sooooo amazingly frustrated...

kellycrow
kellycrow Posts: 140
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
okay - so from January until May I lost 20 lbs. since then, i have only lost 2. 2!!! 2 itty bitty lbs!!!! AND over the last 4 days, i have watched in HORROR as the scale has gone UP 3 lbs!!!! WTH???? I have NO IDEA what is going on.
i am still working out. i am still staying within my calorie range...

i admit that the time when i lost 20 lbs i was doing the treadmill 3-4 days a week and since then i have only been doing zumba 1-2 times a week but Curves 4-5 times a week. so it isn't like i have been doing NOTHING! i will get back to the treadmill tonight. but the gaining part?!?!?! what the h***??????

i am so frustrated. people are telling me i look great and i know i look better than i did but i still have 13 lbs to go (not counting those damned 3 lbs). (7 to get to a healthy BMI and the next 5 as my cushion... i'd love to lose more but once i get to the 'normal' range, i will base my success on how my body looks... since i had 2 c-sections including twins, that might be iffy!! haha!)

i just don't know what else i can do. i have 3 kids. i am done with my preschool for the year but have many many many other volunteer responsibilities - there is only so much time i have to work out and spend on what i eat.

no, i won't give up. i know i am making a change for the better but COME ON... this is soooo annoying...i am dying to get off this plateau. i just don't know what i am doing wrong...

okay. thank you for letting me vent. i am heading to the Y today w/ friends (as their guest) and i have told them they have 100& permission to kick my a**. hopefully that will do SOMETHING for me! haha!

Replies

  • KateDonnelly
    KateDonnelly Posts: 53
    I hear ya! Now get back to it. You're doing great!
  • AbsoluteLM
    AbsoluteLM Posts: 22 Member
    First of all, great job on your 22 lbs lost! You look great in your picture and I bet you feel great for losing those pounds too.

    Perhaps the 3 lbs you gained have been muscle? Have you noticed a difference in the way that your clothes fit? If not, it could definitely be that you need to kick start your fitness routine. There have actually been studies that show that Curves is not really effective for healthy, moderately active people- like yourself--the 30 minute circuit only burns on average 184 calories for them! (Here's a link to one study: http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/research.aspx)

    Maybe replace the times you spend at Curves with another higher intensity workout video like Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred? It won't eat up any more of your time but it will definitely burn up more calories.

    Good luck and hang in there!
  • renmull
    renmull Posts: 1
    First of all, stressing out about it won't help. Cortisol (a stress hormone) is highly efficient at storing fat, so you want to keep it low and exercise is the best way to do this. The 3lbs is probably water, since it's summer (is it summer where you are?) and your body wants to hold on to all the hydration it can. You're doing great so have some faith. When you get this close to your goal weight, your body slows down fat burning because it wants to hold on to those reserves (hunter gatherer mode). Consider adding some resistance training to your workouts and maybe even working with a personal trainer. Muscle burns fat and you may have lost some muscle with that 40 lbs. My friends always complaiin about how easy it is for their husbands to lose weight. The secret is that men naturally have more muscle and testosterone which encourages muscle growth. Women have to work harder for it. I hear you loud and clear sister. I only have 7 to lose and it is HARD! Hang in there.
  • kellycrow
    kellycrow Posts: 140
    Thanks.

    (1) REALLY??? about the Curves thing??! REALLY???? They have a 'Smart Tag' thing that supposedly tells you how many calories you have burned and mine consistently says 350-450 calories. If I have been eating those calories (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't) then clearly I have been going over my allotted calories. Yikes. Maybe that's why when I do the treadmill I do better - because I can never eat both the calories from Curves & the treadmill in one day! Yikes... I have a HRM, I think I will wear it tomorrow when I go to see the difference... thanks for the link. I will ready that in a minute.

    (2) Yes - it is summer here... boy, is it summer!! I am in the DC area... we keep hitting 90 degrees and high humidity... that is sooo not fun! I try to stay hydrated though, even if I don't track my water on MFP.

    (3) doubt it is that much muscle in just a few days... would be nice but that seems excessive...
  • ladysw357
    ladysw357 Posts: 43
    I actually gained weight using Curves. No I did not gain muscle. Curves was a one year money pit for me; I do not recommend joining Curves to anyone!

