FRUSTRATED!!! DAMN YOU SCALE!!!
NurseHthr
Posts: 43 Member
I have been here for 2 weeks now. The first week I had amazing losses that I was super proud of. I busted my *kitten* for another week. Only eating within my alotted calories and dragging myself to the gym every single day to do at least 250 cals worth of cardio. I attended classes for pilates and strength training. I made my husband hide the scale so I only weigh in once a week on Friday mornings before I do anyhing other than pee. (TMI, I know) And week 2 results??? NOTHING NADA ZILCH. Not one ounce of loss! I'm pissed. And if this happens in week 3 I honestly don't know if I will be able to keep this up. If all this hard work isn't paying off why am I bothering at all?
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Replies
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That happened to me too! I hadnt lost a single pound in 2 weeks and then all of a sudden today i'm 3.5 pounds down! Don't worry, you are doing your body good by eating better and working out. You will never regret it and i WILL come off, i promise.0
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Did you measure yourself as well?0
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You probably dropped a lot of water weight in W1 - which is normal - then the second week you sometimes stalls. This is perfectly normal - dont get discouraged - we have all been there!! Keepp pressing on girl - keep doing the right thing and making good choices and you will see the scale budge. I am going on week 3 of seeing the same 2lb range - but we cant give up!!!0
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You have to remember that you didn't gain all your weight in 3 or 4 weeks and you will NOT lose it that fast. Take your measurements as well so if you dont see a diff on the scale you may see it in your measurements!!0
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well.. nobody (that I know of) loses consistenly every single week. If nothing else, you're eating healthier & more active- why turn your back on that? Science teaches us that sooner or later, it WILL pay off0
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That's why you should measure your waist too. You're working out, so you're building muscle while losing fat, and 5lbs of muscle is MUCH smaller than 5 lbs of fat. That's why it's normal for some people to even gain weight at first.0
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I dont have to say a thing this dude says it all.
TOP Women Training MISTAKES (Avoid These!) And Get a Toned, Sculpted, Firm Body!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eEkbG5gil80 -
Bump
So I can watch the video at home...0 -
I went three weeks without an ounce lost, then all the sudden this last week I've lost 6lb. Don't give up! Your body is just adjusting.0
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Some things I have learned...
1. In the first weeks of starting exercise program most folks gain weight because muscle weighs more than fat.
2. NEVER eat less than about 125O calories... OR try to loose too much too fast. Your body goes into starvation mode and retains fat.
3. It took YEARS to put on the weight... eat HEALTHY (food pyramid) exercise regularly... and slowly it will come off.
4. SLOW weight loss is most likely to stay off long term.
5. DON"T "diet"... just learn to eat properly and exercise regularly.0 -
Your body is growing accustomed to this sudden change and sometimes it takes a bit for it to adapt to the physical stress. Try taking your measurements and see if anything has changed there. If not, try changing up your workout a little.
Most importantly, focus on how you feel and not so much on the number the scale says. The number varies from day to day (normal fluctuation due to intake and water retention). Remember, a scale will not tell you the important things: just how beautiful you are, what a great person you are, how much your family and friends love you, that you can lift someone's spirits with a pleasant smile or simple "hello". You have the power to choose happiness. It's about you and how you feel, not that silly little number.0 -
I am having the same exact problem!! My husband says we will hit plateau's and to keep working. I read the other replies and am going to measure myself. I do dance dance revolution at home. You can set the game to whatever calorie loss you want. You can go easy or hard, it depends on what you want. I say this because you say you 'drag" yourself to the gym. Its just an alternative you can try at home. Good luck to you, me and everyone else.0
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Just keep doing what you are doing. It will work. All of sudden you will see a big change.0
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Jonesy, dont believe those magazines that say "lose weight fast! Get in shape in 2 weeks for the summer!". Ive been learning that all this stuff takes time and knowledge, patience and persistence. There's no quick fix. Its only been 2 weeks.0
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Don't get discouraged, in the first week I dropped 4lb then nothing for two weeks! I was extremely frustrated but all of a sudden it started to drop off and has been dropping for two weeks now so don't give up!!!0
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I don't expect to lose everything I want to lose in 2 weeks. I was hopeful for results and discouraged when I saw none.
I am a nurse and I formerly worked as a weight loss councellor, I am very aware of how these things work.
It's just that I have never worked this hard for NO movement on the scale. It is always a small change at least. Maybe I have to expect that with age, it will be harder to lose weight than it has in the past.0 -
It's WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too early to get frustrated over the scale.
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"I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.
Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people suceed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is dissapointment. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new commers and vetrans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.
Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.
Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crutial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permenant yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tryies to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.
Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistant (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becomming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!
Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already suceeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!
Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficite, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficites you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficite (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.
Conclusion:
this is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from.
Best health to you all!
-Banks "
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I guess I shouldn't use the scale as a gauge at all, but I too am frustrated. I got serious about diet and exercise at the beginning of July. I work out 5-6 days a week (combo of 30 min of cardio and at least 10 of weights or resistance training) and after a month I had lost about a half inch all the way around and about 2 lbs - yes, slow progress, but I only had about 10 lbs to lose and I was feeling so good about my tone I didn't care. Now, at a month and half, I am not so patient. I waiver between those 2 lbs and back at my original weight and I've somehow gained that half inch back. I am consistently meeting my calorie goal and I am brutally honest - I measure out my ounces of wine even. Why am I stuck? My only goal is to be able to wear a two piece at the beach in a month and be confident in it...0
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Do you work out everyday? You should allow yourself some rest days so you can recuperate and not give yourself a stress injury. Your body will adjust and sadly it takes time. Also taking on a lot too soon will leave you tired and discouraged. I began exercising (by this i mean 30 min walks on the treadmill) before dieting and training to get my endurance and cardio up. Now Ive started dieting on top of exercise and I feel more in control when I workout. I hope that you stick with it and get results that don't only show up on the scale0
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I agree with a lot of the other posters. Personally, I can go a couple of weeks without dropping (I'm trying for 1 lb a week), and then I drop 2 - 3 lbs in one week. This is a process. Try not to be discouraged. I promise it will be worth it.0
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