The emotional up & downs of the weight loss journey
NasMax
Posts: 138 Member
So.. let’s take a quick look at an example of a long term trend & how most people feel during (if they don’t quit before the end that is)
lets use 12 weeks for an example:
For this example, we’re going to say that the target is just 1lb per week, and we’re weighing ourselves every day, then taking the average weight for the week for week to week comparisions.
WEEK 1: Weight is up & down every day (due to normal changes in water weight), and the end of week avg is 200lbs
WEEK 2: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 198lbs.
( Self talk – “That’s a 2lb drop from last week, yay!!!” )
WEEK 3: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is again 198lbs.
( Self talk – “No change this week, BOOOO!!” )
WEEK 4: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 197lbs
( Self talk – “Only 1lb loss, that’s ok-ish”)
WEEK 5: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 196lbs
(Self talk – that’s another 1lbs,… I’m happy with that! )
WEEK 6: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 196lbs
(Self talk – no change, I’m doing something wrong, its not working, I might quit if it doesn’t work again next week!)
WEEK 7: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 194lbs
(Self talk – thats 2lb loss, whoop! I’m happy but I WISH weight loss was more consistent!)
WEEK 8: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 193lbs
(Self talk – 1lbs loss, ok I suppose, but I want more, so again I’m privately disappointed)
WEEK 9: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 192lbs
(Self talk – only 1lb again, I don’t even look at 1lb as a good achievement anymore at this stage)
WEEK 10: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 191.5
(Self talk – Barley any change, definitely something wrong, I’m really pissed off & I’m thinking about quitting)
WEEK 11: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 189
(Self talk – That’s a 2.5lb loss, yay! I wish every week was like this! )
WEEK 12: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 187
(Self talk – That’s another 2lb loss, awsome, I’m really happy with that! )
Now let’s take a step back from the week to week up & down short term results,
& let’s look at the long term trend:
Reality = 13lbs of weight loss!
(Self talk – wow I wasn’t looking at the big picture, maybe I should have focused on that and avoided all the stress and up and down emotions… yay!!!)
Unfortunately most people won’t reach the end of their journey, as they’ll get way too caught up on the day to day & week to week results (or rather, DATA) and will quit out of frustration & lack of patience and go looking for something else…. which they won’t finish or stick to… and will spend the rest of their lives repeating this pattern.
Consider this… if it’s taken YEARS of abuse to get your body into it’s current state, you’re not going to undo all those years worth of damage in just a week or two.
PATIENCE!
lets use 12 weeks for an example:
For this example, we’re going to say that the target is just 1lb per week, and we’re weighing ourselves every day, then taking the average weight for the week for week to week comparisions.
WEEK 1: Weight is up & down every day (due to normal changes in water weight), and the end of week avg is 200lbs
WEEK 2: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 198lbs.
( Self talk – “That’s a 2lb drop from last week, yay!!!” )
WEEK 3: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is again 198lbs.
( Self talk – “No change this week, BOOOO!!” )
WEEK 4: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 197lbs
( Self talk – “Only 1lb loss, that’s ok-ish”)
WEEK 5: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 196lbs
(Self talk – that’s another 1lbs,… I’m happy with that! )
WEEK 6: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 196lbs
(Self talk – no change, I’m doing something wrong, its not working, I might quit if it doesn’t work again next week!)
WEEK 7: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 194lbs
(Self talk – thats 2lb loss, whoop! I’m happy but I WISH weight loss was more consistent!)
WEEK 8: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 193lbs
(Self talk – 1lbs loss, ok I suppose, but I want more, so again I’m privately disappointed)
WEEK 9: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 192lbs
(Self talk – only 1lb again, I don’t even look at 1lb as a good achievement anymore at this stage)
WEEK 10: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 191.5
(Self talk – Barley any change, definitely something wrong, I’m really pissed off & I’m thinking about quitting)
WEEK 11: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 189
(Self talk – That’s a 2.5lb loss, yay! I wish every week was like this! )
WEEK 12: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 187
(Self talk – That’s another 2lb loss, awsome, I’m really happy with that! )
Now let’s take a step back from the week to week up & down short term results,
& let’s look at the long term trend:
Reality = 13lbs of weight loss!
