I am this close to giving up
VintageFit
Posts: 90 Member
I've been trying to lose weight since March. I'm 22, ~5'4'' (165cm) and started at ~176lbs (80kg).
In the first two or three months, everything worked splendid (although all I did was changing my eating habits and not even exercising yet), and I lost around 15-17pounds, getting myself down to 160lbs.
But ever since then... no matter what I try... I can't lose anymore. I might lose 1 or even 2 pounds and gain it back immediately - even though nothing in my workout routine or food intake has changed!
I've tried different forms of exercise - I started with just cardio, then did bodyweight exercises, now I'm doing the 30 Day Shred (which is showing zero effect even with everyone else raving about how awesome it is). One time I thought maybe I was eating to little, I raised my calorie intake and gained weight. Then I did my best to stick to a lower calorie intake and still couldn't get rid of the regained weight.
And for those of you saying "It's not about the weight, but about measurements and feeling/looking better" well, my measurements haven't changed either. My clothes are still as tight as they were months ago. My appearance hasn't changed at all - you can't even see the first 15 pounds I lost.
It just makes me want to cry. I'm still far from any weight that could be considered healthy for my age and size. I hate myself and I hate that I apparently can't change anything. Why bother to work hard for almost a whole year without getting any results? At my worst moments I feel like it would just be better to eat nothing at all, but I know that my willpower would break in less than a day.
In the first two or three months, everything worked splendid (although all I did was changing my eating habits and not even exercising yet), and I lost around 15-17pounds, getting myself down to 160lbs.
But ever since then... no matter what I try... I can't lose anymore. I might lose 1 or even 2 pounds and gain it back immediately - even though nothing in my workout routine or food intake has changed!
I've tried different forms of exercise - I started with just cardio, then did bodyweight exercises, now I'm doing the 30 Day Shred (which is showing zero effect even with everyone else raving about how awesome it is). One time I thought maybe I was eating to little, I raised my calorie intake and gained weight. Then I did my best to stick to a lower calorie intake and still couldn't get rid of the regained weight.
And for those of you saying "It's not about the weight, but about measurements and feeling/looking better" well, my measurements haven't changed either. My clothes are still as tight as they were months ago. My appearance hasn't changed at all - you can't even see the first 15 pounds I lost.
It just makes me want to cry. I'm still far from any weight that could be considered healthy for my age and size. I hate myself and I hate that I apparently can't change anything. Why bother to work hard for almost a whole year without getting any results? At my worst moments I feel like it would just be better to eat nothing at all, but I know that my willpower would break in less than a day.
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Replies
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Giving up is not an option when it come to healthy living.
I had a quick look at your food diary and when you fill it in it seems to be stuffed full of high salt products and heavily processed foods. It's just my opinion but you need to revamp your diet.
Try eating your MFP calorie allowance but replacing the junk with vegetables, fruit, low fat protein and unprocessed carbs.0 -
hi,
your topic seems so familiar to me.... for the past four years i have given up so many times... and that has led to me carrying extra 30 pounds with me all these years... i know the reason that i cant loose weight, its that i start a diet and wont stick to it... i get bored easily.... my advice to you ( and to me as well) stick to it...be patient and please dont give in:)
much love to you :happy:0 -
well what do you expect?
you don't log consistently and when you do log your food, you eat a lot of crap.
if you aren't going to take your nutrition seriously, you really don't have anyone to blame except yourself.0 -
Exercise and counting calories is only a part of the equation.. and what you eat plays a big part. From what I've seen your diary, you eat a lot of processed,high calorie items that have no real nutritional value and a lot of salt most likely... and you eat them multiple times per day instead of like once per day.
Try swapping some of those items out for low sodium deli meat and fruit/veggies, and I think you'll see much better results. You can still eat junk but don't eat it for every meal/every day.0 -
Abs are made in the kitchen, it's 80% diet!
You must be eating a lot of sodium judging by the processed junk you've logged in your diary, which will lead to water retention and you staying bloated and flabby. Start making some small changes by including more fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking a lot of water. Cut out things like sugary sodas and juices.
If that's too hard then I don't know what to tell you, there really is no magic quick fix.0 -
PM me.
I'll help you lose the weight.
