OMG Need motivation! This is taking forever...

doyle1

doyle1

New member
So far, I'm down a measly 3 lbs since December 20th. That's less than one pound per week... what am I doing wrong? I'm 5'3, eat 1,600 calories per day and workout three times per week, 30 minute cardio sessions...

any pointers??????
 
First of all, this might not be the best area to post this thread - the Before/After area is a place to post progress information, not to post questions about process. :) I will probably move this thread for you to an area where you'll get more results.

Next, it's virtually impossible to answer your question without having more info.

What are your stats (age, height, current weight)?
What do you eat now (please give an average day's intake)?
What type of exercise are you doing and how often (be specific)?

With that info we can probably give you some advice on how to change things up to be more productive.
 
At 5'3" depending on your weight, 1600 calories may be too many calories in a day to actually lose.

I agree about adding more stats, include gender.
 
Kara - Yeah, feel free to move this post :) I'm new to message boards, so I didn't know where I was posting...

STATS
26 year old female
5'3
BMI 30.8
Start weight 174
Current Weight 164 (I've lost ten pounds over two months)
Target weight 130

Right now I'm:

Eating ~ 1,600 calories per day (300 breakfast split into two mini meals, 400 lunch also split into two mini meals, dinner is 600 and then I have a few glasses of wine after dinner. Basically I only eat when I am hungry and try not to worry about it.)
1 day walking per week 6.6 miles, quick clip (400 calories)
3 days @ gym, elliptical machine, 30 minutes each time, 136 heart rate
1 or 2 days WiiFit for 40 minutes (cardio boxing, aerobic)

Okay, that might be enough :) Only thing I can think to omit the wine at night. Might this be interfering? But it's my favorite treat after a day of working, gym'ing and cooking dinner!

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
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You haven't said what you actually weigh. Judging by your avatar you look fine to me.

Have you done an online BMI check?
 
Ok. Much better! :)

I'd say that what needs to be managed here are your expectations! :) You're doing an awesome job and losing at a healthy rate. Ideally you should aim for about 1% of your bodyweight per week - for you that means losing around 1-1.6 lb per week, or between 4-6 pounds per month.

I know that sounds slow, especially when you see things like The Biggest Loser where people are losing 10 pounds per week or some crazy thing like that. But the truth is that the closer you are to a healthy weight, the slower the weight will come off ... but at the same time, that's the healthy way to do it.

One thing that I would suggest is that you add weight lifting to your routine. Weight lifting will help you reshape your body faster - it'll help maintain muscle while skewing your weight loss towards getting rid of fat.

Also instead of focusing on the scale to measure progress, you might try taking measurements instead - waist, hips, belly, thigh, neck. Those will give you a baseline and you'll be able to see that you're making progress losing fat, even if your scale weight doesn't drop noticeably.



STATS
26 year old female
Start weight 174
Current Weight (two months later) 164
Target weight 130
5'3

Right now I'm:

Eating 1,600 calories per day (300 breakfast split into two mini meals, 300 lunch also split into two mini meals and then dinner is whatever is left over, basically I eat when I am hungry and try not to worry about it)
1 day walking per week 6.6 miles, quick clip (400 calories)
3 days @ gym, elliptical machine, 30 minutes each time, 136 heart rate
1 or 2 days WiiFit for 40 minutes (cardio boxing, aerobic)

I'm a vegan, so I don't eat meat or dairy, but I do have a nutritionist and I'm hitting all of my marks! So, I'm healthy...
Click to expand...
 
New research is showing that splitting meals may not be the ticket and eating your highest calories at dinner isn't either. Switch up your lunch calories and your dinner calories especially if you are unwilling to give up the wine.

Honestly, voice of experience here, alcohol of any kind really screws up your weight loss efforts. It's not the calories, it's the chemical composition of alcohol. It's full of sugars/carbs and fermentation process does continue to ferment in your system. I know, it's not easy, but cutting out that daily wine is crucial. Not to mention that one glass is 150 calories and you're having "a few" which would really put your calories over your 1600 per day.

And what about water? You don't mention how much a day you drink. And what about other possible hidden calorie sources? That could be the issue.
 
