Please Read ~ My struggle, Motivation advice?

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linawhitacre
linawhitacre Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
For the past two-three days I've been gaining weight and although it's small it's making me feel as though my efforts aren't paying off.

I have stayed under my calorie goals and worked out a majority of the week. Now there are so many explanations from stress to a new medication I'm on, but it's very discouraging.
Also, in the past I'm known to be uncommitted, unreliable, and hopeless.

For times like this, does anyone have any advice on how to keep myself motivated ?

Replies

  • misnomer1
    misnomer1 Posts: 646 Member
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    If I'm sure about my weighing and logging of food, I just stick with it and weigh everyday waiting around for the eventual loss and seeing cico math in action.
  • rmgnow
    rmgnow Posts: 375 Member
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    Your either over estimating something's, underestimating something's or both
  • R4U1R0DR1GU3Z
    R4U1R0DR1GU3Z Posts: 81 Member
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    Just keep going. 2 to 3 days is a very short time to be weighing yourself, even the app suggests you don't weigh daily. I've used this as an excuse to pig out "what's the use, it's not even working" then I make it a whole lot worse by bingeing, so don't be like me. Please stick to it, it requires patience.
  • R4U1R0DR1GU3Z
    R4U1R0DR1GU3Z Posts: 81 Member
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    Hopelessness...I know how you feel, I was feeling a little hopeless a few minutes ago myself so I logged on to check out the success stories for motivation :)
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Have you set your calorie goal to weight loss, been logging correctly, and sticking to your calorie goal? If you have, you cannot have gained weight. Learn about "water weight fluctuations".

    I think collecting real facts from real data, and learning how to interpret them correctly, in short, education and analysis, can be a tremendous help to be more committed, reliable and hopeful.

    I also think you need to understand "motivation". Do you want to lose weight? That is not motivation. Everybody wants to lose weight. You need to eat less, consistently, for a long time, to lose weight. Why do you want to eat less? "Lose weight" is not the right answer. Find your own why. And some personal hows. That is your motivation.
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
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    Think about the things that are important to you. Losing weight is great, but eating healthier can help you live a longer, disease free high quality life. You can never measure the heart attack you didn't have. By making positive changes, I know I am taking care of my health.
  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,817 Member
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    I live by 2 rules

    1. Your scale hates you.
    2. because of 1, it will lie to you to *kitten* with your mind.

    I regualrly pick up 3kg over a weekend and then lose it again by Tuesday. Don't be too discouraged, just keep on doing what you are doing. It will correct itself, then go wonky again, then correct itself and go wonky again over and over.

    As long as you have long term success and your clothes fit better and you feel better, you are doing ok.
  • QueenBee2018
    QueenBee2018 Posts: 196 Member
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    If you are lifting weights as part of your working out you may have put on water weight--I am up 2 lbs this week from starting heavy lifting. Review what you are doing, if it all looks fine put the scale in the closet for a week.
  • FeelingAlive
    FeelingAlive Posts: 117 Member
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    Your period may be around the corner, too.

    I suggest you weigh yourself once a week, allowing your body enough time to adjust to the amount of calories you consume. If you gain on a weekly basis, then you are consuming more than you should. I've reached a plateau for three months and thought I did everything right - well, I started logging my food religiously and have already lost 2 kg this week, so I've been underestimating the amount I was eating.

    Like the other people said: find personal reasons to motivate you. I've recently had a back injury and my doctor said I would need surgery if I continue like this. I'd rather just lose weight and avoid health problems.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited September 2017
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    linawhitacre wrote: »
    For the past two-three days I've been gaining weight and although it's small it's making me feel as though my efforts aren't paying off.

    I have stayed under my calorie goals and worked out a majority of the week. Now there are so many explanations from stress to a new medication I'm on, but it's very discouraging.
    Also, in the past I'm known to be uncommitted, unreliable, and hopeless.

    For times like this, does anyone have any advice on how to keep myself motivated ?

    This is where knowledge is power. If you are becoming hopeless based on short-term results, then you are doing so based on how you feel, not what you know. And if you don't realize that the calorie deficit works over time, then you need to add to what you know.

    The process absolutely works. It's been proven scientifically over and over and over again. All you need to do is understand some basic things about it. Here are some bullet points that I would recommend:

    1. Read the success stories. This is full of evidence of real people with no magic formula. Just working the process over time.
    2. Understand that the process doesn't happen overnight.
    3. Understand that your weight will fluctuate. It always has. It always will.
    4. This is blunt, but if you find yourself believing you are different than most, it's about a 99.9% probability that you are not. So if you are not seeing results over a 6 weeks or so time frame, make some adjustments to your measuring, logging, activity counting, etc. But don't do that based on a week's worth of scale reading.
    5. Trust this fact: If you eat at a caloric deficit, you will lose weight.
    6. Act on what you know first. Don't trust your feelings on this. The science works no matter how you feel about it. Just work the process.
    7. Be patient.
    8. See #7.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    linawhitacre wrote: »
    For the past two-three days I've been gaining weight and although it's small it's making me feel as though my efforts aren't paying off.

    I have stayed under my calorie goals and worked out a majority of the week. Now there are so many explanations from stress to a new medication I'm on, but it's very discouraging.
    Also, in the past I'm known to be uncommitted, unreliable, and hopeless.

    For times like this, does anyone have any advice on how to keep myself motivated ?

    Every day is a fresh start. Every day you have to make choices. You don't have to be perfect or lose weight every day to reach your goal. Failure is when you stop trying.

    Don't think about the past so much. Think about what you are doing right now. Consider what is working and what isn't helping you.

    Use a weight trending app. Trendweight, Happy Scale, Weight Grapher for example.

    Stop weighing daily if you can't handle it. Don't focus so much on the scale. It is just one measure of progress.


    Check your accuracy of logging. Get and use a food scale.

    If you are sticking to your goals and understand you could be retaining water then just be patient. You are trying to make a long term change and that takes time and consistent effort.

    Work on stress management. Try meditation or other relaxation techniques.

    Get help. Talk to your doctor about it.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10359984/women-menstrual-cycle-weight-and-fitness-matters/p1
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
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    Stop looking for reasons to quit. Lots of folks live by this motto, " being fat and unhealthy is hard, being fit and healthy is hard... pick your hard"... I paraphrased... the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, keep at it... eventually you will look back and marvel at the journey

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