Im ready to give up

C12254
C12254 Posts: 198
in Motivation and Support
I guess i'm not READY to or else I just would. But I'm tempted to. I've lost 50-55ish pounds (i'm fluctuating a lot) and I haven't budged in I don't know how long. I go to the gym and yes I know it could be muscle but I feel like by now its been long enough that I should be seeing some kind of progress.
I'm not close enough to an ideal weight to feel like it could be a plateau (i'm 80# away from even being at the top end of a "healthy" weight.) but I don't know what is going on.

I need motivation. I need friends who when I express my frustrations and wanting to delete MFP and cancel my gym membership, they'll have more to say then "oh." or "aww".

And before anyone says "oh 55# thats great! that should be enough to motivate you!" Keep in mind I had a baby 9 months ago so I can't really consider those #s a success.

Replies

  • tmccarl2
    tmccarl2 Posts: 6 Member
    I too have had trouble with plateaus before...my husband is a personal trainer and he finds that the biggest cause of plateaus is that people lost the weight that they did, eating far to few calories, and that caused a drop in their metabolic function. For example I told him that my calorie "goal" calculated on this site of 1200 calories and he freaked...someone of my weight and height and activity level should be eating 1500 calories in EXTREME fat loss situations, compareable to a bodybuilder shredding down for three months to 5% body fat to go on stage, not a 20 yr old overweight girl looking to get healthy at a healthy pace. Just to keep my body alive (breathing,heart beat, circulation, brain function, etc) I need 1200 calories..JUST body FUNCTION not even to be healthy and have energy to do things. I was anorexic about 6 years ago and one of my first restrictive plans was to eat only 1,000 calories a day, at about 170lbs, and I went downhill fast health wise. I have some body image issues and I can definitly relate to the feeling of just wanting to give up when you see how hard your working for little to no progress.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    Quitting certainly isn't going to get you any closer to your goal. I can promise you that.

    And 55lbs IS a tremendous achievement. Unless you have birth to a 50lb baby, that absolutely is something you can "count".

    If you are not losing, then you are consuming as many calories as you burn - or you have some unknown medical condition.

    Are you logging 100% of your food? Are you weighing/measuring 100% of your food? How are you counting the calories you burn at the gym? I was "stalled" for months-because I stopped measuring/weighing what I was eating (I honestly eat exactly the same thing every day-so I thought I could "wing it"). Turns out I was eating nearly my entire deficit every day in food portions I was under-guesstimating.

    Quitting will not get you closer to your goal. But if you're not progressing towards it the way you'd like, then you need to either change your expectations or change what you're doing. You can do this. You can get there. Sometimes it takes some tweaking and "back to basics" along the way.
  • bugtaylor
    bugtaylor Posts: 77 Member
    the race doesn't go to the swift nor the strong but to the one who endures!
  • maundrelle
    maundrelle Posts: 39 Member
    it could be your body rebelling about the calorie restriction. When you go into starvation mode, your body tries to hold on to every bit of fat it can, because that's what it's supposed to do.

    Also, you could be plateuing because your exercise isn't challenging any more. You might want to try out something harder and more intense, like some form of HIIT, like crossfit.

    Are you taking rest periods in between your fitness regime? It's advised to take a week's rest every six weeks to 'reset' your body and get it revved up againonce the rest week is over. I do this, and every time I return to work out, the workouts seem harder and I am sweating even more.. but I also get better at my exercises, my form is better and I can work more intensely.

    So, you might want to increase your level of intensity in your workouts, at the same time, eat a little more (staying healthy and clean of course), and take the rest week between your workout periods.

    Hope this helps!
    Don't give up! You can do it. You got this. :)
  • mandeenicoleb
    mandeenicoleb Posts: 479 Member
    In regards to giving up: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :((((

    I'm going to add you! :)

    Let's do this!

    There are a lot of different methods to triggering weight loss again. Have you tried anything different?
  • kellykw
    kellykw Posts: 184 Member
    Nooo, you aren't ready to give up, don't be silly. :smile:

    I feel that way sometimes, but after so long of listening to my inner self whine and complain about what I can't do, I kick my own butt and come back even stronger. I'm not saying your inner self whines or complains, just that mine does.

    Add me as a friend if you want. I'll be glad to gently encourage you to kick your own butt when you need it. Just don't be surprised if you get a random message from me one day saying "Please tell me I don't really want cake for dinner."
  • HulaHawaiiGirl69
    HulaHawaiiGirl69 Posts: 27 Member
    Aloha,

    I too was having trouble with the plateaus. My doctor told me that maybe I have to change it up. After a while your body gets used to something and then if your metabolism slows down, like by starving or missing meals it will start "storing" everything again.

    So I had to change my excercise to something else, so I started doing R.I.P.P.E.D classes and Zumba and changed to a NO CARB, NO SUGAR food plan and the pounds starting dropping again.

    Hope you dont give up, I understand how it feels to give up and resign myself to just being like this. Only to start to hate myself and become depressed and miserable. Trying to control things, especially the way I eat makes me crazy and obsessive and then I start sliding into my cycle of binge, starve, binge starve.

    Dont give up, you are doing good, you just might need to change it up to shake up your body and get the weight to start moving again.

    Good Luck, Friend me if you want....
  • LeilaFace
    LeilaFace Posts: 390 Member
    I totally feel you. I have been on this site for a year and a half and had some success but currently feel like i gained it all back. It's frustrating and sometimes you just want to BE frustrated and not have someone cheer you up. But I'm working at it and hoping for the best I've gone down every road for the last year and a half -- eat more, eat less, more cardio, less cardio, etc etc it's frustrating for sure. I'm here if you need anything!
  • Mrskatie
    Mrskatie Posts: 27 Member
    Don't Give up!!! You're almost half way there!
    If you give up then you're throwing away all your hard work up to now. What a waste!
    EVERY # IS A SUCCESS!! Don't be so hard on yourself!

    It took time for you to get to the point you're at now, so you can't expect to lose it all overnight. Be patient. (Easier said than done, right?)

    A few things to keep in mind:
    * After having a baby your body needs time to recover, and even if you're doing "everything right", your body will hang on to extra # as a natural process to ensure healthy milk production (yes, regardless of if you're nursing, our bodies are made for it), and to ensure that you have energy to take care of baby.
    * Dehydration is huge. Make sure you drink a gallon of water a day (or as close as possible). This will boost your metabolism and wash away bloat.
    * Make sure you're eating enough (of Clean foods). EAT BREAKFAST!! You can put your body into starvation mode if you don't.
    * Remember as you lose weight, your smaller body will burn fewer calories (so you will need to work harder or consume less)
    * CHANGE IT UP! Your body gets used to what you're doing, so if you lost 50# running, maybe try weights (muscle burns more calories, too!), or try biking, dance class, (I like workout dvds) a few times a week. Make sure to get active every day, but change your routine at least every few weeks.
    * Track every flipping morsel that goes into your mouth. Even gum. Even that "one bite" off your kid's plate. You may find that you're consuming a lot more than you thought. I know I was. Especially when I started counting my coffees.
    **DON"T GIVE UP!! You already got this far! You can do it!!

    You can add me, we can motivate each other. I'm 13# into a 53# goal.

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