Wondering why I'm bothering...
Replies
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We all feel like that at some point in our weight loss journey. Truth is, it is a long and difficult process; if it wasn't then obesity wouldn't be an epidemic. I'm a very impatient person, and it's taken me a long while to accept that i'm not going to lose pounds overnight. A pound lost is better than a pound gained. Listen to the majority of people and their advice here as it is all pretty sound, and don't give up!
I'm afraid we're a very practical bunch. We aren't going to pat you on the head and tell you how special you are, and how sorry we are that you feel this way. There's a lot of 'tough love' around here, but it does the job, Good luck
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All I can say is muscle weighs more than fat. I hate hearing it too. Get a scale that monitors body fat. That might be decreasing.
So you're telling me a 1lb of fat weighs less than a 1lb of muscle???
If you meant to say muscle is leaner, takes up less space than fat so you can build more muscle in the space that equals what would have been originally taken up by fat THEN you would be right.
Without seeing your diary i can't give a valid opinion but i bet you're eating 1300 or less calories as MFP 'told you'
Read up on this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937709-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0
In the space of a month i've dropped 14 lbs of FAT not weight and my strength/ lean muscle mass has gone up!0 -
All I can say is muscle weighs more than fat.
oh dear....
That's what I thought.
Me too. Um, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat, weirdly enough lol. Takes up less space though! Although in 2 weeks you're hardly going to build up much muscle!
Exercising hard can make you retain water though while your muscles repair.
Yup.0 -
Losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Pick your hard.
Love it! So true.0 -
hang in there...its really all a matter of consistency....and your workout should make u superbly uncomfortable at the end....only then would you have burnt calories. Its different for everyone of course....so lose instantly others not so quickly. My philosophy is if you just stick to it and stop peering over the weighing scale every few days it will come off...and you won't be demotivated in the meantime. Good luck!0
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If that's your opinion/outlook then don't bother. You aren't going to magically lose 10lbs in 2 weeks.0
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I understand, TRUST ME. It's discouraging but this isn't going to happen over night. Learning patience has always been my stumbling block and the reason why I always failed in the past. The result? I'm a good 80lbs overweight, I dug myself a NASTY hole and seeing that everyone else is now getting it together and losing it made me depressed for quite a long time. But then I realized sitting on my *kitten* and hoping for a miracle wasn't going to change anything either. I've been sticking to just learning and making an effort for the last month. I'll be doing my first real weigh on the 30th of this month.
You get discouraged, you feel like SCREW IT! But listen, your weight can kill you. This is what I keep telling myself. I'm tired of killing myself. I have to keep making lifestyle changes and the rest will do itself. One day at a time. No miracles. Keep trying and switching up until I find things I like and work for me. Please do the same for you.
And in the meantime, CHANGE YOUR OUTLOOK and seek POSITIVE reinforcement...whether it be from loved ones or complete strangers.
All the best to you!0 -
After two weeks of weighing and measuring everything I eat, sticking to my calories and exercising like a demon I have lost the grand total of 1lb and that was in my first week!
Sorry to whinge but really can't see the point of this now...
ah well... stay fat and unhealthy then!
^This^0 -
I understand, TRUST ME. It's discouraging but this isn't going to happen over night. Learning patience has always been my stumbling block and the reason why I always failed in the past. The result? I'm a good 80lbs overweight, I dug myself a NASTY hole and seeing that everyone else is now getting it together and losing it made me depressed for quite a long time. But then I realized sitting on my *kitten* and hoping for a miracle wasn't going to change anything either. I've been sticking to just learning and making an effort for the last month. I'll be doing my first real weigh on the 30th of this month.
You get discouraged, you feel like SCREW IT! But listen, your weight can kill you. This is what I keep telling myself. I'm tired of killing myself. I have to keep making lifestyle changes and the rest will do itself. One day at a time. No miracles. Keep trying and switching up until I find things I like and work for me. Please do the same for you.
And in the meantime, CHANGE YOUR OUTLOOK and seek POSITIVE reinforcement...whether it be from loved ones or complete strangers.
All the best to you!
