Three weeks in and I already fell off the wagon
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You and I are hitting the same first plateau. Lost 14lbs in two weeks and then the scale stopped dead and has stayed that way for 4 days. It's pretty discouraging, for sure, but it's about a lifestyle change, and not a diet.
We're all invested in the outcome (of course) but it's not at though there will come a time where you can re-engage in the same habits that lead you to find your way here. It's about finding the correct course and then staying on it, forever. Again, a lifestyle change, and not a diet; a change for life.
If you find a path without any obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere. You seem like too smart of a person to be the only thing standing in your way. For what it's worth (admittedly little, from a stranger on the internet), I believe in you.
I like to think of the plateaus as landings on the stairwell down to our goals. Less like obstacles, and more like opportunities to explore the various reasons we might not be seeing the results we want. Some of which, may be outside of our purview altogether.
I hope you find your motivation, you've already started along the golden path, and sometimes we MUST stumble, in order to keep ourselves from falling.
~Will (Boom_Ballaty)0 -
Your expectations are too high. Your aim should be to lose 1% of your body weight per week IF you're consistent. Throw consistency out the window and of course results go with them.Hi everyone,
Can you share what keeps you going when cravings are calling your name? I am only three weeks into counting calories. I have lost 8.2 pounds total, but the problem is the first week I lost 7.6 and the second week I lost .6. After all of this hard work and trying to eat close to or under calories I couldn't believe I only lost .6 pounds. That low number sent me into a tailspin. I snacked all night and all day today. I am done eating for today (7:20pm my time) and I want to get back on track tomorrow.
I thought I had this. I thought I was doing so well and this was going to work and I just lost it. Please share what you do when you have an off day to get back on track.
Thanks!
Weight loss isn't linear and can be different week to week even if someone does the same exact regimen.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
How long should one aim to lose 1% per week? How close to your goal can you be and still expect to lose 1% per week?0 -
The scale is so mean....don't get on the scale everyday, it can be depressing. Take measurements of your arms, waist, legs...etc...measure those every month or 3-4 weeks. That's such a better way to do it. The scale can go up and down depending on so many different things!
I just did a program (p90x3) and it was so frustrating to work hard, get on the scale and then see the scale go UP.... so disappointing! I stuck with it and within a couple of weeks the scale would drop pretty good! The muscle that i was putting on eventually caught up and the scale started dropping. Had I not been doing measurements I would not have noticed how much I was losing! Just a thought!0 -
As a pastor once said, the natural thing to do when you fall down is to get back up. Naturally, that is always what we do... Yet when we deal with behavioral things, often we allow ourselves to become defeated and mull around in it. If you fall today, by all means, dust yourself off and get back on track tomorrow. One bad day does not make you a failure; you only become a failure when you quit trying. As for me and the cravings thing, I try to find alternatives to calorie dense foods and exercise often can help us keep from eating too much. Sometimes we just have to be like Nancy Reagan said about drugs... Just say no. Eat 5-6 smaller meals and try not to go for several hours without eating... that makes us hungry and when we have snacks around, that is not a good thing. best of luck to you. balance in all things0
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.6 lbs is perfect! Do NOT expect to lose more than that long-term. There may even be months where you lose nothing at all. These are the moments that you need to remind yourself that this is a lifestyle and there is no going back. Either way, you are getting healthier (maybe not thinner...but still healthier!)
Everyone falls off of the wagon...the trick is to acknowledge that you are off the wagon, and learning to get back on without too much damage done. THIS is what makes the difference between someone who can keep the weight off and someone who can not.
I find it helpful when I find myself not losing anything to think "i am practicing for maintenance mode!"0 -
As a pastor once said, the natural thing to do when you fall down is to get back up. Naturally, that is always what we do... Yet when we deal with behavioral things, often we allow ourselves to become defeated and mull around in it. If you fall today, by all means, dust yourself off and get back on track tomorrow. One bad day does not make you a failure; you only become a failure when you quit trying.
Wow...*Stands and applauds!*
I work as an addiction counsellor and try to convey this message, but I really should just put this quote on the back of my business card....well...actually, then I would not get as much business if everyone listened to this advice.0 -
One thing I've found that works for me (and may not work if you live with other people) is to simply not keep indulgent snacks in the house. I don't buy them at all. That way, if I just have to have a snack, my choices are pretty much limited to nuts, yogurt, veggie chips and black bean hummus, carrots or sugar snap peas, or no sugar added 100 calorie ice cream bars. Or I can just go ahead and have a protein bar or shake that I was going to eat later anyway.0
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Till about your last 10-15lbs.
