Help me I am getting discouraged!!

grizzlymaze

sounds like you might have to kick it into higher gear. perhaps instead of walking, try a slow jog at the same distance. I'll bet you burn more calories. Friend me, and I can help motivate you and vise-versa.

budhandy

I would say that you are probably building muscle.

No chance, not if she's eating at a calorie deficit. If only building muscle was that easy!
It's possible that if she's working muscles hard, they may be temporarily retaining fluid.

it is primarily your body flushing itself of excess sodium from the bad diet (aka water weight)

Nothing to do with sodium.

It is only possible for the body to lose two pounds of actual FAT per week without delving into health problems

Incorrect. Someone who is clinically obese can healthily lose far more than 2lb a week, without losing muscle or suffering ill effects. Once you get to being merely overweight, then no it's not possible to lose that much healthily.

I strongly suggest you use this board to provide support and encouragement, but take any diet advice with a pinch of (low sodium!) salt! :bigsmile:

This all true and best response to OP by far

mnichols007

Thank you all for your comments!!! I did not expect that many ppl to reply I have learned alot and am still sticking with it.. My goal is to be normal weight this time next year!! So heres to keeping up the good work! Scale is going in the cabinet

Amy_nz

Totally agree with those who have said to measure yourself! The body does mental-crazy things with weight - don't take it as gospel. I can vary by 4lbs over the course of a day. (And I gained about 4lbs during the first two weeks of my new lifestle - clearly the body was throwing some sort of hissy fit and clinging to all the fat (and then some) that it could. It goes away though!) But the measurements is what gives me a real-life guide of how I'm going.

Besides which, are you eating better food? Are you exercising? Therefore - you must be healthier than you were before! Scales can be buggered, if you're eating the right number of good-quality calories, and exercising, you're better off. The scales don't matter.

Edited to be a bit more consistent in kilo-age and pound-age.

LondonEliza

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/ElizaF/Scales.jpg[/url] Also: The scales will not tell you NOT to weigh yourself every day (Once a week at the same time in the same state seems to show consistent loss for me) The scales will not tell you, WELL done, where fat once was, you now have muscle The scales will not tell you, those low fat crackers were FULL of sodium so now you are packing a bit more water weight as a result of eating them The scales will not tell you that is is also measuring the weight of that pint of water you had when working out Have you thought about measuring your body once every two weeks to gauge the changes that way? I measure: Neck Wrist (widest part) Forearm (widest part) Thighs ((widest part under buttocks) Waistline (just above naval) Stomach (around naval) Bicept (widest part) Give it a go. See if it works for you too as a better way to measure inch loss.[/img]

cherylogle

Keep your focus squarely on measuring and how your clothes are fitting. The scale is not your friend when you start to workout.
Please mistakenly say "Muscle weighs more than fat" and that's not true. 1 lb = 1 lb. The scale doesn't care WHAT that lb is - a lb is a lb on the scale.
There's so many different factors with women and weight. Time of the month? A week before your cycle, the body will begin to retain water and depending on your body, it can hold on to it through your cycle.
You also want to make sure the quality of the food going in is top notch! We take more care of our hair and teeth than we do into the fuel that we put into our bodies. White carbs, high fats, high sugars, all of that will not help you - and most importantly PROCESSED foods. Skinny Cow is one of the worst ice creams out there and yet people eat it because they think it's a healthier option.
I have a great group on Facebook that has recipes we've collected from other users and from the web if you'd like to join - we are a large group of supportive people. I know your struggle. I've been there and started that group to help see others reach their goals of making this the last battle as well. I never thought I'd go from 194 to 126 but here I am. And I didn't starve! I did it slowly and healthy. And I've kept it off. Nutrition is 70%, Exercise is 20% and Sleep is 10% (they all must be in line to make your journey complete).

www.facebook.com/groups/fitnessfoodies/

Cheryl

kcoftx

The scale is only one tool.

Tool 2: Take beginning pictures in some kind of form fitting clothing that you can put on again later to remeasure using the same poses from your beginning picture. Take progress pictures maybe once every 2 months or so. We get fooled by the mirror but pictures side by side are easier to see. If you add strength training to your routine, you'll get more noticeable results as well. Be aware though, for some, it can take awhile to really see your first initial results. Don't worry. Keep working.

Tool 3: How do your clothes feel?

Tool 4: measuring tape. Look online for a good explanation about how to take body measurements. Measure yourself about once a month or so.

Tool 5: body fat test. Ask your gym for a body fat test. Like the scale, cailipers aren't the most reliable tool, but it does give you something to show as you aim your way down.

