feeling a down over lack of progress

mell4now

I think Im doing everything I should be doing . Im staying within my calorie goal on*** most** days, and have been exercising regularly too.

But for the past few days have been gaining weight...

I did allow myself to pig out at a party on Sat the 8th but the calories were not enough to make the scale go up one pound nevermind 5 pounds!!!

I just dont get it. I'm a girl who used to eat like 5 cups of mac and cheese, or a half of a medium pizza
and a peanut butter fudge 3 scoop sundae for supper and have resorted to eatting like a gosh darned bird for the past few months; nibbiling on microscopic low-fat cheese wedges, pretzel rods, and making meals out of stupid vegetable soups with puny servings of meat with a measly 40 calorie fudgicle in place of my ice cream sundae.

sorry about the rant and rave here, im just frusterated that all my work has only resulted in a 16 lb loss( 11lbs if you want to add back my recent gain! )

SergeantSunshine_reused

Its water weight. Try not to be so obsessed with the scale! :]

jbinga

Girl, you know I'm obsessed with the scale so you keep on being obsessed if you want to be! But I do agree that it's probably water weight. I do this, too. I have some really weird weight fluctuations sometimes with no explanation. Give it a few days, drink LOTS of water, watch your sodium, and it will come off.

VixenGddss5

I love the website Skinnytaste and every other website like it. Go for high protein, low fat and carbs. That will keep you fuller longer. My BIGGEST help is Great Value Drink mixes - grape and cherry are awesome if you like those flavors b/c you can mix one packet (for 2 quarts of water) in with a gallon instead and it tastes just as good - that way you save money and you drink more water which makes you feel fuller too. I wouldn't be able to do this without drinking a whole ton of water. w.o my flavoring I barely get 8 cups of water a day. with it i can easily drink 1 1/2 gallons w/o even thinking. Those days I lose 3-5 lbs believe it or not.
Put on music and dance while you are in the shower, folding laundry, doing dishes - it burns a few extra calories. And think thin, Dress sexy - a positive attitude will help you make your goals. Its not easy, but it is doable.

mrsgoodguy

Dont give up and dont beat yourself up about it. Keep doing the right things and remember as women, we tend to retain water and have weight fluctuations during certain times of the month. Drink lots of water and before you know it, I bet you see that scale start to move again and in the right direction

MissingMyOldSelf

I'm in a slump, myself. I finally broke down and bought a scale for my house, and it's almost 10lbs off of the scale that I normally weigh myself on here at work, and NOT for the better. So, I've changed my weight on here to reflect the scale that I'll be using at home, and it's just a big depressing change. It feels like I've worked so hard for all of my hard work to get crapped on.

But all I can do is shake myself off, and try again. Obviously I did it before... I just need to redo it..... sigh....

MiniMichelle

Are you watching your sodium? I know personally I have to stay WAY under my sodium to see any kind of results.

Hassiri

Sounds to me like you need to check what kind of foods you are eating, ans stay within your calore goal everyday not just most of the days, and like you said you did pigged out the last saturday, Is that really doing all that you can?

Eat more vegetables and lean protein that will keep your hunger under control, dump the over processed food, and high sodium stuff

Be patient and consistent! and workout even if its for just 10 min a day! that surely lifts my moods

Nikkie_too

Sodium can create havoc with the scale. Try setting your diary to show you sodium (Settings > Diary settings) and keep an eye on it for a few days or a week. Maybe that will make a difference? And like someone else said - water, water, water! It's hard not to get discouraged - but stick with it. You're doing the right things.

ninyagwa

I agree with most of the sentiments on here, I would add sodium to your diary, because looking at some of the foods you eat (trust me I eat some of them too) they are kind of high in sodium and that can reak havoc on you in terms of water retention. Also maybe try tracking your water for a while too, I noticed you don't track it, so maybe tracking it will help you to get enough/more in to kind of cleanse out the sodium.

