Very Frustrated ~ Not seeing results

I am increcingly getting more and more frustrated with this whole diet/transformation journey Im on. My boyfriend and I have been doing this together which is great and has been great for us to do together but dang it is frustrating me not seeing results. He has lost 14 pounds in 5 weeks and I have barely lost 5. I know I need to put away the scale and get off of it every morning and night but I just want to see it move. I swear before I started this I could go a couple weeks and drop the weight I needed to and be back to were I was comfortable. I would be back in my skinny clothes. I have always flirted with the same 5 pounds but within the past year those 5 pounds stayed and another 5 started to flirt on the scale.
Last summer I drank a lot and didnt care what I ate. I always could just watch what I ate on the weekdays and do what I wanted on the weekends...well that caught up with me. Im blaming my age. Im 35. Ive noticed and realized that things have slowed down...drastically...
I have changed my diet and done an overhaul. all healthy no fried and more whole foods. Lots and lots of water. Higher protein than I was getting and no sugary snacks at all. If I do have anything to drink, I save it for the weekends and only a couple. My boyfriend and I were drinking a bottle of wine a night 3 times a week before and also on the weekends so I know that had a lot to do with it.
But I would think that with cutting the alcohol out and eating a healthy calorie reduced diet that I would have dropped the pounds by now...NOPE
I exercise doing jillian michaels and zumba or run/walk at least 4 days a week. I am working on getting a gym membership so I can start to weight train. Right now all I have access to is my boyfriends dumbells that are 35 lbs...

What is the problem??? It is so frustrating seeing everyone else lose...I am 5'10" and 156 and want to get to 145 but would be happy at 150. I know its harder to lose the pounds when you dont have much to lose but geeeeeze!!! HELP!

Replies

  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    A pound a week is not bad. We (I am male) lose it easier. We don't do it to be mean; it's just the way it typically is. We are typically heavier, more muscular and burn more calories just existing. So if you are eating the same things, his deficit is likely larger. You are about a third of the way to your goal and making progress. I say stick with it.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    First of all, you need to develop some patience. A pound a week is not failure. It's a good rate of loss.

    Second, you only need to lose about 10lbs, so stop expecting it to happen overnight. If you have less than 20lbs to lose, it's advised that you try to only lose about 0.5lb per week. Otherwise, you are risking losing lean mass/muscle instead of fat.

    Third, men lose faster than women. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.
  • eswartz0728
    eswartz0728 Posts: 47
    Don't get frustrated!! A pound a week is not bad! Also if you are doing any strength training you need to think about the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. . . so you may be staying the same but losing weight and gaining muscle which is not a bad thing. Keep track of your measurements. . . When I was doing strength training my weight went up but the inches were coming off. Also switch up your workout routine once in awhile this can help!!! Good luck :)
  • Altoidsman
    Altoidsman Posts: 11
    He has lost 14 pounds in 5 weeks and I have barely lost 5. My boyfriend and I were drinking a bottle of wine a night 3 times a week before and also on the weekends so I know that had a lot to do with it.
    But I would think that with cutting the alcohol out and eating a healthy calorie reduced diet that I would have dropped the pounds by now...NOPE
    I exercise doing jillian michaels and zumba or run/walk at least 4 days a week. I am working on getting a gym membership so I can start to weight train. Right now all I have access to is my boyfriends dumbells that are 35 lbs...

    What is the problem??? It is so frustrating seeing everyone else lose...I am 5'10" and 156 and want to get to 145 but would be happy at 150.

    First, echo what the other have said, one pound a week is a healthy rate to lose weight! You are suceeding. Your BF however, is losing a radical amount of weight that is unsustainable. Does he weigh 400 lbs? Didn't think so. 5 lbs a week is unhealthy.

    Second... drinking calories is a waste... so you did cut those out.

    Here are my secrets to weight loss:

    1. You Must Do Caloric Cycling... you cannot diet 7 days a week. Take one day off a week and eat anything you want. Seriously. On this day you can have your wine. Seriously. Google 'caloric cycling.'

    2. You must change your metabolism, and the only way to do this is to exercise every day. (Take one day off a week.) One half hour per day is sufficient if you are doing interval work. Once you do regular exercise your lbs will melt off. The exercise must be strenuous, you must break a sweat.

    3. After two weeks this becomes routine, your body adjusts and it's no longer hard.
    4. After six weeks, take a whole week off from both your exercise routing and your diet routine. Then start over again. This is long term cycling.

    Thats it!
    If you overeat one day... don't quit. Just recognize you try harder the next day.
  • sunshine5512
    sunshine5512 Posts: 39 Member
    Thank for this^

    No my bf isn't 400 pounds but he is overweight. He lost a good bit pretty fast but the last couple weeks it has only been a couple pounds a week.

    I pretty much have been taking one day off a week. But I still watch what I eat and don't go overboard.

    I'm not trying to be impatient. The impatient part is coming from the fact that just a year or so ago I didn't have to hardly do anything and the weight would just fall off and I would be ok. But it would however go back on as soon as it came off if I let it...

    I am seeing results not a ton in measurements but my clothes already fit way better...not so tight.

