Why do we get weight-loss fatigue?
 

I really don't get it. I blogged about it today, but I'm still thinking about it.

Like, in the beginning, I would NOT miss a day of exercise - ever. I would go down to the basement at 11 pm if that was the only time I could do it. Now? No way... if I miss my class or window of when I want to exercise, I just don't exercise. Though, for the most part, exercise is now a habit.

But with food. I ate NOTHING off plan for months and months. I mean NOTHING. So, why now do I eat something off plan frequently?

I want to be thinner. I know how to do it, but why do I give into temptation so much easier now than in the beginning? I don't understand how the mental state changed.

I want to know how to get that 100% mentality back!!!

Short answer?

"Nobody can eat just one."

And that's not just for Lay's potato chips. I know that if I eat something I've "given up", then it won't be long before I'll want it again. And again. And again & again & again &again&again&again&again&again...

You have already lost alot, maybe subconsciously your rewarding or feeling that you can go easier on it. I don't know lol it sounds like something my mind would do.

Because we already know everything. The first few months are all about learning exciting new information and applying it. Especially because for you this is a "re-lose" it's not exciting - it feels like an odious task or chore that you are annoyed you have to do at all.

I want to lose about five pounds to achieve a leaner look. I know EXACTLY how to go about doing that. Eat cleanish at a small deficit for a while, high protein and continue exercise, and the fat will go away. It's really simple and if I followed such a formula I would 100% succeed at it. Good luck getting me to follow it consistently, though...

I think it is psychologically healthy where you are. I need to be all guns blazing, foot to the floor, full bore where I am if I am going to stand any chance of making this work. But as you get nearer your goal weight it's good to slow down a bit. It will help you maintain. If I keep going like I am, it will be a real shock to maintain and "eat more". God forbid I might even overshoot.

To be honest, I will worry about that transition. But not too much just yet ;)

Because at the beggining any little change gives you a reward. You cut soda??? You lose 1lb. You start excersising? You lose 2 lbs. And so on.

Later on in the game, it is harder to get any reward without extreme hard work, but somehow you are able to "maintain" with very little efford... So you kind of give up. Why do I kill myself 6 times and week and eat op if I will not see the number that I want!!!??? I am "OK" at this weight so f it... I'll have that cookie and maybe a soda too!

Once you start going up again, you kind of get in the mode but this time around is just way harder than in the beggining, and it becomes a vicious cycle...

Maybe you are getting bored with the routine. Maybe you are mentally rewarding yourself on your huge loss. I don't now. I know that you can get back to it again!

I think there is some of the "relose" is hard stuff.

Right now I can wear all my winter clothes from last year, but come summer? I'll be in a world of hurt if I don't lose this fluff. I was wearing 8-10. I'm now 10-12. And most of those 20 pounds went to my waist, so the shorts will NOT be fitting.

First time around, it was exciting - what size can I get to? I wonder when I'll get to go shopping! And as I was nearing my goal weight and body fat percentage target, I let myself by some forever clothes. Well how depressing that they will all be TOO SMALL!

ACK! I have to stick with it better.

And yes BeachLover, I do think the opening the can of worms of allowing some foods has led to not being able to stop at one. I want more and more and more.

I get streaks of great motivation - like the past 2 weeks. Then I had 3 days of off plan. Not HORRRRIBLE, but enough to erase any progress with the scale (if I were weighing myself).

I do have to work so hard now to lose a pound. Since I'm fairly fit, I have to really push hard to get a good workout. Basically all of my calorie deficit is exercise calories as eating less than 1450 a day seems impossible. And I think my RMR is much lower than would be expected (only way I can explain the super rapid weight gain I had this fall) WHILE exercising.

So, exercising an hour 6 times a week 'maybe' burns 1 pound of fat. Well, one day of eating 2-3 cookies, or an extra helping at dinner, erases like 3 days of calorie deficit. If I have 2-3 days of extra calories? I have erased a week's worth of "good" days.

