I've been "on" Southbeach since April and have been following it to a "T". I have had one and only 1 cheat in all that time..I ate ONE fried oyster on the 4th of July. I seemed to hit a plateau a couple of weeks ago and decided to really track what I'm eating by getting fitday (the one you download). It was then that I realized that I may be getting too much fat in my diet and I decided to start counting calories within SB. I started that on the 11th.

I used fitday to try to figure out how many calories I should be eating a day to lose. I'm really not trying to rush things, but I would like to be down a bit by November for a family wedding if I can, if not, no big deal, but it would be nice. So fitday calculated that I should have 1348 calories per day in order to lose what I want to lose by then..around 20lbs. Since I started calorie counting, I am not going hungry at all and my "percentages" of carbs, fats, proteins are about even and since I've been counting caloires, my average per day is 1,113, the highest day being 1273. I log everything I eat.
At first I thought I had broken that plateau because about a week later I had lost 4 lbs. I got on the scale this morning and was back up to where I started. Yeah, I know scales can't be trusted! In that same span of time, I have joined a gym and go 3 days a week..could the gym be the "problem"? or perhaps I am too low on calories?

Normally I think 1100 calories is too low, but you're a pretty small person who hasn't been exercising, so it's probably a good level for you. If the gym is the "problem" it would only be because your body might might adjusting to exercising and perhaps retaining water or something. Keep going to the gym - it will only speed your weight loss.

Personally, I don't think you have a problem - other than impatience! Give calorie counting a couple weeks to kick in. You can see a 4 lb fluctuation because of all kinds of reasons - water retention being the most common. Do you measure yourself? Are you seeing the numbers go down there?

No, haven't measured. I didn't even weigh myself for the first couple of months and didn't own a scale. Wish I had never bought the stupid thing. I use my clothes as a "ruler" and they haven't gotten much looser in the waist over the last couple of weeks. I can see and feel a big loss everywhere else though since April..all my clothes are pretty baggy. I guess "problem" was not the right word to use for the gym, I plan on keeping it up because I really enjoy going there and feel great afterwards. I was just wondering if the effects of exercising were keeping the scale from budging and or adding pounds by water weight etc.

Yep, guess it is just impatience.

Yep, in my experience when you start exercising or increase your exercise there can be a period where your weight loss appears to slow down because your body is retaining more water, building muscle, supplying extra blood to your muscles, etc.

Boy, you can say that again kilketay!!! I have upped my excersize from 2 0r 3 days a week to 5 or 6 and I haven't lost a single pound this month!!! And in the 20 days I've started all that excersizing, i've only lost one inch...and that was just in my hips/lower belly area!!! But yes....we have to keep excersizing. Sometimes it may take awhile for the results to show up...but what is our other option?? Stopping???? NO!!!!! That will get us know where. I guess the truth be told, i would be happier being a nice toned 130 vs a flabby 120.

I was really feeling "down" this morning when I first wrote in.
Since then I went shopping to get a pair of capri pants to wear to a casual dinner party tomorow night (I know the menu and salad will have to be it for me! the menu also includes homemade icecream..no way!)

I didn't see the pants I wanted at first and found a skirt instead. When I started in April, I wore a VERY TIGHT size 16..I tried on a 14 and prayed they would not be too tight..they ended up being too big, so I tried on a 12 and it fit..loose. (I ended up not getting it cause it had a stain on it)...then found just the black capris I wanted that had an elastic waist, but they only had them in size S. I nearly put them back on the rack and told myself not to go try them on, cause they would not fit...but I bit the bullet and tried them on..they did fit.

so...the H*ll with the scale!!

Now, I'm a happy girl again and just won't even look at that stupid scale again.

Rock on CAT!! Nothing like a pair of small capris that fit to make yer whole day.