So frustrated i'm in tears!

laddyboy

OK, I'll admit I didn't read all the post in here so I don't know if this has been mentioned. But I"m going to ask a question.

That 20oz bottle of Mountain Dew you drink everyday. Would you fill that up with water and add 19 tsps of sugar to it?

If your answer is no then think again cuz that's what you are doing. The 1st thing I tell people to cut out of their diet is Soda and see what happens after a week.

LORELLI

Have you ever watched The Biggest Loser show? Doesn't sound like you have much time to watch it but if you ever have you may remember that the 3rd week was always the week of low numbers. It was the same for me as well. But if you keep it up and just realize that you are doing not only your body good by your new habits but your mind and family as well.....then the results will be there next week. You are doing amazing!

Lozze

I do hope I didn't come across as 'changing everything' overnight. I tried to make it general and suggest ideas that can be done overtime. My apologies if it came across differently than that. Changing our ways of eating is hard and takes time. Rushing that can cause us to get frustrated and fail miserably. Many of us came from eating crap and I do mean crap, chips, cookies, pizza everyday, lots and lots of simply carbs that were empty calories.

I hope my post came across as ideas tossed out to include the kids in the changes so you wouldn't be making extra meals for yourself vs. the rest of the family.

I think sometimes those of us that have been at this awhile forget how hard it was at the beginning for us when we starting changing up everything. As the poster above shared, making small changes can be a big deal! More energy and as you get one habit licked you can work on the next.

You're cool As someone who was eating so badly when I started and I still remember that week vividly. It's so hard. I have help by doing Jenny Craig, I give kudos to all the people who have done this without outside help. I couldn't do it.

Melodypharmon

I understand completely! I have 100 lbs to lose, and for the past three weeks I have been trying so hard. A bunch of my friends have joined mfp too so we can have a support group. I have been tracking everything, and exercising 30 minutes a day on the treadmill. I have yet to lose a single lb! In fact I gained a lb! It's made me cry so many times because I see all my friends have lost a minimum of ten lbs. I just am trying to remember that I am feeling better than I have in a long time, and my clothes aren't as tight as they were. You should make a list of all the positives that you see from the change you have made. Then post it somewhere you will see a bunch to keep you motivated.

hope this helps!

imkegoal

You will stall once in a while. Don't worry, keep going at it- your weight will go down eventually!

It helps me to set short goals.
This time last year I weighed 87.5 Kilos (Sorry I work in Kilos) My first aim was 82 Kilos, my second aim was 80 Kilos, my third aim was 76.0 kilos, with my eventual aim of 68 Kilos.
A year on I had gone down to 78 Kilos by April (4 months to loose that weight) and by end December I put on 4 Kilos, getting back up to 82 Kilos. Today I finally weighed 77.7 Kilos- less than all I managed to loose last year. My aim now is to go down to 75 Kilos by the end of April (plenty of time for that) and 72 Kilos by the summer, for me to eventually weigh 68 Kilos.

Lots of numbers there, but what I am trying to say is:
* Set yourself small goals with realistic deadlines, and treat yourself if you achieve them (I used to buy a Wii exercise game everytime I achieved a goal)
* Be proud of what you acheived (as you should only loose 1 pound per week you are actually still above that target overall!)
* and stick at it.

I now weigh 10 Kilos (22 pounds) less than this time last year. It may have taken me a year, but it will stay off this way! If it takes me another year to loose another 10 Kilos, I will eventually be my target weight- and when I got there I won't care how long the journey has taken me!

Good luck! Stick at it, I am sure you will do it!!

heatherterp

wow first off it is great you have made your health a priority. good for you. I too am 5'5" and I had 150 pounds to lose and NEVER find again. I have been on MPF a few months now and have had some success. i am .4 pounds away from 1/3 of my goal. almost 50 pounds. It is so exciting. here are my thoughts.
First look at what you have listed as your activity level. I know you are going to the gym EVERY day, but maybe if you lower the level in MFP it will lower your calories and you will continue to lose pounds. My husband had to do that.
Second weight is not the only thing to use to "measure" success. have you taken measurements? You may lose inches and not pounds.
Third, if you eat great everyday your body adjusts, sometimes you need a "bad eating" day. not every week, but every so often.
is your diary open, maybe other MFP-ers can look at it and help with tips ideas.
I gave up soda all together. just one day said I think i will quit. it is a mind set. How bad do you want this.
what is it about the soda that you like?

