Trying to be patient

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mrseash
mrseash Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I don't know why I just realized that losing 1/2lb a week is going to take a long time to get to my goal.

I'm 5'7" and currently around 149lbs. My goal is 130.

I was getting really down and frustrated at my slow progress as I started tracking on 12/23 and weighed in at 155. Then I did the math and realized I'm right on target. Then I did more math and realized it might take until the end of the year to get to my goal at this pace. OMG.....I don't know if I'm that patient. I know from experience it does me no good to lower my intake because I will be so hungry and deprived I will only be able to keep it up for at most 3 weeks. I've been doing what I'm doing now for almost 3 months and haven't felt deprived.

It took me about 8-9 months to lose 45-50 pounds a few years ago. Where I am currently is where I am very easily able to maintain if I'm exercising regularly. So I guess I need to decide how important my goal is and if I can stick to my tracking for 9 more months.

Replies

  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
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    Open your diary...
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
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    So why not get more aggressive with your plan?

    You said that in the past you'd give up after 3 weeks with a more aggressive plan, right?

    So why not alternate weeks or days? One week at your current pattern of half a pound, another week shooting for 1-2 lbs lost. or within a given week having one day where you cut just a little below maintenance, alternating days with more aggressive cutting. Best of both worlds

    I understand your frustration though; I hate slow fat loss. Either way, good luck.
  • mrseash
    mrseash Posts: 10 Member
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    Opened my diary. I have my daily goal at 1600. When I lowered it to 1500 I struggled a little bit more and I think it was mental. I like to go by weekly totals to give myself leeway if I go over one day. My weekly average net is usually right around 1460 give or take 50 cals. Average gross is 1650-1950 with weekly calorie burns between 1200-3100. My weight is up and down, but I started at 155 almost 12 weeks ago and as of this morning was 149. I saw 147 on the scale a month ago and haven't seen it since.
  • mrseash
    mrseash Posts: 10 Member
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    Bump.....
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    You COULD lose weight faster. But you'd lose more muscle than you'd want to. Is it important for you to look and feel good? Or is a number on a scale more important? Half a pound a week is AWESOME. And it's way better than GAINING half a pound a week of fat.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    At your height 140s is still within normal range.
    Look at losing fat instead of weight and it will come off much easier.
  • DrJenO
    DrJenO Posts: 404 Member
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    I think you have to look at this on a percentage basis.

    First of all, congrats on losing 50 pounds before! That is awesome. As a rough estimate, you lost 25% of your body weight, which will give you great health benefits.

    Taking 8-9 mos to lose it is a really good way of going about it - from what you've posted, I know that you created a sustainable, life-long way of eating and exercising that you can maintain indefinitely. That speaks well to your long-term success.

    So, for these last few pesky pounds. You were at 155 (BMI 24.2), and want to get to 130 (BMI 20.3). This is a loss of about 16%. You are already at 149, which is just about 1/4 of the way to your goal.

    Just wanted to set the stage for you.

    I think you are doing awesome. You are already at a healthy BMI. You are listening to your body - you know what works for you and what doesn't in terms of intake.

    Have you looked into weight training and body sculpting? It could be that instead of focusing on losing weight, you should focus on strengthening, which might help you lose inches even if the scale doesn't move. Are you tracking your inches already? That might help you see changes when the scale isn't cooperating.

    Just my thoughts. I think you have done wonderfully.
  • KultaPanda2
    KultaPanda2 Posts: 23
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    I'm the same height as you, and my starting weight was around the same as yours. I'm now 134lb, with 4lb to go! (we also have the same goal weight!)

    I lost a lb a week (ish) until I had 7lb to go, now I've lowered it to 3/4 or 1/2 lb a week. I do a lot of exercise (training for a half marathon and cycle commute), and eat most of those calories back, which gives me a lot more food to eat whilst still losing!

    I try to eat high protein food, so it fills me up more without all the calories of carbs (baby bells, chicken, ham etc for snacks). As I'm nearing my goal, I'm trying to focus a lot more on my macros and not just calories.

