I am just around the three month point in my weight loss program and it feels like it is getting harder and harder to stick with my intake and exercise plan.
Because of this, I have been cheating more and walking less. Not surprisingly, my weigh ins that, at the start, showed 3 to 5 lb losses are coming up 1lb losses and one week even a gain! Wow, that really had me bummed out.
With 70 more lbs to goal weight, I need to get back into the game but I just don't know how to.
Have you ever found yourself in a slump too? What happened and how did you get out of it?
I think you need to pause at your current weight for a good while to re-set your bodies set point.
You have been pushing yourself for a good while now. Your body needs a sort of rest.
there is theory behind all this. the idea is that somewhere out of consciousness, i.e. in the hypothalamus, your body has an ideal weight and when your fat stores go below this for an extended period of time (variable with each of us though mostly its about how much fat is lost rather than how long) your body rebels and tries to get the fat back. It does this by slowing the metabolism. In fact your metabolism has probably been slowing for some time but because you've been exercising too, that has countered the slowing to some extent.
Anyway, your metabolism has been slowing and lethargy, hunger, fatigue and other symptoms of that kind are settling in. This is all part of the bodies way of getting you to gain weight. The theory calls it the famine reaction.
The theory says to get out of this to start eating to satiety. i.e. you need to put on a little weight or at least let your body know that you are no long in famine times. The theory says to eat whatever you body seems to need and eat to satiety. I personally would find eating anything a bit risky so i would only eat good wholesome healthy food and continue to keep away form things that i feel out of control with.
But to really get your head around all this you should try to understand it in a bit more depth than i'm able to convey here.
firstly read the article on leptin on both nutrition wonderland and webmd.
then i also recommend a book called the Don't go Hungry diet by Dr Amanda Sainsbury-Salis. She's also got a new book out now i just found out called Don't go hungry for Life which is no doubt updated with more recent science. She's a scientist herself and has also struggled with weight.
When i started my diet , i didn't really know much about this theory at all a but i did know that taking it slowly is important and about a notion that when you lose about 10% body weight your body will rebel.
So i determined i would pause for a bit when i started to struggle and to take it slowly.
You can reset your set point and that's what i'm doing.(the original set point you had when starting your weight loss is not a fixed for all time thing. I said ideal, but its not ideal. Its just what your body currently thinks your weight should be and when food is less it thinks there's a famine on. By stopping here at around 68-70 kg i am reprogramming my hypothalamus to believe that this is my new weight and that its 10% below this i can go before the famine reaction kicks in. In accordance with what Dr Amanda says, you don't actually pile the weight on quickly. Only if you keep going with overeating, will it come back quickly. The trick is to not over eat but to eat to what your body needs. If you listen to your bodies hunger signals, you will be fine. Separating boredom and other types of hunger from genuine hunger.
So basically when we start to feel all the bad signs that we know will make us put on weight if we don't do something, we need to eat more and take a break from dieting. But you can't do it indefinitely and i don't actually know how long you should do it for. Probably until you feel refreshed and all those symptoms go away. So pay close attention to your hunger. She says our bodies have a fat break. What this is signs that our bodies are satisfied and are not still hungry for more fat and calories. So listen carefully. You will get if you can read her book.
Also, the more severe your calorie restriction the more likely you famine reaction will kick in earlier. So when you are losing weight, don't cut your calories too severely. And don't rely on a lot of exercise to lose the weight.
Become a little more patient because that's what needed to reach your ideal weight and to keep it off forever.
So if i were you i would try to plan this so that you don't let go too far. I would monitor and note down everything - food intake, exercise and weigh ins still. But don't freak out about small gains. Factor it in at the beginning. Even a gain of 5 pounds wouldn't hurt. But don't rush it. EAT WELL. EAT wholesome nutritious foods and stay away from all the junk as you've been doing for three months. Eat to satiety but don't pig out. Continue to avoid random snacking.
That's what i'd do. Its what i'm actually doing now.
RE exercise, instead of your planned exercise, try making yourself more active in other ways. Help out with the housework more. Put more effort into it. Take the stairs not the lift. Walk the long way around to your car door. Do it again before getting in. etc.
I think that sometimes the slump is because we're bored or not feeling satisfied. I like to just make sure that I'm eating foods that I really like and that satisfy my cravings in a way that still fits into my plan.
Pasta is another favorite. I make zoodles with marinara, with meat sauce, or with a creamy alfredo-like sauce.
I could give example after example, but you get the idea. I'm never feeling shafted about my meals - I actually really enjoy every dish I eat.
The exercise is hard to keep up with for me too - is there something that you like more than walking or is the time right for you? I know I had a hard time keeping up with my after work gym routine until I swapped it for a 4:30am gym routine. It's much easier to get up and go rather than accidentally work late or come up with errands to run instead of working out.
