A year has gone by ....and I am left feeling disappointed

niknak30

So I have pretty diligently logged for the last year, and thought I was doing well and am definitely feeling good, then I looked at the big picture and couldn't help but be a little discouraged.

I have for the last year trained 3-5 one hour personal or group training sessions per week and watched my calorie intake (sitting on or under my calorie count each day without eating my exercise calories and when I look at the first weigh in in January and the last weigh in in December and the difference is only 5kg!

That said, I have not been perfect... I have holidayed, celebrated and pretty much had the best year of my life, feeling fitter than ever..... but all for 5kg and about $6000

I have absolutley changed shape and my clothes are testiment to that..... down three- four dress sizes and people are noticing the change in me which is always encouraging (I had lost about 12 kg before 2012)

Looking at the stats of the past 12 months, I can see progress which I suppose I shouldn't be disappointed about, and I feel better but with these stats it will take me until 2022 odd to reach my goal and I am not sure I can summon the motivation for that......

How do you pick yourself up and push yourself forward??? I love my training, and I don't actually care how much it costs me (except once a year when I add it up!) but I need to see results.

Slow and steadt may win the race...... but a 10 year race is like looking at the total number of kilos I need to lose.... too overwhelming.

My gym opens again on January 14 and I am looking forward to another year of hard work..... I just wish I could get my diet and body working together.

Am I alone in feeling like this????

kubyshechka

Try to change the workout routine. Maybe add one session of weight traning. Some times I stress eat for a couple of days and then back to normal diet. You need to cheet your body to think it needs to burn more.

michellekicks

Ignore the scale. Use inches and photos to measure improvements. I bet you look amazingly different with just a 5kg difference.

diver71_au

Agree - DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE SCALE.

The main thing is that you tighten and tone the body you have. If you have lost 3-4 sizes then I would say that you have managed to significantly reduce your body fat percentage.

p1xelate

3 to 4 dress sizes is HUGE!! The scale is only one of MANY ways you should be tallying this journey. You are smaller you have kept to your calorie goals and you have kept up with your exercise. Those are all huge!

I am starting all over again because this year I couldn't. Revel in your victories!!

Before you did this analysis how did you feel about your progress?

Aprilh479

You are doing GREAT!!!! Your not alone at all! Have you tried switching up ur workouts? When I really get motivated to work out I never do the same workout 2days in a row. I most rotate between p90x insanity and the gym. And I have fell victim to the holidays bdays and party and that always set me back a couple pounds.

Dont get discouraged!!! Lets get motivated!!!!!! Do more this year! Work harder!!! WE CAN DO THIS!!!!

nbg127

I went through this exact situation myself this year. It hit me in October when I realized how little I had actually dropped in weight. I was hitting the gym and trainer at least 3 days per week and walking hills on the other days. I decided that I wanted to actually get the scale to move downward and focused on my food intake, recording everyday here on mfp. I am eating low carb and personalized my "daily goals" so I could see when I was over.
As of today, I am down 27 lbs since the end of August and feeling great about that. I intend to continue through 2013 and hope to reach my scale goal sometime this summer.
It is hard though to maintain both the food tracking AND the exercise! If the scale number is not that critical to you, then keep doing what you are doing for sure. If you are bothered by the scale, try changing your eating up. There are so many "workable" eating plans out there right now.

niknak30

Thanks everyone...... my trainer tries to shake up the workouts... monday circuit, wednesday cross fit and friday boxing and then tuesday night I alternate with one of these and Thursdays he just tries to kill me lol

STEPHANIEGO - until I looked at the numbers I was actually feeling really good and quite proud of myself

Diver-71 AU ...... I have dropped my BMI by about 6 which is a good feeling but still a hge way to go

upgetupgetup

Hey, you've achieved a lot! Three dress sizes is nothing to sneeze at! The only numbers I'd probably worry about would be the 6 grand :frown: But if you can pay it, are learning from it, and it's keeping you motivated, it's probably worthwhile.

I guess maybe look at your nutrition again. It's where the action is, really. There's always something new to learn. Are you watching macros? Fiber? Those make a difference for hunger and fuel. Sauces, condiments, drinks, lattes, all that going into the log? Those can tip you way over without blinking.

Lastly, be patient. Moderate to slow loss is better for skin, and the sustainability of this lifestyle, anyway

haley98110

I know it seems daunting that it might take so long to get to where you want but look at the bigger picture. In another year you can either give up and gain back all that weight and be miserable and probably wish you never gave up.. or you can keep pushing, keep reaching for your goal. You can never be disappointed about success because every pound is success, every inch lost.
Sometimes your drive may be low but just get on MFP and tell everyone you need some support to keep going and I guarantee you'll get it.

Jubersani

I think you should review both sides: your exercises and your calorie intake. Firstly, your body might get used to the type of exercise, so eventually you stop seeing more results. Doing interval training has really worked for me -eg. do 3 series of dumbells, and in between the series, run for a minute or do skipping. The other thing i noticed: you said you did well on keeping your calorie count low. Well,that can be really bad sometimes! When you become an active person, you should increase your calorie intake in order to lose more weight. That is because your body might go into what they call starvation mode: it notices you are exercising but not eating enough, so it stops burning fat. Think Micheal Phelps who eats 8.000 calories a day! If you are active, low calories intake can be really bad! Talk to you gym instructor and maybe a nutritionist and they might be able to advise you! But mainly, you should feel GREAT as it seems like you have done a brilliant job in dropping dress sizes! Also, dont forget, you might be heavier because of muscles - e.g. You might have lost 10kg on fat and gained 5kg of muscles which is awesome! So as others said, dont look at the scale, but in the mirror! Xxx

lobstergirl

why self analyse... you've won already you say you feel better and look better...you enjoy training and are not bothered by the cost....why are we so defined by numbers???!!!

you've done great..and you've enjoyed yourself whilst doing so...be positive and focus on health NOT the scales...

xx

smantha32

3-4 dress sizes is substantial!

Every year that goes by and you're moving forward, you're a success. Don't worry about the number so much. Go by how you look.

Sjenny5891

You are replacing the fat with muscle when you exercise. So you are not going to soo as much "weight loss" as you will se the loss in Inches.

MFP gives you a calorie deficit when you set up how many pounds you want to lose. Your body burns a certain ammount of calories a day just breathing. If you do not eat back any of your exercise calories burned, you might not be getting enough. You could try changing your settings.

Sjenny5891

3-4 dress sizes is substantial!

Every year that goes by and you're moving forward, you're a success. Don't worry about the number so much. Go by how you look.

And how you feel!! Do you have more energy?

kubyshechka

Thanks everyone...... my trainer tries to shake up the workouts... monday circuit, wednesday cross fit and friday boxing and then tuesday night I alternate with one of these and Thursdays he just tries to kill me lol

Try to add pure cardio workouts - I worked with a trainer for 6 month and did not drop a pound. Then I bought some videos with fast pace cardio workouts - that's when the pounds started to drop. I like Turbo Fire a lot and Janett Jenkins videos. I since dropped the trainer and 25 pounds - lol.

HappilyLifts

you have done waaay better than me in the same time frame in terms of clothing sizes, and I'm still here, taking each day as it comes (I try not to think about how long it would take me!)
Just keep doing what you're doing, sounds like you have some good support from your trainer like I do.