FRUSTRATED!!!!

Carlos27

Hi ladies,

So...I have been going back to the gym about 3-4 times per week for the last  month, (after a very long absence and a weight gain of about 15 pounds in the past year). I'm trying to eat healthily and although I have had a few 'bad days', I have been eating less.

Anyway, I weighed myself today (for the first time since returning to the gym), and I haven't lost anything!!!! Not a single pound...grrrrrrrrrrrrr
How could this be!? Maybe I'm not working out hard enough or need to eat less, but I am so frustrated!

Does anyone else feel this way? I want this to make me work harder - not give up, but it really sucks! Maybe it hasn't been long enough? Anyone out there with some inspiration, or a success story would be great! I've always been quite thin, so the extra pounds have been really hard to deal with and on top of that I've just lost my job.

I'm not trying to get a quick fix, but I do want to shed these pounds!
Any tips woud be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

lbow1984

I'm completely right there with you.  I started working out in February and trying to eat better then too.  I even keep track of my calories and write it all down in a book that notes what I've eaten each day and what my workout goals are for the week.  Needless to say I believe I actually GAINED weight instead of lost. 

That being said I'm not giving up and you shouldn't either, but it is incredibly frustrating.  Your story sounds like I could have written it.  I've gained about 10-15lbs since I got started the job I'm currently in 2 1/2 yrs ago b/c it's an office job and prior to that I was up on my feet all day.

I just saw a new workout on an infomercial this morning for something called Turbofire and I'm seriously considering it, but I've also bought the Wii Just Dance 2 and the Wii Fit so I'm a bit worried about purchasing another workout item and not using it, but we'll see...

lmalear01

Its not necessarily about eating less!!!!!!!!!!! You need to make sure you are eating enough and enough of the right stuff!!!  Your body needs calories to burn fat.  If you starve yourself no matter how much you workout your body will fight against you to keep the weight you have!  Also... how many " bad days" have you  had.  A couple of bad days can wipe out 7 good ones!  Its unfortunate but true.  Especially if you are not eating enough on these good days. Most people make the mistake of having a cheat day instead of just a cheat meal.

Start with small goals.  Is there something you know you have changed since you gained weight. For example...started eating out more, drinking pop, more alcohol etc.  Can you eliminate that factor first?  If you can't figure out what changed then pick a small something to change first like resolving to eat a healthy filling breakfast everyday no matter what.  Eating a good breakfast with fiber and protein will set the pace for the rest of the day.  People who eat breakfast generally eat less throughout the day!! 
Remember you said you gained the 15 pounds over a year... Its not going to come off over night either. It doesn't have to take a year but give it a couple of months!!  Keep going don't give up.  You can do it.

kristinanddan

I totally agree with pp. It's not just about eating less.You need to be eating enough to meet your body's needs. How many calories a day are you eating? And what kinds of foods?

StacyJenniges

I'm on Weight Watchers and some of the things I've learned is that it's not necessarily the amount of calories you are eating but what kinds of calories you are eating.  In Fact Weight Watchers has completely taken calories out of the equasion. 

Other things to remember if you are working out you may be gaining muscle.  I would suggest messuring your self and seeing if you are loosing any kind of inches. 

One last thing to remember is that if you only have 15 lbs to loose you are not going to be loosing 2 lbs a week. 

Look at Sparkpeople.com it's a free website and it shows you how many calories, how much fiber, protein, carbs, and fat that you should eat. 

Carlos27

Thanks everyone!

Really great advice, and it always helps to hear from others that feel the same - lbow1984 - thanks

As for the food - I have been eating breakfast everyday as usual - either corn flakes with some banana, or yoghurt and fruit and always COFFEE!!  I've really been trying to cut my bread intake as that is probably my biggest weakness. Then maybe pasta for lunch and salad for dinner, or the other way around with either steak/tuna/chicken, etc. I always drink lots of water!

I do think I have been a bit less honest with myself than I need to be - i.e. when I do have the bad days they are really bad - burgers/french fries/chicken wings etc - so that is probably doing more damage than I thought. I have to learn to say 'no' more often.

Also, I agree that since the weight gain has been over year I know I won't lose it over night...but I will eventually (hopefully in maybe 4-5 months?)

