I’m so frustrated.

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saarahmurphy
saarahmurphy Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am so frustrated, as I’m sure so many people have been before in my situation. I have been dieting for as long as I can remember and had a million different starting points, but this last time was different. I didn’t make a huge plan and go buy all these groceries I wouldn’t eat by the end of the week or make a huge proclamation that I was going on a diet. And I thought that this time I was really just changing my lifestyle for the better, and I have to say, it’s been easy to keep up with and much more successful in those means than other times before.

I lost about 12lbs in the first week. Which between all my sodium intake previously and soda, I’m comfortable with have being mostly water retention leaving my body, however this last week - I haven’t lost a thing. Im still in the overweight area, so truly the argument for fat being replaced with muscle shouldn’t really apply to me quite yet. I’m really trying to keep going motivation wise and I’ll switch up what I’m eating, perhaps something isn’t good for me to be eating while losing weight, but still, I am frustrated.

What does everyone do to keep going after bad weeks? Or when they hit plateaus when it’s too early to be plateauing?

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Replies

  • RollTideHusker
    RollTideHusker Posts: 231 Member
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    Just keep going. This is a slow process. Each day log your food. You’ll have good days. You’ll have bad days.

    Slow and Steady is my motto. I make sure to log everything. I workout almost every day (a 25 min program which works for me). I weigh myself maybe once a month (I get too obsessed so I can’t do it more). I pay more attention to just being steady.

    You’ll find what works for you. Just remember to keep going. 🙂
  • stfpa
    stfpa Posts: 62 Member
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    You’re not plateauing! There could be so many different things that caused you to not lose weight this week such as water/sodium intake or just not going to the bathroom. Especially as a woman, your period or ovulation could be affecting your weight. The scale says I’m the same weight I was 3 weeks ago. It’s definitely discouraging but just remember that there’s so much that goes into it and as long as you’re confident that you’re in a calorie deficit, you are losing weight. Taking pictures or measurements can be a helpful way of tracking progress aside from the scale. Also, you lost 12 pounds in one week. That would be the same as losing 6 pounds in 2 weeks which is still 3 times more than the maximum you’re supposed to lose. So when you think about it that way, do you really think you’re doing that bad?

    Personally, it helps to remind myself that I’m 100% sure I’m in a calorie deficit there’s no reason I wouldn’t be losing weight and that whatever is on the scale is just other things. But you should definitely try to get comfortable with the idea that sometimes you’ll lose a lot of weight in a week and sometimes you won’t lose any weight at all for a month. It should even out in the end but in the moment you might feel bad and you just have to remind yourself that if you give up it’s guaranteed that you won’t lose weight or you’ll gain, but if you don’t give up you’ll lose weight regardless.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    It took me 18 months to lose the 50 pounds I initially lost. I had to change my mindset that it took me YEARS to put it on and it was going to take awhile to get it off. I know it probably doesn't help but if you can get that into your mind, the weeks when you see no changes will not disappoint you nearly as much. Your body adjusts to any changes in it, including weight loss. Initially, it wants to fight you and keep things where they have been. Eventually, your body will accept the changes and things will move along.

    You just got started....try not to be discouraged. Maybe the Big Bang created the universe in a moment, but its constantly changing as well. :)

  • timeforwork
    timeforwork Posts: 114 Member
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    I seem to have settled into a routine of gaining for 3 weeks then the forth week it goes as well as an extra 1/2 a pound. Could be any number of things. It's normal so just keep working away at it. If you hit 4- 6 weeks and still no loss then you may need to switch it up a bit .x
  • elsie6hickman
    elsie6hickman Posts: 3,864 Member
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    I guess that is where faith comes in. I believe my current eating and exercise plan will pay off for me in the long term. I remind myself that I didn't get this heavy in a week, and it's not going to go away in a week. I just go with gratitude for what I have already lost.
  • mariluny
    mariluny Posts: 428 Member
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    If it helps, 2 weeks ago I was 219 lbs. I was loosing about 0.6 to 1 lbs a day the first 6 or 7 days, like you mostly water weight. Then I « gained » a pound and the scale refused to move for almost a week. This morning I suddenly lost 2 lbs.

