Bummed and a little frustrated

ashowers36
ashowers36 Posts: 83 Member
in Motivation and Support
Okay so today was weigh in day. I was really excited because I felt like I had made some more progress...got on the scale this morning and....no change. Still the same weight and none of my measurements changed which means no inches lost either. Not gaining anything is good and all but I don't understand why I didn't have any progress this week. I am eating all of my calories and exercising which leaves me with some calories at the end of the day that I don't use back up. I was about 900 calories over my minimum goal for exercising. I just don't know what to think. Just feeling a little discouraged right now.

Replies

  • refinedredbird
    refinedredbird Posts: 208 Member
    Well. your diary isn't open to the public so I'm not sure on a nutritional and dietary level what you did last week. I will say that there are many weeks in the 8 months I have been living a healthy lifestyle, that the scale did not move. Sometimes it would take 2-3 weeks for it to do anything and then all of a sudden the next week would have a 4lb loss. There are many factors that come into play such as water retention that make the scale stay at the same number or even increase your weight by a few pounds. If you don't think that's it, you need to review your food intake, make sure you are measuring and accounting for everything you eat accurately, don't guess! Make sure you are eating enough calories for your body to function properly and not overestimating your exercise calories burned.

    Above all, be patient! Hide the scale somewhere and wait a couple weeks before you check again.
  • darintexas
    darintexas Posts: 20 Member
    Hi there!

    I was in the saaaaaame spot! I was "stuck" for a week...and actually gained a little back! I know how frustrating it can be, but keep with it!!! It WILL pass! I was soooo frustrated so I definitely can relate! I'm hoping I'm back on the "losing" side of it now again ;) But, what I did was added some green tea to my diet in the morning for the past couple of days -- not sure if THAT'S what it is or what, but it might be worth a try =)) Good luck and please feel free to add me as a friend - we can definitely help motivate each other! Hope you have a great day!
  • ashowers36
    ashowers36 Posts: 83 Member
    My eating habits have been the same since last week when I lost 2.4 lbs. I am eating all 1200 calories that I should be eating everyday. It is getting close to that time of the month so maybe I am retaining some water. I know I am feeling more tired than I have the past two weeks so maybe this is the cause. I do measure and account for everything I eat. Nothing goes in my mouth that doesn't get recorded. I am just a little discouraged at this point because it always seems like I get this this "lost 7 pounds" mark and then nothing happens.
  • ForMyAngelBaby
    ForMyAngelBaby Posts: 123 Member
    You're missing out on the big picture here - you've already lost weight and you're living a healthy life!

    One thing that I have come to realize that has tremendously helped me in losing weight was don't try to lose weight! Instead, shift your focus to eating healthy and exercising. When those are you goals, the scale becomes an added bonus. It also helps when you don't see the numbers move for week(s) at a time.

    You're doing a great job, and that's what is really important. Every day that you live a healthier life is one day further away from where you used to be.
  • AmandaReimer1
    AmandaReimer1 Posts: 235 Member
    Weight loss isn't linear (I know we all wish it did). I was stuck for about 3 weeks and now I'm looking at the scale in disbelief (went from being stuck to 3-4 pound loss). We just need to keep our healthier habits, because it will pay off :)
  • ashowers36
    ashowers36 Posts: 83 Member
    Thanks everyone. I guess it just surprised me that there was no movement of any kind, up or down, in my weight or my measurements. Especially since a couple days ago I noticed that my pants weren't staying up so well on their own anymore. I though for sure I had at least lost a 1/4 of an inch or something even if my weight didn't change. I will just keep telling myself that at least nothing was gained so that even though I didn't make any forward progress on my goal I also didn't slip backwards on it either. Hopefully next week will show something in the positive movement range.
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
    I would say that if your pants are loose, that's PROGRESS! even if the scale didn't move. Do you take your measurements? If not, I would start because even if you don't see the weight loss, you'd still be able to see the inches lost and that's a pretty good motivator.
  • sastexan4u
    sastexan4u Posts: 8 Member
    Takes time for the body to catch up but keep the good work up you might need to change things up a little more water lot's and up your protein low carb to about 50-70g a day.. no sugar and low fat maybe up your cals a little to help your stall...Hang in ther I have been in a stall for over a month now just move by 2 lbs.this week.
  • ashowers36
    ashowers36 Posts: 83 Member
    I would say that if your pants are loose, that's PROGRESS! even if the scale didn't move. Do you take your measurements? If not, I would start because even if you don't see the weight loss, you'd still be able to see the inches lost and that's a pretty good motivator.

