[inspectorpitt]

and I haven't lost any weight! Not one single solitary pound and I am starting to get so frustrated. I do not eat anything without first measuring, weighing or first knowing the points of what I am about to eat. I strength train 3 days a week for 25 minutes a shot and walk two miles in 30 minutes five days a week. The strength training I have been doing for about a month and the walking for close to 2 months. I have firmed up and lost a couple of inches, but no pounds. Now I know that losing the inches is a good thing, but a pound or two would be nice! I am just getting so frustrated seeing my younger brother, who started at the same time and weighed only 2 pounds less than me, down 15 pounds already and my husband, who started a week later than me and started out weighing 242 is down to 233. I could just scream!!!!

I am supposed to be eating 31 points daily. To be honest I eat more now OP than before, (which I have been lectured about for years by the doctor and husband, the whole body in starvation mode thing ) and there are days when I have to force myself to eat the full 31 points. Now, I do sometimes use flex points on the weekend if we go out, but not usually more than half. I also don't use my activity points.

Does anyone have any hints, pointers or words of wisdom to keep me from getting so frustrated I just give up all together? Someone throw me a life preserver, cause I'm drowning here!

[storylady]

Inspector, I feel your pain!! Honestly, I was so perfectly OP for 5 weeks and lost not a single ounce. Like you I walk and strength train on alternate days. Like you I was ready to throw my hands up and scream I QUIT. But I thought about what that would get me, bigger clothes, more health problems, the list goes on. So decided I had to do something different, something--anything--to shake up what wasn't working. I decided to try higher and lower point days, a few 'real' foods here and there, ice cream, butter, foods that for me had long been taboo. And I cut out all the snack foods that I had relied on, any snack bars, grapes, Kisses, whatever I had used as a snack before, I stopped. I made myself reach for something different, a piece of cheese or slice of turkey (not necessarily going for protein, the main thing was that it was a different kind of choice for me). Oh, and I put away my measuring cups. I tend to be obsessive about it and when my DD said that I was just trying too hard, I decided to trust myself and relax. I still journal, but 'loosely' not in great detail, just an idea of where my points land each day. In the past 2 1/2 weeks I've lost 6 lbs. Maybe it's all a crock and all that hard work I put in for 5 weeks prior finally paid off, I don't know! But for me, it feels like I needed to get out of my routines and shake things up. Again, I sympathize entirely, but hang in there and giving up isn't really an option, is it?
story

[MamaFrog]

I agree with Story, is it the type of foods you are eating? I had a period of time where I still ate junk food and was still within my point range. Once I switched to healthier choices even though the volume of food was more, I began losing.
I'm always torn between eating my AP or not. Depending on how much exercise I get I feel like I'm eating a TON! I also try not to use many of my flex points b/c to me it seems like I'm making it a regular habit. I may save them for one night out or something.
Do you journal? I would keep track of everything you eat and do for a couple of weeks and see if you can note something. Sometimes going back to look at things is better.
If you're doing everything right, then like Story said, try mixing things up a bit. Not the same foods, point level and even exercise! I try to change up exercise every couple of weeks b/c I can tell my body stops responding as well as it did.
I wish you luck and keep up the great work. That is dedication when you're not seeing the results you want but YOU KEEP GOING!