Want to give up...
hrt4j3
Posts: 2 Member
I’ve been working out 5 days a week for a month, eating healthier, and lost 4 pounds. I can tell there’s a difference by looking at me, but the past few days it’s like I’m gaining weight. I’m working so hard for this, but right now I just want to give up. I know that my body won’t change over night, I’m just discouraged and feel like I’ll never be able to feel good in my body before summer is over. Help
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Replies
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Are you gaining weight? If so, you're eating more than you burn. But you can't measure weight gain (or loss) until you have several weeks of reliable data.
To lose weight, you have to eat in a calorie deficit. Yes, it's that simple.
If you want to give up one month in, chances are you're doing not just ineffective things, but also unnecessary things. Exiercising, and healthy eating, whatever that means to you, does not mean that you're in a calorie deficit.3 -
The past few days it is like I'm gaining weight or you are actually gaining weight? Why have you set the deadline of by the end of this summer? You are aware that there will be other summers?
You are exercising 5 days a week and making progress which is great but it sounds like you are putting an awful lot of pressure on yourself by placing arbitrary deadlines on yourself and working out 5 days a week. It doesn't sound like you are enjoying the exercising you are doing and/or the healthy eating. If that is the case then it is not surprising that your mind feels like you want to give up and is sending you negative emotions.
Do you feel like what I've said is an accurate reflection of what you are doing and how you are feeling?
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Weight loss isn't linear - you won't lose weight every week, sometimes you'll maintain, sometimes you'll gain a little through normal fluid/food fluctuations. You've lost 4lbs in a couple of weeks, you're only a short way into your weight loss, likelihood is that you're just retaining some water either from one of the reasons below or several other reasons and it's masking your loss.
Giving up will just get you back to square one which is presumably not where you want to be.7 -
I am sure that we all have days or moments we feel like giving up. Take some time to figure out if you are feeling deprived. Is there some specific food you have not found a way to work into your diet?
This is a journey. Think about why you want to lose weight then circle back to that any time you feel discouraged.1 -
I have been hovering between 173-170 for MONTHS. No way in hell am I giving up. What will that get you? But if you keep going what will that get you?3
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I’ve been working out 5 days a week for a month, eating healthier, and lost 4 pounds. I can tell there’s a difference by looking at me, but the past few days it’s like I’m gaining weight. I’m working so hard for this, but right now I just want to give up. I know that my body won’t change over night, I’m just discouraged and feel like I’ll never be able to feel good in my body before summer is over. Help
like you're gaining weight, or you are actually gaining weight2 -
I’ve been working out 5 days a week for a month, eating healthier, and lost 4 pounds. I can tell there’s a difference by looking at me, but the past few days it’s like I’m gaining weight. I’m working so hard for this, but right now I just want to give up. I know that my body won’t change over night, I’m just discouraged and feel like I’ll never be able to feel good in my body before summer is over. Help
Eating healthier is relative to the person. Just saying. If I went from eating 12 donuts a day to only eating 10, is that Heather? Weigh and measure your food.0 -
I can hear familiar thoughts behind your words. I've been where you are many years ago. Finally I got so fat I needed many summers to finally get thin.
First of all it's more about what you eat than how much you exercise. Just eating "healthier" isn't always enough. Some of the healthiest foods can be very calorically dense like avocado, dried fruit and raw nuts. You need to eat less calories than you burn no matter what they come from. Just eating healthy food if it's high calorie can in fact make you gain weight.
Exercise is very beneficial for your health but unless you are very obese you may not burn tons of calories. My advice is slow down a little at the gym. Maybe cut back to 3 days a week to start and begin to weigh and log your food. Then don't expect to lose more than a pound a week. Yes, I said ONE pound a week. If you lose more it's a bonus.
All of us have been where you are. Believe me. I didn't finally lose it all until I was 60 years old! But it is so nice to be normal sized finally. From your original post I am guessing you aren't huge which is why I said one pound a week. My guess is you have maybe 20 or 30 pounds to lose? If I'm wrong my apologies but the only way to lose and keep it off is to do it slowly so you can build new healthy habits. Good luck and enjoy your summer!4 -
psychod787 wrote: »I’ve been working out 5 days a week for a month, eating healthier, and lost 4 pounds. I can tell there’s a difference by looking at me, but the past few days it’s like I’m gaining weight. I’m working so hard for this, but right now I just want to give up. I know that my body won’t change over night, I’m just discouraged and feel like I’ll never be able to feel good in my body before summer is over. Help
Eating healthier is relative to the person. Just saying. If I went from eating 12 donuts a day to only eating 10, is that Heather? Weigh and measure your food.
Yes? No? I don't know?! ... is this a trick question3 -
Thank you everyone for your encouragement and advice. I defiantly don’t eat more calories than I burn. I usually have about 100-200 left after my day. I cut out bread and sugar. Yes I only have 25 pounds to lose, i know it may not sound like much. I use to be in great shape because my jobs required me to move, lift, and squat. Now I have a desk job and I started gaining weight to where I can’t fit in my clothes anymore and sit comfortably without feeling like I have to unbutton my pants. I’m so glad there are others I can reach out to for support!0
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You need to step back. First.. over exercising can make you more hungry. Also exercise makes you retain waterweight for sometimes up to six weeks..especially if you are working out hard.
..and eating healthy could mean you're not counting your caloires and weighing your food to make sure it is right. many vegetarians and vegans eat healthy but are fat..
so. i think you get what we mean. you are trying..but you may be doing the wrong things. adjust .... learn.. and be honest with yourself.1 -
It takes time and depending on how much weight you have to lose, that time frame varies significantly. It's easy to get frustrated and want to give up when you know you've been working hard and seeing little benefit. If you're working out you might be gaining muscle/retaining fluid or your muscles may be inflamed. Try measuring, that has really helped me through my number plateaus.
Also, if you are doing a lot of strength/muscle/full body workouts it could actually be doing damage to your body. I made that mistake and was kicking my bum doing zumba every day as well as some other things and was seeing no weight loss at all, even gained a pound. Read up on it and a friend of mine had actually asked her doctor about it and the doctor said that was too much for a body that isn't used to it and it was probably muscle inflammation/water retention. To do things like that once a week, walk every day (20-30 minutes at a time), do some resistance type training here and there and once I started that I lost like 9 pounds in no time.
Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error to find what will work for you, and sometimes what did work stops working and you have to switch it up. That's why we are all here! To look for help and help when we can. Best of luck to you!
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How are you measuring your food?1
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Do you want to lose weight? It's a simple question. If yes, why are you giving up? Weight loss takes time and dedication.
I'll never hit 135lbs by my next birthday, so what. I'll eventually get there as long as I keep going. One pound at a time.3 -
One of my favorite quotes for moments like this...
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