Such a good post. 0 -
1 pound is a good amount for a week heck ive been on my diet for near 2 years .. mentally you have to be in the right place or you wont be able to loose the weight you need to realise you will have ups and down weeks where your weight stays the same and weeks where you have a big drop i was stuck at 16 stone for a month and 14 stone for a month .. now im 13.8 if i gave up every time i didnt loose at the end of the week id still be a big fatty who couldnt run after her son and thought she was dieing after 10 mins walking .. hope you stick to it maybe do some research and set realistic goals so you dont give up when you dont loose a stone next week x0
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Looking at your diary, I would say you are definitely not measuring right!!! how can you have 1 gram of Lurpak (butter) when 1 teaspoon is 10g? or you are actually having tony mousy portions of food!!0
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I'm not losing much either, but I'm losing a little,. Which is better than nothing. Wise up, be patient, and log and exercise. It'll happen.0
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Yay! Finally got the pic to work...I hope this gives you some perspective, 1lb is a great loss.
If you manage to consistently lose 1lb each week, you will be 24lb lighter by October and 32lb by Christmas - that's a LOT of weight! Have patience, or you will never succeed.
Thank you for the visual. It is very helpful. Also helpful that I can be alot closer to my goal weight by the end of the year. 0 -
confused by your profile it says 7lb lost .. yet you say this is your first week and you have only lost 1lb ... 7lb is awesome its half of a stone ...0
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1lb is great. You need to change your perspective... 0
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Well done so far, it can be really disheartening when you start something and it goes slower than you expected, and all the negative,petty comments don't help. Some of them are really childish. Ignore them, keep at it, I am on my second week. You also have to remember that during certain times of the month you will weigh slightly heavier. I had this problem at the beginning of my second week,so I have started measuring myself,this really helped with my moral.0
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After two weeks of weighing and measuring everything I eat, sticking to my calories and exercising like a demon I have lost the grand total of 1lb and that was in my first week!
Sorry to whinge but really can't see the point of this now...
Hey, SL, I see you are 45, we mid-forties women have to stick together.
A pound in a fortnight does not mean you have lost only a pound. You might have actually lost 3 pounds and the loss is obscured by water fluctuation. You honestly cannot tell anything from a fortnight.
Your profile says you have 50 pounds to lose, say 25 kilos, so I am going to guess you weigh 80 kg and stand 166 cm tall. Slap me if I am wrong, I can take it (whimper).
Have you calculated your TDEE? I looked at FitnessFrog and it says your TDEE is more than 2000 calories. I am no expert but I think that means you can lose weight on 1800 calories a day even if you call your exercise "light".
http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
I spoke to my doctor some years ago about weight loss, and she said that it will never work if you feel like you are being ripped off or deprived in some way. That, if you are feel like you are starving yourself and being "good", you will end up hating the process and ditching it. I could be overstepping the mark, but it sounds like that is the point at which you find yourself.
The thing is, weight loss is slow. Really, reaaallly slow. You are doing this for months and months, not weeks. If you are hanging in by your fingernails netting 1300 calories a day and hating it, maybe an extra 300-400 calories a day will mean you can cope. You will not lose weight so quickly, but you might find a level that you can sustain for more than a month.
The good news is that you can do it. There are so many people on here that have done it, and none of them is better than you are. They just found a level they could maintain, and stayed there.0 -
I'm really sorry (and surprised) that so many people in this thread have been unsympathetic and even downright rude and cruel. I've been where you are - I've suffered by eating food I didn't really like, denying myself things I wanted, feeling hungry most of the time, doing exercise I hated. I felt like I should be rewarded for all my suffering and self denial by losing a good chunk of weight and looking a bit more fabulous. And when the scales showed a measly weight loss, I felt furious. What is the point of putting myself through all this suffering for nothing?
I think there's 3 different lessons to learn here:
1. The universe isn't your schoolteacher or your priest. It doesn't reward you for suffering or for making hard choices. The universe doesn't give a damn. It just applies the laws of physics - if you eat fewer calories than you expend then over time you are going to lose weight. But in the short term you might not see that. If you weigh yourself then drink a pint of water and weigh yourself again you will have gained over a pound. But of course you haven't really gained any fat. Maybe you had a full bowel or bladder when you weighed yourself or you had just eaten. Are you a woman? Your monthly cycle can make your weight fluctuate. Were you wearing the same clothes both times you weighed in? All kinds of things can make the scales say you only lost a pound when really your body had lost quite a bit more fat. But trust this - if you decrease your calorie intake and increase your activity you WILL lose weight over time. It's impossible not to.
