somebody... just tell me everything will work out okay.
This is x-posted in the WW flex forum... But you guys are way more chatty than flexers seem to be and I need all the positive reinforcement and ideas I can get. Hope no one minds I'm support-mongering
See, I have NO idea what's happening to me right now. I once again weighed this morning (though official WI is on Saturday) and i'm UP 1.5 from yesterday. Yesterday I was down .5, the day before I was up 1. So we're looking at an overall upward trend, and I SWEAR I am eating totally on-plan, getting in veggies and healthy oils and all that. I'm .5 away from my starting weight of 3 weeks ago.
start weight: 213.5
week 1 WI: 209.5
week 2 WI: 210
and it looks like week 3 WI will be... 213
Man, WW was so easy last time I did it. My body responded so well. Now it can't seem to figure out what to do with itself. And I'm even exercising this time, which I didn't do last time....... please don't let me rationalize stopping exercise!
Also, please don't let me rationalize giving up, which I would sorely like to do, since this is just another source of aggravation that is avoidable. (This is where that really good quote comes in: Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Maintenance is hard. Pick your hard.)
I plan 90% of my meals. I've been out to eat two or three times since restarting WW, and each time I've gone online and found nutritional info for where ever I'm going, and chose BEFORE I went what I was going to eat to make sure it fit into my plan. I've had one off-plan day... that was very off-plan.... but I still counted points and picked myself up the next day and kept going. Now it seems even if I eat OP I'm gonna keep gaining weight.
I do not understand the mechanics of my own body. I'm trying to focus on the fact that I can feel a change in my thigh muscles due to the exercise... My pants aren't cutting into me as much (due to the 1.5" I somehow lost off my midsection amidst all this)... I feel more awake during the day... I'm not craving sugar as much... I'm starting to feel like I *enjoy* exercise and actually look forward to it... But then I see my weight and get all discouraged, and all these good things go flying out the window.
THIS is why I want to take a hammer to my scale. Because it throws me off-track. Because no matter what I do, I can't make friends with it. Because, while I don't expect to lose 4lbs every week, I DO expect to see a little downward trend, or at least to see maintenance every now and again. Not gains. Not when I'm working so hard.
I'm trying to vary my points intake from day to day (like calorie cycling), but that seems to make the lbs come back faster. I'm kind of at the end of my rope. I'm not about to go bury myself in a bucket of ice cream, but I'm probably going to use my no-weigh pass on Saturday at my meeting. If they didn't require you to WI once a month, I don't think I'd ever get on the stupid scale ever again.
this is why all scales need to be destroyed!! i have always weighed more than people think because i am very muscular due to years of competitive swimming...so i am familiar with this topic. please, please, PLEASE do not give up!! there are several reasons why the scale is not cooperating...here are my ideas...
1. when you begin an exercise regimen, your body tends to retain water for a bit (or you could be retaining water due to increased sodium intake, TOM, or millions of other reasons)...so some of that weight may be water weight.
2. i am sure you know that muscle weighs more than fat. therefore, with your exercise, you may be gaining muscle and losing fat (you say you are noticing a difference in the way your clothes fit...that's GREAT!) you are reducing the percentage of body fat and increasing the percentage of muscle...so even if your weight is not moving very much, you are changing your body composition...good for you!!!
you may have seen greater losses in your weight the last time because you were likely losing fat AND muscle due to lack of exercise...this is NOT what you want...you want to lose mostly fat and minimal muscle.
have you taken your body measurements? they are a great way to see if you are losing fat, even if the scale is not moving as quickly as you might like. i would definitely recommend relying on measurements more than a number on the scale...and over a longer period of time, you will see a downward trend in your weight, but there are so many other ways to track your successes that will be better indicators of your progress.
I understand the frustration you're feeling. I don't have any magic words, but you already know that stopping all the good & healthy changes you've made will not help anything.
Your scale at home is not the official weigh-in scale. I urge you to step on the scale Saturday and get that story. I've considered skipping weeks/weigh-ins before, and I'm glad I haven't. Even those weeks where I've gone up 4 lbs... >_> Sure it wasn't nice to see, but it's something I had to see. It's also something I'm glad I have a record of, because as I look back, I recognize those times when I've overcome a harder week.
I truly wish I could tell you what your body is doing and what the "weight" is, because from what you are saying I highly doubt you're gaining fat.
Also, this isn't only about the scale. It's about feeling healthier & being healthier, too, right? You are feeling healthier & being healthier! I know, a small consolation sometimes.
Have confidence in yourself. If you continue the way you are the scale will show your progress eventually.
Edit: It may be a good idea to hide that scale on a tall shelf for a good two weeks, in order to let you focus on the good changes you're making, and not on the numbers the scale decides to show you that day.
I completely understand how you're feeling. It's so frustrating to be working so hard and not see the scale move. I am also on WW, and I do not step on that scale one time at home. If I am eating right and exercising, what else could I possibly be doing? All that number on the scale is is instant gratification. Look at the fact that your pants are loser! That is awesome! Our bodies do really weird things.. just stick to your program! Don't get discouraged, we have all been where you are right now. Keep going, that scale WILL move!
Ok. I'll check out your blog to see what your diet looks like, but something in your post really stuck out at me. You just started exercising, something that's new this time around. I really think you should stick this one out and see what happens. Bringing exercise into the fold can cause all sorts of strange things to happen. I'm certainly not an expert on the issue, but I know that when I get back into it after a break, I can't look at the scale because it will just pi$$ me off. Really, it does funky things at first, but you MUST stick with it!
