I try to stay upbeat and positive and keep focusing on change rather than results but I'm seriously feeling frustrated with my lack of results. I'm calorie counting, staying low-carb, exercising every day, bike riding on the weekends, going to the gym, walking as much as possible, running around after my toddler at the park, eating raw foods every day, weighing everything I eat down to the gram, coming in below my 1650cal mark most days except Sundays, and I'm barely registering a loss. I've lost 5lbs since the beginning of summer and that's IT. I am not even adding back my exercise calories!
I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong, all this effort with half pound losses each week is really driving down my hope. According to my calculations, I should be losing at least 1.5lbs per week and that's NOT happening. The only culprit of poor eating is I allow myself daily one piece of dark chocolate (25cal) and still come within or below my calorie allowance.
I totally understand that weightloss is not linear, that there are hiccups along the way, but shouldn't there be one or two successful weeks also? Shouldn't there be a little improvement here and there? It feels like I'm putting in the effort and not seeing any results. I know that if this continues like this I will eventually give up and go with the "what's the point" attitude. I'm just destined to be fat.
That IS frustrating. How about switching it up? Do something completely different. Shock your body. (I was stuck for awhile too, so to solve that, I went out and had one spectacularly bad lunch. BWW buffalo chicken ranch wrap, Mmm. I gained of course, but two days later I was FINALLY down again and the scale kept moving for some time after that.)
You posted recently about quantifying monetarily the off-plan food you've eaten in secret this year, even mentioning some numbers from this summer. That has to figure into the equation, no?
Your exercise regimen is really admirable! Even if the scale isn't showing what you want, I bet your fitness is much improved. You aren't destined to be fat - it sounds like you know perfectly how to lose weight. Just have to do more work on some behaviors.
Last edited by Desiderata; 09-09-2013 at 08:59 AM.
I know that if this continues like this I will eventually give up and go with the "what's the point" attitude. I'm just destined to be fat.
Why do you know this and accept it as fact? I know that you can keep chipping away, and that maintaining any loss, no matter how slow or hard fought, is totally in your grasp.
I'm sorry you are struggling. keep your head above water and push on.
Try changing your exercise routine. Mix in some weight training - build some muscle mass! Muscles burn calories. Start jogging/running. Do something other than what you are currently doing, and other than cardio fitness, and hopefully you'll start seeing results again.
Try changing your exercise routine. Mix in some weight training - build some muscle mass! Muscles burn calories. Start jogging/running. Do something other than what you are currently doing, and other than cardio fitness, and hopefully you'll start seeing results again.
I like to keep it fresh. I lift free weights and do body weight exercises for strength training. I'm in physical therapy for an injury and working my way up to starting a 5k program but I'm not quite there yet. Food is always the culprit. I just figured this week was the one I really hankered down on more than usual with staying below cal limits that I thought for sure it would help move the scale.
Maybe I'm in denial but I've reduced my eating and eliminated soooooo many things from my diet that I'm going to have to start eliminating healthy hinges like avocado, nuts and olive oil. I already have reduced these greatly but these are the foods that help keep me full and I don't want to see them go. If I can't do this on a healthy diet with carefully monitored calories then I will have to resort to a "diet" of rabbit food.
Oh man, I have spent the last hour journaling my same frustrations, then I decided to give my cramping hand a rest from writing and logged on here. I totally feel your frustration wannabeskinny. The last 3 weeks I have seen a modest weight loss, but no where near where I think I should be. It's so maddening when the weight just seems to stay put despite feeling like you're doing everything you can to get it to budge. I keep reminding myself that it took longer than 3 weeks to put the pounds on, but I still keep praying to the Universe that some of my efforts will be recognized soon so that I don't throw in the towel. I am so angry right now that my body will just not cooperate. Please don't give in to that "oh well what is the point attitude?" You will lose, I know it! Just knowing someone is going through some of the same aggravations and disappointments keep the rest of us going.
This is totally unscientific and radical and I will probably get blasted for saying it, but maybe you can try cutting back on your exercise.
