Just done with losing weight

jesika0731

I’m just over this whole process and I’m pretty much sabotaging myself at this point. I started at 353 two years ago and did nothing but counting calories and macros. After a never ending Thanksgiving I decided to start going to the gym late December. Had about one bad week early Jan. and went back to working out. I’m still stuck at 205 which is exactly where I started back in Nov! What am I working out for?! With it without it I’m just not losing anymore and I’m super frustrated! Not sure what else to do at this point and feeling very down...

mercbenz9

Hi Jesika. I’ve always heard that “weight loss happens in the kitchen.” And “you can’t out-exercise a bad diet.” Of course, exercise does amazing things for your health, so it’s really important. I find I want eat more when I’ve been exercising a lot...Almost like I EARNED the extra food. Which can derail my weight loss. So now I exercise for the rush of endorphins, the increased aerobic capacity, to lower my cholesterol and triglycerides, but NOT to lose weight.
You should also take measurements because you may have lost inches, even if you haven’t lost pounds!

unigirl143

Hang in there. I hit plateaus for weeks if not months on my journey and eventually got to where I wanted to be. One lesson I learned is that loss is not linear. I did not always see the scale go down, it stayed the same and *gasp* went up for a while. Sometimes victories are in how you feel or even if your body is toning and getting smaller. I started out wanting to lose weight and focused more on numbers than i needed to. I realize now I am healthier and my habits I have slowly formed are more important than hitting and staying at a number.

sbcninerempire831

This very helpful hopefully you can add as friend this will help me a lot to stay on track

88olds

I’ve lost 100+ lbs and been maintaining for years. I’d tell you how long I was stuck at about the 2/3 point, but I’m afraid it would leave you depressed.

A couple of things- sometimes the best we can do for a while is not gain. It’s important. One reason I got to goal was I didn’t just throw up my hands thinking “If I’m going to be overweight, what does it matter how much?” I had done that very thing a number of times.

The law of diminishing returns. I was in a bad way when I started at 285 lbs - back pain, a CPAP, HBP. At around 215lbs that stuff was gone. I had gone from a couch potato to a gym regular. I had a life.

You ask what are you working for? Maybe right now you’re working to hang on to what you’ve got. Step back and take stock of the whole process. Big picture. What was your life when you started to where you are now? What did you want when you started? What have you accomplished? If this was day 1, what do you want from the next phase?

A thing I had to face was I just wasn’t going to get anymore pursuing weight loss at the gym. It was portion control and spending my calories in a way that I was satisfied with how I was eating. Lots of ways that we try to talk ourselves out of it, but tighten your tracking, recrunch the numbers and press on. If you can’t get the scale to move, cut some calories. It’s all a big experiment. Keep tinkering until you get it right.

I want MFP to change the name of this board from Motivation to Determination.
Determination sees a project through to the end. Near the end I had to tell myself that the reason I was working to get to goal was because it was my goal. No other reason. Keep working and you can free yourself from that nagging voice in your head. You can overcome defeatism by refusing to be defeated. Really. You can do this. Good luck.

springlering62

Cup half full, sweety! Give yourself credit! You e lost 150 pounds. That is not a small achievement!!!!! I can just parrot what I read here, because I’m hardly an expert! But if you haven’t worked out before, your body retains water. If you feel sore, that’s the little micro-tears in muscle. Your body heals them which is what eventually turns into more, better muscles. But the sore bits are sending little SOSs which your body sends water to, to repair. As others here say, the scale is a lair, but measurements aren’t. I have not kept before and after photos or measurements, which I now regret. Are you noticing pants looser? Super jiggly parts? Then something’s happening in there. I think you’ve done a fantastic job and it’s time to move to the next level. I sincerely hope you find a workout you like. I feel like my body is a new toy and love trying new things or harder versions of things I’ve been doing. I wish that for you, too! ❤️

elisa123gal

I think it is something in the air, or the time of year. We all have days and stretches of days when it all gets really old and the devil on your shoulder starts trying to talk you into throwing in the towel.

Such good advice here.. you don't want to lose all the progress you've made. Take time to look at old photos try on some old clothes that you used to wear when you started. You will realize ..wow.. you've accomplished so much, You did that! and you can get over this stupid hump. you will.

I started working out Jan 1 too...and I think it stalled my weight loss of getting my holiday weight off. It is demotivating.... I actually stopped lifting weights recently until I lose my last few pounds. sorry. I want the fat off sooner than later. I know I should just push through..but it is a drag when the scale just stops. so, let's have pity parties for ourselves..then dust off and move on..

Please don't quit.

jesika0731

Thank you so much!! That’s everything I needed to hear and you’re absolutely right! I truly appreciate your time!

88olds wrote: »

I’ve lost 100+ lbs and been maintaining for years. I’d tell you how long I was stuck at about the 2/3 point, but I’m afraid it would leave you depressed.

A couple of things- sometimes the best we can do for a while is not gain. It’s important. One reason I got to goal was I didn’t just throw up my hands thinking “If I’m going to be overweight, what does it matter how much?” I had done that very thing a number of times.

