HELP FRUSTRATED

ocean10844

Ok everyone, help me pls. I am really struggling and i have issues with weightloss bad. I have been doing this for 2 wks. busting my butt at the gym for an hr. a day, doing eliptical and treadmill or eliptical and training for the couch 2 5k...and i have been eating my calories never going over..I don't eat my extra calories from working out. I went out to dinner with my hubby last night, and I looked at calories online menu, and ordered, to stay in my calories, I did end up using my excersise calories one night last night, and I am UP...2 lbs. I have to admit I had two screw drivers too last night, but I have been so faithful on my diet, and one day i slightly indulge and i am so frustrated, can someone tell me what I am doing wrong. I know your body fluctuates, but i have been busting my butt at the gym, and following this. Only to have lost 3 lbs...I'm so frustrated.

cardbucfan

O.K., back away from the ledge! If you drank last night, it is probably a water thing that is making your weight increase. Additionally, if you are just starting to workout, your body is changing. How do your clothes feel? How do YOU feel when and after you workout? Possibly, you aren't eating enough if you are burning a lot of cals. at the gym and only eating your base allotment. Play with your numbers but don't give up. You are in this for the long haul and believe me, it does work! Drink a lot of water today because you probably have a lot of sodium in your body from the drinks and the dining out.

tbernard

This may not be the answer you're looking for but I want to offer you a little perspective...

People go to church every week, putting money in the collection plate. Many of those people don't seem to ever gain any clear benefit from their faith... and yet at some point in their lives, their faith seems to allow them to accomplish and survive things where others would give up. Their faith is rewarded.

Marathon runners continue to take steps forward when their bodies are breaking down... Not knowing that they will have what it takes to get to the end... but having faith that they will somehow figure out a way.

Going to a gym and working out can change your whole body and improve your life... but it takes time... Success at the gym is very much an "act of faith". While time spent in a gym working out will surely result in weight loss over time, the scale really shouldn't be the biggest motivator. When you weigh your success by the scale, your workout success measurement is suddenly affected by mid month water retention, time of the day, or just having not had that monster poop of the day.

Measure your gym success by your strength and by your stamina. If both of these grow over time, your muscle mass must be getting better and that will in time translate to the scale... But have patience and faith... Its just as important in a gym as it is in a church..

nmpresto

I would suggest eating at least some of your working out calories, they are there for a reason. If you go at this 150% and completely restrict yourself you are going to end up feeling tired and hungry all the time and you won't stick with it. As you have probably heard a million times there is no quick fix for weight loss it takes a lot of time and effort. And as you said you have only been doing this for 2 weeks. That is the thing I have the hardest time with is not getting the instant gratification, but then I always think "how am I feeling?", after your 2 weeks do you feel better, are you less tired, less crabby etc.? Because even if the numbers on the scale aren't going down as fast as you would like if you are feeling better, you are less tired, you have a better outlook on what is going on around you I would say that you are succeeding!

Try not to get discouraged, stick with it, try different things, see what works for you so that you feel at your absolute best! Good luck!

sconnors16

I hear ya....I was really frustrated this morning when I weighed myself after working really hard all week and I had gained too! I've been reading other responses on these message boards and everyone seems to be in agreement that it's better to track things other than the scale reading (how you feel, how your clothes are fitting, measurements.) I just did my measurements and they decreased by 1/2 an inch, so I feel a little better. Hang in there, you are making great progress, even if the scale isn't going the direction you hoped right now. You're doing a great job and making great strides!!

blueelephant1212

oh i 'm so there with ya! i'm on week 2 and last week i was up a lb instead of down. this week, i'm down 2.4lbs. i agree with the other MFPs, you need to eat the calories you burn and not save them. if you don't have enough calories to sustain your body, you won't function properly and the digestive process will get slower (i have heard).

kristy

msbanana

This may not be the answer you're looking for but I want to offer you a little perspective...

People go to church every week, putting money in the collection plate. Many of those people don't seem to ever gain any clear benefit from their faith... and yet at some point in their lives, their faith seems to allow them to accomplish and survive things where others would give up. Their faith is rewarded.

Marathon runners continue to take steps forward when their bodies are breaking down... Not knowing that they will have what it takes to get to the end... but having faith that they will somehow figure out a way.

Going to a gym and working out can change your whole body and improve your life... but it takes time... Success at the gym is very much an "act of faith". While time spent in a gym working out will surely result in weight loss over time, the scale really shouldn't be the biggest motivator. When you weigh your success by the scale, your workout success measurement is suddenly affected by mid month water retention, time of the day, or just having not had that monster poop of the day.

Measure your gym success by your strength and by your stamina. If both of these grow over time, your muscle mass must be getting better and that will in time translate to the scale... But have patience and faith... Its just as important in a gym as it is in a church..