Your expectations are too high. Your aim should be to lose 1% of your body weight per week IF you're consistent. Throw consistency out the window and of course results go with them.Hi everyone,
Can you share what keeps you going when cravings are calling your name? I am only three weeks into counting calories. I have lost 8.2 pounds total, but the problem is the first week I lost 7.6 and the second week I lost .6. After all of this hard work and trying to eat close to or under calories I couldn't believe I only lost .6 pounds. That low number sent me into a tailspin. I snacked all night and all day today. I am done eating for today (7:20pm my time) and I want to get back on track tomorrow.
I thought I had this. I thought I was doing so well and this was going to work and I just lost it. Please share what you do when you have an off day to get back on track.
Thanks!
Weight loss isn't linear and can be different week to week even if someone does the same exact regimen.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
How long should one aim to lose 1% per week? How close to your goal can you be and still expect to lose 1% per week?
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Definitely don't get discouraged if you have a bad day! You're doing great! I've found that focusing on small things, one at a time is making the biggest difference between a "diet" and a life style change. For example, I decided in January that I need to stop eating after 8. The amount of calories I consumed before going to bed was silly - really, I just needed to go the hell to sleep. I focused on that for two weeks.. didn't worry what I ate until I had that down. Now it's just the way it is, no food after 8 and I don't even get hungry anymore.
Also, if you have a bad day, do something to turn it around! Go for a walk! There was a great post I read about Non-Zero days, do something, anything to bring you closer to your goal. No matter how small, just make it a non-zero day.
http://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/1q96b5/i_just_dont_care_about_myself/cdah4af0 -
It's okay, you are not alone. If I have learned anything it is that we cannot deny ourselves things that we are used to. I am not saying if you are craving chips to eat the whole bag, but I am saying it is okay to see how many you can have and then eat those. The one thing that is hard for me is chocolate. I am sorry! I am a women and I crave chocolate. When I do, I will distract this craving first by drinking a cup of water and walk around for a little while to wait it out. If the craving is still there, then I will allow myself one small piece. As long as I do not over indulge I am good.
"Alternative medicine practitioners believe that a shortage of magnesium can trigger a craving for chocolate. Foods that contain magnesium include whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and green vegetables such as spinach." found at http://www.chacha.com/question/what-are-you-lacking-if-you-crave-chocolate re
good luck and hang in there. If you are losing that much weight make sure your nutrition is balanced.
Tammye M Paz0 -
Thanks for the ideas and the possible reasons. It was emotional eating. In my mind, I know 8 pounds in two weeks is an accomplishment, but for some reason I just got bummed out at the scale and resorted to old habits. Thanks for offering your personal ups and downs with the scale.
I also like the idea of getting a cup of tea or talking a walk, those are concrete strategies that I can add to my tool-belt. So far I have properly planned for cravings and snacks, I don't deny myself anything, I work it in, but this was different, this was giving in to emotional eating.
I plan on getting back on track tomorrow.
You all are awesome!
Can I just say you seem to have a great approach and mindset. The fact that you don't deny yourself anything but just make sure it fits in with your plan, and that you recognise the difference between emotional eating and real hunger, is something so many people can't (won't?) grasp so you're already ahead of the game. Just don't think of it as falling off the wagon, this is a lifestyle change and you're doing a great job
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One to two pounds a week is ideal according to my coach. So look at the positive your ahead of the game. Just keep trying and don't give up. Slow progress is still progress. At least its loss and not gain. It could be that your not eating enough.? I was eating under my calories and my coach said don't do that. Keep on keepin on. Best wishes!0
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Thank you so much for posting this! Definitely one of the most motivational things I've read in a long time!0 -
Strive for consistency, not perfection. One is attainable, the other isn't.0
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how about, when you are really discouraged, you try a "Root Cause Analysis"?
This means, you consider everything that may be contributing to the problem/disappointment.
NUMBER 1. One Problem is that you did not loose at the same rate and you binged.
