Help

Just need some advice ... I have done so many diets in the past and I have struggled with the same issue every single time. My body can lose over half a stone in a week and again for a few weeks then my body gets use to what I’m doing and stops losing weight. This is when I get frustrated and turn back to eating rubbish. How can I over come this problem?????

Replies

  • 73CL350
    73CL350 Posts: 259 Member
    Understand that the first 2 weeks you're just losing water weight, not fat.

    And eat less.

    You see a water weight drop due to less carbohydrates and the glycogen reserves flushing water out as they get depleted.

    Burning fat is a long slow process.
  • 73CL350
    73CL350 Posts: 259 Member
    Your body does not "get use to what you're doing" ... starvation mode is a total myth ... you're just still eating too much.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    what do you do when you "diet"?

    Have you tried entering your stats in MFP for calorie goal and eating that, eating normal foods you enjoy in moderation and figuring out what helps you stay full? Logging everything you eat (and weighting everything)

    Weight loss takes time. we didn't put on the weight in 1 month, it won't come off in a month. It requires consistency (taking in fewer calories than we use) over time to loose weight. The immediate quick loss is usually mostly water.

    and the weight won't come off in a straight line. some days it will go up a bit, others down. You need to keep at it.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    When I am trying to lose weight I usually do 2 weeks of maintenance calories after 6 weeks of deficit calories.

    It's supposed to be good for keeping hormones in balance and such, but it's really important for my sanity.

    I definitely notice my biggest losses in the first few weeks of deficit, and then it slows the last few weeks, but it bumps back up to nice losses after the maintenance weeks.

    Overall it does kind of drag out the weight loss, but for me it's totally worth it because the whole process is more enjoyable even if it does take longer on the calendar.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Just need some advice ... I have done so many diets in the past and I have struggled with the same issue every single time. My body can lose over half a stone in a week and again for a few weeks then my body gets use to what I’m doing and stops losing weight. This is when I get frustrated and turn back to eating rubbish. How can I over come this problem?????

    Stop crash dieting and giving up so quickly.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    73CL350 wrote: »
    Your body does not "get use to what you're doing" ... starvation mode is a total myth ... you're just still eating too much.

    More likely it's a normal water weight fluctuation than still eating too much.
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,517 Member
    edited October 2018
    Water weight? Eating too much? Reasonable minds can differ. You need to stay at it for longer than a few weeks to work through this. Think in terms of a few months. Quit dieting and try weight loss.

    Calculate a modest calorie deficit, start a food diary and try to hit your number. You will soon find that you have a better chance to hit your number if you have a plan. Plan for each day and week. Try to anticipate problems and plan around them.

    Keep your diary no matter what, good, bad or ugly. Weight loss is a process, a skill set. Mostly problem solving. The process is more important than the numbers. Trust and defend the process and the process will see you through.

    Set up a system of weekly weigh ins and track your progress. You are trying to establish a downward trend over time.

    Long term weight loss requires two things. A downward trend at the scale. And the ability to live with it. A plan you won’t actually follow is not a good plan. But the good news is plans that are proving to be ineffective can be fixed.

    Be patient.

    Oh, and while anything is possible, it’s unlikely you’re eating rubbish. Don’t add to your problems by kicking yourself for liking the food that you like. I try to think in terms of whether a particular dish is helpful or unhelpful to my program. Even chocolate cake can be helpful if I plan for it, eat a reasonable portion and log it. Feeling deprived is a plan killer.