Frustrated at slow weight loss!!!!!!

Alyssa_the_mzungu

I am so very very very frustrated and disgusted with myself. I am extremely overweight, and I have tried a whole lot of different things. I lost a significant amount with Weight Watchers, but then I gained it back over this crazy semester. So here I am, at 200 pounds, desperately trying to get the weight off. I think I am just really frustrated because I am losing so slowly... I've only lost about a pound or two in the last week. Does anyone have suggestions on what to do to lose faster??? I try things like drinking skinny mochas once a day as my one and only treat, and I am really careful about my calorie control. I stand for 4.5 hours a day, so I count that as exercise as well. I also do yoga, and I'm going to start swimming, soon. I'm just so frustrated with how slowly this is going!

LAWoman72

Sweetie...a pound or two is just fine!

I know it seems slow...we always want the weight off tomorrow, if not sooner. But you really need to stay the course and let those weekly losses start adding up.

TimothyFish

The best advice I can give you is to learn to be happy with a pound or two a week. In a years time, that is between 52 and 100 pounds. What is wrong with that?

kgeyser

The best suggestion I have is to change your perspective. When you were gaining weight, did you say "Oh shucks, only a pound or two this week? This weight gain should be happening much faster!"?

A pound or two is great! Be proud of yourself!

spoonangel74

I'm sorry about your frustration. It is a hard road to stay on. You just have to stay positive and proud of every pound you shed. They will add up before you know it. Good luck!

Angie1212mfp

Been there done thstso to speak, and while I would love a 5-10 pound loss every week, it's just not possible or realistic expectation, well i guess technically it is, but it's not the healthy way to lose and maintain. Funny, my family doctor only wants me to lose 1-2 pounds per week. But i celebrate any and every loss. Because in the grand scheme of things even the smallest losses add up over time. ( I weighed this morning. I was down only 0.6 pound, burt it is still a loss- YAY Me!!!)
In the meantime, you say you stand for 4.5 hours a day, could you possibly march in place? it would increase your calorie burn. also, stress causes us to release the hormone cortisol, which puts on the pounds, so try some stress management exercises. Also, try to limit and/or reduce your sodium and sugar intake. I, too, allow myself a treat about once a week. It's usually a couple scoops of my favorite ice cream or a 1/4 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips. Do NOT skip meals, it only screws up your metabolism.
Just stay thre course, and don't give up. Good luck!!!

Angie

a_candler

Keep at it and soon you'll notice how your body is changing and then you'll know 1-2 lbs a WK is just where u need to be! Just keep calorie deficit and exercise and be good.

bobbichristine

Angie1212mfp wrote: »

Been there done thstso to speak, and while I would love a 5-10 pound loss every week, it's just not possible or realistic expectation, well i guess technically it is, but it's not the healthy way to lose and maintain. Funny, my family doctor only wants me to lose 1-2 pounds per week. But i celebrate any and every loss. Because in the grand scheme of things even the smallest losses add up over time. ( I weighed this morning. I was down only 0.6 pound, burt it is still a loss- YAY Me!!!)
In the meantime, you say you stand for 4.5 hours a day, could you possibly march in place? it would increase your calorie burn. also, stress causes us to release the hormone cortisol, which puts on the pounds, so try some stress management exercises. Also, try to limit and/or reduce your sodium and sugar intake. I, too, allow myself a treat about once a week. It's usually a couple scoops of my favorite ice cream or a 1/4 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips. Do NOT skip meals, it only screws up your metabolism.
Just stay thre course, and don't give up. Good luck!!!

Angie

This!
I always want to be losing more then the 1-3 pounds that you are healthily able to lose. So basicly its all about keeping myself up. Its like "oh my god this is going to take FOREVER" But when you think about it, in a month, you'll start to see a difference. I really like to work on toning my muscles along with the weight lose, so that you can start to see like the arm flab, or thunder thighs lessen and tighten. thats the BEST Feeling.

obscuremusicreference

I started at 200 and have lost a pound or two a week (except for a few weeks where I wasn't vigilant about tracking and maintained). Four months later, I'm down 33 pounds. You can do this. It didn't go on overnight, it's not going to come off overnight.

callsitlikeiseeit

you didn't gain it fast, you won't lose it fast. in other words.... you gained it one pound at a time, that's how you'll lose it! Patience is the name of the game....

kaitlinfurby13

Do you count the standing in your exercise and eat those calories back? The app already accounts for some calories, so I wouldn't put those in my exercise log.

Ready2Rock206

A pound or two in a week is not slow weight loss.

I wouldn't count standing as exercise though - just make sure it is reflected in your activity level.

Christine_72

Have a look at that picture of 1lb of fat. That should put it into perspective.

Christine_72

Christine_72

1 lb

Alyssa_the_mzungu

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate the help on the perspective change! I keep trying to remind myself that it does take time, which is helpful to remember. And I'm working on swimming and stuff like that, so that should help. I have looked at all of the fad plan diets where you cut out almost everything, and it just doesn't look doable. So, I guess I will keep at this for now. Thanks, everyone!

SergeantSausage

1 to 2 pounds a week is The Sweet Spot most should aim for.

What's slow about that? That's 50 to 100 pounds a year. It took years to put on, right?

Liftng4Lis

A pound or two a week is fantastic! Keep up the good work!

ndj1979

you did not gain weight overnight and you are not going to lose it overnight…

one to two pounds per week loss is considered average weight loss, so you are on track ..just keep doing what you are doing….

AllOutof_Bubblegum

1-2 pounds a week is ideal. You are doing wonderfully so far.