    Loosing weight is not linear. As long as it’s a mostly downward trend, it’s ok if your weight doesn’t move much. Keep going and it will end up going down i promise.
  • DoubleUbea
    DoubleUbea Posts: 1,115 Member
    edited August 2018
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    saarahmurphy wrote: »
    What does everyone do to keep going after bad weeks? Or when they hit plateaus when it’s too early to be plateauing?
    It's NEVER to early for a plateau! I re-evaluate my logging, making sure I weigh everything on the food scale and log everything I eat. Not logging properly is usually where I start slacking off.
    My last 30 days have been very slow.

    htjzhvuhajv6.png

    I know that in time I will start losing again. I know that weight loss isn't linear.

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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  • Machafin
    Machafin Posts: 2,988 Member
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    Just keep at it like others have said. You WILL go through up and downs. Always hold yourself accountable by tacking EVERYTHING. You need to give it more than just 2 weeks before giving up. Like you said, if you truly believe it is a lifestyle change, then you would not be reverting after 2 weeks. The large initial drop is likely water but fat loss will be a slower process. You can do it! Keep your head up!
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    edited August 2018
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    saarahmurphy wrote: »
    I am so frustrated, as I’m sure so many people have been before in my situation. I have been dieting for as long as I can remember and had a million different starting points, but this last time was different. I didn’t make a huge plan and go buy all these groceries I wouldn’t eat by the end of the week or make a huge proclamation that I was going on a diet. And I thought that this time I was really just changing my lifestyle for the better, and I have to say, it’s been easy to keep up with and much more successful in those means than other times before.

    I lost about 12lbs in the first week. Which between all my sodium intake previously and soda, I’m comfortable with have being mostly water retention leaving my body, however this last week - I haven’t lost a thing. Im still in the overweight area, so truly the argument for fat being replaced with muscle shouldn’t really apply to me quite yet. I’m really trying to keep going motivation wise and I’ll switch up what I’m eating, perhaps something isn’t good for me to be eating while losing weight, but still, I am frustrated.

    What does everyone do to keep going after bad weeks? Or when they hit plateaus when it’s too early to be plateauing?

    First of all, congrats on the 12 lbs. Regardless of how much of that was water or fat, a result like that is very encouraging! Unfortunately, as others have stated, it doesn't last and your weight will fluctuate from day to day.

    And so you know, there *is* no argument for fat being replaced by muscle. Aside from small newbie gains, increasing muscle mass only happens in a calorie surplus in conjunction with a progressive weight training program, and is a slow and deliberate process.

    Adjust your expectations a bit and strap yourself in. This is a marathon and not a sprint. ;)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,654 Member
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    The 12 lbs of your first week were maybe a couple of lbs of fat and 10lbs of non fat weight and measurement error.

    The 0lbs the second week were not 0lbs of fat but probably another 1 or 2lbs of fat counteracted by changes in non fat weight and measurement errors.

    You don't (necessarily) have a "how do I lose fat" problem.
    You currently have a MEASUREMENT problem.

    Start using a weight trend application or web site (Libra Android, Happy Scale Iphone, trendweight.com for web based (you may need to use with a freely available without a device fitbit.com account if you don't have a supported scale).

    Using one of these apps will help you better determine your actual weight **level** which you will be able to determine in about 4 to 6 weeks if you are a menstruating female and in about 3 weeks or so otherwise.

    In all probability you've picked an "inflated" starting point after a day of high sodium consume consumption or before using the bathroom or recorded during after you had already eaten food or drank liquids or on a day where you were at the wrong point of your cycle.

    Additionally if you are using a low carb way of eating you will see "borrowed" weight loss during your first few days, a loss that will reverse every time you eat an increased number of carbs and return whenever you reduce your carbs.

    None of the above water weight swings reflect the changes to your underlying fat levels and as such are not very helpful. All they do is obscure your actual fat level changes which are what you are trying to measure.

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