I'm giving up
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Umm, yeah 9lb in a week won't reflect the weight you're actually losing, it's mostly water. Don't worry!
But I know about food budgeting. I try to stick to £35 a week for me and my husband... He's a hard worker, and eats heaps! I'm also not great at portion control0 -
If we want something badly enough we have to work for it, I would say DON'T GIVE UP!! never give up on yourself.
Perhaps you have your calorie deficit set too extreme? why not set it to lose less per week and lose a bit more slowly, that might feel more achievable?0 -
Let me give you some advice. I'm sure your frusterated. EVERYONE is. This isn't easy. It sucks for everyone everyday and everyone has excuses. But the only people who actually get the weight off and keep the weight off, drop all the excuses and just do it.
But if you come on here and say you are giving up, don't expect much "oh, you shouldn't, it's ok, it will be better tomorrow". Most people aren't going to feel bad for you. The only person who CARES about your weight loss is you. You mention no support. People rarely have consistant everyday support in this. It's every man for theirselves. If you aren't strong enough to stick with it for 3 weeks, then you won't last during the long haul, quit now.
Now, get off your sorry pot and get going. Drop ALL of the excuses. Eat more protien. If you are trying to lose too fast (1.5lbs/week would be the max I'd recommend at this point), decrease your defienct. You'll learn that sodium is our archnemisis. It lives in things you'd never think and it causes temporary weight gain. But it's water weight. It's not fat and it will go away. Also, if you started exercising more and your muscles are sore you'll gain water weight.0 -
Don't give up! No one said it was going to be easy. I have been doing this for 5 weeks and I know the feeling. But I REFUSE to give up. I don't have a lot of money either but I doing the best with what I have on hand. The weight is coming off slowly. I don't have any support either and have found out not to many people on here will help out either(most are judgmental because you don't used the right technique). But don't let people, money or anything else stop you from your goals.0
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LahrysaTebo2015 wrote: »I can't do it anymore. It's been 3 weeks and I'm lying to myself now. Working over nights and dieting on a budget is just too hard. No one around me is supportive. I hate being fat but I hate that I can't do this even more. I don't think think it's going to work out. I feel lke *kitten* every day that I'm. It dieting bt I can't afford it and I can't stay motivated
it doesn't have to expensive at all. In fact I find its cheaper because less ingredients. One lean meat, vegie and one side or rice or poatoe or I skip the starch/carb and have two vegies with my meat. Dont give up. Plan your days around your working schedule. You can do this. For now if losing weight is too hard for you and stressful... why not try this: set your diary to only count calories and to maintain your wieght. Log everything you eat and log all your exercise, keep a journal on how you are doing and feeling each day. this way you wont gain weight but can get more in the habit of counting your calories and staying accountable each day. That is half the battle of keeping on track. Then as you feel more comfortable and ready, just add in something new each day like a food or activity or a new recipe or new ingredient, etc. Adding in new things each day instead of focusing on what you can't have will give you a new mindset. Have you ever watched Hungry for Change? if not, watch it. If you have, watch it again.
Dont give up!!!0 -
"I lost 9 lbs the first week and gained 4 the second week. No change in my diet" yeah that was too big of a loss the first week so essentially it means you lost five lbs and that is awesome. Now move on from there. You got this.0
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You are probably doing something unsustainable. Eat in a way you can for the rest of your life.
You don't have to eat special food to lose weight. You just have to watch your calorie intake and have a deficit. Log as accurately as you can.
Meal planning when you have a tight budget is really helpful. It is also helpful for weight loss. You can just make a list of a few meals and rotate between them if that works for you.
Some people prep their food for several days at a time. Cook a large batch of something and portion it out over the week. Soup is a good dollar stretcher and reheats or freezes well. Lentil soup is cheap, filling and low calorie.
Foods like dry beans, lentils, oatmeal, tuna, pasta, rice, potatoes, carrots, eggs, bread, peanut butter, apples, popcorn, whole chicken or chicken thighs can fit a low budget. Drink water and save money and calories for food.
Fast food or pre-made meals are often more expensive than food you prepare yourself.
Some foods will give you more for the calories and money. Spinach has more going for it nutritionally than iceburg lettuce for example.
http://www.budgetbytes.com has tasty cost conscious recipes. I like some of the baked oatmeal recipes.
I eat the same foods I always did just in appropriate portion sizes for my goal. This is how I do things:
Breakfast- things like Greek yogurt, granola bars, cereal with milk, sandwich, dinner leftovers, fruit (about 200-300 calories)
Lunch- things like a sandwich, salad, or dinner leftovers (about 300-500 calories)
Dinner- something different every night of the month. (about 500-600 calories) I have soup once a week usually.
Snacks- things like fruit, chips, popcorn, pretzels, chocolate, cookies, granola bar, carrots, celery, broccoli, trail mix, deviled eggs, pickles (about 100-300 calories)0 -
Fast food or pre-made meals are often more expensive than food you prepare yourself.
