Pretty Close To Throwing In The Towel

debcorky

Don't throw in the towel! Here are some suggestions. Try Carb Cycling....sounds like you are plateauing - it might help. Also are you doing weights? I am doing that and muscle weighs more than fat. I can see a definite change in my muscle tone but it doesn't reflect on the scale....however I feel stronger, have better endurance, and went a notch down on my bet buckle. So my advice is to try and change things up in your diet and your exercise as your body might just be adjusting to what you are doing. Have one day when you eat your recommended number of calories and the next day undershoot it by maybe 400. Also rotate your exercise regime with alternate days of weights and cardio or maybe book a session with a personal trainer.

Newf77

*****WARNING I AM BLUNT*******
You have two choices this early in the journey, 35 days is barely a skip onto the journey, you did not get here in 35 days you’re not going to reverse the path in 35 days. There is so much that can be going on for you right now, you could be retaining water {menstrual cycle}. Not knowing what type of physical activity you have been doing, water is retained for muscle repair. Without being able to view your diary I have no idea what you are eating, just because it fits in under your caloric window does not mean that it is a health option {high salt, high sugars}. You are going to have to do some experimentation to find what is working for you and it will take more than a couple of weeks to gather the data.
I do not buy into the scale theory and if you are weighting yourself daily STOP, measurements are a better barometer.
So you have two options here, toss that towel in or use it to wipe the sweat off your brow and push forward.

queenstatus

PLEASE DO NOT THROW IN THE TOWEL. THERE IS NO QUICK FIX FOR THIS. THIS IS A LIFELONG JOURNEY. AS SOMEONE ELSE MENTIONED, MAKE YOUR DIARY VISABLE FOR VIEWING BY OTHERS, KEEP TALKING ABOUT YOUR SITUATION, KEEP SEEKING ADVICE, EXPERIMENT--AND YOU WILL EVENTUALLY FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. WHAT WORKS FOR OTHERS MAY NOT WORK FOR YOU BUT YOU HAVE TO EVALUATE YOURSELF AND THE THINGS THAT YOU DO AND YOU WILL FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL JOURNEY BUT WE ARE ALL IN THIS JOURNEY TOGETHER. TRUST ME WE ALL ARE STRUGGLING. SOME DAYS ARE GOOD AND SOME ARE BAD BUT YOU TAKE THE LEMONS AND MAKE LEMONADE OUT OF THEM. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY. YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO ADD ME AS A FRIEND IF YOU WOULD LIKE.

speediejane

be positive thing of all your hard work change routine,but stick with it

PJ64

I had the same issue and my doctor did a blood test, found out my thyroid was causing the issues. Maybe you can go see a doctor and get checked out?

jboccio90

Do you have your goal setting set to Sedentary?

econdrias

Muscle is more dense than fat, you may be gaining muscle mass if you are exercising a lot more.... might be more relevant to check your physical measurements ie: hips, waist, chest, arm circumference, leg circumference, body fat percentage, muscle mass percentage, etc.

pen2u

I've logged in for over 300 days in a row. I've only lost a hair under 30 lbs where some here lose the same amount in a couple of months. I could be depressed about wanting to lose 15 more pounds and totally give up, but I'm not going to. Here's what I've gained:

Fitness - I can run up the stadium steps from row 5 to to the top w/o feeling it (handy at halftime when you need to use the rr or grab a beer.)

Confidence part 1 - No matter how I look or what I weigh, I know I'm working at it; people who are judgmental don't get to me anymore.

Confidence part 2 - I look better, lol. And I'm up for anything from wall climbing, to mtn biking to walking around in a swimsuit.

Mental health - Exercise gives you endorphins, to quote Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde." I'm a nicer person these days

Physical health - No sick days!

Longer life - At age 60 we tend to think about these things. I've increased my life expectancy by a decade just by watching what I eat and getting off the couch now & again.

High heels - I can wear them! Whoot!


