DISCOURAGED!!!

Don't give up! You will get there, remember, slow and steady. I have had slow progress, no progress, and *gasp* negative progress :sad: :blushing: but just keep on keeping on and you will get there!

Weight training is important as building muscle will help tone you and muscle tissue burns more calories. Notice in the gym all the fit people working out on the weights and weight machines, not just all cardio. If you can afford it, try a personal trainer or just at least for one visit and ask them to put you on a routine you can do on your own. Make sure your calorie intake is low on the carbs/sugar and higher on the protien. Also, measure yourself as you could be losing inches but not necessarily see it on the scale. Good Luck!:flowerforyou:

So I guess the next question is: how many calories (if not the 1200 that MFP recommends) does she have to eat? 1500?

there is no standard answer here. It's different for everyone. When I started MFP I started with the reccommended calorie intake to lose 1lb a week. I often lost way more but used the MFP guide to get me going. Once I had been losing for a few months I started to gradually decrease my calorie intake to increase my results.
After being in the game for a few months I began to learn more about nutrition and exercise so I felt like I had more knowlege and tools to increase my results with intelligent tweaking of my exercise/nutrition plan

nutrition is 90% of it (in my opinion)

Not being rude but how old are you? As I've gotten older it is becoming a lot harder... I was running 15 - 20 km a week and gym training 3 times a week in 2011 and ended the year 3lbs heavier than I started it!

2 words.... measure and pics

Definitely this!

I am also losing very slowly... only 2 pounds for all of January... but I measured and I actually lost 2.5 inches off my waist and 2 inches off my hips. Despite the scale not moving, this is still success. Start measuring!

Weight training is also critical to replacing the muscle that you lose during weight loss. Fat is readily burned by the body, but lean muscle is always broken down as well. The more weight you have to lose, the higher the percentage of fat that is burned... but that equation starts to skew as you approach your goal weight.

Anyone losing significant weight should be adding weight/resistance training to their weekly schedule... for lots of good reasons.

Don't let yourself be discouraged. Pick yourself back up and just focus on being healthy and doing the right thing for your body. It sounds like other posters have given you some great advice to follow. Give it a try and remember how many of us care and are there for you! :flowerforyou:

I am completely on the same page !! started at 170 with MFP at the beginning of Jan in hopes to lose 20 by mid-March for a vacation. While I appreciate what it's taught me - healthier eating, more moderate eating, exercise - I am bummed at only having lost 5 little pounds. Ya, ya, better than none, but NO WHERE NEAR what I wanted to be at, so getting pretty discouraged. Everyone says, take it slow, keep on it, but I am ready to give up! and get bck to enjoying life.

As a last result, I decided to take a break for a week from MfP, and try the sknny belly diet, and stick to it.

So, I'll be back next week with results!

;-)

I really believe it is more in what you eat than how much you work out. I would look at your food journal and see if you can cut back on carbs, processed food (usually high in sodium) and look for hidden sugars.

Maybe I am being ridiculous but I am so discouraged this morning and could really use some inspiration. I started in the beginning of January 2012 at 171 and this morning 6 weeks later am 168.8. I go to Zumba 3 to 4 times a week, given up pop all together and been on track for my calories and still really not seeing movement. Should I be discouraged or is this all in my head?:sad:

Double check all your settings. Go through your FOOD/EXERCISE diary settings. Check your weight, height, activity level (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT) if it is set wrong your calories will be off, Exercise goal and how much you want to lose a week.

make sure these things are set correctly. Then you have to watch that you are not eating too much of what your body doesn't like. If you gain quickly on Carbs then Increase your Proteins and reduce carbs. Remember that the smaller you are the less you are going to drop quickly. Someone my size drops fast at first because it is mostly water weight that we are shedding. You are actually losing FAT and with Zumba you could be trading the FAT BURNED For LEANER MUSCLE ....Unfortunately you will not see much of a change at the Scale but you will see a change in your measurements. SO give those a check.

Yea yea..i know people say muscle weights more then fat ...GRRRR I hate that saying >...NO IT DOESN'T The thing is that Muscle is Leaner then Fat so it shows less on your body. the WEIGHT on the scale will still show the same... so I wouldn't get too discouraged I would check your Measurements. Increase your Proteins and water intake. watch your Sodium.

Best wishes on your journey to a healthier you!!

have you been measuring your body? seriously, you should. often when you don't see any difference on the scale you'll see a difference in your measurements.

Don't panic.

If you're keeping good track of intake and exercise, and you're operating at a deficit as outlined by MFP, the weight will fall off.

It just takes time.

Ignore the scale for a few weeks. Don't be tempted by its shiny spinning dial. Get out a tape measure to keep track of your measurements instead. Look at your clothes to see how they're fitting.

Take a minute to celebrate the fact that you can exercise longer and with greater intensity. You're doing great things for your heart, metabolism, strength and endurance. Exercise has dramatically lowered your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and more.

Good luck!
John

This is one of the most positive bits of advice I've seen on this site in a long time. Thanks - you helped me out with this one too!

Don't panic.

If you're keeping good track of intake and exercise, and you're operating at a deficit as outlined by MFP, the weight will fall off.

It just takes time.

Ignore the scale for a few weeks. Don't be tempted by its shiny spinning dial. Get out a tape measure to keep track of your measurements instead. Look at your clothes to see how they're fitting.

Take a minute to celebrate the fact that you can exercise longer and with greater intensity. You're doing great things for your heart, metabolism, strength and endurance. Exercise has dramatically lowered your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and more.

Good luck!
John

^^^^^^ I love this piece of advice, both for myself and for you! I'm so so sorry you've been working so hard and you feel like there's no change. I was feeling like this just a few days ago. I'm doing this intensive kick-boxing workout class, it's six days a week, and I've worked so hard. Well, we had a five week "fitness test" where we got measured and competed against our first week selves. There was not a lot of improvement for me and the scale said I was only 1 POUND lighter!!!!!! However, I reached this level of thinking thats made me feel so much better, I figured after five weeks of hard work its impossible that nothings changed, i just dont see the results on the outside right away, but the results on the inside must be tremendous! Just think if you hadn't started six long weeks ago, what your insides would be looking and feeling like, but with six weeks of hard work and good diet I bet they're looking pretty damn fine!! I'm sure it will start appearing on the outside soon. Best Wishes Hun.

Pay no attention to which board you should or should not have posted in. And definately don't apologise. We're all in the same boat here, trying to change our lives so we feel and look better - some people acheive that quicker than others.

Please don't be discouraged, you have made a momentous decision to change your lifestyle and do something for YOU, and I know the results can be frustrating sometimes, but you need to stick with it. When I first started Zumba, my scales didn't move AT ALL, but I went down a pant size! Your body does strange things sometimes, and it might not always play the numbers game, but you will have done some good for yourself somewhere along the way. Take photos - because you see yourself every day, you won't notice a difference, but the camera will....

Don't give up!