Feeling discouraged

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khaatrebert
khaatrebert Posts: 20 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am just shy of 4 weeks of healthy eating. I have never eaten so healthy in my entire life. I am set to lose 2lbs a week and am coming in where I need to be every day. I feel like I am nourishing my body. I have been eating chicken of various health conscious styles, tons of veggies, and a little fruit. I feel like I am really thriving but the scale does not agree. I have lost 5lbs and notice no apparent changes. In addition to my eating I have been walking and am on my 9th day of practicing yoga with intentions of finishing out a 30 day series. I know it will come with time, but I am growing impatient.
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  • khaatrebert
    khaatrebert Posts: 20 Member
    edited February 2019
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    I am trying to lose 25 more pounds. I have been measuring my food by volume (actually measuring, not just eye balling) and have been rounding up. I am actually concerned I’m eating too little. I will admit I’ve fudged the numbers a few times so it wouldn’t show I was in “starvation mode”. I’m not under eating regularly, I just don’t eat when I’m full. I have found eating lots of veggies has really kept me satisfied and some days I just don’t need to eat as much.
  • khaatrebert
    khaatrebert Posts: 20 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    Unless you are over 200 lbs, it's not realistic to expect to lose 2 lbs every week. Plus, weight loss isn't linear, lots of stuff other than fat loss affect your weight on the scale.

    5 lbs in a month is kind of awesome.

    Its great that youre eating healthy and exercising but weight loss comes down to calories. Are you double checking that the database entries you're using have accurate calories? Are you using a food scale?

    You can't be impatient after just one month. Weight management doesn't happen on a schedule. It might just be your expectations that need to change. Check out the Most Helpful Posts threads pinned to the top of each forum and Good luck!

    Thanks, the more I sit here and think about it the more silly I feel. I am not over 200lbs. I think I am mostly discouraged as in the past 2 weeks I have had zero changes. I was so excited to lose the 5lbs in 2 weeks and now the 2 week lull has left me frustrated. I appreciate the reality check!
  • kodiakke
    kodiakke Posts: 379 Member
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    I've got the opposite issue. My scale has not budged... it only broke after 4 weeks, but still, no budging. Still the same weight. I've been exercising regularly for over two months, and for the last month, eating more healthy than ever, cut out most drinking... but the scale doesn't move.

    However... My shorts were nearly sliding off my butt yesterday when I put my car keys into my pocket. My bras fit better. My jeans weren't so tight.

    We all lose weight differently. It seems you're losing pounds, I'm losing inches. Don't worry, your time will come, and then it will be inches, and I'll lose pounds. At least, that is what we'll see.

    Also, 4 weeks is nothing, realistically. I tell myself that 4 weeks isn't even a habit; 12 weeks is a habit. So this is one of the harder parts... keep doing what you're doing, and the results will happen. But they will take time, so give it more time.
  • khaatrebert
    khaatrebert Posts: 20 Member
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    kodiakke wrote: »
    I've got the opposite issue. My scale has not budged... it only broke after 4 weeks, but still, no budging. Still the same weight. I've been exercising regularly for over two months, and for the last month, eating more healthy than ever, cut out most drinking... but the scale doesn't move.

    However... My shorts were nearly sliding off my butt yesterday when I put my car keys into my pocket. My bras fit better. My jeans weren't so tight.

    We all lose weight differently. It seems you're losing pounds, I'm losing inches. Don't worry, your time will come, and then it will be inches, and I'll lose pounds. At least, that is what we'll see.

    Also, 4 weeks is nothing, realistically. I tell myself that 4 weeks isn't even a habit; 12 weeks is a habit. So this is one of the harder parts... keep doing what you're doing, and the results will happen. But they will take time, so give it more time.

    Thanks for the pep talk. I shamefully broke my diet today and polished off a box of wheat thin. I did get my work out in and am feeling motivated to get back on the wagon tomorrow. Congrats on losing inches and best of luck on shedding pounds!

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    khaatrebert wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Unless you are over 200 lbs, it's not realistic to expect to lose 2 lbs every week. Plus, weight loss isn't linear, lots of stuff other than fat loss affect your weight on the scale.

    5 lbs in a month is kind of awesome.

    Its great that youre eating healthy and exercising but weight loss comes down to calories. Are you double checking that the database entries you're using have accurate calories? Are you using a food scale?

    You can't be impatient after just one month. Weight management doesn't happen on a schedule. It might just be your expectations that need to change. Check out the Most Helpful Posts threads pinned to the top of each forum and Good luck!

    Thanks, the more I sit here and think about it the more silly I feel. I am not over 200lbs. I think I am mostly discouraged as in the past 2 weeks I have had zero changes. I was so excited to lose the 5lbs in 2 weeks and now the 2 week lull has left me frustrated. I appreciate the reality check!

