Pretty Close To Throwing In The Towel

35 days??? Jeez....

Sorry if I'm way out of line, but...

What you probably need is a lifestyle change, not a "diet" that "works" or "doesn't work" after 35 days, in which case you replace it with another trendy "diet".

I recently lost 30 pounds. I wasn't significantly overweight, but 6'2" and almost 230. I looked older (and at 45, every year counts!), I was not sleeping well, I lacked energy, etc. I did the following (short version):

Cut out all soft drinks and replaced with water, cut out most processed foods, dramatically reduced my carb intake (limited rice, pasta, bread), increased my veggie consumption, and began a regular, but by no means intensive, exercise program.

I didn't bother monitoring my weight or my caloric intake. This may sound like heresy for this site, but I just didn't bother. I knew what I was doing was healthy. After a month or so, I started to notice a difference when looking at myself in the mirror. Nothing dramatic, but definitely noticeable. I didn't change anything. I just kept to the plan. When I was hungry, I ate (healthy). Every day I tried to do something (long walk, push ups, hotel gym when I was on a business trip, whatever).

After three months, I noticed my new suits would need to go to the tailor. Friends started to notice. At four months I joined this site. I wanted a better way to track my exercising and weight training (which I now plan to increase), and I was curious as to the contents of my diet.

My new goal is to have a better body at 45 than I did at 25 (and I use to be quite athletic). I'm also planning to run in a 5k by September. But this is not something I plan to achieve, and then stop. My new "diet" (I hate that word) and exercise program is something I plan to keep. Again, it's a lifestyle change, not a quick hit to drop some pounds.

I think you need to step back and take the long view. It's not about reduced calorie intake for a while for the quick win. That's how diets are "sold" to consumers, but it's just wrong. Completely rethink what you put in your body, how you take care of yourself. Develop a plan that works for you. And then stick to it.

Good luck.

--Prahasaurus

You may have other factors at play that could be frustrating. For example, you could be in the process of becoming insulin resistant, which would account for what you are going through.

I'll be honest.. I haven't read the other responses, so if mine is just another repeat.. I apologize.

You didn't gain the weight in 35 days, so you won't lose the weight in 35 days. Also, you are constantly changing things up so your body isn't sure what to do at this point. Choose a daily calorie goal, make a workout plan and do that consistently for a month or two. Let your body adapt and adjust to what's going on. You have to be PATIENT. This journey is one of determination, motivation and most of all PATIENCE.

Go back to your original calorie goal. Workout. Make sure you're eating at your goal and not leaving 200,300 or more calories leftover at the end of the day.

DO NOT GIVE UP!!! I agree with pretty much everything everyone else has already said, so I won't say it all again. Just don't give up...a month is just a drop in the bucket....Keep going.....stay strong!

So, let me see if I have this right. Since you feel like this isn't working based upon some sort of expectation you had, which was probably false, you are going to go back to what you were doing before?

I thought what you were doing before brought you here.

You need to stay with it for about 60 days. After that, ask for help and adjustments can be made if needed. But, you haven't been at it long enough. Also, I didn't see it, but if you are on medication, that can affect your results dramatically and you may need more professional advice v

I have been where you are at some point every time I've tried to lose weight and every time before I did quit. The result, I kept gaining and gaining and gaining. When I started this time I weighed 364 pounds. Boy, I really wish I stuck with it when I had 60 pounds to lose.

Now, I am just sticking with it. If I eat less and move more, I will lose weight, maybe not consistently, maybe not as quickly as I want or even as quickly as I deserve, but I have faith that it will happen.

It doesn't have to be all or nothing, make a few changes that don't make you miserable and remember weight loss isn't the only reward to eating healthier and being more active. To me, the most important thing to do is continue to log and stay aware of what you eat.

A doctor's visit wouldn't hurt either.

Whatever you do, don't quit!

