Feeling disheartened

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deadgirl81
deadgirl81 Posts: 412 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been trying to lose weight now for some time and it doesnt feel like anything is happening - I've cut down on portion sizes, try not to have sweets/chocolates and even stopped having bread (if I can help it) - I go spinning, and that burns a fair few calories each time - but still nothing.

I realise it takes time, but even the odd pound here and there would be nice :(

I feel my scales at home are lying to me and yet if I use the scales in the gym, they tell me I'm almost a stone lighter than what my home scales tell me, so I don't know which ones to believe - I know I'd believe the gym ones, if I actually felt any different - some clothes feel looser than others but not a great deal looser.

Anyone else having the same sort of issue?

Replies

  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
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    Are you REALLY trying or just doing it half heartedly? You say that you have made some changes to your portions, but that you are "trying" to avoid other foods that may be the culprit. A helpful habit would be to write down everything you eat for an entire week. It may be that the sweets/junk that you are sneaking in every so often may be adding up to a lot in a weeks time.

    Also, if the scale says you have lost, and some of your clothes feel looser, why would you doubt yourself?
  • gnrshelton
    gnrshelton Posts: 358 Member
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    Did you start out by measuring yourself? It is a bigger indicator if you have lost. It will tell you in inches. If you make your diary open people could help you better by suggesting what you might be doing right or wrong. Just keep working at it. I'm sure it will come off if you are being truthful to yourself.
  • xojox
    xojox Posts: 187 Member
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    its a bit difficult to give advice 'cos we can't see your diary, but are you logging your exercise, then eating some of them back. Its one of the 1st things everybody will advise you on here, i thought it was daft at 1st but its working fo me :flowerforyou:

    Hope it helps xjox
  • storybookcreator
    storybookcreator Posts: 32
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    writing down EVERYTHING I eat REALLY helps me.

    Don't give up, the only way you are going to see a change is if you truly make a change and are consistent.

    You can do it!!!
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
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    You diary isn't open and you haven't given enough info to say for certain when you problem may be, so here are a few ideas.....

    What is you calorie goal set at? You shouldn't eat less that 1200, however some people need more than 1200 calories for their body to show results

    How much water do you drink? You need to drink atleast 8 glasses of water daily, and more if you are working out

    What is you sodium content like? It shouldn't be more than 2300mg...however best to stay closer to 1500mg, or less if possible,

    How often are you eating? You need to eat every 2-4 hours, that's important to keep the body busy, if your system feels you are starving it, then it will hold on to the meals when it does get them,a nd store them as fat....

    Did you measure before you started your journey? Some people tend to lose inches, and may not see any reults on the scale for a while

    Goodluck
  • 2bFitNTrim
    2bFitNTrim Posts: 1,209 Member
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    I agree with the previous posts; track everything you are doing with your diet & exercise. Make sure you are doing as well as you think you are. I think I was most surprised by seeing what a 1/2 cup of peas looks like. It's not 1/2 the plate!:noway: Not saying that this is what you are doing, but what I was doing. Just a suggestion to check yourself. :flowerforyou:
  • jodiebs
    jodiebs Posts: 10
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    Please don't feel disheartened. I know it can be frustrating. I haven't been on MFP very long, but from what I can tell, you just recentely started your weightloss journey?? Give it some time and make sure you track every calorie you put in your mouth and stay within the suggested #of calories per day. I'm not very good at keeping my weight off so I won't go into that, but I can say with the utmost experience that losing weight WILL happen if you follow the science. Of course that is only true as long as you have no underlying health issues.

    With that said, it really is true that for every 3500 calorie reduction, you can lose 1 pound. Calibrated scales are usually more accurate then a home scale, but not always true. If I were you, I would only use one scale to weigh in. It doesn't really matter which one is right or wrong if it's within a few pounds as long as you use one or the other to track your loss. It's still a loss regardless and that's what you are looking for. Also, certain foods will cause you to retain water...for me it's diet soda. It also makes me hungrier throughout the day. Remember, you are young so your metabolism will work better than mine. Once you get into your 40's your metabolism really sloooooows doooown. That I know for sure! ;D

    Losing weight is a learning process too. Keep reading and trying new things to see what works for you! Good luck! You can do it!
  • deadgirl81
    deadgirl81 Posts: 412 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your replies.

    I didnt realise my diary wasn't open - it is now.

    My calories are set at 1400 on here, but most days I am under it, so maybe I need to lower it down.

    When I logged on to this site, I did the measuring of neck,thighs,waist - but I don't want to do it every week - so I'm going to try it once a month or even every fortnight and weigh myself once a week from the look of it, down the gym as I think i trust their scales more (proper dr's style scales - whereas mine are digital)

    I have been using the gym for about 5 months but only joined this site about 2 weeks ago.

    I tend to drink at least 1 1/2 bottles of water a day, not that into fizzy drink or if I want a "sweet" drink, I'll have some dilute orange, I tend to drink tea or coffee more than anything.

    As for sweets - I really do try not to have them, I'm more a savoury person than a sweet these days.

    I don't like eating breakfast but I have been trying to make the effort to have it every morning, there is the occasional lapse I know, but nobodies perfect.

    I've been trying to cook more as well, not that I didnt before hand, but I try and make a lot more home made,fresh stuff rather than going for the generic already made stuff you get from the shops - lots of veg, fish (not a huge meat eater, but I do still eat it) - I like pasta, but I know thats nott hat great for you!

    I go spinning at least 3 times a week, at an hour per session., Walk to work, takes me 15-20 minutes each way, got a lot of stairs in the building so use them and I live in a top floor flat (it's only 4 storeys, but still a long way) so I do try and do that sort of thing, even if I can't actually make it into the gym all the time.
  • lmell
    lmell Posts: 17
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    I agree with the others...log your food everyday so that you can see what is going into your mouth. Don't worry too much about what the scale says & I hope your not weighing yourself everyday because that will only discourage you,once a week is fine. If your clothes are looser than your losing maybe not pounds but inches,measure like one of the posts says. If your not eating enough
    calories then maybe your body is holding on to what it has...eat that breakfast it IS the most important meal of the day.
    Chin up girlfriend you can do it...one day at a time :)
  • lmell
    lmell Posts: 17
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    So true about the metabolism..I am in my 50's & its sooooo sloooow..lol
    I have to exercise 5-6 times a week to lose any real weight & then keep it up to keep it off. I too have battled with my weight for as
    long as I can remember...such a pain!!

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