2. If you are hating your diet, change it. If you hate your exercise regime, change it. You'll never keep it up long enough to reach your goal if you hate it, whether it's working or not. And once you reach your goals, you won't sustain the lifestyle changes if you hated them. Forget about the idea of dieting or losing weight, what you should really be doing is making permanent changes to your lifestyle for the better. You're trying to find a new way of life in which you eat healthier food and love it, you are physically active and love it. If you hate what you are doing now then stop it and do something else, something you enjoy.
3. Lets imagine two weeks from now you have found a type of exercise that you really enjoy - perhaps you can't wait to go to Zumba class or go for a lovely walk with a person you love or go and play a sport you're passionate about. Imagine also you have filled your diet with healthy foods you really enjoy - for me it would be asparagus and avocado, fresh fruit, juicy prawns and all kinds of seafood. After a week of eating delicious food and doing fun activities you remember to step on the scale and it says "Only 1 pound lost" - so what? You had a great week, nice meals, fun activities, you feel more energetic, your skin and hair are better, your clothes feel a little looser. If you keep this new lifestyle up you'll reduce your chances of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, all sorts of nasty things. Was it a waste of time because you "only" lost one pound? Of course it wasn't.
Will you take your scale and shove it in a cupboard for me? Forget about the scale. Focus on creating a whole new you with a new healthier lifestyle. Who cares what the stupid scale says? Set a non-scale goal, such as finding new healthy foods you love, or finding an exercise you really enjoy and want to do for its own sake. Don't give up. ((hugs))0 -
Thank you to all of you who posted supportive and helpful responses to my post this morning, your support is much appreciated x0
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I have this awesome juice cleanse I can sell you! You will lose 80 pounds in one week!0
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Turn off Biggest Loser. One pound a week is great. Unless you gained the weight in a week you're not likely to lose it in a week. Keep going in those pounds add up - quit and you'll still be where you are or worse. Which is the better option?0
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I understand how it can be frustrating. But, as others have said-- it's a long race, not a quick sprint.
"Why bother"? Because a year from now, it will be a year later (the time is going to pass no matter what!) - and you can either still be unhappy and overweight, or slowly and steadily making progress toward a healthier you. The option? it's a year later, and you've done nothing but maybe add on a few more pounds. That's WHY to bother.
The time will pass whether you sit and do nothing, or whether you get busy gettin' healthy. May as well choose the one that benefits you and your loved ones.
From looking at your diary, I believe you are eating enough calories (I dont buy into the whole 'you HAVE to eat more to lose' theory) but I do see some days with HIGH sodium, a fair amount of processed food, and hardly any veggies at all. And you dont log water- hopefully that's just an oversight. My advice-- drink a TON of water a day (it is good for you and helps keep you feeling full!), add in fresh veggies, at least a few servings a day. They are good for you, full of vitamins and bulk, yet have almost NO calories! It's like they're FREE! and try to steer clear of a lot of sodium-- it adds to the BLOAT/retaining water. And lastly - exercise! Even if it's just a 20 minute walk to start with. Give yourself 20-30 minutes a day to spend on you- walking... you deserve it! Gradually- you'll go further, you'll go faster, you'll go for longer periods of time. Keep at it! Why? Because to NOT bother- means a year from now, you'll be in the exact same place you are now, or even worse. Good luck!!0 -
SL you got this, stay off the scale and just keep doing what your doing. give it some time0
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I go through loss phases by which I mean sometimes I won't lose a pound for 2 weeks, not even one, and then BAM I lose two the next week. Just keep at it!0
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I had my first weigh in today, and I lost 0.8kg or 1.7lb, I've been 30day shredding, running and watching my calories, I wasn't disappointed though, I was really pleased with myself! Like someone else mentioned, its a marathon not a sprint, slow and steady wins the race and all that...0
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Losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Pick your hard.
I like this. Never looked at it this way.0 -
All I can say is muscle weighs more than fat. I hate hearing it too. Get a scale that monitors body fat. That might be decreasing.
So you're telling me a 1lb of fat weighs less than a 1lb of muscle???
