Discouraged today--anybody else fighting this lack of real r

Kelekat
Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
edited November 10 in Health and Weight Loss
Three weeks of calorie deprivation (but sensible deprivation), exercise every day, weight training three days a week, hard burning every weekend--and I've gone from 172 pounds to 169.4....less than three pounds in three weeks.For the first two weeks, I gained and lost the same two pounds several times before I finally dropped about 12 ounces--and that's where my weight has sat for nearly a week. I still look like a sausage in casing when I put on my jeans, and my baby bat wings haven't reduced in size one iota. Any other time in my life that I've dieted--I'd be down by at least 6 or 7 pounds at this point. I'm so discouraged.

I realize that once you hit a certain age it becomes more difficult to lose weight, but this is ridiculous. I have this same weight fluctuation (169-172) when I'm not dieting and exercising--so it really doesn't seem as if much has changed.

Anybody else fighting this inability to see actual results?
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Replies

  • Kelekat
    Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
    Anybody?
  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
    Healthy weight loss is 0.5 - 2lbs per week so you're on track. Each time we lose weight we lose differently.

    The weight didn't come on overnight so we can't expect it to he lost quickly. Fast weight loss isn't healthy nor is it something that usually lasts.
  • Juneaux12
    Juneaux12 Posts: 22 Member
    Well, me! I'm in the same boat. But, if I am completely honest with myself, I don't track my dinner calories closely enough. If at all. I think I know how to "eyeball" serving sizes, but I'm dead wrong. I also overdo it with healthy foods like fruit. Fruit still adds calories, even if it is healthy.

    I know I would be at my goal weight by now if I were just more honest with the whole process. It took a while to put this weight on, it will take a while to take it off. You must tell yourself the same thing!
  • runnerwithin
    runnerwithin Posts: 18
    if you're working out every day, and lifting, and cutting back calories, you may not be eating enough. your body needs time to recover and even though it is hard, a rest day (or two) a week is actually very beneficial. also, make sure that under your program options that you have all your fitness minutes planned for, this should help adjust your intake.
  • boelyn
    boelyn Posts: 90 Member
    Hi

    I just had a look at your diary and as your goal is 1200 and you are exercising, you don't appear to be eating your exercise calories which is therefore taking your net deficit below 1200 which as I understand it (I'm not an expert by any means) is not recommended.

    Have you tried eating your exercise calories?

    B
  • sv1983
    sv1983 Posts: 23
    you are probably turning your fat into muscle.. muscle weighs more than fat dear.. do not get discouraged, we are all fighting the same fight.. to loss weight!! :)
  • EvEboEvie
    EvEboEvie Posts: 115 Member
    YES! My story is much like yours... I think I am just now starting to see results after weeks of no change... one thing that has helped me was spreading out my meals... really not taking in less calories but eating around 300 calories 5x/ day (right now Im supposed to be doing 1500).

    Also, I was not drinking water as much as I needed to.

    Beyond that, I think my body just gets into standoff mode... but it cant hold onto this fat forever. Im going to win.
  • avonchik
    avonchik Posts: 106
    Dont be discouraged. Ive been at the same weight for 2 weeks. I will know Tuesday if it is 3 weeks,. But im still counting every calorie! hang in there!:bigsmile: :drinker:
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
    I can relate - your metabolism does slow down and change as you get older, which does make it more difficult, but not impossible. I find when I start a new exercise/diet regimen, it takes about 3 weeks before the weight starts coming off, especially if the exercise plan is fairly intense, and includes weight training. The reason is that you are damaging your muscles (in a good way), and they retain fluid as a part of the repair process. This seems to go on for a few weeks, with no significant change on the scale, even past the point when you don't feel particularly sore anymore. I then find that as long as I stick with a good eating plan and continue to work out, the scale starts moving relatively steadily after that point. For reference, I'm 45. So, hang in there - you're doing all the right things and you will start to see results as soon as your body adjusts to your new lifestyle :-)
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    I suggest reading all the stickies at the top of this forum. You may not be eating enough. Or you may be retaining some water because increasing your exercise causes your muscles to retain water while they heal from your increased workouts. Or you may not be hydrating yourself enough. Or you may not be eating the right composition of foods for you. Some of us have to lower our carb intake, some don't. So play around with your macros. Or you're doing everything just fine. Hard to say.

