Learning to be "ok" with slow weight loss....

maurihart

I've been in this same spot every year for the past 5-6 years. I start off strong in January after the holiday "plump" and I hit it hard with workouts and better eating. And, normally, I come here and realize how I need to tighten the calorie counting and I slowly lose 7-8 pounds over those first 2 months. Then March comes and life gets busier and I somehow get impatient with everything and just stop. How do you keep focused on this method? There are no "wow" weeks. The most I've lost in one week is 2 pounds and most of the time that's after a week of nothing so it averages out to about a pound a week.

I WANT to make this time different. I want to keep going. But I see people with 1000-1200 calorie a day diets losing 10+ pounds in no time and I start doubting everything.

How do you break through the mental block?

Around the end of December I weighed 185. This week I hit 177. I'm 5'7" and 41 years old. I tend to hover around 177 during non holiday times of the year. I'd like to be 160. That's not much to lose. Why is it so hard? I hit 165 about 6 years ago but haven't been in the 160's since then.

Stella3838

Well the closer you are to goal weight, the slower the weight loss, so there's that. I have less than 15 to lose and it's a bit of a slog. For me personally, I just got tired of not fitting into clothes and not having energy. Then the thoughts of having to maybe do this stop and start again.. I just had enough. I want a healthy lifestyle and to do that, it's for always. I plan to live a lot of years and I want to be that little old lady doing crazy awesome active things. I just decided it was time to make it a priority. I fall off sometimes, but get back on. Everyone will have their reasons. I'm sure there has to be one (or more) for you? You got this!

maurihart

Absolutely!! I want to look good in my clothes and feel strong! And want toned arms and legs and abs. Maybe one day I'll shoot for 150 pounds. But really I just want to be healthy and look good while not starving myself.

Stella3838

There's no need to starve! Plenty of people here eat 1,600 -1,800 calories (or more depending!) and lose. Don't know your particular stats and goals, but many people think they have to go to that 1,000 -1,200 range to lose. And for a lot of people, that's not needed. I'm eating about 1,500 - 1,800 with exercise and losing about a pound a week. I don't feel starved. Just got to figure out what your sweet spot is, especially if there's hope to do it long term!! You've got great goals, so go get it!

HappyBlues

Since you have so little lose to get to goal of course it'll come of slower. (I think we all know that but we don't like it just the same! I am with you on that one!) I have lost 95 pounds, but still have 20 or so to get to goal. In the beginning it was great seeing monthly totals of 10 or more pounds! However that is not at all realistic for me now as I am closer to goal. (Now I am aiming for 3lb total in a month!) Since you'd like this to be weight that you keep off (I would assume) why not focus on learning better habits that will help you to maintain the weight once it's off. That has been my approach since the start of my weight loss. Everything I have done to lose weight has been with the focus that I was also learning to keep it off. And believe you me there is nothing more daunting then starting out needing to lose 120 pounds. So there is no rush, no finish line... I think it's when we get to thinking that way that we get more anxious/impatient. I mean life is going to go on either way, right? And giving up just means putting on more pounds (or at the least, not getting to goal) and who wants that? Anyway... don't give up, just refocus!

lorrpb

Your rate of loss of nearly 2 lbs per week is not slow. It's the fastest recommended, and really, it's higher than recommended when you have so little to lose (as opposed to 100 lb or more). The closer you get, the harder it is because there is less room for error in estimating calories. If you were to eat a bit more and accept a slower loss rate, it would likely be easier to sustain because you wouldn't have to starve yourself. I lost 150 lbs eating about 1700 per day, and I'm your same height. Adopting a slower loss rate would help you to learn portion control on a daily basis, for the long haul, so maybe you can navigate the holidays more successfully and won't have to go through this every year, lol. Just sayin.

federicafezza4271

I am in a similar place: I am 24 and I weight about almost 68 kgs/150 pounds (omg it seems a lot in lbs!).
I put on weight slowly on the course of 5/6 years.

In some periods I get more fat and I am super scared of the mirror --> I eat less for a while --> my jeans fit slightly better --> I stop caring about it --> the next time it's Christmas period/vacation with lots of restaurant/stressful exam where I sit on my butt for a month and study and eat/whatever I just go back to where I was before, and that's how I put on my weight.

