Frustrated with Myself

NegaAshley

I'm so frustrated with myself. I keep losing 8-10 pounds and then giving up when I plateau for a couple weeks. (I've probably done it 4 times in the last year.)

Has anyone else conquered this problem? Obviously, it's a psychological thing. What did you do to defeat your negative attitude?

nyboer

I'll get frustrated with myself for a day or two but then I remember just how badly I want to be healthy and happy and that I deservie it; that generally gets me back on track. I don't set massive goals for myself b/c then I would be totally over-whelmed and right now am just focusing on losing 1 pound and 1 inch. Once that's done, I'll focus on 1 more pound, 1 more inch... You can SO do this! Promise!

Crochetluvr

I have developed eating habits now.... when I plateau, I just keep going. It's not like I will stop when I reach goal anyway. It's for life.

I did up my calories a bit... seems to be helping.

Just don't give up. It happens to most everyone.

gwenmf

I"ve been frustrated with myself for a while too....but recently I remembered how nice it felt to have LOOSE pants instead of the ones I'm not wearing that are NOT! I'm frustrated but hoping to get back on track. Seriously, even 3-4 lbs gone would feel nice right now. Time to dust myself off and make this work for me - again. It's a mental thing mostly. Good luck to you. Know you're not alone with your struggles!

Coyoteldy

I hit a plateau once for about five weeks.. I was nuts...then I changed up my exercise.. alternating strength ( P90X) with cardio ( treadmill/running)....and upped my calories just a bit..weight loss kicked back into over drive.... hang in there.. when you hit a plateau change it up... increase your exercise or change the type you do.. what most people do not realize is that if you do the same exercise every day.. you will not gain the benefits as quickly if you change it up. It worked for me!! I am down to my last ten pounds that I need to lose...and those are the most stubborn.. so I am due for a change up again this week ( after my half marathon) hang in there!!

missymakayla

This happens to all of us now and then. You just have to remember how bad you want it, and then push through it. I know it is hard but push yourself. Remember that old saying"I think I can" well say "I know I can" Good luck...

kirstyfairhead

First and foremost 2 weeks isn't a plateau and it is bound to happen so maybe you need to re-consider your expectations. You will not lose every week!!

If I stall for a while I tend to analyse it to death. I will look at what I'm doing to make sure I'm being really strict with weighing/logging etc and then look at what I can change. i.e change my workout routine a little or perhaps even go up to maintenance level for a week or so. I would not be expecting immediate results from these changes so it may be 2, 3 or even 4 weeks of 'playing' with things before I see the scale move again but in the meantime I feel like I am taking some action and that will keep me motivated.

I recently started lifting and increased my calories, went 4 weeks with only 1/2lb lost and just had to wait until my body adjusted I think, but have now lost 3lb in the last fortnight which is really good for me.

So my advice would be that if the scale stops moving then try to figure it out rather than lose hope and if all else fails, go up to maintenance, but make sure it is ONLY maintenance and then re-focus in a couple of weeks time. This way you at least don't put the 8-10lb back on!!

Becky_Smith72

For me, when I was losing and got stuck in a negative mind set, I would remind myself WHY I'm doing it.. even make a list of WHY. and then I would look and what I've already done and then just suck it up and work harder to get over the hump. I agree that 2 weeks is not a plateau you may just need to up the intensity. Feel free to add me if you'd like some motivation!

MinnieInMaine

Here's a little project for you...

I like that you've filled out thost 3 areas on the left in your profile but I'd suggest you take them one step farther and set some solid achievable short and long term goals. and I don't just mean "lose x pounds by x date" because those can be tricky, even if you give yourself plenty of wiggle room. I mean more like fitness goals, healthy eating goals - I'll walk 2 miles 3 times per week or I'll get at least 3 servings of fruit and 3 servings of veg every day or I'll cut out soda completely by x date. Follow me?