    It took me 3 weeks to lose 1# when I started here at MFP. I also didn't believe I was losing inches because I wasn't losing where I measured but, gosh, all of a sudden I realized that my shirts were getting quite loose. We don't always lose where we want to.

    Anyway, you can control your eating and exercise plans. You can't control the scale. As long as you're doing the eating and exercise correctly, the scale will eventually cooperate.

    My advice...if the scale has this much power over you, don't weigh for awhile and focus on those things you have control over.
  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
    you are probably turning your fat into muscle.. muscle weighs more than fat dear.. do not get discouraged, we are all fighting the same fight.. to loss weight!! :)

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. It is extremely unlikely that you are gaining muscle on a 1200 diet. Muscle needs a lot of calories and protein to grow.... which you don't get on such a low calorie diet.

    try eating your exercise calories back. Make sure you are properly measuring everything. Ensure you are tracking everything. Eat at your BMR... this site puts most people at 1200 cals a day which is far too low for most people.
  • debra102011
    debra102011 Posts: 16
    Keep a food journal and you can even add your recipes here for the calories. My down fall is not enough protein and to many carbs so I can relate.

    Slow and steady wins the race every time :).
  • msjones2831
    msjones2831 Posts: 126 Member
    it can take a while. make sure you are sticking to your suggested calories and sometime you do have to modify that based on your physical activity. make sure you are eating nutritious food. you can eat 1500 calories of crap or 1500 calories of a well balanced diet. If you are already doing those things then just keep it up. The weight will come off, but it may not be as fast as you like.
  • deethinner
    deethinner Posts: 43 Member
    I think we all feel like this at one time or another. I too have not lost lbs like I should actually gained 3 lbs back but I still exercise non stop and watch what I eat. Age I am afraid is a big factor for me and no thyroid.
    Hang in there. That is what is so great about this we can complain when needed and be happy about what we did when needed. And some one is always here to listen to us.:flowerforyou:
  • vjrose
    vjrose Posts: 809 Member
    Could be time to reconsider your calories and your diet, as you add activity you need to add calories, at least what MFP recommends and at least part of your exercise calories, also look at your balance, where are your carbs and proteins coming from, are they healthy unprocessed foods or processed flours and preserved meats. Just a thought
  • Najay
    Najay Posts: 273 Member
    I definitely have my days with this struggle. Thats when I get on MFP and ask for help and encouragement. You can get through this, say a small prayer to yourself and ask God for strength to get pass these feelings. Stay strong.
  • porvenir
    porvenir Posts: 27 Member
    Hi there,

    Keep it up and try not to become too discouraged. I have been counting calories (what an eye opener!) and becoming more consistent with exercise (4-6 times per week) since mid- December. I'm 43 years old with a high stress, low activity job. I've lost a total of 6 pounds.

    I wish it was happening for me at a faster rate but, honestly, I am starting to feel like myself again - healthier, happier and more patient. I'm relearning my own body after at least 3 years of neglect and negativity. This is a very wonderful gift you are giving yourself! Be proud of all the good you are doing. The rest will come. You can do this!
  • kayjo2
    kayjo2 Posts: 7
    I agree that you need to consume more to make sure your body has enough to recover from the exercise. You don't have to eat all of the earned calories...just try to net at least 1200. Don't let your body get into a rut, change things up on it from time to time! :) Be mindful of the fats in your diet, too. See if that helps. Also, like mentioned...a rest from exercise if very beneficial, too. I don't know how you're doing with water intake...you should consume between 8-16 glasses. The closer you are to a gallon the better. Not drinking enough water makes your body more prone to retain water. Also, keep track of your sodium. I'm not an expert, far from it, these are just things that I've discovered in my journey thus far. Best of luck to you!
  • Kassieisproud
    Kassieisproud Posts: 149
    Dont focus so much on the numbers. I dont weigh myself often because all it does is upset me. Im young and ive been at this lifestyle change thing for ten weeks now and i think ive only lost about 8-9 pounds I work out hard and eat really clean But you know what the fact that ive lost so little doesnt bother me because ive seen such dramatic changes in my clothes and what i look like in the mirror Its not about a number on a scale its about looking and feeling your best and as long as you eat right and workout you WILL change.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    I'm going to tell you how I really feel, and I hope you're ready for it.