    Yes as I mentioned above I do take my measurements. That is why it came as a shock to me that not only did the scale read the same as last week but my measurements were all the same too even though my pants felt looser by a lot.
  • luckynky
    luckynky Posts: 123 Member
    I've stalled out over the week, too. It's frustrating. But, don't worry and don't focus on it. I can tell you that a few times since I've started my new lifestyle, I've checked my weight and have gained 3 lbs, but then a day or two later, lose it all plus more. I also retain water once a month, so that is part of the "gain" issue. But I have gotten it through my head that I'm building muscle and losing fat. Water weight is just water. It will leave eventually. The number on the scale isn't as important as the fact that I'm exercising 4-5 times a week, my heart is much healthier, my lungs are taking in more oxygen, and my diet is really great compared to what it was several months ago. I agree with the advice of some of the above posters-- try not to focus just on weight. Try to be patient and focus on sticking with the healthy changes you have made. Feel good about what you have done and what you are doing each day to make your life healthier. Try to think long term and give yourself the time your body needs to do all this adjusting!
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Think back to the way you gained the weight. Did you steadily gain weight at the rate of 1 lb per week, or was it more sporadic, maybe a lb or 2 here and there, but the trend was upward?

    Losing weight is the same way. We don't lose weight at a steady rate of a constant 1 lb per week, and we may even be "stuck" for a week or two, maybe even a month or more. But is the OVERALL TREND IS DOWNWARD, you are doing something right.

    And remember, if you are doing this as a permanent lifestyle change (as opposed to a temporary diet), there is no time limit, you will get there when you get there.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
    I don't know how long you've been at it, but at 7 pounds loss, I'm assuming not long.

    Myself, I found that I shed the first 5-8 pounds very quickly after starting my "diet", and then it tapered off. It is very frustrating not to see progress on the scale, but you have to keep at it. I find the hunger becomes less of an issue after about 4-6 weeks of dieting.

    I've been at it since mid-April 2013 and I'm down 16 pounds. So that's about 3 months so that's about 5 pounds a month. I'm not exercising.

    Remember it took years to put the weight on by eating just a little too much every day. It's going to take a long time to take it off eating a little too little every day. :)
  • ashowers36
    ashowers36 Posts: 83 Member
    I don't know how long you've been at it, but at 7 pounds loss, I'm assuming not long.


    To be hones I started this back in 2010 and have fallen off the wagon more than once. I recently started back up about 2 weeks ago so the 7 lbs is really from the first initial start not just the past 2 weeks. It seems like whenever I get to about 131 lbs I always get stuck. I am hoping that I can push through it this time unlike past times to see if anything will change. I don't really have the issues of being hungry. My body adapts pretty quickly to the lower calorie diet (usually after the first week I have no trouble with it). My problem is the exercise. Staying active when I am always so tired is not easy but I have been pretty good about sticking with it these past 2 weeks.

    In the past I would keep going for a week or so but when nothing still changed I would give myself a "break" which would last months. Only to gain back weight I lost and have to start all over again and get back to that 131 lbs where again I would plateau and nothing would happen. Staying on the fitness horse is really hard for me especially when I get discouraged. I deal with depression and anxiety so having even the smallest set back can do some serious damage to my motivation and decision to stay with it (I kind of start getting the "what' the point nothing is changing and never will" attitude).
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    There are soooo many things that can affect the numbers. Salt intake, water intake (or lack thereof), whether or not you've travelled recently (even if it was just driving a few hours), whether hormones are playing into it...the scale can be very fickle.

    Keep on with what you're doing, and see what happens at your next weigh in. I've had it happen where I've been really good for the week, scale won't show it, but then the next week I'll have a really good loss. Sometimes it just takes a week to "catch up".

    Stick with it - you can do it!!

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