THROWING IN THE TOWEL??

gr8tweets1

On Jan 6, I started this weight loss journey and every day except one, I have faithfully counted, measured, weighed and logged every morsel of food that has passed my lips. In the first four weeks I had an exceptional weight loss of twenty pounds then for some unknown reason I gained two pounds. I know we fluctuate in our water weight so I thought no big deal. I have hung on to that 1.7 pounds (back and forth) for the last two weeks. I have not lost another ounce since February 4th and frankly I am ready to quit.

I reviewed my food intake over this time and increased my veggie and protein intake and reduced my carb intake. I have incorporated more water and exercise. I am at a standstill and need some motivation because my frustration and disappointment are starting to become stronger in my mind. If you can't lose weight then why try? (that is my old mindset creeping in) I have a long way to go still (another 75 pounds) and could really use some advice and/or tips to get over this hurdle.

Thanks!

christabel6

Would be handy to share your food diary and other stuff like your weight/height and what you are aiming to lose, as it's really hard to suggest things without knowing this.

dakotawitch

Congratulations on losing 20 pounds! That's a fabulous change, and by doing it you've already likely added years to your life and life to your years. You should be very pleased -- it can't have been easy.

It's so easy to get discouraged when you see how far you have to go, but be sure to look at how far you've come. Even if the scale hasn't moved, are you feeling better? Lighter? More energetic? Those are all so important.

One thing that may make things seem less hopeless is to break things down into smaller goals. Instead of saying, "I have 75 more pounds to go!" (which can seem overwhelming), maybe think of it in smaller goals -- the next 5 pounds, the next 10, say. That gives you something reachable to focus on, and to celebrate. And every 5 or 10 pounds is a great step towards health.

You can do this. You HAVE been doing it -- your ticker says so. You may need to assess your calories -- I had to UP mine when I started getting more active! -- or change up your workout. But don't give up. You have done something great for yourself. Why say that it's not enough?

Mrs_Bones

One of the best tips I ever heard when it came to diet and exercise was to keep adding in the good things until they crowd out the bad. Keeping adding in the raw fruits and veggies, keep adding in the relaxing walks and the kick butt workouts. Eventually, all the goodness crowds out the things in your life that are holding you back. It sounds like you've been working very hard. Being stuck on a plateau is one of the most frustrating things I've ever experienced! One of the best ways to budge through is to switch up your workouts. Your body gets used to what you're doing after a while and you stop making headway.

Despite how frustrated you are, NEVER GIVE UP! Even if you never lost another pound, the work you are doing is making your body stronger and healthier. It isn't about the number on the scale, it's about doing what's good for your body and your life. Even if you don't lose weight, you can make your body stronger and help your body to function better which is worth every second of hard work you put in.

winterswish

There will be more articulate replies to this than mine, but I know people will say that your diary is locked down and so they can't be sure if your calorie consumption is accurate. MFP has some funny ways of calculating it, and it doesn't work long-term for everyone. There's a good chance you might not be eating enough.

I recently started using what's referred to here as "Dan's In Place of a Roadmap" and while the pounds-per-week loss has stabilized for me, I'm dropping inches like I'm melting. This was after my initial big loss, too.

I don't have the link handy but if you put it into the search in the forums, it'll pop up.

Good luck!

dcjackson50

Hang in there,....and it may help to fully believe and acknowledge that your new lifestyle is not only to see the numbers on the scale drop,...but for your overall health! Don't give up on something benefitting your body in unseen ways.

I have been here over a year but not consistently,....feel free to add me, I am once again logging in everyday and know it works.
Good luck

sunforme3

Forget the scale, just continue doing what your doing, your in this for the long haul! I struggle with this myself everytime I step on the scale. I try to focus on how good I feel eating well, and be patient, not easy at all. Congrats on your weight loss and stick with it, it will happen!!!!

stevemcsweeney

Look at:
Portion control – reduce the protein as well
Look at the times you are eating – do not eat late
Eat a larger breakfast and then reduce the size of the meals as you go through the day
Introduce some light exercise….
DO NOT STOP…. Good Luck

concordancia

At 20 lbs in just over a month, you are well ahead of average. Your body may now take some time to adjust to that huge loss.

I suspect that in order to do that, you may have cut out too many calories. Make sure you are eating back your exercise calories to fuel your body.

gr8tweets1

One of the best tips I ever heard when it came to diet and exercise was to keep adding in the good things until they crowd out the bad. Keeping adding in the raw fruits and veggies, keep adding in the relaxing walks and the kick butt workouts. Eventually, all the goodness crowds out the things in your life that are holding you back. It sounds like you've been working very hard. Being stuck on a plateau is one of the most frustrating things I've ever experienced! One of the best ways to budge through is to switch up your workouts. Your body gets used to what you're doing after a while and you stop making headway.

