Feeling discouraged

I had lost 40 pounds with MFP. Then I met my boyfriend and gained back 20. In December I decided that we weren't doing enough and I tried to motivate him but he wasn't budging so I started on my own. Unfortunately, we broke up just after New Years. It's been a very tough break up but I started a new eating plan and have lost 10+ of the 20 I gained back. I do minimal exercise right now (when I do, it's yoga or snowboarding-about 2.5 hours of actual boarding). I'm trying to get my eating right first. I didn't have to give up much as far as treats because I rarely if ever drink sweetened drinks like soda or -ade drinks. And I'm not a big junk food junky person. I simply don't buy it. My son is almost 6' and weighs about 134 but he's ALWAYS been thin (like his father) and eats whatever he wants. I buy him what he wants to eat. He's 18 so he makes his own food and I make mine. I do weigh myself everyday because I want to catch myself if I gain some. I know I will plateau at some point and the scale won't budge. At that point it's time to reassess and add exercise or refine my eating. I don't have anything really that I snack on except nuts and an occasional no sugar fudgcicle. If my son doesn't eat them all. What do you normally eat?

Sheets76 wrote: »

I was wondering if people have felt really down and discouraged with their results and how they keep motivated ? I feel like quitting because it just seems too hard! I have been exercising and eating under or just at my calorie intake each day and yet - week after week I see no result - the scale won't budge below the 80kg (177lb) mark. I'm still obese based on BMI so I don't understand why it's so difficult to lose weight. It's making me feel disheartened and got me really down...anyone who has been through this and pushed past to see positive results please tell us how you kept going?

Do you have a under active thyroid?
Ask your doctor if you can have it checked.
Woman tend to carry more stress, and stress creates cortisol hormone and it makes you retain fat cells.

I would continue to journal.
See your doctor to make sure its not your thyroid.
Try to eliminate stress by yoga and deep breathing

Rules for woman always eat breakfast! Protein protein protein
zinc- for woman!!!
vitamin B and D
lean cuts of chicken or fish
and lots of green veggies
limit starchy veggies like potatoes and corn!


Good luck!!!

Well, if you are not losing, at least you are more aware of your food, and you are not gaining. That, in and of itself is a win.

I can 100% relate...I have been bouncing from 175.5 to 179 and about every range in between for 3 weeks. It's the 177 curse BUT (and its a big one) I have lost 3 inches and am getting strong. I can do some things I couldn't before (crunches for a whole minute no stops, girly push-ups, 45 minutes incline treadmill no breaks).

My weightloss was great at first, then basically stopped when I started propanolol (jam 31). My resting heartrate decreased to high 40's low 50's. I logged and counted and exercised and...some meds cause changes in metabolism. My average was 1330 calories in per day, and I didn't eat back exercise calories. At 178 pounds that calorie amount should cause loss, but didn't.

Your thyroid or thyroid prep could be a large part of the stall. Some here will get all freaked that I suggest such a thing and will say you are eating too much, not logging, etc. That may be the case, but medical conditions change everything. I gained 15 pounds on elavil, another 15 with decadron/ medrol/ prednisone, and another 15 on depakote. I went from 135 to 183 with meds and bedrest.

So, my point is, we all have different challenges and experiences. You might try progress photos and measurements. One of my friends has lost almost no weight but dropped 8 inches.....frustrating yes but smaller and stronger beats lighter all day everyday! Good luck and stick with it....healthy lifestyle is about way more than weight!

And, if you want a friend stuck in the 176-179 range, I'm your girl

Don't STOP! You know stopping means weight gain.

Instead, take a good look at your food logging. Are you positive you are eating at a deficit. Being just a couple hundred calories off a day can mean it takes 10 or 11 days to lose a pound, instead of a week.

I was "stuck" in the 177 range for a while, then at 172, but am now seeing 169 on the scale most days. It's just how the weight loss process is going right now. I would love to see a faster loss, but I'm not willing to starve (or willing to walk when its so cold outside) so I pay the price of slower weight loss.

If you watch your trending weight loss, the downward trend I mean, you'll see that even small losses add up.

For much of December and all of January I was as anxious to see 169 as I was to see 199 when I weighed over 200. I don't know if it gets "easier" or if I will ever not wonder if I'm going to make it into the next group of 10 pounds down; but I logically know that it will happen as long as I keep on logging my food and eating at my calorie goal.

Please don't give up. You can do this!

sodakat wrote: »

Instead, take a good look at your food logging. Are you positive you are eating at a deficit. Being just a couple hundred calories off a day can mean it takes 10 or 11 days to lose a pound, instead of a week.

This is good advice. One study using doubly labeled water found that even registered dietitians underestimated their intake by around 200 calories a day, while laypeople missed twice as much.

This thread is very useful:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1