many years. I still struggle everyday with temptation- my body is tired I don't want to run sprints, drive 45 minutes at 4:30 AM to train and pose and sweat, eat JUST chicken and green beans, push myself out of my routine and what feels comfortable. Sometimes it is a sheer force of will to make myself do what it takes.

I don't regret one moment I have given all my effort to get what I want when I see it come together. When I slide on a my size 2 wardrobe, when I go to the company sales meeting and the men who work for the same company drop their jaws when I walk through the room, when every eye at the neighborhood pool is stuck on me in my bikini- it is worth each drop of sweat, every bit of pain, every piece of chocolate covered cheesecake I could think of and stuff in my cakehole ( and boy howdy, could I totally DO that!). Totally and completely worth not choosing easy.

Make up your mind what it is that you want and figure it out. Time is ALWAYS there for what we want to do. Committment can be towards things that help or hurt us. Make one choice and build upon it. Keep doing MORE. You can. You know you can. We were not placed on this earth to just wait around for good stuff, we need to go out and grab it and make it happen for ourselves.
Good luck and work on reframing your thoughts.
Click to expand...

After 2+ years, this is the best posting I have ever seen on this forum.
 
It probably sounds cliche but I can totally relate to what you're going through right now Patty. I been working out extremely hard for the past 2 months. My diet is kinda like yours where it isn't necessarily "clean" but it's a lot better than my old eating habits. Today I weighed myself for the first time and I actually gained 2 pounds!!

I was really sad for a few minutes so I went downstairs to get the mail. When I ran back up the stairs I noticed how I wasn't close to death when I got to the top but I actually felt good. I also went into the mirror and tried to jiggle my tricep muscle. The awesomething is it didn't even budge!

My point is there are a lot of awesome things that start happening that you might not be noticing. I could imagine someone who has such a hectic week like you might notice those things a lot less.

Another thing I think might help you is something that occured to me today. Even if you didn't lose 1 lb or you didn't notice any results, it's not like you were doing anything to harm your body. It's not like you wasted your time, if anything it would atleast make you aware of what isn't working for your body. Knowing what doesn't work is just as good as knowing what does.

ok i'm done rambling lol (sorry)
 
Cgr,

Thank you for your true words! Yes I notice I am stronger and like you said not hurting anything, but improving. Hopefully things will change as I myself make more changes. Best of luck to you as well.

Mel,

I applaud your effort and looks like it has all paid off for you, congrats! I agree that we all have choices, but everyone is different in reaching their goals.

While you reached your point and decided enough is enough, I am taking the approach of “all things in moderation”. My thought process was, “ok, I have started working out in the evening time, this should help” when it hasn’t. Incorporated subtle changes in eating pattern along with exercise still to no avail.

I have come to accept this over the months and currently trying to change my thinking to the “all or nothing” motto that weight loss (for me) must be done: eating (clean) and more cardio with one cheat day which will be Saturday.

As you well know when we get older, our metabolism slows down therefore it will obviously take me longer than when I was a teenager to lose weight. Yet, it has to be possible through my learning of trials and errors to get it back up to speed.
 
I don't think it's an "all or nothing" proposition - just that it may require a bit more than you're able/willing to do at present. Which is not to say that what you're doing is wrong - but if you're not seeing the results you want, I'd think you'd at some point have to reassess and make further changes.
 
cgrame said:
It probably sounds cliche but I can totally relate to what you're going through right now Patty. I been working out extremely hard for the past 2 months. My diet is kinda like yours where it isn't necessarily "clean" but it's a lot better than my old eating habits. Today I weighed myself for the first time and I actually gained 2 pounds!!

I was really sad for a few minutes so I went downstairs to get the mail. When I ran back up the stairs I noticed how I wasn't close to death when I got to the top but I actually felt good. I also went into the mirror and tried to jiggle my tricep muscle. The awesomething is it didn't even budge!

My point is there are a lot of awesome things that start happening that you might not be noticing. I could imagine someone who has such a hectic week like you might notice those things a lot less.

Another thing I think might help you is something that occured to me today. Even if you didn't lose 1 lb or you didn't notice any results, it's not like you were doing anything to harm your body. It's not like you wasted your time, if anything it would atleast make you aware of what isn't working for your body. Knowing what doesn't work is just as good as knowing what does.

ok i'm done rambling lol (sorry)
Click to expand...

I like this way of thinking.

Patty,

It took me a long time to get where I am and I did do it a piece at a time, just like you are doing. You don't know until you start and looks like you are. I just don't want you to get frustrated because you want to go 0 to 60 and drop X amount of weight without knowing what it will take to get there. Patience is key and by adding in some additional changes you are going to get to that next level! Good job on the recognition of that.

You won't be perfect. It isn't all or nothing. I backslide and do less than perfect lots and lots but the longer I hang in there, the better I get and the things that used to hold me back don't anymore. One foot in front of the other. I am cheering you on for sure!
 
Although it is a continuous learning curve, I think 8 months of nothing happening even with the changes has driven me to try something I've only done minimally which is eating cleaner.

It's going to be tough I know already, but think I found healthy foods I might enjoy and here is week 1 of my plan:

Breakfast – 6 egg whites or 3 regular and cereal. I'm generally really hungry in the AM.
Midmorning – yogurt or 2 servings of fruits/veggies
Lunch – chicken thigh, side of sliced tomato/s garlic salt and melted moz cheese
Mid afternoon- peanuts 1/4c (honey roasted or cashews) 2 servings fruits/veggies
Dinner after work (protein shake)

The lunch will switch out daily with:

Marinaded flank steak, lettuce, grape tomato, chopped green onion, feta chz salad

10 shrimp, avocado, light Italian dress and chopped green onion, tomato

Cod with dill sauce

I have a feeling though, reheated fish is going to taste nasty. Hmmm we'll see!
 
This last week went ok I think, although there were three stumbling points and they all came after the second job since I was really hungry.

My true cheat day was Saturday, but overall must say I felt better and had more energy eating what I posted earlier.

A tip I must give is on the "five fruits and veggies a day", start out with two or three and work your way to five. It was too much of a shock to my system.

Still no weight loss, but like I said felt better which is a plus. Of course now life has thrown a wrench into things by finding out the last grandmother I have is going to pass soon. Isn't that just typical? You start to try and better yourself (some more) and get tested right away!
 
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