Feeling down after losing only 2 pounds in a month
 

hi everyone,

i only lost 2 pounds in the last month. i understand that this is not BAD, as it is 0.5 per week, but I really want to start losing 2 pounds per week.

although i was consistent with my daily caloric intake (1200), i stopped exercising the last month, even though before this i was only exercising 3-5 days per week for around an hour. that first month i lost 12 pounds.

could this be a cause of why my weight loss has slowed? and can exercising that little bit really make the difference between losing 0.5 and 2 pounds per week.

i'm feeling really frustrated as i don't know if i should UP my calories, DOWN my calories, or bring back the exercise.

thanks for your help and support!

It may be coming off slower than anticipated but you're moving in the right direction!

mtr12345 - I feel your pain. I had bigger weight losses when I started in January, and now I've slowed down. It can be discouraging to limit calories and then not see much of a difference. When that happens, I remind myself that I'm successful because I'm sticking to my goals (98% of the time!) and that's making my body healthier.

Exercise - even a little - can make a difference. It can speed up your metabolism so you burn calories faster. It doesn't have to be much. Jonathan Roche on youtube has a short no-excuses workout (one is 6 min; one is a 30-min interval workout that can even be done in a chair). There are lots of others online and elsewhere, just find one that works for you.

Weigh yourself at the same time for each weigh-in. I weigh myself first thing in the morning (after peeing!). I weigh less in the morning and my measurements are less then too (that's true of most people). So if you weighed yourself mid-day today, try weighing yourself in the morning.

In any case, don't be discouraged. As Mike said, you're moving in the right direction. And you're becoming healthier, even if you're not losing the pounds as quickly as you'd like to.

Edited to add: 3-5 hours of exercise a week could burn 600-2300 calories or more depending on the type of exercise you were doing. 2300 calories is about 2/3 of a pound.

thanks for the support guys! carolynnq, i private messaged you to find out a bit more about what you are doing - seems like you have been doing well!

Don't give up!
 

It is a TOTAL bummer when you feel like your progress is almost stagnate! However, I want you to look at those two pounds and acknowledge that thought it wasn't as quick as you wanted, they are still progress, and you should be proud of yourself.

I think exercising makes a huge difference, and it's worth it! Don't be so hard on yourself, it will all work out in the end! I convince myself to exercise by asking myself "What else would you have done with those 30 minutes? Would you REALLY miss that 30 minutes if you do exercise?" The answer is no. I never regret exercise after, even if I'm sore, I'm glad I did it. It's just difficult to motivate myself to do it!

You did a great job losing 2 pounds last month, and if you add back exercising, I bet you will impress yourself!

I'm proud of you, even if you're discouraged!! :)

you are all so supportive and kind! thank you!

i figured out that my weigh in (the one i am writing about) was NOT accurate. turns out, my real weight is 171.5 NOT 180 - considering this, that month I actually lost 10.5 POUNDS!!!!!!

i will never weight myself on a cheap walmart scale again! it really got me down! now i am thrilled - i did a quick weigh in at a doctor's office.

thank you for all your support!