I'm so FRUSTRATED!!!!!! HELP!!

sjadev1108

I have been at this for nearly six weeks, starting weight of 204. I have lost 13-15 pounds. I feel like that isn't enough, and the scale has gone UP slightly everyday this week. I am doing EVERYTHING right!!! I stay under my calories everyday, I work out over an hour and a half everyday, I quit drinking alcohol altogether, I eat nearly perfectly clean, I drink enough water to float a small boat. I don't know why this weight isn't dropping off?!! It's like I lost a bunch in the first week and have been in the same place ever since. Please give me some motivation. (My clothes fit better and I have gotten very few comments, but for me there is something to that NUMBER)

malibu927

You've lost 15 pounds in six weeks, which is a TREMENDOUS amount! .5-2 pounds is a healthy range to lose each week. You didn't put it on quickly, so it will take time and work to lose it.

As for the gains, have you consumed excess sodium or are you coming close to ovulation or your period? Those can cause water retention. You'll never go down every single day or week as weight loss is not linear.

yopeeps025

lost 13 pounds in 6 weeks. Weigh loss is not linear. So what is the problem?

You have scale weight goal over everything else. Health, looks, etc. Really? You work out 90 minutes a day so I have to guess there that you do care about things that matter more than weight.

JenAndSome

2.5 pounds a week is plenty to have lost already. You are doing a great job. If you want motivation you're just going to have to look deep inside yourself. Do you want to stay where you have been or do you want to lose the weight? You have to do that for yourself. I don't understand why you are frustrated if you have seen progress.

Lois_1989

Doing better than me. I've been doing this for three months and have been bouncing around the same 5lbs. I think you should be patting yourself on the back for such a great achievement. I will slow but keep going.

MrsR130

13-15 pounds in 6 weeks is absolutely perfect! 1-2 lbs per week is a very sustainable, and realistic goal to have for long term weight loss and it sounds like you are doing things right. The quick loss you had in the first week was just water weight, now are you into burning off fat - and that is a little bit slower (1-2lbs/week with 500-1000 calorie deficit every day).

Question though, how often are you weighing yourself? It sounds like every day? DON'T do that. Stick to once a week (Wednesdays for me, since I tend to eat a little more over the weekend and that reflects in Monday's weigh-in, even if it is only water weight). You will literally drive yourself to eating again if you obsess over the scale every day.

You said people are noticing and your clothes fit better? STICK TO THAT!! Those are amazing things to focus on, and better than just a crummy number on the scale. That should be your motivation! Other people don't notice weight loss as quickly as you do, so give it time.

Finally, the age old MFP question - are you accurately logging? Weighing and measuring EVERYTHING you eat? Have a heart rate monitor to log calories burned? That is the only way to get a true idea of calories in and calories burned.

You are doing a great job, don't sell yourself short. Keep working hard and you will keep seeing improvements!

never2bstopped

Is it that time of the month? Your cycle can add water weight.

sjadev1108

Thanks everyone, I guess I just see people who lose 20 pounds in a month and feel like that should be me!!! And yes I have the Fitbit Charge HR.

sweetpea03b

First of all... in a few weeks you've lost more than I have in 2 years so be glad lol. You're not going to lose weight every week. That's just the cold hard truth. Weight loss is not linear. Coming off a good loss you will sometimes go a week with no loss then BAM have another great loss. That being said, STOP weighing yourself everyday because you will make yourself CRAZY. Pick 1 day/week to weigh. You will get so obsessed with the number that it will negate everything else you're doing. You're doing great... keep it up!

alpine1994

Just be patient. I know you want to punch me for saying that but really, my weight loss was all over the map even when I didn't change a thing. Sometimes I'd stay the exact same weight for 4 weeks and then drop 3lbs in the 5th week. Sometimes I'd gain 2lbs one week and lose the same 2lbs the next week. It's annoying and frustrating and I wanted to punch everyone who told me to just keep going and it will come off eventually. But I did and it did. It took me 9 months to lose the 30lbs I needed to, but during that time I broke bad eating habits and created new ones. I'm coming up on my 3 year anniversary of hitting my goal weight and I'm still at that weight. I attribute that to taking the time to change my habits and losing slowwwwly. You got this. Just a small word of advice though. Doing too much too soon is great for fast weight loss but it isn't sustainable for most people. For me, staying under calories EVERY day (I'm human and sometimes just need some damn Ben & Jerry's) and working out 1.5 hrs a day is doing too much. I would for sure burn out eventually and say f**k it all. Making small changes is more beneficial in the long run (again, just my experience. everyone is different). Good luck!

