[teawithsunshine]

Sigh--

How depressing was this? After flippin' out about overeating ONE time several days ago because my stomach was actually hungry (read: 600 calories extra than my usual caloric limits for dieting)... I continued my regular food portions and exercise regime, only to find out on the scale for this week's weekly weigh in... sigh it said I GAINED 2 lbs.

Quite frankly, it was depressing to see 200 lbs appear again on the scale after I thought I had beaten the damn 200lbs forever here.

I've gone over my food blog for the entire week since my weigh-in last week before this. I'm a calorie counter, so I'm pretty strict about keeping my calories in between 1,200-1,250 calories per day. *(Sunday was my accidental splurge day... only one I've had in the 8 months I've dropped 95 lbs here... got another 70-something lbs to go).

I suspect several reasons why I may have "gained" 2 lbs... definitely water retention since I drink 12 cups or a bit more since at work, I'm on my feet all day. Also, some of my vegan meats are too high in sodium if I have several at a time (low calories per vegan meat serving not withstanding).

I also know I'm due for my TOM in a couple of days, but I have to admit it's the first time I've had a weight GAIN before TOM since beginning to lose weight here this past spring.

I did weigh myself in the bathroom again this evening after I had a lot of waste go through my system and found I was a half a pound lighter at that point-- read: 199.8 lbs (*I never weigh myself twice on weigh-in day, but I was just pretty demoralized that I needed a psych boost to see I wasn't nutty here).

I think what it is-- I think I didn't lose any weight all this week, but just have a weight stall (if that's true, then it'd be my 2nd weight stall in less than 2 months, groans).

What could I do today but just go through my routine, eat my pre-prepared meals/pre-calculated calorie meals and workout for 45 minutes (not counting warm up/cool down)?? *I vary my workout times since it gets boring to stay at 45 minutes or an hour every single darn day.*

But man, today's the weekly Donut Day at work, and even though I did not go to the cafe (as I usually do not, to avoid temptation)... for once I allowed myself the thought of gorging out on rich sugary desserts for a minute there as a kind of "soul food" comfort.

Sigh. It's just frustrating since I know that with TOM coming up, I won't be able to weigh myself for 2 weeks now. It would have been nice to deal with frequent weight stalls, water retention, and whatnot AFTER I hit the 100-lb goal.

My diet at the moment basically consists of veggies, tofu, shirataki noodles, low-carb tortillas & bread, vegan meats, certain kinds of beans (I'm picky here lol) and fruit.

I only allow myself a serving of chocolate on a weekly basis as a treat here since cutting a lotta refined junk food out of my diet a month ago in an attempt to cut down on my sugar & refined white carb cravings, I find daily servings of fruit to be somewhat a heck of a lot sweeter than certain kinds of dark chocolate lol.

I started including more healthy fats like olive oil and whatnot in my diet for over a month since I read with my current diet, it would be ideal to include certain amounts of healthy fats like olive oil or nuts.

I do splurge on plain herbal teas here (in addition to water and some pelligrino and occasionally some unsweetened soy milk when I make my own "chai tea" lattes at home) ... Bengal Spice & True Blueberry from Celestial Seasons... that and your regular package of peppermint tea. Tastes FAB and is no calories or anything.

It's like I'm looking at my own body and shaking my head sometimes, saying "damn, I'm trying here, lol. Give me a break!!"

Walking is pretty much the only kind of exercise I can do at the moment since aside from being on my feet all day at work... I also have a pretty severe case of iron-deficient anemia (which occurred quite a long while before I became a vegan as per my gallbladder surgery this past summer).

Even though I have rounds of doctors appointments and take vitamins and other things to help boost up my blood count, from what I was told... unfortunately it will take months to get a more energetic level here. Which is a pity since I exercise after work in the evenings, and would love to have more energy to start rockin' out to some jump rope exercise dvds I got for xmas.

Ah well... all I know I can do is just keep on chuggin' away and hope I can get through another weight stall here soon enough.

I know I'll get my mind off of this soon enough and focus on my other pleasures and hobbies. But today, was just one of those "ugh" days. How do others deal with this without self-sabotaging themselves?

Feels great to just RANT at a place where people understand you!!

[sgs66]

Hi, it won't be long, and try to look at how far you have come!