Much luck to you!

jillmsweeneytaylor

I hear ya Sista!! It is so easy to put on and such torture to take off and it is a hateful feeling to be stalled! All I can say is hang in there baby and keep talking to supporters for the pep talks that are soooooo important. It can be a good thing to cry sometimes, it can put things into perspective & help us to find solutions. :flowerforyou:

zabbyvinny

Not much I can add except keep going, you do not lose if you stay the same weight for a week but you will lose if you quit :happy:

tenax

HI there. first of all, i commend you on your exercise regime. that is impressive..stick with that, you will lose weight. now, if you don't mind a bit of feedback on it, i looked at your food diary..and i'll relate it back to me so you know, it's not like it's easy for me to get the results i have so far and what i needed to do.

i'm a big guy..6 ft tall, big frame. these calorie intake systems tell me that to lose 3 lb a week (that's as much as they will recommend you do) i put in about 1600 calories per day and will constantly encourage me to eat back my carbs. . i can tell you i wasn't losing 3 lb a week by eating 1600 calories a day, never mind say 2000 plus per day if i add back what i burned doing exercise! i only accelerated my weight loss to about 3 lb a week by dropping to about 1000 to 1100 calories per day. you can do what you want, i'm not an expert but i feel good, i'm getting results doing that.

i looked at your diary and i wonder if you're average 1700 calories per day is simply too much, to get the results you want as quickly as you want them?

i wonder about drinking mountain dew. for me..i've said too many friends who've asked me how i lost weight that one of the first things i did was gave up sugar aside from sweetener in my coffee. my rule of thumb is if it has over 5g of sugar, don't eat it.

i wonder about eating bagels. they are so heavy, dense and high calorie. when i diet i find generally staying way from breads aside from the rare occasion, even whole wheat, multi grains etc, is important for me.

i've lost 15 lb this time but i lost 80+ originally. i gained 40 lb back by first..eating sugar (i love blizzards in the summer time and gave myself the excuse i was working it off doing other stuff when i had one). eating sugar led to me eating other bad carbs...finally, i stopped strenuous exercise (convinced myself a leisurely 20 minute dog walk 5 days per week was enough)

i've lost 15 lb in 4 weeks and feel great. couldn't have done it without the tips i throw out above. i really do wish you all the best. i've been utterly depressed over weight many times, going back to when i was as young as 6 years old. it's hell on earth. take care.

RickMckc

A great article that explains what might be going on in your body, especially at first, is here:

http://hussmanfitness.org/html/TSInsideOut.html

goldfinger88

First, I suggest you break down your weight loss goal into manageable numbers. I suggest 10 pounds at a time. That's not so overwhelming and the results are the same or better.

As for your weight loss, don't worry about how many pounds you lose. It always starts out with a lot. Usually it's all water. Then you drop a bit less and then it gets smaller. That's when you're losing fat and building muscle and that's a good thing. One pound a week is good. Two is also good. More than that is probably not too healthy.

Don't be discouraged or frustrated. Try and make it simple. Watch your portions. Eat good food in moderate quantity. Drink plenty of water and green tea. Often if you cut out one thing from your daily food intake, you cut out anywhere from 100 to 500 calories per day.

neveradullmoment

I am sorry that you are frustrated. I think that we ALL have been there when we bust our butts and track everything and see no result. Hang in there it will all work out and the weight WILL come off! DON'T GIVE UP!!! You CAN do this!!

Feel free to add me!

morkiemama

First of all, well done on what you have lost already!!
It's usual to lose more in the first week or two, after that you should be aiming for max 2lb week as its unhealthy to have more than 1000 cal/ day deficit. I eat more than you with only 80lbs to lose and have lost 25lbs in 3 months. My diary is open if you want a look.
Cut out the soda you could have a nutritious meal with those calories - I used to drink huge amounts of diet coke, have totally cut out and now only drink water, milk, tea, coffee, pure juice.
Eat back your exercise cals - as I said before you need max 1000 cal day deficit. Mfp already includes this deficit in your cal allowance.
Start tracking sodium- too high can cause water retention. Try and make home cooked meals, try and limit eating out/fast food etc to one or two meals a week
It's too early for you to have built much muscle but exercise can cause water retention for muscle repair especially if you have just started.
Take measurements, sometimes the scale will stick but you will lose inches
Set smaller goals, eg 10, 20, 30lbs, it helps to have mini goals to aim for instead of just thinking *kitten* me I've got to lose xxxlbs!
If you want a 'cheat meal' or a treat like chocolate, don't worry just make sure it fits in your cals and eat healthy rest of the day.
Hope this helps :-)

This!

yannbuk

Hi Shalvors, Please don't get frus...this is really early days. Like you I have pounds to lose and it doesn't come of in an instant. as everyone else says you are DOING REALLY WELL you must believe that. please stop looking back at what you have lost and look to the future..what you are going to lose.