Despite how frustrated you are, NEVER GIVE UP! Even if you never lost another pound, the work you are doing is making your body stronger and healthier. It isn't about the number on the scale, it's about doing what's good for your body and your life. Even if you don't lose weight, you can make your body stronger and help your body to function better which is worth every second of hard work you put in.

I love it! Keep adding in the good until they crowd out the bad! What great words of wisdom! Thank you for your response, already I feel motivated. Enjoy the day!

LernRach

dont give up!!! Think about those 20lbs you have dropped in such a short period of time. Your body probably has to get used it's new existence before letting go of more fat. You can't realistically expect to lose at that pace the whole journey....

You have survived 5 whole weeks, you are doing so well, why give up now????

joshperna

Have you adjusted your caloric intake? it shouldn't be the same as it was when you were 20 pounds heavier.

CyberEd312

For starters you really need to think of this as a lifestyle change. It is not a diet or something that ends in a few months when you get to where you want to go... I started my new life 43 months ago and nothing is any different today then it was the day I decided to make the change in my life.. I take each day one day at a time and do everything I can do to be as successful today as I can and I go to bed with no regrets and then I get up and do it all again tomorrow. You have to engage that kind of mindset and then stay the course, As far as the stall what has your calorie intake been set to since you started and how much exercise are you doing a day and are you eating back your exercise calories, what is your height and weight,

samantha1242

"Never give up on a dream because of the time that it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." Earl Nightingale

Posted from one of my lovely MFP buddies this morning.

The time will pass anyways, so why not get healthy. Stop focusing on the goal and focus on each day. Make non scale goals and strive to achieve them each and everyday. 20 pounds in a month is super awesome.

jillwhite12

Don't give up! Plateaus are very frustrating but if we quit every time we hit one then we'd never get anywhere. Just keep at it. By exercising you may add pounds in muscle but the more muscle you have, the more fat you'll burn. Just give it time.... Eventually the numbers will catch up and you'll be so happy and proud of yourself for overcoming this hurdle

Rocknut53

You lost 20 pounds in a month! That is phenomenal, however, we are encouraged here to strive for no more than 2 pounds loss per week. Even though 2 pounds may seem like it is not enough progress on your weight loss journey, it is a realistic, healthy goal. I'm not sure what you did to lose 20 pounds, but it seems to me your body has gone "on strike." As other posters before me have said, stick with it. If you stay the course, you will see results that will be sustaining.

odddrums

You can do it!

I got stuck at 200 pounds for months. Literally from May last year through this January I would go up and down between 210 and 200, and dipped below 200 for a day, then would just go back up. It was really disheartening because I was working out and trying to get everything in order, but I would never break 200. I basically gave up until January when I started using MFP. From here, I changed my diet like you and noticed everything finally dropping, and the biggest thing was I started running on a more regular basis, slowly moving up from 1.5 miles with a 2.5 mile jog once a week, to 2.5 with a 3.5 mile jog once a week, to a 3.5 mile jog with a 4.5 mile jog this week, and now I know I can do 4.5 miles and have made that my usual jog.

You've got to both [as I'm sure you are!] and not give up. keep eating exactly as you are, work out and keep slowly lengthening and/or intensifying your workouts each week. Another big thing I did is cut out alcohol at home. I never buy beer or alcohol to keep in my house, only drink when I'm out which limits it because I have to drive. I basically only drink water and that's it. Cutting juice and soda [not coffee or tea, but no sugar and not much cream] was another big thing. But again, I'm sure you know all this and are just frustrated for doing all the right things and not seeing progress.

Keep at it and do more if you can! The hardest thing to do is just keep going, especially if you're feeling in a funk. But if you keep doing it, it will get easier and you'll end up doing more and will start seeing more progress!

Remember, even if you don't see it, you are making progress by just doing the amazing things you are doing and not quitting, so just keep swimming!

Good Luck!

alanlmarshall

Losing 18 or so pounds of fat is a great accomplishment. It would make no sense to throw it away because you haven't accomplished more yet. Make it your goal to at least maintain your current body fat. If you can do even more in the future, great.

taso42

Let me guess.. 1200 calories?

gaynorv

You are doing fab, in more time I have lost 14 but I'm really happy with that. I got stuck at 11 but went up too 1400 cals and then came down again a week later, did the trick

gail4721

Keep strong...dont give up just yet. Not sure why, but what seems to work for me is eating high FIBER cereals for bfast. I seem to like frosted shredeed wheat..the malt o meal brand is cheaper and works .i hearthe brand name company came out with a crunchyversion for those who dont like shredded stuff...and I also like Quaker oatmeal squares. Both have 5g of FIBER and when i eat them for bfast i seem to lose weight. You have to find one that you like. I tried fiber one, but it was gross...Fiber ONE FLAKES are good. I always check the pkg for the Fiber content. I believe the FIBER is the key. good luck to you.

When I folllowed the Weight Watchers plan...it worked also. My girlfriend wasnt losing weight on the plan and found out she wasnt eating enough.