Here lately I've been feeling discouraged. I've been busting my butt but the scale is hardly moving. I'm already putting in at least one hour of exercise a day. Some days as much as two since I had been training for a 5k and trying to help my co worker stay motivated to. Now this week I've added a circuit training of sorts to the mix. I feel like I'm doing tons of work and not seeing as much progress as I think I should. Anyone else ever feel like this?

Oh and I'm 8 months out.

Am I just expecting to much? I really hope my body has not decided that this is as far as it wants to go. I still have another 30 pounds until I'm at a "normal" bmi. (And let's not get me started on the stupid out if whack bmi chart)

I'm going through something similar. The closer you get to goal, the slower the scale moves. I am 15 pounds from goal and I will go two-three weeks without any loss then lose 1 or 2 pounds. What helped me was only weighing once a week so I don't get discouraged. I don't think you are done just keep exercising and track your calories. Most of all be patient!

You know, setting goal weight makes me a little crazy. What does it really mean? I struggled with what my goal weight "should" be, but then decided to just throw it out the window. I figured I would just keep exercising (I ran and did classes and WT, too) and my body and my weight would be what it would be. I know if I got discouraged and gave up, I would definitely not reach ANY goals, so, I just kept doing what I was doing and only weigh once a month. I was feeling great, exercising like I had never done before and reaching levels of fitness I never knew I could achieve. I was looking great and feeling great.

Isn't that my true goal anyway? Who cares what the scale says? It only measures weight, not fat and it definitely doesn't measure my overall health, so ... why get on it?

Edited April 23, 201412 yr by PdxMan

Thanks. I have been weighing daily. My reasoning for that is so I always know where I am and have no surprises. I might pull back though. It's getting frustrating right now.

Yes, if you are going to use the scale then only once a week, at the same time and place... good luck...the newer exercise is probably building your muscle and diminishing your fat, but when the scale doesn't reflect it, it can be discouraging

Thanks. I have been weighing daily. My reasoning for that is so I always know where I am and have no surprises. I might pull back though. It's getting frustrating right now.

So, let me ask you this ... how compliant to the guidelines are you? Please know that I am not perfect. I don't want to come across as someone who is 100% compliant. I follow more of the 90/10 line, meaning, 90% of the time I eat nutritious, balanced meals, 10% of the time, I don't. It works for me.

But when I read something like what you wrote, "I have no surprises", it makes me wonder about compliance. If you know you are compliant, then you should have nothing to worry about. It's that little voice inside my head that tells me when I am out of balance on my 90/10 plan that tells me I should be worried.

Know what I mean?

@PdxMan you know you are so right! we all have been over weight & we all have a number in our heads that we want to be... but our real goal is to be healthly & feel good - Right? I think that is going to be my new goal... and stop beating myself up over the scale...

it surely took me more then 6 months to pack on the weight... so for it to all come off in that time is kind of crazy to think that... thanks!!

Edited April 23, 201412 yr by skinnygirlwithin

I put my scale in the kitchen so my husband would not fall trying to get to it in my bath, and we walk by it every day without weighing. We are feeling great, eating right and if we never lost another pound this has been the most amazing thing we have done for ourselves. Looking at that scale is a visual reminder of woohoo, we are not worrying anymore! Trust me, you will get this as you get further out from surgery.

So, let me ask you this ... how compliant to the guidelines are you? Please know that I am not perfect. I don't want to come across as someone who is 100% compliant. I follow more of the 90/10 line, meaning, 90% of the time I eat nutritious, balanced meals, 10% of the time, I don't. It works for me.

But when I read something like what you wrote, "I have no surprises", it makes me wonder about compliance. If you know you are compliant, then you should have nothing to worry about. It's that little voice inside my head that tells me when I am out of balance on my 90/10 plan that tells me I should be worried.

Know what I mean?

You know my first response to this is to say "yes, of course I'm compliant" but it did get me to thinking. So, I looked back at Mfp over the last week and I was astound by the precentage of fat. Of course I keep a close eye on my carbs but I don't have a set number that I stay under. I just don't eat bread, Pasta and potatoes. And of course my main focus is Protein and then again I rarely get more than 60 grams. Just don't eat enough, I love to have a few bites of veggies with my meat which fills me too fast. But the fat I haven't been keeping track of. I eat cheese and nuts which I know are high in fat but they have the protein that I'm after and they are easy when I'm on the go. I wonder if this is where I need to start focusing. Lowering that percentage.

My wanting to stay on top and not have surprises at the scale is ingrained in me from my weight watchers days. I hated to get to weigh in day and thinking I'd done a fabulous job that week and gaining instead of loosing.