Feeling Low

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Hello, I am fairly new to this site and to dieting. Lately I have been working out everyday and trying to eat better, watching my calorie intake. But I got up this morning feeling like I am getting no where. I went to the doctor the other day and their scale said I was 2 pounds heavier then my scale at home did so that did not help! Can someone look at my page and see if there are changes I need to make? I am 5'2 and weigh 145 (147 at the docs office). My goal is to get to 125. Any and all help is greatly appriciated.

Replies

  • maxinethestrange
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    stick to one set of scales , could just be with where they are placed on the floor and silly things like that , i used to freak because there was a 5 pound differnce between my home scales and my doctors one , so keep going by the one you use always
  • maemiller
    maemiller Posts: 439 Member
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    please add me as your friend so i can view your diary.

    thanks
  • Littlejj225
    Littlejj225 Posts: 4 Member
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    I had a day like that recently....my scale at home said I gained a lb., went to the doctor's the same day an hour later and it said I gained 3 lbs.! Sometimes doctor's offices don't calibrate their scales like they should. I'm just gonna continue going by my home scale. I also knew that I had gained, went to a wedding, had some drinks and cookies, that was my fault! Next day I knew I had to get back on track! All I have to say is don't get down on yourself, it's hard!!!!:flowerforyou:
  • SpaceMarkus
    SpaceMarkus Posts: 651
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    My doctor's scale always put me 5lbs over. You also tend to be wearing clothes and such when you weigh yourself there, which adds to it.

    Don't think of yourself as dieting. That implies you're doing a temporary eating change to get a specific result. You want to think of this as your new life. It'll be a much better life, too. Trust me!
  • AngieM76
    AngieM76 Posts: 622 Member
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    Definitely dont let the doctors scale bother you. Stick to one scale. My doctors scale always says I am heavier than what my home scale says.
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
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    You would have been 2 pounds heavier at the doctor's office on the first day you weighed in as well. So you've still lost the same!! We all get discouraged every now and then - you're only human. And that's why MFP is here - to give you the encouragement and support you need, when you need it.
  • Carebr93
    Carebr93 Posts: 5
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    You can't go by what the scale says! Water can weigh you down as well. Remember a healthy weight loss is no more than 2/3 lbs per week. But go by how you feel, how your clothes feel.
    Also you said you were watching what you were eatting? You have to remember to watch your portions too.
    I'm terrible with portions. I can eat healthy all day long but its HOW much of it i eat that's a problem.
    WATER WATER WATER.

    Good luck!
  • Emily4H
    Emily4H Posts: 170
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    I know its hard but think more about things in the terms of how you feel and look than the actual numbers of it all. I only weigh myself once a week at my TOPS meeting and I dont own a scale. Getting crazy about the numbers would freak me out - so I dont look often. I am still sad when I gain - but I try to think things like "my push-ups are getting way better" or my jeans feel better...
  • clancie518
    clancie518 Posts: 40
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    I gave a quick look at your food diary and being as I'm no food/calorie expert this is what I think... maybe you need more fresh vegetables and less of the processed foods. I mean, are you going to eat those for the rest of your life (for lunch). I would be afraid that once I got to my goal and ate "normally" again (but less of course) that it would come back on... make sure you have plenty of water and yes. out weight does go up and down in the same day. it stinks, so if you go to the say doctor's and you weigh more than what it said at home, then pick the lesser one. thats what I do.. oh, and try to weigh yourself at the same time each time you weigh in... good luck and keep your chin up.. your doing great...
  • glenna221
    glenna221 Posts: 46
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    I flucuate between 3-5 lbs if I weigh myself everyday or at different times of the day. Go by how your clothes fit. Try to eat clean (less packaged, processed foods) - lots of veggies, berries (in season now) - you should start to feel results even if you don't see them on the scale. Keep it up and know this is a LIFE-long journey. You won't get to your goal overnight...just like you probably didnt' put the weight on overnight. Be grateful for your ability to make good choices about your food, body! the fact that you are tracking your food and exercising is more than most people do!
  • SpectacuLaura
    SpectacuLaura Posts: 144 Member
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    I know this whole site is all about the weight loss, but I try to focus more on how I feel every day rather than stressing about how slow my actual weight loss is going. Plus, I know in the past when I've been working out really hard, I can notice a change in how my body looks and clothes fit long before I notice a big change on the scale. I think your food/exercise diaries look really good- I would suggest just trying not to weigh yourself for a little bit and focus on how you look and feel after your workouts for some added motivation :smile:
  • ivyann73deleted
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    I always go in to the doctors office expecting the scale to say more because I'm weighing at a later time in the day and am fully clothed therefore I expect a 3-5 lb difference. The only scale that matters is the one at home and even that one isn't always going to be nice to you - that's where measuring comes in. The scale won't always reflect change.
  • glenna221
    glenna221 Posts: 46
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    You should also track sodium in your daily dairy. My guess is you are over the maximum 2500 grams, which means you will retain water. Also, can you cut out the processed food? I make dinner each night and make sure there is enough for me to take the next day for lunch. Saves money on frozen lean cuisine/healthy choice. Same goes for "sugar-free" drinks. Try cutting one of those things at a time and see how you feel.
  • cindy859
    cindy859 Posts: 99 Member
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    Don't go by the dr's scale just use yours as your guide. Your diary looks pretty good but you need to get more water in on a daily basis. If you can't get 8 glasses in then shoot for 6 to begin with, you'll be amazed at how quickly you get used to drinking a good amount of water and it will become second nature. Good luck with your journey and keep up the great work.
  • Givemewings
    Givemewings Posts: 864 Member
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    Hi. In my opinion (not an expert one) you are eating too many processed foods and sugar substitutes. It's not just about keeping within the calories. I think you may do better if you eat more natural foods. I used to love a cup of tea with milk and sugar. Now I try not to have the sugar and milk although I let myself off some days! I wouldn't touch the sugar substitutes personally...you just can't tell what these chemicals are doing to your body. I feel great now I have cut most of the processed foods out of my diet. I still have a fair amount of weight to lose but am convinced this is the way to go.
  • mtshell
    mtshell Posts: 15
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    Hi hope your feeling better after all the support on this site, you can view my diary,

