Hey guys,

I honestly do not mean to sound like whiner, but I need some advice and/or someone who has gone through the same thing.
I've lost a total of close to 60 lbs in the past two years; I know that seems like a long time to lose that little weight, but I honestly do not go on diets. I just monitor what I eat and exercise 6-7 times a week.
Here's the thing: I was down to about 184 for a little while and then all of a sudden (OK, by my 21st) I skyrocketed back up to 192.5 and I have been depressed ever since. My favorite pair of jeans don't fit anymore, my shirts are getting tighter and I start having this anxiety I'm going to collapse and go back up to 245 again. Anyone else going through this? Plus, when I was at my 184, that's where I strictly plateaued at for SIX MONTHS. I tried everything to lose weight and nothing works--that or I'd break down and binge. I don't know what to do and I'm really just...Stuck.
If anyone can help me or just SOMETHING, I'd be really appreciative.

hey girl don't give up, are you changing your excirses around so your body won't get use to them you skhould try that if you haven't good luck

The EXACT same thing happened to me.. I started out at 218, and got down to 180.. Then I went back up to 190 and now I'm down to 184, but I can't get past it! I've been stuck here for such a long time..

Thats crazy how our weights & everything are almost the same!

Private message me sometime!

Ive heard shifting things up a bit with diet and exercise sometimes does the trick taking your calories up, calories down, exercise changes to use different muscles, etc.

Btw, seeing your stats is so motivating to me! Im where you started at with the same height, and I cant wait until I get to the 180s!!!

Diets do work, you need to stick to them, The one that will work for you is the one you will follow.

I'm in exactly that boat right now. I got down to 186 and went back up to 192 and now I'm hovering around 189/190. It's incredibly frustrating and you've done an incredible job thus far.

Do you have any ideas where your calories are at on a day-to-day basis? Besides changing up your exercise routine that would be the first thing I would check. I know you said you don't "diet" so I thought I'd ask anyway...

The other thing you might try is playing with your macronutrient ratios (again, a little hard to do without knowing where your calories are at). That's about all I've got so far. I'll let you know if anything works for me!

I've been so upset for the last few weeks...it's really been getting to me. I kept waiting to go back to where I started. I'm still not really losing as of yet but I feel more positive for some reason. I'm looking into joining a private gym and possibly training for a triathlon. I figure if I'm watching what I eat and constantly changing my exercise the weight has to come off eventually so I'll just keep plowing through and see what happens!

Wow...I just joined today, and this is my first post, and I already feel less alone in this whole diet thing. I'm right there with you as well. I've been plateaued around 164 (give or take a couple of pounds) for what feels like years. I just don't get it. I eat pretty well, and I exercise my butt off (changing it up and everything) as well, but nothing happens anymore. I guess the only thing I would suggest is eating different things. That is to say, I found that I was eating a lot of the same things all the time, so I've been trying to see what would happen if I ate different things. I personally haven't seen any major differences yet, but It's an idea I guess! The most important thing to do is never give up. If you feel like you're going to binge, just think of all the work you did to get where you are, and you'll know that you just CAN'T give up now!

I know you said you don't do diets. If you really want to succeed you may want to try one- pick one that isn't too restrictive ie weight watchers (on line). Exercise is fantastic but it isn't the whole story.

If you really don't want to go the diet route, and believe that you're eating habits are fine. Shake up the exercise. Our body's tend to adapt/get used to the exercise we are doing. You didn't mention what you are doing- try different machines, different intensities. Get a pedometer and try increasing your movement outside of exercise. I have a friend who runs every day and her weight hasn't budged passed 160 in months. The reality is that she is not careful with what she eats either. So whether she knows it or not she is in maintenance

The other issue is could it be that you are just retaining fluid right now?

I had the same thing happen to me recently. I've been doing really well, losing a couple pounds every week. And I'd finally gotten to about 167, and I was soo excited. Then I cheated for ONE day! And it wasn't even a big cheat! I just had an Appleebee's Oriental Chicken Roll-up 760 calories, fries, and 2 sodas. And I was so stuffed that's all I ate all day. So I wasn't really even over my usual calories by that much. And yet I went all the way back up to 171.8 lbs! And stayed there for 3 days. But I realized several things: 1) When you eat foods high in salt you retain water. Fries have salt on them. 2) I retain even more water when it's humid out, and it's been humid where I live for like 2 weeks straight now. And 3) if the numbers on the scale are affecting how I feel that much, I have to take a break from the scale. Bc this isn't just about the numbers moving on the scale for me. This is about being healthier.

So I've stuck with it, haven't weighed myself in like 2 weeks, and stepped back on my scale yesterday (2 weeks later). Back down to 165! So while mine was a short plateau, and probably more caused by water retention, the point is this: you can't give up! You have to just keep plugging, and eventually it will all pay off. Just stick to your portion control or whatever you do, and keep up with the exercise. Oh yeah, and hide the scale! It can be evil sometimes...

your story sounds exactly like mine santamonica! I started at 250, got down to 185 and then was stuck there for months, then I put nearly 20 lbs. back and got stuck THERE! When I lost the original 65 lbs. I was on a low calorie plan, since it totally seemed to stop working for me I tried to go a different route and started limiting the carbs I get from processed bread, pasta and rice. I don't limit the carbs I get from fruit, veggies, dairy or anything like that. I've started losing again! I think it has something to do with switching things up. Our bodies are incredibly smart and given time will adapt accordingly to pretty much anything we do!

It is very strange, but this seems to be a common plateau point. At my heaviest (several years ago), I weighed 250 pounds. Careful diet and exercise got me down to 185 pounds. At that point, I just quit losing. I was stuck there for months and finally got frustrated and fell off of the wagon. I gained back to 225. I try to focus on the fact that I never regained those last 25 pounds.

This is exactly what happened to me. I got down to 190 then BAM back up to 210 then back down to 190 and now I'm at 230. It gets so frustrating but I gotta do the same thing. Remember that even though I've gained 40 lbs. I haven't gained the other 50 back that I lost before. I think that's actually the key to not gaining any more than I already have. Remembering that I've done an amazing job and overcoming the bumps in the road.