Sweetie, you've got a great life ahead of you. Don't give up!!! Live a healthy lifestyle w/o being a slave to the scale

autumnk921

I understand your frustration too...I have been on here since Jan 2012 & have barely lost 10lbs...To be technical, I lost 10lbs but have since gained back 3lbs...One thing that has kept me from quitting is I know that I have to have PATIENCE...This is the hard part for me b/c I am very impatient about everything...U were probably on the right track by upping your calories b/c a lot of people don't eat enough which causes them to gain weight...Not everyone but for a whole lot it works this way...The thing is with upping calories for sure - You have to give it at least 4wks minimum for your body to trust that you are going to start feeding it again & start letting go of some of the fat that it is saving up in case you don't eat enough for a while again....Give it some time & get some good MFP friends on here to help support you & keep you motivated & you can also provide the same for them...Believe me it has made a world of difference for me since having MFP friends...For the first 2 mths I didn't have any...Wasn't even sure how this whole thing worked & if I hadn't made most of the friends that I still have to this day I would have GIVEN UP long ago....I think this will help you a whole bunch...Plus check out this group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

It is an Awesome group that I highly recommend you check out!! HTH!!

Just remember: YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

MNguerita

Don't give up! There are any number of reasons why this might be, but I agree with those that say 35 days just isn't enough time to determine " if it is working". Examine everything! Did your logging get sloppy after the first few weeks of doing great? Did you measure everything out and then switch to just guessing? Are you doing the same exercises? Your body needs you to mix it up a bit, and like someone said, depending on what it is you were doing for exercise, it could be muscle, and that weighs more than fat, so in the short term it would seem like a gain, but as you build muscle it will burn more calories. Or you might need to up your activity time overall, and give yourself a day off once in awhile, your body needs time to recuperate. Just take a look at what you have been doing and be honest with yourself and I am sure you will be able to figure this out. Either way, don't stop...weight loss or not, you are still working towards a better healthier you and eating better is a part of that.

dmoisson

If you want it you have to go after it, with passion. How bad do you want weight loss? On the exercise front I
do something like this and if you did something similar with good eating you WOULD get results. Go to the gym
in the morning. Take a group class like Zumba, BodyPump, etc. That's an hour. Then hit the treadmill for a bit.
Then lift a bit. Build up. I do almost 3 hours at the gym but I know that's a lot. 30 minutes might not be cutting it.
Then at night do something else. Ride a bike as you watch TV. Take the dog for a walk. Go for a jog. When
I do two workouts a day pounds fall off me. On one hand it's not easy but on another hand it's quite simple.
Burn that fat off and don't quit. If you want it make it happen. No excuses.

Prahasaurus

35 days??? Jeez....

Sorry if I'm way out of line, but...

What you probably need is a lifestyle change, not a "diet" that "works" or "doesn't work" after 35 days, in which case you replace it with another trendy "diet".

I recently lost 30 pounds. I wasn't significantly overweight, but 6'2" and almost 230. I looked older (and at 45, every year counts!), I was not sleeping well, I lacked energy, etc. I did the following (short version):

Cut out all soft drinks and replaced with water, cut out most processed foods, dramatically reduced my carb intake (limited rice, pasta, bread), increased my veggie consumption, and began a regular, but by no means intensive, exercise program.

I didn't bother monitoring my weight or my caloric intake. This may sound like heresy for this site, but I just didn't bother. I knew what I was doing was healthy. After a month or so, I started to notice a difference when looking at myself in the mirror. Nothing dramatic, but definitely noticeable. I didn't change anything. I just kept to the plan. When I was hungry, I ate (healthy). Every day I tried to do something (long walk, push ups, hotel gym when I was on a business trip, whatever).

After three months, I noticed my new suits would need to go to the tailor. Friends started to notice. At four months I joined this site. I wanted a better way to track my exercising and weight training (which I now plan to increase), and I was curious as to the contents of my diet.

My new goal is to have a better body at 45 than I did at 25 (and I use to be quite athletic). I'm also planning to run in a 5k by September. But this is not something I plan to achieve, and then stop. My new "diet" (I hate that word) and exercise program is something I plan to keep. Again, it's a lifestyle change, not a quick hit to drop some pounds.

