I have had two rough days. If people would stop bringing in yummy sweet leftovers to work, I'd have stuck to my eating plan. It's all their fault!! :D

Got to get back on track tomorrow.

I'm getting so frustrated! I've been gaining/losing the same 2 or 3 pounds for a few months now. I can't seem to drop more than a real pound of weight or two a month! I'm active and I eat a healthy diet.

Do you want to post an average day's diet and exercise routine? I'm sure a lot of people would provide feedback.

This is more/less a typical day:

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ banana, blueberries, rasberries, and almond milk
Go to class
Snack: Some veggies with hummus or a piece or fruit
More school
Change for work
If I have time... grab a coffee with one packet of raw sugar and soy milk
If I'm sort of rushed I'll also get a chicken tarragon sandwich (from the Starbucks menu) or if I have more time I'll have a chicken breast with brown rice and a side of greek salad
Work for about 8 hours (on my feet nearly the whole time)
During my meal break I usually order a salad with either chicken or fish on it
By the time I get home it is 11:30 pm and I still have a dog to care for and homework to do

On days I don't have school I often work 10-13 hour shifts

Due to some intestinal issues I have to stay away from nuts, red meat, and dairy for the most part. I drink mostly water, tea, almond milk, and an occasional coffee. I don't drink soda and I limit my alcohol consumption.

We're about the same size and I'm going through the same thing. I used to stay around 110, but that shot up to 120 this year because of a stressful job and some poor eating decisions. With a concerted effort I can keep myself at 117, but have not seen any sustained decrease below that. It is certainly frustrating. I think a busy schedule, which you and I both have, can sometimes cause the body to hang onto any residual weight for dear life because it is in a routine of needing a ton of energy every day. Do you ever take rest days? It sounds like you have a healthy and well-rounded diet, but in my experience exhaustion leads to weight retention more than anything else.

You might be on to something... I am so exhausted! Maybe my body can't drop weight because I just need everything I have to function? I have a lot of health problems. I can't remember the last time I woke up after 7am or went to bed before 1am. I was forced to call out of work for a day last week because my chest infection got really bad and I am in the middle of moving. That was as close as I've come to a rest day in a long time, but even then I was hacking up a lung, moving, and studying for a midterm so not really resting.

I really want to drop a few more pounds. I am active at work. I eat a healthy diet. I can't cut out calories because I need the energy. I don't have time to exercise and by the end of the day my feet hurt. I don't know what to do to get my body to stop hanging on to this weight.

Well there's your answer! You're exhausted, drained and stressed out. You are losing vanity pounds now. You're not at any health risk at your current weight, so the weight will be extremely reluctant to come off. Always remember that people can not look at you and see your scale number. To most people you look like a thin girl at your current stats. It's only for your own satisfaction that you're losing any further weight, so you're going to have to treat yourself right to do it. Don't rush, don't beat yourself up. Just let it happen... if you eat right and get enough sleep, you will probably start to lose again when your body has calmed down a little.

Soon2BSlender - I'd have to agree with biplane that you shouldn't stress about those pounds. :)

However, I know the frustration and how a difference just a few pounds makes on someone our height. You might want to consider paying attention to your nutrients at this point.

Try adding protein to your diet and remove carbs. When I did this I got a big energy boost and it made it very easy to workout and made me want to workout even more! In just a two months I was able to add more weight to my weight training routine than I was able to do in the previous six!

I can exercise twice a day now without blinking an eye and get agitated on my rest day (but I still rest—my body needs it).

On days I don't get enough protein and I eat too many carbs I really do feel it. I'm tired and lethargic.

I credit this diet with blowing me past my goal. I got down to the 120s by calorie counting without watching my nutrients, but exercise (weight training in particular) and watching my protein and carbs along with calorie counting got me into the 110s even though I never intended to get here. I ate much more calories once I hit 125 and I still lost the weight fairly quickly!!

I actually used to be strictly high protein/low carb , but I developed some digestive problems so that isn't advised anymore. I still shy away from white breads and such. I do need to up my veggies. Exercise just isn't an option right now. It's 11:36pm and I just walked in the door from work. I need to stay up to get homework done and then I have class in the morning, work, finish moving, etc...

My job attracts a lot of attention and requires me to be very social so I notice every pound. In a few weeks I'm going to be paid to spend a week being photographed in a bikini so I really want to look my best.

Hi everyone. I finally reached the 110s about 2 weeks ago. I started a new job working 6pm-6am as a nurse. My schedule is 3 days on 4 days off and then 4 days on 3 days off. I hardly have time to eat or exercise. There's a good and bad to that. I'm losing weight but then I don't have control over my weight and I'm losing it in an unhealthy manner. I need to regain control over my weight again. It's just hard working the night shift.

Hey! Just creeping here, I'm no where near the 110's! I am really stressed, tired and exhausted and I have trouble having enough energy for my workouts.
I've also been stuck 10 lbs above my goal for a long time. I feel your pain girls!

Sontaikle! Nice to see you! It's crazy how well you've done. What exactly did you change in your diet? How much protein how little carbs? How many calories?

I had relatives in town all weekend and ate terribly, but still managed to lose weight. I took the weekend off from work because of the guests so I actually got more sleep than I've had in a long time. Surprisingly, I also felt more tired than I usually feel. I think I really am sleep deprived and exhausted... it is causing my body to hold onto excess weight. I don't know how exactly I am going to find more time to sleep, but I guess I need to.

Hey! Nice to see you too :) Sorry I didn't check this thread until now.

Interestingly enough, after I increased my calories and upped my strength training I lost more weight! It slowed down to around 2-3lbs per month, but I wasn't really trying to lose anyway.

I started trying to maintain at 125 and began eating 1600-1700 calories a day and kept losing weight. I kept increasing until I got to 1900 and still wound up losing. :dizzy: Now I aim for 2000 and I think 2000-2200 might be what I need. The scale has ticked up (1-2lbs) literally just after me eating this much so I think it's from the weight of the food/replenishment of the water weight. I'll see in a couple of weeks where I am :) No change in measurements/how my clothes fit so I know it's not fat.

I don't really track my macros, so I'm not exactly sure how much protein/carbs I'm getting a day, but I'm totally not following the "recommended" ratios ;)

Today was frustrating! I'm up a little bit from eating salty food. I've calibrated my home scale and I know it's accurate (it also is in line with my doctor's scale). I weighed myself naked this morning and was unhappy with my slight gain. Then I went to the gym to do a joint assessment with the personal trainer and my friend. With my clothes and sneakers on (super heavy) the scale showed me at 4 lbs over what my home scale showed me naked this morning. I know that shouldn't bother me so much, but it really does. Especially since my friend lied about her height (she is clearly shorter than me). I'm highly competitive. Also, shocked that my body fat is 31% when I wear a jean size 24 and have an average strength and fitness level.

Hey everything. Thought I'd check in again. I've been pretty preoccupied with moving. Finally have my own place again and hopefully, once I settle, time to start running again. I've noticed there's a nature reserve conveniently located at the top of the hill.

I can sure empathise with everyone's frustration! Gosh weight loss seems to happening so slowly now. I saw 116 two days ago but I've sprung back up to 118. Oddly enough, I saw 116 after I'd spent a couple of days over eating (around 1600). I may raise my calorie allowance, I'm going to give it a few weeks to settle into my new routine first.

Hope everyone is doing okay :)