Feelin discouraged and needing support

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So, I've been on this website since June and have not lost weight yet! I've been meeting my calorie goals MOSTLY during the week and trying to meet my exercise goals but I still haven't lost the weight. I feel like a big failure and I feel disappointed because I should've lost the weight by now. Then again, I feel that some things I could do to change my regimen of dieting and exercising would be to increase my exercise and to drink less pop. Does anybody have any words of encouragement/advice/tips? I just feel like I'm alone and feeling discouraged :(

Thanks!

Replies

  • misspoetic
    misspoetic Posts: 24 Member
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    hey missy dont be discouraged
    sometimes it could be small changes you need to make.
    i recently realised my sugar intake was unhealthy.
    look at the foods you eat and see where you cab adjust.
  • wbutterfras
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    Feel free to add me for a little support.
  • Lisa_222
    Lisa_222 Posts: 301 Member
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    Re-evaluate your goals. Make sure your activity level that you have listed is accurate. Get a scale and weigh your food. Sometimes you think you're staying under a certain amount and find that you misjudged portion sizes. And are you counting the pop in your calorie intake? Unless its zero calorie diet, pop adds lots of calories. Increase your exercise, even if it's by ten minutes a session or speak to an exercise specialist. 4 months seems like quite a while to not lose anything if you're doing everything right. Maybe compare noted with a few people that have done this awhile and get their input. Also, see your doctor and make sure you have no thyroid issues or things like that. Good luck.
  • Flacachica
    Flacachica Posts: 328 Member
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    Don't be discouraged!! Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start new. That's what I'm doing. I had lost 23 lbs and I've gained it all back.I'm starting over. Talk about discouraged... but at least I'm back. I mean, what else are we gonna do, right?
  • Apryl546
    Apryl546 Posts: 909 Member
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    Follow your own advice.
    Do more exercise and drink less pop.
    The pop could be the one thing holding you back completely.
  • Apryl546
    Apryl546 Posts: 909 Member
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    Follow your own advice.
    Do more exercise and drink less pop.
    The pop could be the one thing holding you back completely.
  • evelynr14
    evelynr14 Posts: 172 Member
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    Hey! Don't give up! You can do this, and you know exactly what you need to do! Just do it. For example, I no longer drink anything that has sugar. I keep my sugar intake very low, and my sodium (which makes you retain water) very low also. You can do it! Add me if you need some help or support! Don't give up on yourself, you deserve to make these changes for yourself! Good luck !!!
  • DrPepperLeigh74
    DrPepperLeigh74 Posts: 236 Member
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    It will help alot if you quit the cold drinks if you are drinking alot of them daily. I used to drink them all day long before starting on mfp and I did not drink water. I switched to all water except for a cup of coffee a day and the occasional diet dr pepper and that seemed to help alot. If that does not work I would see a Doctor to have your thyroid checked out, good luck!! You can do this :)
  • geekymom57
    geekymom57 Posts: 176 Member
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    So, I've been on this website since June and have not lost weight yet! I've been meeting my calorie goals MOSTLY during the week and trying to meet my exercise goals but I still haven't lost the weight. I feel like a big failure and I feel disappointed because I should've lost the weight by now. Then again, I feel that some things I could do to change my regimen of dieting and exercising would be to increase my exercise and to drink less pop. Does anybody have any words of encouragement/advice/tips? I just feel like I'm alone and feeling discouraged :(

    Thanks!
    I know the frustration of not losing when you believe you should be--but stick with it regardless. I wonder about a couple of things in your message, though, which gave me a bit of pause. You said you meeting your calorie goals mostly during the week, so that made me wonder whether you are taking the weekends off. You might have meant "week" as 7 days, but many people mean M-F when they say week. So if you aren't being diligent all 7 days of the week you could easily be undoing any progress from the other days.

    You also menitoned you drink pop. I assume it's probably not sugar-free soda, because then it wouldn't be as much of an issue. As someone else noted, small things can help, so if you start to substitute water or diet soda or flavored unsweetened mineral water for your pop, you might see some success from that.

