slow as molasses
 

That's how I feel about my weightloss. I haven't even hit 20 pounds yet. I keep telling myself its not a race blah blah blah. Trying to look at the nsv's I've had as in I ran my first 5K:carrot: But I am dreaming, yearning to be under 200 pounds. How do you get over these times when everything is just going so slow? I've got 50 more to lose, I can't peter out now.

I know how you feel. It took me months and months to lose 20 pounds. I've been going at this since the beginning of the year and have reached a grand total of 28.something pounds lost.

But you know what? I wouldn't trade it for the world. Slow loss irks some people, and it certainly frustrated me. But I came to accept that it was just something I was going to have to deal with. Going back is not an option for me at this point, and the slow losses really helped me come to terms with that. I think it actually helped strengthen my commitment. I didn't have the weekly thrill of large weight losses to help propel me forward - I had to decide for myself that this was worth sticking to.

And it is. And here I am, in the 180's for the first time in I don't know how long, fitting into 12's for the first time since middle school. It's totally worth it. Stick with it and you won't ever regret it :D

crazy4weightloss--my sympathies completely. It's so deeply frustrating when you feel like you're putting it so much effort and it's simply not showing up on the scales! But congratulations to you for sticking to it--and for running your first 5K!! I'm totally in awe of that! :-D

suitejudyblueeyes--you're so right. I'm in the same position as crazy4weightloss--feeling frustrated at lack of changes. But it's about changing how I think. It's something I'm trying to work on and shift.

In truth, your attitude is one that is setting you up for long-term SUCCESS, because it means that you'll be able to maintain! Right now my whole brain is so tied in with the results that I see on the scale that I feel all annoyed it's not reflecting all this effort I'm going to. But that's how it's going to be in maintenance, too, once I finally do achieve a weight I'll be happy with. So, working on how I think about that--and changing it--will hopefully help me start consistently good choices for the sake of it, knowing that the weight loss will follow!

here's my sad tale of woe....

i'm losing .6 pounds per week on average. not a pound. about half a pound a week. ON AVERAGE.

of course losing .6 pounds per week on average is not a lot. THIS week.

but over 122 weeks it's 75 pounds.... and it adds up.

that means that while this week I lost nearly 5 pounds I have not had a successful loss for maybe 6 weeks before that. or longer.

weight loss is like that. it's dreadfully slow if you do it right....

but the truth is the changes need to be permanent... so what's the rush?

I've been doing WW since March and have lost a total of 28 pounds at this point. I will admit/confess -- I haven't done my best which is part of the reason for my slow loss (being SO overweight, if I would stick to it, I would definitely loss at least 2 pounds a week, at least for a while -- I usually do:dizzy:). However, if I wasn't losing/trying --- I know for me I would just continue to gain, last summer a whopping 40 lbs. So, this year instead of adding another 40 lbs to my already overweight/taxed body -- I've taken 28 lbs off.

Keep it up -- any loss shows your commitment to yourself and your health :)

I was one of those people that lost 19 pounds in one month. But now I've lost 4 pounds in a month & 1/2. I was frustrated at first and still do get frustrated, but I've still lost 23 pounds in a little under 2 1/2 months. I'm working out, eating healthier, and I FEEL better. I still have a lot to lose, but the point is that I'm losing whether it's pounds, ounces, or inches. *totally talking to myself* lol

I am happy with what I've done, the changes I have made. It's just weird, I went from eating crap, and I mean fast food a couple times a day, snacking on chips all day, soda all that so when I changed my eating habits you'd like your body would accept it and it would show on the scale.

I'm going to keep on trucking on. Like Jamie said, I have no other option. I can't let myself go up again.

Thanks for the support. I got off my sorry a$$ and ran 3 miles this morning. Just keep on going.......

I'm with yah! When I think of how much my diet has changed - the high fat convenience foods that I used to eat - and the healthier whole foods I'm eating now - I sometimes get discouraged & think "hey, the pounds should be melting off!" So what I've been in the habit of doing is going to the grocery store. Yes, you heard me right - the grocery store. And I stack # lbs of butter in my carrying basket that I've lost to-date. It's a very surprising visual & physical aid! Try it! & Keep on keeping on girl :)

What great suggestions!

Cher37, I'll have to give that a try next time I'm feeling down! Heck, in lbs of butter, even a pound or two would look impressive. Great idea!