    3 weeks is not long enough to tell how your weight loss efforts are going. If you want to do this, you have to do it for the long haul, and there will be many obstacles in your way. You should know this now, so that you won't get so discouraged next time. This is going to be HARD.

    Secondly, you ARE seeing real results. 3lbs is a lot. I know it seems like hardly anything compared to the effort that you put into it, but honestly, that's what it takes, and a pound a week is aggressive weight loss in my opinion. I have never lost faster than that, and I wouldn't want to. If I did, it would come back quickly. When this weight leaves my body, I want it to stay gone.

    So, I'd say, in my personal experience, it takes a couple months of doing things a certain way before you can tell if it works for you or not. I will go three weeks without losing a pound and I might even gain a couple back. Then, all of a sudden, two or three pounds drop off when I wasn't looking. It's not a steady process, especially for menstruating women. (Let's not get into details here... I'm sure you can guess.)

    If what you are doing is still not working out for you in a couple months, try something different. Eat more. Do a different workout. Eat less. Whatever. Just try something different and see how it feels. If you start to feel weak, you should probably eat more. If you feel sore, you might try lightening up your workout. If you feel soft and squishy and sleepy, maybe you should step up your workouts. Just do what you need to do.

    If after 6 months you still aren't losing, (which you obviously are already losing) then a doctor visit is in order, because hormone problems, like hypothyroidism are prevalent and they make your life a living hell, so it's worth getting checked out.
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
    I can only speak for my own results .. and at 55 I am in about the same category *S*

    The short answer is.. no.. i've not had those issues.. but then, here's what i did for success:

    The first 30 pounds i lost with no exercise (basically i pretty much could not do any).
    Calorie control alone (1200 per day max). At first i struggled to even eat my full 1200, but once i started making myself do so the weight starting dropping more consistently though still not in large amounts.

    Then i focused on water... at risk of sounding blunt *LOL*... i found i was becoming constipated alot with my changed eating habits... and the only thing (after alot of reading on the subject) that i had not tried to help the situation, was increasing my water intake. 8 cups a day was not enough.. for me my system seemed to need a minimum of 10 cups a day, and at those levels of water, voila! the weight really started dropping!

    All was good until i started exercising (and not eating my exercise calories)... and then i stalled.. hit a plateau.. whatever you want to call it.

    I begrudgingly started to eat back those exercise calories too (despite it feeling so counter-intuitive to be doing so), et voila! The weight started dropping again!

    That all took place from January to October last year.. at which point I had lost 75 pounds and was approx. 10 pounds form my goal weight.. for the first time ever in my life!!!!!

    At that time the holidays got in my way.. and i decided to relax (i was extremely focused and consistent with my eating choices up to that point.. including rarely going over 1500 mg sodium per day!) a little and coast for a bit of a break, on maintenance level calories.

    In truth i should not have done that.. not yet anyway... i should have stuck at it with no break til those last 10 pounds were gone and THEN gone to maintenance, as, over the holidays i let myself indulge a lil too much and since then I have been struggling a little to get back in the groove I prefer (controlled consistency makes me feels good *L*).

    But i am getting there, though my food diary these days is not as awe inspiring *tongue-in-cheek* as it was last year, I am hanging in there and slowly getting it back to where I am happiest... and I KNOW it will work for me, as I proved it to myself last year *S* Now though, being so close, i am approaching it with a higher calorie goal per day as recommended.