Before you do please follow the instructions on this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 And send me the following information.
Age
Height
Weight
Body Fat%
Occupation
Workout routine
Sometimes its a simple fix and sometimes ints just an explanation as to "Why" your way isnt working.
Hugs!
This does get better!0 -
At your age this can be easy, try losing weight over 30 (grumble)
Anyway - the above posters are right, you do need to think about what you eat as well as how much. Try making most meals things you have made yourself - chicken/fish/steak with lots of veg. Allow yourself say one or two meals a week where you reach for something ready made.
Make sure you actually weigh the things you eat, an extra few grams here and there quickly adds up.
Log every single bit, every single day.
You'll get there.0 -
First of all, congrats and your progress so far.
Second, my advice is to lift weights to lose weight! I know it seems counter-productive, but muscle weighs more than fat, AND muscle burns fat. After you begin to love how muscles look on your body, weight won't even matter.
Try Jamie Eason's LiveFit program on www.bodybuilding.com.
Good luck!0 -
First of all, congrats and your progress so far.
Second, my advice is to lift weights to lose weight! I know it seems counter-productive, but muscle weighs more than fat, AND muscle burns fat. After you begin to love how muscles look on your body, weight won't even matter.
Try Jamie Eason's LiveFit program on www.bodybuilding.com.
Good luck!
Also this!0 -
PM me.
I'll help you lose the weight.
Before you do please follow the instructions on this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 And send me the following information.
Age
Height
Weight
Body Fat%
Occupation
Workout routine
Sometimes its a simple fix and sometimes ints just an explanation as to "Why" your way isnt working.
Hugs!
This does get better!
^^ THIS0 -
You might want to add Sodium to the list of nutrition that the system keeps track of for you. Might help to see that in actual numbers.
Good luck, and keep going!!!!0 -
No it would not be better to eat nothing at all, you know that!
I know it can be really challenging to make healthy choices, and it takes a long time for the brain and body to realise that this change is for life! but you have to keep going. You are so young, and deserve a long and healthy life.
I would stop eating crisps and junk, as it is just an illusion that these things are making you feel better when you eat them, once you give up, you will realise how strong you are and that you just don't need them.
Also add some more friends for encouragement and motivation, there are lots of young people here in the same boat.
Also ( i am in lecture mode today soz) read what Helloitsdan says, he has a lot of good advise.
Also i am a 30DS evangelist! i have not lost any weight on this but have lost plenty of inches!
Good luck. :flowerforyou:0 -
Hun, you have to be honest with yourself if you want to make this work. I have lost 66 pounds in 6 months. Over 10".... I'm still overweight and really haven't lost much in the last 2 months, but I am not giving up.
I know my reasons - stress eating, lack of exercise, and illness.
But if you want to really kick-start, you need to become dedicated to this - LOG EVERYTHING HONESTLY. Do something (exercise wise) everyday, even if it's nothing more than walking. Plus.... at 22, have fun walking. Leave your money at home and go window-shop at the mall. Walk the length twice, everyday (or every other day) and you'll enjoy yourself and get some exercise.
Yes, when you are smaller it is harder to loose, but you have to make lifestyle changes before you can expect to see real results.
Trust me.... I wish I had done what I am doing now at 22. It took me another 14 years to finally realize that I have to do this, I HAVE to make changes, but I do try to make them sustainable - IE: something that I will find myself doing everyday instead of totally opposite to what my comfort level is.
Don't give up, just work on figuring what you need to make yourself do this.0 -
As others said, don't quit. Also, as other said you need to realize that you are in a fight (that as you age could literally be for your life). You need to decide, "do I want this?". Saying you want something and going out and achieving it are very different animals. There are no quick fixes. Keep pushing and keep fighting. There are billions of programs because people keep thinking there is a shortcut. So people keep selling them shortcuts. Simply put, everything you put in your pie hole matters. You have to out move what you eat. Praying for you, you can do it.0
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well what do you expect?
you don't log consistently and when you do log your food, you eat a lot of crap.
if you aren't going to take your nutrition seriously, you really don't have anyone to blame except yourself.
