I know the weight loss journey hasn't been easy yet, and i know it wont be...but today i'm feeling a little bit discouraged. I've been fluctuating between 248.6 and 250.6 for the past three days and I do not understand it. I'm eating below my calorie max on spark people, i'm working out, i always have a deficit of 1000 or more....i don't understand it. I've been eating fresh fruit like there's no tomorrow, doing protein shakes after resistance training, making sure what i eat is healthy....i should be losing, not hitting a plateau this early. It makes me mad... i don't know why i'm not losing. I don't know why i'm stuck. its just really discouraging.
i have no motivation right now. at all. there's so many stressors in my life right now, I've got better things to worry about than my weight. Which it shouldn't be this way. I mean, i still want to lose weight--don't get me wrong...its just...even with me making all these changes and making sure that i'm below my calorie limit and stuff...i'm not losing...and its really REALLY disheartening. I just don't know what i'm doing wrong.
I'm so...idk..scared that my efforts are not making progress...i mean obviously they're not...because after 10lbs of loss, i'm stuck exactly at 10lbs lost...and some mornings i'm only 8lbs lost. its irritating. i don't know what i'm doing wrong! heres a look at my day yesterday...
breakfast--1 cup multigrain cheerios w/ milk; fruit (strawberries, banana, blueberries)
lunch--tuna salad sandwich, 100cal popcorn, apple
dinner--protein shake made of pure protein powder, milk, strawberries, and blueberries; graham cracker
my total calorie intake for the day was like...1450 or something like that...my max is 1680... i had a calorie differential of 1052 or something like that. -.- that slightly irritates me. i did my resistance training yesterday too. idk... i'm just so discouraged... i don't know what i'm doing wrong. i should be under 240 by now. :(
help? i need advice.... tips....encouragement...something. :(
ok... you asked for it... :-)
ReplyDeletehere is what I have learned after several years of attempting this and rollercoastering up and down with my weight...
I haven't learned it all at once...
It has come bit by bit, diet by diet...
But I do think I am finally beginning to understand some things...
1. Eat your max calories at each weight.
(Reason: As you become smaller, your calorie intake will need to drop in order to continue losing. Your body becomes used to whatever your calorie intake is. That is why you will gain weight if you go back to eating more food. You should be able to eat way more calories than you are eating and still lose weight. Also, if you eat too few calories your body will go into starvation mode and hold onto every calorie resulting in no weight loss.)
2. Eat small amounts every 2-3 hours beginning immediately after you wake up.
(Reason: It prevents your body from going into starvation mode. If your body learns that it will get food at regular 2-3 hour intervals then it will continue burning calories and not hold onto them. It also prevents you from getting too hungry. If you do get hungry, it is easier to have self control and wait because nobody ever died from having to wait an hour or so before eating. You can eat right up until bedtime if you want as long as you are eating every 2-3 hours and staying within your daily calorie limit.)
3. Drink lots and lots of water.
(Reason: It doesn't matter what diet you are on, if you are not drinking water it will hinder your efforts. Water flushes your body. Don't know exactly what or why except that it works. Tip: whatever your weight, divide that number in half and try to drink that many ounces of water each day. example if you weigh 200 lbs. try to drink 100 ounces of water each day. It's hard to do, I know!!!! You have to start as soon as you get up in the morning.)
4. Exercise.
(Reason: your body continues burning calories for 7 hours after you exercise. So if you get up and do a quick 20 minute something early in the day, then your body will be burning calories all day. Another something in the afternoon will keep your body burning throughout the late afternoon early evening. That way you spread out your exercise calorie burn throughout the day rather than all at once.)
Hope some of this was helpful! I know it's hard to do!!!!! I'm working on it with you and understand the frustration so well!!!!
Hang in there and don't give up! Even 10 pounds is better than no pounds!!!!! :-)
I suspect that the reason you are not losing right now is that your body is in starvation mode and holding onto every calorie that you eat.
love ya!!!