I'm getting burnt out
endermako
Posts: 785 Member
I've been on this weight loss grind for about 18 months. I did this slow on purpose so that I had a better chance of sustaining this lifestyle. I'm down about 50lbs and have 4lbs to go and suddenly I have just hit a wall in my motivation. I am getting so tired of eating at a deficit and working out five days a week. I've even incorporated a refeed day once a week and I still feel like this. I don't want to go on a diet break when I'm so close. Do I have any other options?
TDEE: 2000-2200 calories
Daily food logging is usually around 1500 calories
5'4
144lbs
TDEE: 2000-2200 calories
Daily food logging is usually around 1500 calories
5'4
144lbs
10
Replies
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Take a break and eat at maintenance for awhile. 4lbs is going to come off very slowly, and maybe taking a break to just kind of breathe will help you tackle those last 4lbs. Otherwise discipline yourself to do the deficit and work-out anyway.
I might also ask, would that 4lbs make much of a visual difference? Maybe recomp might be more up your alley at this point?21 -
MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »Take a break and eat at maintenance for awhile. 4lbs is going to come off very slowly, and maybe taking a break to just kind of breathe will help you tackle those last 4lbs. Otherwise discipline yourself to do the deficit and work-out anyway.
I might also ask, would that 4lbs make much of a visual difference? Maybe recomp might be more up your alley at this point?
i'm going to start my recomp at 140lbs, I'm at the very top of the healthy weight range for my height and want it to be a little bit more underneath that before i go to maintenance where i know i'll gain a few pounds from increased food intake and replenishing my glycogen (water weight)2 -
I understand your struggle. I have been trying to lose another 5 lbs since January, but have not been successful at keeping a deficit. Maybe focus on a different goal for a while? Set some fitness/strength goals and focus on those instead. My biggest struggle is I am no longer completely unhappy with my body. I still have a couple of pounds of fat I would like to lose, but I'm fairly happy with how I look now.3
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I also think taking a break or maintaining your current weight are your best options, no matter how badly you don't want a break. Maybe maintenance with the occasional deficit day? Like if one day you find yourself still at a deficit in the evening, just leave it like that. You would basically consider yourself in maintenance and accept your current weight as a goal weight, and if the deficit adds up, you may find yourself a couple of pounds lighter next year.7
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You don't need to have a deficit every day to lose weight - just over an extended period of time.
To nibble off a few pounds without getting frustrated or feeling ground down when I'm exercising hard I find it far less hateful to eat at or around maintenance most days and have a variable deficit on those days when it simply suits me best.
Examples: Not hungry some mornings? Skip breakfast. Having a busy day? Skip that mid-afternoon snack.
BTW - not everyone gets a weight bounce from replenishing glycogen, if you have a small deficit and don't go low carb it's unlikely.10 -
A refeed week or even ten days would be your next logical step. A single day of high carb hasn’t shown to really rebound the hormones. I’d go a full ten days at or even slightly above maintenance +200. Been there done that and it helped dramatically5
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When I begin to feel burnt out I focus on changing up my diet a bit. I will add new foods that I haven't been eating...try some new recipes...etc
This week I added fish and seafood. I usually don't eat it because for some reason I am horrible at cooking it. I managed to make salmon without over cooking it and added some shrimp to a new recipe that I was trying. Both I am proud to admit turned out really good.
I just find changing things up a bit gets me motivated again.6 -
BTW - not everyone gets a weight bounce from replenishing glycogen, if you have a small deficit and don't go low carb it's unlikely.[/quote]
Oh that's good to know, i thought it was everybody
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Sorry to add to the chorus. But it sounds like you're in the incremental nudge territory. Your best bet, imho, is the extended diet break/i'm at maintenance/recomp level. Then in a few months revisit and implement a small deficit (-250 range) from where you will be then. Or do the opportunistic deficits discussed above.
Reason is you sound as if your physical fitness goals are getting impacted. Health-wise the incremental benefit of just above to just below normal weight is minimal. Other than brain hamster wise, of course.1 -
I know it feels frustrating to take a diet break so close to goal but believe me that is when you usually need it most. Back in 2017 I made the mistake of running my cut without any diet breaks. I felt burnt out and drained by the end. It was really awful. This time around I took two diet breaks and what a difference they made. They gave me more motivation, push in the gym, they gave me that edge I needed to get as lean as I wanted to be. I would highly recommend giving it a try, even for 7-10 days.10
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It looks like you're at a pretty aggressive deficit right now -- your intake/TDEE has you at about a pound a week, right?
