Huh... What's Going On Here?

_Khaleesi_

So I have felt that July has really been a crummy month for this weight loss journey of mine. I started in April and for the months of May and June I was losing ~6 lbs a month. Now it's July, almost August, and I am still only sitting at 2 lbs lost! I weighed myself 2 days ago and I was down to 178 (which would be 4 lbs lost for July) but today I am back up to 180 lbs not ever going over my calories!

I am set at 1300 cals a day, and I try to eat back my exercise calories whenever possible. I just started the 30 Day Shred and before that I was biking or walking for exercise, but irregularly. I am drinking 8 cups of water a day (this started at the beginning of July). I keep giving myself excuses like, "well I just started to drink the proper amount of water, so I am probably retaining it until my body gets used to it." And after that it was, "oh its the TOM, it'll be better next week." And this wednesday is coming up fast (my next weigh in day) and I am telling myself that it's water retention again because of starting the shred. I don't want to fall back on these excuses... I want to continue with this journey. It just seems weird that the more I kick butt at it, the less it seems to work.

kapeluza

"just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.

Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people suceed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is dissapointment. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new commers and vetrans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.

Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.

Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crutial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permenant yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tryies to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.

Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistant (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becomming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!

Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already suceeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!

Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficite, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficites you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficite (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.

Conclusion:

this is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from.

Best health to you all!

-Banks "



:flowerforyou:

_Khaleesi_

"just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.

Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people suceed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is dissapointment. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new commers and vetrans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.

Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.

Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crutial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permenant yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tryies to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.

Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistant (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becomming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!

Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already suceeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine (have done), make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food (done and doing). Talk to people (trying this now. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!

Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficite, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficites you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficite (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.

Conclusion:

this is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from.

Best health to you all!

-Banks "



:flowerforyou:

I am confused as to how this answers my question. I know where I am in my journey. I know that I SHOULD be only losing 1- 2 lbs a week. I am sticking with it. I have no issues with motivation or lack of "willpower." I am not seeing losses. That's the issue...

Edit:: That sounds *****y... I totally don't mean it to. I am just frustrated.

How about this: I have read many posts where the above response has been posted and I have read it many times over. I know what phase I am at currently, and I am doing what it says to do. And still, nothing. It's getting me squirrely

_Khaleesi_

bump!

KarmaxKitty

Hate to say it, but it might be time to set the scal aside for a little bit. I remember weighing myself twice a week and seeing no change in number...but my pants kept getting looser and everything looked a little more smaller and toned. Also, if you hit a wall that bad, it might be a good thing to just smash the stupid thing down. when I hit mine, I just did a lot more cardio but the same amount what little strength training I was doing. Burned a hole right through the wall and ended up dropping a lot of weight after the wall came down.

And drinking water will keep you going through all of that.

Hope that helped a little...

collmullshulaw

I agree... forget about the scale for a little while and just concentrate on measurements. also, remember you are not just in this for the numbers on the scale, but to be healthy, which is the most important thing. at this point i would say concentrate on eating healthy and exercising, and the rest will fall into line. Good luck!

bean177

Hey Jersey - hang on, the P90X is on it's way (mailed it last week) - you have to post and let me know how much you love it!!!!! I'm awaiting Zumba myself, hope to get the DVD's this week... :happy:

k8edge

Perhaps focus on more positive things than the number on the scale...

For instance, do your clothes fit better? Do you feel more confidant... I think 4lbs lost so far for July is awesome! I wish I could loose that much.

Just remember, you can do it!

MinnieInMaine

You said you "just started" 30DS - not sure how long you've been doing it but there does tend to be some water retention due to muscles healing when you start a new program. And knowing how 30DS is, I'm almost positive that's the case.

My only other thought, still on water retention, do you monitor your sodium? If so, make sure you haven't gone over lately (and if you do, up that water intake). If not...add it to your diary and keep an eye on it. It's usually a good indication of too many processed foods.

Take your measurements - I've seen on here that a lot of people tone up on 30DS but don't necessarily lose pounds.

And lastly, be patient. It'll kick in again!

darln2u

This is me! I did really good droping lbs.17 from oct. but since about june I just got in a slump and think I have even put back on a couple of lbs. I dont want to get on a scale to see for sure. I walk every morning for 1hr. I just cant get into working out. I wish I could get positive again. Im short and fat!

cmriverside

Yeh, what they said. Lighten up on yourself. Everyone hits plateaus.


Choice: Weigh every day and feel like crap when it doesn't move OR- put the scale away. Weigh twice a month. Feel crappy less often. Since you are letting it control how you feel, STOP .



Patient: "Doctor, it really hurts when I do this."

Doctor: "Don't do that."

_Khaleesi_

Ahhh.... this is why I post here in a panic... because you guys know just what I need to hear! Thank you SO SO Much.

I did JUST start the 30DS (Day 3 today), so that could be it. I just checked my sodium and i haven't been over so that's good. But my clothes have been fitting better so I really should be okay with all of this. I guess I let the number and the frustration get to me... and I really shouldnt. Just needed a slap in the face! Thanks guys!

((And I can't wait for P90x!! Thanks again!))