What to do when feeling discouraged?

hannahbellelechter

After 8 weeks of carefully counting calories, logging foods, and exercising at least 3-4 times per week, I've hardly seen the scale budge at all. In fact, I keep bouncing up and down between 5 pounds. This is EXTREMELY frustrating and makes me want to quit! But I know I won't lose pant sizes if I quit now... so what are some ways to motivate myself, and keep a good attitude?

ukkiosan

I've been having this same problem, and while I do get discouraged from time to time, I just think back to how I felt before I started exercising again and watching my food intake. Do I really want to go back to feeling that way? Am I doing this to make a positive impact on my long term health, or am I going to eschew all that for some stupid numbers? Then, I go and do something I enjoy - yoga, spinning, shopping, reading - and focus on making today the best day that I can!

Also, have you tried measuring yourself? Found your clothes fitting better? It's possible that your body composition is just shifting right now. And one other thing: you may want to open your diary so that other posters can see what you're logging and help you out. : )

Best of luck!

Molly182

The number on the scale isn't all that important.

Don't be a quitter. It's easy to quit. Keep doing this and be proud of yourself and know how well you're doing.

dls06

Get a food scale so you can be sure you are calculating your calories correctly. Serving size is not always what you think. I was shocked to see what a true serving size was compared to what I thought it was.

hannahbellelechter

I generally eat healthy (fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats) and when I do choose to eat something "bad" I look it up in the MFP database before eating it and measuring it out.

MaraDiaz

I go for a walk. Then I get to record the calories burned when I get back, so I feel a bit better.

vim_n_vigor

A few things:

Are you sure you have your profile set up correctly for your activity level?
Are you sure you are eating enough food for your activity level?
Are you taking your measurements along with tracking your weight?
How much sodium is in the food you are eating?

When I started, I was eating 1200 calories. I was miserable, and my weight fluctuated a lot more than it does now that I adjusted to less a week and raised my activity level. I have also noticed that I will drop some weight, gain some back and drop inches at the same time, drop weight again. I would not have noticed this if for a decent amount of time I tracked the weight and measurements 2 times a week in the tracker. Good luck!

kelseyhere

I have been struggling with the same problem lately and getting extremely frustrated. I'm counting calories and exercising, but my clothes aren't fitting any better, and the scale won't budge.

On the other hand though, I know that have gotten a lot stronger in just about 2 months of regular working out. My endurance is much better, and I'm sleeping better. It makes me feel good to know I can lift more weight and run for more minutes on the elliptical or treadmill. I try to remind myself of these other achivements and benefits in my life. My thighs may be just as big around as they were a couple months ago, but hey at least it's nice solid muslce in there now and not flab!

Keep working at it and you WILL see change. It happens slower for some of us than others, but it's not going to happen by sitting ont he couch. Also remember to keep variety in your diet and workouts so you don't get bored and tempted to cheat

missbis

Your story sounds almost exactly like mine. I've been exercising for 60 minutes x 4 days a week and counting calories...all for 6 weeks or so and I haven't seen any progress. Getting frustrated, too. I feel you.