Frustrated

tcam70455

Hi, I've been doing MFP for 4 weeks now. I was totally sedentary before. I knew I needed to make major changes. I am doing the 1200 calories, rarely going over that except for exercise calories. I started walking, and I am up to 2 miles/day. I also am up to 15 minutes on the elliptical daily. I have been exercising pretty much every day for 3 of the 4 weeks. I went on vacation the 2nd week and didn't do as well. I am frustrated because I have only lost 5 pounds, most of which was off the by the beginning of the third week. I know I have a slow metabolism, so I am trying to not be too upset, but it is frustrating.

luly727

Good morning; don't be frustrated..its hard. At first the Lbs come off quick and then as yr body gets used to eating healthier, it slows down a bit. I tried to see what your diary looked like but its private so couldnt check out what u r eating.
The first 2 weeks I lost big, then here I am 3 1/2 months later and its at 1 or 2 lbs a week.

Dont give up, review what u r eating, sometimes it 's not only the calories, maybe too much salt?? Sometimes as we get older its slower to come off..
Give yrself time, keep walking and it should start to come off, even 1 -2 lbs a week.

Good Luck and don't give up on yourself, Your body will come around to the new healthy eating

pixieE

I can sympathise with this I've been on MFP since May, my calorie limit is 1300 and since May i have upped my exercise to the point where once per week i push myself and burn up to 700 calories in exercise alone, yet i've only lost 2lb!!!
Its incredibly frustrating as i never go over my calories, i'm alwys under goal and i'm gradually building up my exercise each week.
I know that i've built up some muscle but surely i'd have thought i'd be losing few pounds by now
Its totally disheartening but i think if i didn't do this then i'd be gaining weight!

We've got to stick with this, be patient and hope our metbolisms decide to kick in a bit :happy:

Jenks

Maybe you just need a little perspective. First of all, here's the cliche one "you didn't put the weight on over night, so it's going to take awhile to work it off"
But really figure a healthy weight loss is 1-2lbs a week. You said you've been at it for 4 weeks, minus the week of vacation so really just 3 weeks. So 3 weeks divided by 5 lbs is 1.6lbs a week....which is a nice loss.
Good Luck and don't give up :flowerforyou:

bethinagain

Please don't get frustrated. Five pounds a month is perfect! A few months from now, you will probably only lose 2-3 pounds per month doing the exact same thing so don't get discouraged! Let the weight come off slow, that is the right way to do it and it will stay off!

Remember your diet and exercise is a big key factor to lose weight, BUT if you are concerned about any belly fat.......It's what you eat (the right foods) that will make that go away. Good luck and keep your head up! You're doing great!

gpies

I know the feeling! I've been on MFP since February and have literally lost about 1lb (because I also ended up gaining a lb at first too). Ok, so I know I'm saying 1 or 2 lbs, like it's 5 or 10, but that's exactly how slowly and painstakingly a ib works for me to come off. I can tell you a couple of things I learned over these past months. My body has become stronger and more efficient. (ie. my running has improved and exercise is easier). My body looks for the exercise. If I don't get it, I am grumpy. My body has tightened up and feels better and clothes fall better. I look forward to exercise. I have gone from not much or a few days a week to averaging 4/5 days a week. The weeks that I don't get my days in totally have to do with not having time in the schedule due to kids events after work. Again, I'm grumpy those days. Ok, a few other things I tried. I actually upped my calories because I thought maybe the 1200 was too little and my body wasn't responding well to it. It worked initially but then the scale went up a bit so I tried something else to change it up. I kept my 1500 that I upped but didn't eat my exercise cals back. I'm starting to see success. I've stopped weighing in except for maybe 1x every 2 weeks and I'm losing about 1/2 lb it seems/2 weeks. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it's the first time I've lost consistenly (even if in fractions) since I've been on. The thing I'm glad about is I haven't given up and have just thought things out and tried to work with MFP and my own observations. It's definitely something that I have been frustrated with and wanted to just STOP all together but that would be silly on my part. I've had my days or weeks where I've gone off a bit because of holidays or events, but try and kick myself right back into gear after and put any less than perfect days behind me. I'm hoping this routine that I've been doing sticks and if things happen slowly but surely, it's better than not at all. Hang in there. Losing 1/2 lb, is better than gaining in my eyes, so hang in there because even a little loss, is a loss. And you're body with crave the "healthy" stuff. :happy:

Melanie1967

As alot have already said, it's starts coming off quick, then really slows down. I lost like 15lbs the first 2 weeks. My hubby lost 9lbs his first week. I thought WOW this is going to be easy! WRONG! As stated, we didn't put it on overnight, and we won't take it off overnight either. I am down now to 1-2 lb a week average loss, then here comes TOM, and I gain 2-3 lbs back. That is making it a average now of a total of 5-6 lb loss a month. I am good with that, and it is supposed to be more healthy that way. Goodluck, keep your chin up!

Robin304

Please don't get frustrated. You really do have to look at this as a lifetime commitment. 5lbs lost is 5lbs to be proud of. And like others have said, it really is a healthy rate. Another thing you may try doing is tracking your measurements. When my weight loss seems to slow, often I am losing inches. Take pride in the changes you have already made. Keep it up and the weight loss will follow.

xTattooedDollx

You need to eat more.

sissytx

I have had the same problem. The scales don't tell the whole story though,. Are you clothes fitting looser? That is happening to me. Plus I have had several people tell me that they can tell. So maybe you are losing inches and not pounds.

I have had a week where I just wanted to give up. But thanks to my friends at work, home and on MFP they have been my biggest cheerleader.

Keep up the good work.