sorry everyone to bother you with my confusion.. I was at 231 last wed.. and eating about 1900-2000 calories.. as of the last few days I have only been taking in.. since wed.. 1335, 1540, 1610, and i have not tallied up today's but scale this am had me up to 234!! now by tues maybe i will be down to my 231 again.. but could my calories being too low account for the sluggish or gain?? or is my body just adjusting.. also.. even when my calories are that low.. if i get really hungry right before bed is it best to ignor eit and go to bed.. or bring calories up regardless.. kinda new at all of this.. and desperately trying... thanks for any help.. i do exercise 5 x a week 30 min at a time.. i am a 42 yr old female and my ideal weight is 150. any help would be greatly appreciated.. thanks..Kim

~How is the quality of the food that you are eating-not so much the actual calories?

~Are you eating a couple of larger meals, or are you eating 4-6 smaller meals and snacks?

~Are you taking in a lot of sodium rich foods like prepackaged noodles and dinners, canned soups, or frozen foods?

~Is it near your time of the month? (Often we can temporarily put on a couple pounds of water weight that week.)

~What kind of exercise are you doing for the 30 minutes 5x a week, and how intense are you doing it? (For instance-you can do the same weight training video with 1 pound weights, or 3 or 5 pound weights...)

~Is your diet balanced-as in, are you getting a variety of lean protein, skim dairy, whole grains over white or refined ones, and fruits and veggies?

Variations from 231 to 234 is normal in a week. I couldn't handle the daily fluctuations when I was losing weight so I only weighed myself once a week. Sunday mornings, naked, after a bathroom visit. I saw more consistency that way and it helped me stay positive. Now that I'm maintaining, I weigh myself as the mood strikes me, but I'm not worried if the scale reads between 126 and 130 - I expect there to be variations based on sodium intake, time of the month, etc etc.

If you're really hungry before bed, you should eat something.

hi aphil.. thanks for trying to help me.. here are my answers to your questions....

~How is the quality of the food that you are eating-not so much the actual calories? good.. I eat at least 3 fruits and 2-3 veggies a day.. I usually eat only 100% whole wheat bread, and mostly whole food. no breading, and I have just started avoiding dairy(i think i am lactose intolerant)

~Are you eating a couple of larger meals, or are you eating 4-6 smaller meals and snacks?
I tend to mostly skip breakfast except fruit. i have a sandwich or salad for lunchw/ turkey.. and later snack, then whatever is for dinner.. later at night i may have 94%ff popcorn or some fruit/veggies...

~Are you taking in a lot of sodium rich foods like prepackaged noodles and dinners, canned soups, or frozen foods?
No I usually avoid processed foods.. if i have alot of sodium i try to up the water....

~Is it near your time of the month? (Often we can temporarily put on a couple pounds of water weight that week.) Nope i finished 1 and 1/2 wks ago..

~What kind of exercise are you doing for the 30 minutes 5x a week, and how intense are you doing it? (For instance-you can do the same weight training video with 1 pound weights, or 3 or 5 pound weights...) I do walk away the pounds 2 mile video ..it takes 25 min to finish it and i i stretch and do some crunches and leg lifts for another 10 min... I am out of breath and sweating, when done..

~Is your diet balanced-as in, are you getting a variety of lean protein, skim dairy, whole grains over white or refined ones, and fruits and veggies?

for the most part i think i have a good diet i have my days when i don't eat right.. like today.. at a picnic and had white hot dog rolls .. pasta salads, and cookies.. stuff i usually don't have.. i ate like the pig they roasted!!! just stick an apple in my mouth i am done!! I will only be having a salad late tonite if i can fit that.. but my measurements since i started have come down i have noticed.. so i love the exercise for the way it makes my body feel underneath.. i can't wait to see the slim me again underneath all this fat.. will it take too much longer?? anything else i can do to speed it up .. thanks for all your input!! Kim

Weight loss is a slow process, there really aren't any safe, quick fixes. It took me nearly 18 months to lose 70 lbs.

Great advice here.

Weight loss IS slow. I think the sooner we get our minds around that, the better. I find it helps to find other ways to measure my progress, other than the scale: measurements, clothing sizes, and exercise minutes, and what my body is physically capable of. I like to celebrate these non-scale victories.

The other thing to remember is that your behaviors like eating and exercise ARE in your control, but what the scale says on a particular day really isn't/ Our bodies naturally fluctuate, especially water weight, from sodium retention, TOM, and a number of other factors. So many times you can do the right things, but it will take longer than a few days to see results on the scale.

Start thinking of this in the long term, and a lot of these daily fluctuations lose their meaning. Celebrate your other successes, in addition to the scale ones, and you will find many things to about.

I weigh every day, but I log the weight and then at the end of the week, take an average and that's the number I count for my week. That way I'm taking all the fluctuations into consideration. So:

Sunday - 250
Monday -251
Tuesday - 249
Wednesday - 248
Thursday - 249
Friday - 248
Saturday - 248

Gives me a weekly weigh-in weight of 249 when I take the average.

well see with yours at least it is always going downward. i have one day at say... 232, then up to 233 then 234, then back down to 232.5 then up to 234.. .. my body is soooo stubborn... I really do eat mostly the right foods.. now i am commiting..starting today.. not eating after 8 pm.. not even popcorn... even tho i don't go to bed til 12.... and cutting out coffee switching to tea, and trying to cut out splenda usage.. i use tooo much of it... will keep you up to date on that one....Kim

My advice:

#1 Weigh yourself once a week (every sunday morning, nude, after a bathroom visit)

#2 Try to drink as much water as you can on days that you have had salt (that includes table salt, soy sauce, etc.)

You will start to see the pounds drop if you weigh yourself only once per week.

Good luck to you!!!

I am in the same boat as you.

If I am %100 perfect in my eating, I will lose 1-2 lbs that will show on the scale every 2-3 weeks (sometimes not until after 4 weeks). In that time my weight can do all sorts of crazy things. And drastically dropping my calories (which you would *think* would make you lose *faster*) does not help and has never helped. Being REALLY GOOD over a timetable of a month to 3 months is what helps me see results on the scale.