Getting Discouraged

I've been doing well for the past 2 weeks, and this is the longest I've made it in a few years. The first week, I just ate healthy but didn't exercise, and I lost 7lbs. This week, I've continued to eat healthy, some days haven't been the best, but I've averaged about 1700 calories a day.

I also started to exercise. I walked to the gym, walked on the treadmill, and walked home 3x this week. Which is about 135 minutes total of exercise. I weighed myself this morning, and I've gained a little less than a pound. I'm also coming off TOM, but it's hard for me. I know I'm getting older and my metabolism is slowing down, but I guess I'm so use to always seeing a lost every week even if only 1 pound. I just keep thinking about my overall health (blood pressure, pre-diabetes, etc.) so I won't give up, but I just feel down.

Replies

  • michelle0suzann
    michelle0suzann Posts: 43 Member
    Keep at it!! It sounds like you have started doing some great things this past week!! Don't let the scale deter you from continuing to better yourself. There are quite a few things which might help to explain the slight gain -- one especially being your TOM. Keep your chin up! I've found that measuring using a tape measure weekly along with weigh ins weekly help. Sometimes the scale moves in the wrong direction but I can see progress with the measurements. Keep at it - you are doing a great thing!

    Michelle
  • quiggley
    quiggley Posts: 32 Member
    The exercise could be causing your Body to hold on to water but it will start moving again. I know it is hard not seeing results when you are doing everything right. I went up almost 20 pounds last week because of a medical condition and other times I would have just said well crap I am gaining anyway I might as well eat the crappy food everyone think I eat anyway--But I just stayed on plan and finally yesterday the 20 pounds and 4 other friends were gone.
  • i know exactly how this feels. in the first week or so, i dropped a lot of weight (water im sure) then after that i was consistently losing at least 1 pound per week, usually 2 or 3. I thought, 'this is awesome i can totally live with this pace!'

    BUT then suddenly i was stuck on the same number for about a month and it felt like ETERNITY. finally the damn scale moved. Sometimes you get stuck for a while, and there's nothing you can do but wait it out. I've seen people recommend upping calories or exercise, or re-evaluating what types of food you eat etc...

    It's fine to consider those things, but for me it was also very important to fully accept that sometimes, you will not lose and may even gain, and there's no logical explanation. And it may continue for more than just a week. It sounds simple, but actually it was hard for me to come to terms with. It took a lot of mental 'work' if that makes sense. It's much easier to believe you're not doing it right, or you're not doing enough, etc. Maybe because it's just so darn unfair LOL! It's unfair to think that you're doing everything right and not being rewarded for it.

    The body isn't a machine; it can be mysterious and unpredictable <--- it's easy to forget this if you spend any time reading message boards like MFP where there are so many know-it-alls who think there's an answer for EVERYTHING, y'know? I haven't seen that attitude nearly as much on smaller group boards like this one, but there's tons of people like that on the main forums. /end rant lol sorry
  • Choanni64
    Choanni64 Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you so much for your post. I have been here since May 29th of 2012 and have consistently lost 1 1/2 to 2 lbs a week on a pre-op bariatric diet of 1200 calories. I decided not to have the surgery since I have lost 41 pounds. However, since August 3rd....i gained two pounds and have just sat there....very frustrating.

    Drinking 12 to 15 glasses of water, exercising 4 to 5 days a week for around an hour each day and upped my calories to 1500. I have lost some inches, but this is very demoralizing.

    I appreciate your post as it gives me some hope that maybe this plateau is nearly over.

    Joani
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    Keep in mind that "1-2 pounds per week" is an *average*, not what you should be losing. Weight loss isn't linear. This means you might lose 2 pounds one week, then 3 the next, then 0 the week after that, and you will probably have a 1-2 pound gain every so often. This is completely normal. When people hear "1-2 pounds per week", they think that's what they're supposed to lose every week. What that actually means is that in six months, most people will lose about 24-48 pounds. That doesn't mean they lost weight every single week.

    Sodium is a HUGE culprit when it comes to water weight going up or down, along with TOM and any kind of new exercise that exerts your muscles (muscles retain water after a good workout). Just keep plugging away, drink lots of water, and try not to let the scale get you too sad. I tend to have these huge whooshes where I'll lose 3-4 pounds in a week, and then I won't lose any (or I'll gain a pound) the next week. I used to freak out, but I'm used to it now.

    Also, a "plateau" is defined as 6-8 weeks without a loss. Don't let it discourage you if the scale doesn't move for 2-3 weeks. So many people claim they've hit a plateau after only a week or a couple weeks. That's not a plateau; that's natural.
  • KimWW
    KimWW Posts: 301 Member
    Good advice, Saltatoria