I've been working hard on curbing my habits and exercising harder for about three weeks now. I know that's nothing but I've not even lost 1lb! In fact, I think I put on 2. I just feel so angry at myself and at my body. Every time I look at it I feel angry and disgusted with myself.
Also, I've been getting REALLY thirsty since I started and drinking lots more water than I normally would. Is this common?
Keep going and the weight will come off. Your body is in shock from your eating and exercise changes. Sometimes, it does not know what to do and holds onto the fat. When I first started dieting/exercising, my doctor said it can take up to a month after a significant diet and exercise change for the weight to come off.
Stay strong, it will pay off!
I agree with NEMom. Some people who lose weight almost immediately and for others, like you, maybe not so much. You say that you are curbing what your habits (I assume eating habits, right?) but what does that mean exactly? Are you writing down everything you eat and counting calories?
And I'm not saying this to be snarky, I'm only saying this because I have done this myself but --- Are you curbing your food intake by consuming 2000 calories as opposed to 3000? Because this is what I did when I first tried losing weight once. Being a binge eater and downing 4,000-5,000 calories a day and "curbing" it down to 2500 only put me in the category of maintaining, not losing. My eating certainly improved but it wasn't drastic enough to lose weight.
The other thing to consider is that if you are working out like crazy then it's possible your body is holding onto excess fluid to help your muscles heal. Ironically, the more water you drink the more your body will give that excess up and you'll see what is commonly referred to as a "whoosh" on the scale. One day you will be up 2 pounds and the next you could be down 2 pounds.
Our bodies are crazy! But you'll figure yours out as more time passes.
Thanks for the advice guys! I really don't think I exceed 2000 calories in a normal day anyway. I'll have toast or fruit for breakfast, something like a sandwich for lunch and then something like meat or pasta with lots of vegetables for dinner (and that's before I actively started trying to lose weight).
However, sometimes I go OTT on snacks. I can't just have one of something and I love fizzy drinks so those are the habits I'm concentrating most on. I've also started trying to listen to my body more. Like that natural point in a meal where you want to 'rest' for a minute is your body saying 'I'm full'. Now, after this point, I no longer continue eating until my plate is empty.
I am a student though and sometimes I do eat irregularly and sometimes miss dinner or breakfast (which I know isn't good for me - my Mum always tells me off!).
I'm gonna keep on with the water though and giving my body what it needs, not what I've made it think it wants.
My guess is that you might be overeating and aren't aware of it. If you're not sure of how many you're consuming, you need to measure, write down and check with an online calorie counter (there are many available) until you are certain of your calories. It's so easy to miss a bite of this, an extra piece of that.. and before you know it you're up in the 2500 cals range.
In addition, you might need to lower your calorie goal in order to be in a deficit - 2000 may be too high. I personally am at about 1450, and I'm considerably taller than you (but I'm also 43, so you will have a faster resting metabolism).
I agree with kirsteng about possibly miscalculating the amount of calories you are eating. And even if you are at 2,000 a day, I'd lower it to about 1600. There are some good calorie calculators out on the web you can find which take exercising into consideration.
The other thing I'd suggest is to cut out some of those carbs girl! They say that when you exercise your body gets its energy from carbs first and then when there are no more carbs it starts to attack your fat stores. Which is what you want! So the less carbs in your body during a work out the quicker your fat stores are targeted for weight loss.
Low calorie, lower carb (maybe 100-150g a day?) and exercise. This was my recipe for success. Maybe yours too?
Sometimes we just have to play around with a bunch of different weight loss plans until you find one that works best for you. But no worries -- stay diligent and you will see those pounds melting off you!!
I understand its hard to get discouraged. I am a slow loser for weight myself. I just started my 3rd week of weight lose journey AGAIN! I have lost 3 pounds so far. I limit my calories in to 1350 and try to burn 2350. I never knew how much I was putting in until I started tracking. Holy cow was it a surprise. A plain bagel was 240 cal. Thats more then a 1/2 hr on a recumbent bike. When you start looking at how much you have to exercise to burn what you eat, it's an eye opener.
Right now I am craving chocolate.. but I am at my intake limit .. unless I can do more to burn....
Hang in there.. its a work in progress.. at least for me.. this time I will make it
Thanks for all of your advice everyone! I try not to exceed 4-500 calories per meal and if I snack it's on apples. I LOVE APPLES! I think the annoying thing for me is that I eat out a lot to socialise and I'm never sure exactly how many calories are in things - I do try to go for the lighter option though. I don't go to the gym but I walk about 40 minutes a day (10 minutes of which is up the steepest hill you've ever seen in your life).
I would really try and reign in your calorie counting/portions though, it sounds like you don't really know your intake and unfortunately it's a numbers gain. The "lighter" options in restaurants can often still push 800-1000 calories. I recommend reading a book called "Eat this, not that!" (maybe there is a UK equivalent- ask the UK chicks section) to help decide what to eat.
Everyone here gives such great advice that I won't add much, but I would like to ask about the excessive thirst you said you were experiencing. Has that subsided at all? Do you think it is related to the types of food you are eating? Do you think your sodium intake is too high? I don't want to "scare" you with speculation, but as a nurse, it perks my ears up. If it is still an issue, make sure you bring it up with your doctor.
Just keep on keeping on. And keep letting us know how it is going.
So discouraged!
They say that when you exercise your body gets its energy from carbs first and then when there are no more carbs it starts to attack your fat stores. Which is what you want! So the less carbs in your body during a work out the quicker your fat stores are targeted for weight loss. 