I think you need to step back and take the long view. It's not about reduced calorie intake for a while for the quick win. That's how diets are "sold" to consumers, but it's just wrong. Completely rethink what you put in your body, how you take care of yourself. Develop a plan that works for you. And then stick to it.

Good luck.

--Prahasaurus

thistimeismytime

You have to accept this:





Weight loss is almost never totally linear. We all bounce up and down a bit, but if you give up, you are guaranteeing failure. If you keep going, make small changes toward being healthier, and eat at a moderate deficit, the weight WILL come off. It will have no choice. Assuming you don't have any medical issues, of course. You have to change your MIND to change your body. Quitting can NOT be an option. If you don't take care of yourself, no one will do it for you...so DO IT for yourself. Take pictures and measurements, because oftentimes these will show your body changing even when the scale isn't moving. Deep breath, and keep going. It's worth it. :flowerforyou:

rgm24633

You may have other factors at play that could be frustrating. For example, you could be in the process of becoming insulin resistant, which would account for what you are going through.

honeysprinkles

Make less drastic changes. 35 days isn't long at all, it won't be long enough to get any real lasting results, so if you already feel like quitting you need to change your plan. You really don't have to cut out everything, just make an honest effort to eat a little less and move a little more. And give it time. Depending on how much you have to lose, it could take months for yourself or other people to really see a difference. If it's worth it to you, you'll get there.

chevy88grl

I'll be honest.. I haven't read the other responses, so if mine is just another repeat.. I apologize.

You didn't gain the weight in 35 days, so you won't lose the weight in 35 days. Also, you are constantly changing things up so your body isn't sure what to do at this point. Choose a daily calorie goal, make a workout plan and do that consistently for a month or two. Let your body adapt and adjust to what's going on. You have to be PATIENT. This journey is one of determination, motivation and most of all PATIENCE.

Go back to your original calorie goal. Workout. Make sure you're eating at your goal and not leaving 200,300 or more calories leftover at the end of the day.

KilikiMom

from what i can gather...just from what you posted...you probably are not eating enough...... this is why MFP gives you EXTRA calories when you exercise because your body NEEDS IT!! now im not saying eat every single calorie you burn off back but eating back some is what you should be doing....and change up your exercises do something different....

stop focusing on the number too (as hard as that is YOU NEED TO DO THAT)....that is only going to get you down in the dumps and depressed i know when i first start that scale was my enemy it went up and down and up up up and took a while to go back down...you can not just quit after only 35 days!!

focus more on being HEALTHY....that is the main goal here right?!?!? to live a better healthier life??

i have been on here for 120 days now...and i've lost 20lbs in that time and i have been up and down but what counts is persistence and determination....

stefanieceleste0530

DO NOT GIVE UP!!! I agree with pretty much everything everyone else has already said, so I won't say it all again. Just don't give up...a month is just a drop in the bucket....Keep going.....stay strong!

StephGodsPrincess

I understand how you feel. I have lost 20 pounds but for me to look at myself I just don't see it, but being larger I think it will take more of a weight loss to notice changes. I went through a period it seems I was eating right, denying myself food I wanted and exercising at least an hour a day, besides all the running I do as a stay at home mom of 2 and yet it seemed the scale didn't want to move. I was getting frustrated and brought to tears wanting to give up, but thankfully I didn't. This is as others have said a lifestyle change. With that being said we each have to individually try to find what works for us and our lifestyle. Are you just trying what others are doing that works for them? Their bodies are different, each of our are, so we need to keep trying and tweaking things until we find what works for us. It may take you 2 or 3 months to come up with what you find for you. I know this is what I have been doing. If the weight slows down I sit and relook over what I am doing and then try something different or make little changes here and there and until I see the weight coming off again. Hang in there. We all want to lose weight to look good but more importantly aside from what the scale says and our size is to eat better and exercise to live a healthy life. I hope you don't give up and hang in there

neverstray

So, let me see if I have this right. Since you feel like this isn't working based upon some sort of expectation you had, which was probably false, you are going to go back to what you were doing before?

