3 Weeks In...Feel Like Giving Up

Fitness_is_dope
Fitness_is_dope Posts: 16 Member
in Getting Started
First week the scale went down a lot (mostly water weight I know), over 4kg.
Next week scales showed a loss of 0.9-1kg, which I figured must at least be some body fat.
This week showing a slight gain of 0.1-0.5kg on last week which truly tests my determination.
I have been so vigilant these past 3 weeks and have changed my whole lifestyle to accommodate 'calorie-counting'.
I cook and eat all separate meals to my family, I don't go out, I don't drink, I weigh everything I eat and don't forget to count anything. It's not sustainable for me without getting results, I would expect to be feeling and looking better after 3 solid weeks of effort.
Previously I seem to lose weight easily and have more energy, but this is a struggle and I'm finding it hard to enjoy when I have to be so isolated to keep on track with my program.
I have been averaging 1200 - 1500 calories per day depending on exercise levels.
I am 34yo Female with about 15kg to lose in total, started at 80kg.
What is your advice and experience re: results and weekly weigh-ins at the beginning of your weight loss journey?
Thanks.

Replies

  • KIC127
    KIC127 Posts: 20 Member
    Hang in there and keep doing what you are doing, and you will see results. I know it is frustrating to see the scale move up with a slight gain, but you still have a great decrease if you look across the last few weeks. I try not to focus on the number each week, but the overall trend to keep from getting discouraged. I also remind myself that there are a lot of things that change my weight day to day - some I can control and some I can't. Keep working at it!
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
    There's a FAQ on here for this situation.

    In short: three weeks is too short to know much. Give it three months. If nothing's happening, something's off with your numbers.

    Also: I'd suggest using bodyfat % as a metric instead of just weight, but that's just me.

    Good luck!
  • purwonder
    purwonder Posts: 25 Member
    My opinion is that sometimes with weight loss, you do exactly what you’re supposed to and the scale nor your body reflects that right away. But never quit. I eat less than 1300 calories daily, sometimes the scale shows weight gain and my body feels bloated. I have experienced this enough to finally understand that the only thing that matters is you knowing you followed your plan. It takes patience, it’s not going to be easy, but you can and will do it any. Remind yourself that everyday. You are on the right track. The weight will come off in time.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    It’s taken me 3 months to lose 9 pounds. On tuesday I was 130. On Wednesday I was 131. Thursday 132. Today back to 131. This was with exercise and sticking close to daily calories. Fluctuations happen and losing weight takes time and PATIENCE.
  • eschmand1
    eschmand1 Posts: 9 Member
    Hang in there; you will see results! I know the ups-and-downs of the scale and it can be frustrating but if you keep doing what you know is the correct thing to do you will trend downwards. I am a 54 year old male who started on this site on February 6th at 338 and today I am at 298...40lbs. Now I know that I had tons more weight to lose than you and I also know that oftentimes it is easier for men to lose weight more quickly than women. That being said, it can be done. You are going to have weeks where the weight sheds but you are also going to have those weeks where you gain a bit. If you stick with your plan, though, your progress will trend the way you want it to go.

    Also, and I believe this to be very important, you should have a day or two a week to enjoy the foods that you always have. Otherwise, you will hit a moment where you get a craving and you will go hog-wild on what craving. One of my biggest weaknesses is chocolate. I have cut way back on my consumption but I do keep a bag of M&M's or caramels in the house for when I get that craving I can't seem to stop. I will eat a dozen or so of them and let them melt slowly and that satisfies me. Maybe your weakness is salty snacks. I would advise to keep some on hand for those moments and have a small portion. That way you won't as likely binge and eat the entire bag.

