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Old 01-12-2007, 12:51 PM   #1  
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Unhappy Help!

Hi everyone,
I recently started a "healthier lifestyle" (not diet! ) and I am rapidly losing faith. Let me give you a little background...I have done all the diets in the past, and the only one I ever had any real success with was Atkins a couple years ago. However, after about a year of adding carbs back into my diet, I had gained it all back plus 20. I took a year off from "dieting", and have been eating what I want when I want. I really love food and love to eat. So does my DH, but he is 6'2" and has super fast metabolism. ~sigh~
So, fast forward to New Years Day 2007...I am feeling strong and ready to start again. I try going back to my old pal Atkins, but he doesn't treat me well this time. In fact, I get downright sick on it, which didn't happen before. So, after much research on the net, I decide the way to go is to watch portions and try to cut calories. Now, I did manage to lose 4 lbs during that week on Atkins, but since switching to this lower calorie, high fiber "lifestyle" I have completely stalled, infact, I have gained back 2lbs. Oh, I should add that I have, for the first time in my life, added an exercise routine to my life. Yup, the queen of avoiding sweat has realized that I need to move it, move it...so I walk, work on an eliptical 3x a week, and do crunches and some upper body work (push ups).

Now my main fear is that I am already getting discouraged based on the scale. I love this site, and I have been inspired by the before and after pictures and stories. I guess I just wanna hear that some of you faced this situation and how you handled it. I feel like my mental cheerleader is running out of steam
Am I being unrealistic to think I can lose 10lbs a month? I have 90 to lose, so I thought that was a pretty reasonable. Any advice is greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance!
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Old 01-12-2007, 01:00 PM   #2  
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There is nothing more depressing than doing everything right and having nothing happen at the beginning of a plan - posted about the same thing myself earlier this week.

If you are sure you've stuck to your calories then you will lose weight. You may just be one of the unfortunate few whose body takes a while to adjust and then you'll get a big loss. I don't think 10lbs is unreasonable based on your stats. Stick with the exercise, count every calorie and it will fall off. This is exactly why joined here - I always give up when things don't go my way but you can do this
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Old 01-12-2007, 01:35 PM   #3  
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I was slow to make progress when I first started counting calories as well. What really helped me was to set a long-term goal. I told myself I would stick to the program for 4 months whether I made any progress or not and if I hadn't seen any progress by then, I would try something different. I started to see progress in far less than 4 months and by the time 4 months rolled around, it was clear to everyone, not just me, that it was working. But having that long-term goal really helped me get beyond the day-to-day, week-to-week stuff.

Also, are you writing down everything you eat and measuring all your portions carefully? This is critical. There are lots of free online tools that you can use to keep track of what you eat, but fitday.com is one that a lot of people here use.

I do think 10 lbs a month is pretty aggressive. I lost about 4-5 lbs a month. Generally a good rate of weight loss is 1-2 lbs per week. To lose 10lbs per month, you'd have to lose 2.5 lbs per week, which is not impossible, but pretty high. I don't think you'll be able to maintain this rate, especially as you get closer to your goal.
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Old 01-12-2007, 01:42 PM   #4  
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woah girl...take a deep breath and push on through. Don't let the scale discourage you! If you are eating the right food and exercising the weight will come off. There is no magic pill and it won't happen overnight. In the past when I would 'diet' I would get discouraged in the first couple of weeks and give up long before any results of my efforts could show. Now having stuck with a 'lifestyle change' instead of a 'diet and changing things slowly and giving it time I've lost 21lbs since November. It takes patience.

I also count calories but I've come to realize that just counting isn't enough. I measure everything...and I mean everything. I make sure to eat at least 100g of protein a day...(and lean protein not bacon, steak and eggs protein , I still eat carbs...about 150-200g a day but the are all whole grain carbs...whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice etc. and I make sure to always to eat a protein with a carb because protein keeps you fuller longer. I drink probably about 100oz of water a day.... in fact its pretty much all I drink (I usually have 1 cup of skim milk in the morning and coffee which I limit) I track every single morsel in Fitday and I'm completely honest with it....I don't deny myself anything and I've found after a couple of months without eating any take out etc that I don't even want that kind of food anymore but if I was to have a cheeseburger, or some cake etc I would make sure I was completely accountable for it.

When I started I was going to the gym twice a week. In December I moved up to 3 days at the gym and 2 mornings of yoga. Now I'm at the gym 5 days a week and working up to 7....slowly incorporating exercise so it becomes habit and a regular part of my daily schedule just like I slowly changed the foods I was eating. I'm aiming for a full hour of cardio daily and a circuit of weights 3-4 times a week.

I tell you, long before I ever noticed any scale changes I began to notice other things, I had more energy, I was sleeping better etc. Then came the scale changes and now I'm starting to see some inches come off and feel my clothes get looser....its so worth it. Stick with it changes will come.
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Old 01-12-2007, 01:51 PM   #5  
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i logged on to post a reply just like yours, nevergoinback, i got on the scale this morning and it showed a weight gain of about 4 lbs.

i am now on my fourth binge free day!! i then put on a pair of jeans that i have been using to track my weight loss and they fit a little better so i know there is some loss, maybe not pounds but inches. i have been really working on my portion control and it has been really, really, really hard, but i working on it. i worked out only once this week and i know i need to move my butt more but i feel like even when i increase my activity i still will not lose weight.

i am going to pick up my sister's stationary bike this evening and i am taking my scale over to her house so she can hide it because it is killing my enthusiasm right now. the scale is EVIL!!!!