Accept it will take time and amounts will vary. It's important that you love and value yourself for who you are and take great pride in the fact you actually made the decisionthand you have started on the journey.

Self beliefe is the most important factor...if you get down at what's NOT happeneing you let in the gremlins of failure. If you lose half a pond one week you won !! you actually lost weight..

Best wishes frrom the UK

Yannbuk

Munchi8175

Please take into consideration that because you (and you admit this) are working out more that you ever have, you are probably putting on some muscle. That can have an effect on your weight loss because muscle weighs more than fat. Also, your weight can fluctuate up to 2 pounds in a single day, so if you aren't weighing yourself at the same time each time you weigh, that could even play a role in it.

If your Mountain Dew is a daily thing though, I agree with the previous posts that you may want to consider either switching to diet, or if you don't like the taste, maybe make it a once a week indulgence. It is definitely more important that you get actual food in you though so you will have enough energy for your workouts, so wasting calories on empty foods like soda aren't going to help you feel full. I know it can be overwhelming to make these changes though. If it seems like too much, maybe gradually decrease the soda consumption. Maybe every other day? And then when you're okay with that, every 3 days? And so on...

mrsred79

There are a lot of great responses here. I'll echo a few...work on reducing your soda and processed food intakes. Whether it's going cold turkey, or slowly reducing the % of these things you eat each week, it's a step in the right direction. Whatever you think will work best for YOU that you are sure you can maintain. You could go cold turkey, but if a few weeks go by and you're going crazy, you'll end up going on a bender. That's what happens to me. But everyone is different. If cold turkey will work for you, then go for it! I personally try to focus on an 80/20 rule when I'm trying to cut down on things that aren't good for me. But in the beginning? I started out at more 50/50. I looked at how often I was eating, say, fast food. And I made it my goal to replace fast food with a healthier option at home at least 50% of the time for the next month or until it was habit. For example: If I was eating out 8 times per week, I focused on eating out only 4 times per week for a while. Then eventually I cut it back to 3 times per week, and so on. Small healthy changes are sometimes easier because it can be a bit depressing to feel like you can't ever have any of the foods/drinks you love. But as time goes on, your body adjusts to the healthier choices you are consistently making and begins to reward you in the form of more energy, less aches and pains, greater mental focus, inch loss weight loss. And coming from experience, you'll eventually enjoy the healthier options more and more and the junky fast food options less and less. No lie!

My long winded point is...do like others here have already said..continue making the efforts to make sustainable changes and you'll see the results in one form or another. But remember, it's hard work to be healthy and it's easy to be fat. If it was the other way around, we'd all be at our goal weights! Keep at it, hun. It is so worth it in the long game!

MaximalLife

Take a week off from the diet but keep up with training and working out.
When eating at maintenance youll boost metabolism due to making the body work harder to process food.
You should always eat at maintenance several times on your weight loss journey.
Just simply add 20% to the 1700 calories in your diary and do it.

Youll thank me later!

^^^^^
THIS

fabafter5

Ditch the soda! I would rather eat a piece of broiled fish, a 1/2 cup of couscous and a veggie for the calories that you waste on one soda. Not to mention the sugar!

MaximalLife

OK, I'll admit I didn't read all the post in here so I don't know if this has been mentioned. But I"m going to ask a question.

That 20oz bottle of Mountain Dew you drink everyday. Would you fill that up with water and add 19 tsps of sugar to it?

If your answer is no then think again cuz that's what you are doing. The 1st thing I tell people to cut out of their diet is Soda and see what happens after a week.

Again, it's the little things.

Nala335

You can do it, we can help....and then we will come over and paint your house and build a deck too

Or try repeating a few things you'd expect from a loving mom or grandmother:

You're in control - keep it up - it will be okay! - You're doing what everyone wishes in getting active - stop weighing yourself for a while - drink more water - it will be okay - small moves, just small moves will make it.....

tlwinky

Have you measured yourself? or tired to put on clothes that are normally tight? you might be surprised , I find that the numbers on the scale move incredibly slowly , but I am back to wearing pants that were super tight just a few months ago ...


