So discouraged right now!

heatherwhite6823
heatherwhite6823 Posts: 9
edited November 8 in Motivation and Support
I gained three lbs! That means I've lost NOTHING in a week. I'm so discouraged. I don't know what I did wrong! I only exercised once this week that's probably what it is. I'm still determined to stick to my diet but it's hard not to feel really down right now.
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Replies

  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
    3lbs isn't alot.... Don't be discouraged. Our bodies fluctuate depending on water weight and certain times of the month too. Totally normal... Continue to stay focused on eating right and you will see changes!
  • FlabulessFam
    FlabulessFam Posts: 31
    I know how you feel!! Last week i gained 4 lbs.. turned out that MFP had calculated my caloric intake wrong and I was eating 400 more calories a day than I should have been.. I weighed in this morning and I have lost 4 lbs.. so, you might want to recalculate your BMR and see what happens! Good luck!
  • PandaofDestruction
    PandaofDestruction Posts: 114
    Hang in there! I have done this more than once in a lifetime....I know how you feel! Tried really hard all week to eat right and avoided temptation and still gained- the hardest thing to do is continue eating well and staying on track. I have noticed if I stayed on track after a week that I have gained, I have had a pretty decent loss the next week.
  • dimoul
    dimoul Posts: 137 Member
    just stick with it. water weighs 8 pounds per gallon. if you drink a 64 oz and weigh before you pee, you'll be 4 lbs heavier. just chill. you got a bad weigh in unless you are cheating.
  • thump418
    thump418 Posts: 251 Member
    Don't get discouraged. 3 pounds is not that much. How often do you weigh yourself? You could be losing inches but gaining a little weight from muscle build up. Keep your head up. you are doing great. Dont get down on yourself.
  • aliciapenny
    aliciapenny Posts: 51 Member
    what is your calorie intake daily?
  • merzback
    merzback Posts: 453 Member
    Hang in there! it could be anything-water retention. don't worry so much about the scale - measure yourself. Oh and the MFP work out numbers are VERY off.
  • rcanner
    rcanner Posts: 6
    Read the book 'Mastery" by George Leonard.
    You'll never look back.
    Bob
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    Don't get discouraged! You can't gain 3 lbs overnight. It's probably water weight! Try cutting back on sodium and I bet that by the time you weigh next week you'll see that you've actually lost weight. Also, if you're exercising, you are putting on muscle weight and it weighs more than fat. Try measuring yourself once a week when you weigh in. Weigh ONCE a week. If you gain weight but measure smaller you're still on track! Good luck.
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
    There are a lot of legitimate reasons why this may have happened. Did you weigh yourself at the exact same time of day? Have you been drinking a lot of water or eating a lot of salt? Was it recently after a meal? Have you ever weighed yourself to see how you fluctuate in a day?

    I've found it best, if you need to see changes on a scale, to record your weight over a long time and see how you're trending over weeks versus a few days. I'm pretty small, but I can still fluctuate 2-3 lbs in a day, depending on what I'm eating/doing.

    Don't lose faith. Keep at it. Remember, there are other indicators that you're making the right choices towards progress (i.e. measurements, how much energy you have, how your clothes fit, etc). Keep at it!
  • princilam99
    princilam99 Posts: 56 Member
    Hi, I'm going to say what you probably don't want to hear:

    Be patient
    The weight gain could be many factors especially since you are a woman: bloating, time of month, ovulating, etc.
    Don't weigh yourself every day

    Did you make better eating choices for the week? If yes, YOU ARE MAKING PROGRESS even if the scale didn't reward you with numbers. You also exercised, which is good for stress, your heart, sleep, etc. It was beneficial to your body whether the scale moved or not. Your health is greater than the scale. Don't be disappointed. Make better choices next week, exercise a little more, and carry on.
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
    pull out a pair of tight fitting jeans or shorts that you have in your closet......one that you can barely fit into

    in 3 weeks, put em back on........

    trust me, that scale isnt your friend, it can do a number on your focus..........I only weigh periodically, MY PANTS tell the REAL story