Good luck!

mell4now

Unfortunately, salt has been the new "fat" for me lately. its the only thing that makes these low calorie foods taste somewhat satisfying. I ran out of my sea salt a few weeks ago and dug out from the depths of my cubbord the regular norton salt. I wonder if I go back to sea salt if it would help... but yes i am horrible with my sodium consumption!

michelegrayson

Ah, its hard not to let the scale get you down sometimes. When that happens I try and focus on the other "wins" in eating well and getting exercise. I love the fact that that I'm taking control over what goes in my mouth and even when I choose to eat something that is not as healthy as it could be, I still CHOOSE and I'm taking responsibility for my choices (even if that means I chose to gain a pound that week because that was the consequence). I like the fact that if the building caught fire, I could run down 100 flights of stairs without stopping to get my breath because now I'm in good enough shape to do that. I like the fact that I sleep better when sugar and alcohol is not coursing thru my blood processing in the middle of the night. I like the fact I'm now eating real food, not fake food and it shows in my skin, my hair and the color of my eyes...they are brighter, I swear!

I'm sure if you think about it there is progress in many parts of your life that you can celebrate! It might not be the scale but you have chosen a healthy lifestyle that surely is reflected in all tha you are!

Hang in there and celebrate your choices! That dang scale will follow eventually, I swear!

YogiGirlLucy

Hi. Good job on your progress thus far. I took a look at your diary. Perhaps try cutting out/or down on the processed foods. Chips, Jimmy Dean, Lean Pockets. Even pizza is not going to help if you are really serious about losing the weight, save this for a once in a while treat. Track sodium -- these and the soups, ham, etc. have more than you think and it adds up leading to bloat and water retention. Watch the sugar... sweets won't help, opt for a little organic dark chocolate, some unsweetened carob or even a protein bar if you need a treat (I like the Think Thin creamy peanut butter or dark chocolate, or Luna Coconut bar). Add fresh fruits and veggies in. Eat some salads. Watch the carbs -- some days you are good, other days you are way over. And drink lots of water.

Keep up the good effort!

Lucy

pinkgigi

I don't like 'diet' foods either. If you feel deprived perhaps you need to have some more of what you like in your day. Do what you have to do not to feel deprived, so that you can stick with it all the time rather than most of the time. Even if you are frustrated with how much you've lost, you HAVE lost, so that is still a win isn't it?

I often feel like you do, but if you are tracking everything, you can usually see where the problem is.

GG

philOHIO

First, you gotta stop eating the junk out of the box. Second, need to start some kind of exercise, even if it is a walk around the block, to get your metabolism boosted. Need to eat lean protein, whole grains, fiber, fruits and vegetables and water! These steps will ensure weight loss success. Diets like atkins, starvation diets, lead to only short term gains... doesn't fix the problem for life.

Charlottejogs

I am so with you on the frustration! I have been consuming less than 1200 calories per day, exercise regularly, staying under the sodium level, started replacing breakfast with fresh vegetable juice, and eat very little processed food. I thought I had lost a few pounds but I think I just happend to check on the low side of the fluctuation. Grrr! I am going to try adding some jogging but have been having trouble fitting another work out in the day...hopefully I will be able to get it in and it will help. I probably need to be more patient- easier said than done:) Way to go everyone on your hard work!

mell4now

THank you everyone for all of your replies... slumps suck!!!

***I did notice that one person suggested that I needed to start exercising. Im not sure if a diary view shows this or not but I have been exercising quite a bit. I walked about 15 miles this past week and have been playing the wii golds gym cardio, the wii active2, and even the wii fit. I even low-ball the calorie burn that the games give me by 25-50 calories just in case It is inaccurate!!

mrsjennifermaffei

EVERYONE goes through it unfortunately. I had that over the weekend too. Been around 186lbs for awhile but 2 nights ago it said 190lbs and then last night was 188lbs...forgot to weigh today but I'm hoping back to 186lbs lol. I flucuate like mad.

H_Factor

I looked at your diary. you are doing well on your calorie intake but not eating ideal foods to make up those calories. based on your recent results, it sounds like you're not going to be one of the lucky ones who can eat whatever he/she wants so long as he/she is maintaining a caloric deficit (I sure am not one of the lucky ones either).

Try this for 2-3 weeks and see if it works.

largely reduce or preferably eliminate processed foods (lots of sodium, among other things), grains, bread, pasta. replace these items with more fruit, veggies, lean protein and healthy dietary fat. take time to prepare a menu for yourself, go shopping to get those items, and cook some natural, healthy meals for yourself.