This seems bang on.0 -
It does look like you may need to change what you are eating. I haven't lost a lot but I continually lose a lb. or so a week. Portions mean a lot and what you are eating is such a big part. Don't give up, just maybe make a few changes as others have suggested.0
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Just looking at your diary - were the past few days typical of your eating habits? If this IS how you usually eat, high calorie meals loaded with sugar, fat & sodium (I'd give the noodles away for sure!!) then the reason your not losing weight is obvious - way too much processed stuff. Stops your body from functioning properly. Add some vegies & fruit & cut at out least some of the junk food & I think you'll see some progress. Sure, you're under calories, but (for most of us) counting calories without adequate nutrition does not produce good results!! If your diary is usually very different from what I just saw then my suggestion would be to see a nutritionist & get some professional advise - but please don't give up!!!0
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I only browsed a week of your diary, but today's breakfast of a pretzel and Nutella, last Wednesday's meals - breakfast and dinner consisting of a bag of Lay's BBQ potato chips, suggests that you're confused about how weight loss AND good health work.
If you truly don't know about nutritional basics, that's OK - but either find the $ to meet with a registered dietician OR buy a few good books on health and nutrition. Right now, not only are you not losing weight, but you're eating so poorly that you're setting yourself up for a variety of ills as you age: high blood pressure, diabetes, lower resistance to most viruses, and the possible cancers associated to high fat consumption. So please start there.
Recording daily isn't magic if you're consuming bad foods all the time. Instead of potato chips for breakfast, find a high fiber cereal ( I like Fiber one), and top with some low fat almond milk. Add a scrambled egg and half a cup of blueberries. You'll have the same calorie count as the chips, but far healthier.
Same with lunch and dinner - you need to add in real foods, including veggies.
Just wanting something doesn't make it happen. I spent the last few years "resolving" to lose weight. It happened once I dropped most junk foods, controlled portion sizes (get a kitchen scale and use it to weigh out healthy portions of lean meats and fish), and started walking daily. I'm 55 so it's not like I have a raging metabolism - and I work long hours. I was travelling last week - and still ate healthy food and got in a morning walk each day.
Only you can decide to make those choices one day at a time. But start now. Each day is a new chance for a small victory, and believe me, they add up. Good luck.0 -
Your log looks similar to my eating habits when I was in school. Are you living on a student budget, by any chance? If so, you might want to ask around for a budget-friendly healthy food shopping list. And if you're looking for flavor... Invest in spices! They may seem expensive, but they're worth their weight in gold when you find yourself eating chicken all the time.:laugh:0
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PM Dan. He will help you, I promise.0
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You might want to add Sodium to the list of nutrition that the system keeps track of for you. Might help to see that in actual numbers.
Good luck, and keep going!!!!
^ This. People will be quick to jump on you for super unprocessed foods... but the thing is you, didn't come on here saying you gained. Which makes me think you're kind of static... provided you're not losing inches (which you should be relying on as much as, if not moreso, than the number on the scale), the amount of sodium you ingest could literally be causing the water retention making you fail to drop weight (and might make you feel bigger, too).
However, if eating like you have is what's worked for you to lose those initial pounds, try "shaking" things up... not by switching calories, but trying to more evenly fit your macros (more protein, good fats, maybe less carbs... definitely less sodium!)0 -
Agree with all of the above. Really brave of you to open up your diary and let everyone see what you've been doing with the program..... but you need to engage with it or you won't make progress.
Eat healthily (no junk food for a while) and log everything like an obsession, even a single grape! Exercise regularly and as vigourously as you can. If you don't invest you will get no return.
I would suggest that you cannot claim to give up the MFP approach at this time becuase, based on your diary, you haven't really started.
Good luck. I hope you turn it around.0 -
I agree I eat a lot of wrong foods, but I am under my calorie intake 6 out of 7 days. My history I lose weight real slow unless I really exercise. Walking helps me. Please don't say you hate yourself over body imagine or anything. You are somebody and you will get this done. The gentleman that post the above quote is right we have to replace some of our old food with healthy food. If it is something you really enjoy try fixing it at home from scratch. That way you know what is going in it. Hang in there PLEASE!!!!!!!!Giving up is not an option when it come to healthy living.
I had a quick look at your food diary and when you fill it in it seems to be stuffed full of high salt products and heavily processed foods. It's just my opinion but you need to revamp your diet.
