Feeling frustrated :(

Supermel

I am feeling frustrated and jsut wanted to vent. I'm not even sure if i'm looking for advice exactly but am open to it, just grumbling mostly!

I have been on MFP for about 3.5 weeks (25 days). I have lost approx 7 pounds in this time which isn't that bad, and have lost inches as well. But each weekend, I am mostly on track, maybe a little over (no more than 150-200 this weekend and nothing last weekend because i worked out extra) and i gain back a pound (last two weekends) or even 2 pounds this weekend. Then it takes til thursday to see a loss again Then i get a small loss thurs, fri and sat but i'm back up on monday, tuesday. I know not all calories are created equal, so a few of the treats i have had, are not the greatets (multigrain chips, angel food cake) but i stil wasn't that much over :P

When i was on WW i could have a few treats and was still losing. I'm eating less on this plan, eating SO much better, yet the scale is not moving that fast. I know my results are typical, but i know my body and when i've ate like this in the past i've seen faster results AND not gained it back so fast over a few treats mostly within my plan. I want to stay motivated but its so hard when I turned down piles and piles of my favourite foods over the weekend and i'm still up. It was a struggle and I feel like I might as well have pigged out for all the good my will power did me. I know I shouldn't weight in every day blah blah, but still, last week i did perfect and only was down 1.4. I know i could be gaining muscle, retaining water, etc etc but its still frustrating.

THanks for reading if you got this far thru my rant lol
Argh.

LittleSpy

Check your expectations! :flowerforyou:

Read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

7 pounds in 3.5 weeks is a HUGE loss (I would venture to say it could possibly even be too fast for someone who only has 19 pounds to lose). So, congratulations!

AllisonMS

I'm right there with you, feeling frustrated and impatient with the weight loss, when I'm being so careful.

Adding to my frustration is the fact that, for the last 3 days, in addition to doing The Shred (I'm 10 days in), I've gone on 3-mile jogs, burning these last 3 days more than 600 calories. I've eaten for the most part the additional calories -- and given myself a few treats like Hershey's kisses and a cookie along the way -- and am seeing a weight gain.

I guess it could be muscle weight? I haven't measured, but I sure do feel tighter and leaner, no matter what the scale says. But I want to see my weight loss ticker read 11 pounds, as it did last Thursday, before the jogging!

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!


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AllisonMS

Thanks, JLB, for the link to "expectations."

Exactly what I needed to hear right now.

jillybeanruns

I'm not really sure why you're frustrated?! I'm on the same track as you, have lost 7.6 pounds in the 3.5 weeks I've been here. I've been able to lose faster than I expected while still eating what I want. I eat more healthy during the day, and when I have extra calories at the end of the night, I treat myself to chocolate and/or hot chocolate. I'm not sure what your calorie limits are, but if you're losing, you're obviously doing something right.

Why are you weighing yourself every day? There's no need to, and that's the reason you're frustrated. If you weighed yourself one time a week, you'd be seeing consistent weight loss.

Supermel

Thanks for the link. It is good advice. I am happy to stay the same. Ecstactic to stay the same. I would have been pleased to stay 156 for a month. I'm Just super uber bummed to see it go up after sacrificing all weekend. I will keep chugging along. 19 pounds to lose, gets me at 145. I made an obtainable goal for the 19 pounds. but I may want to make another new goal when i succeed depending on how much i've toned and how many inches i've lost. Of the 7 pounds i lost, i lost 3.8 the first week. So its been slow going since then.

LittleSpy

Why are you sacrificing? This isn't a "diet," this is your life. If you sacrifice now to lose weight and then go right back to consuming the way you were before, you're just going to gain everything right back. I mean, are you going to "sacrifice" for the rest of your life? How about a compromise instead?

Ang8178

I'm losing about a half a pound a week :grumble: Unlike most on this site I didn't lose lots of weight when i first started. I actually gained 2 pounds! That was a huge knock down to my self esteem! I'm starting to be ok with the slow weight loss. I figure if I keep losing a half pound a week I'll have that bikini body by summer I totally feel you on the giving up food thing! Yesterday my husband wanted to go out to eat. I got a salad and brought my own dressing. I was sitting there watching him eat crab cakes, mashed potatoes, and butter drenched broccoli while I was eatting my spinach salad that I could have made at home for half the price! I was in a very pissy mood when we left the restaurant.

