I'M SO FRUSTRATED PLEASE HELP!!

tifmason

Really need support. I've been on a 1200 calorie diet for 3 weeks and have lost about 8lbs all together. I did awesome the first week and lost a little over 4lbs. Second week I lost 3.2lbs, and this week I only lost 1lb. I am very frustrated and I don't understand. I have been exercising a lot more! The first week I didn't even exercise. I've lowered my sodium intake and I drink nothing but water. Please help!

melsinct

You are doing great and you shouldn't aim to lose more than 1 or 2 pounds a week. You didn't get overweight overnight so you won't lose the weight that quickly either. Hang in there and keep up the good work!

Jdismybug1

Sometimes we see fast results and then they start to slow down. btw congrats on the big loss too.Just keep going and you will lose, sometimes weight is stubborn.

TourThePast

Really need support.

You don't need support, you need to be more realistic in your expectations.

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but losing 1-2 lb a week is exactly what you should be aiming for, you're doing great. Keep it up, and those 1lb weeks will quickly add up to a huge loss.

Besides, it's not a smooth progression, you may have lost more fat than that anyway.

keciabur

Also remember if you're working out more, muscle outweights fat.

billsica

Only? your doing awesome!

jamie1888

The initial big loss is usually water weight! That comes off fast.. then comes the hard part; losing fat!! Keep at it!!

rice161

Losing so much at first was probably water weight instead of actual fat. It sounds like you're doing the right things so keep it up. I do understand what you mean, wanting to see great results with so much effort, and I also get frustrated on weeks I only lose 0.5-1 lbs, but I know it's progress and a low week can sometimes be followed by a high week. Keep going!

TropicalSeaShell

If you are working out more, you need to eat more. Seriously. I had the same problem. I work out HARD for an hour 6 days a week and was on a 1500 cal diet and stopped losing weight after 4 weeks. The more muscle you have, the more it takes to sustain them day to day. Eat more (healthy stuff) and lose more! Sounds crazy, I know. You should aim for 1700 a day if you are working out hard. I personally eat around 2000 a day now and are starting to see some results ( of losing!)


Shannon

tifmason

Thanks everybody. I just assumed I was going to lose more than that because my dad is seeing a doctor for his weight and he's been losing 4-5lbs a week..sometimes more. The doctor is impressed with my dad and he got his last visit for free because he lost 25lbs the first month. I didn't realize that 1lb a week was good. Thanks for making me feel better.

jamie1888

Men lose it easier than woman! Sucks but true! There is truth about needing to eat enough.. however, when you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, you CAN get away with eating a low calorie diet for awhile and not worry about eating all your exercise calories, etc. Keep at it for a couple more weeks and see how it goes... if you aren't seeing any loss, you will have to make some tweaks. But, if you do see a consistent loss, then you know it's working. Eating healthy, whole foods, lots of veggies, lean protein, keep processed / prepackaged foods to a minimum and drinking lots of water will all help your progress!

fridayjustleft04

Thanks everybody. I just assumed I was going to lose more than that because my dad is seeing a doctor for his weight and he's been losing 4-5lbs a week..sometimes more. The doctor is impressed with my dad and he got his last visit for free because he lost 25lbs the first month. I didn't realize that 1lb a week was good. Thanks for making me feel better.

Your body is probably a whole lot different from your dad's, so don't try to keep up with him (besides, guys lose faster anyway). I agree with everyone above about the first of it probably being water weight. You should take your measurements; the scale doesn't necessarily reflect what's going on. It won't move as much if you're building muscle and burning fat because muscle is heavier. That's why measurements are so nice; muscle takes up less space than fat, so you're probably shrinking. lol

graysmom2005

That's actually an incredible amount of weight in three weeks. Great job! Your losses will fluctuate from week to week, but keep doing what you are doing. It's definitely working!! :-)

l3ugjuice

You are doing great! You need to change your mindset to work on a longer timeframe, though. 1-2 lbs per week is good, and over the course of your weightloss journey you are going to have weeks where you do better (and worse) than others. It evens out over a longer timeline. It's probably not fair to yourself to judge your weightloss to that of others, by the way...everyone (and their metabolism) is different.

That said: watch out for sodium and caffeine (make you retain water, thus weight)...and the more of those you have, the more you should drink water, and with the amount of weight you are trying to lose ...particularly if you are exercising on top of limiting your calories... you may want to up your calorie intake a little bit.

WowieGarcia

A loss is a loss is a loss. Be it .1 or 5 lb loss, that is a step closer to your goal. Don't worry the small stuff. Think of it this way, at least you're not gaining any.

chrislockard

My wife was in this situation, she was at 220 for ever then started dieting and was stuck at the 207 mark for about three months and then bam she went from 207 to 163! It's like it happened over nite. In reality she kept at it, flustered and mad. Sometimes you just need to push your body thru. She went from a size 18-20 to an 8! Keep ur chin up and remember it's consistincy that wins the weight loss battle!

JNick77

Really need support. I've been on a 1200 calorie diet for 3 weeks and have lost about 8lbs all together. I did awesome the first week and lost a little over 4lbs. Second week I lost 3.2lbs, and this week I only lost 1lb. I am very frustrated and I don't understand. I have been exercising a lot more! The first week I didn't even exercise. I've lowered my sodium intake and I drink nothing but water. Please help!

First, don't worry you're doing a good job. Don't let a slow down de-motivate you, keep up the good work. Secondly, 1 - 2lbs a week is actually considered healthy. Now if you really think you've hit a plateau you can do different things with your diet.

1. Increase your caloric intake one or two days. I'm not suggesting you go on a binger and take down a Chicago pizza but maybe up your calories to 1300 or 1400 one or two days and then come back down. You can cycle your calories up-and-down a little from day to day for a few days (1150, 1175, 1200, 1225, 1200) and then get back on track or something like that.
2. Play with your macro nutrient in-take. If you're shooting for 1200 calories at (for example) 50% carbs, 20% Fat 30% protein change it up. Go 40% carbs, 40% Protein, 20% Fat or 20% Carbs, 40% Protein, 40% Fat (this ratio is my favorite for shaking it up but the lower carbs makes me crabby. LOL)

Reisse62

First of all good job for sticking with it!. Secondly what is your target calorie goal per day. With working out 1200 seems low. You have to remember if you are taking in too little calories your body will go into starvation mode.

It is frustrating but is really is best to try and just lose 1 to 2 pounds a week and vary the calories you take in. I try to go over one day a week so my body does not freak out.

Hang in there..you are doing great!