Needing a little help

[maidenpersephone]

Hi! My name is Abby, and I'm brand-new to these forums. I actually joined just in the hopes of some support, as well as the fact that I have a lot of questions and I thought maybe you guys could help me out! Sorry if any of my questions are a little dumb...just bear with me, please, haha. I'm twenty years old and I'm not actually new to the whole dieting thing. When I was around twelve or thirteen I lost some weight, and then at sixteen I lost around 40 pounds. However, I've gained a good deal of it back. I went to a nutritionist a few years ago, when I was probably seventeen or eighteen, and she helped me out quite a bit but now a lot of my circumstances have changed.

So, as I mentioned, I'm twenty years old, 5'1" (actually a little closer to 5'2"!), and I currently weigh around 216. It's so hard for me to post that number, as I have a very difficult relationship with my weight and body image, but I'm being brave and doing it! I'm just ready to lose it. I'm tired of living life this way. I don't exercise, at least not as far as going to a gym, but I work a job where typically three days out of the week I am on my feet throughout the entire day (and cannot sit down) and do a bit of heavy work (i.e. lifting, squatting, a good deal of physical activity). I'm trying to get into working out as well. We have a treadmill at my home and I do use that, but infrequently, so I'm trying to get into the habit of actually working out more.

Okay, so here's the actual issue. Sorry for all the rambling. My calories are currently set at 1,730, as that is what the nutritionist told me to do when I started. However, I was 192 pounds at that time. I've been doing it steadily for around a month now, and lost around three pounds, but it has gone back up now and I am not losing weight at all. Whatsoever. Every week, it's the same, 216. There's a slight variance in ounces but that's it. Typically with my diets before I would lose a pound a week, sometimes half a pound, but still I could see myself making progress.

I track my calories with My Fitness Pal. They recommended that, at my height, weight and with everything else I should be eating 1,860 calories, but I'm afraid to do that. I don't want to gain any weight.

Can anyone help me out? I just need some advice, however it comes, and if y'all can help me out with calorie amount, that would be fantastic too. Thank you so much. And forgive me for being a newbie!

 

[Holloway]

I'm certainly not an expert and new here too but just for reference I did a similar experiment tracking calories recently where I ate an average of 1300 calories per day, exercised a lot, and gained weight: https://weight-loss.fitness.com/threads/new-user-calorie-counting-experience.99499/#post-1017163

All I can suggest is rather than focusing on calories so much, focus on what you are eating. I'd bet my house 2000 calories per day of lean protein, veggies and healthy fats will lead to significantly greater weight loss than 1600 calories of ice cream, donuts and pizza! I don't know exactly what you're eating - I assume it's somewhere in the middle of those extremes - but my hunch is if you focus more on cutting out the junk than worrying about the calorie count, you'll have more success.

 

[maidenpersephone]

I'm certainly not an expert and new here too but just for reference I did a similar experiment tracking calories recently where I ate an average of 1300 calories per day, exercised a lot, and gained weight: https://weight-loss.fitness.com/threads/new-user-calorie-counting-experience.99499/#post-1017163

All I can suggest is rather than focusing on calories so much, focus on what you are eating. I'd bet my house 2000 calories per day of lean protein, veggies and healthy fats will lead to significantly greater weight loss than 1600 calories of ice cream, donuts and pizza! I don't know exactly what you're eating - I assume it's somewhere in the middle of those extremes - but my hunch is if you focus more on cutting out the junk than worrying about the calorie count, you'll have more success.

First of all, thank you so much for you response! It helps to know that other people are going through the same struggles. I think that's a good idea and I will try to focus more on the kinds of foods I'm eating rather than their calories. Of course, I'm still going to try and make sure I'm not going over my goal, but I probably should be focusing on the quality of the foods I'm eating as well. And you're right, it isn't either extreme for me but I definitely see where I could be making improvements with the types of foods I consume.