(Self talk – wow I wasn’t looking at the big picture, maybe I should have focused on that and avoided all the stress and up and down emotions… yay!!!)
Unfortunately most people won’t reach the end of their journey, as they’ll get way too caught up on the day to day & week to week results (or rather, DATA) and will quit out of frustration & lack of patience and go looking for something else…. which they won’t finish or stick to… and will spend the rest of their lives repeating this pattern.
Consider this… if it’s taken YEARS of abuse to get your body into it’s current state, you’re not going to undo all those years worth of damage in just a week or two.
PATIENCE!
32
Replies
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Thank you so much for posting this! I have been struggling with wanting to see more of a wight loss and this definitely motivated me to keep going.
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Totally right. So many people I speak to give up after a few weeks when they don't see a difference. The time I made the most progress overall was the time it took the longest to do but I just kept plugging on. More people need to read this.4
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jellybeanmusic wrote: »Totally right. So many people I speak to give up after a few weeks when they don't see a difference. The time I made the most progress overall was the time it took the longest to do but I just kept plugging on. More people need to read this.
That's how you win the long game! What did your plan look like? 1 -
I'm just going to comment to keep this thread active! Great post!1
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I agree with this so much! I remember being SO MAD with myself for basically the entire month this past February because I thought I wasn't losing fast enough day to day. However, in March I looked back and I actually did lose 4 lbs, and my goal was 1 lb a week. So I was mad for no reason! It really is the long game that matters, it is your weight from month to month, not day to day or even really week to week.4
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Keep Plugging!3
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Pfft, that's nothing compared to the mind games that happen in maintenance
But yeah, totally spot on 4 -
Love this post!2
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Weight loss is definitely a marathon, not a sprint. And it's not linear either--you won't see a nice straight downward sloping line on a graph; it will actually look more like a lie detector test with all the ups and downs. That's why I try to set mini-goals for myself. 63 pounds just seems insurmountable. So I set short-term goals. I'm down 20 pounds, and now my next goal is to get into the 170s. Then my goal will be to get to the lower end of the 170s, specifically 173, because that will be 30 pounds, and so forth. Like the old adage: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!"5
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Great post1
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Progress photos are a life saver, because at times where water retention masks fat loss, the photos speak for themselves.
I also very highly recommend the app Libra, where you plug in your weight whenever you'd like (daily, weekly, etc) and it shows you a graph that sums up your downward trend, despite all the normal fluctuations. Sometimes I get so so frustrated, but Libra will assure me that I'm right on track losing 1.5 lbs per week. It takes the stress right out of weighing myself.3 -
I needed to see this post. Thank you!2
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Consider this… if it’s taken YEARS of abuse to get your body into it’s current state, you’re not going to undo all those years worth of damage in just a week or two
Couldn't summarize this better! Thank you. I have now set my plan for years... As for now, I've lost around 10 pounds in the last 2.5 months and I keep calm and patient.2 -
I agree with this so much! I remember being SO MAD with myself for basically the entire month this past February because I thought I wasn't losing fast enough day to day. However, in March I looked back and I actually did lose 4 lbs, and my goal was 1 lb a week. So I was mad for no reason! It really is the long game that matters, it is your weight from month to month, not day to day or even really week to week.
100% agree with you! 0 -
kmbrooks15 wrote: »Weight loss is definitely a marathon, not a sprint. And it's not linear either--you won't see a nice straight downward sloping line on a graph; it will actually look more like a lie detector test with all the ups and downs. That's why I try to set mini-goals for myself. 63 pounds just seems insurmountable. So I set short-term goals. I'm down 20 pounds, and now my next goal is to get into the 170s. Then my goal will be to get to the lower end of the 170s, specifically 173, because that will be 30 pounds, and so forth. Like the old adage: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!"
exactly!0 -
cranberry509 wrote: »Consider this… if it’s taken YEARS of abuse to get your body into it’s current state, you’re not going to undo all those years worth of damage in just a week or two
Couldn't summarize this better! Thank you. I have now set my plan for years... As for now, I've lost around 10 pounds in the last 2.5 months and I keep calm and patient.
awsome! whats the plan? 0 -
nixxthirteen wrote: »
Progress photos are a life saver, because at times where water retention masks fat loss, the photos speak for themselves.
