Really struggling

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SteveMFP123
SteveMFP123 Posts: 298 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've lost 34lbs total and fairly fast but for the last week I have been really struggling, not with the food but with exercise, I dread it now and I hate every minute of it while I'm doing it. Before this week I enjoyed it in a perverse way, the pain felt good but not anymore, now I'm just sick of being sore. Plus I only lost 1lb this week which just didn't seem worth the effort, previously I'd lost 12lbs the last two weeks combined so I definitely crashed back to earth this week.

I guess this is something everyone goes through when losing a significant amount of weight and I hope I can snap out of it soon, I really need my motivation back. It just feels like I'm really losing the mental war right now.
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Replies

  • Ailorn
    Ailorn Posts: 79 Member
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    1 lb a week is still good. Maybe you need to slow down on exercising as often. As long as you keep eating at a deficit you can take a day off of exercise here and there. Also as you get closer to your goal weight you're going to slow down how fast you lose. Keep your chin up :)
  • StephTheVeggieKiller
    StephTheVeggieKiller Posts: 41 Member
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    Fight through it, Steve. Its the toughest thing when you have your own brain working against you and if you stop, its hard to get back in the game. An object in motion will stay in motion. And exercise doesnt get easier, you just become better at it.

    Try setting a goal for youself like a 5k or something group oriented like muay tai. Dont give up :)
  • Pudnyn1
    Pudnyn1 Posts: 6
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    Last year I lost 50lbs. I had surgery in April and while home bound I gained it all back. What I wouldn't give for 1lb. It's better to loose one than start all over with feelings of failure, hate, and disgust. Hang in there!
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    Good news! You can still lose weight without the exercise (Calories In-Calories Out). You'll need it again but at least you can rest your sore muscles.
  • str8bowbabe
    str8bowbabe Posts: 712 Member
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    34 lbs is great! 12 pounds in 2 weeks is amazing...1 pound a week is good! You will have down days. Its ok. I found when I get to the point of being bored with working out that I need to find something I really enjoy and is a good workout and sub it in. I do a lot of sports because just jogging to me is boring. I play something usually once a day. Good cardio and a lot of core movement so it helps. Then when I go to lift, I am not so bored because I find it something different. Everyones journey is different but we are all striving for the same result. You are doing fantastic! If you are sore, relax for a day or so to allow your body to rest...then get up and at it again!
  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
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    1 pound in a week is fantastic! It's a nice, safe, healthy rate of loss! 1 pound a week is 52 pounds in a year. If you were GAINING at that rate, it wouldn't seem so small, would it? Never, ever, say "only" in front of a loss.

    That being said, weight is lost in the kitchen and you get fit in the gym. Exercise is great for you, both mentally and physically, but if you are constantly sore, maybe you do need to lighten up a bit, or change up your routine. Also, taking a break from your normal exercise routine doesn't mean you have fallen off the wagon. Find something different to do. If you go to the gym and only do machines, take a class. If the weather is beautiful, go for a walk or a hike. Go to the roller rink with your kids (if you have them, or a friend if you don't). There are so many fun things to do that are as physically beneficial as going to the gym and pounding the machines for an hour!
  • lipinskij
    lipinskij Posts: 4 Member
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    Change up your routine. Try a different exercise that works another muscle group or something you actually enjoy. Don't be afraid to try new things! Good luck!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    As others have said 1 pound a week is a great rate of loss. You didn't put the weight on over night and it wont come off like that. Motivation is highly overrated in my opinion. What keeps you going is setting up good sustainable long term habits so that even on your 'off days' you just do them. Part of this is finding exercise or activity that you like doing. If you hate it no way will you keep it up long term. So it may be worth looking at something alternate to do even just short term. Sometimes a small change can just posh you through the hump period

    Good Luck
  • SteveMFP123
    SteveMFP123 Posts: 298 Member
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    Thank you all for the kind words. I guess I just got "greedy" for big losses on the scale, and when it didn't happen it was a shock to the system. I'm nearly half way on my weight loss so I really don't want to relapse, this time next year I want to be done and happy, not back where I started.

    As for exercise I've been doing T25, I'm on my 4th week of the Alpha cycle which is 25 minutes a day, Monday - Friday with the weekend off. I haven't missed a day but if I'm honest with myself I've been working at maybe 60% effort during the past week. I'm still eating well within my calories as well, thankfully I've never been much of a binge eater, I gained all my weight from sheer laziness.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    The good thing about keeping up with exercise is that you'll get to a point (I guess unless you're body building) where you won't get sore every day. If you're really miserable, start T25 over at the beginning now. I bet you'll find it easier. I know how you feel, I started back up after really doing NOTHING physical for almost a year and I was sore every day and it did get to be a bummer. Now I just have specific spots of soreness once in a while. It will get better on its own!
  • TanyaLafley
    TanyaLafley Posts: 62 Member
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    My brain works against me. Everyday I think of all the reasons why I don't need to go to workout. Everyday I fight through it. It's hard. I'm pretty convincing sometimes...lol. But it will be worth it in the long run when I have a smoking hot body and I'm running that 5k!!
  • headofphat
    headofphat Posts: 1,597 Member
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    Keep working through it. You'll get to the point where you hate yourself when you miss a workout.

    Good luck.
  • Trishism
    Trishism Posts: 79 Member
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    I tooootally understand the 'getting greedy' feeling. For the first 3/4 weeks I lost 4lbs a week, and then I had a week where I only lost 1.5lbs. In my head I know that 1.5lbs is still a really good loss, but after seeing 4lbs off for multiple weeks in a row I definitely felt disappointed. Right now I'm working on trying to feel happy as long as I'm losing SOMETHING in a week(whether 0.2lbs or 2.0lbs).

