SO SO FRUSTRATED
fitchlets
Posts: 58 Member
I feel like because I have so much to lose, I should be losing more. I posted yesterday how I was up a pound, well today I am down that exact pound, which is great, but I'm like 13 days in and only down 8 pounds. I remember before kids I could drop 10 pounds in a week easy. Am I just bring unrealistic or am I doing something wrong? I've been eating a clean, whole food diet and working out 5 days a week. Sorry for the rant, it just seems like I've been stalled for 3 days now.
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You're being unrealistic.
Healthy rate of weight loss is up to 2lbs per week. The first week you may lose more due to water weight loss. If you're expecting "Biggest Loser" type numbers, you need to reevaluate your expectations.0 -
8 pounds is pretty good! yes it was easier when we were younger, your metabolism naturally slows as we age, and it takes several months of exercise to get the arrow pointed back in the right direction, you might also be gaining some muscle which may slow the scale loss but you should feel it in your clothing! Years ago, diet center would have you do an egg and grapefruit (and lots of water) day to break the plateau, it did work for me...0
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Yes, you're being too hard on yourself. You are down 8lbs in two weeks, which is a phenomenal loss. Previously when you lost 10lbs in a week, most of that would have been water. If you've added in new exercise you might be retaining water, so you're not seeing quite as large of a drop as before, but 8lbs is still great. A lot of experts suggest losing 2lbs a week if you have 50lbs or more to lose, so you're well above that.0
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Unrealistic goals. 8lbs in 13 days - THAT'S AMAZING. I only lost 5.6 in 28 days and I'm up a pound this week...
Patience. Keep doing what your doing. It won't come off fast, it's not supposed to. I'm not sure how much you have to lose but healthy, sustainable weight loss is at max 2lbs/week. When you get to your last 15lbs it comes off EVEN SLOWER. Strap in, get comfortable because it's going to be a long ride.0 -
You didn't gain it overnight, so you can't expect to lose it that quickly.0
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Definitely unrealistic. Most of the 8 pounds is probably water. Just be patient and consistent, and you will see results. .5-2 pounds per week is healthy and normal depending on the amount that you are trying to lose. Good luck!0
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I'm 13 days in and only down 8 pounds
please tell me you're not serious.0 -
Don't think of it as the number on the scale, although believe me I'm the same way! - I have to keep in my mind that each day I'm working out I am getting stronger and healthier...my clothes are fitting better....give yourself a month and see where you are from the beginning of that month and then do the same for the next month and so on and so forth - I have said the exact same thing - why is it just not melting off since I have so much to lose - well obviously my fat has become "attached" to my body and is not in a hurry to go anywhere - but the level of energy and self-worth that working out has given me is more than its weight in gold!! - hang in there and remember - YOU ARE WORTH THE EFFORT!!!
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Really you are complaining 13 days in down 8 lbs while most is water weight, but what are you doing to do on the weeks you don't lose anything it will happen.
Stop trying to lose it quick, take time to learn about nutrition, portion control, moderation and on how to make these lasting changes, and learn PATIENCE0 -
Baby steps. Shoot for 2 pounds at a time. You'll bounce a bit. Down 2, up one, etc. Its the net result that counts. You will get there. It's not easy especially when you have a good loss and then hit a plateau for a while. Just push through.0
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Its a marathon, not a sprint. Once you lose whatever weight you want to, then you have to maintain that loss. Is what you are doing now sustainable for the rest of your life? Slow and steady sucks when you have a bunch of weight to lose, but once you get rid of the expectation of weight loss overnight you won't be setting yourself up for failure.0
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Yup, unrealistic. And stop thinking about how things worked in the past. Don't compare yourself to anyone else during this process, including your younger self. You are who you are now and this is how it's working for you now. As you've pointed out, you're older and you've had kids. Your body is not the same body as it was before and you're just going to drive yourself crazy with comparisons.
With the amount of weight you have to lose (going by the ticker on your profile), 1-2 pounds per week is a healthy and realistic goal. Any more than that is a bonus. No one really talks about it but having patience is a huge part of this process. Twio days isn't a stall, it's just a bump in the road.
ETA: When I started out, I caught myself saying things like this too. I've "only" lost a pound this week - what am I doing wrong? Then I'd look at the averages and realize I'd been losing 1.5-2 pounds per week and realized that was pretty friggin fantastic! Getting and keeping some perspective can help you in the long run.0 -
Thank you all so so much. I'm going to keep at it and keep positive. I've been 100% strict so it stings a bit, but what you are all saying makes sense.0
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Don't think of it as the number on the scale, although believe me I'm the same way! - I have to keep in my mind that each day I'm working out I am getting stronger and healthier...my clothes are fitting better....give yourself a month and see where you are from the beginning of that month and then do the same for the next month and so on and so forth - I have said the exact same thing - why is it just not melting off since I have so much to lose - well obviously my fat has become "attached" to my body and is not in a hurry to go anywhere - but the level of energy and self-worth that working out has given me is more than its weight in gold!! - hang in there and remember - YOU ARE WORTH THE EFFORT!!!
You last sentence just had me tear up. THANK YOU!0 -
What has helped me is to focus on other goals than the scale. It is normal for the scale to fluctuate. When the scale does not show me what i want I look at how well I have been tracking and my overall calorie deficit. I look at how my clothes fit better. I look at my food diary to see if I have been treating myself too often. If all those are good I don't worry about the scale. Also I only weigh myself 1 time a week at most. I only take measurements after 20 lbs lost.
