arg, stuck and barely started
 

Hi everyone. I'm sure someone has experience with this and can help me out. My scale won't budge. no matter what I do. I have been low carbing it for that past month and have lost about 20 pounds. about a pound a day consistently. the other day i stepped on the scale and had gained back 2.5 pounds. Frustrated, i looked back at what i did/ ate. I think it was the salt I ate. so i cut it out the next day, and when i stepped back on the scale, i lost 1.5 pounds. sweet right? so today i step on the scale again, and again, i gained back 2 pounds. What gives? i'm not doing anything differently.

How much water are you drinking per day?

You lost 20 pounds in a month and you think you have a problem with not losing enough?

Take a step back.

i was thinking exactly the same maria! 20lbs is a lot.

Disregard this if you're male ;), but I couldn't help noticing that you started about a month ago. Most of us have water gain before and/or during our periods. After you've been through a few cycles, you'll see what your pattern is. Often at the end of your period or a couple days after, you lose again.

yeah water consumption was my first guess. I made sure to drink a bunch of it, but it's hard to measure it throughout the day. I know 20 pounds seems like a lot to lose this quickly, but this is how my body does it. I lose it quick, like without even noticing then all of a sudden it stops and there's nothing i can do about it. Oh, and as far as the period thing, i managed to lose consistently through and after my period too. I was impressed, it's the first i've been on a low carb diet, and usually my period throws everything out of wack.

oh also, another question? what about coffee? i know the caffeine intake is supposed to be bad for you, but i was never really into coffee until a few months ago. when i started drinking it, the energy went up and the weight loss was so much easier. not to mention it suppresses my appetite. i noticed the two days in question, I didn't drink any coffee. could this be part of it too? and if i make sure to drink lots of extra water will it counter act the negative impact of the caffeine?

a healthy weight loss is 1/2 a pound to 2 pounds PER WEEK. 20 pounds in a month is really more than you should be losing. That being said, if you are eating healthy, take the weight loss. But don't agonize over the scale on a daily basis-- it will drive you crazy. It is normal to lose more at the beginning and then slow down. Stick with your plan and weigh yourself ONCE A WEEK only.

I agonize over the scale because the results are the only thing that motivate me. I think being overweight your entire life really screws up your brain. It was like my whole world shut down when I gained those two pounds (But then I moved on). Weight loss makes me crazy, I think.

Hey Ale2121, I used to ride the scale emotional roller coaster too. If the scale was down, I was euphoric and newly committed. When the scale didn't budge or was (heavens) up, I was devastated and thought stuff like "I'm working so hard and it isn't working, I might as well eat CHEESECAKE."

I started weighing once a week and it really helped me. I also realized that I could not control the scale. I had several weeks where I was perfectly on plan, exercise, food - perfect and the scale didn't move at all. Then, at Christmas the year I was losing weight I had pie and cheese straws and baked brie (and Christmas dinner, of course) and lost 2 lbs.

As I got closer and closer to my goal weight, the scale really started to slow down. Depending on the scale for motivation might mean you might LOSE motivation just when you really need to focus and push through the tough few final pounds.

Focus on what you CAN control - eating right, eating 5 servings of vegetables a day, exercising, trying new healthy recipes, getting enough sleep, drinking your water, avoiding your personal bugaboos (fast food, soda, ice cream whatever). Don't focus on what you can't control - that way lies Crazyville. I know - I used to be the mayor.