I am having an especially bad day today and I need to vent somewhere This post may be on the long side as I am long winded even on my worst days I know everybody goes through frustration when losing weight and I keep telling myself that I will start losing again if I just stick with it but I am scared that I may end up giving up if I don't see some results soon. In the past I have gave up on things when they became hard or monotonous. When I start feeling this way I have a little talk with myself and remind me that I vowed to stick with this for the long run.

Anyway, I lost 40 pounds over a couple years just by smoking and having out of control blood sugar. I am not proud of it but it happened. I started trying to lose in a healthy way around the middle of November. I was losing fast at first like a lot of people do. My new blood sugar meds helped me along as well. Things were going great. I managed to lose weight throughout Christmas and I quit smoking the first of January I fear that quitting smoking has stalled my weight loss though and I am not sure what to do now. I was stuck at exactly 205.2 for two and a half weeks after I quit. I weighed myself every day and didn't see even a .1 of a change. I found that so weird seeing how weight normally fluctuates a bit. I finally started losing again two weeks ago but I am stuck again. I was at 202.5 for a couple days and now it seems I have gained two pounds. Is all this typical or am I doing something wrong?

I worry that my balance of calories and exercise is out of wack. I started shooting for around 1300 calories when I hit that first plateau and I exercise for around an hour about 3-5 times a week doing a three mile Leslie Sansone video followed by 20 minutes on my elliptical trainer. On exercise days I try to eat around 1500 calories but it is never exact. I find it hard to eat a lot more than that because I remember all that exercise I did and I feel bad stuffing my face afterward. So perhaps I am not eating enough or maybe its the night time snacking. I have always been an evening binger and I can't kick the habit. Insted, I have switched to smart pop popcorn and raspberries. I sometimes eat an entire bag of smart pop and a bowl of berries (about 300 cals). I always account for the calories though and they are part of the 1300 ish I eat in a day. Could the popcorn be holding me back. "Tom" has been messed up and late since I started exercising too. I almost missed an entire month and now I have no idea when it should come again. I have spotting almost every time after exercise but never the full thing. I don't have a supportive doctor to talk to so I am on my own with everything.
I guess I just need some guidance. I am still new to losing in a healthy way and I have at least 60 pounds to go. I feel pretty down and confused right now

Thanks so much for any help, I really appreciate it right now.

Amanda

First and foremost, scale fluctuations happen. Quitting smoking can cause increased snacking, but you're tracking your calories, so that isn't the case. Scales are sometimes uncooperative to the point of ridiculousness, for the silliest reasons (increased salt intake can increase water weight...maybe that's causing an issue because of the popcorn? Hormone fluctuations, particularly if things are a bit off, can cause water retention. So can changes in exercise routine). But things going up and down for a few weeks is nothing...NOTHING...to even be concerned about.

Now, if you'd been at the same weight for a month with no changes other than minor up and down fluctuations, I might consider mixing things up - changing your exercise routine, varying your calorie intake, and above all else, making sure you're tracking your calories accurately (are you weighing and measuring consistently?). But honestly, after two weeks of holding pattern, then a 2 lb loss, with a little up and down...that's totally normal, particularly if your hormones are a bit wonky. I would keep on keeping on for now and wait and see.

Thanks, I assumed it's normal and possible water weight, I just find it so frustrating when you see a new lower number and do a little happy dance then be two pounds more for a few days after. Every body goes through it but it is frustrating. I will try changing things up a bit I was just wondering if there is something I may be doing wrong regarding the exercise and calorie intake. I do weigh my food and measure pretty accurately. Sometimes I worry that the nutrition label on some foods might not be very accurate. I wonder how many of them have been off by 100 cals or more. I saw two different brands of rice mix before. They were the exact same ingredients and same serving size yet one was 150 cals more than the other brand. Makes you wonder

Thanks for the reply

I struggle with slow weight loss, so I can understand the feelings of frustration. I just wanted to show you my support...

Don't give up- good things will come!

I wish I had something amazing to tell you, something you're doing wrong that will fix everything, but I don't. All I can tell you is that I totally understand how you feel, and I encourage you to keep up your fantastic work. Don't give up, even if you're not seeing change. You are taking great care of yourself regardless, and you should keep it up! I know that when the weight leaves, you'll be so proud of yourself for sticking through the hard times. This is just one of those hard times you'll forget once you've met your goal. You can do it!

I have been working at it for a month now and haven't lost anything. I was diagnosed pre-diabetic. I have succeeded in getting my sugars under control, in limiting portions and snacks, and in getting exercise most days. But no weight loss yet. I am focusing on the NSV (non-scale victories) of those other points, all the while looking at my diet to figure out what I have to do to get the weight down.
I am happy to support you. I am really impressed with your ability to work out so hard, diet AND quit smoking.
FYI, there are a LOT of studies that actually show that quitting smoking actually causes TEMPORARY weight gain even with careful calorie control, so you hitting a plateau is actually a bit of a victory. I think one of the studies I read theorized that there is a chemical reaction that happens in the brain,temporarily affecting weight loss. So don't despair, the weight will go in time, and you will get to one-derland.

The nicotine in smoking actually speeds up your metabolism. Just ride it out. I quit two years ago and really stepped up my exercise so I wouldn't see a gain (I couldn't afford any more weight! lol!!) and it really helped. I didn't lose for awhile but I didn't gain either. Give your body time to adjust and be proud of yourself for quitting. It is no easy task.

I feel so fortunate to have found this forum. After reading everyone's replies, I don't feel alone and I am encouraged to continue I had a feeling it was the nicotine that was effecting my loss because I was doing so great and losing fast before I quit. Feelings of nicotine withdrawal are fading now and I have felt much better this week so hopefully my body will co operate and start shedding some girth LOL.

Thanks again everyone

I quit smoking two and a half years ago. I have an alcohol problem too, and my last slip was about a year after quitting the cigarettes. (As a full-blown diabetic, I don't have any business drinking anyway. It does ridiculous things to your blood sugar.) Now I'm losing weight. Finally. I just had to conquer one thing at a time.

Is there a chance you could be pregnant?

ETA: CONGRATS on quitting smoking. The BEST thing you can do for your health! (I quit smoking and drinking alcohol around the same time I started my weight loss)

Nope, no baby for me My hubby had a vasectomy years ago. I have noticed that I am starting to drop slowly again. I was at 201.5 this morning I have a feeling I am dropping my calories too low though and its stalling me along with the nicotine withdrawal. I should be losing close to two pounds a week on such a low cal diet but I am barely losing a pound most weeks. Online calculators tell me I need about 1600 calories just to live! Does that seem too high? I am looking into zig zagging for awhile but I can't fathom eating 1600 cals every day plus more when I exercise. Don't get me wrong, I love food. That is how I got this way to begin with LOL. I am just scared to eat too much because my metabolism is slow. I think I am going to make a post in the calorie counting forum for some help on how much I should be eating.

I saw my doctor yesterday. He said I have lost 10 pounds since the first week of December which isn't bad but its a little slow. My blood pressure is still high even though I quit the cigs and dropped some weight. He started me on a new blood pressure medication as well. I hope the next visit will show better results

Amanda