I was wondering, I'm about to take a look at your thread but also, what did you do after this? Did you change your calories? Or did you just push through and eventually things worked out? Just curious. Thank you.

 

[Holloway]

This is what I'm doing now: https://weight-loss.fitness.com/threads/simple-self-experimentation.99611/

That calorie counting experiment only ended a week ago so is still very recent. My current water fasting experiment is definitely not for everyone and I don't really want to recommend it until I'm finished and can attest to it.

Counting calories had a very negative impact on my progress this year. The best success I had over a long stretch was eating nothing but fish and veggies. Literally every meal, every day. And having a binge day once every week or 2 where I got my fix of all those other delights. I lost 16kg (35 lbs) in 3 months doing that. I stopped when I started reading about calories and trying to cut them down, and put a bunch of the weight I'd lost back on over 6 months culminating in that experiment which was the final straw. I was using it as an excuse to eat junk and justifying it by the low calories consumed, and it backfired. I was eating more calories per day and exercising less when I was losing weight because the food was much healthier.

 

[maidenpersephone]

Thank you again! I really appreciate all of your advice and I find this all to be quite helpful. This has given me a lot of new ideas and, if you'll pardon the pun, things to chew on. Sometimes I find it so frustrating but at least I know there are several different things I can try.

 

[Holloway]

No worries - I really know very little about the subject but they are just my experiences from self-experimenting. Hopefully they help. Good luck with it!

 

[conradpitre]

Hi! My name is Abby, and I'm brand-new to these forums. I actually joined just in the hopes of some support, as well as the fact that I have a lot of questions and I thought maybe you guys could help me out! Sorry if any of my questions are a little dumb...just bear with me, please, haha. I'm twenty years old and I'm not actually new to the whole dieting thing. When I was around twelve or thirteen I lost some weight, and then at sixteen I lost around 40 pounds. However, I've gained a good deal of it back. I went to a nutritionist a few years ago, when I was probably seventeen or eighteen, and she helped me out quite a bit but now a lot of my circumstances have changed.

So, as I mentioned, I'm twenty years old, 5'1" (actually a little closer to 5'2"!), and I currently weigh around 216. It's so hard for me to post that number, as I have a very difficult relationship with my weight and body image, but I'm being brave and doing it! I'm just ready to lose it. I'm tired of living life this way. I don't exercise, at least not as far as going to a gym, but I work a job where typically three days out of the week I am on my feet throughout the entire day (and cannot sit down) and do a bit of heavy work (i.e. lifting, squatting, a good deal of physical activity). I'm trying to get into working out as well. We have a treadmill at my home and I do use that, but infrequently, so I'm trying to get into the habit of actually working out more.

Okay, so here's the actual issue. Sorry for all the rambling. My calories are currently set at 1,730, as that is what the nutritionist told me to do when I started. However, I was 192 pounds at that time. I've been doing it steadily for around a month now, and lost around three pounds, but it has gone back up now and I am not losing weight at all. Whatsoever. Every week, it's the same, 216. There's a slight variance in ounces but that's it. Typically with my diets before I would lose a pound a week, sometimes half a pound, but still I could see myself making progress.

I track my calories with My Fitness Pal. They recommended that, at my height, weight a

Hi! My name is Abby, and I'm brand-new to these forums. I actually joined just in the hopes of some support, as well as the fact that I have a lot of questions and I thought maybe you guys could help me out! Sorry if any of my questions are a little dumb...just bear with me, please, haha. I'm twenty years old and I'm not actually new to the whole dieting thing. When I was around twelve or thirteen I lost some weight, and then at sixteen I lost around 40 pounds. However, I've gained a good deal of it back. I went to a nutritionist a few years ago, when I was probably seventeen or eighteen, and she helped me out quite a bit but now a lot of my circumstances have changed.

