85 Pounds Down- Is it just me?! (Pics!)

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angelams1019
angelams1019 Posts: 1,102 Member
in Motivation and Support
Age: 25
Height: 5'6"
Starting Weight: 324
Current Weight: 239 (ARGH!)
Lowest Weight: 239 (ARGHHHHHH!)

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Here's my dilemma, I CAN'T GET PAST 239!!!!!! :sad: :explode: :sad:

Okay so a little back story...

A few years back I started at 324 pounds and got down to 259, went back to finish my last two years of college, had a little TOO much fun, and got back up to 299.

Now, after graduation and a LOT of motivation I'm down to 239, which is the lowest weight I've ever been (since sometime in high school of course!) Awesome RIGHT?!

So the problem? For the past 2 months or so, I get down to 239 and then get off track and gain 5 pounds. Lose-Gain-Lose-Gain, but NEVER below 239!! What's my problem!? lol I feel excited about where this journey is taking me, but I wonder- has anyone else experienced any fear of the unknown, so to speak? Its almost like every time I get down to my lowest weight, I self sabotage to gain a few pounds. Then all of a sudden I get my motivation back, get down to 239 again, and then BOOM! Back up! ARGH!

I'm only 15 pounds away from seeing the big 1-0-0 on that ticker and I'm ready for it!! (Or so I thought?!)

All thoughts or SUPERRRRRRR motivating people welcome! :drinker:

Replies

  • katejkelley
    katejkelley Posts: 841 Member
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    First of all - wow! You lost 85 pounds! That's a huge accomplishment! A lot of people never reach that, so give yourself some credit for what you've done! Secondly, as a person who has gained and lost the same 5 pounds for months now, I know how frustrating it can be. I know I tend to get a little lax - maybe don't exercise as much as I should, or maybe have a little something extra thinking I must have burnt that off at some point during the day. It's important to stay focused and vigilant on those sneaky little calories! Secondly, what are you doing for exercise? Maybe it's time to change it up a little. Are you doing any strength training? If not, give that a go. You may see a little uptake on the scale at first - that's ok. But once you build up muscle strength, you will see an increase in weight loss as your muscles burn more energy. Don't get discouraged! You are an inspiration to others - show them!
  • larryc0923
    larryc0923 Posts: 557 Member
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    You have done awesome and you are looking wonderful. Just stick to basics; log and be under and you will continue to lose. You can do it.
  • Alissakae
    Alissakae Posts: 317 Member
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    I got stuck a little right before i had lost a total of 50 pounds....which would be the most weight I'd ever lost. I realized it was a mind thing and got really strict with myself on counting calories and working out until i finally got past it. This month i got stuck again....i was about to go below the lowest weight i had reached last time i worked on really losing. So i had to add in some extra workouts. I do think there can be psychological barriers we hit up against. Weight loss is as much a mind game as a physical thing, don't you think? It sounds like you realize you may be holding yourself back, so now you just need to buckle down and break through this! You can do it!

    You are looking good btw :-)
  • malb268
    malb268 Posts: 1
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    I just want to say that what you have done so far is amazing!!! You have come so far, and yes, you will finish your journey. Losing very slowly is fine. In fact, they say losing it slow is better for your health and will help you maintain a healthy weight longer. As you gain back a pound take a deep breath and fight to get it off. You can do it. :happy: :smile:
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
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    Great job girl!!!! I am sort of in the same boat. Perhaps you need to change up a few things.
  • brontewright91
    brontewright91 Posts: 5
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    cograts on the road so far, you are amazing. I would say from personal experience that you've hit a plateau. it's normal. you need to clean up your diet and do something new for workouts. do you workout now? if not, try starting. anything you enjoy doing. if you already do, amp it up. lift heavier weights, try HIIT workouts (interval training). these things will kick your metabolism into overdrive and get you out of that rut!! :)
  • CDub73
    CDub73 Posts: 6 Member
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    Way to kill it on that fat loss! But, sounds like you've built yourself a mental barrier. It may be a plateau, but I'm going to guess you're like me and start getting a little more frustrated with dieting once you hit that key 239lbs and you start making mistakes, so it's more of a mental plateau.

    My suggestion, when you near 239 this go around, say about 2-5lbs out, stay away from the scale. Shove it in your closet and just follow your meal plan/exercise routines for a few weeks or even a couple months. Remove that mental barrier you've created. Obviously what you do works, run on faith for a little bit.

    Good luck & keep working hard.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Whenever I get to certain number I always seem to relax and go back to old habits, like I think that now that I'm under 190, or 180 or whatever, that I can eat whatever I want and not gain back. It's something I'm still working on. Sorry I don't have answers. I just know I have to get past my own wrong thoughts.
  • CW101
    CW101 Posts: 85 Member
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    You've done a great job and you look fantastic! Your hard work has paid off and 85 pounds is a huge accomplishment!

    I was close to my goal weight last year (so close!) and then totally sabotaged myself and ended up gaining more weight than when I started. So I understand what you're saying. I let logging slide until I eventually stopped and then the weight kept coming. But this year something has clicked for me and I'm logging everything and taking my time (I think I was also in a race with myself last year) - making healthy choices and making sure I'm eating enough calories.

    So my advice is keep logging everything and if you have a bad day, don't turn it into a bad week, just think of it as one day and carry on. You've done so well, keep it up and you will get to your goal weight.
  • CaffeinatedGlitter
    CaffeinatedGlitter Posts: 201 Member
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    I've been in the same (ish) situation, gaining the five pounds and getting back down then gaining it again... I've decided to reset my intentions and aim for a fitness goal rather than a weight goal; at the end of summer I'm going to climb the rock wall at my gym. This is both going to be physical and mental for me as I am deathly terrified of heights lol... This way I'm not too focused on what the scale says so much as how I feel and how active I am.