    Finally, as another said, be really honest and careful in what you are eating. I have a pretty good eye for portions but I still weigh or measure almost everything that isn't a low calorie vegetable where the margin of error isn't so critical. A half cup of rice or pasta on a large place looks pretty tiny, and a serving of meat/fish might easily be double what you think it is.

    Don't give up! Even being conscious of what you're eating is a step forward that some people will never make.
  • pauljsolie
    pauljsolie Posts: 1,024 Member
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    Ok, time for a reality check. You have 10 pounds to lose and you have already lost 3. If you were 250 pounds and wanted to lose 100 pounds, you would have lost the equivalent of 30 pounds. Big people lose weight fast. Skinnier people lose weight at the same rate, it is just a much smaller amount of pounds. You are doing great, you are in a plateau and you will get through it. Don't be too hard on yourself. The soda could be the culprit, also check your sodium intake. Good luck to you.
  • lily1515
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    Thanks everyone for the ideas! They are really helpful! The person who commented on if what I ment by week I meant 7 days, I actually meant 5 days so I should also be watching my intake on the weekends. I'm actually proud of myself I was given the opportunity to eat icecream but I didn't and I also limited my intake of pop and unhealthy foods! I think the one thing I get overwhelmed with is having to measure out my food. It seems too tedious and time consuming. Any thoughts on that?

    Thanks again everyone!!
  • Airport5x
    Airport5x Posts: 25 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the ideas! They are really helpful! The person who commented on if what I ment by week I meant 7 days, I actually meant 5 days so I should also be watching my intake on the weekends. I'm actually proud of myself I was given the opportunity to eat icecream but I didn't and I also limited my intake of pop and unhealthy foods! I think the one thing I get overwhelmed with is having to measure out my food. It seems too tedious and time consuming. Any thoughts on that?

    Thanks again everyone!!

    Hang in there gal! I have a set of digital scales from, I think, Target. They are a fixture on my counter and it's quick and easy to weigh things out and know exactly what to put in my food journal. Especially things that aren't packaged like fruits and veggies for example. I can weigh a banana, punch in the code on my scales for bananas and it tells many how many calories are in that banana based on it's weight. Also it gives me protein, cholesterol, fat, and protein. It takes away a lot of the guess work. Plus, I think that by weighing things out you are more deliberate about what and how much you eat. Do some prep work on the weekend, maybe measure some your foods/snacks out into baggies and label the baggy with the calorie info etc.

    Take good care.
  • dovesgate
    dovesgate Posts: 894 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the ideas! They are really helpful! The person who commented on if what I ment by week I meant 7 days, I actually meant 5 days so I should also be watching my intake on the weekends. I'm actually proud of myself I was given the opportunity to eat icecream but I didn't and I also limited my intake of pop and unhealthy foods! I think the one thing I get overwhelmed with is having to measure out my food. It seems too tedious and time consuming. Any thoughts on that?

    Thanks again everyone!!

    Well, either you have to buy prepackaged meals or measure yourself. Don't get me wrong, I agree that it seems tedious but it isn't time consuming. Just have your measuring cups and/or scale nearby when you start or stop cooking. You've gotta do this until it is so ingrained in your mind what a real portion is that you have no problem sticking to that size. Maybe you can find the time to dedicate a cooking day so that you cook then freeze your pre-portioned out meals? This might make it easier for you to only have to do a lump of measuring and such in one day then have a week or so of stress-free noshing.

    Regular soda pop is a real killer when it comes to watching calories. Each can contains enough calories to make up a good sized snack or light meal not to mention the sodium that makes you retain water on top of the empty calories. I've started making myself drink at least a 1.5L bottle of water before I allow myself to reach for a Diet Dr. Pepper or another zero calorie soda and I think that is what has been responsible for my 3lb loss over the last week.

    I also think you need to at least track your food every single day. Yes, it is tedious and yes, this is a time-consuming task. But it is sooooo incredibly worth it. I fully admit I eat junk food. The reason why I can do it (at this point) is because I track every single thing I eat. I think of my calories like a bank balance. If I don't have enough calories left when I am wanting that high calorie snack, I won't eat it and I will find something else to either eat or do to distract me. I also believe in "everything in moderation" so I build snacks and treats in that feed my sweet and salty cravings with less caloric damage.

    Hope this helps!!