Dealing with a setback?

LittlestStar
LittlestStar Posts: 18 Member
edited October 5 in Health and Weight Loss
I hadn't weighed myself in a couple days but was sure to exercise and log my food. I stayed around 1200 calories (occasionally a bit over) and ate a vegan diet full of fruits, veggies, legumes, and whole grains.

Seems like I'd be on the path to success and trimming down, right?

NO!

Somehow I gained weight. I know I haven't actually eaten enough to put on fat, and it's probably water retention from running, etc etc. But darn if it doesn't feel discouraging.

What do you guys do to stay motivated and just move forward, instead of getting down about minor setbacks?

Replies

  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
    What does staying upset about a setback get you?
  • LittlestStar
    LittlestStar Posts: 18 Member
    You are totally right - I'm going to ask myself that every time I feel discouraged. Thanks!
  • erin_zuk
    erin_zuk Posts: 226 Member
    I had a much bigger set back - before I started this website I had lost almost 40 lbs in about 6 months in time for my sisters wedding at the end of September. After the wedding, all we did was eat and have family over and I totally lost all my motivation to work out. In the last 5 weeks I gained back 12 lbs! When I saw the scale back up there I knew I had to get back on track which is why I joined this site and have been really paying attention to what I'm eating and getting back to the gym.

    In your situation, it sounds like you're still doing what you should be doing - eating healthy and exercising - so just remember that muscle weighs more than fat. I'm a scale watcher myself and I know how frustrating it can be when it's not moving down, but go with how your body feels, how your clothes fit!

    Don't beat yourself up over a small setback - weight always takes a while to put on, and it may take a whie to take it back off. It's a journey, not a sprint :)
  • vzucco
    vzucco Posts: 229
    I caught a cold recently and for about 4 days I was eating some very unclean food and not exercising at all. I felt like a failure and I was afraid to weigh myself and see what damage I had done. But my friends on here reminded me that the only thing you can do is move forward, just start fresh every day. It's all about the long term, so don't let minor fluctuations derail you from living a healthy way like you are. Keep going forward, eating clean and exercising and your body will thank you for it. But I understand, it's so easy to get impatient!
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
    get rid of the scale for a while.............I went thru the same thing and decided that daily weighing was out of the picture.....

    I suceeded without the use of a scale...............its to mind bogelling, really ,just stay focused and let your mirror and tape measure be your scale.............best wishes, Lloyd
  • JennyJacobsen
    JennyJacobsen Posts: 72 Member
    I had a problem a few weeks ago where the number stayed the same I felt heartbroken. Eating right and all the hard work at the gym and not losing can be tough but I do know this is a lifestyle change so one week isn't going to hurt. I kept at it and the following week I lost 3 pounds. I also adjusted my calories I give my self 1350 a day. The 1200 a day I didn't lose weight. I guess I needed more calories because now the weight is coming off. Everyone is different so You will have to do see what works for U. Keep at it though we are all in this together:happy: Have a good day!!
  • OURLADYPAULINE
    OURLADYPAULINE Posts: 51 Member
    It may be water, or it may be muscle, or it may be your body getting use to your workouts. In order to get weightloss achievements, you will need to 'Shock' your body on the workout routines. Go that extra mile, when you feel the 'Burn' & want to stop - get that extra rep in or a few more...

    Trust me this will work - I have lost 42 lbs in 5 months & 10 days - I kept challenge myself on my workouts and always looking to find a way to push myself a little more harder - best wishes :smile:
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
    You are totally right - I'm going to ask myself that every time I feel discouraged. Thanks!
    I can't tell your tone, so I hope you didn't think I was being sarcastic and you were in return. :laugh: I'll assume you weren't, though. It seems simple, but I often have to remind myself that having ill feelings about something really does nothing but make the situation worse. Your feelings serve a purpose, you feel them and you get a sense of a situation with them. But beyond that, they really skew our sense of logic.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    When I feel bad, I get out the tripod and camera and have a DIY photoshoot. :happy:

    I'm someone who doesn't often see progress in the mirror. My mental image of myself didn't change when I gained weight, and didn't change when I lost weight, so I don't "see" myself very clearly all the time. Photos don't lie, though. The scale lies. The mirror lies. Photos don't.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LorinaLynn/view/according-to-the-scale-170036
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