Monday, April 20, 2009

The Frustration of Weight Loss...

...or the lack of it. Ok, that is not entirely true. Since January, I have lost 4 lbs. Which means I'm losing an average of 1 lb/month. Most people who lose weight lose a 1 lb or more a week. It is just so frustrating to see my numbers barely moving from week to week. Yes, I admit, it's better than nothing and it's certainly better than going up on the scale.

My sister and I were emailing each other this morning about how frustrating the weight loss process is. Grab a fitness magazine or listen to a fitness expert...they all have something different to say. For instance, here are a few examples: incorporate strength training into your routine; burn 500 calories a day and take in x number of calories; take in more carbs; eat more if you exercise more than normal; eat less carbs and more protein; "calories in" should be less than your "calories out"; change your routine; etc. I'm not refuting any of these methods but it can be overwhelming and sometimes confusing when methods contradict each other. What exactly is the right recipe for each individual?

I like to think that if I eat healthy and exercise enough, that weight loss would be a natural by-product. (Notice: I said "think".) Apparently this is not necessarily true. I eat healthy...I'm not perfect...but for the most part I know I eat I like should. I don't eat at any fast food places and avoid anything fatty. I don't binge. I do like sweets but limit my in-take (e.g. one small NY Peppermint patty after lunch and possibly 1 fudgecicle after dinner). I eat lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and protein. I try to limit carbs especially anything white (rice, flour, sugar, etc). I mostly drink water; I nixed any soda or sugary drinks. I do have about 2-3 glasses of red wine a week and occasionally a margarita sneaks in.

So where am I going wrong? My sister suggested we count calories for 1 week. I really dislike counting calories which is why rarely do it. I'm not one who wants to measure everything I put in my mouth. What a pain. But I'm hoping that it will shed some light on my eating habits and what I'm doing wrong if anything.

I decided to go to SparkPeople.com; I had signed up in the fall of 2006 and since stopped tracking my progress. At that time, I had lost weight and wanted to lose more. When I had signed up, I was 134 lbs and my goal weight was 128 lbs. Oh my gosh! What a shock! I had forgotten that I was down to 134 lbs at one time. This past Dec/Jan I had peaked at 148-149 lbs. My highest weight ever was somewhere between 152-155 lbs. I never want to get that high again.

Let's recap. My lowest recent weight (2 years ago) is now my goal weight (134 lbs). If I could lose 10-12 lbs....I would be ecstatic! Ecstatic... I tell you! At least, I know I've been there before; let's hope I can get there again.

And so the calorie counting begins!

4 comments:

SWTrigal said...

I SOOoo hear you! Very frustrating to be eating well, training..and still not losing as fast as you want. It really, really sucks! I feel like we are victims of the female gender..

Endurance Nation said...

TriSharkie!!!! You are still in the OutSeason plan, and it's wicked hard to lose weight the way that we train in the OS. I usually recommend that folks dial in _how_ they want to eat now in the OS, then when we start to up the volume (and run volume) while maintaining your diet-foo, you'll see some more weight come off...

Be strong!

P

TRIHARDCHIK said...

I'm right there with you and feel your pain. I also would LOVE to be at my lowest weight, which at the time I was totally unhappy with. If I could be there now, I SAY I would be satisfied.
I agree with SWTrigal--we are victims of the female gender. And I hate to say it, but it really does only get worse as we age.
But hang in there--eating healthy, exercising and being FIT is way more important than the numbers on the scale (that's what I keep telling myself, anyway!).

Calyx Meredith said...

Oh best of luck with the calorie counting - that is such a challenge for me but it can be so empowering! In case you aren't fed up with "advice" - I wanted to share that there is a GREAT book by Martha Beck called the Four Day Win. It is helpful no matter what kind of food plan you're on. She focuses on the brain/emotional part which sounds boring but she's pretty freaking funny. Peace!