Too easily frustrated with the scale!

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BrownEyedG1rl
BrownEyedG1rl Posts: 625 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My first week I lost 6 lbs (I know my ticker is wrong). I think my body was in shock that first week or something. Since then, I haven't lost ANYTHING. I'm only at the end of my second week. I would have liked to have lost 2 lbs or so. It's frustrating when you are eating WAY better then you were and you are going to the gym, feeling like you're working your butt off, only to get nothing from the scale. I think I just need a pep talk or something. Has this happened to anyone else?

Replies

  • yaafee
    yaafee Posts: 274 Member
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    I'm with you. I lost 3 pounds my first week. Then GAINED 1.5 back the second week -- and I was good, I didn't cheat, I worked hard at the gym. It is frustrating and disappointing, but keep with it, it would be more disappointing to give up.
  • 20carrots
    20carrots Posts: 279 Member
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    When that happens I try to think of the contestants on the Biggest Loser. Most weeks they lose upwards of 10 lbs each, and even they have weeks where they don't lose or actually gain. If it happens to them on the regime they are on, it can certainly happen to us! :drinker:
  • shawnakae00
    shawnakae00 Posts: 1
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    I ate perfect last week, my first week, and worked out 4 days! I got on the scale this morning and i gained almost 2 lbs!! Its so frustrating!!
  • MelissaL582
    MelissaL582 Posts: 1,422 Member
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    I am going through the exact same thing. I call it the 2nd week curse just like on the Biggest Loser.

    This link was given to me this morning.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
  • anewme58
    anewme58 Posts: 24
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    I feel like having my husband hide the scale for a month or so. I hear ya - it's frustrating to work sooo hard and not get a good number on the scale in return. Let's keep moving forward, though. What is our alternative? And don't forget: slow and steady wins the race! :flowerforyou:
  • lradloff
    lradloff Posts: 59 Member
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    What I was told one time is that the weight loss should average out to 1-2 lbs a week - so some weeks you may not lose or go up a little - even if you're really good, but as long as the loss is averaging 1-2 lbs a week you're doing great. You currently have a 3 lb average, which is awesome! Sometimes your body has to adjust to your weight loss. Othertimes it's salt intake or water weight, or something you ate the night before weigh-in (even if it was all okay in your calories counting). Keep going and see what next week brings, because I bet you'll have a loss. I know that in the past when I've lost weight I would have some weeks with big losses, and then next week or two with little losses, staying the same, or little gains... but the overall progress was down and with the right average. So keep trying and look at the big picture. You're still down 6 lbs overall - and that's great! Keep up the good work!
  • BrownEyedG1rl
    BrownEyedG1rl Posts: 625 Member
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    Well I'm sorry that we ALL are going through this, but it's at least nice to know I'm not alone! I really do need to not weigh myself all the time like I do now. I want to take measurements too. Is it possible to be gaining muscle weight already? I don't know how long that takes usually.

    Either way, I will move forward and prevail!!!! :bigsmile:
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
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    Just keep in mind that it wil AVERAGE out over time. Every once in a while your body will just go "hold up here!! What the hell are you doing??" and stall for a while. It will catch up, it just needs to balance out.
  • reddcat
    reddcat Posts: 314 Member
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    In the same exact boat here! First week = 6 pound loss. This week = one pound gain. I went from riding the couch to working out every day. I am eating healthy and following my 1200 calorie diet. When I saw the gain, I wanted to chuck it all and go back to the couch. I should be glad about the weight loss....but so frustrated about all I still have to lose. Ugh. Guess we will all keep on plugging along.
  • Ben2118
    Ben2118 Posts: 571 Member
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    From what I have read you can gain muscle quite quickly in the first stages as your body is trying to cope with the new exercise you are giving it. In the long run this is great as the new muscle will burn calories, measure in some key places on your body and if you have a scale that measures body fat then I would keep track of that too.

    May seem a bit discouraging but in the long run it will average itself out I'm sure, you still weigh less then when you started so that great! Just keep at it and I'm sure the scales will show it soon enough. :smile:

    Ben.
  • saimabhaidani
    saimabhaidani Posts: 145 Member
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    This was my third week of daily workouts and clean eating. I lost 1.5 lb first week, 1 lb the second week and NONE the third week. Even though the my weight loss was not as significant (1.5 lb is very normal) I still hit a plateau! Why oh why.

    I have literally kicked my own butt working out!!! I ate salads (no dressing) while my kids enjoyed their cremefilled doughnuts, (and my husband had to have chicken wings during the game), I stuck to lowfat yogurt w/ crunchy garnola and protien powder. AND STILL NO WEIGHT LOST!!! yes, I said that in uppercase!

    But you know what, as unfair as it is, we have no choice. So just like you, I am gonna keep going too......... and hopefully down the line I will go over this plateu ( I dont even know if it is a plateu or what because I thought it takes couple of months b4 you hit one) So what the heck is going on here, can someone explain and make it easier to keep going...........
  • akalei
    akalei Posts: 34
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    Lol you guys are scaring me now. I lost 2.4 pounds my first weigh in and my next is coming in 2 days. Im scared now its going to be nothing or gained now lol. I don't even care if it goes down 0.5 as long as it goes down.
  • forttc
    forttc Posts: 26 Member
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    I have just started mfp but I have tried to lose weight in the past. I know that when you work out you gain muscle which can cause you to gain weight. That is why it is important to measure yourself. I know there can be other reasons too but I didn't see this mentioned. Just don't give up. What you gain in health benefits makes it worth it, the rest will come in time.
  • susu5
    susu5 Posts: 122
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    I am a slow loser. My first week I lost 1 pound and nothing the second week and now on the third week I have lost another 2 pounds. I am eating correctly and walking or riding my exercise bike. So keep on keeping on!!!
  • JenCM
    JenCM Posts: 195
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    I live in this mode of frustration! lol.
    Ironically, I've seen less impact on the scale since I started working out more the last two weeks. Same thing, up a pound, down two pounds, up four pounds....Everytime I step on the scale. So I've hovered around the same weight for nearly a month now. It is frustrating...but I take the scale out of my logic. Logic tells me that drinking all my water, not eating badly or overeating and exercising....is Good for me. So I'm just going to keep at it and hopefully the scale will make up it's mind soon and move downwards! :)
  • tsb50158
    tsb50158 Posts: 20 Member
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    You also have to understand some of the weight gain can be water retention. The numbers on the scales are just that.. numbers, It might give you an idea of how your doing but mine fluctuates so much, sometimes as much as 7 lbs from day to day.
    Dont get discouraged drink more water make sure you try and keep the sodium within doable limits. But dont step on the scales at all for several days. That might help the frame of mind, yes I also know its hard to do, we WANT to know how its going, but as i said, you may have gained muscle and lost fat so the numbers dont always change.
  • tsb50158
    tsb50158 Posts: 20 Member
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    I also see that some of you are eating 1100 1200 calorie diets, it can get to a point that your doing the opposite of what you need. The body sees all the calories going out and your not taking in enough and it starts storing fat instead of letting you make muscle. Self defeating. Make sure you are eating enough. That is why so and easy is always best and keeps teh weight off instead of losing a great deal at once.

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