A bit discouraged
chicaalex
Posts: 8 Member
Hey all, it's only been a few days but after working out every day and faithfully logging I gained two pounds... My weaknesses are high-calorie carbs, snacks, and dinner time (any tips for dealing with those trouble spots?). I gained almost 25 pounds after a running injury two years ago and right before that I was hitting new weight loss and fitness milestones. I injured my foot the night I first ran 2.5 miles without stopping to walk EVER. All of which is to say, I WANT to change, but it is difficult and a bit discouraging. Any advice or words of wisdom welcome.
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You're going to have to get used to seeing the scale go up and down. The TREND should be downward, but your weight will fluctuate depending on water retention, food volume, nearing time of month/ovulation, stress, bowel movements (or lack thereof). Weigh yourself at the same time, under the same conditions (after using the restroom). Try once per week, or more if you are ready to see the fluctuations and can handle them. Use a weight trend app to log your weight so you can watch for fluctuations and trends.1
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Experience has shown me that my efforts (or lack of it) usually take about 2 weeks to show up on the scale1
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2 lbs is nothing. That could water in your body. I'm far heavier than you, but my weight managed to change 8 lbs in a day.
So weight is a really bad indicator of success. Focus on how you feel
ps.
A piece of fruit can help you manage your sugar cravings - just avoid bananas and over sweet apples like Pink Lady. I personally prefer Royal Gala or Red Delicious.
At dinner time - leave the pots at the stove, and allow yourself just one plate. (ps. you could use smaller plates)1 -
The scale can b my worst enemy. Especially when I'm working really hard and my efforts aren't showing. Then I get down and say forget this ..."hello papa john? I've missed you lets get back together !"1
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I agree with both wolfena and arditarose: you need more than a few days to establish a trend (although I totally understand that feeling when the scale rises).
I have lots to say though!
If it is indeed a trend upwards, see what you can do to change your mindset from discouragement to curiosity. It's valuable information you have there. Something has made your weight rise and in front of you is the power to figure out what it is and do something differently. Commit to caring enough for the body you've been given to find out what DOES work. As Einstein said, "I haven't failed, I've just found 1000 ways that didn't work". You can do this.
I speak from personal experience. I have something called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hypermobility type) and we can swap injury stories all you want. I GET the frustration of a setback with injury, please believe me. So I hope you don't mind me giving my advice, what it's taken me years to finally start to understand: injuries suck. They happen and they throw off your plans for races, for weight loss, for self esteem. Grieve the injury and get help for it. And commit to loving your body, so you must find another way to move it, a way that is safe until that other injury heals. And get a good physio.
As for weight loss itself, what I've discovered for my body is that when the trend is upwards, I can pretty much guarantee one of a few things is happening:
1) PMS. I don't have symptoms except weight gain of 1-2 lb right before a period.
2) not enough sleep. Not even kidding, if you aren't sleeping enough, no amount of healthy eating or exercise will do. I think it has something to do with higher cortisol levels when you don't sleep enough.
3) I've stopped measuring my food and my portion distortion has crept up.
4) I'm exercising incorrectly- either not at all or too much moderate cardio. While all exercise is good for me, the weird thing is that if I only do moderate cardio I see no progress on the scale. To see progress I've discovered that Intensity matters far more than duration. If you're interested in this there's tons of info I can send. Different exercise stimulates different hormones. Done correctly, high intensity intervals produce something called EPOC which is actually really amazing. I didn't believe it at first but the scale doesn't lie.
5) cravings - you might not be eating enough during the early part of the day. You should be at least halfway through your calories by midday. Check out your nutrition breakdown when you have cravings. What nutrients are you low in? Protein? Fiber? Water? Think of some healthy foods that you like that can make up the difference for what you're low in, eat them, and see how you feel in 1/2 hour. Your craving may be gone. And if so, you've just learned how your body communicates its needs with you which is HUGE progress!!
6) eating too little. If my calorie goal is set too low, I gain weight. For real. Try adding 100 cals to your quota.
FYI When I plateau, I increase my calorie intake for 2-3 days to like 1800-2400 calories and then return to normal of 1400. So far, it's worked! Fingers crossed!
I hope you find some gems in that ramble.
Carry on! It's a marathon, not a sprint.
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