    My hope is that in seeking out the fitness needed for this accomplishment I will acquire the figure I'm aiming for (not necessarily the weight)...

    I hope this gave you an idea of how to break past you barrier, and I hope we both can succeed our own expectations of ourselves!

    P.S. You look great!!
  • angelams1019
    angelams1019 Posts: 1,102 Member
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    Way to kill it on that fat loss! But, sounds like you've built yourself a mental barrier. It may be a plateau, but I'm going to guess you're like me and start getting a little more frustrated with dieting once you hit that key 239lbs and you start making mistakes, so it's more of a mental plateau.

    My suggestion, when you near 239 this go around, say about 2-5lbs out, stay away from the scale. Shove it in your closet and just follow your meal plan/exercise routines for a few weeks or even a couple months. Remove that mental barrier you've created. Obviously what you do works, run on faith for a little bit.

    Good luck & keep working hard.

    Oooh...I like the way you think! How silly, but I didn't think of that! Thats a GREAT idea!! lol :drinker:
  • simply_meggie
    simply_meggie Posts: 16 Member
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    Greetings,
    First of all, congrats on all that you have accomplished so far. A few things that may help you some, though I am not sure which you already do, but they have helped me a lot and might help get you past that point.

    1. Avoid anything with the following ingredients:
    high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, brominated vegetable oil. Most of these can be found in bread and many sweet drinks. Your best bet for something sweet would be to stick with sugar, honey or even sucralose or stevia if you want the non sugar sweeteners.

    2. If you aren't drinking 8 cups of water, do it. In fact, try to increase it to 10-12. I find that if I drink just plain water, my weight loss is pretty consistent and is actually going above 2 pounds per week(without any workouts). Part of the reason is because your liver needs to remain hydrated in order to do one of its main functions: burning fat. If you have juice or something, that is fine, but you need to make sure you keep having those 8-12 cups of water.

    3. Reduce your salt intake. You would be surprised how many healthy foods contain high amounts of salt. Salt, as you probably already know, holds a lot of water and can make it a challenge to lose the weight. If you have ever eaten at a buffet or had fried food and noticed your fingers swelling up, that is a result of high sodium intake.

    4. Greek Yogurt. I recommend brands like Chobani because they have friendly bacteria and the ingredients all make sense. Do not get ones where you do not know the ingredients because they won't help much. I eat these instead of ice cream and I have slowly addicted my ice cream addicted(1 quart of vanilla ice cream per day) mom in law to them. She's lost inches already after just a few weeks and she is fairly inactive. If you don't like the taste, my mom has actually put them in the freezer and swears they taste like frozen yogurt.

    If you're already doing these things, you may just be at a slight plateau with your weight, which can happen, so do not let it bother you.

    I should also note that I, too, struggled with my weight for pretty much my entire life and dieting is something very new for me as I have only been able to lose weight through exercising, but due to my crazy schedule, I do not have the time to work out as much as I would like. I have never been able to lose weight from just dieting until now, so I really admire seeing how much weight you have lost. Hang in there!:)
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
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    Great Job! This happens to me. I hang out at between 195-193... few things I have done that have helped.
    1. Try eating every 4 hours instead of 2 or 3. I heard Jillian Michales recommend it once. Supposedly it helps your body burn its existing fat stores instead of just fueling it constantly and never burning the stored stuff. I tried it, the scale started moving.
    2. Change up the calories you are consuming. When I plateau I either up my calories to 1 pound loss per week or back down to 1.5 loss per week, depending on which cycle I am on. If your like me, you eat the same thing a lot and this helps trick your body. If the scale stops moving for a week, swap back.
    3. Eat back your exercise calories. Honestly, this would be the first thing a try. Since you started out with so much to lose, this may not have made a difference at the beginning, but it could be just the trick.
    4. Accurately weigh and measure all your foods. Sometime we think we know what we are eating, but we get lazy in accurately logging. You might just be off a little every day and it is adding up to maintenance. This is the first thing I check when the scale stops.
    5. Drink lots and lots of water.

    Lastly, know that any change can take 6 weeks to show up. Give it some time.

    After you have tried all of these, I would mix up your exercise routine. Make sure you have the food thing 100% back on track, before you start adding in even more changes. I am betting one of these will help.
  • angelams1019
    angelams1019 Posts: 1,102 Member
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    Thanks for all of your suggestions! Keep them coming! :)
  • Gwen_B
    Gwen_B Posts: 1,018 Member
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    Congratulations on the weight you have lost so far!! Maybe you can increase your cardio, by jogging, doing jumping jacks, the 30 Day Shred (free on YouTube) and etc. Always eat healthy, drink plenty of water, and throw away your scales!
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
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    I would agree that it's mostly a mental thing. I'd say you need to either think more or less.

    The think less thing would be to put the scale away just focus on the process. Ignore anything even resembling results. Just do what you know to be the right thing to do.

    Thinking more would be to really sit down and analyze - what is it about achieving your goal that is scaring you? What are some things that could happen if you did achieve your goal? Could you handle that? (the answer is yes) How? Get into detail. Make a plan. Write it down. Live it out.
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
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    Oh and by the way, you look great.
  • angelams1019
    angelams1019 Posts: 1,102 Member
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    I would agree that it's mostly a mental thing. I'd say you need to either think more or less.

    The think less thing would be to put the scale away just focus on the process. Ignore anything even resembling results. Just do what you know to be the right thing to do.

    Thinking more would be to really sit down and analyze - what is it about achieving your goal that is scaring you? What are some things that could happen if you did achieve your goal? Could you handle that? (the answer is yes) How? Get into detail. Make a plan. Write it down. Live it out.

    Love this! Thanks hun! I knew I friended you for a reason! :flowerforyou:

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