Possible reasons for the weight to come off at a different rate:
a. water comes off the first week or two.
b. You may have been more active the first two weeks.
c. You may have eaten lower carbohydrates the first two weeks.
d. You might be weighing at different times.
e. you may have given yourself a really tough path to follow that was not sustainable.
NUMBER 2. The second problem is the disappointment.
a. Are you disappointed because you need to loose at the higher rate?
b. Do you believe the slower weight loss means that you are not getting healthier?
c. Are you so disappointed that you will give up?
NUMBER 3. The third step is, what options you do have to fix problems one and two?
a. find a person who has had this problem (stalled weight loss) and ask what they eat, and what type of exercise they did to continue getting fit.
b. Google "stalled weight loss".
c. Go to a gym and ask a fitness trainer about stalled weight loss and ask what they recommend for exercise and eating.
d. Watch or listen to motivational tapes, I love Zig Ziglar, he is all over u-tube. You may have to listen for a long time, but her is entertaining and encouraging.
e. Watch some vidoes aobut healthy eating, Joe Cross has some great ideas, and here is one form a MYFItness friend:
Fast forward to early April,... and I “happened” to catch a presentation on PBS entitled “Eat, Fast and Live Longer” by Dr. Michael Mosley.
It made me stop, think and watch it again…Fasting for two nonconsecutive days each week, while eating what I normally ate on the other five?
“You can do anything for 24 hours,” I reasoned.
f. If your eating plan was too stringent, you may be a "one thing at a time" type of person. Try changing one thing that you know is bad, like late eating. If you eat till midnight, plan to stop at 11:30. (for instance, this is a baby-step method)
g. give up
then decide which option you really want to do.
I realize that this is a long, drawn out answer, but sometimes the long way is the short way and if you are very disappointed, maybe it is worth really figuring out what may be happening and how to have more of the shape you want with a little change to some of what you are already doing to succeed.
My thinking is that you are already have had success, you just need to tweak it to be long term. you can do this!0 -
It's not a wagon really.. it's just logging all your food and exercise you do.. and hey, if you want to eat 3 snickers bars... exercise for them. It's really simple if you don't let your mind run away and over think it too much. If you want to have a brownie.. exercise for it.
Simple :-)0 -
If you lost 7.6 lbs in the first week, you probably restricted too much, and that's why the cravings. Follow this advice...
And eat sensibly, with a reasonable deficit.Start here. It's a lot of reading, but these threads are packed with really good information that will get you going in the right direction.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
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Like others have said, there's really no need to deprive yourself of anything, as long as you work those foods into your plan and in moderate proportions. If your treat yourself with something nice on a regular basis, you will probably feel less tempted to binge at the end of two weeks of deprivation. But if you're still prone to binging and emotional eating and can't really fight the compulsion to put something in your mouth when days get rough, you could try to avoid stocking too much "bad" stuff in your house. (There aren't really bad foods, but you know what I mean). Point is, you can't eat a bag of chips if it isn't there to tempt you.
Regarding what you said about your progress, please remember that in order to lose 1lb, you need to burn 3500 calories, so those 7.6 lb you lost in the first week can't really just be 7.6x3500=26.600 burned calories. Can they? Unless you worked out like crazy and starved yourself afterwords. They're most likely a result of the abrupt changes you made in your diet and lifestyle and your body was still trying to catch up with it. (You probably lost water weight, too, etc.)
I know it can look like a disappointing number, but the second week result sounds like the healthy amount of weight you should be losing, so you should be proud of yourself. Just remember there will be weeks in the future where you may actually gain weight and that could also be a sign that you're doing great progress (building muscle, losing inches around your waist, etc.), so take your time to take measures of your body, so you can keep score of what really changed. Weight loss and getting your body to change don't necessarily mean the same thing. You could be stuck in the same weight for weeks and still losing inches, which is much more desirable. Good luck!0 -
I know this is a simple answer, but its what I do... keep going. Dont stop. So what if the scale wasnt your friend this week. If you quit now, you will def not like what the scale will say in a month when you gain back the 7 lbs. Just keep going. Dont expect to lose 7 lbs a week. If you do, you will set yourself up for dissappointment and youll want to give up. Try not to focus too much on the scale. I promise you.... you wont regret it. You will see results if you keep tracking regularly. It might not be next week or the week after that, but it will happen.0
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