I'll apologize in advance for being all negative and emo, but I just need to get this off my chest....any comments are appreciated, whether it's to kick my a ss or give me a hug or whatever you think i need. TIA.

It's March 10th and I am still at the same weight I reached on February 13th.

A month spent eating 1300 calories and I haven't lost a pound.

I don't want to whine, but I am seriously thinking I am just going to give up on this weight loss thing. I am hungry ALL THE TIME and I can't take going to bed feeling dizzy and hungry every night and not having lost anything. It's beyond discouraging and the last few nights I've been on the edge of binging. Tonight I wanted to just go into my kitchen and eat everything in site. I seriously was fantasizing about just drinking a cup of melted margarine to taste the wonderful fatty, salty goodness. WTF is that???

I don't understand what is happening to my body. I've never been one to binge unless you count pigging out with my friends...which I suppose is the same thing? Even so, it's been YEARS since I did that. And it was for recreation and relaxation, not out of this horrible feeling of hunger and deprivation.

I'm not a perfect dieter, but I thought I was doing well enough to see the scale move and it's just not. I think I eat pretty healthy, but I have a cheat meal on weekends. But I've gone from a cheat day to a cheat meal, and I've gone from 1500 calories to 1300 - last week I even had one at 1000 and a few at 1100 and still nothing.

I honestly don't think i can continue to do this anymore. I don't see the point in feeling starved and not seeing the scale move - BECAUSE THERE IS NO POINT. And I don't think I can drop my calories lower. I just don't think i have it in myself to eat 800 calories a day every day.

Anyway...I don't know what I am going to do here. I think maybe I should just work on getting exercise in, which has been hard for me the past few months. I don't get enough sleep and I am constantly in a state of exhaustion and that doesn't exactly make for energy to work out. But I am trying to clear my work schedule so I can get back into the routine of going to the gym at lunch.

A huge hug is definitely what you need right now. *huge hug*

If I recall Wildflower you went on a "break" and maintained your weight over the holiday period, right? Perhaps another "break" would be a good option. Taking that pressure off might help you gain more feelings of control over other parts of your life, which sound extremely stressful.

Also and I apologize if this sounds strange, how important is it actually to you to lose weight? Are you disappointed in yourself for not reaching X number, or are you genuinely unhappy with how you look? Is your image of yourself contextually based, depending on who you're around or whether you're reading a lot of magazines or watching movies/TV? You certainly have heard this before and don't need to hear it from me, but I know how easy it is to get sucked into the comparison game. Even though I am healthy and acceptable looking at 125-130 if I am exercising regularly, I just feel like a failure since I don't look like Olivia Wilde.

I know I responded to this on the accountability thread, so this may not be helpful at all, but since we are similar stats and I KNOW how frustrating a stall can be, here are a couple more thoughts. Some of them may be "duhs" but I'll just run through everything I can think of just in case:

> Protein/Carb/Fat percentages: are you getting enough protein? For me I stall with weight loss if my fat percentage is too high, even if calories are under. Is your fat where it should be, or could you consider lowering it?

> Water: are you drinking 64 oz a day? Could you up it?

> Sodium intake: I think most of your food is home-prepared, but is there any reason your sodium could be higher than it should be?

> Exercise: You mentioned about ramping up your exercise in the accountability thread. Maybe you mentioned this already, but can you increase your exercise throughout the day? I've read in so many places (though it's not often brought up on this website) that exercising/moving throughout the day- aka a 10 minute walk in the morning, cleaning or gardening for 20 minutes in the afternoon, going to the gym for 30 mins in the evening- is far better than one single hard workout and being sedentary the rest of the day. (Admittedly this is my lifestyle now, but when I lived in the US I walked 1 mile to the subway in the morning and 1 mile in the back, and did yoga in the evening, and I could eat almost anything I wanted without gaining.) NYT Article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/0...dentary&st=nyt

> Measuring. You always list the amounts- are you measuring EVERYTHING? I think you are, but I have to ask.

> Sleep. I know you've mentioned all the stress you're under a work/wedding planning- this could definitely be a big factor. Is it possible to ensure you get better, more quality sleep? Many people say this is the *key* to weight loss.

That's all I could come up with now. **HUGS** I know how frustrating it is to be stalled, but don't give up!! You have lots a lot of weight and there's no reason to undo all that work. Hopefully you can figure out the key to kickstarting the loss again and continue moving in the right direction.

