Discouraged

Mommiepootie

Hello, I'm a 33 yr old looking to she'd 40lbs. I've been dieting for a month and have only lost 4lbs! I work out 6 days a week. While I've noticed I've lost 2inches off my waist. I want my scale to go down!!!

concordancia

Just keep with the program and have patience.

sardelsa

It sounds like you are doing great! 2 inches off your waist is amazing. If you started working out and weren't before you are probably holding on to some water which can affect the scales but clearly is showing on your body. Keep doing what you are doing, be consistent and have patience.. you will get there!

Lutielu

Hey that’s still a pound a week! Don’t get discouraged, you want sustainable weight loss, not just a quick dip on the scales for summer. Could be you’re putting on muscle too

88olds

Isn’t discussed in these terms much, but coping with discouragement is a major issue in weight loss.

Consider the name of this board. Folks come on here looking to reconnect with their lost motivation. That’s just battling discouragement in other terms. My unscientific observation of this board is that the #1 source of weight loss discouragement is right there in your post- TIME.

We live in the physical universerse. Life has limitations. In many ways weight loss is about living with some limits.

One limit is how much weight we can reasonably lose in a week. We tell our selves we need to be patient but feel and act impatient just the same. Try another way.

Embrace the process. As everyone else on your thread suggests you’re doing very well. But this is just one month. What no one has suggested is that 1 lb per week for 40 weeks would be remarkable. What happens when your results are .2lbs, or zero, or a gain?

Spend some time thinking this through or your own brain will wreck you. Failure to credit our own success is a big weight loss problem. Personally I think our brains hate weight loss.

Slow and steady really does win the race. Look at it as the time it takes to adapt to your new thinner lifestyle.

malibu927

You’ve lost a pound a week, which with how much you want to lose is right on target. You didn’t put it on fast, so it won’t come off fast.

mbaker566

that is excellent progres

seltzermint555

It sounds like you're doing amazing. The best thing to do at this point is keep on keepin' on and don't listen to anyone who may be bragging about how they lost 15 lb in two weeks. I've heard a whole lot of that over the years especially on social media (not MFP) and it used to discourage me SO BADLY - but maintaining my super-slow loss of 130-ish pounds helps me feel better

mulecanter

I agree with all above, congrats on good, steady progress. Also, getting a handle on this at the tender age of 33 is great, you will have lots of years to sport your kicka$$ body and the health to enjoy it.

__N7

I just went through a bout of horrible discouragement. I started weight training and gained weight! Injured myself twice and haven't even thought about weighing myself until the end of this week.

I think the important thing like others have said is to take a step back and re-frame. Try to take feeling of empowerment from what you have accomplished in a month. Dietary change is difficult and going to the gym 6 days a week is incredible! As others have said, you're probably gaining muscle (and the water weight from it) right now, which is slowing your progress.

Personally, especially since I have a big focus on weight training, I've decided to start taking measurements weekly and to make those numbers shrink as my number one priority. I'll also continue to weigh myself, but really try to focus on those measurements instead.

Regroup, refocus, and keep going!

RadishEater

1lb per week is great! I wanted to lose 25 lbs and lost it closer to .5lb per week, which felt so slow, but it all came off!

Mommiepootie

Thank you all so much!!!! Your words really helped me thru my slump!!!! This is the first time I reached out for support, and I'm glad I did!!! Thank you!!! Gonna keep chugging along! Best of luck to all of you on your journey!

akellis0405

Keep it up!! My hubby keeps telling me to stop looking at the scale. I was in the same boat literally I had just lost 6 lbs in a month but I was super discouraged too. Remember - you’re gaining muscle so just keep your head up!

mshidfar2018

that s about 0.5 kg every week which is ideal.don t give too much thinking to scale ,thats only a number. keep up the constant effort doing workouts and keeping your calirie dificit , don t be in hurry to loose weight too fast so you don t risk loosing your muscles alongside. so you re doing great just keep it up

mca90guitar

Seems to be the big issue for most starters, high expectations and thinking they will drop 10 lbs a month. You're going at a good rate, keep up the good work.

h1udd

weightloss is slow ..... you didnt put on 40lbs in 1 month, it wont come off in 1 month.

Once you get your mindset around slimming down is not instant gratification territory, its something that helps is you can do in the background whilst acheiving other things like getting better, faster, stronger in the gym ..... well then it helps your sanity quite a lot