Feeling discouraged

liya368

From January to June I was doing great with "diet" alone. I was able to count my calories, be cautious about what I ate and was able to lose 30 pounds. I don't work during the Summer so I was very excited to start exercising and have the weight drop a little quicker. I started C25K and have been doing it regularly.

Well that didn't happen. I am at the same weight for the past 5 weeks. In my head I know I am not eating as well as I do when I am working. I am drinking more. Having more desserts and more calorie rich foods. But was hoping exercise would help.

I am a little worried because my mindset it sort of slipping to--don't worry; just don't gain over the Summer and when you go back to work in September you will start to lose again. That mindset just seems wrong to me.

I have about 25-30 pounds to goal.

grandpoobah12

Maybe go back to diet alone again. Sometimes if you start exercising you have to eat a little more than before to fuel the burn, finding the balance can be tricky for some. Are you eating back atleast some of your exercise calories?

liya368

Grandpoobah funny you mention that. About a year ago I did a body transformation challenge at my gym at lost 2 pounds. I was working out about 6 days a week. Maybe I need to reach my goal first and then exercise to tone. Maybe exercise does not help me lose weight forvsomevreason.

debaloo

I can relate. My kids went to camp for a month and I thought I was gonna kill this! LOL But that never happened! I go to school full time but right now I have no classes going on, my kids are away again on vacation with their grandparents and I do nothing but watch Big Brother live feeds and wait until my next feeding time.

I was just thinking about this today... I am more productive when I have a purpose and a schedule. I am not self directed, more of a deadline person. I get so much done when I am taking 19 credits and running my kids around. A body in motion stays in motion I guess.

scrapjen

ah summer ... it's been interesting to see the shift in routine as the kids are out of school. Sleeping in, spending some days at the pool or park, holidays and family parties. I do miss the routine of the school year. I always seem to do a bit better then than during the summer.

I don't know that your "maintain during the summer" mindset is bad. Maintenance is a challenge too. I tend to do that on a smaller scale now. Work hard during the weekdays when there is more of a routine, even in summer, then on weekends, I just TRY to at least break even with calories in/out ... I don't give up and go crazy, but I know that I generally can't get my usual eating/exercise in).

Have you had any NSV during the past five weeks? Clothes fitting any better, or just feeling fitter because of your exercise? Being able to do a distance you weren't able to before? Can you feel some muscles that you didn't know you had before?

I've been doing this for about 10 weeks now, it has been slow but steady. I have yet to hit a plateau ~ I'm not sure how I'll deal with it if(when) it happens. So I know people can say "Don't get discouraged" but until they have been there ... but I'm sure MANY people have been there. Looking at the forums it does seem different things tend to work for different people, so maybe if something was working, go back to that, or continue to play around and see if something else with exercise kicks in.

Good luck!

liya368

I decided I am going to " take a week off" from exercise and be strict about my calories as if I am working. If I drop some pounds I will know what I will need to do for the rest of the Summer.

Thanks for the replies. .

rezn8

Eat better foods to supplement your workouts. Add more protein. Lean meats, chicken breast, turkey breast. You should bump your macros to something like 40-45carbs/30-35 protein/20-25 fats.

grdaze

I got stuck for something like 7 weeks at the same weight ... it was super discouraging. I stopped exercising at all for a week and just ate whatever I wanted, and 200-500 more than my target kcal goal each day.

I gained almost two pounds ... but then when I started exercising again, the weight started slipping off. I just needed a kick start reboot, I guess.

mdepko

Well that didn't happen. I am at the same weight for the past 5 weeks. In my head I know I am not eating as well as I do when I am working. I am drinking more. Having more desserts and more calorie rich foods. But was hoping exercise would help.

Since I can't see your diaries, I have to ask the obvious question, especially with you saying "in my head......" Are you logging EVERYTHING? If not, you will be surprised how fast desserts and adult beverages add up. I'm not saying don't have them, but you have to work them into your calorie totals, just like the "healthy foods". I play men's golf league once a week, and I always fit 2-3 drinks into my daily total.

victoriousO

I think that is a really good idea, you have to experiment to see what works for you and it has worked in the past so I am wishing you great results:)) I find that if I watch my food and eat as healthy as I can the weight comes off on a regular basis. I do walk and stationary bike a few times a week too. Good luck....

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Calorie deficit is for weight loss.

Exercise is for health and to make sure you look good naked when you get done.

Exercise can stall your scale progress in two ways; it will result in water retention for muscle repair, and it increases appetite. You can counteract the first with patience (it's temporary) and the second with accurate logging/sticking to your calorie goal.

Are you logging accurately and sticking to your calorie goal? If not, that's your problem, not exercise.

In my personal opinion it's worth figuring out how to exercise while you are losing weight. By the time you get to your goal weight without at least some strength training you will have lost muscle, and it's very hard to get back, especially for women.

I know it's tough to stay on track with all the summer activities going on. Today we had Navy-sanctioned fun at the beach, complete with pulled pork sandwiches and delicious desserts. Two nights ago we had a girls night. Next week is the FRG picnic for our crew. It's hard to stick to your goal with all that going on, but it's worth it to figure out how to make it work for you, because if you can do that just think about what a rock star you'll be the rest of the year when there's less temptation.

Muzzoozal

too have summers off so know what you're going through. It's a less disciplined time. I think one has to come to a point of seeing this as a forever life change. My doctor told me if I never lost weight with eating healthy and exercise, I would at least BE healthier. Things that help me are looking at myself in a mirror, not to be discouraged but to see that I really want to loose the weight. I have decided to give myself 1 day a month to eat as I feel. Not that I plan to eat for dawn to dusk or stuff myself sick, but eat without counting, have a dessert, etc. I've also stopped using artificial sweetener as it gives me sugar cravings! Stevia is a great help. Find things that are sweet but low cal. I fix a milk shake using 15 pieces of ice, 1/2 banana, 2tablespoons of Cocoa powder, 1 tsp vanilla or caramel flavoring and 1/4 to a cup of Almond milk and 2 stevia packs. It makes a yummy low-cal dessert that is healthier for you. It s the little choices we daily make that change us. What is a little choice you could make today - eat 1/2 of your dessert for the next month? Don't drink any calories? weigh all meats so you have portion control? I hope all goes well, you can do this.

BrendaLee

You're going to go through rocky periods. It's just how it is. I hit one a few weeks ago, and I thought I was done for, but I rode it out, and I'm still on track (for the most part). Keep your eye on the prize, and think hard and often about the reasons you're doing this.

corgicake

How do you tell if a scale is lying or omitting good chunks of the truth? See if someone is standing on it.

Exercise promotes muscle, which as a means of storing calories isn't very efficient. It holds less calories per pound than fat and requires more calories per pound to maintain. If your body burns some of a fat-pound worth of calories and sinks the difference into a pound of muscle, the scale isn't going to tell you that - it's going to claim you're stalling.

Enjoy the extra energy and strength that physical activity gives you and be patient with the weight.