Also, this may be of little help, but if you are totally OP AND working out, you should see changes after a while (muscle tone, losing inches, etc...). While I totally feel your frustration (and I really do), Jaime, it's still early in the game... don't throw it in just yet. Give it a bit more time.
if the pants are getting loser and the inches are going down you are doing GREAT!! that means you are making a difference with your new eating (even with an off day)! you are probably building muscles with your exercising and muscles weigh more than fat (but take up less space). don't look at the scale, look at how your clothes are fitting, look at the fact that you are losing inches. and remember that the muscle you build helps your body burn more calories throughout the day. keep it up, you are doing great! don't get discouraged, we are all on the same journey and it's hard, but that's why we are here to support each other!
don't give up...
like everyone else said - if you're OP and losing inches, that is a TRIUMPH.
don't worry about the scale. the scale lies to me EVERY DAY. I am sure of it - i don't feel 180lbs, lol.
you're exercising, which is new for you.. your body might be retaining water because it isn't used to the exertion, your muscles might be swollen (i wouldn't think that the weight gain is due to muscle gain this early in the game), the time of your cycle - the little gain you've had could be a million things...
focus on those inches - i've had weeks where i haven't lost a pound for weeks and weeks but lost inches all over...and then BAM one day i'll step on the scale and i'll have lost 5 lbs..seemingly overnight even though it really wasn't... the body is a strange, amazing machine. give yours time and it will begin to show you how happy it is that you're changing your lifestyle by letting that number on the scale go down!
I agree with Junebug completely - muscle tone could be the culprit - but I wanted to throw one thing out. I had a friend who had been on WW 2 weeks or so, had been following religiously, etc. Couldn't figure out why she wasn't losing. Turned out she had been calculating her daily peanut butter as the wrong amount of points (can't remember how) but she was actually having something like 8 points worth a day when she thought it was 4. Once she figured that out and cut her PB usage back, she began seeing results.
I'm gonna just echo -- exercise exercise exercise!!! If you're losing inches, that's the important thing.
You're doing great things for your body and I'm guessing that deep down, you know that. I hope we've helped!!
S
Who cares what the stupid scale says? It'll catch up to you eventually. You're losing inches, you feel better and you're staying on plan! That's a huge success right there! You're doing great so far! *hugs*
Oh, thanks you guys You're all so awesome. I do feel better about it now, after venting here and reading everyone's responses over a couple of times. There are perfectly legitimate reasons why I may not see my weight go down. I just feel like weight loss is the only acceptable outcome of diet/exercise/change in lifestyle... That all the other perks come second to that. So when I fail at the main thing (weight loss), nothing else matters. Which isn't right, right? Those other things DO matter, and I just need to focus on that.
I'm just gonna keep kicking butt and see what happens And yeah, I probably ought to make sure I measure and weigh and re-calculate points for every last thing for two or three days, just to make sure I haven't been making any false assumptions (I don't think this is the case, but I want to make sure my eating isn't what's causing me to gain).
Man. It'd be so much easier if this process were... well, easier.
WOW!! Sounds like you have TONS of NSV to be proud of. I know how it is with the scale too. It sucks and should be shot out of a window. But use that up gain to motivate you to STAY ON- not give up. I had a binge weekend this weekend, and I didn't dare weigh in on Monday- but I went on plan again on Monday and Tuesday I was brave enough to weigh in... Lo and behold- I lost a pound!!! Yipee! Haha. Don't give in my dear! Double check what you are eating... Maybe stick to more veggies and just Lean meats for a while until you see numbers move. But remember- it's not going to happen over night. You must think about this journey as a life time change. You will get there! But you will have to keep good habits to stay there. I am guilty of yoyo dieting for a good portion of my life. and yes it is true.... I jsut keep picking up more evertime I fall off plan. Good luck!
I was about to post something like this - so thanks suitejudy. I am driving myself NUTS with the number on the scale... I just need to focus on something else and all the other successes I've had!
I try to only weigh once a week and go more by how my clothes feel. My husband and I talked about challenging each other but so far he has missed two weigh in's and hasn't been exercising much. So I'm not getting the support from that challenge. But, I'm not giving up. So don't you give up either. Chin up! Walk.....move......SMILE!
Don't focus on your weight. It's an arbitrary number that, in reality, isn't connected to much of anything. Unless you're planning on calculating some sort of experiment, parachuting, builing elevators, etc. your weight is irrelevant.
How do you feel? You've lost an inch and half? That's amazing! You're craving less sugar? Awesome! You're more awake? I'm jealous! You're starting to look forward to exercise? There aren't even words for how awesome that is! Focus on all of these wonderful things you're doing and experiencing and QUIT WEIGHING YOURSELF. Switch to weigh ins only at meetings. Someone here has the wonderufl quote that we use scales to judge progress not because they're the most accurate, but because they're the most convenient.
Or, look at it this way, would you rather have your dream figure and fitness level, but have the scale read 300, or would you rather have the scale read 120 but be an oversized, poorly shapen marshmellow? Not that you, or anyone other than an actual marshmellow, are an over-sized, poorly shapen marshmellow, but remember why you're doing this. For a number on a scale only you can see, or for a new lifestyle that's evident to everyone around you. You're doing great, don't stop now!
somebody... just tell me everything will work out okay.