sometimes i feel like eating one serving of a tuna sandwich is not enough. i would usually eat at the LEAST two, but like i said i've been working on my portion control. i'm just ready for the noticeable weight loss to come.
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Old 01-12-2007, 02:06 PM   #6  
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Did you go to calorie counting right after the week of Atkins? Your body is probably just re-adjusting to the carbs after not having any for a week (plus being sick). Give it a little more time--a week or 2 is nothing in the grand scheme of things, and as long as you really are eating an appropriate amount of calories and doing some exercise, then you're on the right track no matter what the stupid scale says

As for 10 pounds a month, you might be able to do that a couple times, but I wouldn't aim quite that high every month. I lost 12.25 pounds in December, but I'm hoping for just maybe 5 pounds this month (I've been sick with a rotten chest cold, so I've been eating and drinking more than usual to soothe my throat plus exercising less since it makes me cough). I'm going to steal a friend's saying here and tell you, "weight loss is NOT linear." You can't expect to lose weight at the same pace from beginning to end--you'll hit some rough patches where the scale will do its best to crush your hopes and dreams, and then you'll see some weeks where you're sure you gained a pound or 2 and then somehow actually managed to lose 5--sometimes, there's just no rhyme or reason
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Old 01-12-2007, 02:20 PM   #7  
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Thanks so much to all of you for your great advice and support! I don't measure my food portions, so looks like I will be getting a food scale...I think that will really help. I am going to start a Fitday account right now and get going. I realize that two weeks really isn't a long time, I guess I was just used to the rapid loss I had in the past, AND I am actually exercising, so I thought I would surely lose something!
If any of you are looking for a weight loss buddy I would love to keep in touch with you...
You're replies were exactly what I (and my poor little mental cheerleader )needed!! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!
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Old 01-12-2007, 02:24 PM   #8  
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I agree with what everyone's said so far. I would like to add that I was just like you...tried everything. Yo-yo'd my way up to 325lbs!

I had a long talk with myself over the Xmas holidays and made a committment to myself to just change what I was eating. I wasn't thinking of weight loss, I was thinking I needed to do better for my heart, mind and soul. I was feeding my body crap and I felt it!

I rejoined WW because they focus on healthy food and portion control. I made the changes slowly. Cutting out junk food and fast foods and in my first week I'm down 5lbs, but more importantly, I feel SO much better!

I would highly recommend WW. I'm doing it online because I can't find meetings that are convenient for me to attend, but I come here for the support that the meetings would give me.

Good luck
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Old 01-12-2007, 02:39 PM   #9  
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It's all about making changes from what we were doing to a more healthy way of eating and working out. If your just begining I wouldnt think about the scale for a month just work on the changes like eating three meals and 2 to 3 snacks of very healthy choices.
Learn all you can about food and food lablels. The more you learn , the more you might deny yourself certain things and open yourself up to others because you know whats really being put into your body.
Its a battle we all know very well.
Keep caring for yourself and putting your self first.
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Old 01-12-2007, 03:09 PM   #10  
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Give it more time. When I first started eating better and exercising, it took my body 5 weeks to lose a pound You can do it! Good luck!
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Old 01-12-2007, 03:35 PM   #11  
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when you remove carbs the body temporarily sheds water. When you switched plans the body brought the water back. Never judge a lifestyle by the first week.
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Old 01-12-2007, 03:58 PM   #12  
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I would not worry about how much you will be losing per week. Even if you were to eat the same exact foods and move the same exact your weight loss form one week to the next will most likely NOT be the same. There are so many other factors that go into it. We're not that precise.

When I first started this I measured everything to make sure that my portions were accurate and I wasn't over eating. You'd be surprised to see just how much 4 oz of chicken or fish look like. I now measure only every now and then to reacquaint myself with the right portion size.

And you definitely have to give it some time. Your body will adjust to the new lifestyle. Stick with it, the first 2 -3 weeks are definitely the hardest. Once you've past that it gets mu;ch, much easier. You WILL start to see results in the scale and in your clothing. Your body will adjust, you'll feel better and all these things will propell you to keep going. You most certainly can do this. Keep at it. Good luck!!!
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Old 01-12-2007, 06:20 PM   #13  
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Dont forget, muscle ways more than fat, you are exersizing where as you never did before so you are surely gaining muscle and so the scale is not going to show the numbers you want them to. Keep up the good work, you are doing the right thing, don't be discouraged just remember you are building muscle and in the long wrong the scale will show that and so will your body, in the short run you should see a difference in how your clothes fit.
Also what I have learned in the past, only weigh yourself every 30 days and that will help keep you from getting discouraged.
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Old 01-12-2007, 10:39 PM   #14  
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When I started, back in August/Sept, I didn't lose anything for three weeks, then suddenly I dropped six pounds in two weeks. My body just decided to go its own pace; bodies are like that, y'know.

I'm "back on the wagon" as far as that goes after a really bad December, and have yet to see any loss from the regained weight (I had been down to 185, now I'm at 190). But you just have to have faith. If you keep up, results WILL happen. I liked the thing about committing for a longer length of time, and telling yourself you'll decide then if it's working. Because over a span of a couple months, things WILL start changing.

Keep the good work up!
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Old 01-12-2007, 10:57 PM   #15  
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Don't let yourself get down, NeverGoingBack, just hang in there! Keep doing what you know you should be doing, and your body will catch up with the positive changes you've made. As for food scales, I actually use a small digital postal scale that I got from Sam's Club. I want to say I paid about $20 for it, and I LOVE it. It measures in 1/10th ounces, so you can be very accurate. Good luck!
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