I have been fighting back frustration for weeks. My first 3 weigh ins were ok (-2.8, -2.5,-2.5) for my height and weight. Since week 4 on it has been a battle...in the last 3.5 weeks have only lost a total of 3lbs! I am 100% OP...I even switched to the bootcamp protocol for a few days to see if I can get the scale moving again and nothing.
I have decided to move to alternatives once I run out of IP packets because at least I won't be AS frustrated if I am not spending $90/wk to lose .5-1 lb. I feel like I have a defective body or something! No wonder I gain weight so easy if I can eat this protocol and hardly lose! I thought when I started I would for sure be phasing off by Christmas as many people lose double the weight in the sametime frame, but at this rate it will be a good 4-5 months more.
Some of you expect a miracle to happen with this program. It is NOT guaranteed to lose 5 lbs a week. This is an AVERAGE over time (not specified). Your body will lose weight WHEN it is right for it to lose it. NOTHING you can do except FOLLOW the program will change that. You did NOT gain this weight over night. You have to be PATIENT, the weight comes off....JUST GOTTA FOLLOW THE PROGRAM....ITS THAT EASY!!
I don't know...I don't really expect a miracle...but I was not prepared for seeing less than a pound week after week...it's frustrating...I am not quitting protocol or blaming IP...just frustrated.
Boy, Cortney, I'd be frustrated, too! I hope you're proud of yourself for sticking with it in the face of that frustration. Is it possible that you have a hormone/endocrine issue going on or something? You mentioned that you've always had trouble losing weight on any program, so it kind of makes me wonder if there's something metabolic going on there. Is your IP program a doctor-supervised one? Maybe a medical professional could give you some more insight. I agree that no diet, IP or otherwise, is a "miracle" diet, but this sounds very contrary to most people's experience, and it might be worth digging a little deeper, if you can.
Yeah, I have made an appointment with my doctor to get blood work done. I have had metabolic testing done before and it was definitely low. My coach is not a medical professional or nutritionist.
I'm new and want to say thank you for having the courage to share. I'm proud of you, you stuck it out and stayed OP despite it all.
I have tried so many diets and I honestly feel like you can lose on any of them if you stick it out long enough. If you're not see the loss you feel you should, please see your MD. It could be some underlying medical issue.
Please be proud of yourself! I am. And keep trying
Make sure you are getting ALL your oil in and are choosing meats with some fat in them several times a week. IP is very low in fat and if you slip below what is allowed the body holds on to the old fat you already have.
I am just reading an article in Prevention magazine that says the body needs some new fat to burn old fat. If you use the allotted amount of oil to cook with you are likely not getting as much as you need.
I am just reading an article in Prevention magazine that says the body needs some new fat to burn old fat. If you use the allotted amount of oil to cook with you are likely not getting as much as you need.
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Wow - Thanks for sharing that! I have been using most of my oil for cooking, and feeling guilty if I have red meat more than once a week. I'm going to pay closer attention now and maybe use some olive oil on my veggies!
Yes, you're expecting miracles, but that's because we're all taught to expect miracles, and it's getting worse. I think shows like the Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover weight loss edition contribute to the mythos, because the show not only shows personal trainers scolding, but actually screaming ragefully at contestants for having lost "only" 10 lbs in a week. And the shows present this as something that could be done at home (even if they add in fine print at the beginning and/or end of the show "don't try this at home.")
Sadly, most of us expect miracles, because we have absolutely no idea what normal, reasonable, or rapid wieght loss really looks like, and what we think we know is absolutely WRONG. We all expect a bare minimum of 2 lbs per week, regardless of our starting weight, as if that were the actual average weight loss for most weight loss plans, and it's not. Most people who are trying to lose weight, do not lose 2 lbs a week (and that's people of any starting weight). So 2 lbs a week, or even 1 lb a week (even if you weighed 400 lbs) is not the average weight loss success for anyone. Even half a pound a week is still rapid weight loss, if you measure "rapid" by how many people trying acheive it actually do.
Also, where IP advertises an average weight loss, you have to realize that's not a guarantee of weight loss, and that the actual average is going to be based on many variables including average starting weight, and your starting weight probably is not average. You started in the overweight not obese or morbidly obese range. Most people who resort to PSMF's (very rigidly controlled, lower-end calorie range diets) are morbidly obese. In fact these are the folks these plans are designed for. You're closer to goal than most, so your losses are also going to be smaller - but 1-2% of your total body weight per week is damned fine weight loss for any program.
If you weighed 300 lbs and lost 5 lbs a week, would you feel as cheated?
You're suffering from the misunderstanding that most of us are, and that is that losing 1-2% of body weight per week isn't super-rapid weight loss. It is.