Try eating your MFP calorie allowance but replacing the junk with vegetables, fruit, low fat protein and unprocessed carbs.0 -
Lots of processed foods in you log. Take a look at the ingredients list of everything you eat. If you can't pronounce something or the list is eight miles long you don't want to put it in your body. Sure, we all want to be beautiful forever, but food preservatives are not the way to get there. That's not to say you need to toss everything in the fridge and cupboards at once, just shop smarter. When a food item is getting low and it's time to replace it, buy a non-chemical/non-preservative version of that food. You may need to buy the ingredients to make that food yourself.
The internet has absolutely tons of great sounding recipes. If you don't have time to cook every day, make enough for several days at a time and freeze things.0 -
I agree with most everyone's advice. Use the tools on the system, exercise faithfully - use weights too, change your diet - gradually so that it becomes a habit. Start with adding the fruits and veggies and reducing the high salt. It took me 18 months to get the change I wanted! You can do this if you really want to be healthy.0
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Thank you everyone for your answers.
First off, I did not think about this, but the past month of my food log is NO WAY a good representation of how I usually eat. As someone mentioned I'm a student and just started a new semester with a schedule that has thrown me out of the loop planning wise, so the past month I've been eating a lot on the go or anything that could be quickly prepared in 5 minutes or less. I've also not logged my water intake but I do drink 2-3litres a day.
I will try to log better from now on, which is sometimes a problem because I'm from Germany and a lot of the food I eat is hard to find in the registry so often I will just try to find something 'close enough' that appears as take out or something like that :C (for example the take-out satay noodles I logged last week are actually just ramen-style noodles mixed with readymade satay sauce, both from an Asian foodstore without any calorie information...)
As much as I'm excusing myself right now - I know I don't eat as healthy as I should (or could) and I'm only getting into the habit of cooking fresh meals for myself after moving out. What confused me is just that for the first few months, eating as I usually do, it still worked for weightloss and suddenly stopped.
I'll try to better my eating and find easy recipes and stuff that works for my university schedule.
Edit: I'm gonna work my way through the thread Helloitsdan posted. I knew some of this stuff already but it has a lot more information.0 -
dont be mad at the results you arent getting from the work you know you arent really doing.0
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I am not surprised you are not losing.
1. You are not consistent in logging
2. On the days that you did log that I looked at, I saw NO beverages. Are you seriously not drinking anything with calories in it? I find that hard to believe. No coffee? No pop? No juice? Beverages can easily account for 25%+ of the average person's calorie intake so if you're not including them, you might be seriously underestimating your cals.
I think you need to improve your logging habits and your eating habits and you will start to see results. Good luck!0 -
Obviously from other posts of people who've checked your food logs, you need to be consistant with your logging efforts, and cut down on salt and processed foods.
For the next week do this, and your efforts should improve dramatically
Log consistantly;
Focus on lean healthy protein & fiber
Drink lots of water (at least 8 glasses a day)
When you do get hungry, ask yourself "do I need fiber or protein?" Sometimes the answer is both. One of my nutritionists told me if you focus on lean, healthy proteins, the carbs and fats will take care of themselves and I've generally found that to be true.
When you get those mastered, start adding things to it little by little. And no more excuses, whining, wallowing, or negative self talk! They're all too destructive to your efforts!
For what it's worth - and good luck!0 -
As stated several times above- we see where your challenge is. Its not going to happen in the gym- anymore than what you are doing.
You need to revamp your diet- and you need to log in every day and hold yourself accountable- or you are not going to lose weight. In this scenario, maybe you should give up- if you aren't willing to change the diet, figure out those trigger foods that are affecting you, you aren't going to succeed at overcoming the plateau.
Also- I reviewed your diary- and 3 things I saw- you don't log in regularly- so, self sabotage there. In one week I did not see any fresh fruits, veggies, cooked or otherwise. A lot of processed junk. You seem to allow yourself really high calorie meals at times and skip other meals. So, for you (and most of us) it comes down how we eat, what we eat, and if we are going to be honest with ourselves and log our food. I hope you'll be able make the changes you need to be healthy and get back on track. If you already love fitness- that is half the battle- now time to hit the other half!
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