Only lost 7lbs in a month - getting very frustrated!

I've lost nothing since last august, I'd kill to lose that much in a month. What you're doing is unsustainable and is only going to cause more heartache in the long term, when you inevitably give in and eat what you've been denying yourself, then beat yourself up, then restrict even more, exercise more, binge more ...... you get the picture.

suck it up woman. damn.

I've lost 7 pounds in a month and I'm over the moon! And i'm not a big girl so I'm happy I'm losing at a nice rate because it can be hard if you're not obese to lose that much weight. So just be happy and keep at it - In May you would have lost loads if you continue at this rate

7 lbs in a month is good. Don't forget that because you are a woman, there is going to be one week out of the month where either you'll lose nothing or you'll gain a lb or two. That's just how it is. So considering that, 7 lbs is quite impressive. I've lost 6 lbs and no one has said anything to me yet either. It's OK they will. Eat a little something if you are hungry to keep your metabolism up. If you are working out a lot, your body may be looking for more protein. You are doing great. Don't give up.

I think you have some seriously skewed expectations. As pretty much everyone has already mentioned, 7 lb in a month is healthy and reasonable, and with how little you have to lose you probably won't see results any faster than that.

You also say that you're discouraged because no one is commenting on your weight loss and no one has noticed, but to be honest 7lb isn't going to make a huge difference on your body unless you're already stick thin (and even then, maybe not). Also, personally, I consider remarking on someone's weight to be kind of rude and would never do it, especially to someone I don't know very well. I might say "you look great!" but I'd never say "you've lost weight!"

I get that you're frustrated and you want all the weight gone NOW. So does everyone else on this board, but that's unfortunately not the way life works.

To burn fat you must consume food: calories, fats, proteins, carbs, etc. Not eating enough will put your body into fat storage mode, and well, you're just gonna get more frustrated as your lack of progress takes hold.

Wrong.

Though I'm sure the scores of millions of people across the planet who are starving to death wish so badly that you were right.

Only? I've always been told that up to 2 pounds per week is healthy. So I'd say you're doing quite well. Don't rush it.

You have lost 8 lbs so far which is significant but your overall restrictive diet and lack of resistance training exercise it's likely that you are losing lean body mass rather than fat if you are not seeing changes on measurements and how clothes fit you. Weight loss is not a sprint. It's a marathon. If you did lose it sprinting, you most likely didn't learn much and didn't incorporate anything as a lifestyle change will likely gain the weight back after you lose. Whatever you are doing to lose weight must be sustainable for the long haul (your entire life). If you are starving everyday, that is not sustainable, unless you plan on starving everyday your whole life. Healthy weight loss is slow. In your case, no more than 1 lb a week. And stop doing so much cardio and eating less than 1000 calories. You need to lift weights, do resistance training and eat at least 1300-1500 a day if you are active. That will help you lose the wobbly bits and cellulite that you are talking about. Your regimen right now is not helping you with that at all. And also stop trying to use other people's compliments as your motivation source. That sounds downright mentally unhealthy. Find the confidence and motivation within yourself.

I'm working out my food with the points system & some days it's working out at less than 1000 calories.

Combined with the gym & feeling hungry a lot & eating about a quarter of what I used to, I thought I'd have noticed a tiny difference by now, but nothing yet & people who haven't seen me for over a month haven't made any comment.

Looked at people's weight loss videos/photos & there's a noticeable difference after a month, but I look the same.

I'm staying motivated but it's becoming really difficult when it seems there's nothing to show for all my effort.

:frown:

Sweet lord, 7 pounds in a month is a lot!

Don't use other people as a measuring stick. That can be very mentally defeating!

Sweet friend, reading the trend of this thread, I'm not exactly certain what you're wanting to hear.

I know that everyone has told you this, but 7 lbs in a month is nothing to be ashamed of. In the scheme of weight loss, it is something to be very proud of. I know you are depressed that the loss has not been as steady as you'd hoped, or as steady as it was in the beginning. But to be honest, I think that you may already have explained the reason for that by describing the habits and mindset with which you are approaching your weight loss.

Please hear me out on this. Rapid weight loss itself is not unhealthy as a rule. It is what you put your body through to achieve it that can harm you. You have described your dieting habits in detail, and as others have commented, it seems clear that you are not fueling your body the way it needs. This is dangerous. For example, if you do not give your body a required amount of carbohydrates per day (120 g, about 40% of your daily calories) your brain cannot produce the amount of glucose it needs to function. (Frankly put, your brain needs sugar to survive. That's something not many of us have heard lately, now, is it?) Start messing with your brain, and you mess with everything: your energy, your mood, your thoughts. You will suffer from all the depression, tiredness, hunger, disappointment, and frustration that you are voicing now, but instead of realizing that you are suffering from deprivation of a physical need, you will project all your negative emotions onto the issue that is currently consuming your thoughts and stress: losing weight.

Considering that you cut your caloric intake rather suddenly, it stands to reason that your body would be shocked into losing weight fairly quickly for perhaps the first couple of weeks. But if you deprive your body of too much for too long, it simply gets tired. When you get tired, everything slows down. You may exercise hard, but your body will be moving extra slow in-between because of how little you are eating. Hence, you will lose less weight on the outset, which you have already noticed and become discouraged about. You mentioned feeling very hungry much of the time. A healthy diet will never leave you hungry. Yes, you should be starting to feel hungry perhaps an hour or so before your next meal - that is healthy and appropriate: eating when you feel full is not. But you should not be battling hunger constantly. That may occur temporarily when a person is changing from drastically bad food habits to healthy, more moderate ones, but such cravings will subside as the body adjusts to being nourished rather than coddled and overfed. The fact that you are experiencing extra hunger and yet not even fulfilling your minimum nutritional intake on a daily basis (1200 calories for loss, higher for maintenance) is a danger signal.

Bottom line: your weight loss goal is achievable. Please don't think it is not. But if you continue to approach it with a perspective of self-deprivation, your body will continue to backfire on you and refuse to lose weight. You've already seen it begin to happen, and if you continue to exhaust and deprive your body, it will continue to resist you and lose its ability to function. That will destroy this beautiful process that you have embarked on, and severely disappoint you in the end.

The fact that you continue to voice insecurities gives me the feeling that this has little to do with a realistic view of your progress, and far more to do with your expectations and desires, which I'm afraid may not be realistic or healthy. That being said, your greatest struggle in this journey is probably not going to be the weight loss itself, but keeping your mind and emotions healthy throughout it. Allow yourself to create healthy habits that nourish and provide for you. In the end, they will be the only habits whose effects will last. The habits you are creating now may serve you for a time, but if you pursue your goal through tiredness and over-exertion, your body and mind will eventually reject the process and convince you to return to habits that make them feel good. If you hope to continue losing weight, you will HAVE to do so by a process that nourishes your body and makes it feel good and happy. It is the only way that you will be able to convince yourself to keep going, and adopt healthy habits that you will find joy in keeping for the rest of your life.

Keep your chin up. You're worth getting your body to where you want it to be, but far more than that, your body serves you daily and is worth all the love and care you can give to it. Love requires sacrifice. You may need to sacrifice an unhealthy desire or perspective if that's what must happen in order to help and care for your body and mind. But when the process is complete, your body will pay you back in full. It's a beautiful system. It just takes being a little brave.

7 lbs in one month is wonderful. Any quicker and your body will not adjust properly and you will find issues with the post weight loss body. Just think how long it took to put the extra on.

I only lost 3-4lbs this month. lol

Be happy you lost 7lb.

More than I lost. But as long as people are realistic...

7 pounds is great