I can totally understand exactly where you are coming from. I have had problems with losing weight and then gaining it back out of nowhere. A lot of people do not understand. They always say well you must be doing something different else you would not gaining the weight. This statement is so untrue. Years ago I began getting very depressed about my weight because I was working out at the gym regularly, I had cut all the junk out of my diet and all I did was gain gain gain. So as I said I stated earlier, I started becoming depressed. I eventually went to the doctors because I had enough. At first they tried to tell me that I needed to exercise and eat better and that I must be doing something to be gaining. After several months of being persistent that I was eating right, working out and doing all the right things, my doctor did some test and found out that it was a medical condition. The doctor set me up with a nutritionist who talked to me about how many calories I could have and the different types of foods that I could and could not have which is completely different then someone who does not have a medical condition. I did this for a long time and lost the weight and kept it off until about two years ago. I truthfully just got sick of all the restrictions it felt like all I was telling my self is you can't have this, you can't have that, you can't can't can't. So I just began eating whatever I wanted. I was happy and I loved it. Now I'm stuck again and unhappy. Now I'm fatter then I've been, I hate what I look like, and my clothing doesn’t fit. So please don't throw in the towel there are people who do understand.

Have you been to your doctor for a check-up lately?

When I first started my weight loss journey, I had a similar problem. Started off great, but I hit a plateau and couldn't break it. I finally went to the doctor and he ran a blood test. My thyroid was way out of whack! It took a little while to get the correct dose of medication, but once that happened my weight loss kicked in again.

I'm certainly not diagnosing you with hypothyroidism. But, shucks, going to the doctor sure couldn't hurt. Right?

I would echo what others here have said and talk to a doctor -- BUT, PRINT OUT and bring your entire journal with you! That way your doctor can look it over with you and see exactly what you have been doing.

I'm recommending going to the doctor for 2 reasons:
1) rule out a medical condition. (truthfully, you probably DON'T have a medical condition that is stopping you from loosing weight, but it is a good idea to rule it out)
2) having someone else check over your nutrition and fitness activity could be helpful in spotting a reason why you aren't loosing weight.

There are many other reasons you might not see the weightloss right now:

MUSCLE: You are building muscle. It really is a good possibility. A few months ago, I got to the same point you were at, so discouraged, and I DID fall off the bandwagon. I quit exercising, and while I didn't start eating too terribly right away, I stopped counting calories. But get this, I actually lost a few more pounds. I'm convinced it was actually muscle I was loosing because I had gone back to a sedentary lifestyle and wasn't working out. It just put into perspective just how many pounds of muscle I had put on.

CYCLE: you said 35 days - this is roughly the length of a "cycle" for women. If you stick with it for a few cycles, you may find that at certain points your body retains water and you plateau. You may still be burning fat, it just doesn't show as much at certain times of the month.

SALT: How is your sodium intake?

STRESS: have you been stressed recently (it sounds like you are!)? cortisol is a stress hormone and can contribute significantly to weight gain. incidentally, this would also be something good to talk to your doctor about. Also, I was impressed that you had been exercising every day. if you can work that in it is GREAT! I know for me though, if I tried to exercise every day, it would stress the hell out of me. I exercise 3-5 times a week, and that is good for me. Also a friend of mine who has had great results recently told me she sets her calories to maintenance mode on the weekends so she can have a "break" and not worry too much about food. It is important to make a lifestyle change, but it won't be sustainable unless your changes are moderate enough for you to stick to without stressing you out. Maybe you need to moderate your "healthy" habits?

SLEEP: Have you been sleeping well? I can never loose weight if I'm not getting a good nights rest

DIET: what TYPES of foods are you eating? Recently I started adding in a day or two a week of a "vegetable fast". I don't worry as much about tracking my calories, but i also don't eat anything except vegetables the whole day. I eat as many as I want, and I don't feel hungry. Granted, this is a little extreme, but it always seems to help my results on the scale. Another way I gauge if I'm eating the right things, is I think back to how much "chopping" I've done lol. If I suddenly realize I haven't had to do a lot of chopping of vegetables this week, I'm probably not going to see good results on the scale because I haven't been eating enough of the right foods - EVEN IF my calorie intake has been perfect. A lot of successful diets actually focus on what you MUST eat (# servings of veggies a day, etc) instead of what you should NOT eat for this reason.

hockeyfan87 wrote:
I honestly don't know what else to do.

As others have said, you need to weigh your food. Buy a digital kitchen scale.