    Stay strong and try not to get discouraged!
  • KatGrace1988
    KatGrace1988 Posts: 8 Member
    I always tell myself “I didn’t get ‘fat’ over night so I’m not going to get ‘skinny’ overnight” giving up is so easy but you’ve just got to keep going, weight fluctuates focus of measurements and clothes fitting! You’ve not given it enough time yet x
  • Lenala13
    Lenala13 Posts: 152 Member
    Small little changes and patience. Don’t worry about being perfect, just be good enough. The key is to find something you can stick to indefinitely. Do you cook the meals at home? If so, then you have a lot of control. Cook meals that for the family that work for all of you. I eat pretty much the same as my husband/kids. If they want fettuccine Alfredo, I’ll make it. They get the pasta they love in quantities they want. I get a serving of it on a heaping bowl of steamed broccoli. There are ways to tweak what you’re doing where it’s more sustainable and you’re not upending your entire life. Best of luck!
  • ashxtasticness
    ashxtasticness Posts: 160 Member
    The scale can be your worst enemy! It is so reassuring to see the loss that we often want to weigh ourself daily, but seeing no movement or a gain can be so discouraging that you want to give up. Always remember, weight loss is NOT linear. You'll lose, then gain, then lose again. It all depends on water, muscle inflmation, the last time you had a BM etc. Try focusing on how you feel and make sure you either measure or take pictures in the same outfit. Sometimes the scale doesn't move but the inches fly off. Stay strong and keep it up!
  • OooohToast
    OooohToast Posts: 257 Member
    This may seem unhelpful but I thought 'good loss for 3 weeks !' before reading you were unhappy.

    It is important to be realistic and healthy regarding weightloss - whichever WOE you choose has to be sustainable for you. As posted above, you are a lucky lady indeed if your weight doesnt wobble a bit around your TOM.

    That being said, if every day is a bit awful with this level of weightloss, then perhaps this current WOE is not for you - lifes too short to be miserable. But its up to you to find the WOE that fits your needs - you can do this !

    Good luck OP!
  • thewife22
    thewife22 Posts: 9 Member
    Loads of really good advice already posted.

    Please be patient it's still early days, and your body and mind are still adapting to your new lifestyle, be realistic it's better to go slower and achieve your goal but above all be kind to yourself, you've done really well in a short period of time, be proud of your achievement.

    I'm 54 years young, here's what worked for me and kept me maintaining.

    It took me around 6 months to drop 2.5 stone, a little bit each week, some weeks I stayed the same, other weeks I gained a bit but that's just how it goes sometimes and there's usually an explanation.

    Don't get too focused on the figure on the scales, sometimes our weight stays the same but the inches reduce, find a good tape measure and when you weigh in take a note of your measurements. Bust, waist, hips, bicep, thighs and calf are my main ones.

    Don't underestimate the power of drinking water, if I don't drink enough water my whole body slows down, and it affected my weight loss.

    We had friends come to stay for 5 days and I very quickly gained 4lbs but we were drinking and eating out every night! We love having family and friends stay but they went home and my normal fitness routines and healthy eating has returned and I know my happy weight in just around the corner.

    I do feel your pain at cooking separate meals, one for you another for your family, i cook all our meals, I don't eat any red meat (no beef, lamb, pork, duck etc etc) just chicken, turkey and some fish (pollopescatarian), my husband doesn't eat fish.

    During the course of a week we have a mix, some nights we both eat the same dinners, for example we both had homemade chicken and mushroom risotto, part of the week we have the same but with a slight twist (and I bulk cook where I can to give 2-3 meals each and put surplus in freezer) tonight is Spaghetti Bolognese I dry fry the steak mince while my chicken breast is in the steamer, I make up the sauce in one big pan and when it's ready split it between two smaller pans, in one I throw in the beef and my diced chicken goes in the other. And some nights if I want fish I do cook two different meals but I couldn't shop for and cook different meals every night.

    We still go out for dinner, once or twice a month and I try to make a healthy choice from the menu where possible or if I really fancy a curry for example then I'll have it and enjoy it knowing it may result in a small temporary gain on the scales.

    I still enjoy a glass of wine or two and no food/snack is considered off limits, although I will say since adopting a healthier approach to eating I don't crave the sugar and fat of sweets, cakes, biscuits or chocolate etc.

    Good luck and please let us know how you get on.

  • Naddan49
    Naddan49 Posts: 1 Member
    edited May 2019
    "I would expect to be feeling and looking better after 3 solid weeks of effort." Ask yourself why you feel that way. What caused you to expect better? Perhaps you're comparing yourself to a 22 year old you? Well, you're not the same you in so many ways, but you are wiser so do some MATH. You need to figure out how much weight you should have lost versus how much you actually did lose.

    Your doing phenomenal. You just don't know it. Try this:

    Figure out the calories you need to maintain weight ("CTMW").
    https://caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit/assessment-calculator/
    In your case assuming average height and light activity and 86 kg CTMW (90 kg -4 kg lost in the first week) is 2118 calories. You have been actually eating that many calories per day for years.