[tomandkara]

I hear you. I'm dealing with the same issue right now.

I keep my calories at about an average of 1300 a day. I've run 26 miles since the beginning of the month and also do some form of strength training every day (ab work, stability ball work, light resistance, etc.). I have been VERY active so far this month (4-8 miles walked a day in addition to the running and other things) and I've been so good with my food choices, and since December 31st I've lost ONE POUND. In ten days. In my head I know all the reasons. Maybe my muscles are holding water to repair themselves because of the exercise I've been doing. Maybe my sodium intake has been a bit high (haven't actually been keeping track of it). Maybe I'm gaining muscle and losing fat and the number is just kind of staying in equilibrium. My head knows all of this and it makes sense to my rational half. But then there's the other, impatient, wild half who just wants to see that stupid number go down on the scale. I feel like I deserve it for all the hard work I've put in!

Something I've been trying this new year is thinking of things positively. Instead of focusing on what I *shouldn't* eat (whereas before I would think to myself, "Why does it matter that I'm not eating XYZ if I'm still not losing the weight?!" and then just stuff myself with a whole bunch of junk because I felt bad about myself), I am focusing now on how I can choose healthfully. Yes, it apparently doesn't matter to my scale that I've been eating a gazillion servings of vegetables a day and have been staying away from refined sugars. But, aren't those good choices to make ANYWAY? Even if I didn't have a scale, wouldn't my body thrive on the fuel I'm putting into it? How will it help me in any way to binge on poisonous nonsense? When I feel like just stuffing a whole handful of chocolates in my mouth, I ask myself, "Is it worth it? Will I feel better after I've eaten this? Will eating this solve the problem of whatever is bothering me?" That's been helpful for me.

Good luck! This just stinks sometimes, doesn't it?!

Kara

[JayEll]

Hey!

Kara, at your current weight, losing 1 pound in 10 days is doing remarkably well. REMARKABLY well!

Sometimes people have expectations, and when their expectations don't get met, they become frustrated. We all know that one. So, it's good to remember that an expectation is a made-up story about what will happen. Just because we "think" we should have lost more weight doesn't mean anything! Instead, we have to look at what we have been doing and what we can adjust. Sometimes, we need to adjust our expectations!

teawithsunshine, keep drinking the 12 cups of water a day--no need to drink more, I think--because paradoxically, drinking water reduces water retention. Also, there are certain points in the female cycle when the body retains water anyway because of the hormone shifts. You may have simply hit it on that day! Also, taking certain medicines can cause water retention. If I take aspirin or Aleve, my weight goes up 1-2 pounds.

Our weight on the scale shifts all day long--mine changes 3 pounds just from morning to afternoon, without my doing anything else.

So, first of all, how are you tracking your calories? Do you list everything you eat and drink into a program like FitDay or TheDailyPlate? Sometimes estimating does not work well.

Second, why are you staying at 1200-1250 calories? That seems low for someone who is actively exercising every day. It could be that you are pushing things too hard. Do you know what your resting metabolic rate is? And how about protein? Are you getting enough protein?

Anyway, you HAVE come very far... try to focus on that...

Jay

[Heather]

I think you're letting the scale rule you. And that's a frustrating way to live! Use the scale as an important tool, for sure -- you need to know if you're gaining weight BACK.

Now that your weight is lower the many fluctuations of the scale will probably be more noticeable to you. If you're generally on plan, don't worry about those fluctuations. Pay attention to long term patterns, not little blips.

[tomandkara]

Originally Posted by JayEll

Sometimes people have expectations, and when their expectations don't get met, they become frustrated. We all know that one. So, it's good to remember that an expectation is a made-up story about what will happen. Just because we "think" we should have lost more weight doesn't mean anything! Instead, we have to look at what we have been doing and what we can adjust. Sometimes, we need to adjust our expectations!
Jay

(Emphasis added)

Jay, you are wise. Very wise. Thank you for the perspective!

Kara

[tomandkara]

All that whining...and then I was down two pounds this morning! So give it time. I need to work on my patience...

Kara

[skinnyminnynow]

Sodium + TOM = don't trust the scale!!!

[JayEll]

Kara!

Jay

[tomandkara]

Maybe I should whine more? Does whining burn a lot of calories or something??? Perhaps that's why my six year old is a stick...

Kara