Does anyone else get frustrated with their slow progress?

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Momjogger
Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
in Motivation and Support
My line says I have lost 12 pounds, but that is since I have been on myfitnesspal. I have really lost 55 in the last 15 - 17 months. That is a LONG TIME. I am working out ALOT and I know that makes me hungrier and I feel like when I eat my workout calories back it REALLY slows my progress, but I have a hard time keeping my calories so low when I am working out (spinning, pilates, Zumba, jogging, body pump, kickboxing). I am slowing down even more - I guess because I am closer to my goal, but I still have 33 pounds to go to get to a normal BMI. I think I am frustrated because I work out so much and so hard and even though I am seeing benefits, I feel like anyone else working out this much would be dropping weight like mad, and looking so much fitter. Or maybe I am being an impatient brat. I DO know that seeing how much I would weigh in 5 weeks when I finish my daily calorie totals helps. Anyone else feel like this? I think I need some perspective. :happy:
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Replies

  • toffee322
    toffee322 Posts: 186 Member
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    i always feel like the eating the right amount is more important than how much you work out.. i dont want to be mean but i always some regular people in my fitness classes, and they are not slim... i should say they are quite chubby but they workout really hard.... there are so much involved in losing weight, it's not just eating and exercising, also metabolism.. everyone's different.. there are tons of people who never exercise and eat like a normal person with no restrictions but are slim.. anyway..

    i think it's ok that the progress is slow, but as long as it's progressing!!! as long as you are on the right track and not gaining weight.. i lost weight when i was moving and lost appetite from stress.. i was actually quite happy about it.. i didn't exercise much at that time as i was busy packing and moving... now that i'm settled down and happy again.. i'm eating more and gaining weight back.. even i exercise..
  • danysgoal
    danysgoal Posts: 14
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    Hi
    I'm going through the same thing. I have about 15-20 pounds left to loose and even with daily exercise and 1400 calories, I still don't loose weight. I'm getting to the point where I don't believe I'll ever make it.
    I try to look to all the time I work out, all the great meals I make to tell myself I'm doing good but I am really needing the scale to go down some to feel better.
    I gave myself a 10 pound weight loss goal for October, in May and nothing significant yet. Of course I have this special event I want to look good for. But time is slipping by and I'm having to change my goal as my anxiety level is increasing that I won't make it.
    I'll be giving a presentation to 150 people and I want to look my best. The 10 pounds seemed reasonable back then but I need to be prepared and I have to focus on the actual presentation and not let the weight play with my head.
    I'll try to get in short exercise sessions, such as 30day shred, biking, walking, interval training because when I workout too much, the cravings become difficult to manage and I just cannot sleep during the night when I'm hungry.
    I'm sorry I'm not really helping you with my story but I do understand your frustration and somehow getting it out in the open gives me some energy to start fresh today.
    So I will continue my tracking and my workouts because I do feel better physically. I just need to either not step on the scale every week or figure out a way where it doesn't matter the number I see.
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
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    Thanks. I agree with both of you. I know calories really are more important than workouts to lose weight. I ALWAYS exercise more in the summer and I think the overall health benefit is better in the long run (building muscle and bone as I am gettting into my 40s is important). I think I may have to do a jump start and just don't want to admit it cuz it is so hard. Last time I did 2 weeks of 1200 calories a day and cardio only exercise for one hour a day - and it helped ALOT to help me lose, shrink my stomach, etc. but I felt like garbage for the whole 2 weeks. Sigh. I laugh when I read posts of people that say they upped their calories and lost weight when they plateau. Not because I don't beleive it, but because I have tried it in the past and it doesn't work for me. I wish it did!
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    It looks like you've averaged about 3/4 of a lb. per week over 17 months. That's actually a really good rate of loss. And, because it's taken you longer than most, you have had that much longer to really make this a habit, rather than something temporary! I understand your frustration...It's taken me 14.5 months to lose 58 lbs. so my average is about .89 lbs. per week. I just try not to compare to others. Some people drop large amounts of weight at the beginning and then lose much more slowly as time goes on. I have been fairly steady the entire time. Much more sustainable for me.

