Discouraged!

dagucrew
dagucrew Posts: 20 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ugh! I decided to weigh myself once a month as I am easily discouraged and if I put in a lot of effort with little to no result, I freak. I figured after 4 weeks I would certainly show a loss. I did. 2 lbs. :( So...I am on my way to the Dr. for a check-up and I plan to ask her if there's any reason I don't show a bigger loss. I know at 52 I shouldn't expect much more than a lb per week, but I had hoped for at least that much. Maybe my scale is off...

Replies

  • KAA1982
    KAA1982 Posts: 90 Member
    Are you doing any weight / strength training? Don't rely on the scale. Take measurements and see how your clothes fit.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    There are a ton of variables. How much you are eating, sodium, exercise, etc... If you give us more details we can see why you aren't losing that much, but 1/2lb per week isn't bad.

    btw, open your diary so we can look at the foods. Foods high in sodium can cause weight gain or "fake" plateaus. Exercise can do the same thing.
  • missmaggie369
    missmaggie369 Posts: 13
    2 lb lost is better than gained... I only lost 0.1 lbs =/ in January, so... I get feeling discouraged.
  • Jaulen
    Jaulen Posts: 468 Member
    If it was me, I'd be happy with a steady 0.5 pound weight loss a week average. But that's just me.


    Weight loss is NOT linear, and sometimes it makes no sense.....you could go three weeks losing nothing, and then drop 4 the next week.
  • kiwiwizard
    kiwiwizard Posts: 59 Member
    Sorry to hear about so much effort and less than expected scale movement. At least it's 2 lbs in the right direction. I've had so many of my (older) girlfriends tell me how HIDEOUS it is to lose weight once your body is in menopause. There is a simple blood test the Dr can do which details chemically where in the menopause process your body is & can advise/treat accordingly. I'm 47 yrs old but took my friends advice to heart & for the past year have worked very hard to get excess weight off before I hit menopause. The average age for menopause is around 51 yrs I believe so that could be your issue??? Losing weight is so hard anyway but my friends all say that it's MUCH WORSE during/after menopause. Good luck to you!!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    OP, it says you joined MFP in May 2012 but your post reads like you just began a month ago. If you just began a month ago, I'd suggest giving it another month. I didn't start losing until 3 weeks, but then it was pretty steady.

    Also, I believe wholeheartedly that exercise is key to losing when we get older (I'm 51). Include cardio, flexibility and strength training. Exercise regularly and intensely. When it gets easy, increase intensity. Do exercises you enjoy, but keep pushing yourself.

    Good luck!
  • dagucrew
    dagucrew Posts: 20 Member
    Wow! thanks everyone for the rapid response! Psulemon-I am a vegetarian who's a near-vegan, except for the sprinklings of feta which make my salads not-so-boring. I eat a clean diet of whoe, unprocessed foods and snack on vegetables, fruit, with the occasional popcorn. Breakfast is typically fruit, a vega protein shake, or something light. Followed by 30 minutes of yoga to stretch. Then I do Leslie Sansone's 5 mile challenge, or a 5k interval training, followed by a 2 mile walk/cool down. I follow this workout 5 times per week. The exercise adds to my daily calorie intake, which increases it to around 1800 cal. I regularly have calories leftover, but never more than a few hundred. I drink in excess of 8 glasses of water per day, never drink soda, drink 3 cups of coffee in the a.m. and no more the rest of the day.
    I am happy that the scale is moving in the right direction, but really wanted to lose weight for my daughter's wedding in October. At this rate, I might be down a size in 8 mos. But I will stay the course. Can anyone tell me how to open my diary?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    Wow! thanks everyone for the rapid response! Psulemon-I am a vegetarian who's a near-vegan, except for the sprinklings of feta which make my salads not-so-boring. I eat a clean diet of whoe, unprocessed foods and snack on vegetables, fruit, with the occasional popcorn. Breakfast is typically fruit, a vega protein shake, or something light. Followed by 30 minutes of yoga to stretch. Then I do Leslie Sansone's 5 mile challenge, or a 5k interval training, followed by a 2 mile walk/cool down. I follow this workout 5 times per week. The exercise adds to my daily calorie intake, which increases it to around 1800 cal. I regularly have calories leftover, but never more than a few hundred. I drink in excess of 8 glasses of water per day, never drink soda, drink 3 cups of coffee in the a.m. and no more the rest of the day.
    I am happy that the scale is moving in the right direction, but really wanted to lose weight for my daughter's wedding in October. At this rate, I might be down a size in 8 mos. But I will stay the course. Can anyone tell me how to open my diary?

    it's not uncommon to see water retention when you first start. Just give it time. Remember, weight doesn't determine size. If you continue with a calorie deficit and exercise, you will see fat loss. Also, just stick to 1600-1800 calories, and you should be good. That would put you inline with all the other women I know that workout that much.

    To open your diary, go to home <-- settings <--diary setting

    BTW, I have lost a size with only 5 lbs of weight loss. But i concentrate on fat loss.
  • dagucrew
    dagucrew Posts: 20 Member
    Well, I spoke with my Dr. on Tuesday and she was very sympathetic. She is slightly younger than I and she said she's been trying to lose the same 20 lbs for the past few years! I'm sure some of us can relate! She also sad, unfortunately, we (peri-menopausal, and menopausal, and post menopausal) of a certain age need to really work out hard-break a sweat and raise our heart rates, in order to make a dent. Yikes! Sooooo, I am back on it-"renewed resolve" as the WW peeps call it-and I'm working out harder. I've also throttled way back on the bread and processed carbs, but am trying the McDougall approach. Thank you all for the support and kind words. I love the shared knowledge on MFP!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    Have you ever been tested to see if you have an insulin resistance? I know several post menopausal women that require a low carb (not calorie) diet. Many of which didnt' see weight loss until they were eating 100g or less carbs a day. MOst if not 90% of those calories from fruits and veggies. While I am not a huge advocate of low carb, it may be a viable option. In fact, my wife has a medical condition that requires her to be gluten free and very low carb.

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