Two more:

> Strength training- I was training on my own for a while and a trainer one day stopped by to spot me and give me pointers. The difference was incredible- I realized how much more I could get out of strength training by amping it up and being with someone who could push me. I now think what I was doing before was barely affecting my muscles/weight loss at all. I know trainers are expensive, but is there any other way you can really include good, solid, hardcore strength training into your workout? (I do yoga so I know how great yoga is for strength, but sometimes what the body really needs to build muscle and burn fat is a huge chunk of iron and some good old fashion sets and reps)

> Varying your workout. You mentioned you walk, do yoga, and I think something else- run? Anyway can you vary that a bit? Biking, swimming, aerobics, club sport? Perhaps your body is settled into your routine, even though it's going between three different activities, and needs something else to stimulate it. Whenever I randomly play a game of pick-up soccer I always feel 2 lbs lighter the next day.

Thanks for the hugs Krampus. I've thought of taking a break, but then it seems so pointless because I've only lost 1lb in the past month!! I feeeel thinner though, my clothes are getting looser, but my measurements are not changing. I guess I just feel lighter and can't explain the clothes feeling looser - maybe they are stretching out from age, no idea.

It's a good point about how much I want to lose these pounds. I don't hate my body, although I can identify areas that definitely need improvement. The biggest driver is that I'm getting married in 7 months and I am terrified of how giant I will look. I have really large arms/shoulders and wedding dresses basically just show these parts of your body. I could have the world's biggest thighs and they would be covered under layers of tulle no one would ever see. I started running a year ago February with hopes for weight loss and never lost a lb. I started dieting and lost about 14...but now nothing, so I am worried I am running out of time. I don't want to wake up on my wedding day and still be 138.

I don't compare myself too much, although I may have mentioned before I have a sister who is a recovered anorexic. We are really close and it's hard for me to hear her constantly telling me how so and so thinks she is so hot, and watch all the attention she gets for it how she looks. She's sort of manipulative and gets guys to buy her stuff. I make my own money and can buy myself whatever I want, and I would never, ever want to be like that, but still, I sort of deep down wish I had the option...

Wow, indiblue, thanks for all the suggestions!!!

Let's see -

Protein - I don't know if I'm getting enough protein, I was trying to be vegan but I also don't want to live on fake soy meat as I think living on it is unhealthy. I've added eggs back into my diet the past few weeks, and bought some greek yogurt and low fat cheese today at the store. I don't eat fish, so tofu/tempeh/veggie burgers/lentils are my source of protein mainly. I've been veg so long I've never really worried about it, but I know I do lose weight better when I cut bread/carbs out, but I get low on energy too.

Water - I drink a TON of water most days, and lots of tea too. In fact, I think I need to cut back!! I ALWAYS wake up to pee at night, probably because I drink tons of water up until bedtime.

Sodium - I don't eat a lot of processed foods or salt many foods often. I eat olives and pickles though. My blood pressure is really low (105/70) so I've been told not to try to cut salt out.

Measuring - yeah, i really do measure all that stuff! lol. The only thing I stopped measure is the milk in my tea. I just count it as 1 cup no matter what, I figure most days it is more like 1/4 cup, but some days it might be a lot more if I drink all the cups i pour instead of leaving them around the house. I also occasionally don't measure peanut butter, but I use a kitchen spoon that is under 1 T and write down that I ate a Tablespoon anyway.

Sleep is hard. I get home late from school (10:15) and need to be up the next day by 6:30 if I go into the office. Some days I work from home and can sleep until about 7 when my fiancee needs to get up. And also some days I stay up waiting for him to get home from school. Most nights he gets home at 10:30. I don't sleep well either...I wake up to pee, I wake up too hot, from bad dreams, from little noises. I am seeing a chiropractor who specializes in Traditional Chinese Medicine and just started taking some herbs that are supposed to help. For years I took tranquilizers occasionally to help calm me down and help me sleep, but really want to be able to sleep better naturally. I know the easy answer is to stop with my lifestyle...but I get anxious when I am not keeping busy too. Yes, I am probably nuts.

Thank you guys for the support!!!

My sister has struggled with bulimia and has always been the "pretty" one, so I can definitely identify with that. I remember being in middle school and hearing my parents' friends whisper to them after seeing my sister for the first time "your daughter (always singular) is so pretty!" It was such a slap in the face in high school when my guy friends would get closer to me just to try to see my sister or ask her out. Like you I always rejected in my head wanting to be like that and took comfort in the fact that I was the healthy/mentally stable one (bad, I know), even if I was usually about 20 lbs heavier than she was/is. Still, you can't help but compare. I still do even as an adult and I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a small part of my motivation to lose weight.

