Extremely Slow Loss
 

Here I am posting again about my extremely slow weight loss lately. I know I lost a lot at the beginning, but now everything is more or less at a stand still. It is so agravating. I am doing everything right, no cheating, working out more than ever and what do I get? Nothing, Nada, zilch! And as a matter of fact, I am up 2 from last week and no where near TOM. I am sure I am not the only one this has happened to or is happening to. What do I do, how do you stay on track? It's so hard. I didn't expect it to be easy, but I was expecting at least a little loss lately.:mad:

Perhaps your body is just catching its breath. You've lost a tremendous amount in a short time frame -- maybe your bod just needs to rest a moment before starting its next downward trek.

I'd be thrilled if I'd lost 30+ pounds since January 1.

I am thrilled with the 30, but I need it to keep going, or you know what happens!!

it is very frustrating, i agree. just as i reached my 20 pound mark, i am back up 2.5 pounds. i know it is not fat, so it must be water weight. all i really know, is that we can not give up. no matter how long it takes, we must not back down and go back to our "i don't care what i eat" brain waves. we must look at this as healthier eating and a lifestyle change. it is not a diet. and excerisize is not a luxury. it is a must have. an essential to make us whole. to keep our bodies in tune. don't look back....continue to look forward. eventually the scale will say what we want it to and our clothes will fit looser and eventually fall off and then we will have to shop for smaller ones. I am not giving up. giving up is not an OPTION!!!!

now, congrats on your 30 pound lost. I can't wait till i can get down to 30 pounds lost. Keep your eyes focused to the prize and before you know it, you will be there. :)

Ignore your slow loss and concentrate on healthy, wellbeing and exercise. If you look at my loss, 64lbs over a 14 month period, it looks fine, but in reality it's been 4 lbs here, nothing, a lb there, nothing another 2 lbs, nothing. Plateaus of weeks on end.

It's annoying, but when we're heavy, it's hard for our body to give it up all in one go. It takes time to learn new habits and for our bodies to adjust to our lifestyle changes.

Just coz your scale doesn't move doesn't mean things aren't happening. It's often when my scales are static that I lose dress sizes.

hey we started at the same weight! :)

Boy do I understand your frustration!!! I have only lost 4 pounds in the eight months that I have been trying. The only thing that keeps me going is the changes that are obvious in the mirror and I have my body fat percent tested every 6 weeks. I've decided to just focus on being and getting healthy and the weight loss has to follow. Hang in there....it will be worth it!

OK, I'm thinking, ruminating and typing all at once ......

It is the difference between our intake and our output that causes weight change. This is what happens sometimes. The dieter is maintaining at over weight. Eating about the same amount of calories as she is expending.
Suddenly she cuts back on her food and steps up her activity. Creates a huge and new calorie defict and BOOM! pounds melt away quickly. But then the less calories and more exercise is somewhat closer to maintenance (equal) again. Her body is a little fitter and little lighter and is not using extraordinary amounts of calories for those unaccustomed to exercises.
Her weight loss may slow but it doesn't stop. It's always calories in vs calories out.

There's good and bad attached to that first fluffy weight loss. It can be very inspiring but when it slows (and it does for all of us) it can be disheartening.

Ya know what Lena said about your body taking a breather. Maybe it's time to listen to your body for cues how to continue. Take a few minutes and reassess what you've been doing. Check your foods and amounts. Check the variety and intensity of your exercise.
If all is good, be heartened ...
If changes need to be made ... now's the time to think and plan.

Originally Posted by HadEnough:
I am sure I am not the only one this has happened to or is happening to. What do I do, how do you stay on track?

You've gotten some great responses and I want to share because I am one of those slow losers. I've been at this since Sept. and have lost about 17 pounds and gone from a very tight size 14 (probably shoulda been in size 16) to a comfortable size 12.

What kept me going? Doing this for my health and well-being and considering weight loss as an added bonus. That was key. Other things that helped: ignoring the scale for a month at a time; taking measurements of various body parts and losing inches; seeing my clothes fit better and then become too loose. I focused on other non-scale things like increased energy and better hair, skin, and nails. The scale really only tells part of the story, and a small part at that. I am also constantly adjusting my eating and exercising, trying to figure out what works for me and what I can live with for life.

Hang in there! Like others have said, your body may need a breather because you have lost a tremendous amount in a short period of time. Good things are probably happening inside that aren't apparent right now. Stick with it, your healthy lifestyle changes will be worth it!

If you really want to get serious about it too you can post your FitDay here and there are some really great folks on this board that can tell you where your extra calories are coming in. Just make extra sure you are noting everything that goes in your body and then also give a detailed exercise journal too. I bet someone here can quickly point out a few tips to making that scale move again.

Then again this is coming from me who only lost 1 pound this last week, but I figure even 1 pound a week adds up to 52 pounds a year :)

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...wner=Rosebud64

Here you go, Fitday experts!

Originally Posted by Sassy8877:
Then again this is coming from me who only lost 1 pound this last week, but I figure even 1 pound a week adds up to 52 pounds a year :)

When I was losing regularly I was losing 1 pound / MONTH!! But at the end of the year I felt that it was 12 pounds that I hadn't GAINED I lost 4 inches on my hips, now that for me was WAY better than the scale numbers. I also went from a 14 to an 8 :carrot: ...