Have you considered cutting to half a pound a week instead, and adding 250 calories back in? That could give you that happy medium between full maintenance/diet break and the losing-a-pound-a-week deficit that you're in now.3 -
but i could be done in 4 weeks
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firecat1987 wrote: »but i could be done in 4 weeks
Or, you could end up playing with the same pound for 4 months due to the inability to stick to a deficit. A voluntary diet break is much less frustrating than a burn out induced one.10 -
firecat1987 wrote: »but i could be done in 4 weeks
That's what I thought and it was weeks of torture. I was so stubborn and refused but once I was done I only spent two weeks of maintenance then into a nice long surplus. It's up to you though, I was the same way and refused to take a break but learned from it. Maybe lower your deficit a bit to get you through. If you find your workouts are suffering likely so will your results. Try to remember that.6 -
okay. I'll eat at maintenance for 10 days and see how i feel
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firecat1987 wrote: »but i could be done in 4 weeks
I hear you.
I'm about 5-6ish pounds out from my end goal, and I was feeling marginally guilty about having a stretch of days in a row at the maintenance setting -- I usually take breaks at my birthday and Easter, and this year they're within a few days of each other, so I'm being lazy and not changing my goal back. But then I realized that F it, I haven't had a maintenance break since February when I had a vacation + half marathon, and I'm at my size goal right now (perk of doing a birthday shopping trip on Wednesday and then today), and OK FINE, I would eat at maintenance a few days.
See how you feel when you try it. It may not be as bad as you fear, especially if it gives your brain a little bit of a break.2 -
Just a thought but are you unhappy only because of a number? If so, I suggest putting it aside and starting your recomp now. In a few months evaluate how you feel and decide then if you need to lose a few more pounds.7
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Diet fatigue is a real thing.
Every 6th or so week, whenever I have a deload week, I also eat at maintenance for the week. IMO it helps a ton.
FWIW - I'm also 5'4" and ~142 lbs currently.10 -
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Others have already said it, but I would say switch up your diet, and maybe even your workout regime (if that is part of why you are feeling so burnt out). It has helped me in the past. Just don't give up! I have faith you can get that second wind. (:0
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I look for new music to keep me motivated.1
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Some people in your situation have had success switching to GW maintenance. Yes, the last few will come off slowly, but it is a good solution to deficit weariness -which is a real thing!- because it's a total mindset shift. Loss journey over. Maintenance/recomp phase begun. Honestly, everyone in maintenance is perpetually gaining and losing in a 5 lb range (or more) anyway. Congrats on your dedication, perseverance and success so far.4
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Some people in your situation have had success switching to GW maintenance. Yes, the last few will come off slowly, but it is a good solution to deficit weariness -which is a real thing!- because it's a total mindset shift. Loss journey over. Maintenance/recomp phase begun. Honestly, everyone in maintenance is perpetually gaining and losing in a 5 lb range (or more) anyway. Congrats on your dedication, perseverance and success so far.
This is certainly true for me. I've been maintaining about 7 years now and it really is just a series of me re-gaining and re-losing the same 5 (sometimes 10) pounds over and over.4 -
I started my maintenance when I had 2 or 3 pounds remaining to goal. Basically just trying to figure out what my exact net calorie intake should be. I lost those 2 lbs during my first maintenance week, oops. I've continued bumping my net calories up, and I've still lost another 6 lbs. Your body is a funny thing, and it will do what it wants to do, regardless of what your math predicts sometimes. Your metabolism shifts during weight loss, and despite what "they" say, it's not always into a lower gear. Obviously mine shifted into a higher gear. Try maintenance. If it does nothing for you, you can always restrict calories again. Meanwhile, you've gained the knowledge of the exact net calorie level that actually holds your weight at a steady point, given your current exercise regime.1
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firecat1987 wrote: »I've been on this weight loss grind for about 18 months. I did this slow on purpose so that I had a better chance of sustaining this lifestyle. I'm down about 50lbs and have 4lbs to go and suddenly I have just hit a wall in my motivation. I am getting so tired of eating at a deficit and working out five days a week. I've even incorporated a refeed day once a week and I still feel like this. I don't want to go on a diet break when I'm so close. Do I have any other options?
TDEE: 2000-2200 calories
Daily food logging is usually around 1500 calories
5'4
144lbs
Well, on March 31st, 2019, about four weeks ago, I cleared a full FIVE YEARS on MFP.
