They say slow & steady...

pamperedpenguin
pamperedpenguin Posts: 95 Member
in Motivation and Support
...wins the race.
Well, in that case I should come in in 1st place!

This process is going slow, slow, slow!

Hard to be happy when the scale rewards you with an OUNCE loss when you're trying harder then you ever have.

I read stories on here about how people lose 5-10 lbs a month, and I'm happy for them, but what about me? OUNCES I tell you!

I read stories about the "magic" # of calories per day (usually around 1200) so I stick to that religiously. What do I get ! OUNCES!

I read stories about people uping their workouts. I do that. What do I get? OUNCES!

Please, people, help me be happy with OUNCES!

Replies

  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,218 Member
    First of all, there is no magic number of calories to consume each day to lose weight. While some people adhere to 1200 calories per day, many of us have found that number way too low for optimal weight loss. I started at 1200 calories per day and lost a pound each week. But when I increased my calories to 1600, I consistently lost 1.5 to 2 pounds a week. I'm now at my goal weight.

    Because your diary is closed, it's hard to make suggestions as to what you might do differently. Are you weighing and measuring all food you are eating? How's your sodium intake? (For many people, sodium causes water retention and can therefore mask weight loss).

    I know it's frustrating but if you've been consistently trying your approach for awhile now (give it at least a month) it's probably time for a change. We are all different and there is no one way to correctly lose weight. Some people need to reign in their carbs to lose weight. For others, like me, carbs have no impact....sodium and potassium are much bigger players. You need to find out what works for you by trial and error.
  • hellokitty41489
    hellokitty41489 Posts: 93
    When that happened to me, it turned out 1200 calories just wasn't enough. I know it goes against logic but eating more (around 1500) helps me to lose .5-1lb a week. And if you're working out a lot 1200 probably really isn't enough for you; it might benefit you to try upping the calories a little bit. Regardless though, even losing ounces is a great thing! You're on the right track even if it is slow going right now :)
  • mommytobrayden
    mommytobrayden Posts: 28 Member
    I would consider increasing your calories. I tried 1200 calories and it just wasn't enough. I felt hungry and it would make me want to binge. When I increased my calories to 1500 I was always satisfied and I still lose 1-2 pounds a week.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    1. What variables are you controlling during your weigh in sessions and how often do you weigh? Variables to control should be: time, day of the week, clothes, previous day's sodium intake, previous day's potassium intake, previous day's water intake, urinary bladder fullness/emptiness.

    2. What are you eating? What are your macros? Taking medications or supplements?

    3. Are you tracking other things besides weight?

    4. Open your diary

    5. 1200 is NOT the magic number. 1200 is the LOWEST MFP will allow on the site due to not wanting to be sued if someone develops anorexia because a web site told them to.

    6. Starting weight? Goal weight?

    7/ What exercises are you doing? Cardio? Strength? What types and how much?
  • bushidowoman
    bushidowoman Posts: 1,599 Member
    I am also one of those people who reached (exceeded!) my goal weight by eating more calories. 1400 cals a day did not work well for me with the workouts I was doing (martial arts and lifting weights). I was hungry, and I felt deprived, which made it a struggle. Since it was such a struggle, seeing so little progress was very discouraging and made me want to just give up. I actually did give up counting calories for awhile. Instead I decided to stick with whole healthy foods and eat when I was hungry. I looked for healthier substitutions for my cravings--replaced ice cream with Greek yogurt, had a tbsp dark chocolate chips with a handful of almonds instead of a candy bar, air-popped popcorn instead of chips, etc.

    I eventually found MFP and decided to try tracking once again. When I started tracking my food and counting calories, I found that I was getting around 1800-2000cals a day on heavy exercise days, and I tried to stick to around 1600 on rest days (but I never did freak out if I went over a little). I was STILL losing weight with that, some weeks just ounces. But as long as I was losing instead of gaining, I was OK with that, since it didn't even feel like I was on a "diet". I wasn't hungry or deprived, and my progress didn't go down the drain if I had a piece of pizza or cake every now and then. Sticking with it meant that those tiny little increments eventually added up to about 30lbs lost and buying jeans in sizes that I never thought I'd see again.

    So I just want to encourage you to keep going. Find your groove where you feel happy, where you feel like you could keep doing that forever, where you can see progress, and keep at it! Slow and steady really DOES win the race!
  • LyssaJ1
    LyssaJ1 Posts: 240 Member
    For me, I know I didn't get here overnight and I know the weight won't come off overnight. If it took me a year to put it on, it's reasonable to expect a year to take it off (although I *do* expect better from myself ~lame chuckle~).

    Although I'm particularly bad at math, if I remember correctly, there are 16 ounces in a pound, yes no? Ounces "add up" to a big loss, in the long term. It's hard to see the big picture when we only see a tiny fraction of movement, even with all of our hard work.

    Patience?! Dang it Jim, I'm not a doctor! (sorry, bad humor there) Anyway, patience is what we have to have because pounding are heads against the wall isn't a trackable exercise, or I haven't seen it yet.

    Hang in there and keep up the work! You ARE worth it!
  • MissNations
    MissNations Posts: 513 Member
    DON'T compare yourself to other people and don't weigh yourself every day. Surefire path to going craaaazy.
  • Long_and_Lean
    Long_and_Lean Posts: 175 Member
    I'm one of those "ounces" people, too. Progress is very, very, slow. I just keep telling myself that everyone is different. All those estimates about how many calories your body needs -- they're just that, estimates. Some people metabolize things more efficiently than others. And in terms of losing weight, efficient metabolism = bad! It means you can make due with less, your body adapts more quickly, etc etc. It sucks, it makes things more difficult and slow, but it doesn't make it impossible. Breathe. Be patient. You literally have the rest of your life to lose this weight. There is no deadline, no finish line, just the process. The process itself is the goal. Think of it that way. I know it's easier said than done (I struggle with it myself), but it's a start.
  • PurpleEpiphany
    PurpleEpiphany Posts: 96
    Also understand that sometimes weight loss is a study in contrasts. Many (not all) of the people you see losing so much weight so quickly started out eating way too many calories, not exercising at all, etc. In some cases someone who's extremly overweight can drop weight faster at the start. They have more fat stores to use, and sometimes it's more an issue of losing massive amounts of water weight by drastically reducing sodium (happens automatically when you cut down on fast food and/or processed food).

    Don't get discouraged! Also, I'm not a big believer in a calorie increase being an automatic fix, but sometimes if you're restricting too far you don't have enough energy, even if you don't realize it. You need to be sure you're fueling your body enough :)

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