NikiChicken

How in the world can you be frustrated over a loss of 13 pounds in 2 weeks??? That is tremendously fast. A healthy rate of loss is .5 - 2 pounds per week. You are at the high end of that. Here's some perspective. I lose at a rate of about 1/2 pound per week. I'm down 87 pounds. Should I be frustrated by that since it took "so long" to lose? Did you put all the weight on in 2 weeks? No? Well, you aren't going to lose it that fast either. As you were gaining weight, there were probably weeks that you lost and as you lose weight, there will be weeks that you gain. Look at the overall trend of weight, not the specific day to day numbers. If the scale numbers bother you so much, quit getting on the scale every day!! Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, has consistent losses every day of every week until they get to their goal. You are no different. The sooner you understand that, the happier and more successful you will be. Any number of things can affect the number on the scale - sodium consumption; if you have peed or pooped; undigested food in your stomach; if you are female, your monthly cycle; and many, many other variables. Quit letting the scale dictate your frustration level. If you are doing everything you are supposed to be doing, you will lose.
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I'm sorry if I sound a little harsh in my response. I really am not trying to be nasty or judgmental. I'm just trying to give you some reality because if you don't understand how important patience is in the weight loss game, you are in for a lot of disappointment.

Be proud of your success instead of beating it up. You have done well. Keep it up.

jennifermcornett

alpine1994 wrote: »

Just be patient. I know you want to punch me for saying that but really, my weight loss was all over the map even when I didn't change a thing. Sometimes I'd stay the exact same weight for 4 weeks and then drop 3lbs in the 5th week. Sometimes I'd gain 2lbs one week and lose the same 2lbs the next week. It's annoying and frustrating and I wanted to punch everyone who told me to just keep going and it will come off eventually. But I did and it did. It took me 9 months to lose the 30lbs I needed to, but during that time I broke bad eating habits and created new ones. I'm coming up on my 3 year anniversary of hitting my goal weight and I'm still at that weight. I attribute that to taking the time to change my habits and losing slowwwwly. You got this. Just a small word of advice though. Doing too much too soon is great for fast weight loss but it isn't sustainable for most people. For me, staying under calories EVERY day (I'm human and sometimes just need some damn Ben & Jerry's) and working out 1.5 hrs a day is doing too much. I would for sure burn out eventually and say f**k it all. Making small changes is more beneficial in the long run (again, just my experience. everyone is different). Good luck!

This.

hezemakiah

I think that is a great loss! Congratulations! I am also impatient sometimes wishing the weight would just come off already! But I remind myself often that I'm doing it the right way, I only weight myself every one to two weeks - sometimes less, and also that I'm not on The Biggest Loser. I agree with the others that you are doing great! How do you FEEL? That's the important thing to me, anyway. Best wishes to you!

oilphins

When you say you work out for an hour an a half a day, what are you doing for your workouts? if your not doing cardio or burning enough calories, you could come to a standstill or put a few pounds back on even. When you start eating well, the first 4-6 weeks it will come off fast. After that you have to really work to get more weight off. If your only doing weights or mild cardio, your going to have a tough time getting more weight off. How many calories are you burning from your workouts if you know?

acorsaut89

sjadev1108 wrote: »

I have been at this for nearly six weeks, starting weight of 204. I have lost 13-15 pounds. I feel like that isn't enough, and the scale has gone UP slightly everyday this week. I am doing EVERYTHING right!!! I stay under my calories everyday, I work out over an hour and a half everyday, I quit drinking alcohol altogether, I eat nearly perfectly clean, I drink enough water to float a small boat. I don't know why this weight isn't dropping off?!! It's like I lost a bunch in the first week and have been in the same place ever since. Please give me some motivation. (My clothes fit better and I have gotten very few comments, but for me there is something to that NUMBER)

This might be hard to swallow, but hear me out.

