36 pound loss- why am I so down?

thehulket

I know exactly what you mean. I've lost almost 25 lbs, and feel no difference. I still have 75 to go ... it's very discouraging.

But all I can think is, it may only be 25 lbs, but 75 lbs to go is better than 100. And I can't waste my hard work. That helps ... a little. :S

allison0324

Yes it is a lot! Congrats on all of your hard work!

I totally understand how you feel! I have over 100 pounds to lose and I have lost 30. It just does not feel good enough! I try to look at other things, like my before picture and my picture now. Yes, I am still fat, but I am not as fat as I was. My 4 year old weighs 30 pounds, and I think, wow, I lost a whole 4 year old. That was a lot of hard work.

I have also had to buy new clothing, and I feel so much better than I did 30 pounds ago. I add new challenges to my workout, like working out 4 days a week, and reaching 10,000 steps a day (to achieve this I have to do 90 minutes of cardio a day, I take walks with the kids, and go to the gym). I celebrate those small victories, knowing that a year from now, the picture will be very different!

Try to see the positive, I bet is more noticeable than you think!

youngpat

36lbs is a great, I haven't even lost the first pound. You are doing wonderful and I bet you look wonderful too. Maybe you should stop trying to see the difference and start feeling the diffrence, I bet you have more energy now and you can fit in clothes you couldnt before, so look at that side of things and keep up the good work.

Chear up you are doing a great job:flowerforyou:

forever28

I have lost 43 so far ... && is really feeling down today. I know that I've come a long way becasue I am able to work out like I never did before .... but for some reason i feel really bummed that i have JUST as long to get to my goal....

I can definitely agree with this statement! ^

I'm ALMOST in Onederland though. That makes me VERY happy! I'm maybe 2 lbs away. However, I'm thinking I still have another 40 lbs until I feel like "I may be happy with what I see in the mirror"!! *SIGH*

I have lost nearly 50 lbs and I still don't see a HUGE difference. Not like I thought I would. And to make matters worse, I'm still sometimes wearing size 16's. WTF?! I started out wearing 16 & 18's. GRR!! /

ltdavis66

You know; when we think of weight; we think of the physical aspect of it and not what it can do to our physiological aspects of our body. The body has its checks and balances; if the physiological aspect of your body lost as fast as the physical; you may be in bad shape. We have to let the chemistries catch up with adjusting to the different demands it (body) needs; for every pound lost; the body needs to readjust; that is why we tend to eat less and have a lesser appetitie. Loosing weight also affects your hormones, enzymes; and brain chemistry (brain transmitters, neuron and such) which may be why you feel the way you feel.. I think you done a great job and focus on such; and keep on trucking. Just also step back and let the internal aspect of you catch up. In the medical world; people that have to have bariatric surgery as a last resort; have to have a behavioral health assessent because it is evidence base that loosing weight as gaining has it psychological toll on the human mind. You will continue to see results, hand in there. This is only an opinion.. hope it helps.

hmkeith

I started at 250 pounds. I'm now down to 185. THere is a HUGE difference in someone who will meet their goal in a few months to a year and realizing that with 100+lbs to lose you have to be in it for the long haul. It has taken me over a year to lose 65 pounds. Sometimes I get discouraged because I just get tired. Just tired of doing it. Seeing other people meet goals (especially on here) after a few months can be really discouraging. BUt I just have to look at it like this: Everyday you have a choice to either stop and be fat or keep going and know that it will eventually stop being true. There actually IS an end. I also look at it like the previous person mentioned. its 65 lbs that I don't have to carry around everywhere anymore! in your case 30+. That's HUGE!

MinnieInMaine

Definitely pull out some before pictures and even try on your before pants/dress/shirt. That is what really helps me notice the difference when I'm feeling a bit discouraged. I also find that this re-affirmation help motivate me to keep going. It's like, I did all this hard work to get this far, I'm sure as hell not giving up now!!

hellokatee

36 pounds is great! Keep it up and I'm sure you will feel like a million dollars in no time! Don't get yourself down about your weight! Just think about how healthy you are becoming and how you probably extended your life just by losing these first 36 pounds! You should be so proud of yourself! I'm definitely proud of you!

jamielr84

I know how you feel. I had no idea how emotional this weight loss journey would be. I have days where I am on top of the world because I am so happy about how much I have lost. Then I have days where I feel like complete crap and think I will never reach my goal. Thankfully, the down days are outweighed by the happy days!

christinathompson1

oh no! 36 pounds is amazing! don't let yourself get down. just keep up the good work and when your under 200 im sure you will start feeling like AHA! wow! im sure you already look noticeably different. just don't give up!!!

