Tired of this being so hard...

jeanice66

I hate to say this but I am so glad to read this post because it is the same thing I do over and over. I feel like I loose the same three pounds every single week! I do so great thru the week - eat right or at least decent and exercise then comes the weekend .. one or two beers and maybe Friday night pizza- and its done the one or two pounds I lost thru the week ...right back. Just glad to know I am not the only one who does this same exact thing.

akillaah

No worries hun - just think about it...no matter what the scale says, you are doing good things for your body. Try taking measurements of your body instead of relying on the scale if you find the numbers on the scale intimidating. Or just weigh in once every 2 weeks instead of once a week or however often you're doing it. You need to remember that this is YOUR journey and some things that work for others or seem to be easier for others will not be the same as you. You just have to really evaluate yourself and get to know your body and figure out what works for you. I found for myself, cutting wheat out of my diet for the most part has greatly improved my weightloss and when I have those bad days where I eat junk food, it doesnt seem to impact me the same way as it would if I was eating wheat. Also mixing up your exercise and shocking your body really helps with weight loss and muscle gain. Try eating different things...lower your carbs...eat stir fry on bean sprouts instead of on rice or eat zuccini or squash spagetti with pasta sauce and some parmesan cheese. Just play around with things for say, a month at a time and see what kind of results you get until you learn what really works for you!

but like I said, just remember, no matter what the scale says...this is a POSITIVE thing you are doing for your body, and no amount of chips and mcdonalds is going to make you feel any better in the end.

moreen2

Its is okay! Do not keep beating up for being normal. Remember it is just one meal. Move on to the next meal. Keep tracking the good and the ugly. You will figure out what is normal for "you". Week -ends are tough enough. Keep plenty of fruit and veggies around for quick snacking. I cut up plates of fruit and veggies. I also have a culvers burger with a side salad. I make skinnytaste recipes with pasta. I keep my family eating what I eat. They love the fresh salads, and beef and pasta recipes. I also have been known to have a double portion. Keep exercise part of your daily plan. Like a daily dose of medication. Exercise is important so track it daily.

bpwparents

I'm very thankful for the weight I have lost since the end of May but over the last month I'm finding this a lot more difficult to stick to it. I'll have one cheat meal on a weekend and it will blow my weight loss for the week. It's very frustrating to read people posting that you need to eat 3000 over to gain a pound. Obviously they have never had my body as I gain 2 lbs from being 500 over. I guess I need to do some tweeking again. I've had more pasta than usual lately so maybe that's the issue. It's just so difficult to stick to this and I'm just tired :sad:

This is something that has puzzled me from the day a started this site almost 2 monts ago....If you are trying to lose weight and change your eating habits and life style why in the world would you want to have a cheat day???? Purposely cheating is not a concept that I believe fits in to a weight loss program. If you happen to go over a little one day that is another thing but it seems to me that when a person begins to incorporate the concept of purposely cheating on the weekend or any day you set yourself up for the strong possibility of not being successful in keeping the weight off over the long haul. Just my opinion take it for what its worth.

I didn't say "cheat day". I said cheat meal and I never said that I do this all of the time because obviously I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have. And for everyone else, I'm very aware of sodium intake. I do track sodium now because of this. For the most part the only thing I drink is water and lots of it.

quiltingducky

You're only experiencing what almost everyone goes through when on a diet. I know, I know - I'm not supposed to say diet, but it is when we are trying to change our eating habits. Maybe try changing up the variety of what you are eating, maybe more fruits and veggies, or finding alternatives for the pasta (like spaghetti squash). I know for myself I do not consciously plan for a cheat meal, but when something comes up and the choices are not always figure friendly, I'll make a conscious decision to only eat a certain amount and then box up the rest to take home If it's a restaurant. When I want something that I know is not great for me, I'll tell myself that they will still be making that food when I am thinner, so I talk myself out of it.

And remember too, that we as women have those lovely hormones that play havoc with our bodies. I was down 3 pounds one day and then up 3 pounds for the next 5 days straight and then back down again. I ate the same quantity, not straying from my calories, and I knew eventually it would show again. In the past, I used to get discouraged, but since keeping track of everything I am eating, I knew it was just a temporary thing my body was doing.

I hope you stick with it and give it time. Maybe give up the cheat meal for a week and see if you can make it through and see if having a cheat meal really makes a difference in how you mentally feel. Another thing, I am eating pretty much anything I want, just in moderation, so that it doesn't seem like deprivation - even ice cream. I just figure it into my calories so that I know it will work with my limits.

Again, I hope you don't give up. It's a mental game sometimes and you can beat it!

transvenouspacer

I weigh myself every day, sometimes more than once just for the hell of it. Guess what? My weight can fluctuate by as much as 5 pounds. I don't worry about it, I just watch the general trend. If my weight were to stay up and keep increasing, then I would be worried. But even then I realize I would just have to really watch my calories for a little while and exercise more. Remember this is not a race. Just keep trying and try not to deprive yourself. You've already lost 36 pounds, that's a great victory!! Focus on your overall progress. You can do this.

Cruxthemystic

Ok I'm going to make a suggestion.....join a group or two. I'm in two groups one for people with thyroid problems and one that we just have fun and encourage each other. Find ones with the same interest you have. It helps to have people you come to know and can talk to.

larryc0923

Depends on if you want to lose fat or lose water. You have to eat 3500 calories OVER maintenance to gain a pound of fat. Which most people can't do in one meal.

But you can gain water weight and food weight from over eating. Especially if you eat more carbohydrates than normal. Your body will bind water molecules with glycogen and store that in your muscles, when that is full that extra will spill over into your adipose tissue(fat under the skin). Normally if you get back on track it'll eventually go away again. I've gained 5 lbs + over night from a cheat.

Don't get discouraged.

Thank you for a very informative post.

astronomer25

It could be several things in combinations
1) You have metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance --- more insulin is secreted when you eat carbs. Insulin is the fat hormone, when it is present it promotes fat storage. If your cheat meal is high in carbs, the increased insulin will result in more fat storage for excess carbs consumed.
2) Your cheat meal is higher in sodium than you are used to. Depending on the diet, the increased sodium will result in water gain (this would not be true for a ketogenic diet however (I consume 3-4 grams of sodium daily without any issues and I am insulin resistant).
3) Calories in - Calories out may not be necessarily entirely true, with regards to hormone problems-- like insulin resistant people. Researchers have done studies in mice which show they can gain weight even on a very low calorie diet due to hormone issues.

Insulin resistant person
Your cheat meal will cause an inordinate amount of calories to be stored as fat compared to a non Insulin Resistant (IR) person.
(Read research summarized by Gary Taubes)...
Read "Why we get Fat" by Gary Taubes

He summarizes weight loss research. I would start with him and expand to other authors if you want to learn more about the research.

annwyatt69

I'm with you. Just a couple hundred over and my weight goes up a couple of pounds. MFP's 1200 cal and exercise caused no weight loss for me. I didn't start seeing results until my doctor cut the calories down to below 800, increased my protein, and decreased the carbs. Hope something works for you! I know how frustrating it is!

Impy84

This thread title sums up how i've been feeling for the past few weeks. I know i won't quit im just frustrated.

hookandy

... make first thing Friday or Saturday morning your weigh-in time, rather than weighing on a Monday morning after a high-sodium meal or two (I'm guessing)

I switched my weigh in day and it has made a huge difference to the consistency of the numbers. This week I had a poor Monday so will weigh Wed or even Thur. I know the numbers will be really poor because of water levels, so will drink like a fish today to get everything back in order to weigh later in the week.