How do you stay motivated when you don't see any difference in your body and the scale wont budge!?
nichaelkelly1
Posts: 13 Member
I started at 163 last year, got down to 152 and stayed there for a few months, I started getting back on track end of March and as of three weeks ago, I am 140.8 lbs and now it wont budge.
This, and the fact that I am not seeing any difference measurement-wise is making me crazy! I stick to my calories of 1200 per day and I walk for a minimum of one hour a day. I also do body weight exercises 3 times per week. I have done research and have learned that I could be losing weight and gaining muscle at the same time, but it is such a mental mind *kitten* and very discouraging.
My question is, how do you stay motivated when you don't see any difference in your body and the scale isn't moving?
This, and the fact that I am not seeing any difference measurement-wise is making me crazy! I stick to my calories of 1200 per day and I walk for a minimum of one hour a day. I also do body weight exercises 3 times per week. I have done research and have learned that I could be losing weight and gaining muscle at the same time, but it is such a mental mind *kitten* and very discouraging.
My question is, how do you stay motivated when you don't see any difference in your body and the scale isn't moving?
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Replies
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No difference between 163 & 141? That can’t be right.
How long have you been idling at 141?3 -
I spent 7 weeks at 210 it was frustrating to not see the scale change, so I understand where you are coming from. But, I stayed the course and broke through to 209 and now down to 207. Reminding myself that weight loss isn't linear, and slow and steady is the best approach helps keep me motivated. Along with wanting to be healthy for my daughter.
Keep the focus and you'll see results.7 -
I understand how frustrating that can be.
When I was losing weight, I found when I focused more on improving my fitness (and of course being aware of my calorie intake) the weight and inches eventually came off.
Things like walking a mile faster, improving my stamina to power walk 3+ miles at one time without stopping, working on my push-ups from doing them on the wall, to on my knees to on my toes, lifting heavier weights etc. really took my mind off of the process of losing weight and the ups and downs of the scale.
Also noticing NSV's really helped. I might not have lost weight on the scale or inches, but I noticed my clothes getting a little bigger, my going down a notch on my belt, my ring getting looser or my double chin getting smaller. So I knew progress was being made so that kept me motivated.
You just have to keep going and work at it everyday. Lots of hard work and patience needed, but it's so worth it.
Good luck15 -
Find other ways to measure progress beyond the scale. That’s just one measurement of the progress you are making.
Do you take body measurements? That can help you see the changes in your body even when the scale isn’t going down.
Also, lots of progress pictures. The changes won’t be dramatic from a few weeks apart but you will see subtle changes.
And set fitness goals to work toward that have nothing to do with weight. I run so usually my fitness goals are pace or distance related. Though currently it’s being able to run up an entire hill that’s on my route.
Giving yourself multiple ways to measure progress and goals other than weight loss help keep you motivated when you don’t see to be making progress in one area. And if you aren’t making progress by any of the measurements you use then it may be time to switch things up and figure out what isn’t working.
Oh and I’m going through a bit of a plateau myself recently and one thing I keep reminding myself is that if I don’t keep trying I definitely am not going to get the results I want. Pushing through even when the scale isn’t doing what I want is the only way I’m going to get it to go down eventually.4 -
I spent 7 weeks at 210 it was frustrating to not see the scale change, so I understand where you are coming from. But, I stayed the course and broke through to 209 and now down to 207. Reminding myself that weight loss isn't linear, and slow and steady is the best approach helps keep me motivated. Along with wanting to be healthy for my daughter.
Keep the focus and you'll see results.
I’m stuck at 208. I too need to remember my biggest motivation is to be healthier for more daughter. Thanks for the reminder. I too have been discouraged lately with the scale and with my food choices recently.
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I actually weigh daily, and then take my average daily weight for the week, and compare that week to week. It quiets down the natural noise in measuring daily, and I find that more motivating. Sometimes I won't see much of a shift over two weeks of doing all the right things, but over the month, if I stay the course, I eventually see the results. Best advice is stay the course.4
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I do this too. My boyfriend got me a withings scale and it’s amazing it averages the weeks or months for you and tells you muscle mass, bmi, water weight - all sorts. I find I plateau for a while then loose - be as consistent as you can with exercise and eating right and don’t be too hard on yourself 😊0
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I’ve more or less remained the same weight for months. When I lose motivation I remind myself that what I’m doing is preventing me from gaining weight, so to not give up. I have room to tweak my diet and I could get more exercise but you seem to be keeping to your calorie goal and exercising. I would just keep at it. You’ve lost a good chunk of weight. It might be harder now that you have less weight to lose.2
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Celebrate 20 pounds lost! That deserves a big congratulations.
Read the MFP article on overcoming a plateau.
I suggest revisiting your macros. It is not enough to eat 1200 calories; those calories have to made up of the right proportions of fat, protein and carbs for you.
I suggest increasing/changing your exercise. Your body gets used to the exercise you do. When you change things your body has to react and adapt to that.