JUst hang in there, you are doing a great job. Way to go on your exercise also! :flowerforyou:

bjs06

I've been going really slowly as well. I've been going for 5-7 weeks, I'm actually not even sure when I really started but I've lost almost 6 lbs and I was expecting to do better. I was feeling down and frustrated about it but then i realized a few things.
a)i'm doing more weight training then I ever have in my life. doing step aerobics, working out 5-6 times a week and probably building lots of new muscle which as we all know, weighs more than fat.
and b) my measurements are going down. i measured today and i've lost an inch off my neck, 3 off my waist and 2 off my hips. that is progress and im finally realizing that i just need to keep going because eventually the weight WILL come off!

keep it up!

Supermel

I don't weigh absolutely every day. I was just upset that i gained last weeks loss after being 'good' over the weekend.

I understand this is my new life.I don't consider this a diet. I don't have a specific time frame in mind to lose the 19 pounds and overall have very realistic expectations. This isn't a diet for me, this is a life long change. On Friday I had hit an all time low of 30 overall pounds down since last June. This is huge for me. BUT I have only truly lost 5 pounds since Novemeber due to the holidays. I'm finally back on track, feeling great, looking better and I was just upset that i gained back a loss after not eating everything that i wanted. I'm sorry others don't see that as something to complain about I did compromise and had a few mozza sticks, a few chips and some angel food cake and let myself have some treats. I just didn't think the treats would have made me gain weight.

I will be weighly weekly on fridays from now on. I was weighing myself more often to see the effects of different sodium intakes and seeing how roller coastering my calories was affecting me.

LittleSpy

I'm sorry others don't see that as something to complain about I did compromise and had a few mozza sticks, a few chips and some angel food cake and let myself have some treats. I just didn't think the treats would have made me gain weight.

I think we're all just trying to help you see the light. :flowerforyou:

We all get frustrated at times, and that's okay! I just wanted to let you know that you're doing an AWESOME job and you're having great results, too, even if it seems painstakingly slow to you (listen -- I feel you. I went from averaging 2.5 pounds a week to not losing anything for 3 weeks to now being super excited about losing 0.6 pounds and 1.8 pounds the last 2 weeks).

Cassaaaaandra

Check your expectations!

Read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

Thanks for the link!

Supermel

I DO appreciate people taking the time to reply to my little rant.

My main point is that i'm bummed to have gained back when I didn't think i would. I am going away next weekend to Great Wolf Lodge with the kids and we will be eating out for friday night, saturday and most of sunday. I have that set in my mind as my big treat for the month and understand that i will likely be up a few when we return, I won't weigh right away when we get back to avoid the inevitable disappointment and will work my tail off in our home gym to try and compensate for some of it when we return. So I think i am extra disappointed, when this was the weekend i had hoped to skate thru with a few treats BUT had really thought I would be keeping up the same weight and not gaining. Its not the end of the world, I will work through it and hopefully at lesat maintain my old loss by friday when I weigh in again, i was just looking to commiserate.

Supermel

I'm right there with you, feeling frustrated and impatient with the weight loss, when I'm being so careful.

Adding to my frustration is the fact that, for the last 3 days, in addition to doing The Shred (I'm 10 days in), I've gone on 3-mile jogs, burning these last 3 days more than 600 calories. I've eaten for the most part the additional calories -- and given myself a few treats like Hershey's kisses and a cookie along the way -- and am seeing a weight gain.

I guess it could be muscle weight? I haven't measured, but I sure do feel tighter and leaner, no matter what the scale says. But I want to see my weight loss ticker read 11 pounds, as it did last Thursday, before the jogging!

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!


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If I did suddenly lose two more inches off my mid section this week, I will repost and eat my words! I am doing level 3 of the Shred and working really hard, so gaining some muscle would be very cool if that's the case.

LittleSpy

I DO appreciate people taking the time to reply to my little rant.

My main point is that i'm bummed to have gained back when I didn't think i would.

