Why is nothing working?

AshleeKelsall23 · May 2023

Hello everyone!

I have been trying for the last couple months to regain my confidence and lose 30 pounds. I am at 146.2 and I dream of getting to 116. I have started using MyFitnessPal to count calories, eating 4 meals a day and cutting out sugary drinks/sweets. It has taken me so long to lose 3 pounds even when I exercise every day every week. Don't get me wrong I like seeing the progress of being down from 154 (I lost 8 pounds) but Im still trying to go towards my goal. It seems like every time I get my hopes up and lose weight I gain it all back. I have started to see abs which I'm happy about but it seems like nothing is working. If any of you guys can help with how you lost weight and kept it off let me know! #motivational #weight loss #30 pounds

Lietchi · May 2023

If you are truly starting to see abs, I doubt you should be losing 30lbs more - you may simply not have the bone structure and musculature to weigh 116 lbs and still be healthy.
How tall are you? How did you decide your goal weight? Are you aiming for a low BMI?
You sound like you're making progress in body composition, which (to me) is more important than the number on the scale.

PS: exercising every day every week sounds like a lot (although it depends on what you're doing precisely) - exercise is healthy but we do need to recuperate as well. Too much exercise -> stress on the body -> possible water retention

westrich20940 · May 2023

1. You've lost 8lbs in 'a couple months'? And you are 'starting to see abs'.....so I'm not sure why you think what you're doing isn't working.
2. Is your goal weight of 116 actually appropriate for you?

yirara · May 2023

How tall are you? I also question whether you have 30lbs to lose. Mind you, I did have abs when I was slightly overweight simply because my bodyfat distribution is odd. Thus who knows. Can you give us some more info?

tomcustombuilder · May 2023

Regain is usually reverting back to old eating habits to some extent, usually without realizing it. It can also be too much exercising lowering NEAT burn. NEAT is a much bigger factor in calorie burning than exercising. Plus, the amount and type of training can increase appetite. Yours is not an uncommon situation.

cwolfman13 · May 2023

AshleeKelsall23 wrote: »

Hello everyone!

I have been trying for the last couple months to regain my confidence and lose 30 pounds. I am at 146.2 and I dream of getting to 116. I have started using MyFitnessPal to count calories, eating 4 meals a day and cutting out sugary drinks/sweets. It has taken me so long to lose 3 pounds even when I exercise every day every week. Don't get me wrong I like seeing the progress of being down from 154 (I lost 8 pounds) but Im still trying to go towards my goal. It seems like every time I get my hopes up and lose weight I gain it all back. I have started to see abs which I'm happy about but it seems like nothing is working. If any of you guys can help with how you lost weight and kept it off let me know! #motivational #weight loss #30 pounds

8 Lbs in a couple of months equates to about 1 Lb per week...which is a good, safe rate of weight loss. Your problem isn't what you're doing, your problem is unrealistic expectations that fat/weight is just going to melt off. Also, if you can see abs, you don't have 30 Lbs to lose.

AnnPT77 · May 2023

How to keep it off? While you're still losing, so have a cushion of a moderate calorie deficit, experiment and find eating and activity habits - routine behavior patterns - you think you can keep up forever.
You want new habits that lead you to and keep you at a healthy weight almost on autopilot when other parts of life get demanding (because they will).

It'll look a little different for different people, so you need to find your own answers. Others can give you ideas to try, but they can't give you a formula.

If you generally take that approach, you arrive at goal weight, add a few daily calories (or average more in over the week), and that's it. You keep up the same habits. Finding those practical, relatively easy, definitely tolerable habits sooner or later is key. Sooner is better.

Figure out how to incorporate treats you personally need in order to be happy. Figure out how to have a good social life at appropriate calories. Practice how you can handle celebratory occasions that involve food (birthdays, potlucks, dinners at friends' homes, etc.) in a manageable, enjoyable way. Learn and practice those skills, and more.

Too many people lose weight with some kind of restrictive eating rules that they can't keep up forever, and some add a punitive exercise routine (duration/frequency/intensity/type of activity) that leaves them exhausted and without enough time and energy for job, family, home chores, social life, creative pursuits, non-exercise hobbies, or whatever else is important to them to have a happy, well balanced life. When they reach goal weight, the "go back to normal" with their old eating and exercise. They regain.

Don't do that.

I don't know about you, but I can't keep up "motivation", "willpower" and "discipline" every moment for the rest of my life. That means I needed to find new habits that didn't require much of that sort of thing long term. So, I ran the experiments to find the new habits, and practiced them long enough for them to stick. I made a rule that I wasn't going to do anything to lose weight that I wasn't willing to continue forever, except for that sensibly moderate calorie deficit. I'm in year 7+ at a healthy weight after around 30 previous years of overweight/obesity. For me, so far, so good.

Seek out sustainable new habits. Practice them until they stick. When you get to goal weight, add a few calories to stop losing weight. That can work.

Best wishes!

HillaryIsAJoy · May 2023

You said that you’re trying to regain your confidence and lose 30 lbs. If you believe that losing the 30 lbs will bring you confidence, it won’t..believe it or not, the confidence has to come first.

Do you feel confident when you think things like “It has taken me SO LONG to lose 3 pounds” “Every time I get my hopes up and lose weight I gain it all back” and “…nothing is working”? They probably generate feelings of dread, defeated, and hopelessness.

Those all-or-nothing types of thoughts are what is keeping you stuck, my friend.

What is so long? A week? A month? A year? A decade? Is it true that every time you lose weight you gain it all back? Is the case really that nothing is working?

What is working? What has gone right? What can you do differently?

There is math and there is drama..and losing weight requires understanding both. You are amazing and you are doing exactly what needs to be done. Don’t let your brain tell you it’s not enough—and it’s going to—just keep going. Don’t let this discomfort stop you. 💕💕💕💕

carolinepowell885 · May 2023

Not sure what your height is but if you can see abs you are doing well! You are making great progress with the weight loss at what averages to 1lb/week. Remember you are building muscle so you might not see a difference in the scale but you will in terms of measurements and overall health. Perhaps measure yourself at the start of June and remeasure at the end. Compare the measurements along with your weight and see what changes have occurred.

podperson1 · May 2023

I mean, if you're losing weight and seeing abs it doesn't sound like 'nothing is working'. 116 is pretty low, how tall are you? Also, if you're working out every day then you could be building muscle, which will make the weight loss seem lower but be reducing the fat percentage.

Maybe concentrate on some non-scale goals for now - eg fitting into clothes better, going down a size, being more toned, having more energy - and these might help with your confidence.

AnnPT77 · May 2023

For perspective on the possibility of muscle mass gain: A quite good rate of muscle mass gain, under ideal circumstances, would be 1-2 pounds of new muscle mass per month.

Ideal circumstances include relative youth, relatively male hormone profile, a good progressive strength program faithfully performed, good overall nutrition including but not limited to adequate protein, good genetics, and a calorie surplus. It's not that no one can gain muscle mass without all of those factors being perfect, but it would likely happen at an even slower rate than the 1-2 pounds per month.

It's very unusual for any realistic rate of muscle mass gain to outpace and thus mask any reasonably satisfying rate of fat loss.

I wish it were otherwise, sincerely.

olwamlimyolibooysen · August 2023

I think it's because u may hve a hard time losing weight (like me)or fat but if u see muscle ur doing pretty good also this happens to another of ppl when they're exercising alot they tend to gain weight or just simply nothing happens 🤷‍♀️but eventually something will happen

Why is nothing working?

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