Discouraged - week 1

xoccerlvr
xoccerlvr Posts: 8 Member
edited December 2 in Health and Weight Loss
I need to lose 40+pounds.

Last week I committed to 1. tracking food to generate better awareness of what I'm eating and 2. Trying to move more.

I had a couple cheats on the eating front (and one really bad day) but I thought I was doing OK. Eating a lot of real food, fruits, veg, lean meat. Avoiding processed foods. I'm not really enjoying eating healthy, but I'm doing it.

But I gained 0.8 lbs and I'm bummed.
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Replies

  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    Chin up! Its only week 1!

    Tracking for general awareness won't help lose weight if you're eating too much. Tracking and keeping within a set limit is what you need. Set mfp to sedentary and 1 lb per week loss, and keep within that limit.

    Make sure you weigh your food in grams on a digital scale and measure liquids in ml using a measuring jug. Don't use cups as measuring tools - highly inaccurate. Log drinks too.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    "real" food will give you nutrition and help with overall health but at the end of the day its about CICO. By modifying my calorie intake and becoming fit I lost over 50 pounds here. A slight deficit and honest logging will work. Please stick with it! I alway say "this isn't a diet, its a lifestyle change...diets end and this doesn't". I never miss a meal and have a mid morning snack. I never starve myself I just re-trained myself to eat proper portions of good food.
  • ziggy2006
    ziggy2006 Posts: 255 Member
    1. You seem to have taken a gradual approach, which is fine as long as you have realistic expectations. Tracking your food and trying to move more are good beginning steps, but they aren't going to generate much, if anything, in the way of weight loss.

    2. You say you committed to doing this last week. Do you mean you only committed for a week? Are you committed to doing whatever it takes to reach your goal as fast as possible so that you can go back to your old comfortable habits? Or are you committed to changing how you eat, move, think, and live to allow yourself to achieve and maintain a level of health that allows you to do the things you want to do?

    3. Losing weight depends on eating fewer calories than you burn through daily activities and conscious exercise. While eating real foods and avoiding processed foods may or may not be meaningful to improving your overall health, they are irrelevant to weight loss. Trying to lose weight by eating in a way that you do not enjoy is going to lead, at best, to some very temporary results. Set a calorie goal and measure your food using a food scale, then evaluate your results.

    4. As others have noted, a gain of 0.8 pounds is inconsequential - definitely not something over which to get discouraged. If the scale affects you in this way, you might want to look at alternate ways of tracking your progress, such as measurements or how your clothing fits.

    Good luck to you!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    If you're going to get discouraged after one week, you have a really tough road ahead of you. Weight loss is a long term proposition. And it is not linear, meaning some weeks you will lose, some weeks you won't, and some weeks you will gain. Even if you do everything perfect. That's real life.

    In order to lose weight, you need to commit to the long term. Get a food scale, and log everything, everyday. Do a little homework to make sure you are choosing accurate entries in the database. And judge your success in terms of weeks and months, not days. With 40+ lbs to lose, this will probably take a year or even more. Accept that in that beginning, commit to establishing the habits you need to succeed, and have faith that eventually your body will get there. Best of luck
  • str8bowbabe
    str8bowbabe Posts: 712 Member
    I use this thought process a lot to get me thru my weight loss journey. How do you eat an elephant? The same way you eat anything else, one bite at a time. Take it one day at a time. This didn't happen over night so it wont unhappen over night. Set small goals so you don't get overwhelmed or discouraged.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    You probably won't know for at least a month what your actual weekly weight loss trend is since, as others have mentioned, our weight can fluctuate pretty drastically on a day-to-day basis. But there are a couple of other more concerning things in your post. A couple of "cheats" and a "really bad day" can negate your calorie deficit for the week. Rather than "cheating", work those things into your calorie allowance for the day. Also, it isn't wise to try to overhaul your entire diet overnight. Achieving a calorie deficit is challenging enough without the added stress of having to eat certain foods. Eat what you enjoy, but do be mindful that achieving your macro goals (protein, fat, & fiber) will be the key to you feeling satisfied. As time goes on, you might gradually add new foods you enjoy that help you meet those goals, or drop foods that just don't satisfy you enough for the calories, but that doesn't have to happen overnight. I've been at this over a year (and lost 40 lbs) and my food choices are still a work in progress. You have plenty of time. Just worry about hitting your calorie allowance for now.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    Also should add, it's very helpful to acquire some active friends who are meeting their goals and raid their food diaries for food ideas/products you might enjoy.
  • jwcanfield
    jwcanfield Posts: 192 Member
    xoccerlvr wrote: »
    I need to lose 40+pounds.

