2 Days in and Discouraged

No I don't think you're a jerk at all. I just got very nervous when I cut my calories so much and saw an increase in weight and then maintained it. When I try other plans I usually see a drop day 1 and 2 and then it seems to go up after a few more days so I quit the plan. This is unusual so I just got really nervous that this will work especially since i am so hungry.

I am used to vegan "all you can eat" plans which is how/why I have gained so much weight.

If you are discouraged by a .4 pound gain, then this will be a really tough journey for you. Read through the Success Stories and see how it really happens. Weight fluctuates. Daily. Hourly. A .4 pound gain is not a gain. My intent is not to sound snarky, but your post sounds unrealistic and I agree with the poster who feels you are not really ready for change. If you were in it for the long haul, you'd do what you need to do for 30 days, and then get on the scale and take measurements.

I started at 138 (5'2" at 44 yrs) and I had a difficult time sticking to 1200 calories so I had 1380 and I gained .4
The next day I had 1330 calories and maintained the .4 gain.
I know I'm only two days in but I am finding this discouraging.

Going by BMI, a healthy weight range is 105 - 130, so you're very close to a healthy weight.
http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf
But you're short enough that 120 lb (1200 cal) is reasonable.

Having so little to lose, it's going to happen slowly.
If you lose 0.5 lb a week, or even every 2 weeks, that's a victory.
In 2 days you're not going to see anything, or at most you'll see water weight loss.
You didn't gain weight in 2 days, you're not going to lose it in 2 days.
To lose a pound, you have to cut or burn 3500 calories.
But if you can do weightlifting, even body weight workouts, you'll likely see changes in shape maybe before you see changes in weight.
You might find that your weight stays the same but your body slims down, because fat is fluffy & muscle is compact.

I can't excercise for at least a week or two due to an injury but I have been sedentary for quite some time.
Any suggestions/motivation?

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-07-24-motivation-encouragement-680938
For the longer explanation, see the post.
- Set small intermediate goals & celebrate every one.
- Take measurements.
- Take pictures.
- Weigh yourself regularly.
- Be flexible; forgive yourself.
- Celebrate the non-scale victories (NSV's)
- Don't make any food forbidden.
- Don't give up!!!!
This woman lost 124 lb, and describes herself as a "not-stopper".
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1411868-i-ve-been-here-2-5-years-and-have-lost-124-pounds
"I'm a not-stopper. I'm not a go-getter or a great organizer or planner or more committed than anyone else. I probably didn't even work harder than lots of folks who eventually quit. All I am is a not-stopper."


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

Very little hostility directed at you, lots of good advice plainly given.
And you say you're at 138, want to lose 24 lb, which would be 114... toward the low end of a healthy range.
And less than 0.5 a lb fluctuation is nothing - drink a glass of water or have a bowel movement & you can see that much change.

One other point - most women aren't used to weighing themselves every day. If you're approaching the start of your period, you're going to gain weight. Yeah, duh, you say. But you don't realize how much until you've been weighing yourself every day, for months. If I can hold steady the week before, it's a big victory. Usually I gain several pounds. But I know it's temporary.

I will hang in there but I certainly won't be using this message board for "encouragement".
I will have to find that from within.
It's too early in my journey to get such hostility.

I sometimes wish that MFP had a "funny" button....

First of all, you can't gain half a pound of fat by eating 180 calories over your goal. If you're set at 1lb loss/week & 500 calorie deficit, then you're still at a deficit by 320 calories. Even if you ate 180 over maintenance it wouldn't be enough to gain half a pound. I can assure you that you didn't actually "gain weight" so rest easy.

Aside from that, don't get discouraged. 2 days is too soon to start being hard on yourself. Some days it will be easy and some days it will be hard. Accept that as soon as possible. I joined MFP in 2012 but didn't start using it to actually lose weight until January of this year. I don't suggest taking that long to get your act together, but my point is that it just takes time and it takes you being determined. You can't make true change until YOU DECIDE you want to, and I learned that the hard way. Just keep logging and keep trying new things to figure out what works for you. Try some new foods, try new schedules of eating, experiment with drinking more or less water, getting more or less sleep. Everyday is a fresh start. If what you did yesterday didn't work, then try something different today. You'll find your balance in no time!


ETA that, similar to others here, didn't weigh myself when I first started out. I didn't even own a scale until I was like two months in. I focused exclusively on finding foods that I enjoyed and that helped me stay under my calorie goal. After a few months of staying under my goal and noticing some changes in how my clothes fit, I bought a scale & was happy to see I had lost 11lbs & that motivated me to keep doing what I was doing.

I agree with all the others telling you not to weigh yourself so frequently. Changes are not immediate!

Try weighing yourself once a week or every other week to get a better sense of which direction you're headed. I mean, if I haven't taken a poop for a day or two and I weighed myself, I would think I'd gained...but drop the deuce and I'm sitting pretty. Catch my drift?

And don't be hard on yourself - starting out is a great time for you to be filled with hope! You will likely experience some ups and downs in your weight as you learn what you can eat, how much you can eat and how your body reacts.

Stick to it - you can do it! I was on a 1200 cal diet earlier this year and it did work for me but I couldn't maintain it beyond a few weeks because I was just too darn hungry after a while. I'm at 1400 cal now which I find much more easy to maintain.

Hi everyone,

I just started. I started at 138 (5'2" at 44 yrs) and I had a difficult time sticking to 1200 calories so I had 1380 and I gained .4
The next day I had 1330 calories and maintained the .4 gain.

I know I'm only two days in but I am finding this discouraging.

I am a vegan and have been probably consuming around 1600-1800 calories to gain 25lbs so I thought after two days a smidge would come off, not gain. Before joining mfp I was trying to stick to raw till 4 but the weight kept fluctuating 1 up and 1 down.

I can't excercise for at least a week or two due to an injury but I have been sedentary for quite some time.

Any suggestions/motivation?

I just don't want to fail at something else.

Not trying to sound rude or be a jerk....

But 2 days and you are discouraged???
Did you get to your current size in 2 days??

Stay on your plan and give it time.
oh, don't weigh every day.....
once a week, track it over time and see which way it is trending

What I was thinking was even more harsh but I won't say it. There really isn't a lot of motivation or help any of us can offer if after two days in you are discouraged. This isn't a sprint. It takes time. Keep reaching those small victories. Over time they will add up to a whole new you that you will be proud of.

Hi everyone,

I just started. I started at 138 (5'2" at 44 yrs) and I had a difficult time sticking to 1200 calories so I had 1380 and I gained .4
The next day I had 1330 calories and maintained the .4 gain.

I know I'm only two days in but I am finding this discouraging.

I am a vegan and have been probably consuming around 1600-1800 calories to gain 25lbs so I thought after two days a smidge would come off, not gain. Before joining mfp I was trying to stick to raw till 4 but the weight kept fluctuating 1 up and 1 down.

I can't excercise for at least a week or two due to an injury but I have been sedentary for quite some time.

Any suggestions/motivation?

I just don't want to fail at something else.

The problem is that you don't understand how weight loss works. You're already being unrealistic.

Weight gain and weight loss are based over averages over a period of time - typically a few weeks. So you haven't been at it long enough to develop an average of a deficit.

It takes a 3500 calorie burn maintained to lose one pound. You're estimating a 270-470 deficit per day over two days. That's not enough of a deficit for a one pound loss and it's not been sustained enough to turn into one.

Your weight will also naturally fluctuate up and down based on a million things like hormones, bowel movements, water retention, and other stuff.

You're one the right track. It didn't take a week to gain 25 and it won't take that long to lose it. Keep at it but don't expect to see changes for at least a few weeks.