    Another thing I do since I don't enjoy exercising is changing what I do. I take walks when I can and that's just a bonus. But I'll do the elliptical one day, treadmill the next, and the death machines(I don't actually know what they're called o.O) the day after that, along with a circuit of the weight machines. But now that I can fit into my swimsuit again I've been swimming laps and I actually enjoy it!

    Anyway, don't get discouraged. Power through and think about how at the end of the day you'll be glad that you worked out.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    SteveMFP123 wrote: »
    Thank you all for the kind words. I guess I just got "greedy" for big losses on the scale, and when it didn't happen it was a shock to the system. I'm nearly half way on my weight loss so I really don't want to relapse, this time next year I want to be done and happy, not back where I started.

    As for exercise I've been doing T25, I'm on my 4th week of the Alpha cycle which is 25 minutes a day, Monday - Friday with the weekend off. I haven't missed a day but if I'm honest with myself I've been working at maybe 60% effort during the past week. I'm still eating well within my calories as well, thankfully I've never been much of a binge eater, I gained all my weight from sheer laziness.



    Here you just said it yourself, Steve. You gained weight from laziness. Now, you're tired of exercising. That means you have to find something you like----and do it for the rest of your life, or you'll be right back here again. You have to enjoy your exercise, or you will quit sooner or later. Try something else. Best. :)
  • SteveMFP123
    SteveMFP123 Posts: 298 Member
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    Well another week, another weigh in and I lost nothing, nada. Now I'm really depressed. It took a lot of effort to continue working out this week and once again I got no result. It's amazing how eating the same and working out the same worked so well for months and now it's not working at all.

    I've been reading up as to why and Julian Michaels says I shouldn't eat less than 1500 calories whereas I've been having 1300 - 1400 a day, maybe I'm not eating enough? I'm 6ft 3 and currently 263lbs.
  • Ming1951
    Ming1951 Posts: 514 Member
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    You can do this! We all go thru what they call plateau's where we may not lose for a week or two here or there, it happens. As long as you are maintaining your plan it will come off. Remember you are also losing inches, sometimes it shows in inches not lbs. I am losing 1-2 lbs a week, I messed up my weight entry so my scale shows only a 3 lbs lose in the past month where its actually 15 lbs total. The first 2 weeks I lost more but I've leveled off. I will take this loss because by next summer I will almost be at my goal. (I had a lot to loose).
    Stay positive, try not to think about it, accept it as part of your "job" each day and keep moving on.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    That's extremely low. I was able to drop weight at a good rate by eating over my BMR. At 6'3 at a BMI under 25 you would be 195 pounds. A BMR for that range is about 1887. Try upping your intake a little.
  • cwaters120
    cwaters120 Posts: 354 Member
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    SteveMFP123 wrote: »
    Well another week, another weigh in and I lost nothing, nada. Now I'm really depressed. It took a lot of effort to continue working out this week and once again I got no result. It's amazing how eating the same and working out the same worked so well for months and now it's not working at all.

    I've been reading up as to why and Julian Michaels says I shouldn't eat less than 1500 calories whereas I've been having 1300 - 1400 a day, maybe I'm not eating enough? I'm 6ft 3 and currently 263lbs.

    You're still assessing - that's GOOD! IMO, you are eating too little for your height/weight/workout (if you're still with T25) but that is just my opinion. Plateaus are a normal part of the process so STICK TO IT. Shake things up a bit - same ol'same ol' sometimes needs a kick in the butt ;) try taking a walk on an "off" day or shake up your menu a bit. Just keeping at it is the most important thing! :)
  • SteveMFP123
    SteveMFP123 Posts: 298 Member
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    cwaters120 wrote: »
    SteveMFP123 wrote: »
    Well another week, another weigh in and I lost nothing, nada. Now I'm really depressed. It took a lot of effort to continue working out this week and once again I got no result. It's amazing how eating the same and working out the same worked so well for months and now it's not working at all.

    I've been reading up as to why and Julian Michaels says I shouldn't eat less than 1500 calories whereas I've been having 1300 - 1400 a day, maybe I'm not eating enough? I'm 6ft 3 and currently 263lbs.

    You're still assessing - that's GOOD! IMO, you are eating too little for your height/weight/workout (if you're still with T25) but that is just my opinion. Plateaus are a normal part of the process so STICK TO IT. Shake things up a bit - same ol'same ol' sometimes needs a kick in the butt ;) try taking a walk on an "off" day or shake up your menu a bit. Just keeping at it is the most important thing! :)

    Yeah I'm still doing T25, week 4 of Alpha is done.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    SteveMFP123 wrote: »
    Well another week, another weigh in and I lost nothing, nada. Now I'm really depressed. It took a lot of effort to continue working out this week and once again I got no result. It's amazing how eating the same and working out the same worked so well for months and now it's not working at all.

    I've been reading up as to why and Julian Michaels says I shouldn't eat less than 1500 calories whereas I've been having 1300 - 1400 a day, maybe I'm not eating enough? I'm 6ft 3 and currently 263lbs.

    How many pounds per week lost are you using as a baseline when setting your caloric deficit? 1400 calories is under half of the resting metabolic rate caloric needs for a sedentary man of your height and weight. Eating that little coupled with the amount of exercise that would leave you constantly sore and losing six pounds per week is indicative of an unhealthy approach.

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