I am beside myself right now. I have been here for six weeks, and I have only lost 2 pounds, and that was in the first two weeks.

I am 36, 5'5" and have stayed between 155 and 156 this whole time. One day I was 154.8. Whatever.

I am using calorie-count, and I am averaging 1353 cals a day. Each day, I give myself 150 first thing in the morning to account for grazing, even though I don't exceed that. I tried writing it down all last week, every little bite, and I did not go over 90 on any of those days.

When I have a bad day, I own it. I have had some 2200 (3 since I started) cal days, and I logged it just as I would a good day. My average nutritional grade is an A-. I am a nutrition fascist.

I exercised 19 of the last 30 days--I have even started running during that time. Other exercise has been the elliptical the gym and water aerobics a couple times.

If I were denying myself and seeing results, I would be OK with that. I did it after my first baby. I stayed on target, and the weight flew off. This time, nothing seems to be working.

I think I am edging close to depression.

Oh, how frustrating! I'm sorry this is happening when it looks like you're doing so well. Have you already tried a slightly higher calorie diet? Yours doesn't look too low for someone of your size and height, but I'm wondering if your body's resisting because it feels starved. It seems unlikely, though!

Another idea is, do you know your rough nutritional percentages? That is, what % of your calories come from fat, carbs, and protein? I'm still learning about this, but it seems if your body and carbs really don't get along, you could still gain/maintain weight instead of losing if you eat too many, even if you're below your daily limit. Also, it sounds harder to lose weight if a large % of your calories are fat calories for many reasons (though I doubt this is the case if your overall nutrition is an A-!).

Here's a link to a post I just made to another member having a plateau problem: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...=1#post1765527 - It has some generic plateau-breaking ideas that you may or may not have already tried.

I hope that helps a little. Just don't give up! Plateaus and excruciatingly slow loss come as they may, this is our lifestyle now and we have to get back up and stick with it, even if it's not working like a dream. Keep trying new things and I know you'll get past it. It will be worth it!

Are you sure you're eating enough? You say you are averaging 1300cals - how many days are you going below that?

I ask because your body NEEDS a certain amount of energy to survive, and if you don't consistently meet that need, it will think you are "starving." When this happens, your body will hold onto EVERYTHING you give it. Try to figure out what your minimum needs are, and stay above that. For example, I try to stay in the 1300-1600 range, at 5'8, 200-ish lbs, fairly sedentary lifestyle.

Good luck and keep at it. Plateaus are sooo annoying, I know!

I've been there at the plateau its awful and frustrating. What I did was stepped my exercise up a notch and I also was watching more carefully where my calories where coming from. Although my plateau lasted for 2 weeks I was devastated I stayed at 179. Then came down a couple of pounds and now I think I'm hitting another slight plateau but I'm willing to overcome this.

Ethereal thanx for the info. That will come into good use on my diet!

I zig-zag pretty well. I usually have a day where I am closer to 1600-1700 during the week, and I am under 1300 5 times in the last two weeks, but never below 1000.

I plateaued for about a month fluctuating between 150-152. I'd suggest incorporating some strength training if you haven't already done so. That worked for me and helped me lose 3 pounds this past month. Plus I can finally see some definition trying to come out of my belly flab and legs!

I really have gotten into the mindset of "I only have an hour, burn all you can as fast as you can" so I have stayed on the conditioning equipment. Now that I am running, maybe on my off days I will try to do some weights.

Thanks

Hey onthetee,

Wow! That is depressing. So now let's see what you can do to fix it.

First, I disagree with zig-zagging. I think that's a perfect way to end up with too high a calorie intake on average, which means gaining or staying the same.

Next, are you absolutely sure about your calorie counts? You say you're writing it down, but what are you using to find the values? A program like FitDay can give you the calories for many, many foods--even brand name foods. I assume you must use a reference of some sort--calorie book? And how do you come up with amounts? Do you measure out your foods? It's easy to think, for example, you're eating a cup of cooked pasta and really be eating three cups. (I'm not saying you do this--it's just an example.)