    as a rule of thumb never go by any other scales but your own!

    i know what your saying, this life style change is never easy, but when you see the results it will be well worth it!

    i would suggest you maybe check your bmr, to see if you are consuming the right amount of calories and excercise calories.

    i have actually lowered my calories in take , but im not saying thats what you should do, as everyone is diffrent, i try to have 3 work outs 3x a week for 1 hour, which seems to help.

    i did take a 6 week break from the site, as decided to relax as got to a point where i was feeling low also.

    I would suggest to keep eating more Protine if you can and less Carbs or if you do ensure you eat Carbsbefore dinner time, lots of water , and good breakfast in the moring to kick start your bmr , hope this helps , dont loose faith we are all in the same boat, and were here to support each other, good luck in your journey. :flowerforyou:
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    When I weigh myself at home, I do it first thing in the morning after using the bathroom, and naked or nearly naked.

    If I get on a scale at the doctor's, I'm likely wearing clothes, including shoes, and have already had at least one meal in my belly. Of course I'm going to weigh more!

    Right now, in a tshirt, shorts and sneakers, after a light breakfast, I weigh 2.5 pounds more than I did an hour ago when I first woke up. That's not weight gain. :smile:
  • InspoAdam
    InspoAdam Posts: 17 Member
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    All good advice above. One thing I would add is that I use body fat scales and concentrate more on that aspect. The reason for this is that it's easy to actually gain weight when you work out as I am losing fat but gaining muscle. Therefore, I could see weight gain but a reduction in body fat. That actually makes me feel better than losing weight as I know I am getting leaner.

    I only log my weight once a week as I know that being a creature of routine, I will be getting up around the same time and I will have probably had the same kind of meal the night before for the previous x weeks. That means that the measure of my weight change will be in the most controlled environment possible. Personally, I don't think it's a problem to weigh oneself everyday but one needs to be aware that micro changes will occur that can affect weight quite considerably. If I were to do this, I would have two rules. Firstly, I would weigh myself at the same time every day (weighing myself in the morning one day and in the evening the next is prone to wild inaccuracies) and secondly, I would be ignoring daily weights and looking at the trend over time - i.e. is it trending up or down?

    On a final point (forgive me getting on my soapbox about this), in my opinion, anything with artificial sweetener in it is a food or drink of the Devil! I was having a conversation with a doctor about this a few years ago and my jaw hit the floor when he told me about the effects that artificial sweetener has on the body. Some of the more worrying ones are as follows:

    - Hypertension
    - Insomnia
    - Irritable bowel syndrome
    - Thirst (in the case of diet drinks, leading to increased ingestion of said product)

    I have saved the best one until last which is:

    - Weight loss inhibition (if you don't believe me on this, do your own research)

    So, what he was basically saying is that food and drink that contain artificial sweetener will (i) make you feel wound up, (ii) stop you sleeping at night, (iii) play havoc with your bottom, (iv) make you more thirsty with every mouthful and (v) inhibit your weight loss.

    Since then, I have taken my chances with plain old sugar.
  • MOMSHOME
    MOMSHOME Posts: 72
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    Thanks so much everyone for your comments. You were all a great help and I will get my daily foods in better check.
  • CoachMelissaDi
    CoachMelissaDi Posts: 215 Member
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    Dont let it get you down. Dont even worry about the scale. Do your measurements instead of the scale. The scale is a let down and will cause you nothing but grief. Just measure yourself and see how many inches you have dropped! Thats where it counts! Women go back and forth between numbers on the scale (periods, water weight, etc.) so it is hard to tell what you are on the scale. Hope it helps! God bless!