Mostly, however, weight loss begins in your head. You have to become educated about it. You have to start working on developing a healthier attitude and relationship with food and exercise. It's important to understand that this is for the long haul and about changing how you live your life. It's not temporary. It's not easy, but done right, over time you will gain skills that can last a lifetime, if you work on the THINKING part of your weight loss journey. It's not just about logging, picking foods, weighing and moving. It's about thinking about your patterns, why you have them, what you can do to change them, how to work with your natural tendencies but in a way that is more productive and healthy, and how stress and emotions can play a part and what will you do to work around that. You have to change the head part to truly be successful during maintenance. It's not an overnight process. The beauty of it though is the more you reflect, the more you think about what you are doing, the more you go back and look at your data over time, the more you educate yourself, ask yourself questions, and learn what you are doing, the more you will really learn about yourself and THAT my friend is where the real change happens. Doing things by rote, won't completely cure the cause if you aren't examining the cause. But it starts with small steps. Right now the mental barrier, for example, is your unhealthy expectations about how fast weight loss happens and your relationship to the scale. Start thinking about that as your first reflective exercise. Start reading. Start telling yourself you can do this and believe it.

Another thing I want to share with you is that you can't panic here. You will be doing this for a long time. A lifetime. If you quit, you'll regret it. It's far better to keep going and take a long time than it is to quit and wish 5 years from now that you hadn't done that. Just do it. Commitment means you recognize that you WILL do this. You are fully capable of doing this. You will do what it takes to make it happen. That happens gradually but it takes determination. It takes loving yourself enough to work on it daily. Stop entertaining the thought of giving up. That is no longer in your vocabulary. You WILL DO IT. If you have a bad moment, forgive yourself and move on. DO analyze what you are doing over time to note any really repetitive behaviors but this is not about a single point in time. This is about an overall gradual change from the mental part to the fueling your body part to the moving your body part. ALL of it is connected.

Breathe. Relax. Educate yourself. Be passionate and excited because you are embarking on a journey that may take time, but will yield results if you just work on it. Soak it all up. Don't panic. That's unproductive. Work on those mental games your mind plays on you. Learn how to have a healthy relationship with the whole process.

YOU CAN DO IT!

yoovie

Pick out a pair of sexy *kitten* jeans, or some badass goal outfit that is just too small for you right now.

Nailgun that sucker to the wall.

Aim for it.

Start by taking your measurements today.
Record them for yourself.
Tell yourself these facts:

Your weight will fluctuate daily.
Your body will retain water and swell or bloat on occasion while it heals from the changes you've put into motion. Liek a little kid gets a lil fluffy right before a growth spurt.
In general, most of us lose weight really fast in the beginning- but after the first few months or less- you're going to probably fall down to losing about 4-6 pounds a month for a while. This is supposed to happen, its not a plateau.
If you dont drink water, this process wont happen as smoothly.
Accept that this is going to take a long time.
Accept that it taking a long time is good because you know the effects will last AND you're skin wont get all droopy from losing too fast.
Work on other areas of your overall health and happiness at the same time so that lack of progress on the scale wont feel like total failure.
Work on your skin, teeth, fingernails, balance, bills, organization, your own personal style to rock when you hit goal weight, adventures you might want to take, 5Ks you may want to run, exploring creative endeavors, loving your body, and showing yourself love by doing the things you love to do.

Prepare yourself for the long run. Now. Or be one more that quits out of frustration. Good luck.

adrian_indy

One time, I lifted my butt off at the gym. That night we went out to eat....and earlier in the day I had eaten at Chick-Fila. I was under my caloric goal and ate extremely healthy that day. The next day I had gained 5 pound. Why?

A: Because the body retains fluid to repair muscles
B: Food when we eat out has tons of sodium...which retains water.

hedgiie

simple fix for this is not to step on the scale often. try every 8th days from the last time you weigh. steping on the scale can cause psychological stress to you, for which you expect too much every time in a short period span of time.

madyncaden

its not easy but it will happen! you need to just keep pushing through and continue the journey. i have gone through the exact same thing with the starting to lose see a bit of a gain then a little more and then i am right back at being unhealthy and up more on the scale. Personally i look back and see that i got discouraged when i saw that first gain and did not follow my plan right after that and that is why i saw the continual gain. Also, stop weighing yourself so often! My hubby finally threw my scale in the trash because i would not stay off of it and in that moment i thought my life was over. it took me time to adjust, but it took the stress out of losing! i do weigh in sometimes once a week to once a month, but no more than that! i use my wii so i do not cheat since it takes so long to get set up you can do this!! just follow through with the healthy eating and the exercise. it will not happen over night, but it will happen. I have had more success in the past 5 months than i have had in the last 5 years because i have totally given up the "diet" mentality. this is my life and how i eat and how i exercise period.......add me if youd like, i always enjoy others to motivate and to kick my butt in gear when i slack, cuz believe me i do that too

SusanLovesToEat

I agree with all of the advice and encouragement above. You're doing great!

I totally understand becoming obsessed with the scale. I was taking down my weight several times per day and would be totally crushed if it went up even half a pound in a few hours-really crazy huh?

Now I try and focus on how much better I feel and how much better my clothes feel after losing only 4 pounds. A pound a week would be great! We are all in this for the long haul anyway.