I'm trying to stay positive and motivated but it's quite hard. I started this diet two weeks ago. The first week I lost one pound (1400 cals a day no exercise at all) and this week I've had a quick sneak preview (I "officially" weigh in tomorrow) and it looks like I've only lost another pound. Still 1400 cals a day but lots of exercise. I know a loss is a loss and if I were 5 or 6 weeks down the line I'd be thrilled. However, i've never lost this slowly at the beginning of a diet and it's really hard to stay enthusiastic. any suggestions/motivating stories?

On another note there is one thing I've always wondered about. How long does it take to put on weight. I.e. if you binge for a couple of days how long does that take to register on the scales?

I started pretty slowly. Because I was very much working on the "baby steps" principle rather than making a huge change all at once I saw the first few weeks as a time when I could experiment with tweaks and learning new habits which would pay off in the long run - e.g I couldn't do much exercise at first, but I knew that if I did a bit even if it wasn't enough to actually burn off any calories, it would help me get to the stage where I could do enough exercise to make a difference later on. The most important thing is that if you know you're doing the right thing for your body, stick with it and you'll get the benefits in the long run.

Losing a pound a week is great! It means you're more likely to keep it off.

When people lose a lot of weight at the beginning of a diet it's usually water anyway. This can come from a vast reduction in food intake (volume) or from a reduction in water held in cells. If you suddenly go low-carb (Atkins) from a carb heavy diet, the dramatic weight loss you see in the first week is a lot of water.

A pound a week seems more likely that you will be losing actual fat rather than just water bloat!

Hi

Just looking at your stats... you really haven't got a lot to lose to be perfect for your height - and, from previous diets, I know that the nearer I got to my goal weight the harder it was to shift the pounds.

About the putting on weight thing... with me it is immediate. If I over eat then it shows on the scales the very next day which is irritating because it isn't necessarily the same with losing weight.

My weight has come off slowly but I'm fine with it.

The nearer I get to my target though the harder it is.

You can do it don't be disheartened.

Michele

Oh - forgot - I don't know how old you are but it DEFINITELY gets harder to lose weight as you get older.

Thank you all for your encouragement. I had an unexpectedly good result on the scales this morning so have cheered up considerably!

Yes I'm losing very slowly and putting it back on fastly.