Feeling a little discouraged and need some support.

[Californiablonde]

So I skipped my weight watchers meeting last Saturday morning due to being sick. I went to another meeting last night to make up for it. So it's been eleven days since my last weigh in. Normally I get weighed in the a.m. on a completely empty stomach. Last night I went before dinner time, but I had already eaten breakfast and lunch earlier and had several things to drink during the day. I thought maybe the scale might be a little off due to that but I didn't think it would make much of a difference. I was sick with a virus for the better part of last week and part of this week and my appetite was pretty non existent. I barely ate anything so I expected quite a dramatic weight loss from it. Plus it's been a week and a half since my last weigh in and I usually get weighed once a week. I was quite disappointed when I got on the scale last night and found out I only lost 1.4 pounds. That's not even a pound and a half.

That is absolutel C-R-A-P. I practically starved myself all week and I lose one pound in eleven days. I am incredibly upset and disappointed in myself. My boyfriend is telling me to be happy with my weight loss and I should be thankful I didn't gain anything. Maybe he's right, but I'm still quite unhappy with my progress. One of my friends has been on weight watchers for six weeks now and has lost 20 pounds already. That means she is averaging three pounds a week. I am jealous. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. At this rate it will take me a year to lose these darn 42 pounds. It seems like I am going to be stuck this way forever. My online weight loss support group is telling me not to get discouraged. I am trying to listen to them but it's hard. I don't feel as optimistic about my weight loss as I once did. I just need a little extra encouragement right now. I am feeling a bit hopeless.

 

[Liahona]

I am trying to lose weight too. I've been stuck at the same weight for weeks. Sometimes its normal to lose and then gain and then lose more. Our bodies are reshaping from the inside out. Muscles, and fat cells and then skin. As long as the general trend is downward I think you are doing great.

 

[InsaneCdn]

CB! Stop it!

1) do NOT look at the weekly number... look at the "total" number. It's still going UP. Good sign.

2) are you by any chance a bit more active lately? If so... it can really mess around with the "numbers" at first. Activity means you may have "lost fat" and "gained muscle"... and more muscle = more weight on that scale, but it's HEALTHY weight. Know what I mean??

3) How much SALT did you eat in the day or two before weight-in? SALT = more fluid retention = more weight on the scale, but that is "fluid" weight, not "fat" weight.

Just some ideas.

 

[AnnieO]

I know a bodybuilder whose BMI classifies her as morbidly obese. However, when they do the electrical test she's got like 4% body fat.

As for the evening thing... There is a reason they say to weigh yourself at the same time every day. My weight fluctuates like crazy. I am actually at my lightest right before dinner... Not first thing in the morning. (Assuming I'm not fully clothed, LOL!)

 

[Californiablonde]

I've been too sick to excercise so maybe that's it. Now that I will be off work starting Saturday I am planning on using the gym at my apartments at least five days a week. I pray it helps me and I start to lose faster. I am not used to being this overweight therefore I am incredibly impatient. Others on my online weight loss support group don't really understand where I'm coming from. They have been struggling with weight their whole lives. They are used to be overweight and to them a pound a week sounds great. They don't get why I'm complaining. But most of them are losing weight faster than me so it's easy for them to sit back and tell me not to stress about it. I am going to weigh myself again on Saturday morning on an empty stomach and see if that makes any difference. I really hope it does. I'm not feeling too optimistic right now.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Suggestion: Get a sewing tape measure (the "cloth" ones), and measure your waist and hips. Start tracking THOSE numbers weekly. I find I can go several weeks and not lose a thing... but the "tape" is shrinking, and that means fat is being lost. Or... if you have a pair of jeans that you can "barely" squeeze into, then use that as your "tape measure", and try to put them on once a week. You'll notice when they start to be a bit less tight.

Keep in mind that seriously obese people can and do lose weight faster than you will. Think about it. If a 300 lb person starts to exercise, they are moving 300 lbs with every step they take. You're moving close to half of that. Care to do your exercising with 150 lbs strapped to your body? (can't do it - your body isn't used to it... but you CAN add light-weight weights to bump up your exercise impact) Little changes will have a bigger impact for them... for NOW. When they get closer to normal weights, their rate of loss will slow down too.

 

[Californiablonde]

Right now the biggest sized jeans I own, which is a size fourteen, are tight on me. Maybe I'm retaining water. Or my time of the month is almost due. I have lost almost five pounds and these jeans feel tighter now than they did a couple of weeks ago. I rememember when I was on weight watchers in high school (I actually thought I was fat then at 125 pounds!) and there was a morbidly obese woman who was dropping off five or six pounds a week. I was losing about two pounds a week. So I guess you're right, Insane, they do lose weight faster. The friend of mine who has lost 20 pounds already is over 200 pounds so maybe that is why she is losing faster than me. Still I expected to be losing at least 2 pounds a week. Last summer I dieted my ass off and I lost 15 pounds in six weeks. So I was losing faster back then and I don't know why. I am definitely going to try more excersise and see if that helps to give me a jump start. I have two months to work out every single day so no more excuses for me.