I blame all these "detox" and "cleanse" and "overnight" diet fads that claim to make you lose 10 pounds in a week. It skews people's perceptions of what is actually reasonable in terms of weight loss rates. 2 pounds a week is reasonable. Anything more than that is not, unless you are very morbidly obese.

trina1049

It's taken me over a year to lose 40 lbs at the rate of about 1lb - to .5lbs a week. Stick with it. There's no time limit; just get healthy.

mariaoutlook

Nothing much to add to previous comments. Keep the good work up!

debubbie

I agree with the others, 1-2 pounds a week is doing great. It can be frustrating to not see the weight rapidly fall off! I quit weighing myself everyday and only weigh once a month. I track my measurements, fit of clothes, and fitness accomplishments instead. (It has been much healthier for me mentally!) I track my calories and try to stay within 100 calories below or above my goal everyday, and try to exercise 3-4 times each week. In the last year, I have lost almost 50 pounds. I was aggravated at myself because I wanted it to be more, but I can honestly say that I didn't do the calorie deficits or exercising enough to have a bigger weight loss. The last week has really helped put it in perspective because several of my friends commented this week about how much weight I had lost and that has been very motivating to keep up the hard work.

You also don't have to commit yourself to a fad diet. Determine your calorie goal and then work towards eating at that goal everyday. I still eat chili cheese hot dogs, chocolate, and cookies but I make sure that I can fit them into my calorie goals. If I know that I will be eating out with friends later in the week, I will try to create a bank of 100 or so calories each day to have a "bank" of calories for eating out with my friends. I will also do cardio work that day to give me extra calories so I can enjoy the meal without going a bazillion calories over for the day!

You can friend me if you would like a friend while you are working towards your goals.

MaggieLoo79

I'm confused. Did you just start trying to lose again? Are you 2 weeks in to a new program? I ask because generally there is some water weight loss in the first week or two. If you didn't lose any water weight, are you drinking enough water? Just my thoughts.

brdnw

you should be able to lose 2-3lbs a week. If you're not working hard or eating right, then you won't.

and standing doesn't count as excercise, if you're committed to losing weight, why are you bothering with "skinny mochas" every day. Calories that you drink are a waste of your time.

I lost 90lbs and i wasn't trying to give myself cheats every day, i i went from 260-195 in just 6 months, so people saying 1lb a week are stating very modest goal structures.

if i want something why would i even bother with crappy 'cheat meals'? Losing weight is just about being mature and making decisions that benefit yourself. It's either you want cake, or you want to be fit. It's pretty simplistic.

tannadine

I'm the same as you, so impatient, but like the other posters have said, it didn't come on overnight, and it sure as heck won't disappear overnight! I'm just trying not to discouraged when I see a 1lb loss or even a 0.5lb loss. Every loss gets you that bit closer to your final target - and do you know, I never thought about it like this, if you just lose 1-2lbs a week, that's 52-104lbs a year! That's awesome

ndj1979

brdnw wrote: »

you should be able to lose 2-3lbs a week. If you're not working hard or eating right, then you won't.

and standing doesn't count as excercise, if you're committed to losing weight, why are you bothering with "skinny mochas" every day. Calories that you drink are a waste of your time.

I lost 90lbs and i wasn't trying to give myself cheats every day, i i went from 260-195 in just 6 months, so people saying 1lb a week are stating very modest goal structures.

if i want something why would i even bother with crappy 'cheat meals'? Losing weight is just about being mature and making decisions that benefit yourself. It's either you want cake, or you want to be fit. It's pretty simplistic.

bolded part is rubbish….if OP's main goal is fat loss then she can eat any kind of food, be in a calorie deficit, and lose weight.

Just because you decided to torture yourself and few foods as "good" and "bad" and restrict the so called bad ones, does not mean that OP has to.

Losing weight is about being in a calorie deficit, period.

your whole post is condescending and riddled with bro science and clean eating zealotry...

brdnw

she goes "Im desperate to lose weight however, i drink a 200 calorie drink a day as a cheat meal" get rid of that cheat meal and she loses 1500 calories a week, or .5lb of fat a week she can lose, just by drinking a glass of water instead and that same drink, the cost of it can easily pay a monthly gym membership.

Just because it fits in your macros, if it's not required nutritionally, and you're desperate to lose weight, why would you slow yourself down?

I lost 90lb so i feel like i pretty good context how to adjust a lifestyle change. Telling someone "oh 1lb a week is great" is silly, there's no point in coddling people that's how they get so out of shape. It's so easy to lose weight if you really try and the best part, is the bigger you are, the faster it comes off.

itsMcKay

I understand your frustration. I started at 235, lost 80 and gained it all back. So, here I am back at the beginning alongside ya.

Now, here's the thing. This isn't The Biggest Loser. We don't have the luxury of working out and dieting like it's our job. We have school, work, chores, family, friends, homework, volunteer responsibilities, pets and kids to take care of, etc. And, in my case, a boyfriend I just want to spend time with for the couple of hours we get together in the evenings.

1-2 lbs. a week is RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT TO BE. Trust me! Because when you've been at this weight loss thing for a year and you've lost all your weight and are looking at maintaining, your mind will be right. Your habits will be right. You don't want to lose it any more quickly than that unless you want to gain it back and have to do this all over again.

Embrace every lb. as a victory and count all the non-scale victories! Collarbones making an appearance? NSV! Pants a bit looser at the waist? NSV! Ran a mile on the treadmill? NSV!

You can do this if you commit to the process. Losing weight can actually be a lot of fun. Enjoy the loss because once it's gone it's all about maintenance and that's a whole new game.

Good luck to you and feel free to add me. Cheers!

arditarose

A pound or two a week is great. Also...standing. Just include your job in your activity level. It's just standing.

Spocky

I lost my 7 kg-s very very slowly. It felt like my weight never changes but I went back in my calendar one or two pages (weeks) and saw that I was about 1 kg more back then. Drinks can be very tricky, I drink mostly water.