[Cassa]

Ok, I'm going to try not to whine here, but I'm really frustrated.

I don't know why, but this happens every time. I was doing so well! I'm eating very well, working out like a maniac, and I'm stalled. I lost 6lbs the first week (that was 2 weeks ago), but now I'm stuck. I'm trying so hard, but not getting anywhere. The scale is going up and down constantly - by as much as 6 lbs even within a single day.

I don't want to give up on myself, but it's hard not to when trying so hard is getting me nowhere.

Any words of advice or insight would be really helpful right now.

Thanks, girls!

~Cassie

[Smagash]

6 lbs is nearly 18000 calories

alternatively 8 pounds is about a gallon of water

the fluctuation is probably best attributed to water, unless your eating 180 100 calorie packs or such a day.

stick to it is cliche advice, but really from what i hear and what my view is, it is not trying to loss weight, its trying to live a healthier longer life with weightless as a by product of that lifestyle. the extreme of this attitude is to never look at the scale, but we are human and motivation in that little peice of equipment is nothing to discount.

id say take a middle ground, step on the scale once a week, the same time( this is important), wearing roughly the same clothes. and aim for that downward trend.

[just keep swimming]

I'm having the same problem. I've lost 7 lbs, but I've been stuck at 170 for over a week, and I just want so badly to say goodbye to the 170's forever, and I can't seem to do it.

I just have to keep telling myself that it will happen, and it always goes faster at first and then slows down. When weight loss is slow, or even stalled, you keep making healthy choices, and eventually it will make a difference. At worst, you're improving your health, and that never hurt anybody.

I've been so impatient in all my prior attempts, and then I just give up. I know I have to make it stick this time, and in order to do that, I have to accept that sometimes one pound will drag on for an eternity. But then it will seem that much better when we get there.

Keep up the good work. We can do this. We WILL do this.

[jayohwhy]

just keep going! my weight loss is starting to slow down too, so i know how you feel. you could try drinking more water, i know that helps some people.. the diet i'm doing has a "plateau meal" that is supposed to kickstart your weight loss.. if you want to try it, ask me!

don't give up!

[taragettingthin]

I know how you feel... The first month, my weight went down by only 2 lbs. I don't know how much calories you are eating, but if you are eatting too little, that may have something to do with it.. Also, drink lots of water. When I did WW, whenever I stopped drinking water, it showed on the scale. I am trying to drink at least 64 oz of water per day and it helped this week.
Good luck, and remember that in order to lose weight for good, you have to think of this as a life style, not as a goal to reach and forget. I'm sure you will see the number going down soon.

[shrinkinglizzy]

I'm with Smagash. It sounds like you're letting the scale run you. Put it away, and focus on your habits. The point here is to create long lasting habits that will make you a healthy person in this unhealthy world. Try not to get caught up in the numbers on the scale, they are but one indication of your progress. Have you exercised today? Have you eaten lots of veggies? Have you had lots of water? If you make healthy improvements, you will be improved. No matter what the scale says, I know you know this is true.
Try to get your focus off of that number and put it on your decisions throughout the day. You can do this!!
S

[rockstar87]

I agree with everyone else. You're not gaining 6lbs a day. Period. I know it's hard to not obsess over the scale (I'm still working on it myself) but it sounds like you're doing really well with working out the eating right. Are you journaling your food? Sometimes I find I'm missing little things here and there that could be really high in sodium or something and make me retain water. I've had the odd night out with drinking (like once every 6 weeks) and such and I've even attempted to work it into my calories. However, whenever I weigh myself the next day I'm up 3lbs and I'm really bloated. No I did not consume an excess of 10,000+ calories in one night... there's a ton of reasons why I'm up that much. I drink my water with my cranberry juice the next day and eat really cleanly and within two days I'm back on track. Fluctuations happen. I think the hardest part is when you first start losing weight and a fluctuation of a few pounds makes it look like you've gained back everything you lost. That's really hard to stomach mentally. I was so happy when I got to the point where my little fluctuations wouldn't put me back to my starting weight.

Have you tried only weighing in once a week? Or even once every few days? I know it's hard but if you're getting really frustrated with the scale it could help you try and break away from being so consumed by it. Yes, you should be losing weight but plateaus happen. Fluctuations happen. Give your body time to adjust. You'll be fine.

[3Beans]

Weighing yourself more than once a day isn't helpful. If you weigh yourself in the morning that should do it. If you weigh yourself at night, it's like putting several glasses of water and a small bag of groceries on top of the scale, then standing on it - no surprise the number's higher!

