Worried I'm not losing enough

[April4 24]

I'm a bit freaked out I'm not losing enough. I had my surgery Nov 14 and my starting weight was 345lb - it's now Aug (9 months) and I've only lost 80lb. In the last 3 months I've only managed to lose 7lb. 3 months is a long stall. Any tips/help?

[Babbs 14,681]

First off, if you've lost in the last months, it's not a stall. A stall is when the scale doesn't move. You're just experiencing a slow down in weight loss.

Second, 80 pounds is really great! You should be proud of yourself! How much we lose is so individual, and is dependent on so many variables (age, gender, any medical conditions, etc) you just can't compare yourself to others. It will drive you crazy. I know by experience.

If you want to get things moving along again, I suggest you take a good hard look at your plan overall. Are you tracking every bite? Measuring out your portions? Staying away from processed food and keeping carbs to mostly fruits and veggies? Do you you routinely exercise? Getting enough Water and protien?

If you answered no to any of those questions, then that may be the issue. Take each of those things I listed, and start implementing them. For the next couple weeks, do nothing but lean protien and veggies for every meal. If you have to snack, keep it to nuts, cheese or yogurt. Keep your diet clean and natural, and stay way from as much sugar as possible.

Unfortunately, you gotta get a little stricter when you hit slow downs and stalls. You have to really take inventory and really be honest about what you're eating and doing to cause things to slow down and stall. Have you let white carbs and a little too much sugar slip into your diet? I know ot happens to me, and that's when I know I have to nip it in the bud to get things moving along again.

Good luck!

[April4 24]

Hi,

Thanks for that. You're right I do need to get stricter. Up until I slowed down I hadn't done any exercise. So I started walking 60 mins a day and was really frustrated I lost practically nothing. I'll just have to get back to basics

[Babbs 14,681]

Hi,

Thanks for that. You're right I do need to get stricter. Up until I slowed down I hadn't done any exercise. So I started walking 60 mins a day and was really frustrated I lost practically nothing. I'll just have to get back to basics

Hey, I get it. There's nothing more un motivating than not seeing the scale move (or barely move). I've been there. But this is where moxy comes in. You gotta dig deep and ask yourself how bad do you want it? If the answer is DAMMIT YOU WANT IT then you work that much harder to get it! You can do this! Keep us posted!

[Jerr_Bear 241]

But this is where moxy comes in. You gotta dig deep and ask yourself how bad do you want it? If the answer is DAMMIT YOU WANT IT then you work that much harder to get it! You can do this!

@@Babbs I wish I read more of this on these boards. You get it.

[JamieLogical 8,722]

First off, it's great you finally started incorporating exercise. That is definitely a MUST for continued loss and eventual maintenance. However, as counter-intuitive as it is, starting a new exercise plan can actually slow loss or even cause some weight gain initially. The key is to not get discouraged and to stick with it. Eventually it will pay off big time!

[April4 24]

Thanks Jamie - that's very encouraging to know

[JamieLogical 8,722]

Thanks Jamie - that's very encouraging to know

Here's a good article that kind of explains some of the why:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=why_the_scale_goes_up_when_you_start_a_new_workout_plan