It's also great reading everyone else's stories about just pushing on through stalled weight loss.

ladybugness--that's so inspiring to hear--nothing in weeks, then 5 pounds in a week.

:-)

I think I'm in the same boat re the idea of better to hold steady than to gain! Maybe if I tell myself that even maintaining is good and if I have to eat this way to maintain, then so be it. Hopefully that kind of thought process will help me push through!!

I, too, am stalled at this weight. I have even been teetering back and forth and I am sticking to my points and running two miles a day. I am wondering if anyone has tried any tricks in order to get their bodies losing again. I would be thrilled with 1 pound a week. Are there certain foods that boost the metabolism or tricks on the treadmill?

thanks but i think you are focusing on the wrong thing here. it's not the 5 pounds lost.... it's the weeks and weeks and weeks and months (yes i once went THREE MONTHS losing and gaining the same 3 pounds) that I keep going. it's the weeks and weeks and weeks of seeing that .2 movement. that .4 gain. then the .6 drop.... over and over and over.

my point is that losing weight is NOT about LOSING weight... Losing weight is about getting healthy and we get healthy so we can live long lives and that's forever, not for a wedding (I was 300 pounds at my last wedding), not for a reunion, not for a party... but for myself. for life.

I'm 48 years old and i've dieted on and off since high school even though in high school I was taller and I weighed Less than my goal is now, I thought i was FAT.

If I had learned then what I learned later in life, I'd not be here... i'd be maintaining a healthy body... I am just playing catch up now.

ya gotta just keep doing it no matter what the scale says... because... what other choice do we have?

Very very true. I always am trying to tell myself its not about the number on the scale. I started off this journey not just to lose weight but my biggest motivator was that I didn't want to die of heart disease, or have high blood pressure, get diabetes etc. So the first time in my life, I started to change my eating habits not for weight loss but for the health aspect. The weight loss is just a bonus. I'm glad I posted this, because it has made me remember why I started this journey, and the weightloss wasn't the top reason. Thanks you for helping me realize that:hug:

up .8 UGH UGH!!!!! Here is the last 4 weeks

9/8/08 204.6
9/1/08 203.8
8/25/08 205.2
8/18/08 205.2

Would you be amenable to posting a couple sample menus for us, perhaps having fresh eyes look at your eating plan can help you fine-tune it?

Great idea. I will do post what I eat today:) Problem is my journals are usually chicken scratch on a little piece of paper. Sometimes I just write the numbers not even what I eat. I will post my journal on this thread. :)

Here it goes. I shoot for 27 points.

Sept. 8

Breakfast-
Oatmeal 2.5
Fiber one yogurt 1

Lunch-
FF hot dog w/ bun 2
Cheese stick 2
Apple 2

Fiber one bar 3

Dinner-
Summer veggie bake w/ cheese 3
Chicken breast 3

popcorn 2
orange 2
pudding 1
almonds 3

I did it. 26.5 points.

A couple other things - are you drinking your water? Are you eating just your base points, or flex points and activity points too? Are you exercising? What do you do for exercise? Are you getting the 8 healthy guidelines in?

Some things to think about :)

I am trying to eat all my points but will admit sometimes I go to bed with 10 left:o Not good. I haven't used and activity points. I run/walk. Here is my exercise page http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?l...runs,281358552

Maybe I'm not eating enough? I know I'm not drinking enough water. I am going to focus on that today. Thank you for helping me. :hug:

Yep, I would increase the food intake before trying anything else. Focus for a few days or even a week if necessary on getting ALL of your base points in - no going to bed with 10 left! :o If you feel full, have some nuts (4 points for an ounce), a spoonful of PB, or something similarly high-points while also not bulky. Forget "low fat" versions of foods you eat until you up your intake.

This is vitally important to the program - EAT YOUR POINTS! :)

WW gave them to you for a reason. People tend to get stuck in the "this is a diet, I must eat as little as possible" mindset, which becomes counter productive and actually harms us in the long run. Boost your food intake for a week or two and see what happens. Once you have committed to eating your daily points without falter, you can look at adding in some FPs as slow as you feel comfortable with - but it is important that you get your intake up!

Ok I have 6.5 left. I did 4 miles today on the treadmill. Its weird, I almost feel like I don't know what to eat anymore.

