I don't get it!! Help?!

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  • lambeas
    lambeas Posts: 229 Member
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    Four things:

    #1. You did not put the weight on overnight, so it will NOT come off over night
    #2. Slow and steady wins the race, unless you want to yo-yo diet the rest of your life. Real sustainable changes take TIME... so relax
    #3. Include a pair of target pants or a dress on your weekly weigh ins, to really see and FEEL your progress... as sometimes inches do not always translate on the scale. (and really, no one walks around with their weight flashing over their heads)

    #4. AWESOME job for starting a healthier lifestyle... it takes a lot of mind over matter to make heathier long-term choices,... so be proud of yourself and just keep going... you WILL get there!
  • i_miss_donuts
    i_miss_donuts Posts: 180 Member
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    Don't give up! Everything you are doing is good for you, even if you are not seeing the results that you want yet.

    I agree with the prior posters about the sodium. You can add sodium to your diary as one of the items that you see which is helpful. FYI - it is in everything - even milk - so processed foods can really shoot your count up. Also, carbs, which are good sources of energy, also promote water retention.

    Make sure your are hitting your macros (protein/fat/carb balance) and that the carbs you do eat are primarily from whole foods - fruits, veggies, largely unprocessed grains (oats, quinoa, brown rice) rather than granola bars, prepared cereals and breads. Also focus on upping your unsweetened tea and water consumption unless you are already exceeding the 64 oz per day recommendation. You can over-consume water, but if you are working out hard and sweating a ton - perhaps you are not drinking enough?

    My weight will fluctuate 3-4 lbs per day based on what I ate, how much water I have had and what time of day it is. I have been at it since February and only managed to lose 5 lbs - but my body looks totally different. I have found success by focusing on weights rather than cardio and dramatically increasing my protein and water intake. PS - I am 41 and have two kids.

    Try changing your diet up for a few weeks and see if it works. Whatever you do, don't let the scale have the last word - go by how you look, how you feel, how your clothes fit, what your measurements are and let that moderate the info from the scale.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Exercising excessively can sometimes slow results comparitively. If you want to work out for hours a day know that you wont decrease in size by allot by exercising allot

    Exercise can cause temp water weight

    Exercise can cause muscle and by volume it can weigh more them fat

    If you exercise excessively and arent refueling your body your metabolism can do weird things
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Ok.

    You did NOT build muscle on a calorie deficit. Biologically impossible, especially in such a short time period.

    It's water retention, period. Also, weight loss is not linear, sometimes you lose, sometimes you gain, sometimes you maintain. You just watch trends from month to month.
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,738 Member
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    For 3 weeks I have completely changed my way of doing things. I decided to eat better, exercise, track calories etc...
    I have been tracking calories, drinking plenty of water, avoiding my favorites like pizza and eating more salads.
    I have been going to boot camp 2x a week and kicboxing once a week. 3 days a week, I do cardio at home (treadmill, spinning bike, elliptical, mountain biking etc.. ). I am working out 6x a week doing this. I have been under my calorie goal every day.

    Doing this, these are the results I have tracked.
    Week 1: Lost 2 pounds
    Week 2: Lost .6 pounds
    Week 3: GAINED 1.4 pounds

    Ok so I know, it's not the scale... I am likely turning fat to muscle. However my measurements aren't changing too fast either. I actually have two tapes that are both half an inch of from each other... I prefer to use the smaller measurements.

    I am feeling better about myself. I feel like there is a physical difference, but the scale and tape show different.

    It's so frustrating. How can eating right and doing cardio/strength 6x a week not be enough? I am at wits end.

    Suggestions anyone???

    Scales go up and down, it's something you have to get used to. You will not see a loss every single week.

    There could be other reasons too. For example, did you have a high salt meal the night before the last weigh in, could it be hormones? Did you drink less water last week?

    I would keep doing what you're doing. This is a journey.
  • geogal95
    geogal95 Posts: 47 Member
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    Wow I love all this support! As I think about what I've been doing... and this has NOT changed from day one and I have still lost. However, I have noticed that I favor pickles (LOVE them!), and frozen meals which I think is not helping my sodium levels. I LOVE my diet coke and morning cereal (which has good fiber), which I am sure is adding too much sugar to my diet. Everything else is spot on (calories, exercise, fat, carbs, protein, etc..). I will try some changes to the above but cannot survivie without my diet coke. But I will at least try to cut down. Any suggestions on breakfasts? For the record, I hate oatmeal and yogurt.
  • JewelsinBigD
    JewelsinBigD Posts: 661 Member
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    I am working out 5x a week and have also been discouraged. My doctor told me that I could not exercise to lose weight - he said only changes in eating (which I was also doing!) will cause material weight loss but that I should exercise to build muscle, be healthier and it will have a positive, thought minimal impact on how I burn calories.
    Keep up the good work- don't be so hard on yourself and be thrilled that you lost anything - I have gone a month with no change. So losing at all is good!
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,738 Member
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    Wow I love all this support! As I think about what I've been doing... and this has NOT changed from day one and I have still lost. However, I have noticed that I favor pickles (LOVE them!), and frozen meals which I think is not helping my sodium levels. I LOVE my diet coke and morning cereal (which has good fiber), which I am sure is adding too much sugar to my diet. Everything else is spot on (calories, exercise, fat, carbs, protein, etc..). I will try some changes to the above but cannot survivie without my diet coke. But I will at least try to cut down. Any suggestions on breakfasts? For the record, I hate oatmeal and yogurt.

    I eat diet coke and cereal. I agree with others saying cut out some of the processed foods, but I add them in on occasion too. I would just trying switching things up. Like cereal only on 4 days a week and eggs on the other 3. Likewise, processed meals only 3-4 days a week, etc.

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