    Good luck!
  • potluck965
    potluck965 Posts: 529 Member
    Just the fact that you bumped this around an hour after you had first posted it shows to me that you are an impatient person. There is no quick fix to weight loss. You must be patient and honest with yourself and follow the best plan that works for you.

    Sometimes it takes a little time to find what combination you need, but frankly, a weight loss of a pound a week is perfectly acceptable.

    Remember that this is something you will be paying attention to the rest of your life. 3 weeks is an insignificant amount of time.

    Be patient.
  • duanechez
    duanechez Posts: 8
    With persistence

    Persist, and small actions lead to big results. Persist, and you make time work in your favor.

    If you give up after the first or second attempt, your level of success will be mediocre at best. When you persist for as long as it takes, you’re able to create magnificent, outstanding achievements.

    Persistence is not a complicated or inaccessible strategy. All you have to do is choose to keep going.

    After a successful day, instead of resting on your accomplishments, keep going. After a disappointing day, instead of wallowing in self pity, keep going.

    Persist, and the small steps forward add together to create great advances. Persist, and even the setbacks will eventually work in your favor.

    Set your sights on a worthy, meaningful goal, and persist. With persistence, you can take yourself anywhere you choose
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    All I can say...give it more time.
  • farcry66
    farcry66 Posts: 47 Member
    I've looked at your food diary, and aside from yesterday, it does seem like you are eating a good ammount for your target. Have you set it to a 2lb loss though? At your weight and goal, 2lbs is probably too much (according to MFP - I don't pretend to be an expert on this!!!!), try setting it at 1lb. 3lbs in 3 weeks is good going though! Go to the grocery store and pick up 3lbs of butter, it may make you feel better about it.
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
    DON'T GIVE UP! I'm here to tell you that I started my weight loss journey just before I turned 50. I will be 55 in April and I went from 205 to 138 today. My journey has been a struggle to learn and realize that what I do does matter. I read and listened and learned. You can glean a lot from what you read in the posts here. You will continue to see the same advice over and over and over again. TAKE IT! These people who have done the work and LOST the weight KNOW what they are talking about. They are the experts.

    Of course everyone has a slightly different take. Here is mine: Whole foods, lots of fresh veggies and fruits. Minimal processed foods. Yep, means lots of shopping, cooking, and clean up! But I feel SO much better eating whole foods. Check out my profile if you'd like to learn more about me. My blogs (link in my profiel) chronicled my early struggle when I got on here to lose my final 30 pounds. This is where I made my most important changes.

    Mind you I went through menopause LOSING 53 pounds. My GYN was astounded as she said most women GAIN 10 pounds just due to the hormone shifts. I also quit my hospital nursing job and switched to working at home sitting on my butt all day in front of a computer. Most people also gain 10 pounds just doing that, and so did I. I know first hand that it can be done. I also have been on medication for an under active thyroid since age 19. I know all of the excuses. I ate sugar and white flour night and day. Once I got rid of those two things from my diet my cravings went away in 2 weeks. So for the first time in my life I was in control of food instead of food controlling me.

    I've learned a heck of a lot in the last year especially and patience is one of those things. It is often a waiting game. You can't force your body to do what it has never had to do before - mainly losing weight. We've only been good at storing our excess weight for the most part so it will take some time for your body to adjust. But I have witnessed first hand that with perseverance and dedication I can do this and so can you. I don't believe you need to kill yourself with exercise if that is not for you, either. I walk the dog at a good pace twice a day and work out with weights. More is probably better, but I still did get down from a hopeless size 16 to a "what's going on?" size 4 and so can you! I am 5' 5 1/2" tall.

    Go do it! Friend me if you want to. I'll be a lifer here! Best of luck to you!!
    Susan
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
    With persistence

    Persist, and small actions lead to big results. Persist, and you make time work in your favor.