I am trying to change this.
I am trying to accept that I am not one of those people who go super low calories, no treats for 2 months and lose 10 kgs. Some days I will stick to my calories, some days I will go on an unexpected dinner date or skip a workout.
I am trying to accept that I can't go "all of nothing" because I will never be able to go "all" for a sustained period and I don't want to go "nothing" because I'd just be a whale. So I have to find my balance, change one little thing at a time and incorporate all these new habits in my lifestyle.
I fall off a lot (I am now at a "falling" point, actually) but I owe to myself to get back on every time.

It took me 5 years to put on 12 kgs.
I hope it won't take me 5 years to lose them (omg I will be in my 30s by then!) but I'd rather it be super slow than staying this way.

Good luck and keep going!

cwolfman13

When I was losing I ultimately placed my focus on living a healthier life altogether and acknowledged that what I was doing in the loss process would be the same thing I would be doing in maintenance save for a handful more calories. I focused on health, nutrition, and fitness and focused on doing the things my lean and fit friends do...weight loss followed.

Also, 1 Lb per week is about right...this isn't some "reality" t.v. show. In the real world, healthy weight loss is relatively slow.

Rocknut53

lorrpb wrote: »

Your rate of loss of nearly 2 lbs per week is not slow. It's the fastest recommended, and really, it's higher than recommended when you have so little to lose (as opposed to 100 lb or more). The closer you get, the harder it is because there is less room for error in estimating calories. If you were to eat a bit more and accept a slower loss rate, it would likely be easier to sustain because you wouldn't have to starve yourself. I lost 150 lbs eating about 1700 per day, and I'm your same height. Adopting a slower loss rate would help you to learn portion control on a daily basis, for the long haul, so maybe you can navigate the holidays more successfully and won't have to go through this every year, lol. Just sayin.

^^this^^ The mental part of weight loss is the hardest. I finally reached a point where I knew that I had to make a permanent change in my eating habits or I was destined for an unhealthy and most likely short future. You are the age now where I was when I just kind of gave up and accepted my weight. I kept gaining, believing that it was OK. I stayed active, but still ate too much. Next thing I know I'm on cholesterol lowering meds, GERD meds, and having achy hip and knee joints. It took me 3 attempts on MFP to finally get serious and get it right. I'm now only 10 pounds heavier than when I was in my mid 20's, I'm off all my meds and for the most part pain free. Oddly, when I finally committed to losing the weight I was amazed at how easy it really was. I regret not doing this when I was your age instead of waiting til I was 63.

PaulaWallaDingDong

iwashbusiness13 wrote: »

I actually just started this weight loss system called the '3 Week diet'. I like it quite a bit, I have been on it for about a week an a half now. I'll post the link if anyone's interested http://3weekweightloss.life/week1

Two comments and they're both a link to a shady website that makes bogus diet claims and wants your contact info?

middlehaitch

@lorrpb has it right. You are aiming a bit high. 2lbs a week is good if you have over 75 lbs to lose. With as little to lose as you have .5lbs would be good if your logging is tight. 1lbs if you are looser in your logging (this will take into account inacccuraces that can't be afforded at .5 a week)

Actually as you know you tend to give up around this time of year why not either:-

1) log accurately to lose 1lbs for the next 2-4 weeks paying close attention to your portion sizes so you can over the following few weeks wean yourself from logging and work with portion sizes that are right for you. Your weight loss would probably be closer to .5 as there will be errors in eyeballing, but it will move you forward.

2) work out what your maintenance calories are at your goal weight and eat those. This will taper to a crawl as you get closer to your goal weight and the calorie difference will be minimal, but you may find it a more sustainable way to move forward.

3) would be blending 1 and 2 so it works for you.

Your loss has to fit you.
Those that lose large amounts at 1200 cals usually have much more weight to lose than you.

Cheers, h.

ETA: it took me around 6 months to lose my last 10-15 lbs. it was extremely slow- but I have kept that weight off for over 7 years.

LivingtheLeanDream

When we don't have much to lose we need to be realistic as hard as that may be, it takes time to lose weight.