    As for the weight loss, as you get closer to the "healthy" weight range, your body will try it's best to hold on to the extra pounds. Normally, the last 10 are the hardest to lose. They will take much more time and work. Changing up your fitness routine, or going back to the treadmill, may be your best bet.
  • surlydave
    surlydave Posts: 512 Member

    I have a HRM, I think I will wear it tomorrow when I go to see the difference...

    Absolutely. I am not familiar with the Curves smart tag, but I recently bought my own HRM and that wasn't before lots of research on here and elsewhere, and the consensus seemed to be that if it doesn't have a chest strap it isn't as reliable.

    So sorry for the frustration you are experiencing. I'd say one way or the other it's time for you to mix up your routine :smile:
  • rells
    rells Posts: 19 Member
    Hi, keelycrow,

    SNAP, I'm in the same situation.
    From April to now lost 13 lb, then my weight has started to climb over the 2 last weeks.
    I've got into jogging, which has definitely started to tone me.
    I can't budge off the 11 stone (154 lb) and I hate the sight of that number 11 looking up at me when I get on the scales.
    I am also stating to look a lot slimmer and fitter, with many lovely comment. But I still yearn for a drop in weight!

    We just have to stick in there and keep at it.
    Keep saying no to those indulgences and eat healthy.

    I've tried to have more diet days when I'm not planning exercise and working/ sat for most of the day.
    Cutting out the saturate fat treats like dips, cheese, crisps for very small amounts of nuts or fruit, hummus instead, I feel has changed my complexion and water retention or maybe thats just everything I am doing.

    The weight gain has GOT to be the toning of the muscles and with control & time,hopefully all will even out.

    Anyway its all part of the journey we are on and over time our bodies will metamorfos into the perfect butterfly we want to be.

    KEEP AT IT GIRL, you are probably still doing well!!

    All the best
    Rells
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
    Similar experience with the weight loss and then plateauing, so I feel your pain. I lost the first 30 rather quickly, but the last 10 have been painfully slow coming off and I tend to fluctuate 2-5 pounds any given week, so never seem to make any headway! It can be frustrating you bet!!!!!!! All I can say is that what I have found that works for me is to M I X IT U P! By that I mean both the number of calories that you intake on a daily basis (I manually go in and change my settings, but you don't really have to do that if you set a course in your mind and follow that), where I may eat around 1300 calories one day, 1600 calories another day, and bounce around between 1290 and 1690 calories (for me with my height and weight). And I am not great on the exercise front, but typically will do the elliptical for 50 minutes (454 calories burned for me) 1 day, walk 4.0 miles at a fast pace (actually walk/run, but more walk than run :wink: ) 2 times a week, and I do yoga for 50 minutes once a week....so mix up. It probably only took me 12 weeks to lose the first 30, but I am still 1.5 pounds away from goal and have been struggling on these last 10 pounds for 10 weeks!!! Hope it helps to know that you are NOT alone in your struggle, but it is frustrating; glad to know you are not letting it get you down to the point of quitting. Commit your resolve and plug away! Good luck to you!
  • TeamLeela
    TeamLeela Posts: 3,302
    I haven't gotten to read the other comments, but I think that instead of focusing on the scale, you should take measurements. It sounds like you are doing great. Zumba is a great workout and a lot of fun. But doing curves 4 to 5 days a week, you may be building muscle. And you can still be a size smaller and have the same number on the scale. I'm living proof of that. Whatever happens, don't get discouraged. Stay on your path. You'll get over the hump and you will be happy and proud of yourself for not giving up.
  • LisaLisa63
    LisaLisa63 Posts: 1
    I know exactly how you feel. I lost 10 lbs but this week have gained 2 back. I don't understand... :devil: I have actually increased my workouts this week by adding in elliptical machine and somehow the scale went the other way.:sad: Muscle??? I don't know but it is a little discouraging. However, I can't stop now and neiter will you. Keep going, the effort will be worth it!!!:wink:
  • rymattsmom
    rymattsmom Posts: 369 Member
    Been there for the last 10 weeks or so, until i weighed in today! lost 2.8 since i joined mfp last week!

    anyways, enough about me- i think that you should mix up your exercise routine. i did curves for a while, but unless you add more resistance than the usual exercises you do there you will remain the same, its like your body has mastered that plan and time to move on! have you tried an elliptical trainer? those are wonderful and no pressure on your knees/feet/joints.
    mixing it up will certainly help, and i CANNOT see how you could burn 300-400 calories at curves there is just no way unless you are adding a lot of weight training to the machines/intervals.

    keep us updated!
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