Hang in there, HadEnough, EVENTUALLY it will come off, promise, just be patient...

Hang on in there, it will happen. gaining one week means nothing, you may lose it all next week or over the course of the next month or so, and by sticking with it waiting for it to come back off again you're keeping those good habits going, you're making sure you don't put all 30 back on, and you're making a positive investment in your future. You've done really well to get where you are, don't let one days scale reading blow you off course. It doesn't matter how slowly you lose, the important thing is that you are losing, and you're doing fantastically well.

Firstly I will be EXTREMELY critical of your food journal because it seems to be quite good... If you cut out certain foods that are processed sometimes this is just the boost you may need to get the scale moving again...

So here goes (and please don't be offended) you have: oatmeal cookies, crackers, ww muffins, Special K cereal bars, mashed potato flakes, honey roasted soy nut, how 'bout replacing those with large flaked oatmeal, potato with the skin for an extra boost of fibre, brown rice, sweet potato, beans... Those Special K bars are totally devoid of any nutritional value IMHO... you also have roasted turkey slices, how 'bout roasting a real turkey on the weekend for some turkey slices to throw on your salads during the week... Speaking of salads and veggies, you don't have them in your fitday, but sometimes I don't add my veggies in there either, but if you are not eating any veggies add a couple of large salads/day, fibrous foods take a long time to digest and therefore burn some calories and keep you fuller longer.

I hope this helps, keep up the great work...

Thanks for the critique Ilene (the log is accurate, I don't sugarcoat it at all!). The potato flakes were just a coating on the chicken that day, and I didn't know how to measure it. I have not been eating a lot of raw veggies lately, because I get such terrible stomach pains from them (gas I imagine), I am slowly going to add them back in. I do however, try and have a cooked veggie at dinner. I do eat a Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice meal for lunch at work everyday. Should I cut that out? And the oatmeal cookies, that was the first slip up that I have had since the first of the year. At least I am honest and log it!!:dizzy: The Special K Bars and the soy nuts are extras trying to get more calories in, because I am usually only at 1200 or less at the end of the day, I can't eat anymore (I know hard to believe, but I am full and satisfied).

I will certainly take your advice, though, and try to be better yet.

Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice, IMHO, are not the best options. I try to eat leftovers from supper for lunch... I would starve on LC and HC... Wouldn't you know it that when you decide to have an oatmeal cookie, is the time when someone critiques your journal :lol:...

I also noticed that you have no fruits there. I love :love: cottage cheese and fresh or frozen strawberries ... Low glycemic fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, are delicious... I also often have a protein shake makde with frozen berries...

Can't remember if it's you or someone else who answered this, but is your thyroid ok?

I generally don't critique other people's Fitdays because I'm such a newb at it myself. I'm just learning, so am not in a position to comment on others.

That being said, have you looked at your sodium intake at all (you can see it on Fitday)? That *could* be a culprit, if you're eating Lean Cuisines and processed deli meats. They have lots of sodium which can cause water retention (which, in turn, can register as a weight gain).

From what I've read, daily sodium intake shouldn't exceed 2,400.

As a side note, I'm very proud of you for logging everything! I do that, too, be it "good" stuff or "not-so-good". I even logged the one (yes, I said one) french fry I snagged from a friend the other day. I posted it as a JAB. JAB (Just A Bite) is my new custom food -- every JAB costs me 25 calories and 10 sodium. With a 25 calorie french fry, it was easy to stop at just one!

I do try and watch sodium and my goal is 2400, but good god, there is sodium in everything. I am usually over, but I am aware of it. I know the LC's are high too, I am going to try and get off of them, they are just so damned convenient for lunch at work.

Hi sweetheart, I'm in the same boat that you are. Hopefully the weight loss fairies will smile upon us soon. Big hugs to you!

Plateaus happen. Just keep doing what you're doing, watch your calories, and the weight will start coming off again. Your body is just 'resting' to get used to new calorie levels. It knows what its doing. Plateaus happen for a reason :)

I too am losing slowly now. I lost 60 lbs. in 6 months with low-carb dieting. I am still eating the same and have lost only 15lbs. now in last 3 months. I am down to only 14lbs. to goal and my doctor warned me the last 20 lbs. would be the hardest to lose. He was certainly correct. However, I refuse to give up and instead stay very proud of my success that I have had. I know how it feels to weigh weekly and not see any change for sometimes 3 to 4 weeks at a time. This is when I have tried changing my exercise routine up, cutting down on fruit since it has more carbs and also cutting out the nitrites.congrat's on the 30 lbs. loss and just keep going.

Ditto on all of Ilene's comments, except that I saw plenty of fruit in there. You don't need to eat raw vegetables. Cooked green beans, broccoli, lightly steamed or sauteed spinach, green squash, red, yellow and green peppers.... The list is endless. I noticed that you did have fresh asparagus one night :)

I would cut out the sugars (honey is a sugar no matter how natural is is) and all the refined foods. Do as Ilene suggested and make your own portion-controlled lunches from dinner leftovers. Or make them on purpose. I cook batches of skinless chicken breasts (lots of seasoning, skip the sauces which are mostly sugar) every weekend and package and freeze them individually to take to work for lunches along with a big tub of vegetables.

I'd eat another piece of fruit and some protein rather than the special K bars.
If you are having problems with sodium, have thyroid problems or are insulin resistant, get rid of the soy nuts.

Mel