Lost motivation today....

Soo I'm frustrated right now. I logged everything this week to the T! I started the week at 188 and I'm back to 190 (Original starting weight). Meantime my boyfriend ate everything he could get his hands on this week and LOST 4lbs! WTF!? He's not evening trying to lose weight yet here I am weighing my food and counting calories religiously and this week I saw no results at all. While I am happy for him, now I feel less motivated. I know it's only 2lbs and that I have awhile to go but its frustrating when you don't see the results of your effort. Ughhh!!!!

Replies

  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,534 Member
    Did you start or increase exercise this week? Stressed muscles retain water. It’s a common complaint here.

    Don’t compare yourself to others. Especially a significant other. Weight loss is a solitary pursuit.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    You have to eat less, consistently, for weeks and weeks, before you can see a definite trend downwards. And if you're counting calories, you need to log correctly - weighing and logging everything, using genuine database entries, and hitting your target every day.

    Even though weight is regulated solely by calories in/out, you have also observed and experienced the mental part of weight management: If you feel like you're struggling, you'll struggle. If you like to eat, or tend to distract/comfort yourself with food, eating less can feel like punishment, and it can look like people around you are eating all the time. Other people's lives can even seem a lot less complicated than our own. It's all in our mind.

    Patience, commitment, honesty, education and MFP - your tools to successful weight management.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Your weight fluctuates several pounds during a single day based on what you eat and drink, how much water you retain, and the waste in your system. If you get a little less sleep so you pee less in the morning, there's a pound right there. If you are a reproductive age woman, time of the month makes a big difference. You have to trust the process and be patient,

    If you are logging accurately, you didn't gain two pounds of fat unless you ate 7,000 calories over your maintenance. It's definitely easier when the scale rewards you, but you know what you're doing. Hang in there!
  • raindawg
    raindawg Posts: 348 Member
    I can see how frustrating that is to not show results after being so good. Give it another week to see if the scale gets moving. You said you logged to the T every day but you didn't mention what your calorie goal is. Do you know what your maintenance calories are in relation to your daily goal?
  • mudknuckles
    mudknuckles Posts: 1,417 Member
    The scale is not the only measure of success.
  • Ayesha0624
    Ayesha0624 Posts: 95 Member
    88olds wrote: »
    Did you start or increase exercise this week? Stressed muscles retain water. It’s a common complaint here.

    Don’t compare yourself to others. Especially a significant other. Weight loss is a solitary pursuit.

    I do walk six days a week. I let my Sfit sync my steps and I'm averaging about 400 calories burned per day. I eat back roughly 2/3 of the exercise calories to leave room for any errors if the calories burned is not 100% correct
  • Ayesha0624
    Ayesha0624 Posts: 95 Member
    You have to eat less, consistently, for weeks and weeks, before you can see a definite trend downwards. And if you're counting calories, you need to log correctly - weighing and logging everything, using genuine database entries, and hitting your target every day.

    Even though weight is regulated solely by calories in/out, you have also observed and experienced the mental part of weight management: If you feel like you're struggling, you'll struggle. If you like to eat, or tend to distract/comfort yourself with food, eating less can feel like punishment, and it can look like people around you are eating all the time. Other people's lives can even seem a lot less complicated than our own. It's all in our mind.

    Patience, commitment, honesty, education and MFP - your tools to successful weight management.


    Thanks for the support! I don't feel like I'm struggling though, my calorie intake is sufficient enough for me. It was definitely just today, my "weigh-in" day where I didn't lose this week and my bf's poor eating habits has allowed him to lose 4lbs. lol
  • Ayesha0624
    Ayesha0624 Posts: 95 Member
    raindawg wrote: »
    I can see how frustrating that is to not show results after being so good. Give it another week to see if the scale gets moving. You said you logged to the T every day but you didn't mention what your calorie goal is. Do you know what your maintenance calories are in relation to your daily goal?

    So my daily calorie goal is 1490 to lose 1.5lbs per week. I walk 6 days a week averaging about 400 calories burned. I will normally eat back about 2/3 of those calories and leave a little wiggle room just in case those calories aren't correct. I let my Samsung Health sync my steps to determine how many calories I've burned during those walks. I'm guessing my maintenance would be around 1990 cal
  • Ayesha0624
    Ayesha0624 Posts: 95 Member
    88olds wrote: »
    Did you start or increase exercise this week? Stressed muscles retain water. It’s a common complaint here.

    Don’t compare yourself to others. Especially a significant other. Weight loss is a solitary pursuit.

    Yes, I do walk 6 days a week. Would that retain water?
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Its only been a week... patience is required.
  • rj0150684
    rj0150684 Posts: 227 Member
    In theory, any activity that taxes your muscles in a new way could add water weight for muscle repair. Salt intake also adds water weight. So do hormones. So does adding carbs. Generally, every month you should see at least one new low on the scale if you’re losing weight, but day to day, week to week comparisons can be way off.
  • Ayesha0624
    Ayesha0624 Posts: 95 Member
    Thanks guys, patience really is the problem here...that and I need to stop weighing myself every week!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    You can try measuring yourself and waiting for a change before doing a weigh-in. I am waiting for a particular shirt to feel more comfortable myself. If not that, once a month is plenty and there is a rule for women to weigh that I do not know personally but supposedly it cuts down on your monthly cycle being a factor in water retention. I am sure you could google it.

    Also, when you do weigh yourself it should be in the morning before you eat or drink anything with the same basic outfit (or for some people no outfit). After morning your weight can easily fluctuate 5-7 lbs during the day.
  • raindawg
    raindawg Posts: 348 Member
    It could just be a random fluctuation that hit on your weigh in day. I used to weigh once a week, but then switched to everyday just because I couldn't stop myself. I end up recording the average for the week. My fluctuations usually are inside of a 1lb up or down from day to day. But every so often I get a spike of greater than a pound either up or down out of the blue that reverts back the next day. If you lost your 1.5 lbs but just happen to have one of those random fluctutations on the high side it would show no loss.
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,534 Member
    edited April 2018
    If you just started a walking program and go at a good clip that might cause water retention. Are your legs sore from exercise?
  • Ayesha0624
    Ayesha0624 Posts: 95 Member
    88olds wrote: »
    If you just started a walking program and go at a good clip that might cause water retention. Are your legs sore from exercise?

    A little sore, nothing too extreme
  • jazzadesigns
    jazzadesigns Posts: 476 Member
    Keep going! Good luck!