Frustrated!

I have been doing the weight loss thing for about a month and half now. I workout, I try and eat right and nothing. I haven't lost anything. I loathe getting on the scale only to see the number go up or stay the same. I am so frustrated. I would be happy if I could just lose 5 pounds, let alone the 30 I would LIKE to lose by June. SHould I cut calories more? I eat between 18-2000 a day (my caloric intake to maintain my weight is around 2300 I think). Should I workout more? I do elliptical and tae bo about 3 times a week. Am on the right track?!? Advise please!

I hope you are keeping waist, chest etc.... measurements?

With the exercise you may retain water which would counteract fat loss.

Also.... If your body has been in starvation mode for a long period, it will be in recovery now.

I have read many people's account on here of similar stories, and I myself have suffered.

In 18 months I have lost 15 lbs, but as far as inches goes I have lost around 6.

1.5 months is a very small window to look at results.

The other thing is do you actually have much weight at the start? Initial weight losses are water rather than anything else, and the larger people have more excess water to lose, hence the quick starting drop.

Having a calorie intake that low will be detrimental to weight loss.

If it is short term you might as well just eat nothing to get results and start things.

It is about health and care.

Do not have a deficit between consumed and expended over 800 would be my advice.

Regards

I haven't measured simply because I didn't want to get depressed or discouraged about the numbers. My clothes don't fit any differently, so to me, that is an indication I haven't lost much if anything at all. I know a month is a small time frame, but I figured I might have lost a couple of pounds, ya know? I am old enough and have been through the weight loss regime enough times to want at this point to just be healthy. I don't want to weight 130 pounds or fit into a size 8. I just want to be lean, feel good when I look in a mirror, get naked, and enjoy clothes shopping.  If that means I am a size 14 and weigh 170 pounds, but I am healthy then I am cool with that. I just don't want to get discouraged and frustrated to the point that I quit.

Original Post by roj47:

1.5 months is a very small window to look at results.

I agree with the above. When I first started CC, I gained 1 pound per week for the first 4 weeks. I was so mad!! I was riding a stationary bike once a week and running 3 times a week, and I stopped eating candy and french fries (I didn't go on a calorie-restricted diet, but I certainly cut out the junk food that I ate). Then, after hovering at a steady weight for a couple of weeks, I mysteriously dropped the 5 pounds in 2 weeks.

It's pretty common to gain weight or fail to lose weight at the beginning. Your body goes pretty crazy with all of those changes, and weird things can happen. Don't get discouraged!

oh girl i know how that goes! there are studies that say weighing yourself daily will get you to your goal..and then some have the opinion that weighing yourself daily can become an over obsession of your weight...but either way, when you do not see results or the scale going down..it's the #1 factor in loss of motivation for many.

i used to be 172 lbs 4 yrs ago(the biggest i got). I've kept the weight off, but i'm always stuck in the 135-140lb range. i'm 5'2 and i'd like to be at least between 125-130lbs. i'm an avid gym goer. i'm active on a 5-6 days a week basis. i do cardio and strength training. i've begun a diet of eating under 1500 calories a day as of january (to lose all that holiday weight gain)...and i lost 8lbs but now i just can't seem to get the scale to move. my clothes fit loose and i can tell my stomach fat is lessoning, but there is something about the scale..."seeing" the numbers is sooo important. i was so depressed a few weeks ago cuz all my hard work wasn't showing on the scale.

it's a big chance i've plateaued. i'll have to change up my gym routines, try new activities, change up my meals and calorie intake, just try to surprise my body or give it a good jolt to start the weight loss engine running again.

You need to eat less.  I really think that this calorie count is a bit off. Try to eat 1500- but make sure it is a mixture of protein veggies and carbs. No junk -- that is a big thing.  It does matter what kind of calories you eat.