Once you do that, you've got something to strive for and something to check up on when you have these days where you feel like it's not worth it. Also, download a bunch of motivational memes and save them under your profile pics so you can look at them when you need to.

Now as far as the plateau goes. First, as someone else mentioned, a plateau isn't just a week or two, it's more like a month or two. A week or two could be a myriad of reasons mostly involving either water weight or constipation. Example: for the last week or two, I've been up a few pounds because of water weight from humidity, PMS and a couple high sodium days. We're not just saying this to you to sound like know-it-alls, we're shaing this info with you because it's important to know and to remind yourself of when you get stuck. It's just a bump in the road and it will pass.

Second, instead of wasting your time and energy feeling discouraged and beating youself up, use that time and energy to come up with a plan. Maybe you need to change up your diet a bit or change up your workout routine a bit. Maybe you need to get better about planning and preparing meals or tracking more consistently or drinking more water. All of these will very likely help you push past these short term blips.

Above all, never give up. You'll never get to your goal if you keep quitting!

JesterMFP

I have developed eating habits now.... when I plateau, I just keep going. It's not like I will stop when I reach goal anyway. It's for life.

^This. I only made such changes as I was prepared to live with permanently. I eat foods I enjoy, I do exercise I enjoy. I don't want to give up, because I enjoy my lifestyle. The only way I really feel restricted is in the fact that I can't eat an unlimited amount of food, and really, that's a small price to pay. I'm not saying it's always easy, but I make it as easy on myself as possible.

That, and I decided that maintaining a healthy weight was important enough to stay committed to it, regardless of "motivation" coming and going. I just pushed myself until new habits were formed. People do things that are hard if the outcome is important enough - whether it's going to a crappy job every day, or doing housework, or childcare, or putting effort into a relationship, or studying towards a degree... If you make the decision that being a healthy weight/getting your dream body/whatever is important enough, then you'll put the effort in. If not, you won't. :flowerforyou:

bullsfan22

Lots of good advice here. I have been in your position before, where I gave up when I hit that point where I couldn't go any further. This time around I realized why it even happened, all due to the food I was eating. I was working out like a madman yet eating too many cals thinking that I could get away with it. It ended up that I was eating all my exercise calories back and my weight loss calories since I wasn't logging my food.

This time around, I've realized that even if I don't work out, I make sure I log my food and ensure that I don't go over. I plan plan plan like no tomorrow, it's kind of what I do for a living (FA) so it comes a bit naturally.

Don't give up and the results will appear.

deb3129

I have developed eating habits now.... when I plateau, I just keep going. It's not like I will stop when I reach goal anyway. It's for life.

I did up my calories a bit... seems to be helping.

Just don't give up. It happens to most everyone.

This is pretty much my philosophy now. I am eating the way I am to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible. So when I plateau, I just keep on trucking. Eventually the weight will be where I want it.

WeightLossWanted3

I am feeling the same way. Except, I tend to do it when I lose five or so pounds. When my clothes feel loose, I get excited and go overboard with celebratory eating. REALLY frustrating!! I am down to very minimal clothing in my closet that fits me. Have no choice but to lose weight at this point. Wedding approaching and definitely do not want to buy a new wardrobe. UGHHHHH!!!! I have decided to set small goals for myself this time instead of unrealistic goals. If I can only remember that this takes time and consistency is key, I should do ok.

JesterMFP

And also - try and find new ways to keep yourself interested. Find other reasons to exercise or eat well other than just weight loss. When I first started, I exercised to burn calories and so that I could eat more. Now, I exercise because I want to be able to run in a 10k race, and because I want to be able to run faster than I can at the moment, and I want to be able to lift heavier weights than I can at the moment, and I want to be able to do a free-standing handstand. Also, I struggle with depression, and running makes that much easier to deal with, so a lot of days, that's the only reason I go out running. Some days I really don't care about calories or weight, so having other reasons to exercise really helps.