If you meant to say muscle is leaner, takes up less space than fat so you can build more muscle in the space that equals what would have been originally taken up by fat THEN you would be right.
Without seeing your diary i can't give a valid opinion but i bet you're eating 1300 or less calories as MFP 'told you'
Read up on this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937709-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0
In the space of a month i've dropped 14 lbs of FAT not weight and my strength/ lean muscle mass has gone up!
OKAY. What I mean is the same "mass" or "size" of muscle weight more than that "size" of fat. If you dissected a person and filled up one cup of muscle, and then filled up one cup of fat, which would WEIGH more? So, therefore, if you weight the same on the scale, and have lost fat and gained muscle, you will have lost mass, or "size". Frustrating, yes, but still good for you.
Some people are determined to be as negative as possible.0 -
I'm really sorry (and surprised) that so many people in this thread have been unsympathetic and even downright rude and cruel. I've been where you are - I've suffered by eating food I didn't really like, denying myself things I wanted, feeling hungry most of the time, doing exercise I hated. I felt like I should be rewarded for all my suffering and self denial by losing a good chunk of weight and looking a bit more fabulous. And when the scales showed a measly weight loss, I felt furious. What is the point of putting myself through all this suffering for nothing?
I think there's 3 different lessons to learn here:
1. The universe isn't your schoolteacher or your priest. It doesn't reward you for suffering or for making hard choices. The universe doesn't give a damn. It just applies the laws of physics - if you eat fewer calories than you expend then over time you are going to lose weight. But in the short term you might not see that. If you weigh yourself then drink a pint of water and weigh yourself again you will have gained over a pound. But of course you haven't really gained any fat. Maybe you had a full bowel or bladder when you weighed yourself or you had just eaten. Are you a woman? Your monthly cycle can make your weight fluctuate. Were you wearing the same clothes both times you weighed in? All kinds of things can make the scales say you only lost a pound when really your body had lost quite a bit more fat. But trust this - if you decrease your calorie intake and increase your activity you WILL lose weight over time. It's impossible not to.
2. If you are hating your diet, change it. If you hate your exercise regime, change it. You'll never keep it up long enough to reach your goal if you hate it, whether it's working or not. And once you reach your goals, you won't sustain the lifestyle changes if you hated them. Forget about the idea of dieting or losing weight, what you should really be doing is making permanent changes to your lifestyle for the better. You're trying to find a new way of life in which you eat healthier food and love it, you are physically active and love it. If you hate what you are doing now then stop it and do something else, something you enjoy.
3. Lets imagine two weeks from now you have found a type of exercise that you really enjoy - perhaps you can't wait to go to Zumba class or go for a lovely walk with a person you love or go and play a sport you're passionate about. Imagine also you have filled your diet with healthy foods you really enjoy - for me it would be asparagus and avocado, fresh fruit, juicy prawns and all kinds of seafood. After a week of eating delicious food and doing fun activities you remember to step on the scale and it says "Only 1 pound lost" - so what? You had a great week, nice meals, fun activities, you feel more energetic, your skin and hair are better, your clothes feel a little looser. If you keep this new lifestyle up you'll reduce your chances of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, all sorts of nasty things. Was it a waste of time because you "only" lost one pound? Of course it wasn't.
Will you take your scale and shove it in a cupboard for me? Forget about the scale. Focus on creating a whole new you with a new healthier lifestyle. Who cares what the stupid scale says? Set a non-scale goal, such as finding new healthy foods you love, or finding an exercise you really enjoy and want to do for its own sake. Don't give up. ((hugs))
I agree. I'm about 25 lbs away from my goal, and am already starting to care less and less about the scale, and more about eating healthy foods and doing workout routines that put a smile on my face.0 -
That's great, and you wont have a problem with excess skin by the time you reach goal.0
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Have you thought of trying something like 5:2. One positive I find after 9 weeks you do seem to see a difference after the second fast day when you weigh then. There is a forum on this website about it and you can google the book The Fast Diet by Michael Mosley and watch the program he made about it on utube(the 5:2 forum on this website has the address.
I know it's hard to be patient when you begin. Why not get a diet buddy or two to ENCOURAGE you. Sorry there have been some people here not so positive!!!0
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