Several other things:

• A healthy rate of loss is 1-2 lbs. per week. You lost 6 lbs. the first week, so it may slow down now.
• This is a marathon, not a sprint. You can't let daily and weekly fluctuations throw you so much! Look for trends over time, tweak your plan accordingly.
• You mentioned that you start out going full steam but soon give up, over an over. Why try the same strategy again if it hasn't worked before? SLOW DOWN. A steady rate of loss over time will get you where you need to be eventually. Working out "like a maniac" and eating too little isn't sustainable.

Just some thoughts. I hope you find a way to work it out this time!

[emmyroo]

I just wanted to second the words of 3Beans there. If you are serious about losing weight then you're in this for the long haul. Six pounds in a week is not only unrealistic but unhealthy, and probably caused by eating too little or drinking too little (as strange as that sounds - I can explain the biochemistry of it if you like).

I weigh myself every few days. If I had a splurge day, I give myself a day without weighing to get rid of the excess. I enter my weight every time I hop on the scale onto FitDay, which graphs my weight loss over time. There are lots of ups and down along the way, the but the downward trend is quite clear!

I also wanted to agree with the several mentions of water intake. If I haven't drunk enough water for a day or two, I gain several pounds, because my body believes that it is drying out and hangs onto every drop of water it has available instead of flushing it out of my system like usual. So the more water you drink, the more willing your body is to let it go, because it knows that more is on the way.

[rockstar87]

See, I disagree that losing six pounds the first week is unhealthy. You probably shocked your system through a drastic change in diet and exercise and dropped a lot of water. It's normal to lose more the first week or two, especially if you have more weight to lose. If you continued to lose at a rate of 6lbs/week then yes, you'd probably have to be doing something unhealthy to get a number like that.

But that being said, bear in mind a lot of that probably was water, so the fluctuations can occur. Just keep powering through and try not to let this get you down too much.

[emmyroo]

Originally Posted by rockstar87

See, I disagree that losing six pounds the first week is unhealthy. You probably shocked your system through a drastic change in diet and exercise and dropped a lot of water. It's normal to lose more the first week or two, especially if you have more weight to lose. If you continued to lose at a rate of 6lbs/week then yes, you'd probably have to be doing something unhealthy to get a number like that.

Thanks for clarifying that, rockstar. I've never lost a lot of weight at the beginning of a diet, and I have no idea how much is realistic. So what I really meant was continuing on after that. I find that a pound or two a week is really the most I can expect of myself.

[rockstar87]

Originally Posted by emmyroo

Thanks for clarifying that, rockstar. I've never lost a lot of weight at the beginning of a diet, and I have no idea how much is realistic. So what I really meant was continuing on after that. I find that a pound or two a week is really the most I can expect of myself.

Yeah, absolutely. One-two pounds, maybe even three if you're significantly overweight. I fight like **** for my one pound a week!

[Cassa]

Thanks for all the encouragement, girls. It's a big help.

I know that drastically cutting calories and working out like a maniac isn't the answer. [I struggled with an eating disorder *correction: still struggle with* all through high school - at one point going from a size 16 to a 9 in a matter of weeks.] I'm still dealing with the consequences of making unhealthy choices.

I have PCOS and for the past 6 months have been in a medical research study for it. Part of the study involves a dietician, and their plan hasn't worked for me. They've been pretty nasty about it, and it really got to me. I was trying to get them to realize that this up and down diet roller coaster is how it's always been for me, and they only responded with judgement and criticism. I'm so frustrated! I dropped 30lbs without them - once I allowed them to start me on these meds, I gained 10 back. I know what I'm doing.

But the study is over now, and this is back in my own hands. So here goes girls, I'm getting back on track. And I'm doing to be smart about it. I'm going to do what I know works for me [only in healthy ways!], and I'm going to try like **** not to berate myself when it doesn't happen as quickly as I need it to.

Thanks again, girls!

~Cassie

[MCheyenne6]

Cassie,
For one thing, in a non-lesbian way... you are really pretty. I recently started Weight Watchers, my first week I lost 6 pounds. The next was only 2 lbs and its been 2 lbs each week for the last 3 weeks. It does add up in the grand scheme of things. I know what it's like to lose motivation, but you have to picture the way you want to look. Stick to your routine, it sounds like a healthy one!!

[MCheyenne6]

One more thing....it also varies per scale. By that I mean I have a homedics digital scale and when i bought it it came with a sticket saying that each time you use it, you have to step on it more than once. I.e. this morning I weighed myself a 224.3 then i waited for it to hit 0 again, jumped back on and it shows 220.6. I mean that is a few pounds difference also. If your scale is digital, try it once... get on and step off, wait till it clears and try it again. Sounds nuts, i know