You've seen a repeat of gain and loss over the years so you know what you did isn't working.
I was like you for years, something eventually clicked - I had to find something sustainable. I found MFP and the rest as they say is history this is my 4th year at maintenance.
(Needed to lose 20 lbs and it took me the best part of a year)

Choose to lose slowly so you don't feel deprived or as if you are on a diet i.e something sustainable and a way of eating better for life.

Choose to move more - simple things like taking a daily walk, parking further away, taking the stairs - anything that gets you more active than you were.

Little changes make the difference

And above all be consistent - it takes around 3 week's for a new habit to start becoming the norm.

All the best.

Ruth

metalmeow1

Don't think of it as slow weight loss. Think of it as going at a sustainable pace. Don't look at it like a diet, and don't worry. As long as you're making healthy choices more often than not, you'll progress

I lost weight (100lbs in a few years, 70lbs lost quickly but eating so strictly wasn't sustainable.

Portion properly. Count calories to ensure at least a minor deficit. Enjoy the Doritos!

maurihart

Thanks for the tips guys!!! I don't have my calories set to lose 2pounds a week, but sometimes I will go like 2-3 weeks losing nothing and then drop 2lbs (that was what I meant). The "whoosh" I suppose. I have a very hard time eating/losing/functioning at only 1200 calories a day so I normally eat about 1700-1800 and on most days I am totaling around 2100-2500 total calories burned so my deficit is 400-700ish - give or take a little for error and whatever. I consider it a great day if I have a 500 calorie deficit. It's just the whole mindset of it that's hard to grasp and be patient with. But I KNOW this is the best way for me.

For now, I'm working on a few things like not using butter/cheese for food as much and also concentrating on weightlifting more. I downloaded the stronglifts app but it honestly scares me.

freedom2016mfp

Slow and steady wins the race

Skinnyvid

You must look at the other positives in your life from the exercise. Such as increased energy, improved mood, blood pressure and just healthier than you were 3, 5 weeks ago or whenever you started. It's so hard believe me but keeping a diary of your feelings of frustration etc so you look back and see Oh right I was there and thought where I am was so far away but look at me now!! :-) we can do it! Stick with it!

lorrpb

maurihart wrote: »

Thanks for the tips guys!!! I don't have my calories set to lose 2pounds a week, but sometimes I will go like 2-3 weeks losing nothing and then drop 2lbs (that was what I meant). The "whoosh" I suppose. I have a very hard time eating/losing/functioning at only 1200 calories a day so I normally eat about 1700-1800 and on most days I am totaling around 2100-2500 total calories burned so my deficit is 400-700ish - give or take a little for error and whatever. I consider it a great day if I have a 500 calorie deficit. It's just the whole mindset of it that's hard to grasp and be patient with. But I KNOW this is the best way for me.

For now, I'm working on a few things like not using butter/cheese for food as much and also concentrating on weightlifting more. I downloaded the stronglifts app but it honestly scares me.

If possible hire a trainer for a few sessions to get you started, or start with dumbbells and work your way up. It can be fun once you get the hang of it!

kirstenvcc

I'm 19 and have managed to lose just a little over one stone (14lbs) in just over a month. I was about 3 stone overweight to begin with. I know that probably sounds extremely fast to the majority of people, but even now I can't see a difference and have been willing it to come off quicker. I guess my point is that when you want to lose weight so badly it feels like it's taking forever, keep up the good diet and it'll be gone soon enough I'm sure!

earthnut

I'm one of those 1200 calorie eaters. But my maintenance calories are 1500 so that's only a 300 calorie deficit. I lose weight slowly. I find it helpful to measure my waist with a tape measure, as well as look at my weight. There have been weeks where I haven't dropped a pound but I did lose 3 inches! Then the next week the scale dropped and I didn't lose any inches. Keeping track of other improvements can keep your morale up.

A benefit of slow weight loss and taking diet breaks is that you're more likely to KEEP the weight off. Maintenance is harder than weight loss for most people.

As far as barbells, start with an empty bar, that's not very scary. And find someone to coach you on proper form. (make sure they know what they're doing). Proper form is the most important thing.