With food, I know protein is good for maintaining my muscle mass, and I know I feel better when I eat more fibre, so those are motivations to meet those targets. At one point, I was worried about my micronutrient intake, so I researched different foods and ended up trying out loads of new vegetables and finding ways to cook with them.

I saw on your profile that you're a gamer. Get creative, and turn aspects of it into a game. I'm a geek, so I love tracking my data on a spreadsheet - weight, inches, running mileage etc. I can make graphs of my progress. Not saying that's for everyone, but it makes it fun for me. I even set targets for myself to "level up". :blushing: For other people, having a big notice board with goals & progress on it might help, or taking progress photos every few weeks. Experiment, and find a way of making it fun.

Just_Scott

I think you answered your own question--when a plateau comes mix it up and fight thru it...

vingogly

The nasty little secret is, diets don't work. I see this as a choice to live a better life, and hopefully a longer one. I think a lot of us have negative scripts from our childhood that stand in the way of our success: like the clean plate club, the children-are-starving-in-country-X. Many of us also don't really recognize when we're hungry or satisfied, and eat mindlessly. You might want to check out these pages for ideas about mindful eating:

http://thecenterformindfuleating.org/principles
http://www.intuitiveeating.org/content/10-principles-intuitive-eating

MyJourney1960

it's happened to me in the past.

Now? in this month and something that i've been here, I am not giving up. I am accepting that this is a journey, that it will take a while, and that there will be steps forward and steps backwards and maybe some standing in place.

It's all good!!!

GrannyGwen1

DON'T GIVE UP!

WOW !!! THERE IS SOME WONDERFUL CONSTRUCTIVE ADVICE HERE BY OUR MFP FAMILY OF FRIENDS, THANK YOU FOR SHARING, IT HAS HELPED ME ALSO.

I WAS STALLED FOR FIVE ( 5) MONTHS, YEP 5 MONTHS, YO YOED BACK AND FORTH WITH 5# AND NOW THE #'S ARE STARTING TO DROP AGAIN. JUST THIS PAST WEEK, THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER SEE THAT BIG ..3...0 ... 30# HOPE THEY DON'T COME BACK TO VISIT OR BRING ANY OF THEIR FRIENDS, LOL

I HAVEN'T CHANGED ANYTHING MUCH , I FOUND OUT I HAD CANDIDA (NOT THE GIRLY KIND) FROM MEDS AND PROBABLY THE SUGAR I USE TO GET FROM A 40YR ADDITION TO PEPSI (I STILL HAVE ONE ONCE IN AWHILE) THE ONLY THING I HAVE DONE IS ADD MORE PROBIOTICS TO MY DIET. I WAS ALREADY ON A ORGANIC, LEAN AND CLEAN DIET 80-90% OF THE TIME, I DON'T EAT WHITES OR STARCHES HARDLY AT ALL , BUT I STILL EAT A LITTLE FRUIT OR HAVE A TREAT BUT MOSTLY IN THE FORM OF PLAIN YOGURT AND FRESH FRUIT AND OF COURSE MY 1 OZ OF DARK CHOCOLATE. THATS A MUST HAVE, LOL AND IM NOT ABLE TO EXERCISE MUCH. BUT I DO KEEP A POSITIVE MINDSET AND IM NOT GIVING UP, IT MAY TAKE ME A WHILE , ITS THE JOURNEY THAT COUNTS.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!! YOU JUST NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT WORKS FOR YOU! MAYBE YOU COULD TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR DIARY (A REAL LOOK, AN HONEST LOOK) OR HAVE A FRIEND LOOK WHO WILL BE HONEST WITH YOU AND GIVE YOU SOME CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK. MAYBE THERE ARE SOME TWEAKS YOU COULD MAKE. SOMETIMES ITS JUST CHANGING IT UP A LITTLE.

YOU ARE IN MY PRAYERS

XXX GG

YES I KNOW I TYPE IN UPPERCASE. AND IM NOT YELLING, LOL