No, do not go on hiatus that is the worst thing you can do. It is very easy to fall back into old habits and wind up exercising less and less until next thing you know all the weight has returned.
My advice is to take a deep breath and start over tomorrow. Even if you're only losing at 1p per week that's still going to put you at goal eventually. Be patient. Weight loss will stall here and there but that doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong or have hit a wall. We all have days when we feel like giving up and get frustrated with the scale but keep your eye on the prize. You deserve it.
My best method is research. I regularly read literature on the subject and even reread my old favorites to keep me fired up and convinced of my choices in this area. And when in doubt, I remind myself of the alternative, which is completely unacceptable.
Perhaps you could start and end each day by writing about why you're really doing this, what you hope to gain when you lose, things like that...just keep your eye on the prize. It's not fun but neither is being overweight. As far as exercise goes, it's best to get it done first thing in the morning, before you have a chance to make up excuses, or at least less opportunities for excuses. Maybe you need to find new music to motivate you? Or a new workout DVD?
Another thing you might try is calorie cycling. I don't know how much you average per day, but say you average 1800 calories a day, you would have a few days where you'd eat a lot less..maybe 1200 calories (egg white omelets with salsa help me with this) and then have days when you'd have those calories back and have that satisfied feeling you might crave, just so that you average your daily intake by the end of the week.
Perhaps you can reward yourself with something once you hit a goal. Maybe every $5 you lose, you get to see a movie of your choice, or whatever it is you want. Maybe your significant other can help you out in that department.
Be creative and decide to commit because motivation isn't always there...commitment and consistency will get you to your goal. There's no fast forward button and it does often get tedious and monotonous. Keep going because one year from now, you'll be glad you did.
Last edited by luckymommy; 04-21-2014 at 07:23 PM.
Agree with all..change it up A LOT! I found I had to change my diet and exercise every few weeks. at first it was just frustrating now it's a challenge to overcome. High carb low carb, all natural, exercise breaks, exercise twice a day, low fat high fat...weights then cardio then Yoga.. "they" always say it's a lifestyle change and it's true because you have to incorporate all of these things into your life and be very flexible! That's what I have found anyway..just never ever give up!
As someone who hit a slump and promptly gained half of it back, I would say that still strictly monitoring yourself is key. I mean, you can eat a little more than what you've been doing as long as you know deep down what's best for you - eating a little more this day, a little less the next, etc. I just didn't bother to record what I ate anymore and pretended not to know. That was my downfall. I could have relaxed but still been attentive. If my rambling is making sense at all. :/
I'm halfway out of a slump now and I can assure you that nothing the previous posters said has worked for me.
I ate the food I craved...TO NO AVAIL. I'd go back for more.
I tried to remind myself of my motivation (turning 30 is a big deal for me) TO NO AVAIL!
Trying to read articles or others' experiences on it...TO NO AVAIL
Trying new exercises and new foods....TO NO AVAIL
I loaded my house with healthy foods, cooked plenty healthy foods, tried to "monitor" myself ...all that TO NO AVAIL
I spent the whole month sabotaging everything I had worked for for 4 months and gained 5 lbs in the process.I overate everyday, telling myself that it was the last time before jumping back in the game, but the following day I'd be at it, overeating more than ever.
Nothing would work...once the craving was in, everything else is multiplied by ZERO
I found out that hard work or not, exercising (I walk too!) or not, food is overpowering me...I'd die if I cut it out cold turkey.
I just have to NEGOTIATE it and I just decided to go by a step by step procedure since I can't control myself.
What finally is working for me is to GRADUALLY eliminate the cheating.
I'm now regaining responsibility and control...and every step I take forward makes me more serious again, makes me want to do better the next day and revives my motivation again.
So, take the great tips into consideration, but if they don't work, don't beat yourself over it, cos you're different.
Search within yourself to find a way to make a diplomatic discussion between your current self and your future self!
Last edited by thirti4thirty; 04-22-2014 at 03:42 AM.
I just have to NEGOTIATE it and I just decided to go by a step by step procedure since I can't control myself.
What finally is working for me is to GRADUALLY eliminate the cheating.
I'm now regaining responsibility and control...and every step I take forward makes me more serious again, makes me want to do better the next day and revives my motivation again.
So, take the great tips into consideration, but if they don't work, don't beat yourself over it, cos you're different.
Search within yourself to find a way to make a diplomatic discussion between your current self and your future self!
What great insight, I too struggle with motivation once I'm in a slump. Accountability to others did nothing me. It was only when I realized how disappointed I was with myself that I was able to bounce back from a slump.
Cravings/cheating happens to me all the time, if you can't control the emotion, you can at least decide what you will cheat with (IE - Picking dark chocolate over a snickers, still a cheat but it's a smarter choice). Take small steps, one choice at a time, and before you know it you will be back where you need to be with the motivation you need to move forward.
How did you get out of a slump?
