Getting frustrated-not seeing results :(

Options
Keriann23
Keriann23 Posts: 37 Member
edited June 2016 in Motivation and Support
Hello, I lost 65 lbs over 1.5 years ending about 3 months ago. I took some time off of working out and watching what I ate. Now for the past 10 days I have been regular at the gym, 10 days 12 times, (2 days I went in the morning and at night) I am also monitoring what I eat, no soda, or juice, water only. Had a few drinks on Saturday night but not a lot. Healthy food. I stepped on the scale this morning expecting to see results, nothing, not one pound loss in that 10 days. Its so frustrating, I am trying to lose another 10-15 lbs by august.

Replies

  • btodd304
    btodd304 Posts: 105 Member
    edited June 2016
    Options
    Are you drinking enough water? I had the same thing happen to me this week, I had a lot of drinks Saturday though and I know i didnt get enough water in. Alcohol dehydrates you and so you would have to drink enough for that plus what you normally do. So the scale for me did not go down from last week but im ok with that Im happy it didnt go up. My trainer said in a couple days with getting my food back on track and getting my water in it will get going again. Just the first thing I thought of since i too had similar issue this week.
  • Keriann23
    Keriann23 Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    maybe, I guess I have to be happy that after the 65 loss, it hasn't gone up, it has maintained or gone down. I just thought busting it how I have been I would see something more.
  • btodd304
    btodd304 Posts: 105 Member
    Options
    Keriann23 wrote: »
    maybe, I guess I have to be happy that after the 65 loss, it hasn't gone up, it has maintained or gone down. I just thought busting it how I have been I would see something more.

    Yes i have totally been there. Congrats on the 65 loss though. I just started my journey 2months ago so im still learning and figuring out everything. This was the first time i drank since working out and it got me.
  • Keriann23
    Keriann23 Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    oh wow! thanks! yeah it was long road, but it was worth it. I do get frustrated a lot though since it was a large loss I expected to see more when I look in the mirror, it was all loss, no muscle or tightening, so im hoping now it will do more of that. I don't drink a lot but when I go out I tend to drink a few. that is what gets you. I am just worried I hit a plateau after the large weight loss and it wont come off.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,715 Member
    Options
    You've done great so far! Good job. 10 days isn't long enough to see results, as frustrating as it is, so just keep at it. You WILL see results if you are consistent long-term. I understand needing a break every now and then but that only works if you still view this whole process as a lifestyle change and not something that has an "end point".

    Either way, with only 10 - 15 more pounds to lose it will come off much slower than the first 65. But, it's definitely doable!
  • Keriann23
    Keriann23 Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    Thank you! im hoping and pushing for my first "warm weather, swimming, public" trip mid august with my boyfriend to Florida where he grew up. Im hoping to lose those lbs by then, and tone up so I can feel confident in shorts/dresses/bathingsuits
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Options

    1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so since you last saw a drop on the scale, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. This is especially true with new or recently increased gym routines. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.

    2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.

    3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.

    4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.

    5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.

    6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.

    7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.

    8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.

    9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    Options
    Does "monitoring" mean you are weighing your food with a food scale and logging it?
  • Keriann23
    Keriann23 Posts: 37 Member
    Options
    no it means, after over a year of eating right and figuring out what works for me, I watch to make sure I don't slip and eat poorly
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
    edited June 2016
    Options
    Keriann23 wrote: »
    no it means, after over a year of eating right and figuring out what works for me, I watch to make sure I don't slip and eat poorly

    Then it's a good time to get to weighing and logging. As a poster said above, it's only been 10 days so you can't really tell if you're making any progress, BUT you can't rule out inaccurate intake calculation unless you weigh everything. I'm sure you know a lot about portion control after doing this so long, but it's going to take more precision and effort as you get closer to your goal weight.
  • Dove0804
    Dove0804 Posts: 213 Member
    edited June 2016
    Options
    Keriann23 wrote: »
    no it means, after over a year of eating right and figuring out what works for me, I watch to make sure I don't slip and eat poorly

    I'm willing to bet this is your problem. There's a lot of people on the boards that swear up and down they can accurately calculate their day's calories without weighing/measuring/logging (especially if they have logged in the past or have lost weight before), and they go back to logging again and realize how completely wrong they were. Humans are notorious under-estimators when it comes to food. Eating healthy foods vs. non-healthy foods does not matter when it comes to weight loss- it's how many calories you are consuming.

    What may have worked for you at a heavier weight is not going to work for you as you continue to get smaller, because you have a smaller margin of error to work with when it comes to creating a calorie deficit.

    It's true that 10 days is still really early to tell anything about results, especially if you have less to lose, but if you're serious about losing weight logging is the way to get you there. Good luck!
  • chefjme
    chefjme Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    Time... I was burning tons of calories through exercise and following a 1,200 calorie diet for over month until I saw results. Now its just shedding. I know the frustration but it will happen as long as you follow your plan.