I definitely think part of it has to do with the positive reinforcement CEILOARGE referred to diminishing. The constant positive reinforcement of a scale moving down, clothes shrinking, people noticing etc. can be really invigorating.

As you get closer to goal, each little thing you do doesn't seem to make as big of a difference and you lose that extreme and constant positive reinforcement of your decisions. I would venture a guess that this is a big piece of weight loss fatigue.

And I find the constant thinking about what I'm going to eat, how to fit exercise in exhausting. I suppose like any other activity you take up, at some point you feel ready to move on to the next. For me, weight loss takes a lot of mental energy. I wish it weren't so. I would imagine at some point, I'll wish my focus could go elsewhere.

The trick is to keep the focus - and I don't have the answer to that! But lots of people here seem to have figured it out and have good advice. And if you figure out how to keep yourself going, share the success. I'm so nervous that I may get to the point where I am fatigued by the whole thing. That's why I come to this forum often - to try to keep myself "in the game".

For me, seeing others' successes is very motivational when my own aren't motivating me sufficiently.

Because we are human.

It is mentally exhausting and it makes sense. If you are purposefully eating at a deficit despite there being plentiful food around, it takes a lot of mental energy to say NO to the food. We weren't designed to pass up food when we are hungry.

And anyone who says they truly aren't hungry when they eat at a deficit isn't being completely honest. That might be true for a day here and there, but your body is not tricked. It will figure out that the huge salad was mostly water and fiber and will want more. We delay food, we go to bed hungry, we exercise with less energy as we don't consume the extra to burn off. We are forcing our bodies to do things it doesn't want to do. LOSE weight.

I think, actually, I would be totally OK if I weren't in a home or around other people who ate the foods I shouldn't. I used to be able to turn away from it. Right now I'm finding that harder to do. I can go to the grocery store and resist it, but preparing foods for other people of things I shouldn't eat? When it smells marvelous?

Like, this weekend - easter. We're making Easter cookies (it's a family tradition). OK, I'll try to chew gum while dealing with the batter. The finished cookie isn't as tempting to me.

Then, Easter bread (my husband's family tradition). This is a special DELICIOUS bread - I make it once a year. I skipped it two years ago. Allowed it last year (when I was near or at 165). This year?

Stuff like that.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately myself... since I've been experiencing pretty much the same things... And I've gone slightly "off the rails" lately and I'm trying to figure out how to get back on track... I mean I haven't gained any weight in the last six weeks, but I haven't lost any really either... which I guess is good except for the fact I've been trying too... Sometimes I wonder if I'm being too overly restrictive and that's why I'm having problems or then I think maybe I'm not being restrictive enough and that's why things aren't working... I really don't know...

The only thing I've come up with so far is trying new workout routines instead of relying so heavily on my old stand by of lots of running... Now I'm not expecting that to result in any real weight loss... but the change of pace is really helping me to get back that "100% mentality" that you mentioned... And that new motivation has been helping me to get "re-motivated" to do what I know I need to do to get my "diet" tweaked back to where it needs to be, so I can finally lose the rest of the weight that I want to...

The other good thing is it's finally starting to feel like "spring is in the air" here.... and that's really starting to make a difference for me as well... my motivation is definitely much higher through the spring, summer, and into the fall... and I just naturally get burnt out trying to hold it together through the winter months... so I cut myself some slack for that too...

For me, it is sometimes about complacency. I get too comfortable in thinking that I'm doing well & that little extras won't set me back because I've been so "good" lately.

Also, constant diligence can be exhausting. I don't know about y'all, but all of this learning, new habit forming, emotional roller coastering, meal/snack planning, workout scheduling & keeping up with my water intake just wears me out mentally. Even though I know I'm doing well, & everything I'm doing is working, it can be tough to keep it up when my brain just wants a break from staying on top of everything all the time. Sigh.

I have to find a balance between obsessing over it all and being too relaxed, & tell myself "One meal at a time, one day at a time."

For me, it just takes a LOT of mental energy. It takes SO MUCH energy for me to refrain from eating--WAY more than it takes for me to go out and exercise. I just get so tired mentally.