I have over 100 pounds to lose...and am feeling discouraged

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Replies

  • mccomasa
    mccomasa Posts: 1
    Don't be discorage!!! I hear muscle weight more than fat...(I think that's right) and though it might not seem like you're losing weight (which technically you are) right away it will eventually start coming off and you'll soon see the results. Don't give up, I just started yesterday and I'm a bit nervous myself. Keep up the good work!!! :smile:
  • molina76853
    molina76853 Posts: 143
    This is my first week with MFP, however I started my lifestyle channge 2 weeks ago. In two weeks, I have had my discouraging days too. I also have days where I feel really great. I don't track my calorie intake yet, I am having to start this off slowing. I have greatly increased my water intake and have been walking daily. I found it to be easier for me to walk 4-5 times daily in increments of 5-10 minutes instead of trying to do it all at one time. This really does help and seems to give me that boost of energy. I started off with walking around the block twice and have now increased it to three times. Hang in there, the best is yet to come!
  • redhotsmacker
    redhotsmacker Posts: 227 Member
    I've been where you are....actually, I started my weight loss journey on new years day of 2010. So almost a year! I have come a long way since then and have dropped over 80lbs. My advice to you is, take it in small steps, don't think of it as 100lbs to lose. Make small goals of increments of 3-5lbs. It is those small numbers that add up over time. I myself set little goals of 3lbs. Also, think of it this way, every day of healthy eating and exercise is making you healthier in the long run. Think about how close you will be to your goal in a years time! You can do it!

    You can add me as a friend if you like!
  • shaggy22
    shaggy22 Posts: 32
    Remember that now you are learning the skills that will help you for the rest of your life! It is nice to lose weight of course, but at the beginning I think it is important to work on properly logging your food. Honesty is much better than meeting your calorie deficit target, because then you have the real information to work with (I am not saying you are being dishonest! I am just telling you what my focus was.) Then I worked on meeting my target deficit and adjusted the deficit to be high enough so that I could enjoy my daily food and not feel at all deprived, but still lose as much weight as possible.

    Then for me I slowly built in some exercise.

    I really try to remember that even if I am only losing a pound or half a pound per week, I know if I am below my calorie maintenance level then that weight will never be coming back!

    A nice one way trip!
  • qtwells82
    qtwells82 Posts: 352
    2.5 pound is fantastic! Its normal to loose 1-2 pounds a week. Keep doing what your doing!
    Great job!!!!
  • cfaye90
    cfaye90 Posts: 1
    I have a friend who has lost close to 70 pounds, but she has taken 10 months to do it. As you get stronger you will be able to burn more calories at the gym and that will bring it off quicker!! I weigh less than she does but she can run twice as far as I do because I just started working out. Set a calories burn goal for 4/5 days a week and stick with it. Then add to that every couple weeks. Keep it reasonable or you'll fail. I burn 325 as a goal but try for more!! Over estimate your calorie intake when you don't know for sure. You can do it!!
  • Fesse
    Fesse Posts: 611
    and sometimes what can happen when you least expect it is one week you'll have an even bigger loss. So hang in there. We are all there and have been there. Best place to come when you got the blues. Everyone is so awesome here. Ask and you shall know. Don't stop and keep pushing harder.
  • superstarcassie
    superstarcassie Posts: 296 Member
    You CAN do it. Don't get discouraged. Don't let the numbers control your happiness!! Watch the sodium and drink plenty of water each day. Measure foods and eat less boxed/processed. Push yourself hard in the gym (sweat, sweat, and sweat!!) and make sure you are proud of yourself for committing to a healthier life. Loosing weight isn't about the numbers, its about getting healthy and living longer. I know first hand how daunting 100 pounds can be. I still have around 60 (or more) I want to ultimately loose. I just know I have to chip away at it pound by pound, day by day! We CAN do this!!
  • ican♥and♥iwill
    ican♥and♥iwill Posts: 176 Member
    It CAN be done!! You just have to make up your mind to stick with it!! It's hard and some days you're going to want to give up, some days you may even say screw it all and binge - but that's okay as long as you start back and DON'T GIVE UP!

    PERSISTANCE IS KEY!!!
  • SophisticatedLady
    SophisticatedLady Posts: 3
    Think about how you feel physically. If you are working out more often do you feel like you have more energy? Remember, being healthy isn't a number, it's a life style. Try to reflect on all the great things you are doing for yourself by working out and eating well! It will all pay off in the long run!
  • ustunkal
    ustunkal Posts: 2 Member
    Hi,

    You don't look back.. Just look forward. No matter what your total goal (in lbs.)is.. Just do what you need to do. By the time you will see you are around your goal weight. Then you will deserve to look back with a big smile on your face..