    Last week I committed to 1. tracking food to generate better awareness of what I'm eating and 2. Trying to move more.

    I had a couple cheats on the eating front (and one really bad day) but I thought I was doing OK. Eating a lot of real food, fruits, veg, lean meat. Avoiding processed foods. I'm not really enjoying eating healthy, but I'm doing it.

    But I gained 0.8 lbs and I'm bummed.

    Tell us what you think of as "eating healthy". Healthy doesn't have to translate to Plain even though we often approach it that way. I see your list of real food - the secret may be in the preparation. Lean meat. for example, CAN be dry - but if you cook it in moist heat, or crock-pot, or marinade/grill, or even cube for soups and stews along with your vegetables and nice seasoning you can start to enjoy.

    Skipping the beer/wine may be tough if that was part of your regular routine - I had to do that and didn't like one little bit! For me that made me become aware that I had probably been drinking too much in the first place, so a good wake-up call on multiple fronts! I say IF it was part of your routine so please don't be offended. It could just as easily be a problem with soft drinks or sweet tea!
  • Celebran
    Celebran Posts: 13 Member
    If you don't like the food that you are now eating you are setting yourself up for failure. It maybe easier for you to just practice more portion control when starting and work in healthier options that you like over time. You didn't gain 40+ pounds overnight or even a week so don't set unrealistic goals and be too impatient for results. Slow and steady wins the game, this isn't about dieting it's about long term habits.
  • amberlb90
    amberlb90 Posts: 3 Member
    I know how it is lost 20# beginning of the year and gained back ten its a sad story lol. But that's what I get for doing a very low cal diet now I'm struggling with snacking. My meals are on point but dam snacking I tell ya
  • Josh_lol
    Josh_lol Posts: 317 Member
    If you're feeling discouraged after 1 week, you need to re-evaluate what you're eating. Aim for 1-2 lbs a week (whatever gives you more calories to be happy with) and eat things that you enjoy. As long as you don't go over the calorie limit, you'll still lose. You need weight loss to be sustainable so you don't feel this way after just 1 week.
  • mathiseasy
    mathiseasy Posts: 165 Member
    sarahthes wrote: »
    1. 0.8 lbs is within normal weight fluctuations. I change that much up or down on a daily basis. You want the general long term trend to be down.

    2. Any meal plan you don't enjoy isn't one that is sustainable.

    3. To lose weight you need a calorie deficit. That's all. Personally, I eat low carb because I find it easier to maintain a deficit that way (in a post-babies, sleep deprived world). But before kids I easily lost almost 50 lbs just counting calories and only eating treats when I had room for them in my meal plan.

    ^^this^^
    OP, it's only been a week. Commit to at least 6 weeks of a calorie deficit and see where that brings you.

