How aggrivating!

This is my third time trying this whole MFP thing and the other two times I was here and did what was to be done the scale and body never did much. I give up and then I go back to the vicious cycle.

This time I am trying very hard NOT to do that and just accept small...VERY small changes, like inches or what not but the scale has gone UP 5lbs and I am incredibly sore and pissed off that I see all these people post things like "6 weeks in and 15 lbs down" ugh, shoot me now. Seriously!

it is HARD, but you have to stick to it. I have been trying for almost 2 years now, and I am only down 37 of the 83 pounds I need to lose. I have only lost like 5 lbs this YEAR...but because of my weight training, people swear I have lost more.

this is what I looked like about a year before I started. I went on to gain 30 more pounds before I started losing.

0120100909 by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

this is me last Thanksgiving, same shirt, within a few pounds of where I was in the first picture!

IMG00856-20121123-0837 by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

this last picture is a side by side of my before, and me 2 weeks ago. Same shirt.

Untitled by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

There were times I wanted to quit. There were times I was in TEARS because the damn scale isn't moving ( the right direction) despite the 8+ hours a week ( 2+ hours, 4-5 days a week) I spend busting booty in the gym. But I keep going.

Last week I had coffee and a very candid conversation with a very sweet young man I met at the gym when I first started going in. Justin was the trainer who worked 5 mornings a week, but he left almost 6 months ago ( we stayed in touch). He told me how I blow his mind with the way my body has changed since he's known me. And my strength has increased SO much. I used to chest press 15lb DB, now I bicep curl them! Less than a year ago, I thought I was awesome because I could BB squat 60lbs...yesterday I did a set of 150lb squats. That is more than I plan to weigh when I hit goal!

The NSVs are what you need to concentrate on. I have had people on the track in awe because I did 20 flights of steps as part of my cardio...I have had gym members tell me that my hard core trainer trains me like a man ( he does) but I am kicking butt and it is working!...I have seen the wide eyed looks of a big muscular guy when he sees me standing on 2 BOSU balls while doing battle ropes. I get smiles and nods from the meatheads

I feel your pain....I've been busting my butt the last month and the scale hasn't budged! ARGGGHGHH! I would love to say 'screw this" and start eating more, but then i would just be back where i was before- and that's a place i don't want to re-visit. Think of the benefits you're reaping not reflected on the scale- eating healthier and exercising is so good for you, that's a little reward in of itself :flowerforyou:

You have not logged anything since last thursday?!

And you aim for 1200kcal but waste your calories on coke, cheetos and granola bars. This will result in having less calories for the rest of the day and feeling deprived.

Loosing weight is a marathon; not a sprint. Dont get discouraged after the first few kilometers. And dont force crazy goals.

This is what I did..and it seemes to be working:
1.Go up the scale once a week
2. measure once a month
3. eat as healthy as posible but allow treats once in a while, it is not a punishment..it's a lifestyle change.
4. Workout as best as you can, combine strenght training and cardio
5. Make logging your second nature. This way you are in control of your game, you know exactly what's left and can indulge once in a while.
6. Persevere, persevere and persevere some more! And when u feel like giving up, Don't!

I've been trying to lose weight couple of times since 2008...2 times more serious...I only lost 2 kg each time! But I did not have the knowledge about food that I have now, nor was I calorie counting! MFP has made a huge difference for me! stick with it and results will show!

Wish you the best of luck! You are welcome to add if you like!

When I lost 90 lbs. several years ago I did these things. My only goal was to keep the scale moving in the right direction. There were no short term numeric goals. If my intent was to walk 2 miles on a given day but was unable to due to lack of time or other, then I did something maybe 1/2 a mile AND CONSIDERED THAT A SUCCESS. IMO eating healthy is important, probably absolutely necessary. Emotional Capital, in my vocabulary is synonymous with will power. I prefer the term emotional capital because I only have so much of it. It is as my checking account. There is only so much available. Stress can use it, your job can use it, your children may use it and countless other things. Therefore spend it wisely. Self talk is valuable. Frame the question in positive terms. Choose rather than deny, CHOOSE to eat healthy, CHOOSE not to eat rather than eat. Do not tell yourself you can not eat. On occasions delay eating, you may always eat it later and later you may be better able to make a better choice. I also trained myself when I saw some of my favorite tasting food, pie, cake, candy to call it EVIL every time I saw it with consistent practice this helped me greatly. It will do nothing good for you, the pleasure of eating it lasts but a very brief time. In my case - I truly hope not yours - a small amount of evil food does not satisfy me. In fact it is the opposite a small amount will trigger a very strong desire for more, a much stronger desire that if I had not eaten any. I am able to resist the ice cream in the freezer, at least short term, if I do not eat any. However if I eat one bowl I will eat the whole carton. In other words the first bowl will induce an obsessive-compulsion to eat the rest which is almost impossible to resist. At a church pot-luck, especially the desert table tempting me I counsel myself with this - there is no reason to overeat now. I have never had a difficulty with having enough food. In fact I may leave here and go the supermarket and buy anything I choose. I hope you may find something useful here. There is a lot of help available which I have no experience with. Overeaters Anonymous, Take Off Pounds Safely, Weight Watchers and others. Do not give up. Casting away all restraint will only result in further weight gain, at least that is true for me. Keep trying and searching until you find something or things that work for you.

I read this quote in another thread...if you bite it write it...meaning log everything even if it put you over.

Love this quote! Amen to that.