    The hard part is that it really isn't a 5 lb loss...like today I was back up 3 lbs but two days ago I was at that number so I just stopped changing it.
  • sunshine5512
    sunshine5512 Posts: 39 Member
    I am increcingly getting more and more frustrated with this whole diet/transformation journey Im on. My boyfriend and I have been doing this together which is great and has been great for us to do together but dang it is frustrating me not seeing results. He has lost 14 pounds in 5 weeks and I have barely lost 5. I know I need to put away the scale and get off of it every morning and night but I just want to see it move. I swear before I started this I could go a couple weeks and drop the weight I needed to and be back to were I was comfortable. I would be back in my skinny clothes. I have always flirted with the same 5 pounds but within the past year those 5 pounds stayed and another 5 started to flirt on the scale.
    Last summer I drank a lot and didnt care what I ate. I always could just watch what I ate on the weekdays and do what I wanted on the weekends...well that caught up with me. Im blaming my age. Im 35. Ive noticed and realized that things have slowed down...drastically...
    I have changed my diet and done an overhaul. all healthy no fried and more whole foods. Lots and lots of water. Higher protein than I was getting and no sugary snacks at all. If I do have anything to drink, I save it for the weekends and only a couple. My boyfriend and I were drinking a bottle of wine a night 3 times a week before and also on the weekends so I know that had a lot to do with it.
    But I would think that with cutting the alcohol out and eating a healthy calorie reduced diet that I would have dropped the pounds by now...NOPE
    I exercise doing jillian michaels and zumba or run/walk at least 4 days a week. I am working on getting a gym membership so I can start to weight train. Right now all I have access to is my boyfriends dumbells that are 35 lbs...

    What is the problem??? It is so frustrating seeing everyone else lose...I am 5'10" and 156 and want to get to 145 but would be happy at 150. I know its harder to lose the pounds when you dont have much to lose but geeeeeze!!! HELP!

    set up your calories right...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975707-fat-loss-tactics-guide

    I swear I have tried six ways from Sunday to figure these numbers out and I feel like I'm back in high school algebra or something...lol
    The days I eat more because I'm eating my exercise calories back I have a hard time keeping within my macros on almost everything. That is the hard part.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    Maybe try weighing once a week at the same time? Weight fluctuations will drive you nuts if you let them.
  • KellyBundyRalph
    KellyBundyRalph Posts: 8 Member
    I understand your frustration. I have the same problem, I need to lose about 20 pounds and week by week it is hardly even a pound. Are you tracking your calorie intake and the calories you are burning. Men tend to drop more weight than women, consider also that maybe your bf has more weight to lose than you do. Maybe you are eating to few calories and your body is going into starvation mode.
  • sunshine5512
    sunshine5512 Posts: 39 Member
    I am tracking my calories and my exercise. According to about 5 different sites and 10 different ways to look at it, I should be eating between 1450 and 1500 and when I exercise I eat those calories back. So I don't think I'm in starvation mode.

    Just going to give the scale away...
  • KellyBundyRalph
    KellyBundyRalph Posts: 8 Member
    Try this web site to help you calculate http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmi-calculator.html they have 5 different calculations you just put in your hieght, age etc
  • KellyBundyRalph
    KellyBundyRalph Posts: 8 Member
    Maybe I misunderstood your last post about eating your calories back (I should be eating between 1450 and 1500 and when I exercise I eat those calories back) does that mean you are eating the same amount of calories from your resting and exercise?

    Are you weighing yourself at the same time and weighing the same clothes?
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    I am increcingly getting more and more frustrated with this whole diet/transformation journey Im on. My boyfriend and I have been doing this together which is great and has been great for us to do together but dang it is frustrating me not seeing results. He has lost 14 pounds in 5 weeks and I have barely lost 5. I know I need to put away the scale and get off of it every morning and night but I just want to see it move. I swear before I started this I could go a couple weeks and drop the weight I needed to and be back to were I was comfortable. I would be back in my skinny clothes. I have always flirted with the same 5 pounds but within the past year those 5 pounds stayed and another 5 started to flirt on the scale.
    Last summer I drank a lot and didnt care what I ate. I always could just watch what I ate on the weekdays and do what I wanted on the weekends...well that caught up with me. Im blaming my age. Im 35. Ive noticed and realized that things have slowed down...drastically...
    I have changed my diet and done an overhaul. all healthy no fried and more whole foods. Lots and lots of water. Higher protein than I was getting and no sugary snacks at all. If I do have anything to drink, I save it for the weekends and only a couple. My boyfriend and I were drinking a bottle of wine a night 3 times a week before and also on the weekends so I know that had a lot to do with it.
    But I would think that with cutting the alcohol out and eating a healthy calorie reduced diet that I would have dropped the pounds by now...NOPE
    I exercise doing jillian michaels and zumba or run/walk at least 4 days a week. I am working on getting a gym membership so I can start to weight train. Right now all I have access to is my boyfriends dumbells that are 35 lbs...

    What is the problem??? It is so frustrating seeing everyone else lose...I am 5'10" and 156 and want to get to 145 but would be happy at 150. I know its harder to lose the pounds when you dont have much to lose but geeeeeze!!! HELP!

    you can not compare yourself to your boyfriend (or anyone else for that matter). Men, in general, lose weight faster than women. We don't have to like it, but that's the way it is. It's a matter of biology; they've got lots more muscle, and higher metabolisms. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to actually live with one and try to lose weight together.

    Now, putting that comparison business aside... 5 pounds in a week is considered GREAT progress!!! Seriously! At your height and weight, to be honest, you can't really expect to lose any faster than that. You acknowledge that you know its hard to lose when you don't have to lose much, so face that reality and realize that for a lot of people that means maybe .5lbs a week. 1 a week is pretty fantastic. you need patience.