is it all pointless?

jmvmisc24

is really frustrated i am counting calories, eating healthier, exercising five days a week 30 minutes a day or more. I drop five pounds over last few weeks now i have gained it all back. wth? this is starting to seem pointless.

Mandizzlelephant

if you're working out it could be muscle

chelseaalicia

Has your diet changed at all? What time of day you weigh yourself can make a difference, or an excess of sodium can make you hold on to 2-3lbs of water. And agreed with the muscle suggestion- I went through a time when while I thought I didn't lose any weight, I had lost 3lbs of fat and put on 3lbs of muscle- there are lots of variables, just keep exercising and eating well!

melaniecheeks

When did you start? What was your start weight and what is your goal weight? How many calories a day are you eating? What sort of exercise are you doing?

It can take your body a few weeks to adjust to a new routine and regime, so I'd say you're expecting too much too soon.

JansterL

What time of the month is it?

I gain or lose 5 lbs every time my 'monthly' comes around. Water weight gain, bloating....the whole kit-n-kaboodle. So anytime near the first week to the week after.....I have to ignore my scale!!

getfitnfab

Too short a time frame

Who are you quitting on? Yourself? Why?

Do it as a lifestyle change, do it for yourself, it is a learning process

Takes a while to stop being slave to the weight

Learn about your body

Are you the type that builds muscle

How are your clothes fitting

How's your eating

Did you eat Chinese? This causes a 3 to 5 pound gain on the scale, water weight

TOM causes a 2 pound gain for me, earlier it used to be 5 pounds

Do not give up on yourself

Keep adding on your good habits

ironanimal

Guessing you're eating really low and exercising hard. Eat your exercise calories - your body had a basic level of Net calories it needs to function properly. Net Cals = Intake - Exercise Calories Burnt. You need to Net 1200, so if you burn 800 on exercise in a day, you need to eat 2000.

Patience, padawan.

thefuzz1290

Also don't be concerned about the number on the scale. Use a tape measure and measure inches. I'm 211lbs right now with a 44" waist, but if I was 211lbs with a 34" waist I'd be considered fit. Use the mirror and inches .

MaximalLife

is really frustrated i am counting calories, eating healthier, exercising five days a week 30 minutes a day or more. I drop five pounds over last few weeks now i have gained it all back. wth? this is starting to seem pointless.

Are you eating enough? And could the weight gain be muscle? Anyway, track bodyfat as well - here for free:
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

But the nut of the matter can't be addressed until we know more. I suspect - just a hunch - that you're not eating enough, and your body has down regulated your metabolism.

How many calories are you eating?
How much weight per week are you trying to lose.
Are you exercising and eating back your exercise calories?

Simply stated MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week.
That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up.
Why? Because it's telling you to eat your exercise calories.
Large deficits aren't really good to do because while you will lose weight, what kind of weight will it be?
In many cases you'll lose lean muscle tissue which LOWERS your metabolic rate even more.
Then you have to eat even less to compensate for less of a calorie burn to continue to lose the same amount of weight each week.

Be efficient.
Exercise hard and eat back the calories. The hard exercise will RAISE your metabolic rate and burn more fat at rest.

LethaSue

If you weight every day it will go up and down and then down again and eventually it will keep getting alittle lower and eventually it will not get back to the orginal number it was any more. For example lets say you start at 200 then day 1... 202...day 2...202 day 3 200.... day 4...... 201.... day 5..... 204.... day 6 ..........203......... day 7 199 day 8......... 202 day 9......... 198 day 10 199
day 11 ....197
day 12....197
day 13...198
day 14 ....195
day 15....198
day 16... 197
day 17... 194
day 18... 196
day 19... 193
day 20... 195
Now you would be getting to a point where it would not jump back to 200 again and you are losing but it gets frustrating to look at it every day because you can get down on the weight loss. Its there, it is just if you have not eliminated what you have eaten or if you are holding water its not going to show drastic weight loss. Give it a few days to drop off and eventually it will get where it doesnt ever hit on the lowest number again. Feel like you are not losing but it is dropping amd dropping. Go by how you feel and how great your clothes are starting to feel, and just give it some time to gradually drop, it will.

jmvmisc24

I am eating between 1300 to 1400 calories a day six times a day. And if i eat after exercise it is always fruit an banana, apple, something healthy and i get full real easily after that.

MaximalLife

I am eating between 1300 to 1400 calories a day six times a day. And if i eat after exercise it is always fruit an banana, apple, something healthy and i get full real easily after that.

Just keep punching and doing the next right thing, and good things will start to happen.
All Is Possible!

justanotherbrickinthewall

You could be gaining muscle. Make sure you're getting enough calories also. Huge deficits are pointless and will cause your body to go into starvation. Everyone has plateaus in their weight loss journey, but you just have to work hard to get over them.

Being healthy is never pointless.

reddi2roll

Give it more time and maybe only exercise every other day. You need to take a break from exercise routines. Even when you go to therapy they do not exercise more than 2 days in a row. I know that you are in therapy because of an injury and you don't have one but I think the break idea is a good one to give your muscles a chance to recover.