Okay, it's not a big loss, but it's a loss. What would have happened if you hadn't been eating well and exercising?

Good for you for sticking with it, and also taking your health into your own hands and seeking answers.

I think we all know how discouraging that can be! My heart goes out to you. What I do when I've done everything right and the scale either goes up or doesn't move is think, "It may not have moved today, but if I don't falter, I'll win in the end."

On a side note, I know a lot of people like weighing weekly (and I'm not sure how frequently you are weighing, but I weigh daily because it can fluctuate so much during the week due to salt, the potty, bulky food, etc.). I'm afraid I'll miss seeing a low day somewhere during the week!

Hang in there. You may not be thrilled with the first battle, but you WILL win the war if you stick with it! Good idea to see the doc too.

I don't know much about southbeach but if it doesn't SEEM to be working, why not switch to a healthy eating pattern instead? (I used the word SEEMED cause sometimes we just need to persevere) Like wholefoods and/or combined with calorie counting? This has worked great for me and when I think I should be losing faster or didn't lose that week etc instead of giving up I tell myself that this is not just about losing but about being healthy! Being healthy means eating foods that are good for you whether or not the scale is moving. Getting out there and exercising. You can never go wrong if you change your focus! Believe me if you do this you WILL lose in the long run! And you will be much healthier for it! ;)

I'm glad you're sticking to it! Something else you need to remember is that weight doesn't show up as soon as you eat something - I've been told that it can take up to 2 weeks. So it's quite possible that the reason you're not seeing a huge loss this week is because of food that you ate the week BEFORE you start. If that's the case, then there is good news...you will see that huge loss next week!!

I'm glad that you're going to see another doctor. I'm actually surprised that your doctor didn't run the full thyroid workup since you have goiters and that right there indicates some type of thyroid imbalance or issue!

Melissa

Thanks, everyone! Your encouragement has really helped me through the day. I am also thankful for all of the good advice. I've taken a close look at this past week and I can see some key things. I have been walking everyday...and really feeling it in the muscles of my thighs and backside. :) It does make sense that I've gained some muscle. In addition to scheduling a doctors appointment, I also went on the Southbeach forum here on 3FC and on the Southbeach Diet Site to review phase 1 and take another look at the mealplans to see if I messed up somewhere or if I might be eating too much in general. Although I thought I followed the plan to the letter, it looks like I messed up on a couple of things...like weighing my meat portions and eating too much cheese...and buying sugar free but forgetting about the fat content. I will be buying a food scale and bringing out the measuring cups. This is one day at a time and, Thank God!, tomorrow is a better day.

I chose Southbeach because many women in menopause or with hypothryroid have had very good results on the Southbeach program. To those of you who are not familiar with Southbeach, I can tell you IMHO this is one of the healthiest diets I've ever seen. The plan focuses on eating protein with every meal, eating vegetables with every meal and focusing on eating mainly the vegetables and fruits that are low on the glycemic index...meaning, they have less sugar. The diet allows healthy fats in very limited quantities, lean meats only, and whole grains only. White or enriched breads, potatoes and white rice are not allowed as these starchy foods can cause our blood sugar to spike. The diet requires three meals a day with three snacks. The snacks also require a protein, (ex. 2 tbs natural peanut butter) with a vegetable or fruit. On phase 1 of Southbeach, the list of vegetables are limited and there is no fruit allowed. This phase is only for the first two weeks and helps the dieter break the addiction to sugar....and it works! I dont use sugar at all anymore. I was up to 6tsp in one cup of coffee...and I drank up to 6 cups a day! I now have one or two cups in the morning with lowfat, sugar free creamer and Splenda. This diet is healthy and the food is wholesome.

Thanks for listening. I look forward to giving some good news next week...either on the weight loss thread or even the NSV thread.