    Yeah there was probably a bit of water weight loss included in the 5 lbs in 2 weeks, and then some of it came back in the second two weeks, making it look like you didn't lose anything. Patience, grasshopper :smile:
  • ClairRhodes
    ClairRhodes Posts: 3 Member
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    Oh boy, I need some encouragement too. I have been to the gym 5 days a week pretty much since beginning of the year and have been eating around 1200 calories a day. Mostly at the gym we do metafit work outs and weight training with some cardio. For the first 5 weeks I have been losing weight at around a kilo a week but yesterday I was a kilo heavier. It gutted me! I think maybe I need to get off the scales and measure myself instead! I don't want to drop my bundle now as I am really keen to make this the year I drop all the weight I stacked on over the past 10 years. I am 57 this year and never been so big. I am currently sitting just under 100 kilos. As I am only 165cms tall I am like a round barrel, most of the weight is on my hips and stomach.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    ClairRhodes wrote: »
    Oh boy, I need some encouragement too. I have been to the gym 5 days a week pretty much since beginning of the year and have been eating around 1200 calories a day. Mostly at the gym we do metafit work outs and weight training with some cardio. For the first 5 weeks I have been losing weight at around a kilo a week but yesterday I was a kilo heavier. It gutted me! I think maybe I need to get off the scales and measure myself instead! I don't want to drop my bundle now as I am really keen to make this the year I drop all the weight I stacked on over the past 10 years. I am 57 this year and never been so big. I am currently sitting just under 100 kilos. As I am only 165cms tall I am like a round barrel, most of the weight is on my hips and stomach.

    1200 calories sounds very low for your stats
  • ClairRhodes
    ClairRhodes Posts: 3 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    1200 calories sounds very low for your stats

    That is what is recommended for a female who has a sedentary day. :smiley:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    ClairRhodes wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    1200 calories sounds very low for your stats

    That is what is recommended for a female who has a sedentary day. :smiley:

    very few people are actually sedentary to that level though.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • HeliumIsNoble
    HeliumIsNoble Posts: 1,213 Member
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    ClairRhodes wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    1200 calories sounds very low for your stats

    That is what is recommended for a female who has a sedentary day. :smiley:
    Doesn't sound like you're that sedentary though?

  • BigG1978
    BigG1978 Posts: 54 Member
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    I have found that so long as you are truely keeping to your intake goals, then the weight will come off. It is discouraging and deflating when you've been good all week, exercised and then the weekly weigh in shows either an increase or little to no movement.

    To combat this I am now only weighing in monthly, which I find enables me to focus more long term and not be negatively impacted by the little or no changes.

    No matter how you go about doing this, just keep doing it, focus on why you started and don't give up - you CAN and WILL do this with a positive mindset!
  • kodiakke
    kodiakke Posts: 379 Member
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    BigG1978 wrote: »
    I have found that so long as you are truely keeping to your intake goals, then the weight will come off. It is discouraging and deflating when you've been good all week, exercised and then the weekly weigh in shows either an increase or little to no movement.

    To combat this I am now only weighing in monthly, which I find enables me to focus more long term and not be negatively impacted by the little or no changes.

    No matter how you go about doing this, just keep doing it, focus on why you started and don't give up - you CAN and WILL do this with a positive mindset!

    I agree with this. The last time I tried this, I was weighing myself daily, and therefore frustrated daily. This time, I've been barely weighing myself weekly and then the scale broke. So I took that as a sign. I'm not living on the scale. I'm living in THIS body. This body needs to move faster, it needs to move smoothly w/o injury, and it needs to fit smaller sized clothes. I remind myself that it's not about the number on the scale, it's the number on the HR tests, on AC1 tests, etc. Those are the important numbers. Other important numbers include calories, protein/carb/fat percentages daily.

    Weight gain doesn't happen overnight; I don't know why we look for weight loss overnight. I'm thinking of weight loss over time, and trying to consider that in terms of 12 week increments.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,306 Member
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    It is easy to talk yourself out of staying on your healthy path. Those negative thoughts..." this isn't working, well? what's the difference if I eat what I used to or have drinks. that simply is the devil on your shoulder trying to keep you overweight.

    You made a lot of big changes at once.. the body takes time to get into a groove. Look up what five pounds of fat looks like.do you really want to gain that back?

    For me, I never lose right off the bat... I actually felt like I was getting bigger three weeks into January trying to lose my holiday weight with exercise and healthy diet. I was discouraged some days..but just kept with it.. now my weight is just coming off and I am about back to my goal weight, jus time to Valentine's next week. I am so happy I didn't give in to the devil on my shoulder telling me ."what's the use nothing is working."

    25 pounds isn't really that much weight, and you have five off already..... keep on your journey. It will happen for you.

  • khaatrebert
    khaatrebert Posts: 20 Member
    edited February 2019
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    I have found that what really helped me is I haven’t been deprived at all. I still eat dessert a few times a week, I get my fill of French fries by roasting sweet potato chunks and dipping them in ketchup, I have found healthy versions of all my favorite meals. Truth be told eating healthy hasn’t been hard. But I am the type of person who can’t have a bag of chips in the house or a box of cookies. I will try to be good and count out a serving size but at the end of the day I just destroy them. 😂
  • ClairRhodes
    ClairRhodes Posts: 3 Member
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    HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
    Doesn't sound like you're that sedentary though?

    During the day I am either sitting or standing at my desk, up to 10 hours. My day sometimes involves going to meetings so I am driving there, sitting for the meeting and driving home. This is why I have recommenced at the gym to get some exercise and my body moving again :smile:
    88olds wrote: »
    You are at 1200 calories because you are set at 2lbs.

    Good point, maybe I could slow it to 1lb (1/2 kilo in my world).

    I also agree with those who say they don't weigh in constantly, this is a trap I fall into and then get despondent when there is no movement. I have just measured myself and going to keep a record of that and maybe weigh myself once a month.

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