Hello friends,
I'm sure the title of my post sounds very lazy, and I hope it's not taken the wrong way. I've been working out intensely since I started this journey and, at first, I was dropping weight at a good level, but now, things have stalled for quite some time. I've added more strength training and more cardio, but it doesn't seem to make any difference at all.

So....am I a freak of nature? Unlucky? I do count calories and I keep active all day long, but these thighs and this stomach aren't getting any smaller and I'm getting frustrated.

I know I need to hang in there and be patient and I am. I'm not planning to give up at all and I'm grateful for all the loss so far, but it seems that for a month now, the scale is not moving. If anything, it went up a little and then settled back down to where it was.

I guess this is just a mini rant/vent. I wish my body was doing 1 or 2 lbs. a week and that would be that.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have been stuck in my size 16 pants for a long time and I have a bunch of 14's I would LOVE to be able to wear already!!!!

Thanks!

Sometimes the body seems to need to adjust for a bit, then starts losing again. That has happened to me. I definitely wouldn't stop training to make the scale move - it will move because you're losing muscle, and that just sucks.

okay so this is going to sound really lazy on my part but i dont excersize at all and ive lost weight very nicely sometimes i do great sometimes i see only a pound in a whole freekin week .. (( ughhh a whole week to drop a pound and i can gain like 6 in a week )) i am ALOT more active now though with this increase of energy im like anal about counting my calories and i try to be more active IE house work, walking to buy groceries instead of taking the car , i take a leisurely stroll around my neighborhood if im on a phone call and im not busy and once in a while i do a dance video for my own amusement .... but to awnser your question i do think its possible to loose weight without excersize but if youve already started doing it dont stop as you may loose muscle ( idk how that works ) it may not be showing on the scale but your giving your body a great gift by excersizing !

i havent been able to exercise for a few weeks due to medical problems, ironically i was stuck FOREVER and then have lost over 5 lbs in the past 2 weeks of laziness.

If the scale hasn't moved for a month or so, then your body is probably in energy equilibrium -- which means your calories in are equaling your calories out. In order to create the necessary calorie deficit to lose fat, you'll have to increase exercise (not decrease) or lower your calories.

It sounds like your exercise is already fairly intense, so perhaps take a look at your calorie level? If it hasn't changed since you started losing weight, you may need to adjust it for your smaller body and its lower calorie needs.

Stopping exercise often results in weight (not fat) loss for a couple of reasons. First, your body's supply of plasma drops within 48 hours of stopping exercise because not as much is needed to transport oxygen for cardiovascular exercise. Second, you'll lose muscle and as Julie said, that's a really bad thing that will work against your weight loss efforts. So the "weight" loss from stopping exercise is really water and muscle loss. All we should care about is fat loss and exercise is great for that!

Hang in there, take a hard look at your calories, and keep exercising! The fat will come off!

Could it be that your added strength training is building more muscle?

Are you noticing a change in your body? Maybe not a weight loss, but a shifting? I found it took me a LONG time to get out of my 16's.

Keep at it, it will happen. It's a lifestyle change, not just a body change. At least, that's what I tell myself when that wretched scale just won't budge!

Thank you all so much for your responses! I have all these skinny gorgeous friends who work out a little or don't work out at all and I feel like I'm busting my butt at the gym every single day and it's just a bit tiresome.

I use a program on my iTouch that tells me how many calories I should consume for a 2 lb loss a week, so it is constantly adjusting for me. According to my cardio machines, I burn about 900 to 1000 calories a day (6 days a week) and I don't consume those calories. If I do (which I have tried) then my weight goes up. I will keep this up and increase my activity to see if that will budge the scale. I'm not at my TOM or anything, in case anyone thinks that's what it is. I guess I just wish I was a more "by the book" kind of a loser (weight loser, of course).

The counters on cardio machines are notoriously inaccurate, so beware. My heart rate monitor tells me that I burn 50 - 60% of the calories that the machines say. The manufacturers grossly overestimate the calorie burn of their machines to convince people they're getting a better workout.

What calorie level are you on right now? Calculators are a great starting point for getting a sense of where your calories should start out, but they're only averages and don't measure your unique calorie needs. There's about an 800 calorie range for each average given for a particular height and weight, which is a pretty big margin of error. It sounds like the iTouch program isn't accurate for your body, so the best thing to do is to pick a calorie level to start with and then tweak depending on your real world results. If you're gaining weight or staying the same, then you need to lower your calories. If you're losing faster than you'd like, you need to raise your calories. If you're losing 1 - 2 pounds a week, then you've discovered your own personal sweet spot.

Thank Meg! You are a major inspiration, so I feel lucky to have your ear. I am at 1350 calories and so I really don't want to go any lower. You're right about the machines being inaccurate....I figure that if I burn half the amount they say, I'm doing alright. I also walk my dog and my kids. If I up the calories, then I end up gaining, but maybe that's just temporary? Anyway, I hope this is just my body stabilizing since I only started this in September.

Ah, now that we know your calories, I agree that you don't need to go lower. 1350 should get you to where you want to go!

The only other suggestions I can offer are: 1. mix in cardio intervals -- good for fat burning (if you aren't already) and 2. be sure you're getting enough protein to sustain your muscle mass.

Otherwise -- patience! There are lots of times that we do everything "right" and the scale won't cooperate. But remember that there are amazing changes going on in your body that aren't measured on a scale. You'll be out of those 16s before you know it!

Many thanks, Meg! I feel a lot better, knowing I'm on the right path.

luckymommy just wanted to say you are doing awesome and keep it up!!!

Thanks so much for your sweet words Vivian27! You are well on your way too!

I am new to the weight loss task and so far. I tell my friends I exercise: restraint, pushing myself away from the table and putting the fork down. Those are my eating exercises. I haven't gotten religious about physical exercise, but do burst toning (like standing in the kitchen and suddenly break out in some toning exercise while making dinner). I do this several times throughout the day and opt for stairs instead of elevators. Good luck on your weight journey.

Yes, me at the moment because of creaky knees and ankles. I'm on a slow regime, just losing a pound a week.
Don't give up, I know its a miserable time when you 'stick' Maybe the inches are going faster than they used to?
Our bodoes need time to catch up or else we'd be gathering up the slack skin and tying it in a knot on top of our heads. Hang in there