Feeling disheartened
tashnoodle
Posts: 5 Member
Not new to mfp, have been a member for years. Lost around 40lbs 2-3 years ago, put it on gradually again and started losing it again from Feb this year. I am doing well but... I'm very disheartened and sad this morning.
The past few weeks (almost 2 months now?) have been incredibly difficult with this hot & humid weather in the UK and no rain. It might not sound like a big deal to others but the UK is not equipped for it.
My gym has no AC, no ceiling fans, no standing fans and the windows don't open. There is no pool. As someone with severe hyperhidrosis this is a danger zone for me. At the moment I am also training for Trekfest, getting up early in the morning to do 8-12km walks (I am not a morning person and this is leaving me exhausted by 3pm), attempting to do weight training in the evening as normal (but the gym situation makes near impossible when its still 28°c even at 9pm).
Put simply I eat an average of 1500cals a day, exercise for at least an hour 3-4 times a week.
I haven't lost any weight in a month (fluctuated but at the same as I was 4 weeks ago).
Conversely, my partner has excerised twice in this period of time, been out drinking several times, eaten junk food about 5 times and has somehow lost 5lbs.
I don't understand. I am putting in all the effort, not allowing myself to enjoy chocolate or sweet treats, with no reward. I go to bed early to avoid snacking and constantly fighting stress hunger at work. I think just consuming 1500cals a day should see me losing weight but it's not and I don't know what to do anymore! I can't go out and enjoy myself because I feel like I my body's metabolism is too slow and even one cheat day could ruin a week's progress. Why is my body struggling so much?
Is this just the way my body is? Do I need to change something?
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Replies
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I’m horrible with nutrition advice but know a lot about stress and you sound stressed. The stress/cortisol/weight loss stall connection is huge for me. The physical part of your training plus being around all of everyone else’s food... Can you afford a diet break if you’re doing well and eat a little more or else find other ways to feel good?3
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I am quite stressed! About this and other work/life things so you may well be right!
I think it might be worth allowing a few more small treats.
I'm always so worried about overeating though. I am the kind who will just keep eating because its tasty regardless of whether I'm hungry or not. Clearly something I need to work on being more relaxed about.
Thanks for the advice!2 -
I'm not sure if this is true for everyone, but I always weigh more in summer, even if I don't change my diet. I don't sweat as much as most other people, which makes my body feel even hotter than the ambient temperature would make it, and combined with the outside heat, my body just retains water like crazy in the summer! You could have the same symptom for the opposite reason if you're drinking a lot of water to replace all the fluids you're losing sweating.
Stress messes with everything, so I'd focus on relaxing a bit and knowing that even if the scale isn't necessarily budging, all your efforts are making your body healthier and stronger, so you can survive these aggressive heat waves
(we're having one here too and it makes being outside almost unbearable) 3 -
First, stress could be playing a big part. My weight loss stalled when I was super stressed.
Second, don't compare yourself to your partner - everyone loses weight differently.
It may be the weather or something, or getting closer to your goal, but my weight loss slowed (what felt like) dramatically in the summer, but I think it's just that I'm getting closer to my goal and the margins are much tighter.1 -
I also don't like hot and humid weather and consequently move less. I probably take less mini walks, have less inclination to take stairs, do less house work (no AC) and less moving activities all because it is hot and humid I dislike sweating all the time. Incidentally, I find I am struggling to maintain my weight more on the lower end of my ideal range and have to keep fighting for it to stay in the middle.
I don't think I have changed my eating habits that much, but I think just moving less due to heat and humidity actually adds up.
Whether or not you are moving less like me due to heat, one area that you can always focus on and tighten up is food measuring and logging. It is hard to be perfect with logging and measuring so perhaps you can do a mental reflection on your habits and see if there is anywhere you could improve a little.
Perhaps you can do exercise at home with a fan instead of going to the gym either by doing bodyweight or buying 1 set of dumbbells.0 -
I kinda know what you mean hon, I was at goal for about a year. Im in my early fourties, watch what I eat and go to the gym 5 x per week. Ive put back on 10 llbs and I cannot seem to shift it. Ive just logged on to buy a bigger size pair of jeans lol!
Ive just kinda come to the conclusion that if I eat more than about 1450 cals I seem to gain wait, and thats how Ive always been. There's not so much wiggle room in that for treats. My fitbit says I burn about 1700, but I think I might under log. Im going to see if I can be really stick with drinking water instead of snacking and weigh everything, and see how I get on. Good luck1 -
I live in Victoria BC, we are known for being a rain forest. it has been hot and dry for months. I am a red head and don't really do sun. This heat is doing a number on my exercise motivation as well. I am looking forward to rain and having my face blessed with moisture!0
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VictoriaTuel wrote: »I'm not sure if this is true for everyone, but I always weigh more in summer, even if I don't change my diet. I don't sweat as much as most other people, which makes my body feel even hotter than the ambient temperature would make it, and combined with the outside heat, my body just retains water like crazy in the summer! You could have the same symptom for the opposite reason if you're drinking a lot of water to replace all the fluids you're losing sweating.
Same! It is disheartening, but tracking my weight trends really helps keep it in perspective.0
