Feeling discouraged

djvorhees

I am on week 2 of my lifestyle change (early on.. I know) yet I am feeling very discouraged.

To give you a little background... I am in college and adapted a very unhealthy lifestyle. I ate twice a day and those two meals were typically fast food, fried foods, accompanied with a coke. On average I probably drank about 100oz of coke a day and no water at all. This habit went on for roughly 2.5 years. I work with children so I’m fairly active and walk everywhere on campus.

I completely cut out soda 2 weeks ago and have been drinking propel water instead. I sometimes drink Minute Maid light but I’m trying to take it easy at first and ease myself into mainly drinking water so I don’t “relapse”. As far as eating, I cut out all fried foods and my calorie intake is currently 1,200 calories a day. I have started going to the gym and doing cardio (treadmill on incline) but I feel as though I have gotten nowhere.

Any advice/words of encouragement?

Current weight: 187 lbs
Goal weight: 145 lbs

malibu927

What do you mean by getting nowhere?

djvorhees

I feel like I’m not losing the weight, not going to lose the weight, almost as if what I’m doing will not present me with results. Does that answer your question?

JeromeBarry1

If your intake is accurately measured as 1200 calories each day, and you are also doing cardio work, then you are in need of having at least a few more calories of intake to satisfy your bodily needs for protein.

Let me guess, you told myfitnesspal that you wanted to lose 2 lb per week.

I didn't. I told myfitnesspal that I wanted to lose 0.5 lb per week. That was an easy target for me to hit. It still is. I've been at this for 2 years. I've been close to my goal weight once, and I've experienced a season of really really really failing to stay on course. I'm back on course now. Stay on course, we'll both get to our goal. With any shred of persistence, you'll have most of your life to enjoy in good health. All I have left is certainly less than half.

And, @djvorhees , read the "I Am A Failure" discussion as well as the Success Stories.

gems74

Sounds like you are making A LOT of healthy changes in a short period of time. Just take it one day at a time, or even one meal at a time. I read somewhere that it takes 21 days to make a new habit, and it won’t be easy all the time. If it was easy we’d all be swimsuit models and obesity wouldn’t be an epidemic.

Keep doing what your doing, your doing great!

malibu927

It's only been two weeks, and new exercise can cause you to retain water. Make sure you're logging everything as accurately as possible and have some patience.

GetFit4Life2018

It does take time to see changes after stopping sugar pop specifically. Even though it's not diet, there's still chemicals in it that can mess with your body. Keep pushing and give it a solid month before getting discouraged. You may be gaining muscle now. Inclines on treadmills really work the muscle, I know I have done it. Muscle weighs more and it will at first and then it will start to burn fat. Drink plenty of water as muscles use water to rebuild and your body does retain water to build muscle so that could be it too.

jgnatca

Figure out what the middle steps of success look like. Set weekly goals. Week 1 goal may be to log every day. Week 2 goal might be to stick to the daily calorie target. If you have a bad week, re-evaluate and reset your goals as necessary.

Losing weight is hard. Be kind to yourself and don’t depend on temporary feelings stop you from your life changes.

malibu927

GetFit4Life2018 wrote: »

It does take time to see changes after stopping sugar pop specifically. Even though it's not diet, there's still chemicals in it that can mess with your body. Keep pushing and give it a solid month before getting discouraged. You may be gaining muscle now. Inclines on treadmills really work the muscle, I know I have done it. Muscle weighs more and it will at first and then it will start to burn fat. Drink plenty of water as muscles use water to rebuild and your body does retain water to build muscle so that could be it too.

What chemicals? And she'd be gaining very little, if any muscle.

nwagner15

I feel the same way as you! I literally had a breakdown tonight during one of my workouts. I've been making changes and exercising for a month now, but feel like I'm getting nowhere, and that I will always get nowhere. I was 185 pounds in December, and now I'm at 177 pounds in February but I still feel bloated and just bleh. Stick with it! It's the only way we will ever reach our goals! This is hard, just be kind to yourself is my advice.

KotoMalli

First off, I am feeling the same!! Second, congrats on starting your journey !

These past few months especially I have been frustrated with my weight (I am 178lbs currently, goal of 145lbs).

I decided to go on forums on MFP and other weight loss support sites to listen to others' stories and also empathize with people who feel the same, discouraged.

Today is the first day I start counting my calories again and I will do my best to keep it up for the week. One day at a time...

You're not alone; I feel for you! May the force be with us both...

pamfgil

You do not have a huge amount to lose, you should be aiming for approx 1pd per week, also if you've made a sudden huge drop in sugar it can lead to a sugar hangover which could explain why you feel bad. You can tough it out and should start feeling better in two to three weeks, or back up then cut down on sugar more slowly, either way will work

theabsentmindednurse

This is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one.
Your journey is brand new, yet you have accepted defeat. You CAN and YOU WILL do this.
Accept this is a PROCESS.
It really is CICO. Log everything you eat and drink accurately. Measure accurately. Move more and stay positive.
And
Whatever else you do.....
REMEMBER THIS IS A LIFETIME COMMITMENT!!
So it is going to take time.
You will get there.
Believe in yourself and trust the process!

