[mabell1120]

I am doing this weight loss thing again. It's been a life long battle. I am determined to drop 60 lbs. this year and be done with this battle for good.

For the last week, I have greatly increased my exercise activity (walking/jogging or zumba for an hour every day) and cut back daily calories. I have also been taking raspberry ketones. To my surprise, I have gained 5 lbs. when I checked the scales this morning. I am pretty disheartened. Losing the first 20lbs isn't usually a problem. Keeping up the new habits is usually my issue.

Any insight into what may be going on? I'd appreciate any support and/or advice right now.

Thanks!

[Angihas2]

Hi mabell! Welcome!

Are you tracking everything you put in your mouth? I use fitday.com, some people use dailyplate or sparkpeople. When I don't enter everything, or miss a few days, I always get a scale surprise. Which is why I'm relosing weight I'd already said adios to! Try one of those, you may be surprised. I don't know what raspberry ketones are, although I've seen their ads in various places, so I'm not sure what their function is supposed to be.

I know, oftentimes, we see members report an increase in weight when they start 'shocking' their systems with excersize and increased water. Remember, our bodies don't know we have an excess of food available. It thinks an increase calorie outage and restricted food means a famine is coming. Keep plugging away and it'll begin to realise that the food is forthcoming, but its a different type of food.

Good luck!

[aggie2006]

i agree with the previous poster. ive tried the eyeballing it method for calorie counting, and it just doest work. every bit you put in your mouth might not be accounted for. and i wasnt loosing weight. its all about calories in vs calories out, so id suggest really tracking your calories.

[Learning 2 Live]

Are you drinking enough water? You gotta make sure you are drinking water so that your body doesn't feel it has to retain it.

Also, it sounds like you are trying everything at once: adding a lot of exercise, calorie cutting and taking raspberry ketone supplements. I looked up raspberry ketones and it said that weight loss has only been "clinically" proven in rats and not in humans. Go fig. At any rate, you mentioned that...

Originally Posted by mabell1120

Keeping up the new habits is usually my issue.

It seems like you are trying to do too much at one time hoping for a big weight loss, but without taking the time to get used to or even enjoy the process.

I definitely know what it's like to be all gung ho and yell "This is the turning point in my life! Grr!!" and whatnot, but weight loss is NOT a race. It's a journey and it's a journey with no real endpoint. You said that you wanted to

Originally Posted by mabell1120

be done with this battle for good.

Well, that ain't gonna happen. Cuz after you reach your goal weight, then you're in maintenance mode - and that's a whole 'nother ball of wax.

I found that it is much better to add a little change at a time. Get used to what you are doing and add more. Get used to that and add more. You are not exercising just to lose weight, because when you get to your goal weight, you don't just drop exercise altogether. You're not learning portion control now so that you can dump it 60lbs from now. What you are trying to do now is make "life changes." Therefore you need more goals than just a number on a scale. Maybe you want to run a 5k, a 10k, a marathon... Maybe you want to be able to do 10 solid push ups or chin ups. The point is that you treat this as a lifestyle change and not a means to an end. Because there is no end. This is a journey of self-discovery. You're essentially peeling back the layers of fat that have been covering you up. It's time to find out what you are really capable of and break your idea of yourself. You can do and achieve much more than you may know. And you don't need synthetic ketones to do it.

My advice to you:

1. Come up with some non-scale goals.
2. Drink enough water.
3. Find exercise that you enjoy and want to do so much that skipping it will make you miss it and make a little frowny face.
4. Visit a produce focused supermarket. They are designed to steer you toward the natural food you're supposed to eat as opposed to the pre-packaged foodstuffs that are the focus of every other American Supermarket.
5. #NEVERgiveup You will feel discouraged at times, but you can never let that stop you. You are not making worthwhile changes just to lose weight. You are making changes to challenge yourself and to achieve multiple goals. Once you have the right focus, the scale not moving or even going up won't even remotely effect your schedule, or your resolve. You're not doing this for the scale, you're doing this for you.

Good Luck!

[RavenWolf]

I use My Fitness Pal and track everything there! I drink at least 64 ounces of water a day, including 16 ounces before every meal. I also brought out the measuring cups and spoons, and measure everything!

I think if you do the same, you will see the scale moving. Watch your sodium intake as well.

Is your time of the month near? Because that will do it too!

[KTB]

First of all, congrats on committing to an exercise program. That is a big deal. Is it possible that you've gained muscle, since it weights more than fat? It's tough but I only seem to lose weight when I weigh everything and journal my food.