How can I not get discouraged?

[sororitycookie]

My friend started taking this medicine and lost 9 pounds the first week and 5 the second. I'm on day 10 out of 14 and started at 180, in one week got down to 175 but have been away from the scales till today and am up 176.2???????
I've changed my eating habits, so that should do something to my weight regardless of the medicine but why am i not losing? I'm chugging water, green tea and am on a low calorie counting diet. Nothing drastic like 1,000 cals but more like 1,400. Why am i gaining and better yet, why am i not losing??? :( advice? :rolleyes:

[Special521]

Are you exercising???

[sororitycookie]

well the four days i was off i didn't due to being on vacation (laying around poolside) does applying sunscreen count? hee hee, but overall i live a very very very active lifestyle. Playing tennis two times a week, and i own an elliptical trainer at my house. I walk my dog etc... i did walk on the beach the day it didn't rain.
:(

[jazo]

You are probably losing inches. Hang in there. It takes time.


SW: 209
CW: 205
GW: 150

[jazo]

You are probably losing inches. Hang in there. It takes time.


SW: 209
CW: 205
GW: 150 :cool:

[CHRISTINE99]

Is your friend heavier than you??

[sororitycookie]

Yes she is heavier than me. I'm not expectign to lose what she has, but have never read any of these posts that i've checked out on here that say people have gained weight???
Also, i've read where people are on here a few months and become almost like "immune" to the drug and take a day or two off but i'm only on day 10 and shouldn't have to get off and on this early on? I'm 180, a good 25-30 pounds overweight, it should be coming off me in the first week or two faster than the other weeks due to water weight, so if i've only lost 5 pounds and gained one back then thats not too good of odds is it? :(

[leggsydkj]

This may be a crazy question, but can you lose inches without losing weight? :confused:

[sororitycookie]

I'd consider a hopeful option but my clothes aren't fitting any less tight, meaning for me, thats not what is happening unfortunately. I'd take even inches. I don't mean to complain but i read 100's of posts on this thing before i ordered my pills, and i'm frustrated that i don't have anything good to report. I'm on day 11 and only down 4 pounds. Granted, bright side is i'm 4 pounds lighter, but..... not what i had expected for cost and damage it does to heart...

[mimifromtn]

Phen is not magic and it doesn't take your weight away. You do. The pills only help curb the appetite and give you more energy. None of which will disappear overnight. I have found(and everyone is different) that I loose best(3 lbs. a week) when I eat between 1100-1200 cals and drink at least 120 oz. of water a day. I ride a stationary bike 2 miles every night, and that is all of the extra excercise I do. I intend to add other things when/if I level off.

You have only been trying for 11 days it's too early to get discouraged. Do you weigh everyday?? If you do, DON'T. Pick a day of the week to be your weigh day and only record your weight on that day. Weight can change hour by hour depending on lots of factors. I step on the scale everytime I go to the bathroom, but I only officially weigh on Wednesdays, always butt naked(too much info)so I don't have to consider the variance in clothing from this time vs last. I don't know how much weight you want to loose, but if you want to do it healthy it will take time, you can't start off being impatient, give yourself the credit that is due for the 4 lb loss after all 4lbs off is better than 4 lbs on. Good Luck.

[sororitycookie]

you are right. I didnt think it would be magical, however, I did hear that it sort of was due to people losing weight who usually don't after trying everything else in the world. I saw a 4 pound loss the first week and thought....oh my, they are all right, i was skeptical for nothing, but alas, my fear has settled in that despite my efforts of yes exercise, diet and pill combo, that it may not work for me as it has most other people who post on here. :) I'll wait it out and take the full prescription and hope I'll stop gaining soon enough and may even lose a pound or two more by the end of the month.

[sailorswife]

hi sororitycookie,
please don't get discouraged. taking phen is the first step in making some permanent lifestyle changes. You need to give yourself some time. I bet it took a while for you to gain that weight? it'll take a while for you to lose it too. I have weeks when the scale doesn't move, or moves up a lb or two. But, stick with it, and eventually you will look back and see how far you've come.
I weigh myself every saturday morning, and write it on the calendar. if I wrote out the past few months on this post, you would see that I have had up's and down's...but, over all, it's been a consistant loss. (look at my wt tracker under my signature)
it's taken me almost 5 months to lose 30 lbs, but I have totally revamped my life. I don't snack, I eat slowly and only until I feel full. I have learned to enjoy the taste of healthy food (didn't think that would EVER happen!), I have incorporated several different forms of exercise into my daily habits, I research healthier things to eat at restaurants (starbucks has nutrition facts online for their drinks, so I found out what drinks I can have that won't pack on the calories and fat!), I drink tons of water every day. All these things have become a permanent part of my life now. This way, I can keep my wt level, when I go off phen.
As for your friend's faster wt loss: my best friend started phen about 2 months after I did, and she's lost the same amount of wt as me! but, remember that everyone's body is different too.
The most important thing is for you to keep working on getting yourself healthy. It will happen, and please stick around this forum, you will find lots of support here.

