So, I've been trying hard to get the pounds to drop on the scale, and for a while they did.
In a matter of a couple weeks, 11 pounds I had dropped and I was psyched to see myself getting closer to my holiday goal pants.
Now, today I weighed in, and the scale reads the number I started with!
Is my body somehow programmed to stay 238 forever? This is the billionth time that I have lost weight only to find that without slacking off in exercise and better eating, that suddenly I'm the exact same weight that I started from.
On top of it, my hair is practically not growing at all. The last week of July, I naired it for a chance to be rid of old damage and get a fresh start and since then, it has grown maybe an inch, but no more. How the heck am I not only continually bouncing back to my starting weight but my hair is growing less than half the rate that it's supposedly supposed to!?
I've had bad motivation issues before, and I just don't know what to do to get these pounds gone forever. This is so frustrating!!!

As far as losing weight, what eating plan are you following? Exercise? Are you eating enough calories to fuel your body? Eating too many?

My mother has been running her own weight loss business focusing on calorie counting, and I've tried to fit myself into her way of doing things, but it's hard! Some days I find that I forget to eat until almost dinner and then go a bit overboard and get my entire day's worth in one sitting and call it good for the day, and others I do try to remember to eat. I think I'm about on target calorie wise, and I've been rotating playing DDR with the 30 Day Shred and the eliptical trainer on days where I just don't want to drive the 25 minutes across town to the gym. I've cut out soda completely, in favor of sparkling waters, don't even crave desert anymore, and allow myself one binge day every so often if I feel I've earned it with my efforts. I also walk 2 miles per day since I love the cooler weather. (Less sweat!!!)
I swear, it feels like I want to bash my head off the wall in frustration when my scale suddenly reverts to reading the starting number. I lose weight, and before I know it, I'm suddenly at the starting point again. I never go over 238, but keeping off anything under it is seeming like an impossible task.
I need a faery to snap its fingers and make my body look like I want it to already!

I think calorie counting is super important! Also, I just learned this lesson myself, lots of sodium makes you retain water weight, which can be part of the gain you see.

My scale hasn't seen below 284 in quite a while and I was >< this close to it before I ate something with tons of sodium in it and I had a 2lb gain!

Okay, that statement I bolded is what I want to address.

For me, counting calories is more than about "thinking" or "guessing". It is imperative that I track each and every bite, lick, taste, sip, drink...every single one. I do it, for free, at sparkpeople.com. I strongly suggest you start tracking your calories..honestly and completely. Find out how much you are really eating, be sure it is enough or not too much, then go from there.

And a binge a day won't help.

Yeah, I agree with Susan. You might want to try to eliminate the binge days if you can. Or instead of making it an all out binge day, limit it to one dessert, or a small portion of something you like. Binges can really set you back.

Oh and sodium? I soooo agree that consuming too much can make you hold water weight. I actually held on to 3 pounds of water weight for a couple days because of high sodium intake. You might want to look at that too.

I agree that I need to track everything I eat. I write it in a notebook, but somehow manage to not keep track of it as often as I should. It's not a binge a day, but once every few weeks, I allow myself one meal that's unhealthy, be it pizza or mac and cheese. I don't do it often as I feel incredibly guilty for it, but it really keeps cravings at bay, knowing I won't disallow everything completely until either my like for certain things changes or I just stop having cravings when stressed or tired.
I never really took the sodium part into account before, as I've always been such a water addict, I thought if there was ever too much in my diet, the water would flush it out. I don't go anywhere without a bottle handy! (bedside table, car, etc) I'm afraid that my motivation is the major issue. ....the LACK of motivation! I've been an untreated extreme add/adhd since childhood and have the hardest time sticking to anything I set my mind to. Every day is another mental adventure on the teacups for me. I can't seem to slow down and focus enough to accomplish my goals, hence forgetting to eat until I'm shaking and sweating, and making excuses to not go to the gym even though I've paid for the membership. My brain doesn't slow down, so I get extremely frustrated and want to give up easily when I don't see results that I want. I know I should kick things into gear some more, but I just don't see how suddenly my weight can revert to the starting point when I didn't give up on my efforts. I've been forcing myself to make better choices, to exercise and not let my reasons to gain the weight be the reasons I can't lose it. My frustrated butt needs some serious suggestions and help.
Thanks to all of you, I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't stumbled across this site!

Maybe the method of life change isn't working for you. I know whenever I've tried to count calories or do points or whatever, it never worked for me - at all. And I just failed right off the bat.

Why not look at something like Carbohydrate Addicts or GI? Both have no coloric limits, but stress healthy, low fat, food - with the GI saying low fat/high fibre. I've lost significant weight on both and didn't feel like I was 'dieting'. I have the added joy of serious depression, so I fell off the wagon after my last breakdown, but am just getting back to it.

I know tons of people swear by calorie counting, but nothing works for everybody - maybe you just need to find what works for you.

Just a suggestion. Good luck finding your 'golden plan'.