 

[Dixies_fire]

Also the starvation route is not the way to go. I realize you were sick but when you aren't eating breakfast lunch and dinner and some snacks your body hits starvation mode. Trust me! I have a very hard time eating like I should and it totally effects my ability to lose weight, because my body thinks we are starving constantly but I am never hungry this I don't eat like I should.

A bigger person all they have to do is walk to lose weight up their exercise level in the slightest way and they drop pounds! Chick I was in the army RUNNING 10 to 15 miles a week and never dropped a pound from that exercise.

I am a middle of the road girl sort of tall for a woman 5'6 my normal base weight for most of my life was 145 and I thought I was fat. I have been in the 160's the entire time I was in the army because of the muscle... Hate it, hate it so much. I'm around 170 now. Hate that even worse.

You are lapping me because I am on the couch!

Everyone's body is different! And eating less at least for me doesn't work. Don't lose your motivation!

 

[Californiablonde]

Men seem to lose it faster too, don't they? A guy at my meeting last night lost five pounds in one week. He didn't even look overweight. He must be close to his goal weight if he's not there already. Everybody was applauding his weight loss. The lady who weighed me last night asked if I wanted to be celebrated for my weight loss. I told her no way do I want people applauding me for losing a measly little pound. She told me not to be too hard on myself and that weighing myself in the middle of the day probably put the scale up a couple more pounds. I am going to go back Saturday morning and get weighed again on an empty stomach. I am hoping to see at least a tiny bit of difference. I think my boyfriend is disgusted by my weight. He has no room to talk. He needs to lose even more weight than I do. But he was that way when I met him. He met me when I was skinny so he is not attracted to me now. He used to give me compliments all the time and show me affection. He hasn't said anything nice to me or touched me in months. Him plus my coworker being disgusted at my fat showing is making me feel like I'm repulsive. I am trying not to let it get to me but it's hard when I used to be thin and I actually liked my body.

 

[DammitJanet]

Hey...I dont know who invented the idea that 300 pound people can diet easy but we cant! If we could, we wouldnt be 300 pounds!

 

[Wiped Out]

On WW 1 to 1 1/2 pounds a week is good. It's how I lost my 70 ponds back in 1996. If you make it is more likely to stick. It doesn't sound like you were eating enough last week. As Dixie said that makes your body think it is in starvation mode. Are you tracking your points? That makes a huge difference.
Are you drinking all your water and getting in your fruits and veggies?

Remember losing weight is a journey, there will be ups and downs.

 

[busywend]

CB, I do not think WW is for you. It is not a competition. You are not there to compare yourself to others successes or feel better by their defeats. It is only about you. WW is there to support you, but you can not compare yourself to others. As someone above said, everyone is different. AND I am here to tell you as living proof that throughout our lives the ability and process of losing weight.....changes.....all.....the.....time......ugh!

 

[BusynMember]

Ok, ok, ok. Halt

I'm in Weightwatchers and a loss of 1.7 is huge. You're talking about ONE WEEK. If you want a quick loss, WW isn't for you. It's not quick...it's very healthy and steady and you do need to work out for it to make you really healthy and you lose faster if you work out every day. I don't...lol. But I jog a few miles four days a week and work in the gym two other days for an hour. In almost three months I have lost fifteen pounds and I feel GREAT. Losing water weight is worthless...it just comes back.

The scale doesn't lie. You weight what you weigh. And without tracking food and weighing once a week at WW, usually the scale doesn't go down. I truly believe in WW. I could be an advertisement for them.

Amber, you did great at 1.7. It is normal for me to lose less than a pound even when I follow the diet to a "t" (I have never cheated) and even when I work out hard. It's making you HEALTHY. The fast-lose diets are short term and not healthy for you. This is a diet for a long term. I am almost sixty and my knees don't hurt anymore and my sciatica is so much better and I can STILL JOG for an hour. As long as the scale is moving down, you are fine.

I also go to TOPS on Tuesday for a booster shot, but TOPS does not really get weight loss very often. It's more of a social thing. The truth is, if you don't eat healthy foods and exercise, you won't lose weight. And anyone can lose weight. Some of our WW leaders were 300 plus pounds and are now wearing size 6's. We see their before/after pictures. Anyone can do it. I only HOPE I lose 1.7 next week...but that's very unusual for me.

It's unusual for anyone! Ok, Amber, here's a sticker (wink)

 

[BusynMember]

CB! Stop it!

1) do NOT look at the weekly number... look at the "total" number. It's still going UP. Good sign.

2) are you by any chance a bit more active lately? If so... it can really mess around with the "numbers" at first. Activity means you may have "lost fat" and "gained muscle"... and more muscle = more weight on that scale, but it's HEALTHY weight. Know what I mean??

