I've avoided posting here because I was in complete denial and didn't want to admit it, but I can't hide forever!
I have been hovering around 169-173 for the past 5 months. It would be one thing if my body was holding onto the weight and I just needed to break through a plateau, but that's not it. I had stopped counting calories because I was tired of it and thought I could just estimate as I was only eating whole foods. Boy, was I wrong. Just to see what I was taking in on an average day, I counted yesterday. 2400 calories... yikes. And here I was thinking that I was good at estimating how much I put into my body... Now granted, the food I am eating is wonderful, I'm just eating too much of it.
I have been exercising as much as possible, incorporating HIIT and heavy lifting days throughout the week which must have been my saving grace in maintaining for the past 5 months. But this is ridiculous. I don't know what this mental block is for me and how I can get past it. I don't necessarily want to sit there and count every calorie that enters my mouth, but I did have a lot of success doing that in the past. I wish I could be a more intuitive eater!
Basically, this is driving me NUTS and I need to get serious about this again. I'm feeling really happy about my body (I haven't been this size since middle school) so it is hard for me to stay motivated to progress even further. Has anyone else had this situation? Any advice is appreciated.
Question - have you been taking measurements the last 5 months? I only ask because if you've been eating ~2400 calories and doing heavy lifting, the GOOD news is that you likely were giving your body the fuel to build muscle from that work. Maybe you can reframe these past 5 months and use that to move forward; whether intentional or not, it sounds like you've been following a bodybuilder regimen and bulking. And using that mindset, now it's time to transition over to cutting to drop more body fat.
One could argue you've been doing it right all along - just didn't realize it!
Last edited by Desiderata; 09-09-2012 at 03:00 PM.
You say you're happy about your body...HOW happy? If you like the way you look, and you feel good, and doing what you naturally do maintains this...Maybe you want to stay in that range?
Desiderata- Thank for that perspective! I hadn't thought of it as bulking, but it is pretty similar to what bodybuilders do. Unfortunately, I have not taken measurements. I do know that my arms are looking more defined and my pants are fitting a bit looser. The fat is still there though. You are right, now it is time to cut!!
mescelestus- I am happy but more relieved. I am definitely not where I want to be, I am just relieved that I am not so obese anymore. I had spent so long at a very high weight that this is just new for me and I am happy to be where I am. That being said, I would definitely like to improve.
If your weight has been stable, it doesn't matter what amount of calories or exercise you've been doing, you're in a sweet spot. 2400 calories with HIIT, lifting, and your weight? That's actually about right for what I'd expect! Who cares if it is 1400 or 2400 or 4400 if you are satisfied, well nourished, energetic, and weight stable?
Deep breaths, no denial. If you are gaining weight and not losing fat at the same time, I'd adjust the calories, but if it is just the calories freaking you out, you need a perspective check - you're just fine
I've got to agree with others that 2400 calories of good food with all that you're doing (especially the heavy lifting) probably really HELPED you fitness-wise! Don't be so hard on yourself.
If you want to lose fat then you're probably in a really good place to do that, unless you're happy and want to declare goal.
You also don't immediately need to cut down to 1400 calories or something like that to lose. You know that around 2400 is maintenance, so you could figure out how fast or how slow you'd want to lose and eat that amount Remember, lifting is important so you want to eat enough that you'd still be able to do that!
Thanks so much for all the advice. I know that feeding my body good food is so vital to staying healthy and strong. I guess it is just frustrating when you know you could be losing but you are not. I need to let it go, you guys are right!
Arctic Mama- I'm definitely not freaking out about the amount, I was just shocked to see how wrong I was. I was guessing about 1700 and it was more like 2400-2600 each day. Not freaking, as you said!
Sontaikle- Thanks, I do need to focus on the good rather than the fact that I haven't lost. I'm definitely looking to lose some more fat, so I will probably start lowering to about 2000 and see where I need to go from there. Lifting is so important, I'm glad you agree. People say I look like I weigh less than I do and I am convinced it is because I lift like crazy!
if your little icon is any indication then id say you're looking good. if you feel good about your body and are happy with your diet and exercise, dont stress over the scale.
You need to ask yourself what you need/want - a number on a scale? or how you feel and look?
I was just looking at formal gowns in ebay for a halloween costume idea. I tried on a size 16 David's Bridal gown at consignment shop which was a little loose, so I knew that a 14 would probably be the right dress size to look for (or perhaps a 16 to take it in). In every day clothes I wear a 10, but wedding dress sizes are different.
Anyway, I was looking through hundreds of photos, some of the photos were of women in the dress - size 14/16 (which would be every day size 10/12). Some of those women looked lean and great. Others were definitely chubby. Even if you stood 100 girls in a row and they were all the same height and the same weight, they would range in how they looked. 150 on someone 5'6" might look chubby or very thin or inbetween. We are all built so differently.
Now, at 169, you may have some more to lose, but is it worth it to you? Is 150 realistic? And for what? What about body fat percentage. Do you know what that is? Is that number more important?
And are you sure what you think is fat is fat? You lost a lot of weight - couldn't a lot of what you consider fat, be actually, loose skin? Loose skin on women still has a lot of subcutaneous fat because we ARE women, but that doesn't mean you'll ever lose it completely (though it still will shrink up some). Take a look for some photos of loose skin on google... it's eye opening (and make sure you look at women, not men).
juliastl27- Thank you so much, that means a lot! I know I need to put my focus on my satisfaction with how I FEEL not how much I actually weigh.
berryblondeboys- I'm really glad you chimed in on this because I have a feeling we have a similar body type. I have seen pictures of you and would say that you definitely "carry your weight well" (I always hated when people said that to me, so I'm sorry, but it's true!). With a larger frame, I do have to ask myself: am I looking for a number or am I looking for a level of fitness, a bf%, or a certain clothing size to aspire to. You are very right in saying that we are all built differently. I am just not sure what to set as my goal. I'm leaning towards forgetting about weight and focusing on bf%.
However, it is difficult to let go of the number on the scale. I know that realistically, it would take a lot for me to get to 150 and I assume that at that weight I would be rather thin. I took your suggestion and looked up pictures of women with loose skin. I'm pretty sure that I have a bit on my arms, but the rest seems to be fat. I'm rather confused though, as I just had my bf% done and I am at 24% which is A LOT lower than I expected.
I think I will continue to do what I am doing and hope to see the results I am looking for. I am just afraid that with my personality if I do not have a clear cut goal, I will slowly start to let myself go again!
we're about the same height but you look much more fit then i did at 169
i hate the "carry your weight" thing too, but im also like that. even when i was thin whenever i told people how much i weighed they would be surprised at how much it was. it seemed sort of insulting, but whatever.
id tell them i weigh 150 and they'd be like "omg, i never would have thought THAT much"...
i guess its the thought that counts
Last edited by juliastl27; 09-11-2012 at 02:04 AM.
In a rut, denial, & all those fun things
One could argue you've been doing it right all along - just didn't realize it!
