How do you stay patient when not seeing results??

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Replies

  • _rachel_k
    _rachel_k Posts: 243 Member
    I had some periods of a few weeks where nothing would happen and then suddenly I'd drop a few pounds all at once. I'm pretty patient about stuff like this by nature, and I don't feel rushed. For me, this was a permanent lifestyle change, not a short-term, temporary effort with a set deadline. I had the rest of my life to accomplish my goal so there was no feeling of needing to hurry. (That was almost 3 years ago and I've been on maintenance ever since.) :flowerforyou:

    Congrats on making your goal!!

    I feel stressed because it has been 7.5 weeks and I have gained and lost the same 2 lbs and today it almost felt like the waist of my work jeans are smaller (bloating). If I had results (inch or lb), even a little I would feel better. Next week I think I'm bailing on T25 and trying the Arnold Schwarzenegger workout
  • _rachel_k
    _rachel_k Posts: 243 Member
    I have a tendency to go back and 'examine' everything I did. There are a few things you have control over when watching what you eat: 1) Portion size - go back to measuring cups for a few days. Get used to what a 1cup serving and a 1/2 cup serving look like again. 2) What are you eating? Are you favoring or avoiding certain food groups? Have you consumed a crazy amount of sodium? 3) How am I exercising? Have I been doing the same thing day after day for the entire time? Have I been able to make progress?

    A few weeks ago, for some reason I went back and read the directions for using MFP. I noticed that the recommended calories included exercise and that the goal calories were NET calories (after exercise was subtracted). Well, I started making sure my NET calories ended up around 1200 like it said. Poof! I lost 4 lbs. I supposedly learned my lesson years ago about reading the directions. Guess I forgot about that temporarily. Oops.

    I use a measuring cup or scale daily. Even for veggies. I do favor everything over veggies. My exercises are different since I do different workouts different days and try to modify less

    When I figure my calories I do TDEE -20% and don't eat back my exercise calories. TDEE -20% is approx 1900 calories
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    When you went paleo, where you tracking calories and macronutrients? I know things might be scary or tough, but at some point you have to realize whats more important to you... this is what my wife had to realize. It's been a year since she went gluten free and still misses it. And occasionally, she will try to sneak some and pay for it (major GI issues). It is definitely tough though because we are limited from going to certain restaurants.

    My cousin was helping me with meal planning. I never focused on macros but I tried to keep a 1500 calorie diet. I'm trying really hard to stay away from chips and if I need something I have been eating gluten free pretzels (only a serving but it's usually in the evening) and instead of bread or wraps I have a rice blend at lunch. I have recently introduced steel cut oats at breakfast (by recent I mean Thursday last week)

    Be careful with a lot of foods. Many contain stuff like gluten without even knowing it... such as soy sauce (or even the BBQ sauce they use for eel for sushi rolls). Many types of blends with rice use barley or other additives that include gluten.What my wife and I have discovered is that Asian food and mexican food can be your best friend.

    BTW, can you open your diary again? I will take another look if you would like.
  • AmyWininger
    AmyWininger Posts: 150 Member
    I just have faith in mysef. I haven't lost since November. I've ate at 1500 calories or left, even for a few weeks I only made it up to 800 calories a day. Didn't lose anything. Inches or pounds. I'm trying to eat at least 1200 now, just havent been too hungry. I'm going to the doctor in about a week. I haven thad a checkup since before I was a teenager. I'm 18 now, so I need one before I go to college anyways. I fouind out my mother has problems with her thyroid, and had them around her teenage years, so I'm definitely looking into that. If nothing is wrong with my thyroid, then, I really don't know what I'm going to do. Just keep at it. :)
  • _rachel_k
    _rachel_k Posts: 243 Member
    Be careful with a lot of foods. Many contain stuff like gluten without even knowing it... such as soy sauce (or even the BBQ sauce they use for eel for sushi rolls). Many types of blends with rice use barley or other additives that include gluten.What my wife and I have discovered is that Asian food and mexican food can be your best friend.

    BTW, can you open your diary again? I will take another look if you would like.

    I rarely eat condiments. Maybe once a week

    I opened my diary. I haven't logged Sunday/Monday due to feeling sick and not caring lol

    I either have brow rice or an ancient grains blend
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
    Whether I log it or not, for 2 weeks I ate the same 2 eggs, approx the same grapefruit, the same 2 oz of chicken breast, the same 1/2 cup of rice, the same 170 g of baby carrots, the same 2 cheese strings, the same 2 yogurts, the same scoops of protein powder, glutamine and amino acid recovery because even though I didn't log it I measured it. Everyday.