Take care3 -
I feel u on that. I don't see gains often either, but I think of what would happen if I were to STOP! Instead of no gains, I'd see weight gains.2
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I spent 7 weeks at 210 it was frustrating to not see the scale change, so I understand where you are coming from. But, I stayed the course and broke through to 209 and now down to 207. Reminding myself that weight loss isn't linear, and slow and steady is the best approach helps keep me motivated. Along with wanting to be healthy for my daughter.
Keep the focus and you'll see results.
Thank you for your insight, this is so inspiring! You are right, weight loss isn't linear. I will stay the course and hope everything works out. I swear the hardest part of a weightloss journey is the mental aspect. Thank you!
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rainbow198 wrote: »I understand how frustrating that can be.
When I was losing weight, I found when I focused more on improving my fitness (and of course being aware of my calorie intake) the weight and inches eventually came off.
Things like walking a mile faster, improving my stamina to power walk 3+ miles at one time without stopping, working on my push-ups from doing them on the wall, to on my knees to on my toes, lifting heavier weights etc. really took my mind off of the process of losing weight and the ups and downs of the scale.
Also noticing NSV's really helped. I might not have lost weight on the scale or inches, but I noticed my clothes getting a little bigger, my going down a notch on my belt, my ring getting looser or my double chin getting smaller. So I knew progress was being made so that kept me motivated.
You just have to keep going and work at it everyday. Lots of hard work and patience needed, but it's so worth it.
Good luck
Thank you for your insight. I have started a walking program since running is too painful for me. It is inspiring that you also walk. I am going to try walking an extra mile and move from wall push ups (Chloe ting's 10 min arm workout) and challenge myself to a regular push ups like yourself and focus on leveling up fitness wise. Thank you!0 -
Don't be discouraged look how far you've already come!
Learn some new exercises and research food more.
A new strength training movement can change your focus. Also new cardio is fun and can help increase your daily caloric deficit. Try swimming or jump rope.
Are you getting enough fiber, protein, too much or to little carb? Looking what you eat can maybe uncover something.
Also perhaps a fast....
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Shortgirlrunning wrote: »Find other ways to measure progress beyond the scale. That’s just one measurement of the progress you are making.
Do you take body measurements? That can help you see the changes in your body even when the scale isn’t going down.
Also, lots of progress pictures. The changes won’t be dramatic from a few weeks apart but you will see subtle changes.
And set fitness goals to work toward that have nothing to do with weight. I run so usually my fitness goals are pace or distance related. Though currently it’s being able to run up an entire hill that’s on my route.
Giving yourself multiple ways to measure progress and goals other than weight loss help keep you motivated when you don’t see to be making progress in one area. And if you aren’t making progress by any of the measurements you use then it may be time to switch things up and figure out what isn’t working.
Oh and I’m going through a bit of a plateau myself recently and one thing I keep reminding myself is that if I don’t keep trying I definitely am not going to get the results I want. Pushing through even when the scale isn’t doing what I want is the only way I’m going to get it to go down eventually.
Thank you for your insight! Omg you are all so smart. So far i'm learning to focus on fitness, which you have also mentioned here. Yes, i take body measurements and it has definitely gone down but it drives me crazy because i become obsessed when it comes to my weekly weigh in. It is a great idea to focus on fitness and not so much my body because it becomes discouraging. Im excited to get over this plateau. 15 more to go!
During your plateau, do you lower calorie intake or do you just keep going with what you are doing? A part of me thinks i should lower my calories but i feel like anything lower than 1200 is a little crazy. Thank you!0 -
libertygurl wrote: »I actually weigh daily, and then take my average daily weight for the week, and compare that week to week. It quiets down the natural noise in measuring daily, and I find that more motivating. Sometimes I won't see much of a shift over two weeks of doing all the right things, but over the month, if I stay the course, I eventually see the results. Best advice is stay the course.
This is a great idea! I will add this to the list of things to do. Yes, measuring daily can be so frustrating. Thank you so much!0 -
I do this too. My boyfriend got me a withings scale and it’s amazing it averages the weeks or months for you and tells you muscle mass, bmi, water weight - all sorts. I find I plateau for a while then loose - be as consistent as you can with exercise and eating right and don’t be too hard on yourself 😊
Thank you so much. Im going to have to drop hints to my bf about getting one of those scales cause they are a pretty penny lol. Thank you so much, especially about being too hard on myself. As long as I keep going I should stay positive.Thank you!0 -
I’ve more or less remained the same weight for months. When I lose motivation I remind myself that what I’m doing is preventing me from gaining weight, so to not give up. I have room to tweak my diet and I could get more exercise but you seem to be keeping to your calorie goal and exercising. I would just keep at it. You’ve lost a good chunk of weight. It might be harder now that you have less weight to lose.
Thank you so much. This is encouraging, I will keep going. Thank you 0 -
tgillies003 wrote: »Celebrate 20 pounds lost! That deserves a big congratulations.
Read the MFP article on overcoming a plateau.
I suggest revisiting your macros. It is not enough to eat 1200 calories; those calories have to made up of the right proportions of fat, protein and carbs for you.