Thanks everyone for your replies, I'm going to keep going and will not give up!!!

Good luck to everyone and I'll keep you ladies posted

anthony_crystal2011

I agree with everyone about having a cheat meal instead of a cheat day.

Bread, pasta, potato should be cut back.  Whole wheat rice, pasta and bread are going to be better than the white stuff.  Also be careful how much sodium is in the things you eat, this will cause you to retain water which can add pounds.

Also depending on the kid of workout you are doing you may not be eating enough.  If you aren't taking in enough food what happens is your body goes into starvation mode and will hold onto the fats.  An increase in weight isn't necessarily a bad thing either, remember muscle weighs more than fat.  The most important thing to make sure you are eating enough of is protein.  Which you can find in beans, legumes and a variety of other sources.  Red meat should be cut bad as well. 

Hope this helps, best of luck!

StacyJenniges

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_frustrated-9?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:238Discussion:a88a1c6e-ddcf-4460-b715-daebe0148001Post:a6d67bf8-fa7d-4e74-8cec-a5dfda327b26">Re: FRUSTRATED!!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]       I am also frustrated. I started exercising and eating better in January. I had put on 50 pounds last year by sitting on my rear and eating everything in sight. Off and on since January, I have used the book the Extreme Fat Smash Diet by Dr. Ian K Smith. You HAVE to eat all day as well as do some form of cardio 6 days a week. I have also tracked my intake to make sure I am eating enough on the Spark Website.     The reason I am frustrated even though I have lost 27 pounds so far is that I have lost the motivation to follow my plan exactly and therefore my weight loss has slowed. The plan is just so boring and plain even though it has worked. It is hard to stick with brown rice and vegetables and 4 oz of chicken or fish consistently. I was so sad when I realized that 4 oz was the size of a deck of cards- so small!      I started on the plan in the book again last week after doing my own healthy choices for a while and managed to lose two pounds BUT by day 6 today I already went off the plan again. I have not gained but know I won't continue losing unless I get back on the plan and do the exercise. I can't wait until I get to the weight I want to maintain!
Posted by spikeinc[/QUOTE]

This sounds extreemly familure to me.  I've been there!  I had lost 80 lbs eating "Boring foods" and then I got extreemly board and I gained back 90!   If you are board I really suggest trying WW online or going to a WW site, I belive online own membership is about $15 or $20 and you get get a full memebership including online for $40.  let me know if you want to know more about the program and I'll be happy to tell you.  (I've lost 32 pounds in exactly 3 months.)

heather0711

Don't be discouraged. First of all, working out will ALWAYS be beneficial in some way.
Working out or eating right alone doesn't mean you're going to lose weight. ALot of people think that doing the "recammended" 30 minutes of "cardio" 3 times a week will give them the results they want. Not true. That is to sustain internal bodily function, ie heart health, cardiovasular health, ect. Cardio and weight lifting are absilutly necessary in order to lose weight. A lot of women get nervous when they hear "weight lifting" because they automatically associate it with getting big and bulky - that does not need to happen. It's very easy to not bulk up in fact. Also, you have to keep in mind you need to burn more calories than your consuming, otherwise weight loss cannot feasibly happen. Weight liefting actually burns more calories in a session and thoughout the day than the same time of most cardio work.  
I hate to say this, because a lot of people get obsessive about it, but measure. Pull out a meansuring tape and measure your waist, hips, thighs and biceps. Losing inches is often times better than losing pounds, means your retaining muscle but losing fat - ding ding ding! That's what we're all after. Less fat!
I suggest upping the vegetable intake and add some protien. It's all about tricking your GI and keeping your body fuller for longer. A relatively high protien diet will do that. Cheat meals are okay - once a week. A cheat meal a day, doesn't help you. You also cannot deprive yourself, the second any one does that, they want what they've deprived themselves of and the craving becomes ridiculous and we give in and bing, wayy past what the craving was. So if you really want that reeses, eat it. Just get it over with and make up for it at your next gym session.
Hope some of this helped. Good Luck!

hbennett7

Don't worry!! Muscle weighs more than fat!  You need to measure inches instead.  I have to measure inches because I have a thick body and my success doesn't really show up on a scale.  Good luck!