MrsWendyQ

I know precisely how you feel! I don't "see" a visual difference myself yet. I'm down 23, pants fit better and for the most part I wear a size smaller (sometimes two) but I was really hoping for more at this point. Last night I was in the bridal shop meeting my ex mother in law (she's the seamstress there) and I was seeing myself in those dreaded every single view mirrors...SCARY!!! And the worse part was knowing I'd already lost so much, seriously, how bad did it look before???? :sad: BUT, then I realize, it's gonna take some time...but I'M DOING IT!!!!! :bigsmile:

gonnareachmygoal

I felt exactly the same. I took a before picture and I took a 20lb loss picture and then another at 30lbs down (and will continue this until I reach goal). Seriously......I never even realized the change was that dramatic. When you look in the mirror, you sometimes can't see beyond who you were. Pictures don't lie!

femmerides

good for you! i totally know how you feel. since the beginning i've lost 44lbs but i feel like i look exactly the same. but i've lost it slowly so i don't see the changes...

RatBoyGL

That is substantial weight loss.

But, you want to feel better about your self? I will tell you how.

1) Drive to your local Wal Mart, Target, K-Mart, etc.

2) Buy a mid-sized Microwave Oven.

3) Carry it with you every where you go for one week.

See, a mid-sized Microwave weighs about 36 pounds.

You will realize what you have done then.

I PROMISE.

h3h8m3

I posted a similar thread recently: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/240126-success-is-discouraging

I am at 40 pounds down now, and when I look in the mirror without a shirt on I am definitely disappointed. I am more than a third of the way to my goal weight, and I feel like I can't really tell any difference at all. Yes, my clothes fit better, and I do know that I've really lost a lot of weight, but it seems like closing in on half way there should show half of the results... but doesn't seem to be the case. The process has definitely got me thinking that I may end up needing to go beyond my initial goal.

Good luck to you. Even though it can be discouraging, it's a journey that we simply have to make. Figuring out a balance where we can be happy with our progress without focusing completely on the end-goal is really the key. I should be happier now than I have been for a long time. Good job, wonderful family, finally getting healthy... but the more determined I get to succeed in weight-loss the more my weight bothers me. I was pretty blissfully fat for a lot of years.

NeuroticVirgo

That is a good loss! I do know what you mean though. I've lost 33 and still feel the same. A friend of mine posted a paper towel analogy that i really like. I'll see if I can find it. I really like it, I think it helps me a lot with understanding.


Paper Towel Theory by Bob White

Let's assume you go out and buy two rolls of paper towels, each with only 84 paper towels on it (one for each day of the challenge). You put one aside, and keep it for future reference (your before/ picture).

The other one represents you (I'll call your paper towel you "Ed"). The core represents the lean Ed. The towels represent the fat that is covering the lean Ed. For sake of argument, let's say that Ed wants to lose 21 pounds of fat, so (84/21) each sheet represents a quarter-pound of fat lost. Let's also assume that Ed loses his fat equally during each day of the challenge.

Each day during the first week, you tear a sheet off of Ed, representing the fat he has lost for the day. Next, you put Ed next to the full roll ("Big Al") for comparison. No noticeable difference!!! Even at the end of the week! This can't be working for me!

But, being a good Ed, you continue to follow Body-for-LIFE. At the end of weeks two and three, you continue to compare Ed to Big Al, and still notice very little difference. That stinkin' Bill Phillips MUST be a liar!

But Ed is determined! He works hard! Three more weeks go by, the sheets peeling off day after day, before Ed gets up the courage to stand next to Big Al again. Holy Myoplex! Ed is skinny! OK, not skinny, but less huge!!!

By the end of the 12-week Body-for-LIFE program, Ed is down to his lean dream, or somewhere near it. Ed is happy. We are happy. Big Al - well he's not so happy.

The lesson to be learned is that fat, like paper towels, comes off in sheets. When you are heavy, you are big around. And when you are big around,that fat is spread over a MUCH larger area - just like that outside towel sheet. The closer you get to the lean you, the more each lost pound of fat shows, because it is spread over a smaller area.

While the outside sheet may only cover 1 layer of the roll, the inside sheet may go around 4 times. That last sheet looks like it gives you 4 times the results of the first sheet, but in reality, the results are the same - your perception is just different! And you'll never see the inside, if you aren't patient while the outside is coming off! - Bob White

TAWoody

Do you have before and after pictures?!?! I know if you have them and look at them everyday you should feel a lot better. If we can't compare ourselves with where we began it can feel discouraging when we still have a ways to go. You're doing really good though. I'm a little more than halfway done too.

shmoejo

i have been the same. 33 lb loss and i am feeling bigger then ever.

kristygay

I'm right there with you! Almost identical numbers as you, but most of the time I can't see a big difference. But I am sure other people notice, I went back to my hometown this past weekend, and many people (who didn't know that I had been losing weight) told me how good I looked and wanted to know how I was doing it. So I have decided to let others be my eyes for now, until my own catch up!