Desperate and about to give up.

pinkteapot3

^^^ This. I never press the complete button. It makes no difference. I'm only aiming to lose slowly but that screen telling me that I won't weigh huge amounts less in five weeks puts me off.

SingRunTing

Your tracking seems on point and it's only been two weeks. Stalls happen. Weight loss isn't linear. You're doing everything right.

Just be patient and keep doing what you're doing. It will start moving again.

If you've had 2 months of no movement, that's the time to reassess what you're doing.

ilovemypeekapug

You have made amazing progress! I have only been doing MFP for 4 weeks....you are an inspiration to me! Keep doing what you're doing. I'm sure the scale will start to go down again soon. Best of luck!

pinkteapot3

To ilovemypeekapug - on the forum index page, your name appears as "ilovemypee..." when you're the latest replier

MoiAussi93

SergeantSausage wrote: »

Did I read that correctly?

A year - 52 WEEKS - of incredible success and a measly 2 weeks is enough to throw it all away?

Really?

No wonder the stats on folks keeping weight off are so abysmal.

One doesn't throw away a full year for a 2 week stall, right? Ya just don't.

Why would you give it all up and throw away a year of success. No - seriously - I can't even comprehend that. Why?

I have to agree with this. At some point over that year you must have had weeks where you didn't lose or even gained. I probably gain at least one week out of six...have often gone two or three weeks, or even a month, without losing...then had weeks where I suddenly lost 6 or 7. It is not linear. Two weeks is nothing...as many have said normal water fluctuations will easily cause that. You need to have a long term perspective.

Maintenance is forever. There is no end date involved, so you need to focus on the positive changes you have already made. When I temporarily stall, I just tell myself that even if I never lose another pound I am MUCH better off where I am now then where I was. If I give up, I will quickly go back to being obese. THAT is plenty of motivation for me to stick with it.

jgnatca

I vote for patience too. I stopped losing for a while when I ramped up my exercise and I had a deep think about it. Did I want to drop the exercise and just focus on weight loss? No. I'm loving my mobility and health gains too much. I decided to continue with my lifestyle changes and trust the weight loss would catch up in time. It did.

I also found out that I have a 30 day cycle of weight loss, with practically nothing coming off for a few weeks, and a sudden drop-off. I continue do what I am doing and the scale eventually catches up.

I get a lot more satisfaction from my exercise goals as they are directly under my control. The scale, not so much.

Ooci

The blackness of PCOS is similar to what I suffer with the endometriosis. There are days when it all seems utterly pointless no matter how much you've lost. But they pass.
I am hoping for more emotional equilibrium after menopause.

Katiebear_81

I have a very silly suggestion, and it works for me but you could try it: When I'm feeling incredibly bummed about a stall in weight loss or just not feeling good about my physical self, I find that a new item of clothing or getting my hair cut really changes my attitude about myself. I don't know what your situation is financially, or if that even appeals to you, but I thought I'd throw that out there. It might tide you over until you start to lose a bit again.

I never complete my entries, either. Can't be bothered to see the predicted weight loss, which doesn't always translate into a loss for me...

rayrayfitz

Thank you every one.

I think it's frustration as to be fair to you all, you don't have a lot of background info.

I started last Feb, by The end if July I'd lost 3st 2lb... Then it wouldn't budge, I didn't stress over it but enjoyed my summer, but I'd put a couple of pound on then lose it again. Until Nov I had more or less maintained. It stuck to plan in Dec and just seemed to stall. I lost 6lb one week due to an illness which helped kick start it. But I've still only lost 5lb since December, and well, July really.

So when I say I feel like giving up, it's not just because I'm having a bad week, it feels like the ball just won't start rolling again, hence upping my exercise this month, I log accurately and weigh my food, so something needs to change somewhere if I'm not losing.

Just when I thought I might have cracked it by doing vigorous exercise (even though MFP is set so I should lose 2lb a week on exercise alone, I also have to exercise at least an hour a day to lose) I've had 2 weeks again where I've lost nothing.

I've been stuck in this rut for months, it's not just I've spat my dummy out this week as I haven't lost

It's so frustrating as I'm doing everything right and MFP is constantly telling me I'm going to lose loads of weight, and it don't lose anything.

Thanks again for all your comments x

rayrayfitz

SergeantSausage wrote: »

Did I read that correctly?

A year - 52 WEEKS - of incredible success and a measly 2 weeks is enough to throw it all away?

Really?

No wonder the stats on folks keeping weight off are so abysmal.

