I have been staying on plan, eating sometimes less than the 20 carbs that I have allowed myself a day. I drink water and walk. I stay perfectly on plan. But I have gained 3 pounds this week. (and no, not even close to TOM) I can't understand it and I want to cry. If I am working this hard and gaining, why bother? I don't know what I am doing wrong. it seams I am destined to be overweight, no matter how much 'I try or how well I stay on plan. Im depressed and angry and im in such a bad mood for the past 2 days. I go from telling myself I will never eat another bite of food again to saying what the ****, just eat whatever you want, cause it doesn't matter anyway. I am hungry all day and the food that I do allow myself is carefully thought out. Why is this happening??????????

It does matter. You know it does. That is why you are here on a weight loss site and why you are so upset. It matters! Maybe it's time to re-think your plan. Are you getting enough to eat? You shouldn't be hungry all of the time or even most of the time.

Remember the drinks at the bar this weekend? There are a ton of sugar carbs in alcohol. Maybe the scales have finally caught up with your binge? I would chalk this up as a lesson learned. An occasional drink is okay, but several drinks is considered off-plan on any plans I've ever followed. Don't let this de-rail you from achieving your goals. Your life is too important for that.

Hi Ronda.

I was careful to drink only straight shots with no sugar in them. My weight was down until Monday and that was Satruday so I don't think that was it, but it's a good thought.

Unfortunately, straight shots still have calories, Shell....

Stay the course! You are doing great!

OMG i was gonna post the same thing, i have faithfully been OP and exercising for 30 days now and today i had gained 2 lbs.... what the ****???? i know exactly how you feel , the only thing i could think of is we arent getting enough calories,other than that i have no clue, maybe the good ladies here can help us figure out whats wrong!

@ Savora & seashell ~ You ladies hang in there and don't give up. Both of you have made a life changing decision and it's the right one. You guys CAN do this! Perhaps a change in your daily exercise and diet routines would help?

i was having the same issue .. so i bumped up my calories and i lost 3 lbs the following week .. if your calorie counting maybe you have to adjust the number of calories your consuming a day .. good luck i hope you have a better WI next week

I can't really help that much not knowing what or how much you are eating. But! You could still be dehydrated from the weekend... that is VERY possible. And it would take a few days for your body to gain back the water it "lost"... so it's probably the water that you never should have lost in the first place (does that make any sense???)

You are doing awesome. BUT if you are always hungry I am worried that this is a plan that you cannot stick with for a very long term. Maybe some reevaluation is needed.

i am so new to this, but maybe your body has gone into survival mode and you need to eat a bit more?

pleased don't get so down. it's a long journey, and you're making your way.

turn your face to the sun and just breathe. it's okay.

isolde

Shell,

In your earlier post you said that you drank more beers than you could count. That could have been a large amount of calories. I have found that when I have too many calories, it sometimes takes as long as a week before they show up on the scale.

Hang in there, keep on watching the calories, and you will lose weight. You can do this!

What plan are you following and where are you at on that plan?

Me too. It's not automatic. I go off plan , eat so and so many extra calories on say, Saturday. It without a doubt does not necessarily show up the next day or two. Just like after having a "good" day, I don't necessarily see a loss the very next day.

Beer DOES have a lot of calories and can definitely put one over their "calorie budget". But you did say that you were perfectly on plan. So I assume you budgeted the beers into your day? If not that could be the answer right there. Unfortunately, we can't eat/drink off plan and expect a weight loss. It just can't occur.

I also wonder just how carefully you are tracking your calories. Is it possible that you've underestimated what you are consuming? Because even one off plan day can negate all the other "on" plan days you've had.

I don't believe you should give in either. I think you just may need to re-assess your plan. Being hungry is just not going to work longterm. Why don't you give us a typical day or two of your food plan and maybe we can make some suggestions?

There is something out there for you. KNOW that. You just may have to dig a little deeper to find it. A little tweaking here and there. But don't ever stop searching. Because when you find the plan for you and you indeed make it work - those will be tears of joy that you'll be shedding.

Outside of the drinking, how has your eating been? You might not be overeating, maybe you are undereating. That can cause gains or stalls in weight loss.

Hi girls,

I am on the Atkins diet and count carbs, not calories. The beers I had were counted into my carb count for the day. I went over by 3 carbs, so I don't think that really made a difference. I think maybe CFmama is right, I got dehydrated and that accounted for the loss. When the water came back, the weight did too. Maybe it wasn't mine to lose in the first place.

Commiserations So incredibly frustrating when you do everything right!

Can I make a suggestion? I assume you keep a food journal of some sort. Do you have enough information in it to calculate your calories for the past week? I know you're doing Atkins, but (like all diets) it's really a method of reducing your calories. You about the same weight as me, and so long as I eat under about 2000cal I lose weight - albeit very slowly. So if you're eating over that, I'd say you are eating too much. If you're eating under 1200, it's probably too low, and your body is freaking out and holding on to weight. I know calorie counting is pain in the neck, but if your calories are within that range consistently for say a month, I'd say you have enough information to warrant going to your doctor and asking what's wrong.

The fact that you are hungry all the time worries me too. Can you mess around with what and when you eat to try and find a way to avoid the hunger pangs?

I also heard somewhere (I think it was a Jillian Michaels podcast) that alcohol can reduce the bodies ability to burn fat by 75%.

Good luck