AMEN! Remember as well you DID NOT gain back 2 pounds of FAT overnight. I will fluctuate upto 4 pounds during the week. Provided you're being honest with your calorie intake the change WILL happen. If you don't want to see that dramatic fluctuation start monitoring your sodium intake and make sure you ALWAYS drink your water. Dehydration can actually lead to water retention as well. Just keep doing what you're doing and the scale will start to move. We didn't put weight on over night it ain't coming off over night either.

:drinker:

cmsdives

Don't forget the impact of sodium on your water weight. If you ate out, resturants typically use high amounts of sodium when cooking. Also, are you getting your water in everyday? I didn't totally believe it at first, but getting in those 64 ounces or more of water everyday makes a HUGE difference. The water helps flush out all the sodium and other stuff that can screw up your weigh-in. Also, something my trainer told me that I didn't totally believe at first either, but found to be correct (I hate it when he's right! :grumble: ) is not JUST about staying below your calories, but about the TYPE of calories you're consuming. Take a look at your food journal and look at what kind of foods you're eating. If there's a lot of processed foods, try to cut those back a little. Finally, DO NOT beat yourself up!!! It's a SLOW process and that's okay because it should be a lifestyle change, not just a diet. Don't try to make all the changes you want/need to make at once - that is a surefire path to defeat. Stick with it, rely on your MFP friends and don't look at what you're NOT accomplishing but what you ARE accomplishing. Even if the scale says your weight is up, you're exercising and doing good things for your health/body...that is SO important....the scale will catch up, I promise. I've been working with a trainer since March and have "only" lost 18 pounds (7 since coming back to MFP in October). I could get totally upset, beat myself up and quit because I "should" have lost so much more weight than I have (and I do have days like that, believe me), but my MFP love me and cheer me on even when I don't log in or go over my calories or don't see the number on the scale go down or whatever. I promise you'll find the same support here, just hang in there.

:flowerforyou:

crjugrl

I would love to lose 3 pounds in 2 weeks..... 1lb a week is ideal. Your weight is going to fluctuate, but working out and staying within your calories is the only way to lose. If that's what you're doing, then keep doing it. You didn't gain all your weight in 2 weeks so it's not going to take 2 weeks to lose it. I completely understand your frustration, believe me. Patience isn't something I've been blessed with either. Just relax and keep doing what you're doing! You will see results. Never quit. :flowerforyou:

MommyGrace

Eat your exercise calories. Or at least half of them. The hardest thing for me to realize was I have to eat to lose! But you just have to make healthy choices.
Drink your water!!! Drink drink and just when you think you are about to float away, drink another glass!
Don't deprive yourself of "treats". Work them into your calories and eat a very small amount of it. That way you feel like you have not went without.
I found that if I drink water before each meal helps keep my amounts in check.
Also, before you even start to eat cut all your food up, use a smaller plate that way it looks like your plate is overflowing with food.
That tricks your mind into thinking you are eating a larger quantity.
Eat slow, drinking plenty of water with each meal.

Remember muscle weighs more than fat! If you are replacing fat with muscle you may not see a drop in pounds. Watch your clothes. Are they getting loser? Fitting better? How do you feel? Do you have more energy?

My first full size drop in clothing.... I only lost 5-8 pounds! But I have lost tons of inches. I still weigh 40 pounds from my goal, and I've only lost 35 pounds. But I went from an 18 to a 10-12. That's just since June of this year.
Stay focused and don't give up! You will get there! You might be surprised by a 10 pound drop on your next weigh in!
Keep up the hard work and dedication and you will get results!!

snobuny032

This is great advice for all! Thank you (:

ocean10844

You guys are AMAZING...if you want please add me, you all inspired me I have a great friend on here superjewls, and she has been my rock and workout buddy!! She hasn't let me give up, and she is so encouraging. I do have a lot more energy, but I am not sure yet, if it's from working out, cause I was super tired after workouts, but wasn't sleeping at night, so I am taking a mild sleeping pill (prescribed by my dr.) to help me get some sleep and now I feel so much more refreshed!! Clothes wise, I don't feel anything yet, nor do I see a shift or change in my body...but it's only been 2 wks. I do enjoy working out, cause we do, switch things up and we do also go to Zumba which I love. I would love to get a personal trainer, but I just can't afford that, on top of a membership. I am not giving up, and YES i do add everything, I am being honest, everything that goes in my mouth gets logged, last night was just a diff. story I didn't log some stuff...I just need the encouragement, my hubby says I am strong enough, where I think I am not, and he says if you were strong enough to quit smoking, you are strong enough to lose weight...where he fails to realize, losing weight is a longer process in my mind. Anyhow, thank you for all the encouragement and i hope some of you will add me, to keep me encouraged!!