Discouraged.......

kiters

I had a 6 month plan to lose 35 lbs in 6 months.....sounds easy, Well not so much. I'm down 14lbs and 21 to go and a month and 2 weeks to go until my original goal. I get frustrated the number isn't changing and want to just say forget it!

KCharron20

I know how you feel, but 14 pounds in 4-1/2 months is great! You will get there, just keep it up!

adswillis27

First off, great job on losing 14 lbs! You got started and that is the first step.

Did you have a plan to lose 35 lbs or just a goal? Did you have a nutrition plan laid out and an exercise routine in order to meet that goal?

35lbs in 6 months is 1.3 lbs per week right? (I may have done that math wrong). Do you know how many calories you burn during a day and how many calories you consume? That would help you develop a plan.

Also, you have lost 14 lbs. That is better than 0 lbs or weight gained. Just because you don't meet your goal doesn't mean you stop moving forward. Rather than setting larger goals with a long time frame consider setting smaller goals to help you track your progress. Something like losing 1.5 lbs per week for 4 weeks would be a good goal to set in order to meet a larger goal.

When I started my journey and set my goals, I had a goal of losing 20-25 lbs. I knew that would put me at a weight that I had been at and maintained. Once I got close to that I changed my goal. Now I've lost over 40 lbs, but if I said I wanted to lose 40 lbs in the beginning and didn't have smaller goals and stepping stones in between then I would have taken over a year to meet my goal.

Keep your head up and don't stop now!

kiters

Thank you! Just feeling Stuck!

kiters

I didn't have a set plan.....that may be the problem. My ultimate plan was to bust my butt and adjust my lifestyle instead of just dieting.

AgnesMangles

Don't give up! 35 lbs in 6 months was a pretty aggressive plan - more than a pound a week. Why not set smaller goals for yourself along the way to your next 21 pounds? I want to lose 14 more total, but I've set a smaller goal of 4 pounds lost in the next 5 weeks - to be at 150 for a friend's wedding. Sometimes whittling away at smaller tasks is easier than looking at the big picture. And meeting those little goals motivates you to get to the next one.

drewbird911

Set your goals MFP and log in and log all your food.as best you can. You are doing great at 14 Pound down, many people struggle and don't loose any weight... Also focus on fitness and non scale victories NSV.

adswillis27

A lifestyle change is the only way to make the hard work stick. Dieting is temporary, but you still need a plan. Busting your butt is a good start, but what type of exercise will you use to do that? Will you change your eating habits? Limit or cut back on fried food, count calories, eat more veggies. All of those are good choices, chose one or chose all. Develop a plan with guidelines that you can live with forever. That means you don't completely eliminate things from you diet. (There is a difference between having a diet and being on a diet). I still eat chocolate and pizza, but not all day everyday.

Sit back and think about the changes you are going to make. Write them down and revisit the list often. What did you do (exactly) to lose 14 lbs? What could you adjust to lose more? Should you eat a little less or exercise more? Or are you even eating enough to fuel your body if you are busting your butt really hard?

Angie_1MR

I didn't have a set plan.....that may be the problem. My ultimate plan was to bust my butt and adjust my lifestyle instead of just dieting.

Not having a plan is your first problem! Spend some time and write down your goals, and how you are going to get there - START SMALL! And, I agree with other posters that 35 lbs. in 6 months is pretty aggressive! You've got a great start, now you've gotta write yourself a specific plan and hold yourself accountable! Good luck!

secretlobster

Many of us have had to change our goals along the way. It's alright. It doesn't mean you failed, it just means that you need to modify a bit. I agree with you that not having a specific diet or exercise plan may have hindered your progress. MFP is really good as a journal too... If you look back on your progress (and you really did make a lot of progress!), what did you do that was most helpful in losing weight? The weeks when you lost weight, were you really diligent about eating well? Did you exercise a lot? I would take the common factors in the periods when you lost the most weight, and then use those to make a specific plan for yourself

Carri1

14x4=56 "sticks of butter" gone from your sleeker body! Sometimes the body needs to take a break in losing weight. Just be patient...You can do it! Make sure you are eating enough too. Maybe think about opening your diary so we can take a peek to see if we can "tweak" it. Good luck!

Carri1

sculley

I had a 6 month plan to lose 35 lbs in 6 months.....sounds easy, Well not so much. I'm down 14lbs and 21 to go and a month and 2 weeks to go until my original goal. I get frustrated the number isn't changing and want to just say forget it!

I had a goal like that...I started after my youngest was born (well about 4 months due to complications etc) to get from 189 to 140 by the time he was a year old....well I got to 145....and that was ok with me I am still trucking a month and a half after my goal date. I will set a new goal soon.

TheBigBoots

The fact that you've lost 14 lbs so far is a huge accomplishment. Good for you! You should be proud of that. I think focussing on what you have accomplished instead of what you haven't is the best antidote to discouragement. You can totally do this. Feel free to add me if you need some additional support.

PLUMSGRL

...and if you did nothing at all, where would you be?

deadstarsunburn

14 lbs is GREAT. I would do just about anything to lose that much in 4-6 months.

Keep up the great work it'll get there. Try changing up calorie counts and work out routines.

catniss

bump--I am in a similar spot (well, the discouraged part) and this is great info for me to incorporate--I need a plan!

tuffytuffy1

Be kind to yourself! 14 pounds is great. It has taken me almost a year to lost just 17 pounds, but I haven't felt deprived, I don't work out like a crazy person, I have made it work slowly but surely. You can do it!

heidikat72

omg just saw somebody else equate pounds lost in terms of "sticks of butter"...thought that was my crazy quirk but it hleps put things in perspective. and think about it - another six months from now would you rather say that you lost the weight in 9 months instead of 6 months or that you quit and never met your goal?

Fatbuster205

Congratulations on losing 14lbs - that is great! Remember that the slower the weight comes off the more likely it is that you will keep it off and that should be your goal! As long as you are losing - and believe me occasionally a couple of pounds back on due to family get togethers or whatever does not matter - you will succeed. I started with a 6 month idea of achievement but I kicked that into touch as I realised I need to do this slowly for it to be permanent! Keep logging, keep exercising and be really tight with portion control and you will succeed!