I know I should be thinking rationally, but I'm not. Let me start by telling you my Dr. has me on Phentermine. I love it. I am able to make better decisions about what I eat because I don't have my cravings getting in the way.
So here is why I am frustrated. I have been steadily losing on average 2 pounds a week. But this week I have been stalled out. And then today I step on the scale to find I gained a pound. I haven't changed the way I have been eating. As a matter of fact, I have been eating better than the last few weeks, with the exception of a surprise lunch at work from my boss of pizza.
Why have I stalled? How do I un-stall? I know I should be happy with what I have lost so far, but I have so much more to go, I don't want to stop now.
One week is absolutely nothing to worry about and is quite normal. And unless you have somehow defied the laws of nature, you haven't gained a pound either. My guess would be that it is simply excess water from the pizza.
Oh I forgot to add, I did gain! A pound. I know it's not the end of the world. I was hoping it was the pizza. I was good though and only had 1 piece. But the reason it confuses me, is because last week on date night I had a ton of pizza! I mean a ton. I mis-calculated the calories I was eating, and I actually over ate by about 500 calories. And I actually dropped 4 pounds at my weigh in!
So when I had just the one small piece at work, I didn't think it would throw me off like that!
Like I said, I know I should be rational about it, but I can't seem to wrap my head around why one week I overeat, and lose, and the next week I eat one piece of pizza within my daily calories, and I gain
Are you sure there's not "signal noise" in your scale readings besides the pizza? Where you are in your monthly cycle could account for a (temporary) upswing of several pounds. You aren't stalled - no fears! - it's just that the true result of your work is being obscured at the moment. Keep on for a couple days and I am sure you'll see that pound go away.
I'm with Desiderata; I don't think you've truly gained either. You can't gain a pound by eating 500 calories over. You'd need to eat 3500 to gain a pound.
You have to keep in mind that the scale is measuring more than just fat. It's measuring bone, organs, muscle, fat, water, waste, etc. A change in any of those is going to show on the scale. So a pound up doesn't necessarily mean anything at all in regards to fat loss.
As for your frustration, keep in mind that what we do doesn't always show up on the scale right away. Much though we'd love for our bodies to be that regimented and machine-like, they aren't. You're just looking for a downward trend. Try not to let the daily fluctuations freak you out, whether it's down 4 lbs or up one. Keep on keeping on and good luck! Congratulations on your first ten!
Last edited by Thistleberry; 06-28-2012 at 12:36 PM.
Water water water. We've got a lot of water in our bodies. Salt makes us hold on to it. So does monthly hormonal fluctuation. Me, I gain about 5 pounds every month before TOM, and those 5 pounds magically melt away a couple of days later. I don't even pay attention to them any more, except that I've learned one thing: To minimize water retention, drink plenty of water.
You and I weigh the same, and I've noticed that my weight tends to be "behind" what I've eaten by about 3-4 days. So if I eat a ton on Saturday, I don't see it on the scale until Tuesday or Wednesday. It was different when I was thinner, so it took a while for me to realize what was going on.
And I second the suggestions that it's water weight. It could even be the time of day you weighed or where the scale was on the floor. A friend of mine broke my first scale by scooting it all over the kitchen floor and weighing himself, because his weight fluctuated +/-5 pounds depending on where he was. Then he scooted the scale into a chair and broke it! But lesson learned: Scales can be a little unreliable, so I just weigh once a week and always on the same place on the floor.
This is so true. My daughter turns my scale at angle to weigh. It weights less at an angle. I still weigh with it straight. LOL Scales are evil thing that can really mess with your head.
I noticed that the heat also plays a factor in water weight. I tend to hold more water in the summer months. Drinking water really does help get rid of water weight.
I checked my calendar, and sure enough, it was only a couple days before TOM. So in about a week we will see. I can't drink anymore water. Right now I am getting 16 cups a day. I pee so much!
Frustrated