    I ve used my old clothes for a scale and it works.......Good luck, you can do this
  • LoseSyra
    LoseSyra Posts: 75 Member
    Stick to your eating plan. I know for me, losing weight seems to be 80% intake and 20% exercise. 3 reasons for your weight gain. 1. I can easily fluctuate by 3lbs throughout the day, you may have just had a bad weigh in. 2. During that time of the month, I have proven to myself, after calorie counting during 3 different times in my life that I can not lose, and will likely gain. 3. Chinese food - whenever I eat it, I gain 2 or 3 lbs and that takes a couple of days to come off. Stick to it, next week it'll come off. :flowerforyou:
  • Seginns
    Seginns Posts: 39
    My weight fluctuates between one and three pounds on a daily basis, depending on how much sodium I've had, what I did for exercise recently, my water intake, what time of the month it is, and whether I've gone to the bathroom regularly. Maybe you just weighted yourself at the worst possible time.
  • epis_ck
    epis_ck Posts: 4
    Hang in there. Weeks two is normally tough for some reason. Maybe your body is in starvation bode. Keep doing what you have been doing and you will see the results. Remember...if you stop doing what you are doing you DEFINITELY won't lose weight. Don't be so hard on yourself. It's a process. Celebrate your other victories too (i.e. getting your exercise in for the day, drinking your water, staying within your calories.) It's not just about the number on the scale.
  • CinJay
    CinJay Posts: 157 Member
    Aww, don't give up! It's always going to be a journey with ups and downs, I know it's hard when the scale goes "the wrong way"! Have a look back over the past week at your food diary, did you eat/drink anything with a lot of sodium? Might be water weight... also maybe once a week is not enough exercise for you? There are differing opinions on that, but 3 to 5 times a week seems to be the general consensus. Don't fret too much, keep on going and you'll see results in no time!
    :flowerforyou:
  • cinasana
    cinasana Posts: 40
    I beg all of those out there who are truly struggling with weight loss to buy the book "A Course in Weight Loss" by Marianne Williamson. This is like nothing else you have ever read in your life, and once you've read it, you will find yourself writing this very same message to others too. My entire mentality about weight, food, and body image has shifted IN EVERY WAY.

    xo Jenny
  • ruggedBear
    ruggedBear Posts: 295
    Be patient! Wise words you will find here often:

    "You didn't gain the weight in a few days, so don't expect it to be gone that fast either"

    Slow and steady wins this race, and the overall progress is more important that the day-to-day or week-to-week fluctuations. I don't check in my weight unless there's a loss, that may be 3 days or 2 weeks - either way, it helps me remember that it's a downward trend, not a stock chart with ups and downs.
  • 5pmsomewherenow
    5pmsomewherenow Posts: 163 Member
    I agree with that... check into your calorie goal, to make sure it's a deficit of about 20% lower than your BMR and daily regular activity level. If you have access to a nutritionist or health professional, I'd sugget a one-on-one interview to get the fact straight for this journey. Once you get that base goal set up correctly, then you have to make sure you're logging the correct food and drink ALL day -- everything you put in our mouth. Measure and weight to get the accurate accounting of your calories -- then you can tweak it to make improvements.

    Drink the Goal of 64oz. of water, everyday.
    Get some sort of exercise every day for at least 30 minutes -- walking at 3.0 at the very least.

    This should start you in the right direction and you can start to see the scale move in the other direction.
    Weigh yourself only once per week, in the morning, just after getting out of bed, after the first pee.

    Good Luck! If you're looking for friends, send me a note, and we can hook up. We're all in this together, one way or another.
    You can DO it!
  • ElPumaMex
    ElPumaMex Posts: 367 Member
    I also recommend to you to weigh yourself in the morning when you woke up, just after going to the restroom.
    That way, any excess water will not be a factor in the weight.

    I weigh myself almost daily, and I have pretty consistent results.
    Some people don't like/recommend to do this everyday, but I like it because it allows me to confirm that my weight was done correctly. And of course I like it when I fgo down !

    Also: Make sure your weight scale is a good one. No need to spend more than $40 or $50 to get an excellent one, and it will save you a lot of headaches. I like the digital ones, as they are very consistent

    Continue the road you have just begun, and you WILL see the results !!
  • charliesmagic
    charliesmagic Posts: 55
    Keep your chin up sweetie! Like some of the other replies have stated, water retention (thank you monthly bill - you suck!!) could be the culprit. Some ideas to try: make sure your drinking at least 8 glasses of water so that your body doesn't feel dehydrated and then will HOLD on to whatever water you DO have in your system. The more you drink the less you will/should retain. Also, play around with your caloric intake. I started out at about 1500-1800 and I WAS losing, but very little. I have found that for me it works to stay 1000-1200 calories a day. Faithful journaling and some exercise should help to turn things around. Lastly, the scale is a good barometer of your progress, but even better is how your clothes fit. Take some measurements of yourself and keep track of those as well. All those numbers decreasing will put the smile back on your face. We're all in this together - you can do it!!
  • aliciapenny
    aliciapenny Posts: 51 Member
    Keep your chin up sweetie! Like some of the other replies have stated, water retention (thank you monthly bill - you suck!!) could be the culprit. Some ideas to try: make sure your drinking at least 8 glasses of water so that your body doesn't feel dehydrated and then will HOLD on to whatever water you DO have in your system. The more you drink the less you will/should retain. Also, play around with your caloric intake. I started out at about 1500-1800 and I WAS losing, but very little. I have found that for me it works to stay 1000-1200 calories a day. Faithful journaling and some exercise should help to turn things around. Lastly, the scale is a good barometer of your progress, but even better is how your clothes fit. Take some measurements of yourself and keep track of those as well. All those numbers decreasing will put the smile back on your face. We're all in this together - you can do it!!

