So, after my first week in the family challenge, I'm not the biggest loser yet. Not even close. though I stuck to my plan really well, it hasn't produced the results i'm looking for yet. then again, it's only been 1 week. so i'm gonna keep going. I'm just feeling a little frustrated right now.
I got 185 points out of a possible 195. And I GAINED 1/2 a pound. But i think i'm more upset/jealous of other members who have lost 4-6 lbs this week. Seriously? I worked out harder than ever. 6 times instead of the required 4, and for a minimum of 40 minutes or more each time. i'm eating healthier-- filling myself up with fresh fruits and veggies and water instead of unhealthy junk.
SO why does my body insist on doing the opposite of what i want it to do-- and get rid of all the unnecessary weight? part of me is thinking-- maybe i'm not eating as healthy as i should... maybe i can make a food journal for everything i eat, check my calories, stop eating meat and sugar all together. but that only leads me down a road i don't want to visit again. in high school, i developed some disordered eating habits. like only eating celery and lettuce because some one told me they have "negative calories" because it takes more calories to digest it than they contain, and working out for 2-3 hours everyday after school until the school gym closed. i'm purposefully stopping myself from writing it all down and counting calories, because i am afraid i could go back down a road that ultimately is unhealthy.
anyone have any tips on how to get my body to do what it should when i eat healthier and exercise more-- lose weight instead of starting to hoard it? i'm serious. has this happened to anyone else, or am i crazy. i'm really frustrated right now.
5 comments:
I am proud of you. I don't really have any ideas for you ... but just keep with it. Change is a process not an event. Good luck!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Try using this site. Yes, it will have you writing out all of your food items and exercises, but it gives you a better idea of how healthy you are being instead of the simple writing down calories. It gives you a better idea of which of the three macronutrient groups (carbs, fat, protein) you need more of). The site is nice because it keeps you from becoming obsessed with label reading while also making you aware.
Also, those other family members are just losing water weight right now. You're 0.5lbs gain is just a natural fluctuation in weight (if you weigh yourself every day you will see that your weight fluctuates around an average). You aren't starting to hoard weight (though your body will put itself into starvation mode if you cut down on the calories too much and increase the exercise too much... and starvation mode will make your metabolism slow down a LOT). Try using the website for two weeks and see if it helps.
The most important thing is that you're becoming healthier. The scale is not as important as how you feel.
~Khrysta
i am by no means an expert, so take what i say with a grain of salt. i'll tell you what's helped me, though.
- it's okay to not keep track of every single calorie, but remember that weight loss is just calories in versus calories out, so it might be a good idea to know some things generally. like, have a general idea of how many you should be eating a day and how much what you're eating has. sometimes it will surprise you to know that something you thought was healthy really has 1000 calories. it doesn't hurt to check.
- if you aren't doing it already, add some weight training to your exercise. it helps your metabolism tremendously and it's really good for you.
- don't compare yourself with others. you have a different body than everyone else, so naturally it's going to do something different than someone else's body. it takes your body time to get used to new exercising and eating, so just give it a bit of time.
- realize that it's not really natural to lose more than 2 pounds a week tops. yes, it happens, but often it's not weight that can be kept off, or it's water weight, which is just on the scales - it won't affect how you look. so, even though people seem to be losing a lot of weight, it might not be weight that will matter in the long run (if that makes sense).
- realize that you are a woman and your weight will fluctuate a lot during the course of the month. maybe it says you gained half a pound, but really you lost some fat and your body is doing other things that show "weight" but not fat.
- always weigh yourself at the same time every day. you weigh more at night than you do in the morning.
- look for ways to "exercise" without exercising. go for a walk. take the stairs. little things like that really add up.
- there's no such thing as instant weight loss. slow and steady wins the race. even though it's just a 6 week challenge, the point is to be healthy doing it.
anyway... that's what i've got. i lost 20 pounds last year and it seems just the simple things are the best. pay attention to what you eat and make sure you're working out. and what other people do doesn't matter, really.
I echo everything Kristin says - great advice! :) (for me, too!)
Also, don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat. It's natural for your body to replace fat with muscle and even if you don't notice a change in size, you might have a slight weight gain. I notice that when I'm working out, I don't change weight, but I change size because the fat is going to muscle.
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