    Next figure out your calorie deficit per day. 'I have been averaging 1200 - 1500 calories per day' Lets say 1350 cal. That means your daily calorie deficit is (2118 CTMW - 1350) 768 calories.

    So if you are foregoing 768 calories each day that you used to eat, then how many days will it take you to lose 1 kg?

    Since there are 7700 cal in a kg. Then in theory it should take you 7700/768 or 10 days to lose 1 kg which is equal to .1 kg per day. Next let's compare that to what you actually lost:

    "Next week scales showed a loss of 0.9-1kg, which I figured must at least be some body fat.
    This week showing a slight gain of 0.1-0.5kg on last week which truly tests my determination."
    I'm not sure how to interpret this but let's say you lost 1.3 kg in 14 days. In theory you should have lost 14 days X .1 kg per day or 1.4 kg. Now that is right on track with what you actually did lose 1.3 kg.

    For you, as long as your daily calorie intake is in the following range, you're doing fine.

    Weight kg Calories
    20 ````````1210
    30 ````````1348
    40 ````````1485
    50 ````````1623
    60 ````````1760
    70 ````````1898
    80 ````````2035
    90 ````````2173


    Remember, even a "bad day" of 2035 is a good day. You "maintained" weight no matter what that stupid scale says. And yes, your weight fluxuates for no reason at all. Water, fecal stuff, time of the month, salt, or your scale messing with you just to piss you off, are all reasons.

    As others have said, be patient. I keep a spreadsheet that tracks all the above data on a daily basis and it really does average out. It works and keeps my head rooted in reality. I've lost 50 LBS or 22,7 kg in 9 months. I'm 69 years old and could never figure out how to lose weight until now.

    BUT, for all the MATH, we have not talked about the elephant in the room ... BEING SATED. I used to think there must be some trace mineral that I was missing and that was the reason I ate even though I was full. Being sated was achieved only after eating copious amounts of food. One cookie was not enough and "will power" was scoffed at by Chocolate Chip Cookies. And of course alcohol is a will power slayer. No matter what diet I tried I still had those never ending cravings. I describe it as a feeling of being antsy, a never ending gnawing feeling. I wanted something and didn't know what it was.

    Some say 95 percent of all diets fail. Why is that? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the relapse rate for drug addiction is 40% to 60%. So your "chance" of quitting drugs is better that quitting food which you have to have. The only way that makes sense to me is that there is some food that I am "addicted" and I don't know what it is. Now that's rather insidious if you think about it. Heck, you don't know what food is the problem or even if the logic is valid.

    So here's what I did to become SATED and end the food cravings. I abstain from alcohol, caffeine, soda, sugar, sugar substitutes, wheat, and all types of flour. Now which of those I could add back I don't know, but I'm not going to even try.

    You said, "It's not sustainable for me without getting results, I would expect to be feeling and looking better after 3 solid weeks of effort." For me, this abstinence is easily sustainable. Months sustainable, years sustainable. I do count calories, but THANK God those cravings are GONE. The best hunger killer for me is Quaker Original oatmeal. (Not the instant stuff). For breakfast and a quick snack (only 100 calories per 1/3 cup) it replaces all the junk food I used to eat. I eat it plain, with fresh blueberries or raspberries. It's all good. 90 seconds in my microwave and I'm good to go. My go to lunch is oatmeal and sugar free hot dogs, lol! Oh and lots of olives. I eat chicken with skin, steak, rice, ham, pork, turkey, potatoes, shrimp, fish, vegies, meatloaf, sugar free ketchup, chili. Chips, bread, pastry, french fries and most cereals are out. It really is an easy lifestyle change. Google "Food addicts anonymous" for a list of foods you can eat and those you must abstain from. For inspiration I read, Daily Reflections, https://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/daily-reflection. I take the good to heart but some stuff just does not apply to me. So I hope you'll do the same with this write up. Take the best and trash the rest. If you do try to abstain, from these foods, expect withdrawal symptoms of headache and diarrhea for a week or so, so it's best to ease into it. I quit booze first, and then caffeine. Look up caffeine, sugar and wheat withdrawal symptoms.

    Best of luck to you.

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