[babagrlshell]

You need to set yourself realistic goals. Only expect about 1 lb a week of weight loss and then you can't set yourself up for failure. And the weeks that a little more comes off- then great. Celebrate. You have just started taking phen. I lost like 12 lbs the first two weeks- I was also about 70 pounds higher than you for my start weight. But the third week, when I started eating more again, I seriously gained like 5 pounds back. It was probably water weight b/c I started drinking diet sodas (really no good for you) and took in more sodium than the prior weeks.
Now my advice to you is that you have to believe in your heart that the phen is not what is going to make you lose weight. You have to be the one with the willpower- it doesn't come in that bottle.
Expect it to take a minimum of 4 months to lose 20 lbs. This is what I mean by realistic goals. Set yourself mini-goals as well. Like every 10 lbs you give yourself a treat of some kind. New shoes, outfit, massage, etc.
Also, definately take saliorswife's advice on only weighing yourself weekly. There are some days (especially those sodium days I was talking about) that I weigh anywhere from 2-5 lbs higher than any of the other days in the week. Pick a day, say like thursday (if you tend to go out to eat on the weekends especially) and make that your official weigh in day. I say thursday because you have the weekend to do whatever- give yourself a cheat meal- weigh in on Monday for a kick in the rump- mind you this is not official, it is just to keep you on track for the week. Then Monday-Wednesday, follow everything to a T, and weigh in first thing on Thursday Morning (after you use the restroom, brush your teeth, but before your shower- totally nude), then WRITE IT DOWN!!! Make sure you are also keeping a food journal. Write down everything you eat (calories included if that is what you are doing), when you eat (time and/or meal), WHY you are eating (mood, because everyone else is- or just physiologically hungry).
Seriously, I have been working on this weight loss since February. And I am still in the same size clothing. I am beginning to see a small difference in my stomach size and what not. I just know that it is going to take a long time to get the results I want. And I need to get my tail to the gym if I have any intention on changing my body shape (cause I am really just a 30 lb smaller version of my 30 lb heavier self).

Also, some people recommend measuring yourself. I personally don't right now because I measured my stomach when I started and cried (my waist was bigger around than my pants inseam- times 1.5 or more). If you work out- especially weight training- on a regular basis, you can lose inches without losing weight- this is because the muscle mass replaces the fat mass- and we want this!!! Because 1 lb of fat is about equivalent to a large grapefruit. And one lb of muscle is roughly about the size of a small lime. Fat looks 3 times bigger than muscle.
If you are drinking soda, try stopping for a week or so. Cut your sodium intake and try to aim for at least 4- 20 oz bottles of water each day. If you need a little change in flavor, get the crystal light lemonade packs, or sugar free kool aid, and wal mart has a fruit punch flavor that is like the crystal light packs.
Believe me- I don't want to sound like I'm on a high horse. I know I have food issues, we all do- the key is finding out what they are and change them. Do some soul searching and figure out why you want to lose weight. Remember that it can't be for vanity's sake. Vanity is no reason to lose weight- this is why we yo-yo diet. We get to where we want to be, and go back to old eating habits- which is a waste of time. It has to be for you. Stay the course and things will work out. Good luck.

[sororitycookie]

Wow, both you and sailor's wife have totally brightened my morning. I came in this morning ready to see if anyone wrote back and i have just about a new outlook on life. You two have really, really encouraged me to kick my negative thinking and make this thing work for me! I'm truley excited and just have to get over my tendency to be impatient (trained to be that way due to my job, deadlines, deadlines, deadlines- am geared to see results fast adn thats what's killing me).
I'll learn to take it slow. I do log ( in excel file i created) a daily journal of what i eat, serving size and calories. I shoot for 1,300 cals a day knowing i could probably go to 1,400 because I'm told i can eat up to 1,700 and then to lose weight minus out 500 cals and that is where i got that number. I carry a water tumbler around with me that has about 64 oz of water and i drink two big tumblers of green tea in the morning (16oz each) to help me "pee" often. I think i've lost some water weight, but don't feel bloated. I go to the obgyn today to get an accurate testing of the scale so i can make sure the one at work is accurate and i weigh in thursdays, but sometimes i admit, i'm not obsessed out of weight vanity but more out of curiosity of the pill and sneak in a weigh here and there. :) Thank you both so much for the kind words, the encouragement. I"m glad i've got two new buddies to share this journey with!! Thanks!!!