Four weeks in and only four pounds
 

But I'm still in it! And still POSITIVE! I *am* going to do this!

I was so excited a few weeks ago when I weighed myself and the scale showed five pounds gone! Then, over the next week or so, four of those five pounds came back. Arrrrgghhh! I kept telling myself, "There are MANY factors that could affect my daily weight," and though I knew it was true, I still couldn't help but be disappointed.

So I stopped weighing myself. And I stopped blogging. And I stopped coming here.

But I didn't stop my new eating regimen. I didn't stop counting my calories. I didn't stop shopping for healthier foods. I stayed with it, day after day. I even went out of town, on a business trip to Washington D.C. I ate out and I ate room service -- and still managed to stay under 1700c per day.

When I got home from my trip, I found a surprise in the TV room. My husband bought me the exercise bike I wanted. Woooohoooo!

Tonight I made myself a spread sheet and did the math. FitDay estimates that based on my height, weight, and daily routine, I should burn (without doing any kind of additional exercise) approximately 2800 calories each day. Based upon my caloric intake from the past four weeks - and the number of pounds lost at 3500 calories per pound, I'm not burning anywhere near that. The math says that I am burning about 2000 calories per day, EIGHT HUNDRED less than FitDay says I should be burning.

Why do I burn 800 calories per day less than a "normal" person? I have Graves Disease and the drugs I have to take every day crank my thyroid down from producing - in other words, they turn my metabolism down. SIGH.

I knew going into this that my thyroid would make it more difficult to lose weight. NOT impossible, just more difficult. And ya know what? That's okay. I know I can raise that daily total of calories burned by adding exercise to the equation. My first day on my new bike I clocked two miles, the second day two-and-a-half miles -- and today (in two sessions), I clocked a full five.

I will lose 100 lbs ONE POUND AT A TIME, and even if it's just a pound a week, I can live with that. I plan to say goodbye to each and every one of them.

actually, thats the right attitude. its better to lose the weight slowly, with ease, about a pound or two a week. that way your body will start to get used to it and you wont be as likely to gain it back.
Good luck!

Good attitude! One step at a time, one pound at a time. You WILL do this! :hug:

Keep going! I have no idea why the trackers gave you such a high number for calories burned... My resting rate on fitday allows me 1600 cals a day, and I have to exercise to bring my daily burn up high enough that I can eat over 1200 and still lose. And, even that isn't working too well. I don't have any diseases--it's just how it is at my age, and I'm sedentary at work.

But you're doing the right thing! Keep adjusting until you find the level that works. I set fitday to sedentary, and then I add in any exercise I do (and housework isn't exercise ;) ).

Good luck! Keep going! :cheer2:

Jay

Eileen, I understand about losing slowly and getting disappointed. Good for you for sticking with your plan despite your disappointment! I really think the exercise is going to do amazing things for you!

Please don't stop posting and blogging. There are many of us slow losers out here and we do need the extra encouragement and examples that this can be done!

Love this! Thanks for posting it. I appear to be losing very slowly this time around as well...but as long as it's going in the right direction, all is well!

Wow, thank you for all the support!

I sort-of-kind-of expected someone to inspect my FitDay journal and "yell" at me for eating all the "wrong" foods. Then I read another post here where people shared that they (like me!!!) like counting calories as their plan because then they are free to eat ANY food, as long as it fits within their target calories for the day. This... THIS is what is going to work for me!

I thought, too, though, that someone might say something about my daily calorie intake. I've been shooting for somewhere between 1500 and 2000 a day - but I was really basing that on the thought that (according to FitDay), I was burning 2800 calories a day. Hey if I could eat 1800 calories and still have burned 1000 excess each day, then it's all good.

Thing is, I really LIKE eating 1800 a day. I've done the 1200 a day thing and I couldn't stick to it. I felt like I was punishing myself. 1800 feels like FREEDOM!!!! I can fit anything - almost! - into an 1800 calorie day.

So anyway, what this math did do for me is hit home the fact that I can't sit around on my a$$. If I'm going to lose weight, I have to get moving. I knew that - I did - but I needed the numbers to get me motivated.

So today I did 7 miles on the exercise bike AND did that stupid Tae Bo tape again (I really can't stand that guy, but he does give a good workout). According to FitDay, this extra activity burned 789 calories. Woooohooo!!!

If I can do that every day, I can offset the effects of my medication! :D :D

Again... thanks you guys for the SUPPORT. This is such a cool site!

:carrot: Good for you and your attitude. I hope you do change the foods you like to eat. But for now just concentrate on what works.
If anyone would of told be that I would ever be under 200 lbs I would of told them it was wishful thinking. Now I'm almost out of the overweight category even though I concentrate more on bodyfat then weight. I also would of never believed anyone if they would of said you will stop eating junk food of any kind and drinking soda of anykind. But I have and you know what I don't miss it a bit. Give it time you may surpise yourself. I know I have.

This is how I try to look at it when the weight is moving very slowly:

4 pounds in 4 weeks = 50 pounds in a year. When I compare that to how much I lost last year, that's a pretty amazing loss!

It sounds like you're in good spirits, and finding a way to eat that you love. That's a pretty great thing, too.

GREAT JOB!! you totally have the right attitude!
seriously, you know what they say - slow and steady wins the race!!
It has taken me nearly 4 years to get to where I am from where I was - it definitely isn't always easy and I had some tough times to get through.. but i've had very few times where I've backtracked and every pound, every clothing size is still a celebration. you're doing an awesome job! keep it and even if it takes some time, you will get there with the attitude you have!