Frustrated with Progress-50+ Pounds To Lose

I need motivation too maybe we could help each other

I understand your frustration, I myself have over 100 lbs to lose and cannot work out like you are doing. I had set a goal of 5 lbs a month for the next two years, then started having severe knee pain, and found out if I do not get the weight off am headed for knee replacement. At first I was in denial and rebelled completely dismissing my plan. Now I am resigned to the slow but steady progress of my goal, and it is paying off, losing just 10 lbs, has greatly reduced my knee pain at night, I can now sleep through it instead of getting up and trying to put a topical pain reliever on. I said this to give you some history so you know I understand the frustration you feel.

One point to keep in mind, if you are working out five days a week, your body is changing and building muscle,muscle is denser than fat, so you will not see the scale change much initially, but your tape measure is your best friend. Use it to track your progress. Also try clothes on that were too tight at first to see the changes somewhere besides the scale. I am a pro at losing weight, it was always the emotional eating that did me in. So you can help me as well, this is where I am turning to avoid that pitfall. Don't panic, I don't mean to you specifically just to this site. If you need to vent I am here. Keep going things are changing, you just have to know where and how to look for the changes.

Honestly? It's a frustrating, long and non-linear process. I have successfully lost 50 pounds with another 25 (or 30) to go. It's not been easy. I would suggest starting off with really paying attention to your calories. Buy a food scale and use it. Don't make too aggressive of a cut. You can exercise all you want, but if you're over eating, you're going to not lose, or gain. Have you put your stats in MFP? How much do you weigh? Don't make too dramatic of a calorie decrease initially as it's harder to stick with the program. Use exercise for health. Use CICO (calories in v. calories out) for weight loss.

Also, while "support/accountability" buddies are great in theory, it's ALL 100% up to you. I've learned this the hard way. It's super nice to have a cheer section, but you and only you are responsible for what you put in your mouth.

I have always given up. But something has finally clicked and I know I need to do this for my health. I'm sorry you're having a hard time, but hopefully this will pass. Good luck and don't give up! Feel free to add me if you like.

try2again wrote: »

If you have lost 5 lbs in a month, you are losing at a perfect rate for having 50 lbs to lose! Great job!

If you are not losing as much as you think you should be, it is likely due to inaccurate logging (not using a food scale, choosing inaccurate database entries) and over-estimating calorie burns from exercise. Also, MFP defaults to 1200 calories if a selected goal (like 2 lbs/week) would otherwise take you below 1200, so a calorie allowance of 1200 may or may not result in achieving your weekly weight loss goal (assuming logging is otherwise spot-on).

Success typically results from reasonable goals, a focus on accurate logging, and lots of patience, but there are lots of successful people here and you can be one of them.

+1

Your ticker says you've lost 4 lbs, which is actually kind of great! It would be awesome if we could just flip a switch and the weight would drop off, but that's not the way it works. Unfortunately, patience is required, but the weight loss industry keeps smacking us in the face with the possibility of losing several lbs a week, which is just marketing.

Take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back for getting started, and start building the habits that will eliminate the need for motivation and set you up to not just lose the weight, but maintain once you get there. Good luck!

I understand your frustration it is so hard to stay motivated especially when the scale isn’t moving backwards and you’ve been working so hard. What are you eating, maybe adjusting your eating habits some more would help especially since your working out so much.