Hugs , you can do this

tlwinky

I have found this same thing to be true. I lost 2 pounds the first week, only 1 the second week, 1 the third week and NOTHING this past week! BUT I put on a shirt yesterday (one that I have not been able to wear for 2 years because it made me feel like a sausage and it was SOOO uncomfortable!) just hoping I could button it up a bit more than usual.... and it buttoned up with no problem! So then I started trying on jeans and shorts that I also have not been able to wear for two years- EVERYTHING FIT. I have never been so happy! So, I have only lost four pounds so far, but I have already lost at least four pant sizes! The scale is not always the best judge of progress.... Keep at it and you will see a change in other ways.

Good luck!

JulieBoBoo

If you've just added weight training that is likely the culprit. When you build muscle you retain more water. This is part of the process of the muscle repairing itself and making itself stronger. This is a good thing. Building more lean muscle mass is good for many many reasons and is MUCH more important than the scale moving. Try taking measurements. You'll see a difference I'm sure.

Nana_Booboo

Eat your exercise calories
You should eat 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.

Now, I may not ALWAYS eat all my exercise calories but I will not let my net calories go below 1200.

I've messed this up my entire life, I've always been hungry and thought that's the feeling you needed to have to succeed

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

mrlazy1967

You're doing really well so don't give up - so long as the weight goes down some weeks, stays the same other weeks and doesn't go up it's all good news.

jeepwidow01

Understand the frustration! I'm right there with you! However, take your measurements and see if you are losing inches. Toning up is just as, if not more important, than the number of the scale.

Also, instead of looking at this journey as needing to lose 150 lbs, take it in smaller increments. I'm working with 10 lb increments. Yes, I know where I want my goal weight, but it isn't as daunting for me if I just set the smaller goals.

You can do this! Even though it is easier said than done, don't get frustrated. Just keep doing what you are doing & let your body adjust to the changes it is going through. It will catch up!

Good luck!

juliedee6

I, too, had been frustrated with losing NOTHING after 3 months on Weight Watchers. I worked out HARD. exhausting myself at the gym. Then I learned I was working out too hard! How can that be? You need to do cardio at your fat burning rate. Go to the Mayo Clinic website. They have a calculator there so that you can find out the heart beat range for your age to lose fat. Mine is 107 to 132 based on my age of 65. I was always working at 140 and above! So, stop killing yourself. When you are in the proper zone, you should be able to carry on a conversation. I got a heart rate monitor (one with a chest band), that tells me what my heart is beating at and how many calories I have burned. (This is handy if you do a DVD at home or walk with the family.) You will find that when you do the machines, you constantly fall out of the zone, which means your fat burn is slowed way down. If you take an aerobics class, you may find that your heart rate is too fast. The suggestion to measure yourself is good. You'll see results way before the clothes begin to feel looser. I do something that you're not supposed to do, and that is, I weigh myself everyday. I find that is motivating to me. That way, if my weigh-in day is Friday, and for most of the week my weight was headed down, if when I weigh in on Friday and don't get the results I had hoped for, I know I really did accomplish something. Remember, if you are not in menopause yet, weight can fluctuate a great deal. On exercise days, I eat back only about 200 of my calories. I think this is why I did not lose on WW. For my body, I need to keep the calorie count low. You have to find out what works for your body.

CallmeSbo

Throw that scale away, get a tape measure.

brittanyjeanxo

I can't believe I am only the second person to post this that I've seen. (The first was SUNKISSES)
I know it sounds hard to believe, and trust me, for a while I didn't get it either, but you need to eat MORE. I went back for a week to see how you eat, and you're eating 500-700 calories under what you should be eating. Eat closer to goal. You don't want to go over every day or anything, but 500-700 calories under is simply too much. I try to stay 100 or less under.
I know because I did the same exact thing. Then when I followed someone's advice and ate at or very close to goal, the weight started coming off again. If you don't want to do that, that's fine, but it's what I would definitely suggest.

mctiernan

I just had a quick view of your diary. I have a few suggestions that may help. I would replace the mountain dew with water or tea with no sugar or milk. Maybe try to eat a little "cleaner". Cut sugar and processed food. Fill up on natual foods instead. Stay away from pop tarts, chocolate, potatoes and butter etc. If you eat clean to balance your blood sugar, you will feel much better, more energy and see a loss. There are so many great recipes out there that make clean eating really enjoyable. Good Luck.