    Take it easy..

    Kamil
  • mamastuck
    mamastuck Posts: 131
    Wow! I'm blown away be the responses...already! Thanks, everyone!

    I know it's best to take it slow and steady, but boy is it hard when I'm bustin' my tail and that scale is barely moving. I've been walking around sore all week!

    My diet is balanced, just focusing on cutting calories. I aim for about 1,200-1,500 a day-depending on how much I've worked out. According to my tracker, I have been a little low on my caloric goals this week. Maybe that's it? Definitely going to try to hit that number and have a better weigh in result in two weeks!

    And, I'm in Missouri, lol, just a little bit of a drive from Florida! :)

    Your calories are to low.... Speaking from experience I had 107 lbs to lose now I have 87. I eat a very healthy range and my excercise calories and I have lost 20 lbs in 4 and 1/2 weeks I wirk out 6 days a week and I eat ALOT! Pilates yoga and leslie sansone walk away the lbs works for me
  • kimmiebear70
    kimmiebear70 Posts: 384 Member
    2.5 pounds in 2 weeks is a very good healthy number. And now its 2.5 pounds that you don't have to lose. You are that much closer to your goal.

    You are going in the right direction. Things take time so be patient with yourself.
    :)

    I agree! I know how overwhelming it can be when you look at the long term. I'm trying to focus on my day to day eating and activity. If I think about the fact that I need and want to lose HALF of my current weight, I would probably just bury myself in a hole and never come out! This is my first week on MFP too and I absolutely love it. Keep it up! You will see a change.
  • scmajm22
    scmajm22 Posts: 75 Member
    I love the support you are getting from all these posts. MFP is a great place to be to get support to keep you going. The diet and the scale are just one part. Since the scale has never been my friend I tried to focus on other things to keep my motivation up. Making the treadmill go just a little faster or going a longer distance that you did the day before. Those are great accomplishments that will help to keep you motivated. There all kinds of things like that you can do! Think outside the box and look for the positives everywhere. You can do it. Keep up the good work!
  • Nina74
    Nina74 Posts: 470 Member
    2.5 lbs in 2 weeks is awesome!

    It is really hard to look at the overall picture and get really overwhelmed- especially when you have over 100 lbs to lose----I know, I'm there!

    Try to make small goals- i.e. I want to lose 5 lbs by x time, 10 by x time and build in rewards.

    I know many people say that when you have 100+ lbs to lose/a lot of weight to lose you drop it quickly and you can cut your calories back. I don't know, but that doesn't apply to me, and it might not apply to you. in 5 months I've lost 25 lbs (and I have 150 lbs to lose) while others have lost 80 lbs. Just doesn't happen for my body.

    Some things I did (or wish I did), as much as I might have hated them!

    1. Take starting measurements
    2. Take pictures (for your own eyes) of yourself in something revealing. Later you might not be losing weight, but you might be gaining muscle---pictures don't lie. If you have a best friend or someone you trust, later show the 2 pics and ask for an honest eval. So often people see what we don't.
    3. Set small goals- 5, 10, 25 lbs. I also set other goals like- first I was doing cardio for 3 times a week, then 4, then five; x amount of time for weight lifting, etc. I also set goals like- elliptical for 3 minutes, then work up to 30 mins. Eventually, I got myself into spin class and then started getting myself to go to more and more classes and try new things.
    4. Change up your diet, etc.

    Anyways, I'm off on a tangent, but think about small goals rather than "I need to lose 100 lbs". It is much more manageable!

    Feel free to add me as a friend and I'm happy to help in any way!
  • rocko123
    rocko123 Posts: 14 Member
    Get your motor running in the first 4 - 6 weeks, don't expect too much. After that, your results will start to really spike.

    Keep it up!
  • carolww
    carolww Posts: 143 Member
    Hi. Don't be discouraged you're doing great! Make sure you are taking measurements too. Its taken me ages to lose my 8 pounds, but I have lost 7cm from my waist and other cm from around hips etc. The gym sometimes makes you retain a bit of water. I know when I have a really hard workout, I can go up a pound or so which the muscles repair/build (whatever it is that they do).

    Keep going. Friend me if you like.
  • hotpickles
    hotpickles Posts: 639 Member
    Just think of it this way - you have started the journey. In two weeks, you won't have to say, oh I should have started two weeks ago, I'd be so further ahead now! Instead, you will have lost "x" amount of weight, and be even further towards your goals than you ever have before.