One doesn't throw away a full year for a 2 week stall, right? Ya just don't.

Why would you give it all up and throw away a year of success. No - seriously - I can't even comprehend that. Why?

I've explained a bit more above, I haven't thrown anything away, when I say giving up I mean MFP. Not putting back on every lb I've lost...

It hasn't been a year of success it's been 6 months, and 6 months of not doing much at all.

jgnatca

You are right. It's really hard. If you have a moment, I'd like your opinion on this article.

http://www.drsharma.ca/running-down-the-up-escalator.html

I also think given a few weeks of sustained effort you will see that scale move.

Ooci

But really honestly though, how many weeks have you been plateauing and can say hand on heart you were really eating at a deficit? Because reading the above it sounds like decided to give yourself a fair bit time off after your amazing loss last year, and I think that was a great idea! I did too.
reading the above it sounds to me like you lost way too quickly, your body went into shock, and you had to give yourself time out. Now it is getting going again - 5 lb since December is fabulous, I am so jealous!! You've done really really well, give yourself some credit.

rayrayfitz

jgnatca wrote: »

You are right. It's really hard. If you have a moment, I'd like your opinion on this article.

http://www.drsharma.ca/running-down-the-up-escalator.html

I also think given a few weeks of sustained effort you will see that scale move.

Amazing analogy! And bang on!!

Thank you x

holly55555

This happens to everyone. It may not really be a plateau! I thought I hit one a few weeks ago - I went almost a month with no weight change - and suddenly my scale said I lost 5 lbs in a few days. So my total for the last 6 weeks is still 6 pounds - 1 lb a week. It sometimes takes a minute for your body to catch up, especially if you eat a lot of salt, etc.

Don't lose hope! Just keep doing what you're doing, it will come off. You can also readjust your macros to include more protein - that seems to help me when I stall.

kyta32

Have you ever tried weight training? I read somewhere that women with PCOS have an easier time with weight training because they have more male hormones. Buiding up your lean mass can have aesthetic and health advantages. Women who are overweight have an easier time building strength while in a calorie deficit. If you are looking for a change in your exercise routine, resistance training can protect muscle mass and lessen BMR reduction during weight loss. Just an idea. Good luck

lemurcat12

jgnatca wrote: »

I vote for patience too. I stopped losing for a while when I ramped up my exercise and I had a deep think about it. Did I want to drop the exercise and just focus on weight loss? No. I'm loving my mobility and health gains too much. I decided to continue with my lifestyle changes and trust the weight loss would catch up in time. It did.

I also found out that I have a 30 day cycle of weight loss, with practically nothing coming off for a few weeks, and a sudden drop-off. I continue do what I am doing and the scale eventually catches up.

I get a lot more satisfaction from my exercise goals as they are directly under my control. The scale, not so much.

This.

Like others have said, you are doing great. Sometimes the weight loss just isn't linear and it messes with your head. What helped me was to focus on goals I had more control over to protect myself against those periods, although I know it must be incredibly frustrating. Since you are exercising, maybe set an exercise-related goal and work on that, or now that you are experimenting with macros maybe a goal to increase your protein and lower your carbs a bit? Just something else to focus on and to tell yourself it's worth it. My intention when starting and a bit superstitious that it wouldn't work was not only to tell myself I trusted in the science, but also to make sure I had things to focus on so worst case scenario I'd be the healthiest fat person ever!

Also, it can be a good time to start measuring yourself regularly or taking photos, as sometimes your inches will go down when the scale isn't, and it's nice to have a second or third way to convince yourself it's working.

But do remember that you've made lots of progress and will continue to. Good luck!

KitkatcuteNYC

Don't give up. Your hitting what's called a "plateau" keep doing what your doing and maybe even looking at it as a way to self improve..just give it time and patience and you'll see the difference sooner or later. Best of wishes!

Psychgrrl

My suggestions mirror others, methinks, but still worth repeating ...

Macros

• Try tweaking your diet bit by bit. Work more protein in, more fiber, more healthy fats. Help give your body the nutrients it needs while staying full.
• Limit simple carbs.

Exercise

• Try weight-bearing exercise. Lean muscle mass takes more calories to maintain (eventually--not an overnight thing).

Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Actually more like an Ironman. Actually, several.

As a psychologist, think about what you would tell a client if they said to you what you said to us. Then, take your own advice.

"Just because I'm not so good at taking my own advice doesn't mean I don't know what's right." ~Brian Andreas