I wonder is this somehow different in other countries or other side of world. I'm actually using less money than I used to by making my own food and eating less. Food is pretty expensive in Finland but so far healthier options seem to be cheaper than going for fast food. Big Mac meal in McDonald's for example costs 6,80 euros which would be something like 7,7 US dollars I think? For that price I can prepare mashed potatoes, meatballs and salad for 2-3 meals. I'm using 40 to 50 euros less a month for food than I used to. Is it really that much more expensive around where you live?
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Stick with it. Three weeks isn't enough time to think about quitting. Add good friends for support. Don't overwhelm yourself - start by logging all of your foods until that becomes habit, and then expand your efforts from there. A five pound loss in three weeks is actually pretty good, so you have proved that you can do it.0
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Well OP---you've learned alot of people on here have it rough and still keep going. They won't coddle you. All your excuses can be dealt with--if you want to. If you decide to quit, you can, but just know everyone will still be here ready to give you good advice when you're ready to commit. Best of luck.0
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It is such a myth that it is more expensive to eat healthy. That just makes no sense to me. Also, everyone is operating on a budget. I do not like that phrase (pet peeve). Nobody* has a bottomless bank account to spend on food... but I can imagine what that would be like.
This process takes patience and everyone slips from time to time. I was about to finish under my calorie goal last night but then I ate a pizza boat from Jet's Pizza. Damn. Oh well! One day doesn't define this journey. On to the next!
*Ok, some people have so much money they don't have to worry about paying for food.0 -
please go read my thread "to those who are frustrated..."0
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LahrysaTebo2015 wrote: »LahrysaTebo2015 wrote: »LahrysaTebo2015 wrote: »Thank you all. I have also been giving 100% of my checks weekly to getting my car fixed so I have had 20$ a week to buy all my groceries. I get my car back friday so I will have extra money each week to do this. When I don't have enough food I either just don't eat or I eat the *kitten* food my roommates have. I CAN do this and I WILL do this. No matter how much I've cheated (not a lot) I still have only had water for three weeks. Oh and my cheat meal I'm talking about was a pork chop & brocolli w/ cheese sauce . But my plan was to make tuna on a whole grain wrap with a pickle but woke up late for work so I couldn't make that. But before a few weeks ago I would have stopped at McDonald's on the way to work and spent 20$ so, yes, I am making progress
Gaining 4 pounds of the 9 I lost discouraged me and I can't shake it but I still lost 5 pounds so that's a start !
Realistically, if you were not eating at all because you have no money, you would be seriously underweight, not have weight to lose. So, you are eating something. Have you lost anything in these last weeks? If not, then actually you are eating more than you should, not less. Are you logging your food? No matter what you are eating, be it lettuce wraps or burgers, you can still count the calories.
I lost 9 lbs the first week and gained 4 the second week. No change in my diet
9 lbs was an insane loss and most of it was water weight. It was inevitable that you would regain some. So, stop whining, you are doing fine
Well how am I supposed to knoe that? This is how people learn
Have you had a chance to read the "must read" posts stickied at the top of each forum section yet? There's some good information there, including this gem (which might have helped clear up some of your confusion): http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1
The rest of the General Diet must reads are great, too: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest0 -
Fast food or pre-made meals are often more expensive than food you prepare yourself.
I wonder is this somehow different in other countries or other side of world. I'm actually using less money than I used to by making my own food and eating less. Food is pretty expensive in Finland but so far healthier options seem to be cheaper than going for fast food. Big Mac meal in McDonald's for example costs 6,80 euros which would be something like 7,7 US dollars I think? For that price I can prepare mashed potatoes, meatballs and salad for 2-3 meals. I'm using 40 to 50 euros less a month for food than I used to. Is it really that much more expensive around where you live?
I said the fast food is usually more expensive than the food you prepare yourself not that fast food was cheaper. It seems cheap but it isn't compared to buying ingredients. I save money by not eating out. From Kansas, USA0 -
Friends and roommates go out every night and stuff their faces with pizza and tacos, it isn't fair, you're hungry and miserable. Everyone is enjoying food but you. You're stressed out and can't binge to relieve it. Nobody takes your weight loss seriously, it's a joke, they know it's another one of your crazy attempts, and you're going to fail in a few weeks. Eating healthy sucks, it's expensive and the food tastes terrible. Tracking is so hard, it's too much work, and you have no help and you're overwhelmed.
You are all alone, and that sucks, but it's also empowering. First, quit caring what people around you eat. It's their bodies and their lives, you don't share same goals, so they're going to eat differently...probably a lot more than you
If you don't have a digital scale, you need to get one to weigh your food for accurate tracking. What should you eat? You're the boss, eat what you like, track it, stay under goal. Food should be enjoyable.
I don't know if you binged or not, that is more me, but I go for walks instead of through McDonald's drive-thru, it seems to help. Sometimes I play games on steam, it preoccupies me until my cravings/desire to binge passes.
To make tracking easier, use the create meal feature for things over 3 items. Seems to save me time.
Nobody is perfect, you're going to screw up, everyone does. It's okay. Weight-loss is about long term trend, not how you perform on a single day. When you screw up, don't cry or give up, get back to tracking and staying under goal. It is that simple.
