why am I stuck ?!!

I

ineedtolose

New member
I started my diet November 23rd 2007. That is almost three weeks ago. My beggining weight was 230, right now and since a week ago I am down to 221.
How come in the last week I didn't loose any?
I am not cheating, I am not eating after dinner (about 6pm).
What I am doing is watching my portions, and the only carbs I eat are whole wheat (I do not eat those as much at all), I have salads, brown rice, chicken (skinless)... no sweets at all, I only drink water and coffee.
The only minus.... I do not exercise, but I heard here from many people that lost weight that they didn't start exercising until later anyways. What do I do???!! What am I doing wrong?
I know that if I get stuck where I am a lot longer I am going to lose my motivation and I would hate for that to happen. PLEASE HELP, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP.
 
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your not always going to lose weight every week, it takes time and you have to be patient. Just keep doing what your doing and if you haven't seen a change in another few weeks, post your diet info and we can see what might be the problem. Its just a number on the scale, and your body can be weird. Good luck and let us know in a few weeks if you ave seen change.
 
ineedtolose said:
I started my diet November 23rd 2007. That is almost three weeks ago. My beggining weight was 230, right now and since a week ago I am down to 221.
How come in the last week I didn't loose any?
I am not cheating, I am not eating after dinner (about 6pm).
What I am doing is watching my portions, and the only carbs I eat are whole wheat (I do not eat those as much at all), I have salads, brown rice, chicken (skinless)... no sweets at all, I only drink water and coffee.
The only minus.... I do not exercise, but I heard here from many people that lost weight that they didn't start exercising until later. What do I do???!!
I know that if I do not keep loosing I am going to lose my motivation and I would hate that to happen. PLEASE HELP, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP.
Click to expand...

I thought of many things when reading your short post, let's see if I can remember them all.

1. Fat loss is not a linear phenomenon. Some weeks you'll lose a lot, other not so much. It's the nature of the beast.

2. If you let the number on the scale be your only metric used to measure success, you are setting yourself up for failure. Read that last sentence again.... it's an important one that many miss. More important metrics would be things such as physical measurements, the fit of your clothes, pictures, etc.

3. 8 lbs seems like a lot to lose in 2 weeks, especially without exercise. Do you happen to know how many calories you are consuming?

4. Eating after 6 pm does NOT make you fat or hinder your weight loss.

5. Carbs don't make you fat.

6. Without exercise, any weight loss attempt is going to be more difficult.

7. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE. The statement, "if I don't keep losing I am going to lose motivation" sends up all sorts of red flags. Namely, you are mentally filtering reality. What's going on when you decide to change your lifestyle to a more healthy one? Sure, your body changes. But a lot more goes on. More confidence, better health, more control, better feelings, more vibrant, etcetera, etcetera. Losing weight is merely a byproduct of this lifestyle, not the driving mechanism in itself.

What I mean by that is, without losing pounds this week or even next, that does not turn the entire situation into a negative unless you allow it by mentally filtering out the positives. Don't fall victim to this sort of illusion.

To add to this, you're also setting yourself up for failure with all-or-nothing thinking. When you do this, an air of perfectionism is established. Life doesn't work like this, where things are one way or the other.... there are no absolutes. By saying, "If I don't lose weight I'll quit" you are saying, probably without realizing, that you are following an all-or-nothing mentality. Realize there is a lot of gray out there between the black and whites.

Even if it turns out you are doing things wrong, don't look at it as a failure. Look at is as an opportunity to re-evaluate your approach, tweak it, and get the ball rolling again.

If you haven't noticed, it's all about your mentality, beliefs, and perceptions. Much, much more so than the actual diet and program you are following.
 
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The scale is an unpredictable beast

Always....

The fact you have lost 9 pounds in 3 weeks is amazing and fantastic, really!

You should be proud of that and take a great deal of motivation from it. Many of us here would be thrilled to pieces to lose 1-2 pounds a week, let alone 3!

Keep up the good work and don't stress the scale too much. Too many factors could be hiding what is really going on. The scale is simply a mechanical tool, and it is not perfect by any means.

If you really want to get more results you could start some light exercise, but otherwise, keep doing what you are doing as Trevor recommended and if you continue to not show results you my need to make some small changes.

Congrats on the 9 pounds though, you are well on your way!

sirant
 
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I had a same thread posted few weeks ago. I started at 212 and got to 195-197 so quick and then got stuck on there for some time. Went up and down as each day passed but was always around 195. I came here asking for answers and then I just kept my same diet for another week or so and the scale started going down again and now I am on 187lbs. Also even though I wasn't loosing weight on the scale my clothing was getting loose. Stick to what ever worked for your initial weight loss and give it some time. Its not easy to loose weight fast otherwise everyone would never complain and ask questions on how to do it, plus its healthier if you loose it slower, no loose skin and other side effects.
 
I agree with all that's been said so far.

There is no quick fix. It is not easy. Are you willing to be patient enough to see your goal to fruition. Rephrased: Do you want your own impatience to get in the way of your goal? (I also feel impatient about the weight loss, but I'm not going to let it get in my way. I wish I could fast-forward 20 weeks... It's my belief in myself and the plan that propels me forward)

Even if your weight stays the same next week, you still would have lost 9 pounds in 4 weeks, that's pretty good!

Take good notes of what you are eating everyday and try to drink 12 glasses of water per day (no, coffee does not count but you can still drink coffee). Track your daily water intake too. If your weight plateaus for two or three more weeks, post again and let us know more about your situation.

If you feel good after one more week, you may want to add some measure of exercise (at least walking). Exercise will help keep your skin from getting loose and it can be an energy boost.
 
and try to drink 12 glasses of water per day (no, coffee does not count but you can still drink coffee).
Click to expand...
any liquid does count towards your fluid consumption - including liquid that is i food...
 
I hear ya!

I was feeling the same way a few weeks ago - I started my weight loss journey on November 2nd and in the first month, lost 10 lbs, then got stuck in December. I was getting very frustrated that the scale wasn't going down..and even went up a couple of days - but what I did do was start measuring myself each week. I am exercising though - its important that you do that..even if its only 15-20 min/day. I do "The Firm" workouts and alternate them each day so that I don't get bored.

But, each Wednesday, I measure myself - my upper arms, chest, hips, waist, upper thigh, etc...and seeing the change in measurements is what kept me motivated. Even though the scale isn't going down, my measurements are.

Try that..it may help!
 
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