    Exactly! the more you drink the less you retain!
  • LethaSue
    LethaSue Posts: 285 Member
    Do you know it takes 3500 calories over and above to create just 1 lb of fat? To gain 4 lbs. in a week you would had to of taken in 14,000 calories more than you burned. Douptful that is the case. Fat doesn't just disolve so easy. Think about a pound of bacon and think about how hard it would be to melt that fat and get it to dissappear. That is what you are expecting your body to do almost over night. Well at least in 6 night. And not just 1 lb. of fat but 4 lbs. of fat. Truth is it is most likey not even fat but as everyone else as said before me (water) or some of the bulk food you have consumed in 7 days that has not yet exited your body. If you were to weigh every day you would see the scale go up and go down............... this is what it does. Finally it will drop where it hasn't gone before and you will still see it go up and down but maybe not to the current number. Weight inches its way off your body the very same way it hopped onto your body. Little bit at a time. Be patient and watch it go, just don't expect it to jump off your body by leaps and bounds.
  • kevinlaz
    kevinlaz Posts: 6
    Do not allow 1 bad result to demotivate you. Take this as an opportunity to reflect on the past week, and see what you can add (training etc) along with your diet and look at tweaking your diet. I think aoverall that there is a lot of good advice in all the replies you have received to date.
  • apirotte
    apirotte Posts: 22
    Hang in there, Heather! Set some short-term goals for this next week. That is how I have to live my new lifestyle. I feel goal-setting is a very important part of the weight loss strategy. Move on now and get back on track. Put the past in the past and live for today. Take a deep breath and exclaim "Today is the first day of the rest of my life!" And, remember, time is going to go on, whether or not you lose the weight. YOU CAN DO IT!!
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
    Do you know it takes 3500 calories over and above to create just 1 lb of fat? To gain 4 lbs. in a week you would had to of taken in 14,000 calories more than you burned. Douptful that is the case. Fat doesn't just disolve so easy. Think about a pound of bacon and think about how hard it would be to melt that fat and get it to dissappear. That is what you are expecting your body to do almost over night. Well at least in 6 night. And not just 1 lb. of fat but 4 lbs. of fat. Truth is it is most likey not even fat but as everyone else as said before me (water) or some of the bulk food you have consumed in 7 days that has not yet exited your body. If you were to weigh every day you would see the scale go up and go down............... this is what it does. Finally it will drop where it hasn't gone before and you will still see it go up and down but maybe not to the current number. Weight inches its way off your body the very same way it hopped onto your body. Little bit at a time. Be patient and watch it go, just don't expect it to jump off your body by leaps and bounds.

    ^^Exactly! I call them my 'wobbly pounds.' I think of it as a recentering of my weight, but it seesaws back and forth for a while, before moving to the next recentering point. I weigh everyday, and that's absolutely what I see.
  • jmorrisof2
    jmorrisof2 Posts: 108 Member
    I know how you feel!! Last week i gained 4 lbs.. turned out that MFP had calculated my caloric intake wrong and I was eating 400 more calories a day than I should have been.. I weighed in this morning and I have lost 4 lbs.. so, you might want to recalculate your BMR and see what happens! Good luck!


    I am wondering if this is my issue. I was feeling a little discouraged the last two days because I have been working really hard and the scale gained 2 pounds. I am thinking that I was eating too much meaning that I was eating back all my exercise calories. But I heard that the #'s aren't always right on here. I tried to remember back to when I was losing weight what I was eating. I am thinking I will try 1500 calories. Thanks for posting because I feel you.
  • heatherwhite6823
    heatherwhite6823 Posts: 9
    Absolutely thanks!
  • heatherwhite6823
    heatherwhite6823 Posts: 9
    I've been eating less than 1,200 a day but I know I just need to exercise.
  • heatherwhite6823
    heatherwhite6823 Posts: 9
    Thanks everyone for all your advice! I will definately be exercising, drinking water, and not letting the scale discourage me. I feel a lot better now! :wink:
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