I'm starting to get anxious. I want to lose these last 2-3lb before Thanksgiving. I have no idea WHY, I won't look any different, I just want to be able to SAY to myself that I lost 20lb.

I've been really good lately- besides last night when I had pizza (It's a long story, I brought a lunch w/ me when we did the yard work (mentioned later), but my dad wanted us to pick up pizza on the way home so we did, and since I hadn't eaten for a few hours and felt sick, I just ate it) I'm not going to lie here, lying has got me nothing in the past- I had 3 of those weirdly cut, small size pieces (not at once), and then a fourth later on. Stupid, I know, and I'm probably paying for it. I'm not saying it was right, I'm just saying I did it, and I do regret it.), and I'm just confused.


Monday I did the 30 day shred, tuesday I did the ab botocamp, Thursday I did the 30 day shred, saturday I did 40 minutes and 55 seconds of ab bootcamp, and today I biked for 30 minutes which was lower impact but at least something.

LAST week, I did the 30 day shred on monday, then again on thursday, and AGAIN on Friday.

And the scale has gone like this:

168.4
168.4
169.8
169.4
169
168.6
168
168.4
169
167.8
168
166.8
167.8
168.4

My calories went like this:

(Keep in mind this isn't 100% accurate, but it's probably close. )

1,288
1,676
1,579
1,542
1,580
1,113
1,087
1,632
1,432
900
1,145
1,241
1,919 (This looks bad, but I'm pretty sure it isn't accurate. Sometimes if I can't find the exact measuring of things, I just overestimate. I know you aren't supposed to though.)
1,972 (Now I know this looks bad, but I worked out for 40 minutes in the morning (tae bo cardio), then did 5 hours of yard work later in the day...But I guess that's no excuse, right? )

The only thing I can think of is I'm eating too many calories, BUT I've been exercising, so I figured it was okay. (Not like, MOUNTAINS of food, but maybe an extra glass of ovaltine in the evening or some cheese or something like that) I guess it isn't? Was I dumb to think I could eat a little more if I burned more? Is it that simple? If it is I'll feel like such a jerk and an idiot.

We still need to go grocery shopping and we're finishing up whatever is left in the house (we have to wait until we get the paycheck). So half the time I eat smaller portions of what's left in the house, then the other half, I just don't eat (unless I'm really hungry, and then I try to have a serving of vegetables or something (we have broccoli frozen in the freezer and corn, but I don't really eat corn). It's only been like this for a week or two, but I'm really starting to get anxious. I think I want to get to 165 before Thanksgiving because if I eat a bit more than I should for Thanksgiving, at least I won't get stuck back in the 170s.

I just don't know what's going on, and I'm really starting to get frustrated. I thought for sure when I hit 166.8 I would drop in the next day or so, I normally do.

I know I probably need a stern talking to or something, but I just really need someone else's opinion of what's going on. I'm trying not to let it bother me, because tomorrow is another day, etc, etc, I didn't technically fail because I haven't given up, but I'm just so frustrated.

Have you measured yourself? Or noticed a difference in the way your clothes fit? Sometimes it seems like the scale isn't the best measure of progress The exercises you're doing seem fairly intense - likely to cause some water retention as muscles repair themselves, even if you don't feel particularly sore -

Not a doctor in any way, but your calories don't seem high to me...

I completely forgot about that. I've never actually taken that into account. I knew about water retention from salty foods and stuff, but not from muscle repair. I hope that's it. Because I feel so down right now, I just don't get what's going on.

As for measuring... I measured maybe 2 weeks ago. I might try it again today, just to see, but I haven't noticed any change to be honest. Nothing markedly different, anyway.

1) Don't measure or weigh yourself every day, pick one day a week and measure/weigh yourself under comparable conditions (aka after you have peed ect :P)
2) If you are just starting to work out to this intensity, I've found that muscles tend to retain water when they are "kicking into gear"
3) Look at your sodium levels, this can also lead to water retention.
4) Your calories look a bit high to me, but, they do average out to 1400, however some people (like myself) can't eat a wide variety (+/- < 200 calories) and lose weight, my body freaks out a bit and thinks is starving or something when i have a 2000 calorie day followed by a 1200 day.

I always weigh myself every day. I never really measure, though. If I do it's months apart. I enjoy weighing myself every day, it's not turning me off or leaving me unmotivated, it's raising my awareness and making me question my approach and progress.

I'm not really just starting out, I've been exercising for a while now, though I just got this 30 day shred tape the first week in November, and officially started it on the 8th. So that might count as "new," I think.

My sodium levels were high 9 days out of 14. I hadn't even realised! So you might be on to somethning there. Thanks for mentioning it, I'll keep an eye on it. That would explain a lot. I really need to buckle down and start drinking more water, and eating less sodium.

Thank you, I Feel a bit better now at least having an idea as to what's going on (probably in part with something else)

also...my weight loss always seems to stall if I'm not drinking a decent amount of water - just a thought~

If you are not accurately counting calories, then you won't have the information you need to see trends. I recommend a food scale and weighing your food for awhile to see where you might have been miscalculating (or not). Calories will fluctuate, some days we don't seem to need as much and other days, we do. Watch your average calories over a week, a month, the entire length of your diet.

It might help to remember that the body doesn't work on a 24 hour time slot. It takes time to process food, use the available energy it needs and whether to store excess calories or use them. This can take days and not happen when we think it should.

Time deadlines to lose weight (even 2 pounds ones) are a nice "idea" and fun to challenge ourselves with, but if it becomes a point of stress, then it's best to let go of them. Overall, we should be working towards better health in a permanent way.

I lose weight very slowly because of my age and my activity level. But I still work my diet, everyday. If I set too many goals and don't reach them, I get too frustrated. I recently saw on my calendar that I did not make "under 200" at this point. I felt a great deal of sadness about it and had to remind myself of how far I have come. I will not be setting any more deadlines on the calendar, instead I will celebrate the permanent changes I am making along the way.

Hope you find your answer!

This is how you make yourself crazy. If you are just doing it to "say" you lost 20 pounds, then take a diuretic and sit in a sauna for an hour like they do on the biggest loser and call it a day.

If you want to be able to say to yourself that you are in this for life then just start tracking you calories accurately, stop the negative self talk (bad, dumb, jerk, idiot, regret, paying for it, lying, etc), stop judging your eating as good or bad.

Make the changes you know you need to make for long term success, not just the short term satisfaction of a certain number.

Thanks for the encouragement, but just to set the record straight I'm not doing it just so I can SAY it. I'm in this to lose the whole kaboodle, to do it FOR LIFE. I'm just irritated that I can't shake these last 2-3lb to get to my first mini-goal. I'm not trying to do it just for the **** of it, or for fun. I'm doing it to get healthier and live longer and to look and feel better. I'm just frustrated right now.

I just caught myself stuffing my face with doritos. Luckily I stopped before I ate too many. This is just so frustrating. I can't wait until I start losing again. sigh