Help! Feel like quitting :(

I went through the exact same thing! I started eating better and did the Insanity program...I instantly lost 6 pounds, and then gained half back, held onto that for a long time, lost a pound, gained 2 back...never ending roller coaster. I asked for advice, everyone told me to eat more...so I did, at first, I lost 3 pounds, then quickly gained it (and some more) right back. I felt so discouraged! I finally lowered my calories, and now I'm losing again. Who knows if this will stick, but so far, so good. The best advice I can give is, trust your body and your instincts! You know you best...the other thing I can say, keep working out and eating right...the time is going to pass anyway, so why not be trying instead of giving up. Think of where you will be a year from now...chances are, a much more fit, healthy you! Good luck to you, and just know you are not the only one!!!

1. The scale isn't always 100% accurate.
2. Water retention is always possible.
3. Go by how you feel.
4. Start doing 15-30 minutes of exercise a few times a week to kick start it.

I am in my 4th week, and I have stepped on the scale once a week ago. I don't really care what the scale has to say. If I'm diligent in the food I eat and put in the effort to exercise as well, there's only one way the weight can go..

You know, you can always quit later, and it will be just as easy. The hardest decision is to start, so hang in there for a bit longer.

I have started counting calories and restricting what I eat and drink 2 weeks ago (I drank 2 litre of cola every day, now I drink a glass, I ate a lot of junk food before, now I am preparing most meals myself), and I have seen the scale go down a couple of pounds and going up again. Now, I have some good news and some bad news for you. The bad news is: The pounds you lost may not actually have been a real loss of body fat as you wanted it (yet). But the good news is, the pounds you gained are probably not a gain in body fat either. You can not gain two pounds of fat in a couple of days if you are not eating an incredibly large amount of calories (you are keeping your daily calories intake in check, don't you?).

The body is a complex system, and there are many things that happen in it. Most of the body is actually water. Water comes and goes over the day as you drink, sweat, urinate, deplete and replenish your systems. Also, you have a bowel that holds weight and loses it. The changes in these systems can happen quite fast.

There is no way you can see a change of a couple of pounds of body fat on your scale. The body fat change is hidden behind the normal ups and downs in the rest of the body. You need more patience to see a trend.

So, I suggest to laugh it off, and enjoy the ride! Take pleasure in the new foods you are trying, and the workouts that remind you of muscles that you didn't use properly in a long time. Due to my desk work I developed posture problems, my right shoulder was always hanging low and rolled back. Now, because of the daily workouts, the shoulder is almost perfectly aligned again. That's a real change right there, and it doesn't show on the scale.

I just spit my drink all over my computer monitor, thanks for that ! (in response to the zombie bat comment)

seriously dont quit. It takes 30 days of doing something everyday to make it routine and habit. Instead of doing a diet, try a clean healthy lifestyle. Diets fail, diets end, diets suck!

What happens if you quit now? You give up on eating healthier and exercising and the weight starts to go up every year? Where will you be then?

Perhaps the part you should quit is weighing yourself. Get a measuring tape and see where you are now, track your calories and exercise for a month and then tape yourself again. THEN get on the scale. I bet after a month of exercise and healthier eating you will see both movement on the tape and the scale. If you don't, then try increasing your exercise a little bit, and try again in the next month.

You can give up and stay the way you are (or potentially gain) or you can stick with a healthier lifestyle and eventually get where you want to be. It doesn't matter if it takes 2 months, 6 months, or a year....at least you get where you want to be.

Those of use who have lost initial weight quickly did so because we have a heck of lot more to lose than you do. Your current weight is well below my goal weight. 10 lbs is only a couple of percent loss from my current weight while 10 lbs is 15 percent of your body. Just be patient.

There's no such thing in a failure who keeps trying. Coasting to the bottom is the only disgrace. - Blues Traveler

Don't you dare quit. You're a beautiful young lady with your entire life ahead of you. The healthier you get the better you will feel. Just keep making good choices with your food and exercise. Some weeks you will lose and some weeks you will hit a plateau. It doesn't matter, just keep pushing ahead and you WILL achieve the results you desire. Remember if you go backwards and start making bad choices, you will return to a less healthy lifestyle with more weight and less energy. I sometimes like to use music as inspiration. I think about the Gloria Estefan song "Get on your feet, get up and make it happen". You can do it!!!

Good Luck,

Michael

Stop "Dieting"!

Start "Healthier lifestyle"!

It's easier, you don't feel restricted, and have nothing to fall off of!


Ask yourself: could i carry on like this forever if needed? If the answer is no, it's a diet. If it's yes, you've made a lifestyle change.

I so agree with this statement.. I'm not on a diet, I'm just watching what I eat and eating smaller portions... Don't give up, giving up is easy. Work at it, keep on it and you'll see the results slowly but surely. We didn't gain weight overnight, and we won't loose it overnight. We're here for you, to support you, guide you and pick you up when you need picking up!

I agree with a couple other posters - relax a little and start also taking your measurements! One gain means nothing - it could be just temporary water weight too - I had a gain Friday for my weigh in (at my Weight Watchers meeting) but it was gone by Monday - could have been the cold meds I was taking, could have just been lack of sleep - there are so many things that can temporarily cause weight fluxuations - don't give up! You can do it! :happy: