weight loss frustration! page

[RJPants]

I'm trying to lose a ton of weight, a little more than 150 pounds actually. I hit my highest weight around 316. I started eating primal about 2 weeks ago, and am down to 311.6 today. I know some people frown at doing calorie counts, and weighing, but I find it helpful to track everything I eat, and to weigh every day, so I can track the average weight loss. Tracking my food has been helping me to make sure I am not getting too many carbs. I started out eat fruit, and was getting about 80 carbs a day, but I lost a couple pounds, but then was gaining a few days in a row. I cut out fruit about 4 days ago, and lost a couple more pounds, but today my weight went up by a fraction instead of further down. It's really frustrating that I am not losing weight as fast as I would like. I know that 2 pounds a week is healthy weight loss for a normal person, but being so big, and making SUCH a drastic change to my eating, I figured it would come off faster at first. As a history, I have had a lot of food addiction problems, and I have found that this "diet" is as close as I can get to going cold turkey. I'm such a carbaholic. In the past I was known to go through a box of donuts and gallon of milk in a few days. Since going primal, I haven't had any milk to drink, and no grains at all. I started eating too much fruit, and I worried I was just moving addictions, so I cut that out as well. I haven't been as active as I should be. Does anyone have any reccomendations to get the weight loss going faster, or any advice for how not to break down and give in to food temptations? Sorry this is so long!

[Lily Marie]

Your weight can change by a few pounds through the day. It's water, fat, muscle and the weight of the food you're eating. I say, put the scale away for 2 weeks or longer and just concentrate on the actual food and exercise/activity part.

Tracking your weight every day is not helpful, but frustrating and innacurate.

[js290]

I know some people frown at doing calorie counts, and weighing, but I find it helpful to track everything I eat, and to weigh every day, so I can track the average weight loss. Tracking my food has been helping me to make sure I am not getting too many carbs.

You're measuring the wrong things.

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[ShannonPA-S]

First -- take a deep breath!! You didn't get that big overnight and you can't fix it overnight. This is speaking as a 5'4" female who once weighed 365. I am now 250 and still need to lose a lot more obviously. I did something to myself that I don't recommend anyone doing unless in dire circumstances...I had weight loss surgery a couple years ago. But I think it honestly made me worse because now I can't eat much at all and my metabolism got really slowed down. I actually lost most of my weight without WLS, so I can tell you that it is possible. And there are quite a few awesome people on here who have lost it the old-fashioned way. You can do this! But I have to tell you that I think you need to stop focusing on weight, at least for awhile. You need to be focusing on health. Health does not equal weight. There is so much more. Put the damn scale away for a while and start focusing on what your body is telling you.

First, some questions:

Male/female? Age? Lowest adult weight? Heavy as a child? Diabetes or other health problems? Thyroid problems? What foods make you feel healthy and well? This last question is answered differently by everyone. Some people love big hunks of meat and fat; others love a big green salad with lean meat and olive oil. The important thing is to find what works for you.

I'm asking these questions because if you were always overweight, especially as a child and young adult, your metabolism is likely jacked from trying to diet. That is my experience. Also, know that people respond to various levels of macronutrients differently. I have always been someone who does well on more carbs than fat...no matter how large I was. I have never been considered insulin resistant from any medical test I've had. Yet some overweight/obese people are highly insulin resistant and the amount of carbs matter in a big way.

What food temptations do you have? Most people on here are going to ask if you're eating enough fat and protein. If you're eating adequate fat and protein, food temptations are easier to overcome. Also, you use the word "break down." It sounds like you are really worried about being perfect. I hope you aren't looking at this as an "all or nothing" mentality. That just puts so much pressure on you and can drive you away from the very goal of getting healthy.

This is all over the place, sorry; my daughter is singing very loudly and I'm totally distracted.

[loafingcactus]

I'm a daily weigher and someone out to re-lose 80+ pounds. I think tracking and data are great for accountability. I think not eating fruit at a high weight is vital. That being said, you aren't handling daily weighing well. You've just explained how it is messing with your head and causing irrationality from what you "know". Put away the scale for now. Once a week, at most.

[Sanctus Real]

Don't let the scale psych you out! I must confess, I, too, am a daily weigher. I just take whatever number with a grain of salt. So many different factors can affect your weight. If I weigh myself before my workout and again after, I appear to have lost 3 pounds. Did I really? Oh, hells no! I just worked off 3 pounds of water I'm going to replace over the course of the evening.

You didn't get that big overnight and you can't fix it overnight.

+1 I wasn't as big as you when I started this lifestyle, and weight loss wasn't the reason. There are a lot of reasons to become Primal, don' t overlook all but one. I started this to make myself stronger, more healthy. And you know what? I still don't have the level of health and fitness I aspire to, but I'm getting closer. Every day, you're getting closer whether or not the scale tells you so.

Have you thought about drastically cutting your carbs by changing the types of fruit you eat? Maybe try a month limiting your fruit intake to berries and such. Half a medium cantaloupe has around 20ish carbs, so it's good for a low carb fruit fix. Peaches, apricots... I'm making myself drool, lol.

I hate to play the part of Exercise Police, but have you started an exercise program? Maybe just walking for an hour a day or something?

[Kenzington]

As someone who used to weigh 300 pounds too..... I understand your frustration.

Let me tell you, I had a gastric bypass which is how I lost my first 120 pounds. I've lost the last 20 by changing my eating habits and going primal. Even with having barely any food at all some days your body just doesn't let go of weight. It would happen for me that I wouldn't change and then one day I'd suddenly be down 5 pounds. Bodies are weird. Don't get discouraged.

I would advise against calorie counting. I do advocate journaling though. Write down what you eat, the amount and when. But no calories. Be accountable for the lifestyle and the behaviors that have gotten you to that point. If you're eating like you're SUPPOSED to, you won't have to worry about calories. I know it's hard because you want to see progress. But that's a diet mentality. Get out of that or this will never stick for you.

Focus on sticking to the plan really hard for a couple of weeks and then weigh and measure inches. Repeat. Keep moving!!

[Griff]

Please read "Newbies: ditch the scale!" in the Meet and Greet section. The number on the scale is not the important part. The way you feel is the important part. You are also only two weeks in! Learn some patience.

[ElaineC]

I've lost about 70lbs since going primal, and still have 100+ to go. I think one of the hardest things for me is staying off the scale, I tend to obsess. I've done all kinds of damage to myself and my poor brain, I will lose weight and think I'm gaining, I'll gain weight and believe I'm losing, its reasonably awful. I look in the mirror, and I don't see what other people see, and what I do see can change from day to day, moment to moment.

I've asked people I know well, and people I trust, to TELL me if it looks like I've lost weight. Not just because, and not whenever, but when they can actually see that my body shape has changed. This has helped me hugely! These are people I'm around a fair bit, and when I told them my situation and asked them to do this for me, they couldn't believe that I couldn't tell I'd lost weight. They were quite shocked actually.

Focus on how you feel. Focus on whether or not you feel better, worse, less sore, more energetic etc. These were the things that made me realize Primal is the thing for me, and weight loss became a secondary bonus. I'm slowly getting my life back, and even though its going to take a while, I know that as long as I stick with Primal it will happen.

[incognito]

I am over 300lbs as well (at 5'5") and I have been eating this way since june 1st. While I have lost about 12lbs so far, I have lost inches!!!! An inch on both arms, 3 inches around my waist, 2 inches on both thighs, an inch off my hips...etc

As if that wasn't awesome enough, my energy level is incredible, my skin is glowing, and I feel amazing!

Sure i would love to be a size 6/8, but having my size 20 clothes feel looser is pretty awesome.

I cannot keep a scale in my apartment. Its never been good for me. If I gain, I binge because I'm upset, if I'm down I binge because I'm happy.

You've lost a great amount of weight in 2 weeks, how are you feeling? What I can't get over is the results I am getting with what I would consider very minimal effort. The last time I lost 10 pounds in a month, I was counting calories every day, and working out for 45 minuites a day 5-6 times a week. That was an impossible routine for me to keep up.

Stick with it!