I thought what you were doing before brought you here.

You need to stay with it for about 60 days. After that, ask for help and adjustments can be made if needed. But, you haven't been at it long enough. Also, I didn't see it, but if you are on medication, that can affect your results dramatically and you may need more professional advice v

NeverGivesUp

well, what is the alternative?? To do what you were doing before or to keep improving your health?? I know how frustrating it can be. Since I started MFP, I have only lost 12 pounds and it has almost been 5 months. But then I checked my inches and saw that I have lost 9 and a half inches recently, also I can now ride a bike uphill (which I could never have done before) and I can run without breathing so hard or feeling like I am going to die. I finally put the scale away and decided to concentrate on my overall well being instead. Weight fluctuates and especially us women. I can go up 6lbs in a day which is ridiculous!! So, if my pants are fitting well, and I feel great, and keep eating right and doing my exercise, then I know and have faith I am doing right by my body. Too many of us let the number on the scale define us. They are not important when other changes are going on within us. If you are being honest with yourself then you know what you need to do.

yustick

I have been where you are at some point every time I've tried to lose weight and every time before I did quit. The result, I kept gaining and gaining and gaining. When I started this time I weighed 364 pounds. Boy, I really wish I stuck with it when I had 60 pounds to lose.

Now, I am just sticking with it. If I eat less and move more, I will lose weight, maybe not consistently, maybe not as quickly as I want or even as quickly as I deserve, but I have faith that it will happen.

It doesn't have to be all or nothing, make a few changes that don't make you miserable and remember weight loss isn't the only reward to eating healthier and being more active. To me, the most important thing to do is continue to log and stay aware of what you eat.

A doctor's visit wouldn't hurt either.

Whatever you do, don't quit!

entropy83

Please don't stop and don't stop believing in your ability to make a positive change for yourself. I would suggest a few things already posted. 1.) Food scale- cups and volume measurements are a sure way to over and underestimate your calories setting you up for failure. 2.) Heart rate monitor (HRM) with chest strap- this way you know how many calories you are really burning during those sessions. If you are over or underestimating you could be undoing all of you dietary work.

My diet is not the greatest ie not a clean eater and not always getting more than 1 to 3 fruits or vegetables in a day. I am at a plateau right now but you situation sounds much different with actual weight gain back. Good luck. Your body is a complicated machine, but having a firm understanding of a more precise caloric intake and expenditure (scale and HRM) has helped me more than measuring cups and just working out.

lionuff

I can totally understand exactly where you are coming from. I have had problems with losing weight and then gaining it back out of nowhere. A lot of people do not understand. They always say well you must be doing something different else you would not gaining the weight. This statement is so untrue. Years ago I began getting very depressed about my weight because I was working out at the gym regularly, I had cut all the junk out of my diet and all I did was gain gain gain. So as I said I stated earlier, I started becoming depressed. I eventually went to the doctors because I had enough. At first they tried to tell me that I needed to exercise and eat better and that I must be doing something to be gaining. After several months of being persistent that I was eating right, working out and doing all the right things, my doctor did some test and found out that it was a medical condition. The doctor set me up with a nutritionist who talked to me about how many calories I could have and the different types of foods that I could and could not have which is completely different then someone who does not have a medical condition. I did this for a long time and lost the weight and kept it off until about two years ago. I truthfully just got sick of all the restrictions it felt like all I was telling my self is you can't have this, you can't have that, you can't can't can't. So I just began eating whatever I wanted. I was happy and I loved it. Now I'm stuck again and unhappy. Now I'm fatter then I've been, I hate what I look like, and my clothing doesn’t fit. So please don't throw in the towel there are people who do understand.

scarletphillips

I'm no expert, but here are my thoughts:
1) Stop looking to the scales for motivation - losing weight is important, but more important is healthy living for health's sake. I would not even weigh more than once a week - maybe less.
2) See your doctor for a complete physical with bloodwork - hopefully not, but you could have a medical condition that is affecting your weight.
3) Healthy lifestyle is a lifestyle for LIFE. Don't even think about giving up - it's not an option - change up your exercise, make sure your portions are measured (I was eating healthy food, just too much of it!).
4) Reward yourself and congratulate yourself for other milestones BESIDES WEIGHT LOSS - exercise consistently for one week/one month; resisted unhealthy food choices; inches lost; energy level increased; logged food everyday for a week; etc. Just don't reward with food - reward with mani/pedi or new candle or new earrings or movie with a friend, etc.

sukatx

Have you been to your doctor for a check-up lately?

