Does anyone else feel this way?!

Sea_Witch
Sea_Witch Posts: 16 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have, in the past year and a half, lost around 20 lbs. (Because of the way I break down my goal into chunks, you can't go by my ticker) Before I left for vacation 7 weeks ago, I weighed 175 lbs. 7 days later I weighed 182 lbs. That's a pound a week. Since coming home, I am doing the same thing deficit wise and exercise wise that I was doing before but I have only lost 4 of the pounds. I know that 3500 calories = 1 pound lost but sometimes I swear that it feels like it takes so much less to gain weight than to lose it. I feel like I struggle for a week to lose 1 pound but go over my calories by 300 one day and I gain that pound back. I weigh EVERYTHING and Log everything. And I feel like I'm starving from about 8 p.m. on. (1500 calories) I do FEEL thinner now than when I returned from vacation because my clothes are looser. But for the past 3 years my husband and I have been having to take a physical every year for our insurance and I am tired of getting the obese speech!!! I am 5'6 and all they care about is the number. So...Why does it feel like it is so much easier to gain weight than to lose it?

Replies

  • 491emmah
    491emmah Posts: 3
    I feel your pain! I feel exactly the same way. It seems so unfair that the effort we make to eat right doesn't seem to be reflected in the scales, yet a small slip up piles right on!

    I used to go to a slimming club where the lady who ran it said 'why does everyone seem so disappointed in a pound loss? It's great! 1 pound a week adds up to 52 a year! Yet when you guys gain a pound it's a disaster. Why is it 'only a pound' coming off but 'oh disaster! a whole pound!' when it's going on?'

    I try to remember that when it gets hard, she had a point.

    It might also be worth measuring yourself if you haven't already. If the weight isn't coming off, the inches might be!

    I also keep a daily log (little ott I know) but it gives pattern due to monthly cycle and stuff that can also help to explain a bad week.

    Hang in there, you're 20lbs down the road. I wish I was! Good luck :-)
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    I know that 3500 calories = 1 pound lost

    It's actually more complicated than that (the metabolism is a complex subject that is imperfectly understood). It's still a good rule of thumb. All an average person can do is weigh everything, eat known foods, track scrupulously and weigh herself or himself several times a week to stay on top of weight loss.

    The older one gets, it usually is easier to gain than to lose weight. The usual reasons: slowed metabolism, less activity. If you're hungry, you need to need to research healthy, relatively low-calorie, filling foods that will meet your quota.
  • kevinswilson
    kevinswilson Posts: 1 Member
    Remember that the number of the scale doesn't just reflect fat gained or lost.

    It includes fluid. Are you retaining water? More sodium in your diet will make you "puffier." If you're eating more salt now than on vacation, that water weight won't come off as easily. Conversely, alcohol is a diuretic and will flush necessary water out of your body. If you were drinking more during vacation and have now stopped, some the added weight according to your scale may be because the balance in your body is back to "normal" and healthier, even if it results in a larger number on the scale.

    The scale also reflects muscle gained. Muscle is denser than fat, and so will show up as better fitting clothes but a higher number on the scale. Were you more physically active on vacation than normal? Lots of hiking or recreational activity? You may have put on some muscle. The scale will show that, but in that case it's a good thing.

    It's easy to get discouraged. Just remember, you didn't get to your current weight overnight. You can't lose the weight you want to lose in a matter of a few days or weeks.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    I agree that you are not taking water weight into account. If you go over on sodium, your body will retain water and you will weigh more. This doesn't mean that you gained a pound in one day. Drink more water and keep your sodium intake in check and these fluctuations will be minimized (although they still happen). Eating out for a week on vacation will definitely cause you to retain water. It typically takes me about three days to get the water retention in check again after eating out several days in a row.

    My fave quote (that I have to keep running through my head): Do what you know is right (with MFP) and the numbers on the scale will follow (eventually). :)

    Hope this helps!
  • bmwauug
    bmwauug Posts: 54 Member
    I would try to focus on inches - what's interesting is my weight has change from 175 - 190 (after being 240 3 years ago, but I have sustained a 34 inch waist - that said, weight will fluctuate, but i try to concentrate on inches and body fat %
  • cppeace
    cppeace Posts: 764 Member
    Well it took me about a year to go from 270lbs down to 206lbs and then 2 years to get back up to the 270s so gain was slower for me
  • RosanaRosanaDana
    RosanaRosanaDana Posts: 93 Member
    I'm glad it's not just me! I can gain 3 pounds overnight. Something else that gets me is having the same diet as my slim husband and eating less than he does but I gain while he maintains. He never gains weight.
  • Deannas69
    Deannas69 Posts: 18 Member
    It really does get frustrating! I have lost and gained the same pound every month for the past three months and it is so frustrating! I have 14 pounds to go to get to my goal weight and it is just getting more difficult to stay motivated enough to stick with it. I exercise four to six days a week, stay within my calorie goal set by MFP and drink close to 10 cups of water a day and nothing seems to help with the yo yo one pound. I tell myself that I have had enough and that I am not going to do it anymore then I start to feel guilty that I have come so far (losing 70 pounds) and that I shouldn't stop now. Good luck with your weight loss adventure!
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
    Remember that the number of the scale doesn't just reflect fat gained or lost.

    It includes fluid. Are you retaining water? More sodium in your diet will make you "puffier." If you're eating more salt now than on vacation, that water weight won't come off as easily. Conversely, alcohol is a diuretic and will flush necessary water out of your body. If you were drinking more during vacation and have now stopped, some the added weight according to your scale may be because the balance in your body is back to "normal" and healthier, even if it results in a larger number on the scale.

    The scale also reflects muscle gained. Muscle is denser than fat, and so will show up as better fitting clothes but a higher number on the scale. Were you more physically active on vacation than normal? Lots of hiking or recreational activity? You may have put on some muscle. The scale will show that, but in that case it's a good thing.

    It's easy to get discouraged. Just remember, you didn't get to your current weight overnight. You can't lose the weight you want to lose in a matter of a few days or weeks.

    Strong first post. I agree with everything said. One other thing to keep in mind here too, while it can be discouraging to have that happen, it may have been beneficial in the long run because such diet breaks can help reset hormone levels that otherwise can lead to plateaus.
  • AnnofB
    AnnofB Posts: 3,589 Member
    Good points made by previous posters.

    I recommend patience. Lot's and lot's of it.

    Focusing on inches (as bmwauug mentioned) when the scale isn't cooperating can give you that same lift as stepping on the scale and seeing a loss.

    Are you exercising? If so, change it up, our bodies can become very efficient at doing a certain movement and don't burn as many calories as before. If you aren't exercising, start today. Find some activity you love and do it. It will bring you joy and round out your approach to reaching your goal. Add some strength training too. Good for your bones as well as your muscles. Look at it as investment in your health and not a race.

    You can do this, you ARE doing it; just keep doing it. :flowerforyou:

    Ann
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It's horribly frustrating. I'll be in that boat in two weeks I'm sure!

    Just stick to your calories and exercise, it WILL come off eventually.
  • Sea_Witch
    Sea_Witch Posts: 16 Member
    To be honest, I feel great and I definitely know my clothes are looser. But that stupid health screening that I have to do for my insurance makes me more impatient. They only go by weight, regardless of what that weight consists of. I shouldn't have been so indulgent on my vacation I guess.

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