Going out, parties, birthdays and holidays are going to happen. You're going to have to learn how to do those things and stay under your calories. You may be the only one there counting calories and saying "No" to triple fudge brownies. You will be alone, but it's a good thing. Looking back, you may be the only one of your friends that can say "I lost all the weight I wanted, all by myself."
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Three weeks? Calm down.
I've been going at this for a couple of years, and I am glad that I started when I did and didn't give up.
You have to really want this. Don't give up, just step back and change your attitude towards weight loss. Forget about all those fad diets (that promise fake fast weight loss), forget about those expensive weight loss programs and clinics, forget about stupid FB and tumblr posts, and forget about any weight loss product and their claims. These don't teach us anything in the long run. Keep using myfitnesspal, weigh ALL your foods on a food scale in grams (yes, all, except liquids), and breathe. This is a journey, not a race. In a years time, you'd be glad that you started today.
Considering it took much longer to gain the weight, three weeks is nothing. Three weeks is a grain of sand on the beach. What were you expecting in 3 weeks?
Seriously, losing .5-2lbs per week is the right way to go. Sometimes you'll go up, but mostly you'll go down- that's normal. Losing weight too fast= health problems short and long term, and the weight is sure to pile back on. Also, losing weight too fast = muscle loss as well as fat loss. Be kind to your body.
Take it slow like we've all done here and reap the rewards.
I've lost 80+lbs, and it took me 28 months. Just because your dad lost weight fast, doesn't mean that this is safe or healthy. Like I said, do this for your health. Trust me, you don't want to suffer (yes, suffer) the consequences of losing weight too fast).LahrysaTebo2015 wrote: »
And, stop setting up time limits. No bueno.
Have you considered flexible dieting? This is basically eating the foods you enjoy plus nutritious foods. I do this. I have treats every day and am losing just fine. The secret is to make them fit into your daily calories.
By the way... I am in the process of immigrating to another country, so currently I am unable to work. Husband and I have very (VERY) limited income...but, I am losing weight just fine. You don't need special foods...just eat the foods you did before, but less, and add in some vegetables and nutritious foods. You're golden.
Pick your hard:
Being overweight is hard.
Losing weight is hard.
I'd rather lose the weight. I've had enough of the overweight 'hard'.0 -
I'll tell you what my husband tells me when I say I'm quitting (edited to add: I'm never serious about quitting, just frustrated with progress)
"Go ahead and be a quitter."
Works every damn time.
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Not here to be negative Nancy, but that attitude about this is going to get you absolutely nowhere. So you can either turn that attitude around and just stick with it or you can give up and maybe (or maybe not) try again later.
If you decide to stick with it (which you should) then there are important things for you to understand, and I mean actually understand. Weight loss is not linear AND it takes time. Three weeks is hardly enough time for anything to happen. When I say weight loss is not linear, it means that there will be ups, downs, and plateaus, but what you would be worried about is an overall downward trend in your weight. Those people who weigh daily (not me) completely understand these two things about weight loss. They typically weigh in every day and at the end of the week take the average of the numbers. If you don't have that mindset, then seeing a 5 pound gain in one day on the scale can really take a toll.
If you do all of the above, log accurately (weigh your food) and add exercise and still feel like you cannot keep at it (even though you will be losing weight), then maybe it's just not time. I've been at this for years now, have lost, gained, etc. I have tried to get back at it way more times than I actually have. Something inside of me just has to "click" each time I actually get back to it.
My last piece of advice-- do some research, stalk the forums, as questions. Learn about weight loss. Learn about what happens in your body when you eat at a deficit. Learn about the effects of sodium and other factors on water retention. The 9 pounds you lost the first week were absolutely water weight and chances are, you took in a little more sodium that next week, which caused you to gain back some of that water. Take measurements if you want accuracy. The scale can sometimes be deceiving.
Keep. At. It. I can't imagine if I were to have given up at after three weeks.
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Just wanted to add that as a woman especially your weight will fluctuate if you still have a menstrual cycle. It is common for me to gain 1-2 pounds during ovulation, and 2-3 pounds before menstruation. I always lose it plus a pound at the end of the perspective weeks as long as I didn't go insane on eating poorly. So I know that half the month, I will gain weight. But I will lose it.
Also, I will tell you that I got frustrated from not losing weight when I was doing high intensity workouts like T25. I looked amazing and looked like I lost 20 pounds. I stopped doing those workouts because the scale wasn't moving. I have lost 10 pounds since I stopped working out but I look like I gained weight. I'm flabby from losing my tone and I feel way worse about myself. I started my workouts backup and guess what? I gained a couple pounds from water retention and muscle soreness. I have to understand that I need to eat less calories than I take it and rely on measurements and progress pics and only use the scale as a loose guide.0 -
I always say this, and not only in regards to weightloss, but you have to get your mind in the right place. Right now you have a super negative mindset. You are using every excuse you can find to justify why it won't work. The people who succeed at anything have an I can do it attitude. We are only human and we all have bad days where we sulk and feel sorry for ourselves and blah blah blah, but don't let those days outweigh the good. Obviously you want to lose weight, you made a great first step by coming to mfp. Maybe check out all of the awesome posts here that can help you get on the right track.0
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