    If you give up after the first or second attempt, your level of success will be mediocre at best. When you persist for as long as it takes, you’re able to create magnificent, outstanding achievements.

    Persistence is not a complicated or inaccessible strategy. All you have to do is choose to keep going.

    After a successful day, instead of resting on your accomplishments, keep going. After a disappointing day, instead of wallowing in self pity, keep going.

    Persist, and the small steps forward add together to create great advances. Persist, and even the setbacks will eventually work in your favor.

    Set your sights on a worthy, meaningful goal, and persist. With persistence, you can take yourself anywhere you choose

    This! Amen!
  • ishallnotwant
    ishallnotwant Posts: 1,210 Member
    you are probably turning your fat into muscle.. muscle weighs more than fat dear.. do not get discouraged, we are all fighting the same fight.. to loss weight!! :)

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat. It is extremely unlikely that you are gaining muscle on a 1200 diet. Muscle needs a lot of calories and protein to grow.... which you don't get on such a low calorie diet.

    try eating your exercise calories back. Make sure you are properly measuring everything. Ensure you are tracking everything. Eat at your BMR... this site puts most people at 1200 cals a day which is far too low for most people.

    I'll add to this that it is IMPOSSIBLE to turn fat into muscle. You can LOSE fat, and BUILD muscle, but fat does not magically turn into muscle. :flowerforyou:
  • Kelekat
    Kelekat Posts: 174 Member
    Good advice all.

    A little background--other than immediately following pregnancy, I've never been more than 10lbs away from goal weight at any point in time in my life--and when I was, could usually drop it all in a matter of weeks without starving myself to do so.

    The day I turned 50, I weighed 138lbs, and wore a size 5 or size 7 jean, depending on the manufacturer. I had great abs, great legs, and arms that made younger women jealous. I worked out three times a week, weights and cardio, and the rest of the time, I watched what I ate, but I didn't count calories and I wasn't afraid to eat popcorn at the movies if I so desired.

    Then about a year and a half ago, with no real change in my exercise habits (although I had to do most of my cardio outside of the gym because I was in the midst of moving from Wyoming to California) and no real change in my calorie intake, the weight started piling on. Within a matter of months, I had gained nearly 35 pounds and I was at a loss as to how it got there or what to do about it.

    I cut back my calories and joined the gym here, but my work schedule plus my son's football schedule made it impossible to get there, so I had to content myself with 45 minute walks in the hills around my place of employment at lunch. And nothing (and I do mean NOTHING) happened. I lost no weight at all. This is not my first time on MFP--I counted my calories back then and exercise as well--and I lost no weight--this went on for about 6 months. I had my thyroid checked, but no doctor seems willing to test the correct hormones instead choosing to check TSH and T4, tests that a couple of hormone doctors my insurance won't cover have told me are not only redundant, but don't look at the correct hormone levels. They believe my thyroid is hypo (I had postpartum thyroiditis after the birth of my first child which makes me more suseptible). But because none of the doctors in my insurance plan will listen to my concerns, I have to find a way through this with, what I am sure, is a malfunctioning thyroid. So here I am again...

    That said, I DO attempt to eat back my exercise calories. I drink around a half a gallon or more of water every day, especially while I hike. My past experience tells me that my fat jeans should at least not be cutting of the circulation in my waist anymore, but that isn't the case.

    I don't expect miracles. I'm not looking to drop three or four pounds a week. I would just like to see something happen after all of my hard work. I don't expect my body to act as if I'm still merely walking at lunch instead of busting my can in the gym with a trainer, as well as climbing every mountain range within a 30 mile radius.

    Can hormones really affect one's ability to lose weight this much? Am I fooling myself into thinking that I can overcome whatever hormonal issues my body is experiencing by eating right and exercising frequently and regularly?
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
    Kelekat, I don't have an answer for you. I just want to say it must be frustrating. I don't understand why doctors can't order a test that someone specifically requests. Even if they don't believe it will help, if you're willing to pay for it, why should they care? I hope you find the help you need.
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