LivingtheLeanDream

Its early days, you've made a lot of changes, perhaps you've made too many? as in, you might not be able to stick to it, but certainly you will see progress with cutting calories - but it takes time, it takes a lot of time so have patience. Log everything you eat, stay consistently within your calorie allowance and you WILL lose, trust the process.

All the best.

elisa123gal

It is normal to feel down when you start a fitness plan. It is depressing to realize not only what bad habits have done to your body...but you mourn the loss of your old ignorance. the devil on your shoulder is trying to convince you to not change..that it isn't worth it. only you know better now... so you feel down, because hard work is ahead ..you have to make good choices and establishing good new habits to change. Drinking soda and eating whatever you want is so much easier ...

It is normal to feel down for a day or so..but stick with your changes.. logic dictates you will lose weight and then your motivation will come. it is a process.. your health is so worth it..you can do it.

jdaspin

djvorhees wrote: »

I am on week 2 of my lifestyle change (early on.. I know) yet I am feeling very discouraged.

To give you a little background... I am in college and adapted a very unhealthy lifestyle. I ate twice a day and those two meals were typically fast food, fried foods, accompanied with a coke. On average I probably drank about 100oz of coke a day and no water at all. This habit went on for roughly 2.5 years. I work with children so I’m fairly active and walk everywhere on campus.

I completely cut out soda 2 weeks ago and have been drinking propel water instead. I sometimes drink Minute Maid light but I’m trying to take it easy at first and ease myself into mainly drinking water so I don’t “relapse”. As far as eating, I cut out all fried foods and my calorie intake is currently 1,200 calories a day. I have started going to the gym and doing cardio (treadmill on incline) but I feel as though I have gotten nowhere.

Any advice/words of encouragement?

Current weight: 187 lbs
Goal weight: 145 lbs

Jasp03

djvorhees wrote: »

I am on week 2 of my lifestyle change (early on.. I know) yet I am feeling very discouraged.

To give you a little background... I am in college and adapted a very unhealthy lifestyle. I ate twice a day and those two meals were typically fast food, fried foods, accompanied with a coke. On average I probably drank about 100oz of coke a day and no water at all. This habit went on for roughly 2.5 years. I work with children so I’m fairly active and walk everywhere on campus.

I completely cut out soda 2 weeks ago and have been drinking propel water instead. I sometimes drink Minute Maid light but I’m trying to take it easy at first and ease myself into mainly drinking water so I don’t “relapse”. As far as eating, I cut out all fried foods and my calorie intake is currently 1,200 calories a day. I have started going to the gym and doing cardio (treadmill on incline) but I feel as though I have gotten nowhere.

Any advice/words of encouragement?

Current weight: 187 lbs
Goal weight: 145 lbs

Ok, so I haven't read anything that anyone else has said yet, so forgive me if I'm repeating anything. There are a few things that I can share here, that will hopefully help you and give you some added encouragement.

Firstly, the part where you talk about the coke and no water, that sounds like me a few years ago. Dropping sodas completely is a very hard thing to do, especially when it's all you're used to drinking. The first time I tried, it would give me headaches for the first week and as soon as I'd have 1, I was hooked again. A family member suggested that instead of going directly from sodas to plain water, that I do sodas, to sparkling water, to plain water. As weird as it sounds, it worked for me. The sparkling water removed any craving of soda that I had. Here is an example of the product that I used: https://www.kroger.com/p/aquafina-sparkling-water-lemon-lime/0001200016170. The taste wasn't all that great, it takes getting used to, but I did what I had to do to get off of sodas completely. I was drinking this water for about 3-4 weeks, with also drinking plain water. After that, sodas did not phase me at all. Haven't had one now in about a year and a half or more. Once you remove sodas from your diet, there is a lot of weight that initially melts off. Things like propel water still isn't the best, as it has added crap still (still better than sodas of course).

Secondly, you may feel you're getting nowhere, but don't let that get to you. Take measurements, and use photos. Over a longer period of time, you'll start seeing the results. Chances are, you have already improved in those 2 weeks, but it's hard to notice a difference in only 2 weeks. Just keep at it, it sounds like you're doing great.

Lastly, I started my mission at 237lbs, trying to get to 175. I've cut calories, and do cardio and while I started to lose some weight, I felt like I was actually getting weaker. I added some weight training in right before cardio. I've noticed that the weight comes off a little faster, and physically I feel better, don't feel and don't look as weak. So I would recommend adding some weight training to the mix. Nothing too crazy, kettlebells and dumbbells would be sufficient to start.

Sorry for the lengthy book, hopefully there is valuable content here for you. Good luck!!!

JenDrea

I was just like you in college - surviving on salads and hot pockets with five days of cardio. Hoping that the weight loss would be quick and I would receive instant gratification. I managed to lose the weight once I began to focus on how felt vs. how I looked.

The best advice has been shared here...continue to work at it! Some of us have had a lifetime of bad habits and an unrealistic goal of losing weight in a short period of time. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work that way. Be persistent!