I'm new and I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, but gosh I could really use some help here!!!

Okay, I'm 33. I'm female. I weigh 286. In my 20s I weighed 275 and lost 130 pounds then gained it all back (I blame issues with work/life balance). A few months ago I tried loosing weight again and lost about 20 pounds but gained it back after catching the flu over winter and being unable to work out.

So here I am, REALLY overweight and totally willing to FINALLY nip this in the bud for good, and nothing is happening! I am drinking a green smoothie every morning, eating a salad with beans for lunch, and having a big salad with beans or fish for dinner. Plus snacks like fruit or veggies. For exercise, I walk two miles in the morning and walk/run intervals in the evening for a total of four miles a day.

Is the scale broken? I've been doing this for 10 days and......nada. Zilch. Nothing. If I had tried this in my 20's, I'd be seeing some major changes by now.

On the bright side, I FEEL great! Sore from the running, but I have a TON of energy and feel really positive.

Am I some sort of a safe harbor for runaway fat? Why won't it go away??

Oh, and I saw my doctor last month- no thyroid problems or anything like that.

Help? Anyone? Am I just meant to be fat???

Tried taking your measurements?

When I first started I had a big loss at first but then it really stalled. I was losing nothing. My first instinct was to give up and say "my body just wants me to be fat". Instead I grabbed a tape measure, took my measurements, and then measured again the week after when I still hadn't lost on the scales. I'd lost cm's off my waist! The week after, I'd again lost cm's! So while the scales weren't moving, my body was changing for the better. The weight started coming off soon after then. I'm so glad I persisted even though my weight wasn't coming off or I'd still be 88kgs [194 pounds, obese] instead of nearly 80 [I'm about 180 pounds now and no longer "obese"].

Seems like your not eating enough calories....what are your daily calories that you're eating? Portions? Exacts? Measuring it? Winging it? Over estimating? If you're eating under 1000...well..lots of people eat lower calories under 1000 to lose...I'm thinking that your body might not like it anymore like when you were in your 20's? Just grasping here without a lot of info.

Thanks for the help!

Okay, I'm going to take my measurements tomorrow (do they make a tape measure that big? lol)

About the calories- I would say that I'm taking in about 1100-- does that sound awful? I don't feel hungry at all and I have a lot of energy and don't feel crabby. I was concerned about my calories so I've really been trying to monitor myself to take note of any signs that I might not be getting enough.

I'm just super frustrated. My husband is doing this with me but working out half as much and eating probably twice as much, and he's lost 20 pounds! Grrr! Typical guy.

One other dumb/hopeful question- could it possibly be my scale? I have a digital Weight Watchers scale from Target... maybe I need something else?

I'm NOT GIVING UP.

P.S.- MissKelly- I read your signature. You are a real inspiration!!

1100 is probably too low. Honestly it's hard to say exactly because different people have different calorie requirements and different happy calorie ranges. But at your weight, exercising daily, I'd say something like 1500 could be a better starting point.

Well I do think you can increase your calories, given your starting weight. I would experiment with the 1500 calorie range. But I don't think eating too few calories is the reason for non scale movement.

How carefully are you tracking your calories? Are you measuring your food, knowing that your calories and portion sizes match? For instance how much dressing is on that salad, how many beans? What kind of fish and how much? How much fruit are you eating - calories wise and which ones? And you mentioned that you "are taking in ABOUT 1100 calories". It could be over that without you realizing it. You need to be really accurate with this - no guessing. It would be a shame to work so hard and not see results, so perhaps with just a little more effort (accurate measurements) you CAN see results.

I really suggest you account for every bite, lick, taste, crumb and sip that goes down your throat for a couple of weeks to get a clearer picture. No use guessing on something so vital.

That made me laugh! I so know the feeling!

It sounds like you're looking at 2 sides of the calories coin:

Either you're estimating wrongly (so easy) and eating far more than 1100
or you're eating a true 1100 which is not a lot for someone looking to drop 130lbs. Not only May it not be enough to fuel your body properly, so it's desparately hanging onto every ounce of water weight any weight it can, because it's afraid of starvation; but also - when you get nearer your goal, you haven't got much, indeed any leeway to drop to to banish the last few pounds.

The other thing I thought of: when I re-re-re-restarted this time, it was a few days before it showed on the scales. This was because I'd been eating like a waste disposal for weeks beforehand. So suddenly eating properly was like slamming on the brakes on the QE2 - it too a while for the momentum to stop!

Good luck - your exercise puts me to shame!

So no one thinks it's the scale? Shucks!

I'm starting to feel like Venus of Willendorf over here (Google it if you don't know what I mean, and you'll laugh).

I'm definitely going to monitor my calories for awhile, but after doing this on and off (and on and off and on and off) for about a decade, I'm darned near positive that I'm not going over 1100. Maybe I'm not eating enough?? I'll take a close look at my intake.

It could be very well be that my body is sorta confused. I've been eating like an idiot up until this point and gained 15 pounds in 3 months to show for it. Maybe I'm just adjusting.

Hun, at your size 1100 is way too low. Your body may be more efficient at recognizing a deficit because you had such a dramatic weight loss in the past. I would of course FIRST see if you are losing inches. If you are, then no problems, if you could see what a lb of fat looked like on a table--you could understand how easy it is to lose a lb and the scale WON'T notice.

I agree with robin--I would start out with somewhere around 1600 for you. Maybe even 1800. You have to feed your body, and then it will realize--no deficit then gradually drop the calories down. It is true VLCD can work for the obese, but not if there is an underlying problem.

I personally lose many inches--before a lb comes off.

also, if you are absolutely dragging at 3pm-5pm. And find naps are a necessity around that time--you might need something to help your adrenals, because you have been under tremendous stress, and STRESS overworks your adrenals, and causes your weight loss effort to be so much harder.

your dietary choices are great and sound very healthy--good for you!

Among all the other great advice ^_re: increasing intake and also making sure your intake is accurate, keep in mind it has been 10 days.

You lost 130lbs before, I have also lost weight before, one thing we tend to forget as time fades is how long it truly did take to see noticeable differences in weight loss over a period of time. It's like a bad boyfriend - we remember the good and tend to block out the "bad". You need far more time to see noticeable changes. Yes, some people experience initial large losses, but that is not an absolute rule and there are many who do not - perhaps they are not as vocal because they are worried that they are wrong in their path to WL.

So, keep at it ~ is all I can say

Just remember, she was the epitome of sex goddess in the Stone Ages! Wow, life must have been easier for women in those days!

The answer is probably painfully obvious, but what is VLCD?

Very Low Calorie Diet.

junco (love your name), VLCD = very low calorie diet.

I also want to repeat that you've only been doing this ten days! You don't know yet how your monthly cycle is going to effect your weight loss this time. Some people lose 4 pounds one week during the month and nothing the other three weeks. So, if you're unlucky, you may have started at the wrong time of the month to see anything on the scale. Give it a month before you get too worried.

Also, don't compare yourself to your husband. I swear all my husband has to do to lose weight is say "yes" when I ask "do you want me to fix you a salad while I'm fixing myself one?"