Thanks Kara :) That is indeed, good advice... and you're totally right. I suppose I just shriek at the thought of last years summer photos, sitting on the coast in my swimsuit and shorts looking, well... not so awesome. That and huffing and puffing my way up a hike (I used to be an avid hiker). So of course, my expectations are all JULY 1st OR BUST!

Thank you for your advice. The encouragement really truly helps. I have been meaning to add some weight training to my routine, but I'm really shy about asking for help, because outside of dumbbells, I have no idea what to do. Maybe I'll seek out some help at my gym.
 
There's a thread here on the forum in the exercise area called The Conceptual Side of Weight Lifting - there's a LOT of good information there on building a program and how to properly lift weights.

Id also strongly recommend a book called The New Rules of Lifting (or try The New Rules of Lifting for Women). They are geared towards people who are pretty new to the concept and who need to have very specific guidance on routines. I have worked through most of the Rules for Women and am plannign to go back and work through the main New Rules fat loss program.
 
Sephora 0128 said:
New research is showing that splitting meals may not be the ticket and eating your highest calories at dinner isn't either. Switch up your lunch calories and your dinner calories especially if you are unwilling to give up the wine.

Honestly, voice of experience here, alcohol of any kind really screws up your weight loss efforts. It's not the calories, it's the chemical composition of alcohol. It's full of sugars/carbs and fermentation process does continue to ferment in your system. I know, it's not easy, but cutting out that daily wine is crucial. Not to mention that one glass is 150 calories and you're having "a few" which would really put your calories over your 1600 per day.

And what about water? You don't mention how much a day you drink. And what about other possible hidden calorie sources? That could be the issue.
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Good call. I like the idea of switching up the calories, more for lunch, less for dinner. Especially since I get home from work at 7pm, dining at 7:30pm. Can't be good to throw back 600 calories and then sleep on it. Good idea. And yeah, I am thinking about limiting the wine to 1 glass at dinner instead of two or three. Man, do I sound like a wino or what?! JK :) Also - I drink COPIOUS amounts of water throughout the day, all in all 10 glasses 8oz each (so like, 5 big glasses of water) and a cup of green tea at noon.
 
I don't think you sound like a wino, not at all. I understand wanting a drink ~ or three ~ after work. Believe me, I do. I just know that the alcohol was a huge factor for me. Until I fully cut it out I didn't even really start to lose weight. Now I don't drink at all like I used to and I've lost almost 40 pounds.

I would also research specifics of vegan dieting. My understanding is that you're essentially eating very high carb levels and getting very little protein. The vegan menus we had to plan at school just didn't seem really conducive to losing weight at a rapid pace. I don't know enough though to advise you as vegan is something I could never do.
 
doyle said:
So far, I'm down a measly 3 lbs since December 20th. That's less than one pound per week... what am I doing wrong? I'm 5'3, eat 1,600 calories per day and workout three times per week, 30 minute cardio sessions...

any pointers??????
Click to expand...

Instead of looking at a 3 lb weight loss this month as a negative, try and remember that you have lost 3 lbs this month, which is a good thing.

I know your frustration and why you feel that way, but the weight wasn't put on overnight and it's not going to come off that way either. Just try and keep it positive, you know?
 
You should consider adding a couple of weight lifting sessions to your weekly routine. It increases your metabolism for the rest of the day, plus adding a little bit of muscle will help you burn more calories throughout the day.

Agree with the people above me who say your most calorie heavy meal should be earlier in the day. The last thing is you should consider cutting out the wine or at least keep it to once a week. Your liver doesn't start metabolizing your food until it has gotten the alcohol out of your system, which slows down your metabolic rate.

Good Luck, Keep yourself motivated :)
 
Some olde time wisdom passed down to me that seem to be working is this: "Eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch, and a pauper for dinner". Depending on what you're doing, it makes sense in that the day is when you're going to be burning a majority of your calories.
 
Sephora 0128 said:
I don't think you sound like a wino, not at all. I understand wanting a drink ~ or three ~ after work. Believe me, I do. I just know that the alcohol was a huge factor for me. Until I fully cut it out I didn't even really start to lose weight. Now I don't drink at all like I used to and I've lost almost 40 pounds.