    Feel free to add me! :)
  • November_Fire
    November_Fire Posts: 165 Member
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    I think you might need to make some more changes to your diet. I know we all have good days and bad days, but there's lots of donuts, sweets, pizza, brownies, burgers... maybe just aim for one 'treat' a day and keep the rest as more filling, clean food? That could cut down on snacking and a desire to go a bit mad by dinnertime.

    Are you tracking calories burned with a monitor? MFP's guesses seem very unreliable - it kept telling me I was burning hundreds even when all I did was walk to the store and do a bit of yoga, and kept giving me messages to 'eat it all back'. I now don't even bother tracking the exercise. Some of yours seem to have really high numbers - but if that's from a monitor, then great work! - but if it's MFP's guesses then the math could be way off.
  • mrseash
    mrseash Posts: 10 Member
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    Yes, I use a HRM. I'm actually a group fitness instructor and do strength training twice a week. I work full time and have 5 kids so getting my exercise in isn't as easy as it used to be. I do have a donut once a week on Fridays at work and I so look forward to it. LOL! I have a wicked sweet tooth so I try to have smaller indulgences throughout the week. Lately I have been more "free" with those types of things because of my frustrations. But for the first time I am still logging those "binges" and moving forward and still staying within my calorie goal for the week and not just giving up.

    The size I am at now is what I have been able to maintain between having babies for the last 9 years, but I have never made the real commitment to make it this final goal of 130. And actually my goal is 135, but I was reading that you should go under goal so that when you to into maintenance and you go up a few pounds you won't be over your goal.

    Essentially I was wondering, should I lower my intake? I really don't want to for fear of failure (not being able to stick with a lower amount) and muscle loss and lowering my metabolism. But I will be motivated to continue if I see results more quickly. Or maybe not lower my calorie goal but not eat back as many exercise calories? I've been trying to get more protein but sometimes get lazy about that, too.
  • Coltsatc
    Coltsatc Posts: 36
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    My advice is def don't lower your intake, especially if you don't think you can stick to it. You will lose motivation even faster if you feel like you are failing.

    You are still losing weight every week. Remember that it doesn't move in a straight line. You may get surprised here and there and lose more than 1/2 pound some weeks.

    Are you taking pics every so often? Or measurements? There's other ways to stay motivated than just a number on a scale.
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
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    Just to put this into perspective...

    The time it will take you to lose weight slowly and sustainably will pass anyway no matter what you do. If you repeat the pattern of losing fast then quitting, then by the time all these weeks will have passed you'll be no closer to your goal. Tortoise vs hare.

    I've been working at losing weight for well over a year and have finally found a way that works for me. But I would have been done by now if I had just settled for a slow steady weight loss in the first place. I could kick myself.
  • mrseash
    mrseash Posts: 10 Member
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    I haven't lost anything in 4-5 weeks. :-( At one point I was down 11 lbs and within the last 4-6 weeks it has bounced all over the place and I'm at a 6 pound loss.

    I have definitely been in that cycle of rapid weight loss, then quitting and gaining it all back over and over. I don't want to do to that anymore. When I lower to 1200 I lose very fast but I'm hungry and miserable and I end up binging and quitting.

    The first 4 weeks was great this time around, I wasn't hungry and I was losing. Then a small gain, but I didn't panic. Lost the gain plus another pound. Then another gain. Lost a little of that gain but not all. Then another gain on top of that. Still did not panic. Lost a little of that gain, but not all so I here I sit with a 6 pound loss for 12 weeks instead of an 11 pound loss that I had at week 7.

    Now I'm starting to panic a little.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
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    I'm about the same stats as you..
    Starting weight 202
    Current weight 135
    Goal weight it doesn't matter anymore, as now I know the scale is just a tool to be used as a guide and nothing else but a number

    Anyway, weight loss started to really slow down for me around 144 lbs, and it would take about a month to lose a pound sometimes.
    Be patient :-)
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    At your height 140s is still within normal range.
    Look at losing fat instead of weight and it will come off much easier.

    Should of ended the thread right there.. lift weights.
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
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    Picture yourself in December, and you're at your goal weight. Will you be saying, "That was NOT worth it. Why did I spend all that time tracking?"

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