3) How much SALT did you eat in the day or two before weight-in? SALT = more fluid retention = more weight on the scale, but that is "fluid" weight, not "fat" weight.

Just some ideas.

Insane Candian,t his is an excellent post and cutting salt is great when trying to lose weight. Most of us use too much salt. One thing I've done which I have found pretty painless is to cut out all soda, even diet, because it is loaded with salt (and it's not very good for your stomach either). I drink coffee (which is ok!) and tea (which is healthy!). I also don't salt my food. You get natural salt just by eating a well balanced diet. Drinking lots of water is also great, but, personally, I hate plain water so I usually don't skip it and I'm still losing. You don't have to do WW perfectly, which is why it's a popular way to lose.

In our group weighing is private so we only compare if we want to and most of the ladies are too polite to shout, "Yaaaaaaaaaay, I lost ____ lbs."

Excellent advice on the salt intake!

 

[Californiablonde]

I don't like salt and never add it to food. I think I'm pretty good salt wise but I do drink one large diet coke a day and I had no idea it had lots of salt in it. Now that I'm on summer break I will be drinking more water and ice tea. Normally when I'm working I like to get a one dollar diet soda at Mcdonald's on my lunch break but now I will be relying on more food/drinks at home. I am going to Target today and stock up on a bunch of fruit and veggies for the week. I didn't do much shopping last week due to being ill and I only bought the bare minimum for meals each day. I didn't do fruits or vegetables because I simply wasn't hungry and it was hard enough for me to eat one solid meal much less wanting snacks. difficult child just joined with me on Wednesday. Her doctor wants her to lose 75 pounds. I think it's a bit much, honestly, and I think losing about 50 would be enough for her. I am very small boned so weighing 120 pounds at 5'2 is doable for me. difficult child is the same height but she is very large boned. Telling her she has to weigh 120 pounds I think is a little ridiculous. So I told difficult child not to listen to that doctor and don't feel pressured if she doesn't get down to 120. I would be happy with 135 for her.

Her doctor told me that since she is obese she is at risk for diabetes, stroke, and heart failure. What a wake up call for both of us. Losing this weight is imperative for us. Since she is only fifteen she gets a lot more weekly points than I do. I'm a little jealous! Her daily point total is 41 and mine is only 26. difficult child is a compulsive eater so I'm hoping she can stick to the plan easily by eating plenty of fruits that she likes. No more chips and cookies. difficult child is in the refrigerator looking for food literally every half hour so hopefully she can do okay on the plan knowing she can eat as much fruit and veggies as she wants. I am going back to a meeting to weigh myself again on an empty stomach on Saturday just to see if it makes a difference. I know you all say 1.4 pounds in eleven days is good, but honestly I think I lost more and it's killing me not knowing. So I am going back Saturday morning because I would truly like to know my actual weight! Thank you all for your encouragement and support.

Midwest mom I agree with you I think WW is the plan for me and I'm sticking to it. I really do need the support of a group to help me out because I just wasn't doing it on my own. It was too easy to cheat all these months because I didn't have to be held accountable with my weight. I absolutely need to be weighed once a week in front of somebody else to keep me motivated. My bathroom scale recently broke so I can't monitor my progress at home anymore. I don't plan on replacing it. I know that if I have a scale at home I will just weight myself obsessively every day and I will stress about every single ounce I've gained or loss. I am going to stick to weighing in at my meetings once a week. We'll see how it goes. My immediate goal is to have noticeable weight loss by the time I go back to work in September. Wish me luck!

 

[BusynMember]

Amber, cool. We can challenge each other. I want to be 12 pts. lighter by my birthday on Sept. 4th. I don't know how realistic that is because WW is a slow, healthy loss, but I think it will make me feel good to turn 60 and be fit! So we'll see how we do

Since they aren't any points and are so good for us, I tend to munch on apples or grapes if I'm really hungry, but honestly this program has forced me to watch my portion sizes and I'm not as hungry as I used to be. I think my stomach shrunk!!! And that's a good thing.

Weight Watchers always comes in first, among medical personnel, regarding healthy weight loss diet/best diets.

 

[Kathy813]

tea (which is healthy!)

Be careful with the amount of iced tea that you drink. When husband had a kidney stone, the doctor at the ER told him to stop drinking iced tea because there is something in tea that can lead to kidney stones. After the pain of having a kidney stone, husband has completely stopped drinking his beloved sweet tea.

Here is a link where a urologist explains why:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120802111332.htm

~Kathy

 

[1905]

CB, I am glad you lost 1.4 pounds. Next week you could be down another 5 or more because sometimes, during a diet, you do the same thing each week but you lose more one week and less another week. Shoot, you could poop 2 pounds! The next meeting you'll go in the AM like you normally did. My friend was on a diet and actually gained a pound one week....totally discouraged because she did everything right and the next week she lost 7. She did the same thing each week. Keep up the good work CB! I'm proud of you.