I weighed myself today. I gained one lb. All week I have been, for the most part, eating under my calories. I eat about 1200 cals a day and work out everyday. To be honest, I have slipped a couple of nights by snacking a little too much. I am wondering if this is fat I've gained, or muscle. I have been lifting weights every other day and know that the number on the scale can go up if you've gained muscle. I just work out hard and I think that I am burning off my little snacks here and there. I track everything I eat and all the work outs I do and know I have never gone too overboard. I have not been in the 160's for a very long time and want to be in them so badly. I am just feeling discouraged. It's hard for me to not eat anymore than 1200 cals and it would suck if I would have to just limit my cals or up my cardio. I mean, I think I get really good workouts from my dvds. I feel energetic when I do them and I sweat like a pig, and it really gets my heartrate going. Any advice? It's got me really down because I worked out so hard this week that I wanted to see some numbers go down.

It could be that you are actually not eating enough calories. I have read in other threads of this happining, and after taking the advice, they got right back on track.

Could any other chicks out there help me out with the counts?

Maybe you could explore raising your calories without having to increase exercise? It may take it a week or so to get your metabolism in line with a bit higher calories; but if you are having great difficulty sticking to a 1200 calorie diet I think maybe even a zig-zag might work for you. I still do have a few 1200 calorie days and then a few that are 300-500 higher. There is no need to suffer.

I can honestly say that I would absolutely NOT be able to lose the weight if I had to stick to such a strict calorie schedule. Finding a plan that allows you to be flexible yet also feel like you do have some self-discipline can be confusing, but not impossible

Wait wait wait. This is ONE POUND.

My scale fluctuates one pound if I look at it funny. Hormones, water retention, a hot day, a little too much sodium, a new exercise routine....one pound is NOTHING. Seriously. Have you seen our "Scale Fluctuations" thread? http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...er-weight.html

One week is not enough time to know if anything is working. It is possible that you've been eating too little, but there is no way to know that after a week, with a 1 lb fluctuation.

Stick with it, don't panic, and keep going with this for at least another week or so. If you're still not seeing scale movement, you can consider mixing things up.

You may have lost it again tomorrow... Small fluctuations are normal... Just don`t let it get to you too much or worse, don`t let it give up the good work!

I know it's just one lb. It just kind of shocked me. I think Im freaking out a little because whenever I get close to a small goal, I stop losing it, (like in this case, I gained 1 lb) then I stop after getting discouraged, and then the vicious cycle continues. Thanks for the support and for helping me check back into reality, Mandalinn. I will keep on going. We will see what next week says.

I can vary 1-5 lbs in a single day, 1 lb fluctations are just that - fluctuations.

If you are only eating 1200 calories a day, it is doubtful you are building any significant muscle mass. Fat does not transform into muscle, it is built from strength building exercises and excess calories.

I would definitely advise eating more - 1200 calories gives you very little options in your weight loss journey. What if you truly stall at some point and need to cut back? Adding an extra 200 healthy calories a day is as easy as adding a 1/4 cup of heart-healthy nuts to your daily diet.

For 20 years, I thought if I could lose some weight, cutting some calories, I could lose MORE weight by cutting more calories. I was wrong and unsuccessful at losing weight and keeping it off. I was finally successful when I decided to concentrate on eating healthy foods and taking good care of my body. I lost the majority of my weight eating around 1600 calories a day.

Good luck.

Try going up to 1400 cal per day while exercising and see what happens. Also, drink a TON of water...you do not want to dehydrate while exercising as this can make you retain water weight. Hydrate yourself fully.

But I know what you mean about having a setback and then losing it. Gotta just close your eyes and mind sometimes and keep going.

I just wonder what more could I eat that's healthy if I was going to try to increase some calories. Probably more fruits and veggies and nuts. I'm not worrried about my water intake because i truly drink plenty of water everyday.

I understand your frustration, but your weight will fluctuate. If you are eating healthily and exercising, which you are, you will lose weight and inches, regardless of what the scale says on 1 day

A pound isn't too bad- in fact 1-5 lbs fluctuations are normal- I went up 2.5 lbs from my last weigh in- I know for a fact I did nothing wrong- but then TOM is coming up next week and it might be that. I have also upped my water intake cuz of the heat- it could partly be that too- you never know.

Don't let a number dictate your mood- think of all the positives so far. For me with my condition I've noticed that the side effects have gone down and other things like my skin looks better, I no longer have dandruff issues, and so on- it's WONDERFUL Think about your non scale victories when the scale acts up

Yes, an extra snack of fruit or nuts, another serving of veggies. Any of those can go a long way to help you feel full.

While I definitely agree with the others about it only being one pound, I decided not to address that, as one pound could be attributed to many things.

I zeroed in on the 1200 cals because you said it was getting difficult to maintain. You have to find something you can stick with.

Some people here have been able to ride out their entire weight loss journey on 1200 calories. I prefer to keep cals as high as I can so that I have the option to drop later if need be. Plus, I think I would always be hungry and it might lead me to falling off the wagon way too early. But everyone is different and it can take a little experimenting.

I actually felt the same way today as the scale did the same thing to me. I even tried to cheat by weighing myself after my cardio and lots of sweating. NOTHING. So ...I thought I would up my calories today. I didn't make it. I have been getting just at 1200 cs per day most days....I got to 1350 today and didn't want to eat dinner.

My body is sore and I am just bushed. I think I wil just be kind to it and keep trucking...the weight is going to go down!

I like the idea of upping calories to about 1600 if you are consistently getting 1200. the little jag--seems to jump start the metabolism.

You said that you've slipped a couple of nights.... Just what kind of slip are we talking here?

If you are not satisfied eating 1200 calories, then perhaps you should add in a couple hundred more nutritious ones. ESPECIALLY if adding them in intentionally will prevent you from "slipping in the evenings". You spend more now to save even more later.

I would also plan out my nights (& days for that matter) much better. Add in a nice sized snack so that you avoid a "slip". Make sure to have your home stocked with satisfying and nutritious foods that are lower calorie. Get rid of the junk so that if you should "slip" damage is minimal.

Don't be so down on yourself. It takes time to get things "down pat" and figure out what works and what doesn't work for yourself. You'll get there.