The law of diminishing returns. I was in a bad way when I started at 285 lbs - back pain, a CPAP, HBP. At around 215lbs that stuff was gone. I had gone from a couch potato to a gym regular. I had a life.

You ask what are you working for? Maybe right now you’re working to hang on to what you’ve got. Step back and take stock of the whole process. Big picture. What was your life when you started to where you are now? What did you want when you started? What have you accomplished? If this was day 1, what do you want from the next phase?

A thing I had to face was I just wasn’t going to get anymore pursuing weight loss at the gym. It was portion control and spending my calories in a way that I was satisfied with how I was eating. Lots of ways that we try to talk ourselves out of it, but tighten your tracking, recrunch the numbers and press on. If you can’t get the scale to move, cut some calories. It’s all a big experiment. Keep tinkering until you get it right.

I want MFP to change the name of this board from Motivation to Determination.
Determination sees a project through to the end. Near the end I had to tell myself that the reason I was working to get to goal was because it was my goal. No other reason. Keep working and you can free yourself from that nagging voice in your head. You can overcome defeatism by refusing to be defeated. Really. You can do this. Good luck.

quiksylver296

Have you taken any diet breaks?

puffbrat

Are you using a food scale?

jesika0731

It’s so weird though because we’re told to gain muscle and it will help with metabolism and weight loss but it doesn’t actually work that way, especially if we eat more due to workouts no matter how healthy it is. Dumb! Thanks for your insight!

elisa123gal wrote: »

I think it is something in the air, or the time of year. We all have days and stretches of days when it all gets really old and the devil on your shoulder starts trying to talk you into throwing in the towel.

Such good advice here.. you don't want to lose all the progress you've made. Take time to look at old photos try on some old clothes that you used to wear when you started. You will realize ..wow.. you've accomplished so much, You did that! and you can get over this stupid hump. you will.

I started working out Jan 1 too...and I think it stalled my weight loss of getting my holiday weight off. It is demotivating.... I actually stopped lifting weights recently until I lose my last few pounds. sorry. I want the fat off sooner than later. I know I should just push through..but it is a drag when the scale just stops. so, let's have pity parties for ourselves..then dust off and move on..

Please don't quit.

wearefab

@jesika0731 do you like working out? Of not then get something new like dance lessons or swimming or yoga.
Do something you enjoy so much that you'd do it whether it helped you lose weight or not.
If you are eating sensibly working out and getting good sleep then there's no reason not to lose weight. ..
Unless of course you have a medical condition like hypothyroid, PCOS and on.
Or if you take meds that cause gain eg steroids.
Or if you are very uptight or stressed or anxious as stress hormones keep weight on
If you are working out hard and at a calorie deficit then your metabolism will slow. This is a scientific fact. In that case ease of workouts try yoga and walking instead and eat at maintaibenmce level for a bit. If you are young you can likely reset it back.
Go well ☺

jessica22222

Don't.Give.up. Shake things up and try something different. I went through the work to lose my weight then let it all go and gave up and now I'm right back at the beginning again. Try doing different exercises like a sport you love. Try different recipes. Just get inspired. Do the work now than giving up and starting all over again!

jesika0731

Damn I’m sorry! At least you know you can do it again! I’ve lost and gained over 100 lbs 3 times now and now that I’ve lost it again I will not gain it back again ever! I might have fell off for a week but I’ve gotta get back to it...

jessica22222 wrote: »

Don't.Give.up. Shake things up and try something different. I went through the work to lose my weight then let it all go and gave up and now I'm right back at the beginning again. Try doing different exercises like a sport you love. Try different recipes. Just get inspired. Do the work now than giving up and starting all over again!

emmamcgarity

If you haven’t taken any diet breaks I would definitely recommend a few weeks eating at maintenance before going into a deficit again. You’ve made great progress and planned breaks be be really helpful.

try2again

Maintaining is as much a victory as losing sometimes... own it with pride

Sounds like you have found your current maintenance level, assuming you have been logging accurately and consistently. Have you updated your stats and weekly weight loss goal in your settings lately?

I would 2nd the calls for a diet break, except it sounds like you probably had one over the holidays and now have been eating at maintenance for a while. However, if mentally you are not in a place where you can deal with a deficit right now, there's nothing wrong with an extended maintenance break. I lost 70 lbs in chunks over the course of about 6-7 years, with long periods of maintenance in between.

try2again

Also, what's your current weekly weight loss goal? If you've been set at 2 lbs/week, it's probably time to dial that back to 1 or 1.5. You will have more calories available and may find it more sustainable. However, you'll need to make sure you're being accurate (food scale) because a smaller deficit leaves you less wiggle room.

rheddmobile

205 is a heck of a lot healthier than 353. Sometimes it helps to look at how far you've come! Dig out those old pictures and look at some before and after, think about how strong you're getting, give yourself some props. Maybe you want a diet break, maybe not, but whatever you do, celebrate how amazing you are! Then decide what you want to do going forward.