Pretty Close To Throwing In The Towel

gpstrucker

You aren't giving yourself nearly enough time. A lifestyle is for a lifetime, good or bad.

Are you taking measurements? The scale doesn't always tell the whole story. You can gain muscle mass and lose fat and the scale won't notice it, but your body does.

Water retention can be an issue too, especially for women. That's something to consider as well. Sometimes initial weight loss is just loss of excess water, the fat is a bit more stubborn at times and you have to keep after it.

Make sure you aren't underestimating the calories you eat each day (it's very hard for many people to guess portion sizes correctly).

I have been sticking with the MFP numbers and getting in as much exercise as I can and it has been working. It sort of sounds to me like you are jumping around a bit looking for a fast result. Have your plan and just stick with it and the results should come.

Neither you or I got the excess fat over night and we won't lose it over night. It takes time and effort. Stick to it and you will reach your goals.

realme56

Your first line was about accepting "this lifestyle change" but then you want to go back to eating the way you did. Are you eating too little, exercise too much? That will stop weight loss. Working out gains muscle which appears smaller, Changes don't "show" for 20# or more for most people. If this is truly a lifestyle change, stick to it.

warmachinejt

can you open up your diary? i'd say more than half the people that aren't losing on here don't eat enough. And don't give changes one week...give it at least 2 weeks.

tabulator32

If you keep trying and stick with it, you will almost certainly continue to lose weight.

If you give up, you will almost certainly continue to gain weight.

The choice is yours.

verptwerp

I feel your panic & dismay, but if you "throw in the towel", what do you think will happen ?

You could go to a doctor just to make sure there's no medical reason for the gain ....... other than that, we just keep plugging away ....... most people want to give up when they don't see results ....... but once you see results you'll hopefully never go back ..... whether it's here or at another website, we still have to eat healthy & keep moving ...... best of luck to you !

BTW, I looked at your profile & see Sidney Crosby as an inspiration ..... would he throw in the towel ...... I think not !

minime2b

Please don't....You are still making changes for the positive and your body is still adjusting. I know it's hard when this happens but make sure you are truely logging everything you eat. You might be surprised. Also, step up the exercise b/c your body is smart and will adjust itself accordingly. Ex....set a weekly exercise goal and then mix it up on a daily basis. 30 mins one day 1 hour another etc. Above all, never quit! Remember that it's the big picture

JoanneStone

Don't give up yet, I have been losing and gaining the same 2.5 pounds for 3 months now. And I have only lost a total of 7lbs since January. BUT what is happening is lots of NSVs. My clothes are fitting a bit better, friends are noticing changes and asking if I am losing weight, I'm training for my first 5K and I KNOW I can run the distance easily AND the big one! I feel fantastic! More energetic and alert and maybe just a little more attractive. So please don't throw in the towel, stick with it and fight the good fight, you will love the way you feel regardless of what the scales says and change will come with time!

Cyndieann

My first 3 months of working out I lost 0lbs, but lost 1 full dress/pant size & nearly 3 inches. I didn't worry too much about the scale in the beginning, muscle weighs more than fat, it also burns more calories than fat So build your muscle & turn yourself into a calorie burning machine! Once I started losing, it's been 1lb/week for 10 weeks in a row.

DangerJim71

nevermind

Curvy1taliana

Did you gain all the weight you have to lose in 35 days? Didn't think so. This is why you have to look at it as a "lifestyle change" not a diet. It's not a quick fix.

It didn't take overnight to gain the weight, and therefore it will not come off overnight.

Take this time to re-evaluate what you could be doing wrong or change up in your routine.

Are you watching your sugars (not in fruit), sodium, and processed foods?
Not saying you should cut carbs off completely, but concentrate on whole, fresh foods rather than prepared (I don't know what you eat). Lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits and minimal processed flours/wheat.

Good luck! If you stay the course, it will be worth it!

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.