[mommyoffour]

Ok so Ive never been tiny average size 8 in high school. Well age 28 now 10 years of marriage and 4 kids later I find myself at 185 lbs. I am tired of buying xlarge size clothes and not fitting in anything in my closet. It just seems like I will work so hard for literally a month and NO progress will show in scale or inches. But the second I go back to eating like I was before I GAIN weight! I end up heavier than before I started dieting even if I hadn't lost any thing! It is really hard to stay motivated when you see no progress. So I have not yet started yet another crack at weight loss I am discouraged any encouragement would be wonderful.

[ringmaster]

Hi and welcome to 3FC! Can you share what you have been trying during the 1 month tries of no progress?

For inspiration, look at the goal photo albums, it helps to see real people and read their stories of hard work and they now look fantastic now. proof it can be done if you want it bad enough.

[ernurse]

Mommyoffour, welcome first of all. What have you tried for weight loss? I learned for me the most important lesson is that weight loss is not a 1 or 2 month activity and after that I'll go back to the way I used to eat. It has taken me 34 years but I'm learning. WW works for me best. I've learned portion controll as well as foods that I crave like chocolate fudge ice cream, cream cheese, bread, mac and cheese --- I can eat these but with a few adjustments. Smaller portions and reduced fat or no fat is the way for me. If I stay within my points the weight comes off. I don't seem to crave certain foods because I do eat the food I described above. Simply, it has to work for you and it is a lifelong process. Have you looked into weight watchers? I do points myself in a notebook, I don't do online or support meetings. hugs

[Bonnie+J]

hi and welcome to 3fc!
i was like you, tried really hard but didnt lose anything. and then i tried ww. i realised that what i thought was trying, really wasnt. you have to count every single calorie. otherwise you end up underestimating what you eat, and are only eating enough calories to maintain your current weight, not to lose anything.

like ernurse, weight watchers works for me. it teaches me how to eat right for life, not just until i lose the weight. i can eat whatever i want as long as i have the points. i never feel deprived. i feel in control. and that alone is worth the money for the meetings!

if ww isnt your thing then go to fitday.com or sparkpeople.com and they will work out how many calories you need to eat every day. sparkpeople even gives you a menu plan. you put everything you eat into it and it tells you how many calories you've eaten. it makes it alot easier.

i hope this helps a bit and i hope some of the other ladies will be able to help more. these women are truely inspirational.

[rockinrobin]

I agree with the above poster. Just what does "dieting for a month" mean.

I know for me, weigh loss never occured by my "just cutting back", "watching myself" or "eating only healthy foods". No, steady, consistent weight loss didn't occur for me until I carefully monitored and tracked every taste, lick, bite and crumb that went into my mouth. Yup, actually counting my calories. For me, it was waaaay too easy to overspend my calories and not create that vital calorie deficit. And it had to occur 7 days in a row, then another 7. Even one day off was enough to set me back and halt any loss.

Any one and every one has the ability to lose weight. It IS a doable thing and with patience, an iron clad commitment and determination you too can do it!!

So, yes, let us know what your one month consisted of and maybe we can help firm you up a plan and get that scale moving downward.