    I recently got discouraged because I started running outside. I struggled yesterday with 1/2 a mile, and today I managed 1.5 miles. Still, I was angry because I can do 3 miles indoors on a treadmill, and I just figured I was not cut out to be a runner. Just as I began my second lap, I wanted to quit. I wanted to walk back home, come on this board, and tell everyone I was not meant to run outdoors. But I didn't. I kept going, finished that 2nd lap, and finished a 3rd. I could only do 1 lap....barely one lap, earlier this fall. I bet tomorrow I can do 4. The thing is, you just have to keep trying, keep moving forward, and take even the smallest success as a huge accomplishment, and motivation to keep going.

    Don't quit. You have to start somewhere. You have to lose those 2 pounds before you lose the 10, before you lose the 30, and before you lose the 100. Slow weight loss is the kind that stays off for a long time too.

    You can do it!

    L.
  • smartfix
    smartfix Posts: 2
    Sorry...was accidentally in my husband's account...will re-post under my own :-)
  • lizk17
    lizk17 Posts: 10 Member
    Ok...reposting under the right account ;-)

    I too have over a 100 pounds to lose and I know how discouraging it can be at first. I have been at this since the end of September and on the weeks where I know I was so good and yet the scales shows only a small loss it is so frustrating! But, I really want to conquer this weight once and for all so, I just keep at it and I have found that it all evens out in the end... after a low loss I usually get a bigger one the next week.

    Also, when i get down about how far I still have to go I try to think about how much better it feels after losing a little weight and that each 10 pounds makes me feel and look better and better. Even though you won't reach the 100 pounds in a month or two each month or two you are getting closer and you will be able to see the difference in pictures and feel better in your clothes.

    For me, I am trying to think of this as a lifestyle and not just a diet so, when I have a bad day or a bad meal I try to pick myself right back up and stay with the program. I feel like I have always failed at dieting before because I thought of it as either 'succeeding' or 'failing' but never put it together that 'failing' at one meal didn't mean that I couldn't do better at the next and didn't have to wait until Monday to 'start again'.

    Good luck..you can do it!
  • petey49
    petey49 Posts: 58 Member
    Hey Onebusychick: Hope you are still with us. I am starting week 2. Still watching calories, drinking lots of water and actually made it to the gym yesterday and will go today. Like AA, one day at a time. Here is a hug of encouragment for you. to keep up the great work.
  • LadyBarb
    LadyBarb Posts: 116
    I thak you are right on target adn you will never see these 2.5 pounds again, so stick with it. Barb
  • Prettypsych
    Prettypsych Posts: 2
    2.5 lbs in fantastic! This isn't the Biggest Loser...you aren't sequestered in some camp surrounded by trainers and a chef that cooks your meals. lol. Don't expect to lose 10 pounds a week...unless it's a fluke. 2.5 sounds terrific. Kepp it up. Don't get discouraged. If you just stay focused and get your exercise in, the weight will fall off.
  • shellydd
    shellydd Posts: 156 Member
    hang in there. i didn't look....do you have a blog? take full advantage of the site
  • mem50
    mem50 Posts: 1,384 Member
    Slow and steady may be discouraging, but it is the best for long term weight loss and you are doing the RIGHT thing by taking steps to be healthy! If you are going to the gym, you are putting on muscle, which means that the weight you lose is not the entirety of the fat that you lose - you are just replacing some of your fat with muscle, which is a GOOD thing!

    Stick with it - this is a process with its ups and downs but you just need to take it one day at a time - in a few weeks/months/years you will look back at this time and feel so proud of yourself for making the commitment to change!!

    My thoughts exactly It seemed like forEver for me to get to where I am now. Slow and steady wins the race!
  • joeybaby66
    joeybaby66 Posts: 14
    You are right on track. You don't want to lose weight too quickly. One pound a week is acceptable. The biggest mistake people make ( myself included ) is being impatient. Your body will adjust to the calories in, calories out, along with any exercise you do. This program is great because it tracks it all. No guesswork. Whatever you do, Take in the required calories. Very important. They are maintainence calories your body needs. One day at a time. YOU CAN DO IT.
  • murphysacres
    murphysacres Posts: 10
    Hi,
    I am very proud of you!!! I can not make myself work out at the gym, but I have found workout programs at home that work for me. Just being able to know you are working out and putting your best into, is a great accomplishment. Hang in there, one day you will step on the scale and jump for joy!!!

    By the way I am just next door in Illinois
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