I suggest increasing/changing your exercise. Your body gets used to the exercise you do. When you change things your body has to react and adapt to that.
Take care
Thank you for your insight. Macros are a whole other question for me. I started off confused about macros but i keep hearing that it is all about CICO. I did a few online calculators for daily calories and I came up with an average of 1285. I figured if I do 1200, if i go over it wont be such a big deal. Anyway it was successful initially, it is just now that i am getting closer to my goal that i am wondering if i should up the calorie intake and if it would hinder my progress overall. Sometimes it get so confusing. Well, off to you tube I go to watch more fledge fitness & Tammy hembrow videos on macros! Thank you!0 -
tgillies003 wrote: »Celebrate 20 pounds lost! That deserves a big congratulations.
Read the MFP article on overcoming a plateau.
I suggest revisiting your macros. It is not enough to eat 1200 calories; those calories have to made up of the right proportions of fat, protein and carbs for you.
I suggest increasing/changing your exercise. Your body gets used to the exercise you do. When you change things your body has to react and adapt to that.
Take care
...and thank you for the congratulations. Sometimes I forget to tell myself good job lol so focused on where I haven't gotten yet that I forget to think of how far I have already come lol0 -
TrueGrit732 wrote: »I feel u on that. I don't see gains often either, but I think of what would happen if I were to STOP! Instead of no gains, I'd see weight gains.
This is so inspiring, thank you! 0 -
nichaelkelly1 wrote: »tgillies003 wrote: »Celebrate 20 pounds lost! That deserves a big congratulations.
Read the MFP article on overcoming a plateau.
I suggest revisiting your macros. It is not enough to eat 1200 calories; those calories have to made up of the right proportions of fat, protein and carbs for you.
I suggest increasing/changing your exercise. Your body gets used to the exercise you do. When you change things your body has to react and adapt to that.
Take care
Thank you for your insight. Macros are a whole other question for me. I started off confused about macros but i keep hearing that it is all about CICO. I did a few online calculators for daily calories and I came up with an average of 1285. I figured if I do 1200, if i go over it wont be such a big deal. Anyway it was successful initially, it is just now that i am getting closer to my goal that i am wondering if i should up the calorie intake and if it would hinder my progress overall. Sometimes it get so confusing. Well, off to you tube I go to watch more fledge fitness & Tammy hembrow videos on macros! Thank you!
I would suggest you not do anything for another 2 weeks unless you start to experience fatigue. It is easier to evaluate your results if your habits remain consistent.
I am sure someone asked if you are weighing all your food on a food scale and personally verifying your calories against a label or the USDA site but I didn't see it. If you are not you may be eating more than you think.
I have been doing this awhile so I trust the process. I have had my weight stall for over 7 weeks and every pound I should have lost during that period finally fell off the scale. I focus on being happy today so I do not require much additional motivation. For me this process is habit and normal.3 -
nichaelkelly1 wrote: »tgillies003 wrote: »Celebrate 20 pounds lost! That deserves a big congratulations.
Read the MFP article on overcoming a plateau.
I suggest revisiting your macros. It is not enough to eat 1200 calories; those calories have to made up of the right proportions of fat, protein and carbs for you.
I suggest increasing/changing your exercise. Your body gets used to the exercise you do. When you change things your body has to react and adapt to that.
Take care
Thank you for your insight. Macros are a whole other question for me. I started off confused about macros but i keep hearing that it is all about CICO. I did a few online calculators for daily calories and I came up with an average of 1285. I figured if I do 1200, if i go over it wont be such a big deal. Anyway it was successful initially, it is just now that i am getting closer to my goal that i am wondering if i should up the calorie intake and if it would hinder my progress overall. Sometimes it get so confusing. Well, off to you tube I go to watch more fledge fitness & Tammy hembrow videos on macros! Thank you!
I would suggest you not do anything for another 2 weeks unless you start to experience fatigue. It is easier to evaluate your results if your habits remain consistent.
I am sure someone asked if you are weighing all your food on a food scale and personally verifying your calories against a label or the USDA site but I didn't see it. If you are not you may be eating more than you think.
I have been doing this awhile so I trust the process. I have had my weight stall for over 7 weeks and every pound I should have lost during that period finally fell off the scale. I focus on being happy today so I do not require much additional motivation. For me this process is habit and normal.
Yes, I do count my calories but I am definitely guilty of eyeballing certain foods. This week I will strictly monitor myself and see if that makes any difference at all. Thanks !0 -
I'm struggling with weight loss stall, too. I'm so close to getting under 200!! I am focused on my achievements off the scale.
1. I did 60 pushups yesterday!!!! (on knees) Shocked!
2. I can run 2 miles in 24minutes. 7 of those minutes were walking, so I feel really good about my time. Working on cutting that down to 22 mins. I started walking 1.5 miles and that took me 35 mins. Progress!!
3. My behind is a little perkier. 🍑 <-- working on that
Find goals off scale to focus on..getting stronger feels great!!0
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