    Also, as pp have stated, one bad day can knock out your deficit for the week. How are you tracking your food? Are you using a food scale?
  • 1shedev
    1shedev Posts: 144 Member
    You didn't fail. You learned things. One is that trying to eat healthy foods only. Three cheats in a week is sure sign that this is not a great plan for you. As long as you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. It will take time.
    I stay within my calories and hit close to my macros, but my diet is not super clean. I haven't outlawed foods so I'm not cheating.
  • bekim123
    bekim123 Posts: 391 Member
    For me a lot of it is portion control. Instead of eating half the pizza, eat one slice with some veggies or other "healthy" food to help fill you up. Eat one cookie instead of six, you still get to enjoy the flavor. I don't prevent myself from eating any food, but I'm trying to learn that I can't eat as much of it as I used to. Also, I tend to eat too fast, so I find that I'm done with what I've allocated for lunch, I might still be hungry after eating it. But, if I wait about 15-20 minutes, the food catches up with my appetite and I realize I'm not hungry anymore.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    If you've been eating clean and tend to have bad days, my suggestion is to just include the foods that you like in your daily calories. Yes, this will mean that you'll still lose weight. The beauty of this method is that you'll have your favourite foods, still stay in your calories and still lose weight without the need to give in to a binge. And that is a WIN WIN to me. I personally do this and have lost 85lbs. Beef up your favourite meals with huge side salads.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    Eat what you want BUT WEIGH IT with a food scale. Keep at it. You'll be fine.
  • xoccerlvr
    xoccerlvr Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks everyone. I weigh/measure everything and understand CICO. But I like food and 1500 calories a day sucks.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    It is a slow process, and getting used to lowered intake takes around a month. Try to be patient, do some meditation if it is bothering you mentally or emotionally. I won't lie, this is not easy and your weight will bounce up and down for no apparent reason. You will be looking for an overall downward trend. That's why tracking helps you know what's really going on, seeing the forest rather than the trees.
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    edited June 2016
    Turn that frown upside down. Nothing good comes easy! Gotta pay to play. Food isn't going anywhere, it'll always be there for ya. You can live great on 1500 calories. Lots of people around the world would kill to have 1500 calories a day. Count your blessings.
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    I technically have a 1500 call limit but I do various "cheats" to let me eat more: I take the stairs instead of the lift, walk to work instead of driving, do more structured exercise (running, yoga etc). Doing this extra activity means I am losing while eating around 1800 to 2000 call per day.

    Other "cheats" include switching sweet sticky baked goods for sweet sticky fruit (current fave is pineapple). Eating slightly smaller portions of my favourite foods. Switching the cardboard sandwich from the cafeteria for a nice crisp cottage cheese salad with sweet potato (much tastier). I only eat food I love, so I don't waste my calories budget on tasteless calories. And then I can have the occasional sweet sticky cake.
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    Well it's been one week so...just start over again this week and do better, but what do you mean by cheats? Do you mean you just ate food that you think is less healthy than you think, or did go over your calories? Because if you went over your calories a couple of times, and had a really bad day well there is your problem, if you just ate foods that you deemed as not being as healthy then, I would say keep eating those foods as long as you are under your calorie goal because it seems to be easier for you that way, and mix in some those "real foods" when you can. Your weight is going to fluctuate all of the time because of what you eat, and retaining water, but if you keep an accurate log, and stay under your calorie goal it will all even out.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    The magic is already happening in your head. You logged your food, recognized your excesses, and measured the results of your excesses. You are already learning what to do. Be of good cheer. I had a disaster day last Thursday and piled on 4+ lb of water. It's gone now. It happens that way if you stay on the program for a few days longer than your interval of disaster days.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    That's about what I eat. Can I splurge on burgers and fries every day? No. But if I'm clever and careful I can still fit in lots of tasty stuff with a view on the end game when I get back my current 500 calorie deficit (well, a bit less because I'll need fewer calories to maintain by the time I get to goal) and will indulge more.

    And it takes my body a good 2-3 weeks to cotton on to what the heck I'm doing and start showing up on the scale. It can be a little frustrating but it is what it is, I just keep plodding along knowing the results are happening regardless of what that inaccurate little bit of technology is telling me.

    I just had a month of holidays and sickness. My weight has bounced down and up and is on the way back down again, it's fine because it's one month out of the rest of my life.
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