Give me some advice folks, I've just begun this year, going full throttle, I've been vegetarian for 6 days now, and I bought a scale, only to find I've only lost one pound (maybe). I say maybe for a few reasons:
1-I could've weighed more than I initially thought I did (which sucks) and therefore, the change is more than I think.
2-my body still needs more than clean (I mean borderline immaculate) eating to start to change
Either way, I feel a little down about the situation. 239.2 is today's number, and I'm just afraid that I need more support and motivation than I even know how to conjure :/ what do I do? Anybody else feeling this way? These below zero temperatures sure aren't making me feel any more motivated... Yuck.
It only has been 6 days! Give it a little longer. I'm sorry you're feeling down right now but you're here now doing something about it now and you're in the 230s rather than the 240s so that's good, right?
Have you added in any new exercises recently? Sometimes the body retains water to repair muscles and etc. so it takes a while to notice any changes on the scale with a new exercise regimen. Perhaps retaining water from salty food?
Hang in there and it will come off in time as long as you're working it right!
I was doing diet first, exercise implementation once I get a good handle on things (because I went vegetarian cold turkey, no pun intended) and I'm trying to look at it that way, in the way that I'm out of the 240s. Small victories. *sigh* MFP has a feature where it predicts your weight loss with what you've eaten, and if it's even moderately accurate, I guess I'm technically almost on goal... I'll decide next week! Until then, someone get out a cattle prod! ;P
It's not unusual to have feelings of discouragement when the scale doesn't act "friendly." For this reason, I have stopped weighing myself for a while, but everyone is different so this might end up motivating you more eventually. If not, then perhaps it's a good idea to put it away and go based on photos or how your clothes fit. The scale is only one indicator of how you're doing and it's not very accurate in the short term. Furthermore, because you don't know how much you weighed initially, you really don't have a very clear picture at all on what has happened, even based on the scale alone.
You may already know this, but I'll mention it just in case, which I hope you won't mind. Becoming a vegetarian is a diet type but it might not lead to weight loss. The only way to lose weight is to create a caloric deficit and that can be done via calorie restriction, calorie expenditure (exercise) or both. You don't have to count calories to lose weight...in fact, some people find that it makes them more obsessed with their food intake. However, if you truly want to know how many calories you're consuming, it might not be a bad idea to keep a food journal for a little while to check.
You're right. I guess I just got pretty discouraged since I haven't stepped on a scale for MONTHS.
and as for the second paragraph.. HOW DARE Y... Just kidding. no I'm aware. 100% and I'm religiously using myfitnesspal to journal my food intake, and it's actually been hard to eat ENOUGH calories! You're more than welcome to add me on there and see my food journal! I've not started up an intense exercise regimen yet, just because I'm trying to build one good habit at a time. So far so good, but soon I'll have a treadmill staring me in the face, so fingers crossed!
I also got some yoga paraphernalia in the mail today, so, I'm going to make that a morning routine hopefully, as well! I really appreciate the input! And I hope that my ticker can look like yours! (Once I'm able to have one! :P )
You had me worried there for a second. Sounds like you're doing everything right and you will get there...just be patient and come here to vent anytime (or feel free to message me). I wish I could say that ticker is accurate. After my birthday, I was taken out so many times for meals that I got completely side tracked and then the holidays and then...well...you know how it goes. I'm not sure how much I've gained but all I can do is put one foot in front of the other and get back to where I was and then to get even closer to my goal. I have a perfectionistic mentality coupled with a binge eating disorder so if I stray even a little, all heck breaks loose and I completely derail. Anyway, with consistency and determination, we can both get the job done! Hang in there whollyhick.
I don't have any time goals. Or very loose ones. Why? This is a lifestyle change. I am adding things and getting better and changing things as I go. But if I found the right things for me, which I think I did, then the timing becomes way less important. It isn't a diet with a stopping point, the changes are forever not a temporary diet (tweeks here and there of course especially as new info comes out, and there are times I will go heavier veggie and less meat and then not).
I stalled in the 240s for a long time. Now I seem to be going quickly. I was 241 after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. 224 on the scale today. I know that won't be the rate all the way to my final goal of around 190ish.
That is OK. It took me decades to get to 285 and beyond at some points. I think the cool thing about time though is to think where you will be next January 2015.
And imagine if you hadn't started at all? So keep making changes that are healthy. And it is more than OK not to do them all at once. Embrace a healthy lifestyle going forward and the weight will follow. Not all at once, not at a steady clip, but in a definite downward trajectory.