    ETA: Upping my calories didn't work for me either. I did it for about 3 months and weight loss slowed, by almost exactly the amount of additional calories I was eating. I went from losing 4 to 5 lbs. a month to 2 to 2.5 lbs a month. So, I'm now back to netting 1200 calories. But I work out 5 days a week, so on those days, I usually eat 1700 to 1800 calories. The non-workout days are tougher, so I allow myself to go up to 1400 on those days. I've only been back at this calorie level for about 2.5 weeks. The first week (half higher calorie, half lower calorie) I lost .5 lbs. The second week, 2.5 lbs. This week, I maintained, but I'm PMSing so I think it's water retention. I think I have actually lost about a lb. this week and hope it shows up next week!
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
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    Sounds about right to me and I know you are correct. Makes me feel good that others are progressing the same. I think I just get frustrated because this is WORK!
  • almostatgoalweight
    almostatgoalweight Posts: 234 Member
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    Given that I've been dieting on and off and haven't been at goal weight in 12 years, yes!
  • YMTaylor
    YMTaylor Posts: 230 Member
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    I've been on this journey for almost 3 years and I still have about 40 pounds to go. If it didn't pack on all at once, it won't come off all at once either. Don't give up, you'll get there! :)
  • debbiexo
    debbiexo Posts: 9
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    Oh God I feel so frustrated, I eat 1200 calories a day and work out five times a week but I just don't see the results, sometimes I just say oh I'm not losing weight so I am going to eat pizza or ice cream and I end up feeling worse :(
    Sometimes I really think I am never going to make it
  • Loves418
    Loves418 Posts: 330 Member
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    I have lost 40 pounds it has taken me over a year and half. One reason was injury after injury and the other is that I am not 100% well behaved when it comes to food. It is a hard process for me.
    Right now I am frustrated because yet again I have an injury that is plaguing me for over a year on and off and now it is at the height of pain again. So I am very frustrated. Mentally I want to jog on the treadmill work hard play hard but can't do this now. I am trying to stay angry as opposed to depressed. When I am angry I don't eat!!
  • Chantal34
    Chantal34 Posts: 128
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    I feel this way about body fat%. I have lost 13% body fat since last January, but it is still unusually high (30%). It just isn't dropping as fast as I would like, even with all the strength training and protein intak see others posting about percentages in the low twenties and wonder why I for the life of me can't get that low. I'm beginning yo winder if I'm just not meant to have a low bf% and should just be content with what Ive got.
  • sarper13
    sarper13 Posts: 1
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    I have only been on MFP for two weeks now, so I am not really an expert on the system here. What I do know from my own struggles is that mussels weighs more then fat, so we all drop that first five to ten pounds fast, and then it slows down, a lot. I would suggest more yoga and exercises of that sort to keep the calories burning but not adding mussel density. I was doing a Zumba program four days a week, and I lost some inches, but at no point did I actually loss any weight.

    Keeping your calories low, try eating lots of crisp veggies like carrots and jicama for the sensation of eating, my favorite thing is to put all sorts of veggies in a container in the morning with lime, garlic, ginger, and a little rice wine vinager. The marinade's ingredients are suppose to speed up digestion and the flavors get stronger as the day progresses so when we really need a snack in the afternoon there is a little punch to our system.

    And keep going, we want to win the marathon, not just the sprint out of the gate, even if the marathon never seams to end.
  • v70t5m
    v70t5m Posts: 186 Member
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    If you are working out too much, your body will stall due to the inability to recover.

    I was rather shocked the first time my heartrate monitor told me I needed a rest week/recovery week. Huh? I do not work out that hard ... do I? I only workout 1 to 2 hours a day 5 to 6 days a week. Yep, that is enough to require an entire week of recovery, in addition to my weekly rest day!

    The rest week is taken either completely off, or a serious reduction of your previous workouts. My recovery weeks are walking and yoga ... and I, personally, eat at maintenance level for that week. This is a fairly recent change in my own workout life, and I hope it knocks me off my plateau ... which is frustrating!
  • alleycat88
    alleycat88 Posts: 756 Member
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    :raises hand:

    yes.