You're not failing, you're succeeding amazingly. What you're experiencing IS RAPID WEIGHT LOSS. In fact, it's phenomenally rapid weight loss. You're losing more than 1% of your body weight per week (almost 2% in some cases).
When I was at near my highest weight and complained to my dr that I "should be able to lose at least 2 lbs per week like a normal person" my doctor scolded me, reminding me that "normal" isn't losing 2 lbs per week. Normal is losing nothing or losing for a week or two and then regaining more than was lost. I was losing only 1 lb a month at the time and even at that, my doctor reminded me that I was doing better than 95% of women of my body weight. I was losing and had been losing consistently for a year by that point. I was a success, not a failure (even though I had many people tell me otherwise).
I've used this simile many times (so bear with me if you've read it before), but weight loss (no matter how you do it) is like running a big city marathon (without understanding the race itself). We assume we're failing, in last place or close to it because we see 1,000 people ahead of us, not seeing the 20,000 behind us.
The numbers are probably more like 20,000,000 - there are 20,000,000 people behind you. You are succeeding, not failing. IP is not failing you.
You're not crazy, lazy, or stupid for having these expectations. You're also not unusual, you've just been sold a bill of goods by society as a whole and the weight loss industry in particular. Do not expect 1% weight loss every week. That isn't realistic or normal, and may not even be possible (at least not without risking your health, and possibly not even then. You could stop eating entirely and still not boost your weight loss much higher. That's just the way it is. It isn't sad, or unfortunate - it's just reality).
Last edited by kaplods; 10-27-2012 at 09:34 PM.
Reason: typos and clarity
Yes, you're expecting miracles, but that's because we're all taught to expect miracles, and it's getting worse. I think shows like the Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover weight loss edition contribute to the mythos, because the show not only shows personal trainers scolding, but actually screaming ragefully at contestants for having lose "only" 10 lbs in a week. And the shows present this as something that could be done at home (even if they add in fine print at the beginning and/or end of the show "don't try this at home."
Sadly, most of us expect miracles, because we have absolutely no idea what normal, reasonable, or rapid wieght loss really looks like, and what we think we know is absolutely WRONG. We all expect a bare minimum of 2 lbs per week, regardless of our starting weight, as if that were the actual average weight loss for most weight loss plans, and it's not. Most people who are trying to lose weight, do not lose 2 lbs a week (and that's people of any starting weight). So 2 lbs a week, or even 1 lb a week (even if you weighed 400 lbs) is not the average weight loss success for anyone. Even half a pound a week is still rapid weight loss, if you measure "rapid" by how many people trying acheive it.
Also, where IP advertises an average weight loss, you have to realize that's not a guarantee of weight loss, and that the actual average is going to be based on many variables including average starting weight, and your starting weight probabl is not average. You started in the overweight not obese or morbidly obese range. Most people who resort to PSMF's (very rigidly controlled, lower-end calorie range diets) are morbidly obese. In fact these are the folks these plans are designed for. You're closer to goal than most, so your losses are also going to be smaller - but 1-2% of your total body weight per week is damned fine weight loss for any program.
If you weighed 300 lbs and lost 5 lbs a week, would you feel as cheated?
You're suffering from the misunderstanding that most of us are, and that is that losing 2% of body weight per week isn't super-rapid weight loss. It is.
You're not failing, you're succeeding amazingly. What you're experiencing IS RAPID WEIGHT LOSS. In fact, it's phenomenally rapid weight loss. You're losing more than 1% of your body weight per week (almost 2% in some cases).
When I was at near my highest weight and complained to my dr that I "should be able to lose at least 2 lbs per week like a normal person" my doctor scolded me, reminding me that "normal" isn't losing 2 lbs per week. Normal is losing nothing or losing for a week or two and then regaining more than was lost. I was losing only 1 lb a month at the time and even at that, my doctor reminded me that I was doing better than 95% of women of my body weight. I was losing and had been losing consistently for a year by that point. I was a success, not a failure (even though I had many people tell me otherwise).
I've used this simile many times (so bear with me if you've read it before), but weight loss (no matter how you do it) is like running a big city marathon (without understanding the race itself). We assume we're failing, in last place or close to it because we see 1,000 people ahead of us, not seeing the 20,000 behind us.
The numbers are probably more like 20,000,000 - there are 20,000,000 people behind you. You are succeeding, not failing. IP is not failing you.
You're not crazy, lazy, or stupid for having these expectations. You're also not unusual, you've just been sold a bill of goods by society as a whole and the weight loss industry in particular. Do not expect 1% weight loss every week. That isn't realistic or normal, and may not even be possible (at least not without risking your health, and possibly not even then. You could stop eating entirely and still not boost your weight loss much higher. That's just the way it is. It isn't sad, or unfortunate - it's just reality).
Slow losers?
