Slow weight loss

[baubletits]

Hi all, looking for some advice please, as I'm feeling rather down and defeated!

I am very overweight, I started calorie counting at the start of the year. Since then, I've lost 7lbs (3 of those were in the first week).

I've seen a pattern of losing weight the first 2 weeks, then my period comes and I gain weight. In the past the week following my period I would normally see a big loss of the previous week's gain, however so far I've either stayed the same the week after my period or gained slightly.

I'm calorie counting (weighing everything I put in my mouth except for the splashes of milk in my teas and coffees) and I've started strength training at the gym 3 times a week which I'm really enjoying.

In the past when I've lost weight, it's always been a lot quicker than this and I've seen great results. Have done calorie counting and low carb and been successful both ways in losing a large amount of weight (not so successful in keeping it off, obviously)

Now I feel like I'm just going backwards and forwards and I feel really despondent. I just want to throw the towel but I know that it I do that I'll just get even bigger.

Has anyone else had any similar experiences? How do you keep going and keep motivated when you don't see real progress? It doesn't help that my weight loss buddy (who is a lot lighter than me with a lot less to lose) is doing really well and I feel like a failure!

Yes me! We are older now remember too!

Also don’t forget that any kind of training will not only be retaining water, but possibly also building muscles. Use a tape measure to see progress not just a scale. I am still BMI 27 but I visually look slim, it’s deceptive!

Weight loss can be slow. I have lost about 50lbs and it’s taken me nearly 52 weeks.. and I have some more lbs to go yet. That’s not even 1lb a week really so some weeks I have lost nothing at all.

But look at your progress, you aren’t gaining across a whole month, this is just a fluctuation. Don’t give up - you need to focus on all the goals you have and take it one step at a time. It’s more likely you will keep weight off if you lose it slowly and consistently. You might have had too much salt in a meal and that makes the scales go up but it’s not fat gain.

Thanks @Menora I know you're right, the rational part of me knows you're right. The irrational person who's self esteem is very much dependent on a stupid number on a scale feels like rubbish.

I wish I could step away from the scales entirely. I have been measuring myself and seen my measurements go down. I just feel like crap that I'm making all this effort and not getting much back from it. I have a wardrobe full of clothes that I need to get back into and at this rate I never will, I usually go down a clothes size with every 2 stone lost (I'm also quite tall!)

Maybe don’t keep weighing if it’s not helping you feel good. It’s ok to stop for a while. The effort is worth it, it’s the foundation. Just think of your body getting stronger, your lungs and heart and muscles improving and your joints benefitting each day, not just the body fat element. That’s just one part of your journey.

to keep going and keep motivated I focus on other things. I bought an Apple Watch and now I can see I get more sleep, my heart rate recovery is improving, im getting faster at my walking speed, my skin is also better from the water, I can lift more weights, I recover faster. Even my IBS is pretty much gone!

Look at yourself as a whole person. You are not your weight. What you are doing now is investing in your future self for your health and practicing self care so be kind to yourself. You deserve kindness. Don’t look at those clothes. Just look at yourself and your small achievements. I bet your workouts are getting better each time, your form improves, you move up to the next weights or more reps

I so needed to hear that, thank you (I'm a little bit emotional reading that!!)

I'm just going to plod on, because the alternative is not an option anymore. And I think I will give the scales a break, at least for a month or so. If I'm sticking within my calories and doing what I need to do at the gym, I'll know that I've done the best I can do. A stupid number shouldn't be enough to shatter how I feel about myself.

You are giving yourself some very good advice there OP:

A stupid number shouldn't be enough to shatter how I feel about myself

Maybe try a monthly weigh in? Or try those full body scan scales things, i do this through a clinic but I think there are pay per use ones at some pharmacies. I have had weeks where my weight is the same but I'm down in body fat and I'm delighted and feel motivated. On a regular scales I would be upset and deflated. If you are eating right and exercising then you are already making the positive change. Keep it up!!

Slow weight loss is good OP - it's the most likely to stay off. By the time you get to your goal weight the habits will be fully ingrained!