So, as I mentioned, I'm twenty years old, 5'1" (actually a little closer to 5'2"!), and I currently weigh around 216. It's so hard for me to post that number, as I have a very difficult relationship with my weight and body image, but I'm being brave and doing it! I'm just ready to lose it. I'm tired of living life this way. I don't exercise, at least not as far as going to a gym, but I work a job where typically three days out of the week I am on my feet throughout the entire day (and cannot sit down) and do a bit of heavy work (i.e. lifting, squatting, a good deal of physical activity). I'm trying to get into working out as well. We have a treadmill at my home and I do use that, but infrequently, so I'm trying to get into the habit of actually working out more.

Okay, so here's the actual issue. Sorry for all the rambling. My calories are currently set at 1,730, as that is what the nutritionist told me to do when I started. However, I was 192 pounds at that time. I've been doing it steadily for around a month now, and lost around three pounds, but it has gone back up now and I am not losing weight at all. Whatsoever. Every week, it's the same, 216. There's a slight variance in ounces but that's it. Typically with my diets before I would lose a pound a week, sometimes half a pound, but still I could see myself making progress.

I track my calories with My Fitness Pal. They recommended that, at my height, weight and with everything else I should be eating 1,860 calories, but I'm afraid to do that. I don't want to gain any weight.

Can anyone help me out? I just need some advice, however it comes, and if y'all can help me out with calorie amount, that would be fantastic too. Thank you so much. And forgive me for being a newbie!

nd with everything else I should be eating 1,860 calories, but I'm afraid to do that. I don't want to gain any weight.

Can anyone help me out? I just need some advice, however it comes, and if y'all can help me out with calorie amount, that would be fantastic too. Thank you so much. And forgive me for being a newbie!

Hi! My name is Abby, and I'm brand-new to these forums. I actually joined just in the hopes of some support, as well as the fact that I have a lot of questions and I thought maybe you guys could help me out! Sorry if any of my questions are a little dumb...just bear with me, please, haha. I'm twenty years old and I'm not actually new to the whole dieting thing. When I was around twelve or thirteen I lost some weight, and then at sixteen I lost around 40 pounds. However, I've gained a good deal of it back. I went to a nutritionist a few years ago, when I was probably seventeen or eighteen, and she helped me out quite a bit but now a lot of my circumstances have changed.

So, as I mentioned, I'm twenty years old, 5'1" (actually a little closer to 5'2"!), and I currently weigh around 216. It's so hard for me to post that number, as I have a very difficult relationship with my weight and body image, but I'm being brave and doing it! I'm just ready to lose it. I'm tired of living life this way. I don't exercise, at least not as far as going to a gym, but I work a job where typically three days out of the week I am on my feet throughout the entire day (and cannot sit down) and do a bit of heavy work (i.e. lifting, squatting, a good deal of physical activity). I'm trying to get into working out as well. We have a treadmill at my home and I do use that, but infrequently, so I'm trying to get into the habit of actually working out more.

Okay, so here's the actual issue. Sorry for all the rambling. My calories are currently set at 1,730, as that is what the nutritionist told me to do when I started. However, I was 192 pounds at that time. I've been doing it steadily for around a month now, and lost around three pounds, but it has gone back up now and I am not losing weight at all. Whatsoever. Every week, it's the same, 216. There's a slight variance in ounces but that's it. Typically with my diets before I would lose a pound a week, sometimes half a pound, but still I could see myself making progress.

I track my calories with My Fitness Pal. They recommended that, at my height, weight and with everything else I should be eating 1,860 calories, but I'm afraid to do that. I don't want to gain any weight.

Can anyone help me out? I just need some advice, however it comes, and if y'all can help me out with calorie amount, that would be fantastic too. Thank you so much. And forgive me for being a newbie!

I think you are doing perfectly fine. Just keep doing what you are doing and keep up the consistency and everything will be alright.

 

[Lunax96]

Hey Abby, u'll get there - u really will... Just don't look at it like a long path, look at it as a new lifestyle - try to make eating healthy, an habbit. Get yourself medically checked, to see whether there are medical reasons - and get a diet of a professional in here.