feeling a little discouraged

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capedorsetgirl
capedorsetgirl Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Well today was weigh in day (starting of week 4). I was expecting another 2 lb loss. I stepped on the scale and was shocked....only 0.2 lbs down. Did my measures as well and put inches on. :( I have been thinking about it for the past hour and a half; what did I do wrong, where do I go from here; just plane frustrated with myself. THen my 15 year old daughter says how proud she is of me, "you've lost 6.4 lbs in 3 weeks! That's awesome! Don't expect to loss weight every week. You're doing great!" When did a 15 year old become so wise? I'm coming to terms with the minimal weight loss this week and realize that I need to get back to measuring EVERYTHING; not just some things. I need to drink more water which is hard. I live in the Canadian Arctic where it's extremely cold right now, so I'm drinking more tea (4-6 cups/day) than I am water (3-4 cups/day). And my big challenge will be....just because I've worked out and earned extra calories doesn't mean I have to eat them all. It's that feeling of having to eat everything on your plate. Thank you for letting me ramble and get this off my chest.

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  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    And that you have an awesome daughter to boot!! Way to go mom!!
  • joneallen
    joneallen Posts: 217 Member
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    Accurately (and honestly) tracking calories, along with consistency will render success. Keep it up! Everyone has bad weeks, but you still LOST. Keep a positive attitude.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    6.4 lbs in 3 weeks is AWESOME! Way to go. Your daughter is right. You’re going to have good and bad weeks. I’d keep on doing what you’re doing. When I was losing weight, some weeks I’d drop 3-4 lbs, and other weeks I’d drop none. It happens and can depend on a lot of variables. I wouldn’t worry about making any changes unless you have 3 weeks in a row of bad progress. Then I think it’s appropriate to switch things up.

    Be sure that you’re really sticking to your calorie and macro goals too. A little extra here and there can really add up if you’re not being diligent about your nutrition.

    You’ve got this, and keep the great work up!
    Allan
  • RHSheetz
    RHSheetz Posts: 268 Member
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    So, I have coached several people through weight loss, and I (almost always) see a plato on week 3 or 4. As I tell my clients, make sure to get your water in and relax. As people keep telling me, weight loss is not linear, your body does strange things, will retain water. Just keep eating healthy and your body will catch up. Congrats on the great loss.
  • capedorsetgirl
    capedorsetgirl Posts: 19 Member
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    Thank you for the encouragement!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    You can do this!
  • hansmdude
    hansmdude Posts: 111 Member
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    A little progress is still progress... but if you're doing good, why would you stop measuring? Keep doing the things that made you lose. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you can now gauge your calories without measuring everything... you'd be surprised how far off your mental count can be. Good Luck and All the Best!
  • tiggis2006
    tiggis2006 Posts: 7
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    The scale does not determine how much fat you have. Your goal should be fat loss not weight loss. If you have become more active your muscles will grow, hold water and the scale may reverse for a while. Keep fighting, Do the right things and you will see the results you want.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    Sounds like the only thing you did wrong was unrealistic expectations. The fluctuations and stalls can drive you crazy if you let it. Your wise daughter is correct. You are doing great!!
  • tmove2015
    tmove2015 Posts: 153 Member
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    Don't give up! Be patient. It took time to gain and it will take time to lose. But keep at it! Your daughter is great! A good support system is great to have! Feel free to add me!
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    FWIW, there's nothing wrong with drinking tea! You don't need to cut out tea and replace it with water unless you want to. It will still keep you hydrated, and that's the point.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Personally I've never gone by measurements because I don't trust myself to be consistent with taking them. If you move the tape measure a little up or down, a little tighter or not - the #s will be different. I like to go by the fit of a pair of pants. Find something you can't wear now and try them every 4-6 weeks.

    Keep in mind this is a long term project, with long term benefits & results. You weigh less today than you did 30 days ago. Great job!
  • hlwick12
    hlwick12 Posts: 135 Member
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    As others have said, there are no less than 100 possible factors. If you're building muscle, the scale won't always be your friend, pay attention to how your clothes feel. Are you eating enough? Perhaps try cutting back on the tea (especially if it's caffeinated), and adding pure water back in. If you're looking for something warm, try hot water with lemon as a swap here/there. Healthy weight loss is an average of 2lbs per week, so you're right within that range. And that's an average, so you'll have ups and downs, but get back to what worked well for you the first few weeks. Focus on the positives, and see where you can improve. I always tell ppl "aim for progress, not perfection." Stick with it! You got this! :)
  • jeannettemancini
    jeannettemancini Posts: 58 Member
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    This happens to me too... a few weeks about 2 lbs lost, and then I'll stay steady a few, and then a few of loss. It's so slow.. but I just keep saying (this time around) that if I stay the course, and stay honest with Cals, it WILL work and I WILL succeed this time.

  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    My weight loss over the past 3 months has looked like this:

    ycf7xtuaqrjh.jpg

    As you can see, there have been lots of ups and downs. It's not a straight line. Sometimes I'll gain a couple of pounds one week, only to lose them afterwards. But obviously, there's been a downward trend because I lost 22 pounds in a little over 3 months.

    What I'd suggest to you is to perhaps consider weighing in daily instead of weekly. Weekly weigh-ins can be devastating to motivation because you build up all kinds of expectations and anticipation, and then if you step on the scale and don't see the big drop, you get really disappointed. When, in truth, maybe it's just water retention from the night before, or a different time of day or time of month, or a thousand other reasons for fluctuation. Daily weigh-ins mean that each data point has less importance attached to it, and it's easier to put a small gain into perspective when you see the trends. Also, sometimes it's useful to chart things. Like, I've noticed I always seem to gain a few pounds of water weight at my TOM and lose them afterwards, and I also notice that my weight appears lower if I weigh later in the morning (like, on a weekend after sleeping in).

    Furthermore, I'd recommed using a free app like Trendweight (iOS) or Libra (Android) to track your weight. It will automatically give you a trendline that smooths out the fluctuations and charts your progress.

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