You may need to keep your calorie average between 1200 and 1300, if 1350 isn't working.

Owning those high-calorie days is good, but it's better not to have them. I found that going above 1500 cals one day a week would stall my weight loss for the week. One has to be consistent about staying on plan.

Finally, try increasing the amount of protein you're eating and decreasing the amount of fat. You might want to use a percentage ratio of 30/40/30 p/c/f.

Good luck! And keep going! If you find that after another month of being very strict, you are still not losing, then perhaps you could consider seeing a nutritionist or dietitian.

Jay

I use calorie-count.com, which is how I can get such a precise average and see what percentages are. p/c/f=21.2/45.4/33.5. So that could use some tweaking. Carbs partially are high because I am getting 28 g of fiber a day.

I do measure most things. I can eyeball things pretty well now, or I have adjusted what I eat them from. I eat cereal and pasta from a certain coffee mug because that is a little less than 1 cup. I always measure my rice, because I find it deceptive. I count my shrimp, etc.

I think the idea of seeing an RD is one I will consider after a few more weeks. We are on vacation the last two week of July, which actually makes it easier for me to eat well, though I won't be able to get online as easily.

Thanks, everyone!

It sounds like you are doing a great job to me! I know platueas sucked.I had one a few weeks in to my program and I didn't lose but 2 pounds one month...I was devastated..But then it just came off. I don't have any advice, because your plan sounds great...But I did want to say stick with it, and odn't let the frustration get to you!

How much water do you drink? I find that the weeks I am strict on my water intake are the weeks I lose more weight.

A big "I HEAR YOU" from me! That is too familiar. I'm at 5'5", and I'm hovering between 155.5 and 156.5. It's only been about 3 weeks, and I'm still ready to rip my hair out if I see either of those numbers one more time!

I'm sorry that I can't offer any advice, but I'm going to watch this thread like a hawk. Good luck!

I checked out my old journals from when I was twenty. When I started exercising regularly and watching what I ate, it took me six weeks to see the scale budge. I know it was because I was losing fat and gaining muscle. After the six week mark I started losing about a pound or two a week, sometimes none, sometimes 5.

I think your best bet is to add weight training. You will not see the scale change dramatically at first, but your will get tighter and smaller.

It sounds like you are doing a great job and I'm sorry you aren't seeing the results on the scale. Here are a couple of other suggestions:

Have you taken your measurements? The scale does not always cooperate so it is a good idea to have another way to measure your progress. Taking your measurements once a month is an excellent alternative to the scale. Speaking of which, how are your clothes fitting? The same way they were six weeks ago or are they loser?

I agree with Jayell, maybe try eating a steady calorie amount instead of ziz zagging. It doesn't sound like zig zagging is working for you. Personally, it doesn't work for me. I lose much more consistently when I eat consistently. Have all those up and down days throws my body for a loop and I end up retaining a lot of water.

You don't say how you feel on your diet. Are you hungry a lot or do you feel full a lot of the time? If you are feeling hungry, maybe you need to add 100 or so calories to your diet. This once got me off a plateau. On the other hand, if you feel full most of the time, maybe you could drop another 100 calories from your diet.

Don't despair! I once had a 3-month plateau - on the scale at least. During that time though I increased my exercise and went down 2 sizes. So yes, weight training will help, and by tracking your measurements you'll see that your body is changing even if the scale isn't.

And you might tweak your protein a little higher, and be sure that the fats you're eating are the "good" fats rather than stuff from processed foods. Hang in there - it will work, just not as fast as you'd like.

You are sweet to encourage me. Funny you should mention the water. I realized today that I had not changed our water jug in many many days. I am the only one who drinks from that one, so I have not been getting nearly enough in the last few weeks. I drink about a liter during and after my workout, but not nearly enough.