I also very highly recommend the app Libra, where you plug in your weight whenever you'd like (daily, weekly, etc) and it shows you a graph that sums up your downward trend, despite all the normal fluctuations. Sometimes I get so so frustrated, but Libra will assure me that I'm right on track losing 1.5 lbs per week. It takes the stress right out of weighing myself.
that sounds amazing, I'll check that out.. thanks! 0 -
Wonderful post, thank you!
I just want to add that for people with less to lose, the weight changes are typically smaller because we're on a .5 to 1 lb per week rate of loss. Plus, consider the regular TOM water retention each month experienced by many women. Thus, the mind games can be extra-harrowing! But the underlying message is the same: inform yourself properly about realistic goals and strategies, think big picture, watch trends, be disciplined and be VERY patient.
Thanks again for the OP.0 -
Great message, weight loss is not linear -there will be ups and downs. It can take patience and trouble shooting when things stall to get results.0
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Lovely message! My only "criticism" would be that your example didn't show any actual "ups" (only weeks where person X didn't lose or gain). The reality is, even when you are doing everything "right" you may see small (and temporary) gains on the scale - water retention, TOM, a strenuous workout, etc all influence that number. Here's my actual weight loss from six weeks postpartum to eighteen weeks postpartum:
6 weeks PP: 166.4
7 weeks PP: 162.6
8 weeks PP: 163.6
9 weeks PP: 163.0
10 weeks PP: 161.6
11 weeks PP: 161.0
12 weeks PP: 160.0
13 weeks: 160.4
14 weeks: 159.6
15 weeks: 158.8
16 weeks : 158.8
17 weeks: 159.0
18 weeks: 158.4
Overall in those twelve weeks I lost 8 lbs (not bad for someone who was already pretty close to goal). But it was most defiantly not linear, some weeks having slight gains, but still averaging just over the half lb per week that is an appropriate target when you have less than 20 lbs to lose. Those weeks when my weight remained unchanged, or worse, when I "regained" a pound or so, we're frustrating, but I could still see the downward trend, and that's what really matters 1 -
And here I am, now back in the "don't weigh" group. I just can't figure out what's best for me. I thought I wanted all that data, but I just can't separate the number from my perceived success or failure. I can understand that it's water or new exercise or whatever, but it's still so emotionally charged.
I asked my husband to hide the scale and I hope by ditching it for a time I can just focus on the process instead of the results. I don't get to have those right away, I need to be consistent for a length of time before I will see results. Aiming for consistent effort for now!1 -
This is an AWESOME post. Love the inner dialogue, it's so true!1
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Very interesting and perceptive, I feel you original poster. Also I prefer "weight loss voyage" to "weight loss journey".1
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Yup, unfortunately too many people just drown in the minutia and never really see the bigger picture. To that end, I would add that part of the bigger picture is understanding that the number on the scale isn't the be all and end all...there are other things going on when you're rockin' your nutrition and your fitness...too many people see this arbitrary number on the scale as the only measure of success or failure and they forget about the other benefits that are coming from living a more healthful lifestyle. Ultimately when you do the things that healthy, lean, and fit people do, good things happen...it just takes time.1
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I love how you used 12 weeks! IMO I think that is the most appropriate time frame to see significant changes in their composition. I think 1 month is too short and beyond 3 months might seem overwhelming at first. Instead I like breaking goals into 3 month intervals. Instead of saying' "OMG! I have to lose 45 pounds!" Just say, "I just need to drop 15 pounds 3 times or 10 pounds 4 times and address the 5 pounds after." Just like anything in life, i believe breaking down large overwhelming goals into multiple short manageable goals increases your chances of success. Thanks for posting this!1
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tlflag1620 wrote: »Lovely message! My only "criticism" would be that your example didn't show any actual "ups" (only weeks where person X didn't lose or gain). The reality is, even when you are doing everything "right" you may see small (and temporary) gains on the scale - water retention, TOM, a strenuous workout, etc all influence that number. Here's my actual weight loss from six weeks postpartum to eighteen weeks postpartum:
6 weeks PP: 166.4
7 weeks PP: 162.6
8 weeks PP: 163.6
9 weeks PP: 163.0
10 weeks PP: 161.6
11 weeks PP: 161.0
12 weeks PP: 160.0
13 weeks: 160.4
14 weeks: 159.6
15 weeks: 158.8
16 weeks : 158.8
17 weeks: 159.0
18 weeks: 158.4
Overall in those twelve weeks I lost 8 lbs (not bad for someone who was already pretty close to goal). But it was most defiantly not linear, some weeks having slight gains, but still averaging just over the half lb per week that is an appropriate target when you have less than 20 lbs to lose. Those weeks when my weight remained unchanged, or worse, when I "regained" a pound or so, we're frustrating, but I could still see the downward trend, and that's what really matters
yep, completely agree! 0 -
And here I am, now back in the "don't weigh" group. I just can't figure out what's best for me. I thought I wanted all that data, but I just can't separate the number from my perceived success or failure. I can understand that it's water or new exercise or whatever, but it's still so emotionally charged.