You said you work out all the time, eat "nearly perfectly clean", drink all that water and stopped drinking alcohol.

How much weight do you need to lose? Because you didn't get to a situation where you need to lose weight by doing all that. And I say this because that's a lot of going cold turkey all of a sudden for your body.

Also, you don't need to eat clean, or "nearly" for that matter. Everything in moderation is perfectly fine for most people, although if you wish to eat another diet that's kool too.

Are you really honest with what you eat? Like brutally, completely honest? At first, you will see a big drop simply because you are changing up the routine and shocking your body. Plus it's only been 6 weeks. I've gone from 340lbs to 250lbs since November . . . 2012. It takes a lot of time to maintain that kind of weight loss and keep it off. Sure, I probably could have done it sooner and quicker but I haven't gained a whole lot back. I know 250 is still big - I'm 5'10, so I can conceal it a bit - but it's almost a 100lb loss, that's a big deal. It's all about consistency - you aren't just going to drop the weight overnight. You probably didn't gain it over night, either.

Further, bottom line is CICO. Your calories in HAVE to be less than calories out, it's that simple. The rest of it is extra. Working out is for fitness, weight loss happens in the kitchen.

acorsaut89

sjadev1108 wrote: »

Thanks everyone, I guess I just see people who lose 20 pounds in a month and feel like that should be me!!! And yes I have the Fitbit Charge HR.

20 lbs in a month is not normal - but it could be those people who have big amounts of weight to lose (like 100+ lbs) and they make these changes. The shock to their bodies causes a bigger number in lbs of weight loss, but still a similar % of total body weight lost, if that makes sense.

Also, they could have had WLS which will also cause dramatic weight loss all of a sudden.

amsmithatc33

I'm at the exact same place you are... Six weeks in, 16 lbs down, and plateaued and inching back up. It is frustrating, and for me it is especially hard being that my husband had lost 30 in the same time and he keeps going down.

Take the advice of others (I need to do the same!). Don't step on the scale every morning! Just don't! It WILL keep you discouraged. Once a week is more than enough!

I have to remember this myself and it is easy to get down, but I remind myself that this is for my family as much as it is about me and it keeps me going.

I just got off the treadmill, and where before I would finish my 39 minutes with a 3 minute jog, today I pushed myself to jog through 8 minutes. It hurt like heck, but I won't go farther if I don't push myself to get stronger!

Good luck on your journey!!!

cjrusso3

Ditch the scale. Go by how you look and feel.

pjs2780

i, too, love that number. i have about 5 lbs to go for my "perfect" number and HAVE NOT BUDGED for weeks and i got really frustrated. i have eaten a lot of candy in the past week out of frustration.
but you know what? i can run for 30 minutes now. i couldn't ever do that before. so now my new goal is to run a 5K. i think getting my mind off of the number and focusing on something else is going to be helpful. i set my calories to maintenance and am working on fitness.
that is all to say -- you are doing great! congratulations! i bet you'll discover all sorts of things that you can do that have nothing to do with the number.

sabretooth99

you may need to cycle your calorie intake. after a certain period of reduced calories you body goes into starvation mode and tries to conserve its bodyweight. I would suggest increasing your calories above your reduced target periodically to trick your metabolism out of starvation mode.

kangaroux92

ive lost alittle under 20 pounds in 6 months 6 weeks 13 pounds is heaven.

csteuter

Put on a shirt/jeans you haven't had the courage to put on in 6 weeks. I was so frustrated that I was limping along and "getting nowhere" then dressed up a bit over the weekend. The clothes felt so much better than before. My family remarked that I looked nice. Those are the other benefits, besides what the scale says!

malibu927

sabretooth99 wrote: »

you may need to cycle your calorie intake. after a certain period of reduced calories you body goes into starvation mode and tries to conserve its bodyweight. I would suggest increasing your calories above your reduced target periodically to trick your metabolism out of starvation mode.

She's losing at a good rate, and starvation mode does not exist in the way you're claiming