Losing weight time frame- frustration

[Micemice]

good morning,
looking for some inspiration, commiseration or general I’m with you vibes haha! I have over 3 stone to lose to get into a healthy bmi and I am finding it so slow! I know I can’t expect to lose that amount of weight super quick but I feel that at 1-2lbs max a week that this is gona take such a long time. Anyone else find this frustrating or is it just me being impatient? I’m not yet at the stage where my clothes are looser or noticing a big change so maybe that’s adding to it. I’m regretting not taking my body measurements to start! know it’s a mountain to climb and everyday just need to plod on and be consistent and hopefully the weight will come off! Any help or support with my mindset?

No one else relate?!

Hi @Micemice i'm trying to lose weight too. I had a baby 5 months ago and now i'm ready to lose some of this extra weight i've put on. I've made some changes to my eating habits. I've only seen a little change. I know if i exercise the weight will really start to drop off. I'm just not finding the time right now!
Here to support you x

Ah thanks, you’re doing fab with a 5month old! My youngest is almost 3 so not sure I can blame the baby weight any longer haha.
my period is due and felt so mahhh all day today so had a few of the snacks I planned for the weekend ( popcorn, handful of aero mint eggs and a biscuit) and definitely feel strangely better for it haha. I have been almost zero sugar for the last few weeks so was a welcome treat today. Back on it tomorrow , usual 3 meals no snacks!

I have a similar amount to lose and am about 10lbs in but it’s taken several weeks. I try to look at it that if I did nothing in 6 months time I’d still be overweight but at least this way in 6 months time I’ll hopefully be at or close to my target weight.

Good luck with your weight loss

Have you thought about trying Fast 800? I did it back in October because I couldn’t face the idea of losing 1 or 2 lbs a week. It worked really quickly - I lost 20lb in 6 wks. I’m down two stone now despite time off over Xmas and a two week holiday. It is hard but it’s for a finite amount of time - definitely worth considering - I got the book from the library.

Slow and steady wins the race really. Losing weight at more than 1-2lbs per week isn’t good for you unless you are significantly overweight.
A drastic weightloss in a short space of time isn’t realistic and means you are more likely to jump off the bandwagon!

Yes it is annoying it takes so long but you have a better chance of developing good eating habits. What I hate is when you do well for a few weeks, eat one big meal and you gain 5lbs! It evens out but perseverance is key! Just think do you want to look at yourself in six months at the same weight you are now? Or almost at your goal?

I’ve been losing slowly for almost 13 months now. I’ve lost a total of 3st 5.5lbs so far.

the 0.5/1lb a week losses have been frustrating BUT it’s the first time I’ve managed to stick to anything for longer than a couple of months. It feels sustainable. The year has passed pretty quickly and I’m so glad I just kept going as otherwise I’d still be where I was now or maybe even heavier.

I still have a bit to go and will keep plodding on but can see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

keep going, you won’t regret it

Ah thank you All, brilliant advice- slow and steady does win the race!
I have a holiday booked in 15 weeks so realistically if I’m 15 lbs lighter by then that’s ok, the rest can come off after. Need to shift my mindset about this. Years ago pre babies etc. I lost 3stone 3 lbs in 4 months ( and wasn’t as heavy as now) so I have that mentality but then again I’ve had 3 kids since, lots of sleep deprivation and probably no where near the willpower as before!
i will keep plodding on and need to remember my reasons why in moments when the biscuits barrel is calling!

@Chubby81 wow that’s a lot- I have read that book before and did 5:2 in between my last two children really successfully and lost the weight whereas this time3 yrs after my final child I’m about the same weight as the day I gave birth! I do have a year old injury and weight gain from medication to help account for it but still it is excess and a million miles away from what I used to look: feel like!
I see old photos of myself and think wow I looked so so much better then and genuinely like a different person!
@Chubby81 did you manage to maintain this weight loss after the 6weeks easily enough?

Same boat! I had four stone to lose at the end of January when I really decided to commit. Have lost a stone so far but it feels so slow and I feel like I can't see any progress. People around me keep saying "oooh you've lost weight!" But I can't see it. The scale is consistently ticking down but I'm so impatient to just get there.

Think I might take one of those lovely unflattering full body photos so I can take progress photos as I go for the remaining 3 stone, I think seeing the difference might boost me on a bit.

@Micemice yes. I’m still losing but i am working hard at it. Really being mindful about what I eat and still counting calories every day. I wonder if that’s pretty much what I have to do for life now if I want to be slim and I do really love being slim - probably more than I love food!

losing weight in a healthy way takes time. Try breaking it down into smaller goals, currently my goal is half a stone per month which actually sounds much quicker

@Chubby81 brilliant well done! 👏🏻👏🏻

@lostinfusion thanks the smaller goals are a good idea to focus on, however I kinda feel with weight loss I can have a goal all I want but the reality is that I’m eating to a calorie deficit worked out from my tdee and my body will lose what it wants at what speed it wants- Does that or sense? I feel I have no control!
I’m being very strict but other than drastic very low calories like the fast 800 I’m not sure what I could tweek with the food. I can only walk due to an injury no other strenuous exercise so I could definitely increase steps more. I’d be delighted to lose 7lbs a month so maybe that’ll be a better focus for me to have!
years ago I felt that weight just dropped off me with little effort ,haha how times have changed!

sorry - what is tdee?

Losing weight is slow but I started 1/1 and I'm 11 pounds down with 7 to go so if I keep going I'll be to my target weight but sometime in April ready for the better weather .
I find slimming world the best way to lose weight !

i think after these really high initial weight losses (which happen with pretty much any diet, even slimming world some people lose 6lbs on week one 🤷‍♀️- not me though!) then a steady 1-2lb a week is what most people manage and successfully lose weight on. It does add up. 52lbs in a year is a substantial weight loss.

I’ve set myself the target of 23lbs off in 2023, ideally by whitsun holiday which will be 1lb a week average. It feels slow. My initial higher loss has been swallowed up by a 3/4 week plateau. But I do feel like it’s manageable and if I cut my calories any lower I have no energy to workout and end up eating more in the long run. I’m down 8.5lbs since January and hope to be another 1lb off tomorrow when I weigh in.

@lostinfusion total daily energy expenditure- can work out on a calculator what your daily maintenance calories should be and what you should need to lose weight, and it’s based on your height, weight, activity levels etc. I’m sure it’s not perfectly accurate but better than stabbing a figure out of nowhere to aim to calorie wise.
@boboshmobo thats great well done!!
@thenewaveragebear1983 yes I am definitely not expecting the massive amounts weekly and if I can consistently lose 1-2 lbs a week il be happy. Hopefully in another few weeks il maybe see the efforts pay off, I feel less bloated at the minute which is a positive!

My weight loss has been so slow that my goal was just to be losing rather than gaining. My body has adapted to 1200 calories and I do not want to take that lower, even though my food choices are really good so some days I feel like I could go lower. I have been alternating cal amounts per day 800x1 then 1300 or 1400 x 2 then rinse repeat rinse repeat and doing that, I finally lost a few pounds. I need to lose 8 kilos to get in to the normal range so at this rate, I have just shrugged and given it the whole year, I'm practicing maintaining I suppose. Because after I lose it, I have to maintain it. So the more practice I get maintaining the better.