And study after study shows losing 10% of body weight even if still very overweight makes us much healthier. Super great benefit along the way.
Last edited by diamondgeog; 01-07-2014 at 03:50 PM.
Things should change when you give them time. When I became a vegetarian 4 years ago I was probably around 220-230 and had already started off being active. It took several weeks for me to see a noticeable difference in my weight (It is totally possible to be a fat, unhealthy vegetarian, trust me!).
It seems like you're on track and doing the right things. Be consistent and wait it out and hopefully the results will start coming. Good luck!
Agree with many other posters here and tell you, from experience, that you have to give it some time. The #1 thing that has gotten me through 3 years of weight loss/maintenance is patience. People can tell you a million times, but you have to embrace it. You have to choose eating and fitness habits that you can maintain for the rest of your life or you will not be successful long-term. I have tweaked my diet and fitness regimes a bit over the last 3 years, but I bought into this lifestyle as a lifetime commitment, and THAT is why I was able to lose, and maintain, all this time.
It is totally possible to be a fat, unhealthy vegetarian, trust me!.
So true. It's also possible to be a fat, unhealthy vegan -- trust me, been there done that!
Welcome whollyhick! You've already gotten some great advice! Hang in there, things will get easier with time, but I know the beginning feels painfully slow and draggy and full of setbacks and challenges.
Consider these setbacks and challenges as practice for the ones that will crop up during a lifetime of weight management! Practice makes perfect, right? And you're in this for the long haul!
You guys! You're all so right, and so supportive, it's inspirational, and I never have to wonder if I made the right choice by joining this forum! I've surpassed my one week mark, and I'm very prous of my progress! I've only eaten literally enough bad things to fit inside a CD sized plate. ALL week, and bad isn't even the word for it. Unfortunately, today, (and I don't consider it a setback, because I really enjoyed celebrating) my bestie and I broke out a bottle of Absolut Tune! (If you're unfamiliar with that, it's a sparkling white wine/vodka mix) we made two tall cocktails apiece and she asked me all about my week! I was excited to show her my food journal, and being that she is training for a fitness competition, (she is very in shape!) and she was very impressed/proud of me! It's such a good feeling! I'm so happy about my choices and I'm gonna chug along with this life choice until I reach my goal! Thanks all! I appreciate it more than you know, especially you folks whose tickers show you were once standing where I stand! You inspire me to keep on keeping on!
@MrsSnark I have to say, you're pretty darn inspirational! one: you like firefly. Consider us friends. Forever. Hahaha. Two your blog is grand and I'm reading the **** out of it. (Hence the reason I k ow fact #1) And three: we both seem to have a penchant for Indian foods, that being said, after reading cooking with (you) #6, I saw you questioning couscous. If you want to add it to your regular fooding, may I suggest under the Indian like rice? I don't know if you have an Aldi food store in your area or Bliss-a-go-go, but if you do, they carry an easy peasy instand couscous and I use it for all the Curries! Though its not in my budget to buy tastybite meals for daily use (if it were, I would. Mmm) I do use a curry paste from a jar and sautée up all my veggies and potatoes and chickpeas and whatnots, when they're almost done I put the water required for the couscous in the microwave for 1:45 (because I'm wierd about numbers) pull it out (before the microwave goes off, like a bomb defusing) and dump in a serving of couscous, cover it with a plate, and when I'm done cooking my veggies, fluff the couscous with my preselected fork, dump the veggies on top, and voila! Meal. (Important: do not just microwave the couscous in the water, it will erupt like a coco wheats volcano, I know we've all made that childhood mistake, so it was a good comparison, it also sucks just as bad to clean, take my word for it.)
I'm not entirely sure how to "tag" you, Im unabke to PM just yet, and I've subscribed to this thread, so if you see this, please reply!
You lost a pound in 6 days, that is pretty awesome. And nothing to sneeze at. But if you look at that as a set back you are going to have a very miserable time on your journey. Settle in, simmer down and enjoy the scenery.
Getting over setbacks.. :(
no I'm aware. 100% and I'm religiously using myfitnesspal to journal my food intake, and it's actually been hard to eat ENOUGH calories! You're more than welcome to add me on there and see my food journal! I've not started up an intense exercise regimen yet, just because I'm trying to build one good habit at a time. So far so good, but soon I'll have a treadmill staring me in the face, so fingers crossed! 