It's water water water! Do you really think you overate the thousands of calories it would take to gain 1-2 pounds? No, of course you didn't! I don't know about you, but I LIKE weighing daily because I can see the reality of how much my bodyweight can fluctuate day to day. I was down to 214.0 Saturday. This morning I'm at 215.4. Did I really gain weight? No. Did I do something wrong? No. It's normal. Especially since I had about 1500mg more sodium than usual yesterday (excess sodium causes water retention). Tomorrow I could weigh in at 212 and that wouldn't suprise me a bit. Doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong to me. I know it's frustrating, but take a deep breath & step away from the scale (throw the scale out of the window).

Supermel

I DO appreciate people taking the time to reply to my little rant.

My main point is that i'm bummed to have gained back when I didn't think i would.

It's water water water! Do you really think you overate the thousands of calories it would take to gain 1-2 pounds? No, of course you didn't! I don't know about you, but I LIKE weighing daily because I can see the reality of how much my bodyweight can fluctuate day to day. I was down to 214.0 Saturday. This morning I'm at 215.4. Did I really gain weight? No. Did I do something wrong? No. It's normal. Especially since I had about 1500mg more sodium than usual yesterday (excess sodium causes water retention). Tomorrow I could weigh in at 212 and that wouldn't suprise me a bit. Doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong to me. I know it's frustrating, but take a deep breath & step away from the scale (throw the scale out of the window).

Like i said, i won't weigh in again til my 'normal' weigh in day on Friday. Thanks for your comments, I must say they do make me feel better!

urso99

I pretty much wrote the same post last week!

I too was working out everyday, running 3 mi, lifting weights, and nothing on the scale but GAINING 4-6 LBS!!

So after i completed my first ever 3 mile run w.o stopping, I told myself I will back off the extreme hardcore workouts, and just walk or bike at a moderate pace.

Guess what, after 3 days I was down 4 lbs! It also helped me break through my plateau!!!!

I am a numbers girl, I HAVE to see the scale move DOWN, otherwise I get to frustrated, it's all in my mind.

Try and relax a bit, your doing fab during the week, then the weekend hits and BAM! So we know weekends are a hard part, step up your workouts on Sat and Sun, and maybe tone down the weekday workouts for a week or so, to shock your body!

For me, I will keep up the moderate pace for a while, and throwing ion once a week run/walk intervals till I lose 10 lbs more, then I will start up my running again.

dshurst116

You can DO this...... I started a WW program almost 20 years ago and lost 8 lbs the first week--just started working on the weight thing again a few weeks ago, and have lost only 4 lbs.--with exercise! It will happen...YOU CAN do it! I will...

Supermel

Thanks guys!

lvfunandfit

I find when I eat too much sugar or too much sodium the scale goes up. Also, it will go up after workouts. it's water retention. Drink extra water after a workout and on days that you feel you didn't eat well. It helps!

weston9595

I have also hit that frustrating plateau of losing weight the right way. I've been dieting for a month and a half and have lost 8 lb's (I know that's a good number) but haven't lost anything in over a week. When I have dieted in the past I ahve done Atkin's. With that I lose so much weight so fast (love that instant gratification) but always gain it right back because I can't realistically give up bread FOREVER! I'm proud of how i've stuck with the gym and counting calories, but want to be thinner faster! It does help to see others having the same struggles...Not that I revel in the struggles of others!

godblessourhome

i would feel frustrated too. don't let it get you down too much though. big picture - you are doing great!

lvfunandfit

Diets don't work. Especially the kind where you lose a ton of weight eating in a way you know you won't continue eating after you lose your weight (like Atkins).

You have to commit to a life style change. Eating healthy (with occasional treats) is the way of life we should chose to live.

Have you started measuring yourself? measurements really help you feel better when the scale doesn't move. Over the summer the scale stayed still for 2 months! But I went from a size 12 to a size 8 pants. I was exchanging fat for muscle and since a lb of muscle takes up less room (muscle is more dense) than a pound of fat, I was getting smaller but the scale wasn't changing. Then the holidays hit. I was working out hard but eating horribly and I was in denial about it. "I only had a half of a piece of pie" and I only ate "some" M&Ms" or "I'll just have a couple bites". . .My pants sizes weren't changing.. the scale wasn't changing and my measurements were changing a little but not much. I didn't gain weight since I was working out hard... I ended up maintaining. FINALLY I decided to become accountable for what I put into my mouth and that's the only thing that has worked. Sugar is the enemy! I have found that high sugar days are the days where I feel terrible and the scale actually goes up. So, I really try to avoid things like cakes (even non fat), cereal bars, granola bars, pudding, etc..... Every time I eat I have protein first or mixed into what I am eating. And finally, I have started losing and seeing some muscle tone and definition.