I've had many ups and downs with self-control, etc. but it's been worth it sticking it out.
I started out at 5' 9" at 422+ pounds and a BMI over 60.
On July 17th, 2017, I was 385 pounds after much yo-yo-ing and misplaced motivation and unsupervised exercise.
I asked my family doctor to come on board with a dietician and an exercise physiologist after three months on protein shakes, espresso coffee (and little else).
Today, Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019, I am, at last, down to 242 pounds.
This is because I started out with fortnightly, then monthly then six-week-apart visits to my dietician and exercise physiologist.
I appreciate the calorie-controlled, high-protein, medium-carb diet. I appreciate the supervision of my menus and food choices. I appreciate the exercise advise when has increased my balance and strength and, ultimately opened up more movement and exercise opportunities.
In summary, *** (a) I aim for about 1200-1300 calories per day but I never worry if it climbs to 1850-2000 calories a few times per week; *** (b) I have been swimming 75-125 minutes per day every day since November 2015. If I can't swim because of soreness/illness, I get in the pool and walk. In about 1100 days I have missed fewer than 25 days at the pool; *** (c) I visit the physiologist's gym at least three times per week for 55-105 minutes for balance and weightlifting. My average is about 3.85 visits per week. He updates my exercise regime with some new stuff every six weeks; *** (d) Since January 2019, I have been riding a road-bicycle at least daily (sometimes twice per day) totalling about 8-9 hours per week.
I enjoy that the calorie deficit means that I'm lighter but far more muscular, fitter than I have been for over a quarter of a century and able to walk or move without shortness of breath that plagued me not so long ago.
It's all about making a routine and staying away from excuses. Get to the pool every day before breakfast; get to the gym as often as your day activities will allow. Get on your bike for at least 30 minutes EVEN IF you have to ride before sunrise or way after dusk. DO IT.
The results will happen. I have gone from 48% body fat to under 29%. My body's centre of gravity is 3.5" (88 millimetres) higher than in 2017.
Do remember: exercise does next-to-nothing but toning you and advancing the speed of your metabolism a bit. It's the calorie controlled diet and the massive calorie deficit that eventually plays a part.3 -
Another option would be to start the "gradual add" method to find maintenance calories. Add 100-250 or calories daily, monitor until certain you're still losing (use a trending app). Add another hundred calories, monitor again. Each add, it will take longer to verify your trend.
Overall, you'll lose another few pounds, just verrrry slowly. (I lost about 6!) You're unlikely to see much of a glycogen bump, even if your body's inclined that way, because it comes in tiny increments lost in the noise of daily water fluctuations. As a bonus, you may find that your NEAT goes up, along the way.
Personally, I liked this method because it made me more inclined to make small pleasurable, nutritious tweaks to my eating to increase calories, rather than adding a big treat item (which would've been more of a temptation if I suddenly increased calories by 500 daily).
I'm not trying to sell you on this, really; and it may not directly address your burnout. But it would have some benefits for the other issues you mention, I think.5 -
I'm 5' 4" & my goal is 144 lbs.. You're there. Awesome!!0
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Is 4lbs really worth the stress? 18 months is FANTASTIC!!! Great job on sticking with it for this long and your weight loss so far! I don't have any suggestions, mind you, other than to try not to be so hard on yourself. I'm sure you're aware that our bodies fluctuate weight anyway so even if it says you lost that 4lbs today and you do everything perfectly, it could be back tomorrow.
Just be kind to yourself. Take the break if you need it. Do a different workout that you haven't done yet so it's fun vs a chore.0 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »I also think taking a break or maintaining your current weight are your best options, no matter how badly you don't want a break. Maybe maintenance with the occasional deficit day? Like if one day you find yourself still at a deficit in the evening, just leave it like that. You would basically consider yourself in maintenance and accept your current weight as a goal weight, and if the deficit adds up, you may find yourself a couple of pounds lighter next year.
This is exactly how my last 3-5 lbs came off. I made it a point to just never/rarely exceed my maintenance calories, and those days of tiny defecits added up. It was such an awesome, zero pressure way to knock off those last few pounds.9 -
As I read this I'm wondering - are you burned out from eating at a deficit, or getting burned out from exercising five days per week? I ask because a number of years ago I burned out from exercise. A day came when I just couldn't face the thought of doing it again. I've slowly learned that cut-back weeks in my exercise plan are as important as diet breaks from weight loss. Consider carefully the source of your resentment. Maybe that helps... Good luck.2
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