Frustrated...and possible TMI

knelson095

Hello everyone!
So, I'm getting really frustrated. This is kind of my vent happening here, but advice is appreciated. I've held off posting about it, but for my peace of mind I am going to now. Here goes...

Starting with my stats:
25 y/o female
Height 5'4.75"
SW: 223 on 7/27/15
CW: 201
GW: Until I feel good

I log with a food scale, I weigh and measure everything. I am like, 95% confident with my food logging. I started walking recently and using Map My Walk, which is fun, but before I didn't do much by way of exercise. I average about 1500 or so calories net daily per week. Since I'm not very active beyond the walking and a tiny bit of strength training, I have been focusing on keeping my protein up to 80 g minimum daily, usually aiming for 100 g ideally, but I don't always get there.

So here's the frustration: I have PCOS, without IR, and when I had lost about 17 lbs my cycles returned. This happened at the end of September, and up to that point I had been losing about 1.75 lbs/week steadily. Since then, it has slowed to about .5-.8 lbs/week. So like half or less what I was losing basically over night. I thought maybe the water weight from TOM was maybe masking progress, but now I just don't know. I also quit cigarettes and started using a vapor thingy around the end of September too, but my eating didn't change. I don't really do 'cheat' days either, but there was one week in October that my average was 1800 calories/day because I visited home and I drank a lot of booze. The other week I was there was normal.

So, I was 206 at the end of September, visited home for 2 weeks and stayed 206 throughout that, came back and lost 4-5 lbs that first week back, TOM came and went and now I've been stuck at 201 for 2 weeks.

I know weight loss isn't linear, but to go from steadily losing 1.75/week to basically nothing and then a small woosh has been really demoralizing. I wasn't expecting this until I got to a much lower weight. also I am SO CLOSE to being under 200 and I haven't been there since junior year of high school. I probably just need to be more patient. That has never been my strongest quality.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading, and I apologize if it's confusing. Usually I can keep my motivation up, but today I just feel drained...I'm going to take a walk before it gets dark and see if that lifts me up a bit...

ki4eld

Go ahead and vent. I understand the frustration and yes, patience is the answer.

I'll give the standard "make sure you're updating your fitness profile" advice, since that can matter. If you're logging accurately and your profile is up-to-date, then give it a couple more weeks. Sometimes, especially with a quick weight loss, your body can put on the breaks for a little bit to ensure everything is ok. It shouldn't last more than a few weeks and you should be back to losing. But since your TOM came back, you have PCOS, you have a new way of eating, you quite smoking... that's a lot going on and enough to get a freakout reaction from your body.

Deep breath. Keep going. You're doing great!

knelson095

Thank you! I actually think I'm going to stop daily weighing for awhile. I need to stop letting that number dictate my mood for the day...might have to have my husband store it someplace I can't reach! Lol.

Duchy82

Look at it in a different perspective you have lost 22lbs in approx 100 days right? That's about a lb every 5 days, that is pretty good going, be proud of what you have achieved and just carry on.

You could update your goals if your daily kcal haven't adjusted themselves with the losses you have achieved so far (mine never adjusts itself I have to physically go in change nothing and it will lower my kcals based on my weight).

knelson095

Yes I did go lower my cals manually to 1500 last week. The first month where I lost the bulk of the weight was at about 1650 (the first two weeks I ate at like 1800 to ease into it) and went down to 1580 as I lost before I dropped it a bit more. I guess I haven't changed though really because when it was higher I would often eat less anyway. 1500 is easy for me to do.

Francl27

You might be eating more than you think (ok, you say you're weighing everything, but do you weigh packaged food, do you use accurate and not generic entries?). Also if you eat exercise calories back, you might be overestimating those, which would wipe off some of your deficit. How much do you walk?

Also when was TOM and when is it due? I only lose the week after, then nothing for 3 weeks. It's pretty common.

22 pounds since July is still great though, keep up the good work.

Duchy82

knelson095 wrote: »

Yes I did go lower my cals manually to 1500 last week. The first month where I lost the bulk of the weight was at about 1650 (the first two weeks I ate at like 1800 to ease into it) and went down to 1580 as I lost before I dropped it a bit more. I guess I haven't changed though really because when it was higher I would often eat less anyway. 1500 is easy for me to do.

If 1500kcal is easy then stick to it for a while i know slows and stalls are super frustrating i have them all the time, by the time I get p*ssed off and want to give in i usually lose a lb or so again.

I keep trying to keep things in perspective by working out how many lbs I've lost over the space of a week or so during my latest logging streak which usually cheers me up (Im curently averaging a lb a week)or I take measurements with a tape when it gets really frustrating but usually, they are also down, which will cheer me up. I suppose what I'm saying is try not to let the scale rule and find other bits of motivation too and just carry on.

choppie70

I was stuck at 200.8 for almost three weeks! It was so frustrating! I just kept on going and I was able to push through.

Keep it up, you will get there!

knelson095

Francl27 wrote: »

You might be eating more than you think (ok, you say you're weighing everything, but do you weigh packaged food, do you use accurate and not generic entries?). Also if you eat exercise calories back, you might be overestimating those, which would wipe off some of your deficit. How much do you walk?

Also when was TOM and when is it due? I only lose the week after, then nothing for 3 weeks. It's pretty common.

22 pounds since July is still great though, keep up the good work.

I weigh most packaged foods, and when I have to use a generic entry, I always double check online and verify that it's correct.

I am trying to walk about 1.5 miles at ~3.5 mph two or three times a week. I eat back some but not all. And for posterity's sake, I just started that last week...ha.

First cycle was 35 days apart, Sept. 26th and then Oct. 31st, each lasting 6 days. We'll see about the next one. I actually had a low weight dip the first day of the recent one, to 200.6, then it went up to 203 and settled at 201 for the last two weeks. I'm pretty sure I ovulated this time too, which is a major win, actually. I'll try to focus on that instead.

knelson095

choppie70 wrote: »

I was stuck at 200.8 for almost three weeks! It was so frustrating! I just kept on going and I was able to push through.

Keep it up, you will get there!

I've been trying so hard to get that 1 there. Very rude of my body to be screwing with me at this point when I'm so close!

mrsnazario1219

You've gotten some great advice so far. What I would suggest is not weighing yourself everyday if it's affecting your mood for the day. I was weighing myself everyday and I'd get so upset if my weight went up. I decided to keep my scale in my closet and only weigh myself once a week. It's made a huge difference.