Ok I need more fruit, I can see that. I'll add an orange to my snack tonight!

Nessa,
I LOVE your quote, I think it will be my new mantra. WW should make it their new theme..."it's dreadfully slow if you do it right...." How true!
I also thought that I was fat in HS. I lied on my first drivers license and said that I was 102 lbs because I was 105. Ugh, what I wouldn't give to be 105, LOL.

~Dolly

Lisa, if you are exercising it is even MORE imperative that you give your body the nutrition it needs. I would bet money that this is why you aren't seeing losses - you are putting your body through a lot and not giving it much in return, so it is desperately clinging to whatever it can get its hands on.

Fruit is great. It is healthy and yummy and hurray for fruit. But if you are having a hard time getting 6 points in, at the end of the day, ditch the fruit and get something more calorie-dense. If you have 6 points left you need to be looking at what can get you 6 points - nuts or nut butters are my method of choice, but find something that will work for you. I doubt at the end of the day, after treadmilling four miles (WTG, by the way!), you are going to eat 6 points of fruit.

The offer to look at your menus still stands - if you want. Just think about what you ate yesterday and toss it up here, perhaps we can find a way to painlessly insert a few more points for you.

I have somewhat of a menu planned for today...

Breakfast-
whole grain crepe w/ berries 2 points
http://greenlitebites.com/2008/06/18...le-grain-crpe/


lunch-FF hot dog w/ bun 2
almonds 4
banana 2



dinner- butternut soup 2 points
http://greenlitebites.com/2008/01/03...cken-soupstew/
slice of ww bread 1 point

here was yesterday. I did pretty good.

Sept. 8

Breakfast-
Oatmeal 2.5
Fiber one yogurt 1

Lunch-
FF hot dog w/ bun 2
Cheese stick 2
Apple 2

Fiber one bar 3

Dinner-
Summer veggie bake w/ cheese 3
Chicken breast 3

popcorn 2
orange 2
pudding 1
almonds 3

it's pretty identical to the other day you posted...

i think shaking up what we eat sometimes is important too.... (i'm very guilty of eating the same thing over and over)

I'm guilty of lunch being the same. I get into these patterns.

me too although i do try to change my protein once or twice a week and eat out once a week and I do try to change up breakfast on the weekends... it's hard to get out of food ruts.

*Hugs* You will get through this. Set up your mini goals so you can be proud of everything you do even if it feels like it's taking awhile :)

And how many points a day do you get?

Let's look at today:

Breakfast-
whole grain crepe w/ berries 2 points

lunch-FF hot dog w/ bun 2
almonds 4
banana 2

dinner- butternut soup 2 points
slice of ww bread 1 point

So far that's 13 points, or approximately 650 calories (give or take). Since yesterday you ate 28ish points we can assume you should be eating at least twice what you have planned, right? So what's your plan for doubling your intake for today?

If you are feeling full off of this amount of food, that's fair enough (I would be ravenous, but that is me!) - but there are things you can do to this menu to boost your intake without upping the amount of food so much.

Are you truly feeling full from the crepe with berries? Can you have a second one, or perhaps choose a more substantial filling for your crepe? How about a crepe (2) + banana (2) + tbsp peanut butter (3)? Instead of fat free hot dogs, buy regular ones for extra points. Fat in your diet is good. You have the points to spend, why not use them? Also, is a three point dinner sufficient to carry you through the night until breakfast again? Maybe add a small salad with regular dressing (oil and vinegar would be preferable) and top it with protein, croutons, cheese, whatever you like.

Even with changes like this you'd have room for snacks during the day. This can be a really difficult lesson to learn - how to eat your points. I struggled with the exact same thing. It's so counter-intuitive to eat as much as possible to lose, but it's true.

ok so breakfast I added an egg, 2 points then lunch I add some beans that I had made the other day for 3 points. maybe for dinner I will add another cup of soup to make it 2 cups of soup 4 points.

It's funny because I am hungry but sometimes I open the fridge and just don't know what to grab. I don't know why I feel like if I eat my points I feel like I've done bad. How can I go from eating millions of calories a day to being afraid to get:dizzy:

It is totally normal! A lot of people feel the same way, the important thing is to recognize it and start working your way out of that train of thought. Just remember, your body needs fuel! Food is not the enemy! :)