[Universityprincess]

I am very annoyed right now. I have been trying to lose weight for quite some time now and for the past three weeks, I have been stuck at the same weight. Does anyone have any suggestions for continuing to lose weight. My graduation is coming up soon and I want to look even better than I do now. I want the scale to read less than it read when I graduated from high school. Any suggestions?

Mel

[Universityprincess]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I work out at least four times a week with a mix of cardio, dance and weight training. Currently, I count fat grams and try to keep them under 35 per day.

[2frustrated]

OH I'm stuck too!

Are you eating enough? DO you know your RMR, the amount of calories you'd burn if you did NOTHING all day!? Advice is that you shouldn't go lower than this number since it puts your body into starvation mode.

Try shaking things up a bit, maybe doing a different gym class or a different activity. Also try drinking lots of water (someone in the 20 somethings thread swears this works really well!)

Are you under stress at the moment? I'm currently finishing off all my major projects and have finals in 3 weeks! I don't think it helps with the weight loss! I think maybe my body's so busy trying to stop me freaking out and dying that it really doesn't want to let go of that precious food store it's got, just in case I have a nervous breakdown! I might need it!

What I'm doing is just upping my cardio to an extra class a week (even though it takes time, it does wonders for my stress levels) and am trying to eat enough calories but not too many! I'm also really trying not to lose heart, cos I'm thinking that, you know, in 5 weeks, it's all over. How much weight can you put on in 5 weeks? (OK don't answer that!! ) Then when it's all over, I'm going to go sooooo mad on the exercise front, cos I am pig tired of sitting at a desk all day! I feel like running (and I hate running) just to rid the AAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHHH factor!

Hope that helps, sorry it turned into a bit of a rant!

[aphil]

UniversityPrincess-
It is very common to lose a good deal of weight and then have the scale plateau for a little while. This is called a "plateau" and everyone has one at one time or another during their weight loss.
For me personally it is a tough problem. When I lose weight, I don't continually lose a pound a week like some. I tend to lost 3-4 pounds-then plateau for a while-even up to a few months! Then I lose a few more-then plateau again. After losing the initial 10 pounds or so-I have always ran into this problem.
My advice is not to focus on the scale so much right now. If you are staying on plan eating a decent amount of calories for your current weight and activity level-and doing your cardio and strength training exercise-you WILL continue to look better and better even if there is no scale change (or not much of one) for a few weeks. This is where using other methods of progress (besides the scale) can be beneficial to your sanity. Take a picture of yourself once a month and start comparing them...take your measurements with a seamstress measuring tape and record them. You will continue to see changes other than on the scale.
I know it is frustrating-I am in one heck of a scale plateau and the scale hasn't changed for a few months now. I haven't even weighed myself in about a month. I am just trying not to concentrate on it for a while. I am seeing a difference in my body though-my body shape, and so forth.

[Susanna]

Dear Friends I think you are doing great with your food and excercise. Using the scale to measure our progress is a bondage in itself. Maybe you should not weigh yourself so often. Im impressed by your changes, and persistence and your post encouraged me to keep on trying to make the changes Thanks Susanna

[fatbat]

I always hit a plateau at 140... guess what... I'm at 140.

It's VERY frustrating. I am thinking about changing diets and seeing if that helps or hurts.

[Universityprincess]

Thanks everyone for you help! I just hope it does not last very long, but it is annoying to work out and control what/how much I eat and not see any changes. I takes measurements on my own once a month, but I am not expecting any changes this month, even though I have worked out.

Mel

[lovtolaff]

Well I'm glad I read this tonight. It encourages me to NOT worry about the # on the scale. Instead I've been trying to just go by the way my clothes fit and I'm pretty happy with my results. However, when I do step on the scale and see only a 1/2 lb weight loss, I almost get discouraged. Notice I said "almost" - I've been doing alot better recently.

Thanks to all of you for posting your experiences - it really helps.