I asked my husband to hide the scale and I hope by ditching it for a time I can just focus on the process instead of the results. I don't get to have those right away, I need to be consistent for a length of time before I will see results. Aiming for consistent effort for now!
completely understand... myself I prefer to use the data as it will then tell me what I need to do & what changes/adjustments to make going forward, rather than hiding from the data & hoping for the best to only find out weeks later that I've been headed in the wrong direction.
It's not for everyone, but form myself I use it as a constant data stream to stay on course & adjust on the fly where need be 0 -
So.. let’s take a quick look at an example of a long term trend & how most people feel during (if they don’t quit before the end that is)
lets use 12 weeks for an example:
For this example, we’re going to say that the target is just 1lb per week, and we’re weighing ourselves every day, then taking the average weight for the week for week to week comparisions.
WEEK 1: Weight is up & down every day (due to normal changes in water weight), and the end of week avg is 200lbs
WEEK 2: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 198lbs.
( Self talk – “That’s a 2lb drop from last week, yay!!!” )
WEEK 3: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is again 198lbs.
( Self talk – “No change this week, BOOOO!!” )
WEEK 4: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 197lbs
( Self talk – “Only 1lb loss, that’s ok-ish”)
WEEK 5: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 196lbs
(Self talk – that’s another 1lbs,… I’m happy with that! )
WEEK 6: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 196lbs
(Self talk – no change, I’m doing something wrong, its not working, I might quit if it doesn’t work again next week!)
WEEK 7: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 194lbs
(Self talk – thats 2lb loss, whoop! I’m happy but I WISH weight loss was more consistent!)
WEEK 8: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 193lbs
(Self talk – 1lbs loss, ok I suppose, but I want more, so again I’m privately disappointed)
WEEK 9: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 192lbs
(Self talk – only 1lb again, I don’t even look at 1lb as a good achievement anymore at this stage)
WEEK 10: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 191.5
(Self talk – Barley any change, definitely something wrong, I’m really pissed off & I’m thinking about quitting)
WEEK 11: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 189
(Self talk – That’s a 2.5lb loss, yay! I wish every week was like this! )
WEEK 12: As always, weight is up & down everyday, and the end of week avg is 187
(Self talk – That’s another 2lb loss, awsome, I’m really happy with that! )
Now let’s take a step back from the week to week up & down short term results,
& let’s look at the long term trend:
Reality = 13lbs of weight loss!
(Self talk – wow I wasn’t looking at the big picture, maybe I should have focused on that and avoided all the stress and up and down emotions… yay!!!)
Unfortunately most people won’t reach the end of their journey, as they’ll get way too caught up on the day to day & week to week results (or rather, DATA) and will quit out of frustration & lack of patience and go looking for something else…. which they won’t finish or stick to… and will spend the rest of their lives repeating this pattern.
Consider this… if it’s taken YEARS of abuse to get your body into it’s current state, you’re not going to undo all those years worth of damage in just a week or two.
PATIENCE!
I had lost 53 pounds...took almost a year ... have continued on with MyFitnessPal... suddenly, in the last 2 months... have gained 17 pounds back and have NO idea why ... have tried every suggestion... nothing is working and am gaining the pounds I lost back grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... I hate this!!!0
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