[A Mary]

I have been trying so hard for 3 weeks to lose weight I"ve put on in last two years.

I have cut way down on calories, allow myself one dessert a week as a treat.
walk every day, 3 or 4 times a week yoga and dancing. i drink 8 - 10 glasses of water a day.

week 1 lost nothing

week 2 lost nothing

week 3 gained 2 lbs

how can this be? I am so down.

no wonder i put this weight on so fast and without even trying.

I can blame menopause but that just gets me down even more, is this the beginning of the rest of my life???

My husband is so supportive, cuts calories with me, is happy to eat whatever I am eating. of course he loses weight just by thinking about it.

I can't handle this.

[sharonrr1]

I'm sorry but a couple of questions.
How many calories?
Do you write everything down?
Every bite counts.
I have to write it all down. I used to think I was around 1400 calories when I started using fitday. I found out I was closer to 2000. In the beginning I wasn't consistant with exercise. Now I do cardio 5 -6 times a week for 20 minutes and weights for 60 minutes 4 times a week alternating upper and lower body.
I journal exercise and food.
I am also in menopause 46 years old.
I have not lost any weight in 2 months but I have gone from a size 14 pants to a size 10 pants.
Take your measurements at least monthly.
Get a pair of pants that you can't quite zip up yet try them on weekly before you get on the scale. If they feel looser and the scale doesn't move you have still lost inches but not pounds.
Go to your local gym and have your body fat tested every month or so.
Body composition is a lot better judge of overall health than scale weight.
There is my advice take it or leave it. You decide.

[bargoo]

Always weigh at the same time of day. Weigh on the same scale . First thing in morning , nude before eating or drinking anything is best.

[Sandi]

Mary -

I agree that we need more info.

How tall are you?
What's your weight?
How many calories are you consuming?
Are you weighing and measuring everything?
Are you exercising?

Give us some info!!!

[Dulaneycat]

Mary,
First, you are not alone! Lots of us are fighting the scale & menopause at the same time. The hardest fact I had to accept was that my weight didn't come off as quickly as it did when I was younger. The lack of estrogen contributes to the slowing of the metabolism.

The ladies are right. More information would help. Journaling my food on fitday has made an honest woman out of me. I'm awful at portion guessing & have to measure the stuff to make sure I don't double my calories. Be that as it is, I'm learning that calories in & calories expended are the only magic bullet that seem to work for me, slowly.

Finally, be patient & love yourself! Looking forward to more posts & remember that when you're on a journey the length of time traveling is not important as the route. Take care!
Marylynn

[A Mary]

thanks, you guys are a good help. i was so down this morning, my husband tries so hard bless his heart. He says he needs to exerirse too he'll join me...whatever who wants to exerise with a rail who loses weight by walking to the fridge.


I thought i was doing so well, my pants were fitting better, and i was sure feeling better. maybe i should throw the scales out the window.

I don't count calories i have just cut way way down. no wonder I was gaining weight.

I do measure myself once a week, that hasn't changed either.

I weigh every monday as soon as i get up.

[JayEll]

Hey Mary,

It might help for you to start keeping a food journal, including both the foods you eat and how big a portion. "Cutting way down" can be deceiving without actually tracking. But the exercise you've been doing is a real plus! Keep that up!

Jay

[A Mary]

yea I'll start a journal, thanks

I'm just so down today, other things going on in my life too that have been such a let down its so hard to keep going, when all i really want to do is stay in bed.

I keep thinking about what i used to eat, and the last few months haven't had much exersise, so i foolishly thought cutting back and getting exersise would give a good kick start. ha !!

[bargoo]

Mary, I found for me , I must plan ahead, I count calories and write down every bite that goes into my mouth, before it goes into my mouth. It was NOT planning that took me to my highest weight of 206. I record everything with the good old pencil and tablet others prefer the internet and there are several good programs for this,it's just a matter of preferance. Same with weight loss plans , do the one that you WILL do.

[A Mary]

makes sense

I just can't stop crying, the only thing that keeps me out of bed is talking to ya'll.

I have to get to work, which may not happen today.

the thought of 'this is as good as gets' is so depressing.

so every bite of birthday cake, every glass of wine i have will add pounds.

[lynard21]

Mary,

You sound as if you may be suffering from depression. You may want to get yourself checked out by your MD. Just a thought. It's very common this time of year, by the way. keep writing..we're her for you!
Lyn

[JayEll]

Hang on, Mary--it's not as good as it gets. It gets much better. And it's not that you can "never" have a bite of birthday cake or glass of wine again without adding pounds. Really, when you think about it, it wasn't "one bite" of birthday cake or "one" glass of wine that brought about your weight gain, was it? It was "several pieces" of cake in a short period of time, I would bet.

So you have no reason to feel so bad--although I know it's disappointing that it's not going to be as easy as you thought. Many of us have been right there with you! We got through it and have learned what we needed in order to have more success. You can, too! Hang in there! Don't use this as an excuse to binge out on cookies or some darn thing! Just eat nutritious foods in your smaller amounts and write it all down for now. Just that little step, OK?



Jay

[A Mary]

yea I just thought i would have lost something, but gained !! how sad is that?

so discouraging.

I weigh today 11 lbs more than the day I delivered my daughter 26 years ago. this is the most I"ve ever weighed and I hate it.

I do struggle with depression, I've been doing pretty well dealing with it but this really hit me hard

[lostchick]

Mary I weight 40lbs more today then I did when I delivered my son 18 years ago. I'm losing him this year (off to out of state college) and these 40lbs by June. A restart for me. He needs to gain weight and I need to lose. I told him I'd meet him in the middle somewhere

[lostchick]

Mary a homework assignment for you. Go to dailyplate or fitday or one of the counters and add your food for 2 days and you'll see where the problem can be corrected. I was doing a pencil journal but I really needed the kick in the butt to see real numbers and how much an ounce really is.

My first 2 months I gained 3lbs. Now that I'm using dailyplate I'm back to the begining Well it's a start.