    Surprisingly the weight of the eggs, grapefruit and rice can vary. I weighed two Granny Smith apples that to the eye looked the same size. One weighed 133 g and the other 143 g for a difference of 5 calories. An average large egg weighs 53 g but yesterday, I weighed out two large eggs that totaled 97 g not 106 g but another two could easily weigh more than that. The little differences of 5 calories more here, 10 calories there really do add up. Your scoops of protein powder can be off which could make a difference as well. My protein powder gives the nutritional value for 1 scoop (36 g) but if the scoop is filled it weighs more like 40 g. A half cup of rice will vary in weight depending on how firmly you pack it. In short, you are likely eating more than you think you are. If you don't weigh you can't be sure that you are eating the amount you think you are and if you don't log, you can't accurately track for troubleshooting.
  • _rachel_k
    _rachel_k Posts: 243 Member
    The grapefruit I try to weigh after it's peeled using the scale at work. Sometimes I guess, I never thought to weigh eggs and the rice is always loose packed. I use the measuring cup to scoop it out of the bowl. I'll start weighing my eggs and grapefruit daily. I will start weighing my rice and protein and see how different it is
  • _rachel_k
    _rachel_k Posts: 243 Member
    Also.......... oats........ are they measured before or after cooking?
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    You aren't tracking consistently. How can you even tell what your intake is?
  • jules77az2004
    jules77az2004 Posts: 24 Member
    I've had a lot of health set backs and spent a year not losing weight. The only thing that has kept me going forward is knowing that at the end of the day this is MORE about my being healthy than it is about the scale. I have spent years throwing in the towel due to no results. And as soon as I realized this is more about my overall health not about the scale (the scale is a bonus)... I have been able to chug along... to stay on my journey. And finally after a couple of years now... I am seeing results :).
  • ImpishVanity
    ImpishVanity Posts: 224 Member
    I stay patient because this is a lifestyle change. This isn't some arbitrary goal to meet and then go back to the way things were before. I'm patient because there is no "end goal" for me, just a better way to live and be healthy. I put the weight on over the last 5 years, and it certainly won't come off in an instant.
  • stillnot2late
    stillnot2late Posts: 385 Member
    I haven't seen any result for over a year with all this calorie counting, weight training, cardio, and other stuff, but if I stop, I will look worse...I don't want to be worse than I already am...

    Yes, I hear you! exactly.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    Whether I log it or not, for 2 weeks I ate the same 2 eggs, approx the same grapefruit, the same 2 oz of chicken breast, the same 1/2 cup of rice, the same 170 g of baby carrots, the same 2 cheese strings, the same 2 yogurts, the same scoops of protein powder, glutamine and amino acid recovery because even though I didn't log it I measured it. Everyday.

    Surprisingly the weight of the eggs, grapefruit and rice can vary. I weighed two Granny Smith apples that to the eye looked the same size. One weighed 133 g and the other 143 g for a difference of 5 calories. An average large egg weighs 53 g but yesterday, I weighed out two large eggs that totaled 97 g not 106 g but another two could easily weigh more than that. The little differences of 5 calories more here, 10 calories there really do add up. Your scoops of protein powder can be off which could make a difference as well. My protein powder gives the nutritional value for 1 scoop (36 g) but if the scoop is filled it weighs more like 40 g. A half cup of rice will vary in weight depending on how firmly you pack it. In short, you are likely eating more than you think you are. If you don't weigh you can't be sure that you are eating the amount you think you are and if you don't log, you can't accurately track for troubleshooting.

    This 2x. You can take a can or package of most foods and more often than not the actual contents will be much more than what is labeled.
  • ImpishVanity
    ImpishVanity Posts: 224 Member
    I never thought about weighing eggs and such! interesting. I'm going to start doing that now!
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    It's most likely you are eating too much, try lowering your calories by 200
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    You aren't tracking consistently. How can you even tell what your intake is?

    This is exactly the issue I was looking for again. If you can't consistently log, it's a shot in the dark at that point.
  • Kitship
    Kitship Posts: 579 Member
    I agree with most that you really need to be consistent and accurate with logging. I was at the same weight for over a year due to inconsistent logging. I just call it my "maintenance preparation" now. :smile: Once I really (and I mean REALLY) paid attention to my logging, the weight started coming off again. Best of luck to you!

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