Ok, so I am new to the forum but figured I can rant a little anyway! I have been on this new journey in my life for the last year and a half. Unfortunately about 5 months ago I let my focus slip a little and gained 10 lbs back of my weight that I had lost. So this week I decided was going to be the week I changed my life again!

In the past I have used weight watchers and I successfully lost quite a bit of weight but I also did not exercise mostly because I am lazy and didn't think I had the time between work, kids, and my husband. I joined a gym about 4 months ago and rarely was using my membership.

So Monday morning started the beginning of the new me. After the kids went to school I went to the gym. Rode a stationary bike for 45 minutes and swam for 45 minutes. Same on Tuesday. Wednesday rather than the gym I chose to walk for 45 minutes. Yesterday the gym was closed so I did one 20 minute session of Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. In the evening I did one of her yoga videos. Today back to the gym but my muscles are so tired it hurts to walk so I swam laps for 45 minutes.

I have kept my calories down to around 1100 calories each day with extremely low fat content and I have not seen the scale move at all! What is going on here it is like I am on pause I have never done this much work and seen nothing in return.

So, is it because I am working out, eating to little, I am so frustrated and I know myself if I don't see something soon I will feel defeated. How do you stick to it and not quit when you feel like it isn't working?

Sorry about the long rant just some advice would be wonderful! Has anyone else ever experienced this. I am only about 35 lbs from my goal weight and I just can't seem to break through!

I would say up your calories some so you are fueling your body for your workouts.

You need to be patient! It often takes more than a week for meaningful results to show.

1100 calories seems low to me with that much exercise but "how low should you go" is a never-ending discussion around here. I lost steadily at 1700-1800 calories with an hour of running 5x/week.

You can do it! Stick with it and you will see results!

Thanks for your responses! I guess your right looking back on it, I do seem impatient but I thought maybe just one pound. I am sure it will click in sooner or later. I guess the good news is there has not been an increase on the scale, I will refocus my energy back to eating healthy and exercising and less focus on what the scale says. Maybe I will not touch the scale for a week instead of daily and see if that helps me to not be so focused on the number and more focused on my body. Sometimes I need someone to remind me it isn't going to be instant gratification.

I will try eating more calories to fuel my body maybe that could be part of it. Thanks again. I am not usually an impatient person but for some reason this week I am feeling like it.

So glad to have found a place where most have been or are in the same predicament as I and can relate to each other's situations!!

it is possible you have lost already but since your muscles are sore (and just starting an exercise regime) they are retaining water, masking any signs of loss on the scale. As an FYI, if you are going to continue to eat that low cal, and exercise that much, you really need to consider not going so low fat. It is going to backfire. Your muscles/joints/tissue/hormones/thyroid/metabolism etc etc NEED good fat to protect and repair your body, ESPECIALLY at that harsh of a deficit. I hope at the very very least you are taking a sifnificant amount of fish oil/flax/ some form of Omega's

i think upping your calories some will make a huge difference, good luck! =)

That's very few calories for all that working out. And so abruptly too. I bet your body is just freaking the heck out thinking it's going to suddenly starve to death. LOL

That definitely seems like too few calories considering your workouts. I would up your calories and see what happens.

I think you can safely raise your calories a bit, but not because it thinks it's starving or you need to fuel your body for your exercise. When you don't give your body enough fuel/energy (calories) it is forced to turn to your stored fat and use THAT for it's fuel/energy. Which it the object here - create a calorie deficit.

But I'm fairly certain (only trial and error and experimentation can tell you for sure) that you'd still lose nicely eating more calories and if you can - well than why not?

I would think that it's just a matter of time. You keep creating that calorie deficit and your body will have no choice but to lose the fat and shed the pounds.

Yup, weight loss is not an instant gratification type thing. It's a process. Those fat cells don't immediately empty out upon creating that deficit.

And by all means focus on the behaviors. Get them down pat, repeat them day in day out and that scale (your body) will follow through with the results.

Keep working your (sensible) plan and it WILL work.

Thanks for all of the advice I really do appreciate it. So I listened to all of you about my calorie intake and upped it to 1500 calories a day and I have lost 3 lbs in the last 3 days.

I guess I didn't realize how much of an affect the calorie intake being so low would have. I figured I was lowering my calorie intake and exercising so I would lose weight. I wasn't taking into account my body needed some fuel!

I will really make sure I eat enough calories from here on out!

Here's my thing! Exercise + calorie counting + PATIENCE works. But if you take the patience out of the equation, it doesn't. The scale is a fickle, fickle friend, especially with exercise.

This has been the reason for my FAILURE the past ten years! The most I ever lost was 35 pounds. To counteract all that, I got curious about where I'd be if I just stuck to my plan for one full year. How much could I lose if every single day I stuck to plan, ignoring the scale? The moment I did that, the scale lost all its power. So it stuck for a month. It didn't matter because I was still on plan for one year.

My year is almost up. It'll be 10 months in a few days. I have lost nearly 70 pounds and I have some very firm habits. I am on auto pilot now and there's no turning back! I can't wait to see where next year's journey takes me.

Some people take it one day at a time...I'm taking it one year at a time.

that's awesome Elaina! i would loveee to have the will power to do that. i did get rid of my scale about a year ago for that very same reason, but i dident have a "plan" and thought i knew it all.lol boy was i wrong, but i hope one day soon i can get back to that confidence, but with a plan i can stick with for the rest if my life if need be as well. it must be very freeing.

Ditto that. Granted I have substantially more to lose, but my body would be really cranky if I'd worked out and had only eaten that many calories.

I actually weigh every day. I couldn't throw the thing away entirely. But I'm able to look at it as a tool now rather than a measure of my success. When I hit the gym and surpass my goals and eat within my calorie range and drink all my water and the scale stays the same...it is NOT a measure of my success. LOL! But by ignoring that knowing I have to be on plan because I made a commitment to be, it has really helped.

I would think those 3 lbs in 3 days came off because of the hard work you were doing PRIOR to those last 3 days, not necessarily the direct result of the last 3 days in specific.

Your body has fuel - you HAVE been feeding it and you've got that STORED fuel.

Congrats on the weight loss. Keep at it. Keep on going. Provided you do that, you will lose the weight. I look forward to hearing of your continued progress.