When I first started my weight loss journey, I had a similar problem. Started off great, but I hit a plateau and couldn't break it. I finally went to the doctor and he ran a blood test. My thyroid was way out of whack! It took a little while to get the correct dose of medication, but once that happened my weight loss kicked in again.

I'm certainly not diagnosing you with hypothyroidism. But, shucks, going to the doctor sure couldn't hurt. Right?

belinda_b

I did'nt read the other responses, but sometimes just when we are ready to give up, something changes for the better. Don't give up.

istril

I would echo what others here have said and talk to a doctor -- BUT, PRINT OUT and bring your entire journal with you! That way your doctor can look it over with you and see exactly what you have been doing.

I'm recommending going to the doctor for 2 reasons:
1) rule out a medical condition. (truthfully, you probably DON'T have a medical condition that is stopping you from loosing weight, but it is a good idea to rule it out)
2) having someone else check over your nutrition and fitness activity could be helpful in spotting a reason why you aren't loosing weight.

There are many other reasons you might not see the weightloss right now:

MUSCLE: You are building muscle. It really is a good possibility. A few months ago, I got to the same point you were at, so discouraged, and I DID fall off the bandwagon. I quit exercising, and while I didn't start eating too terribly right away, I stopped counting calories. But get this, I actually lost a few more pounds. I'm convinced it was actually muscle I was loosing because I had gone back to a sedentary lifestyle and wasn't working out. It just put into perspective just how many pounds of muscle I had put on.

CYCLE: you said 35 days - this is roughly the length of a "cycle" for women. If you stick with it for a few cycles, you may find that at certain points your body retains water and you plateau. You may still be burning fat, it just doesn't show as much at certain times of the month.

SALT: How is your sodium intake?

STRESS: have you been stressed recently (it sounds like you are!)? cortisol is a stress hormone and can contribute significantly to weight gain. incidentally, this would also be something good to talk to your doctor about. Also, I was impressed that you had been exercising every day. if you can work that in it is GREAT! I know for me though, if I tried to exercise every day, it would stress the hell out of me. I exercise 3-5 times a week, and that is good for me. Also a friend of mine who has had great results recently told me she sets her calories to maintenance mode on the weekends so she can have a "break" and not worry too much about food. It is important to make a lifestyle change, but it won't be sustainable unless your changes are moderate enough for you to stick to without stressing you out. Maybe you need to moderate your "healthy" habits?

SLEEP: Have you been sleeping well? I can never loose weight if I'm not getting a good nights rest

DIET: what TYPES of foods are you eating? Recently I started adding in a day or two a week of a "vegetable fast". I don't worry as much about tracking my calories, but i also don't eat anything except vegetables the whole day. I eat as many as I want, and I don't feel hungry. Granted, this is a little extreme, but it always seems to help my results on the scale. Another way I gauge if I'm eating the right things, is I think back to how much "chopping" I've done lol. If I suddenly realize I haven't had to do a lot of chopping of vegetables this week, I'm probably not going to see good results on the scale because I haven't been eating enough of the right foods - EVEN IF my calorie intake has been perfect. A lot of successful diets actually focus on what you MUST eat (# servings of veggies a day, etc) instead of what you should NOT eat for this reason.

jfan175

Do you think Sidney Crosby quits?

Yes

mfp_1

hockeyfan87 wrote:
I honestly don't know what else to do.

As others have said, you need to weigh your food. Buy a digital kitchen scale.