I gave up so much to lose weight. But I was so hopeful. I felt healthier and happier and skinnier, only to step on the scale after three weeks of dieting and having only two small meals per day in a 5-6 hour window.
Nothing. Not a pound. I dieted before so it’s not like I don’t know what I’m doing, I know how to lose weight, but I lacked the will power in the past. I powered through this time and I can’t believe I lost no weight.
Zero weight. This was so hard for me yet it yielded no results. I’m devastated.
Edit: I was just looking to vent and have my feelings heard, I wasn’t looking for solutions. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me, I’m not going to give up this time. 🍀
“I felt healthier, happier, skinnier..” I think that is the point to focus on. The scale can at times be a motivator but it can also very easily discourage us.
You aren’t cutting weight to get into some kind of wrestling weight class. You are changing your lifestyle as a means of living longer and healthier. With that in mind you have already achieved that in some degree.
I don’t mean to say you don’t have a right to feel these feelings. They are normal. Just try not to lose sight of the accomplishments you’ve listed that aren’t related to the scale.
You got this!
It took me about a month and a half to see a change on the scale. Some people say up to three months.
It took time to gain the weight and it will take time to lose it. Keep trying, and if you still haven’t gotten anywhere in a few months, maybe talk to a doctor?
I can understand the frustration when that scale doesn’t move. It’s happened to me before but somewhere in one of these subs of weight loss and fasting someone told me to focus on in/cm.
If you’re eating healthy and exercising, you have already lost some fat and it’s been replaced with muscle weight (muscle weighs more than fat in case you didn’t know). But you will see changes in how your clothes fit!
I’ve been plateauing for a couple months at 125 but finally got my waist to shrink from 34 to 28in. Same weight but clearly reduce my body fat. So no worries, you got this!
My approach has been to weigh myself DAILY under identical conditions. Or as near identical as possible. That helps me see fluctuations but also the bigger trends. For instance, a full bladder is over a pound of weight. Seriously! And day to day the weight can vary by 2 or more pounds. Also, as a female, I “gain back” a pound or two during the week before and during my period. I wouldn’t have known any of that if I only weighed in once every few weeks. Just a thought.
I’m In the same boat, I had originally lost 120lbs. Got sick gained 20lbs then decided to quit smoking and gained another 60lbs. Ive been doing a Calorie deficit,18:6,walking briskly 30 mins a day and the weight is not budging. Went to the doctor and got some blood work done now I’m waiting for the results to see if that’s all ok. I feel your frustration!
I’ve been through phases like that. This is why taking measurements is so important. Even though the scale may not move you could still be losing inches. Then all of a sudden one day the scale drops several pounds. Keep up the hard work, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Keep going on it will budge, the body sometimes reallocates weight from fat to muscle. Maybe mix a bit of excercise / runs into your routine, change the meals around etc. i am sure you will have the scale moving soon in the direction you want
You didn’t mention how long you’ve been doing IF. Your body IS changing. I’ve been reading posts for a year now, and many people have been in your shoes. I was lucky, I lost weight and was able to see the lbs drop off, but there were also times when I hit a plateau and didn’t lose for two months, but I felt great. I’m actually in my 2nd plateau right now. I’ve been watching my scale lose and gain the same 2 lbs for 2 months, but I’m not stressing. I’ve just gotten through the holidays with all my homemade high caloric foods, holiday cookies, and desserts. I’ve learned how to eat all these things and not gain weight. Well, 2 lbs, but then I lose them. I have 10 more lbs that I would like to lose. All I know is I am going to stick to IF, no matter what. Trust in the process and be kind to yourself. If you stick to it, it will happen.
I’m not sure if anyone else has brought it up, but weight scale is BS. It’s always the body composition that matters - our body is made up of muscle mass, fat %, water (intracellulair & extra cellular) it may very well be that you dropped lots of fat but gain some muscle? (Which is hooray!) I get the frustration, and I hope this advice could give you a little jolt of hope that you’re doing it right. If possible, get yourself measured at a local gym or something, do a MyBody scan, that’ll put things into perspective. And don’t forget, the goal is to be healthy & feel good about yourself!
I feel your frustrations and that need to vent. Like what others have said, you are on the right track. This group is here for you to vent and as you can tell you have others who are on or have been on the same hill. You got this.
Counting calories may help just to verify you’re meeting your macros.
Remember that the human body is wonderfully complicated and extremely energy efficient. So much so that we still learn new ways to develop our health all the time. Keep those long term goals in mind, maybe even eat a little more and exercise a bit harder. There’s always time to experiment.
This can be so discouraging and frustrating! Can this be related to a health concern, or any meds you may be taking? Sometimes my scale doesn’t move, but my clothes will fit differently. Consider using something else to measure progress. Good luck to you!
I feel you! I’ve been doing it for nearly a month now with no results, and I’ve been strict about following it too. Now I’m working away so don’t have scales, but still following it. It’s kinda depressing and demotivating to have no result for so much effort.
Maybe for some people like us, it just takes a while for our bodies to adjust, before it will work. I’m going to keep at it and find out. Sounds like you will too!
Took at least a month, daily exercise and very low carbs for me to see the needle move. A year later, 35lb down, eating carbs sends it straight back up. Calories seem to matter less for me than carbs but YMMV.
Every body is different but sometimes I believe if I eat more healthy items (low sodium, low cholesterol) instead of limiting myself my body will burn more than stopping because it’s hungry. I got a Apple Watch and it really helps me to make sure I’m doing the work that’s needed. It’s very hard in the winter time but don’t give up!
Maybe set the scale aside and measure only your waist. Waist to height is the only health metric that holds up every time they study it. If you are holding weight steady and shrinking that is the absolute best result, body composition changing.