I would also research specifics of vegan dieting. My understanding is that you're essentially eating very high carb levels and getting very little protein. The vegan menus we had to plan at school just didn't seem really conducive to losing weight at a rapid pace. I don't know enough though to advise you as vegan is something I could never do.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think I'm definitely going to cut back on the vino - it sounds like you had great success doing it! That's inspiring. How long did it take you to lose the 40?

As far as the vegan thing, and I say this to everyone as much as I say it to you, there is a lot of misinformation about nutrition when it comes to veganism. My diet is composed of 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbohydrates - and I know this because I record everything daily and work with a nutritionist. Protein is actually the easiest thing to get into a vegan diet - literally everything you put in your mouth has protein (plus beans, tofu, tempeh etc.) the only nutrient/vitamin that's hard sometimes is B12. And a vitamin easily does that. Just wanted to clear that up! :)

Also, I know there is a lot of talk about upping protein when dieting, and lower carbs, which is something I could easily do but... have you done it? If so, how do you stay full for a long time? I find I need a hearty whole grain to keep me satisfied. Please let me know how if you've had success with a high protein diet and how! Thanks.
 
It took 3.5 months to lose the first 40. It's a moderate pace but realistic and aligns with my goal date.

For me, carbs burn through me so quickly. I am actually hungrier when I eat too many carbs and not enough protein. If I just eat cereal for breakfast I'm hungry by 10:00 or so. I did up my protein and find I'm not as hungry and I'm losing. When I have too many carbs my loss slows down. I'm definitely of the thought process of needing more protein and exercising steadily to lose weight.

I took a class on nutrition for cooking school so I do understand the vegan diet, we covered it extensively, I just don't get it. I just love my steak and chicken and fish way too much. I won't put anyone down for choosing it for themselves, I could just never do it for me.
 
doyle said:
Also, I know there is a lot of talk about upping protein when dieting, and lower carbs, which is something I could easily do but... have you done it? If so, how do you stay full for a long time? I find I need a hearty whole grain to keep me satisfied. Please let me know how if you've had success with a high protein diet and how! Thanks.
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I haven't tried a high protein vegan diet, but I'm doing higher protein ;) But if you're looking for a grain, try quinoa? Much higher in protein than most of the standards and you can use it where you'd use rice :D

I'm also a fan of oatmeal with whey protein isolate added. And of course, green beans, asparagus, broccoli etc. can all be quite filling while low on the calories & carbs. (I also love Greek yogurt with frozen pomegranate seeds, but I can see how it wouldn't work for vegan ;) ) Lentils & chickpeas and black beans are also good options to the usual starch suspects - although some days I just go ahead and bake myself some sweet potato fries because dammit, they taste good :D Avocados are also good - the fat helps keep down long term hunger, plus they've got good fiber and taste very nummy :D More protein should help with hunger as well, although everyone is different.
 
Big D said:
Some olde time wisdom passed down to me that seem to be working is this: "Eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch, and a pauper for dinner". Depending on what you're doing, it makes sense in that the day is when you're going to be burning a majority of your calories.
Click to expand...

I took your advice today... and it was satisfying! Eating big for breakfast is a way better idea, and I know I worked it off just walking around the city all day! Thank you!
 
KaraCooks said:
There's a thread here on the forum in the exercise area called The Conceptual Side of Weight Lifting - there's a LOT of good information there on building a program and how to properly lift weights.

Id also strongly recommend a book called The New Rules of Lifting (or try The New Rules of Lifting for Women). They are geared towards people who are pretty new to the concept and who need to have very specific guidance on routines. I have worked through most of the Rules for Women and am plannign to go back and work through the main New Rules fat loss program.
Click to expand...

Yesterday was my first day of lifting - today I did 20 minutes of yoga coupled with a little lifting as well. I can tell I worked my muscles - I feel slightly sore, but it feels amazing! I like that I can actually feel my body changing. Feeling your muscles and body changing is much more satisfying than watching the scale. I'm now motivated by feeling better and get stronger. Great advice!
 
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