I have found through my own experiences and observation that my weight loss stops when I am on a serious workout schedule. Not only do I not lose weight, the numbers on the scale start creeping up. I try to justify it with the water weight argument, or the extra muscle, or trying to stick with it for a couple months until my body adjusts, but it never works, not in all the attempts I've made at losing weight.
In fact I recently went through it again. I was running once weekly and was losing weight steadily, finally decided to gradually add more miles per week (walking as well as running), and gradually my weight loss slowed to a standstill. I tried to stick with it, and nothing changed. So I stopped running three weeks ago and boom, I started losing 1.5 pounds weekly again.
My own personal plan is this: I will keep the exercise to a minimum (I love my Sunday morning runs so I will go back to those plus a few leisurely walks during the week), then when I hit a weight I am happy with I will gradually increase my running again so that I can get fit and am not as concerned with the scale.
Again, this is my personal theory and probably wouldn't work for everyone.
This is totally unscientific and radical and I will probably get blasted for saying it, but maybe you can try cutting back on your exercise.
I have found through my own experiences and observation that my weight loss stops when I am on a serious workout schedule. Not only do I not lose weight, the numbers on the scale start creeping up. I try to justify it with the water weight argument, or the extra muscle, or trying to stick with it for a couple months until my body adjusts, but it never works, not in all the attempts I've made at losing weight.
In fact I recently went through it again. I was running once weekly and was losing weight steadily, finally decided to gradually add more miles per week (walking as well as running), and gradually my weight loss slowed to a standstill. I tried to stick with it, and nothing changed. So I stopped running three weeks ago and boom, I started losing 1.5 pounds weekly again.
My own personal plan is this: I will keep the exercise to a minimum (I love my Sunday morning runs so I will go back to those plus a few leisurely walks during the week), then when I hit a weight I am happy with I will gradually increase my running again so that I can get fit and am not as concerned with the scale.
Again, this is my personal theory and probably wouldn't work for everyone.
my weight loss also came to a screeching HALT when i took up a serious workout routine...i also began running (nearly daily at the gym) when my previous workouts had been only a few bike rides and dabbling in light home weights....however my body still got smaller and much more toned (i lost almost my whole butt from running ) but yeah, the scale came to a screeching halt and has barely dropped at all in the last year or so
Location: Anchorage AK in the summer, Lawrence KS and travel in the winter
Posts: 222
S/C/G: High 285+ 256/ticker/160ish
Height: 5'6"
Like AK said, it's about inches too. Do you have any data on that? How is that front progressing?
I agree with others about the exercise. For me it has to be just barely moderate or I jimmy my progress and I also do that one jolt meal from time to time just to confuse my body from going into a weird coast mode.
Weightloss is so weird. As I predicted I had a laissez-faire attitude yesterday and overate by about 500 over maintenance. I felt pretty crummy and vowed to step on the scale anyway this morning. To my amazement it showed a 4.5lb loss since Monday. I don't know how that happened. I got on and off the scale about 20 times. I moved the scale around to make sure it wasn't on uneven flooring. I moved the scale to other rooms in the house. Yup, it kept registering the same number.
I'm finally in Onederland again! It's so weird and unexplainable but it's given me a little hope that I keep at it with renewed vigor.
Congrats on the whoosh! Why don't you try adding back half of your exercise calories for a while - it worked great for me. I'm wondering if you aren't getting enough fuel for all that activity.
That said, 1/2 lb a week is still moving in the right direction. Keep on truckin' girl!
Congratulations! I had that woosh too and it felt good. While I was stalled, I tried to remember it took me more than a couple weeks to gain all that weight. So, I can't be too impatient if it takes me twice as long to lose it.
Congrats on the woosh! I have to agree with the others about tracking your measurements. I take my measurements once a month and it's always pleasant to see changes in those numbers when the stupid scale won't budge. I honestly don't care what the scale says as long as my body is getting smaller!
Spinning my wheels! rant
) but yeah, the scale came to a screeching halt and has barely dropped at all in the last year or so