Be honest with what you are eating and tracking. If you don't lose and your tracker shows that you have not been at a deficit then take a hard look at your eating plan.0 -
Thank you all so so much. I'm going to keep at it and keep positive. I've been 100% strict so it stings a bit, but what you are all saying makes sense.
100% strict? Remember you want this to last. Don't make this so difficult that you make yourself and everyone around you miserable.0 -
True story: I don't own a scale, so I only weigh myself when I go to the gym, but I prefer to exercise outdoors on my bike when possible, so for much of the year I don't go to the gym frequently. As a result, I didn't weigh myself for my first couple of weeks on MFP, just saw my starting number and stuck to a calorie deficit from there. After 10 days, I knew I was doing well--I already fit back into a piece of clothing that had previously gotten too tight. After two weeks, went to the gym and stepped on the scale, confident that I would see a HUGE loss. Big smile on my face.
And I was up three pounds.
Needless to say, that wiped the smile off my face. But then I thought, well, I'd rather see a higher number on the scale and fit back into my clothes. That was a year and a half ago, and now I see that slow-and-steady is the way to go, and that while my weight fluctuates (sometimes wildly--I have "gained" as much as 7 pounds overnight), the overall trend is downward.
Be patient (easier said than done). Trust the process. If you are being honest (meaning logging accurately) and sticking to a deficit, you will lose weight, just not in a linear manner. And not only is losing slowly good for you physically; it's good for you mentally. Now that I'm more or less at maintenance, the habits are ingrained. If I'd lost the weight in a matter of weeks, that wouldn't be the case.0 -
Would anyone be willing to look at my diary and just see if there is something I'm doing that maybe I shouldn't be? I haven't logged since I joined, but I have the past 4 days or so. I did stop logging exercise per my nutritionist friend because she said I shouldn't eat back my workout calories.0
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scrittrice wrote: »True story: I don't own a scale, so I only weigh myself when I go to the gym, but I prefer to exercise outdoors on my bike when possible, so for much of the year I don't go to the gym frequently. As a result, I didn't weigh myself for my first couple of weeks on MFP, just saw my starting number and stuck to a calorie deficit from there. After 10 days, I knew I was doing well--I already fit back into a piece of clothing that had previously gotten too tight. After two weeks, went to the gym and stepped on the scale, confident that I would see a HUGE loss. Big smile on my face.
And I was up three pounds.
Needless to say, that wiped the smile off my face. But then I thought, well, I'd rather see a higher number on the scale and fit back into my clothes. That was a year and a half ago, and now I see that slow-and-steady is the way to go, and that while my weight fluctuates (sometimes wildly--I have "gained" as much as 7 pounds overnight), the overall trend is downward.
Be patient (easier said than done). Trust the process. If you are being honest (meaning logging accurately) and sticking to a deficit, you will lose weight, just not in a linear manner. And not only is losing slowly good for you physically; it's good for you mentally. Now that I'm more or less at maintenance, the habits are ingrained. If I'd lost the weight in a matter of weeks, that wouldn't be the case.
That's very interesting. I wonder if I should try something on that is usually snug just to see how it fits.0 -
Youre being unrealistic. This is something that's going to take years. Dont gage your success based on what is almost a couple weeks.
you know that you are worth phenomenal effort and patience right? that you are a soul that is worth investing in?
Invest in your future self instead of bemoaning who you no longer are.0 -
Youre being unrealistic. This is something that's going to take years. Dont gage your success based on what is almost a couple weeks.
you know that you are worth phenomenal effort and patience right? that you are a soul that is worth investing in?
Invest in your future self instead of bemoaning who you no longer are.
<3 thank you thank you thank you 0 -
Would anyone be willing to look at my diary and just see if there is something I'm doing that maybe I shouldn't be? I haven't logged since I joined, but I have the past 4 days or so. I did stop logging exercise per my nutritionist friend because she said I shouldn't eat back my workout calories.
the way MFP works is you have to... so your friend is wrong. Now, strictly using another method (like some of using TDEE - 20% or whatever) then no, I do not even log my exercise as it is already figured into my calorie totals.0 -
Would anyone be willing to look at my diary and just see if there is something I'm doing that maybe I shouldn't be? I haven't logged since I joined, but I have the past 4 days or so. I did stop logging exercise per my nutritionist friend because she said I shouldn't eat back my workout calories.
MFP already has an appropriate deficit built in, why would you want to add even more and make it a potentially unhealthy deficit? Eat back at least 50% of your exercise calories. This is part of the "it's not a sprint, it's a life journey' thing.0 -
Unrealistic. You are dropping fast! Keep up the good work!0
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Dude. You *are* losing fast. I can lose half a pound a week max. If I lost 8 lb in 13 days I'd think I died and went to heaven.0
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Would anyone be willing to look at my diary and just see if there is something I'm doing that maybe I shouldn't be? I haven't logged since I joined, but I have the past 4 days or so. I did stop logging exercise per my nutritionist friend because she said I shouldn't eat back my workout calories.
YOU'RE LOSING WEIGHT!? What would people find in your diary that would answer why you aren't losing more? What you doing already doesn't sound healthy if you dropped 13 pounds in 8 days. Seriously, put yourself in check. What you should be doing is probably eating MORE if you dropped that much that quickly.0 -
I'm 65 days in and only lost 8lbs....geez lol0
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It's 8 pounds in 13 days. I guess because I lost those 8 the first week and Thursday is the end of my second week and I haven't lost in my second week.0
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I also have over 100 pounds to lose.0
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lots of us had to lose over 100. it's way doable. be glad it aint 200. that's a little bit harder.0
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