Don't get frustrated.... It's been since June until this January that I've been dealing with my body not really looking different or changing. it wasn't until I started logging my food that I have made real changes in the way that I feel and look. You're here and doing great! You're making changes. And remember, you can't undo what took years to do over night. It takes time. It also takes time to learn how to adapt to your new life style. You will reach your goals!!!

Supermel

I find when I eat too much sugar or too much sodium the scale goes up. Also, it will go up after workouts. it's water retention. Drink extra water after a workout and on days that you feel you didn't eat well. It helps!

I was over on sodium on saturday, and over on sugar on sunday. I'm normally not over on either. I did drink at least 64oz of water both days, but i normallly drink closer to 100oz, so i'm sure the combination of the two wasn't good. Thanks, I will work to keep up the water extra hard this weekend away coming up!

Supermel

Thanks for your thoughts LeighAnne. I'm feelinga bit less frustrated now than this morning. I have cut out my daily granola bar most days now (a big change, as i do love it) because i was always over on my sugar. I also cut out juice right away once logging on here.

I am taking mesaurements, yes. I have lost approx 4.5 inches off my stomach and 2 to 2.5 inches off my hips and thighs. My clothes are fitting better. But I'm also working hard at the 30DayShred which is big change for me, I normally only had done light exercise! I am seeing more defintion in my arms, legs and core. I saw most of the loss of inches in the first week of the 30DayShred though. I won't be measuring again til next week when i finish the Shred.

I may be PMS'y today, I have a slight headache (despite gallons of water) and am super cranky. I normally don't let one bad day on the scale get to me, but i was so happy to see 30 pounds down on Friday, that it just broke my heart to see myself back up again already. Hopefully this Friday will be a nicer number, i am willing to work for it.

The day to day changes have been easy. Planned eating out for one meal is going great. Being away for most of a weekend is TOUGH and when large amounts of crap food are presented, i am truly finding it a challenge. This is absolutely a for life change, I don't ever intend of putting myself in the crappy place i was last year. I had zero motivation, bad skin and felt 'down'. Now that I'm moving and eating better I feel great. There is No going back!!

Diets don't work. Especially the kind where you lose a ton of weight eating in a way you know you won't continue eating after you lose your weight (like Atkins).

You have to commit to a life style change. Eating healthy with occasional treats is the way of life we should chose to live.

Have you started measuring yourself? measurements really help you feel better when the scale doesn't move. Over the summer the scale stayed still for 2 months! But I went from a size 12 to a size 8 pants. I was exchanging fat for muscle and since a lb of muscle takes up less room (muscle is more dense) than a pound of fat, I was getting smaller but the scale wasn't changing. Then the holidays hit. I was working out hard but eating horribly and I was in denial about it. "I only had a half of a piece of pie" and I only ate "some" M&Ms" or "I'll just have a couple bites". . .My pants sizes weren't changing.. the scale wasn't changing and my measurements were changing a little but not much. I didn't gain wait since I was working out hard... I ended up maintaining. FINALLY I decided to become accountable for what I put into my mouth and that's the only thing that has worked. Sugar is the enemy! I have found that high sugar days are the days where I feel terrible and the scale actually goes up. So, I really try to avoid things like cakes (even non fat), cereal bars, granola bars, pudding, etc..... Every time I eat I have protein first or mixed into what I am eating. And finally, I have started losing AND people are making comments. Not only am I finally losing but I am seeing some muscle tone and definition.

Don't get frustrated.... It's been since June until this January that I've been dealing with my body not really looking different or changing. it wasn't until I started logging my food that I have made real changes in the way that I feel and look. You're here and doing great! You're making changes. And remember, you can't undo what took years to do over night. It takes time. It also takes time to learn how to adapt to your new life style. You will reach your goals!!!