    6.5 pounds in 10 weeks. I thought for sure the weight would be coming off quicker as I have been a lazy butt for 2 years, drinking alcohol and eating delicious new orleans cuisine.

    now i hav cut out the alcohol, sugary drinks and am eating smaller portions of healthier food AND working out 5 times a week. ARGH!
  • londoneye
    londoneye Posts: 192 Member
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    My line says I have lost 12 pounds, but that is since I have been on myfitnesspal. I have really lost 55 in the last 15 - 17 months. That is a LONG TIME. I am working out ALOT and I know that makes me hungrier and I feel like when I eat my workout calories back it REALLY slows my progress, but I have a hard time keeping my calories so low when I am working out (spinning, pilates, Zumba, jogging, body pump, kickboxing). I am slowing down even more - I guess because I am closer to my goal, but I still have 33 pounds to go to get to a normal BMI. I think I am frustrated because I work out so much and so hard and even though I am seeing benefits, I feel like anyone else working out this much would be dropping weight like mad, and looking so much fitter. Or maybe I am being an impatient brat. I DO know that seeing how much I would weigh in 5 weeks when I finish my daily calorie totals helps. Anyone else feel like this? I think I need some perspective. :happy:

    Is it weird to say 'no'? If you have lost weight (and 55 lbs is LOTS!) even just maintaining that loss is a victory and puts you in the top 3% of 'dieters' (or 'lifestyle changers' before someone bites my head off!). And slow progress is still progress in the right direction. Well done you!
  • m60kaf
    m60kaf Posts: 421 Member
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    I am not frustrated at myself for how long it is taking. Just frustrated at how long it does take - if you get the subtle difference
  • alleycat88
    alleycat88 Posts: 756 Member
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    I am not frustrated at myself for how long it is taking. Just frustrated at how long it does take - if you get the subtle difference

    what you did there, I see it ;)
  • goldengodd3ss
    goldengodd3ss Posts: 47 Member
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    I really like what toffee had to say. Everyone's different and their progress is different. I have always had a slow metabolism and my rate of weight loss is reflective of that now matter how much activity I crank in my day. Aside from watching my cal counts using MFP, I'm slowly making changes to my diet to help my metabolism. (Drinking enought water was a huge step for me in June!)

    I think weight loss is all about baby steps. Baby steps to increasing exercise, baby steps to eating better and baby steps for lifestyle changes. Unfortunatley, quick fixes for rapid weight loss won't work in the long run, but the small things you do today, tomorrow, next month will end up benefiting you for a lifetime of better choices and thus health.

    We're all in this together! It will come.

    :smile:
  • Reneefit135
    Reneefit135 Posts: 170
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    Im going through the same thing. Mine says 6 lbs but I'm not even sure I've kept that off. I need to lose 30 to reach my goal and its just not happening. I work out a lot too, probably not as much as you and it does make me hungrier and i usually do eat the extra calories i earn from working out. That is a though to try not to eat those calories but i know i would be soooo hungry.
  • 1Cor1510
    1Cor1510 Posts: 413 Member
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    Bump.
  • Reneefit135
    Reneefit135 Posts: 170
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    Hi
    I'm going through the same thing. I have about 15-20 pounds left to loose and even with daily exercise and 1400 calories, I still don't loose weight. I'm getting to the point where I don't believe I'll ever make it.
    I try to look to all the time I work out, all the great meals I make to tell myself I'm doing good but I am really needing the scale to go down some to feel better.
    I gave myself a 10 pound weight loss goal for October, in May and nothing significant yet. Of course I have this special event I want to look good for. But time is slipping by and I'm having to change my goal as my anxiety level is increasing that I won't make it.
    I'll be giving a presentation to 150 people and I want to look my best. The 10 pounds seemed reasonable back then but I need to be prepared and I have to focus on the actual presentation and not let the weight play with my head.
    I'll try to get in short exercise sessions, such as 30day shred, biking, walking, interval training because when I workout too much, the cravings become difficult to manage and I just cannot sleep during the night when I'm hungry.
    I'm sorry I'm not really helping you with my story but I do understand your frustration and somehow getting it out in the open gives me some energy to start fresh today.
    So I will continue my tracking and my workouts because I do feel better physically. I just need to either not step on the scale every week or figure out a way where it doesn't matter the number I see.

    Totally understand, going through the same thing

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