Thanks for sharing that Indiblue. You know where I am coming from then, although I wish you didn't have to go through the same thing. I always took comfort in the fact that I am the "sweet one" and the one with the good job. My fiancee is great to me and really I have no reason to need or want random men to buy me things...It just, I don't know, shocks me that any guy would behave like that.

As far as weight lifting...I have had good luck losing weight by weight lifting/incline walking in the past. But the gym I am with now, I hate the weights section. It's always crowded by men and I hate going to that area. Maybe I should look at a trainer or a new gym. My fiancee just hired a trainer last week!

Oh I can relate to ALL OF THIS! I've been veg for 11 years now and after getting into the swing of things several years ago I just assumed I knew how to get enough protein. Turns out I really wasn't, and I began really focusing on upping my dairy, eggs, beans, and peanut butter. I'm not super worried about my carbs but I have really cut pasta and bread almost completely out- only probably 2-3 servings a week at most. Definitely try upping your protein (maybe 60 grams a day or more? May want to do some more research on that) and see what happens.

I also have trouble waking up at night to pee! I have to stop drinking water after 8 PM or I'm in trouble. I'm also a light sleeper, especially since moving out of the country, and haven't been sleeping well. Have you tried Melatonin? It is an herbal supplement that is non habit-forming and helps promote restful sleep. I take it probably once a week when my mind is racing and it works wonders.

No worries bout your salt then too- I have low blood pressure so I have never worried about salt intake. Too little salt and I get dizzy!

I bought some melatonin, but then never got the nerve to take it.

Oh, and I didn't answer about the exercise...I take the train to work and then walk about 3/4 of a mile to my office. I don't use the elevator at it, so I walk up and down 5 flights of stairs when ever I go out. When I go to the gym at lunch, I walk .5 mile there, and I walk wherever I go around town during the day. I haven't been able to get to yoga since January because of my school schedule, but I was going to 2 X 90 minute classes a week and did that for several years. The running is currently just a few miles a few times a week, but I since I was sick last month I haven't been out again. It's really cold out still, so that will definitely rev up when it's warmer out.

Well, I'm definitely not a doctor, but since I see a dietician (for exercise bulimia) I know some info. The main thing is that I think you might need to up your calories. To me, it sounds like your body is in starvation mode and it's clinging to your fat because you're not taking enough calories. Maybe I"m wrong, but that's what my dietician told me when I said I was dieting (and eating healthy) and staying at 1200 or so calories. And actually, I'm taking in around 1700 calories, eating healthy and exercising. My body has maintained my weight for about a year and I'm just healthy enough to start losing. I still took in the same amount of calories but I focused on what I was eating. And I exercised more intently. I would focus on that. You just sound so hungry, I'm worried about you for that! Sending you a big hug!

Sounds like your exercise is GREAT- you are moving throughout the day, which is is so important (and something I'm not doing right now :-/). Hopefully between yoga and weights you'll be able to get in some more strength training in. Otherwise I'm not sure if there's anything I would change about your exercise.

I grew up in a family of Melatonin fans- my mom has always had trouble sleeping and whenever I as a teenager would be stressed out or couldn't get to sleep she'd let me have a tablet. It's an herbal supplement, not a medicine, with no side effects- you won't wake up groggy in the morning. I introduced it to my old boss who flew internationally a lot and had trouble sleeping on the plane and he loved it. Anyway, all that to say if you feel comfortable trying it once just to see what happens, it could be worth a shot.

I get that you're trying to lose weight, but it really is important that you're clothes are getting more loose. That you "feel" skinnier. Sometimes we get so addicted to the numbers on the scale that we forget to look at the more important stuff....

You certianly are maintaining a healthy lifestyle! I agree with Krampus, if you feel too overwrought, then perhaps a break?

I hope you figure something out darlin'!

If you're like me, I see 2 things I've learned will stall my weight loss.

1) You're not eating enough. If you're hungry like that and you're getting a good balance of protein, fat and carbs, you need to eat more.

2) Stress. My weight loss always stalls when I'm stressed. Even just being stressed about not losing can cause it to freeze up.

So relax a little and have a bit to eat.

Wildflower is sounds like you are putting a huge amount of pressure on yourself! If you feel super deprived and starving, then I agree with everyone else - you're probably not eating enough. And stress (self-inflicted or otherwise) and starvation will ruin anyone's sleep. Try not to fixate on your looming deadline for your weightloss, it just increases the pressure. Instead of watching the scale like a hawk, can you turn your focus elsewhere for a while? Find something that isn't weight related to expend the mental energy on?

I feel your pain. I've been on plan and upping my exercise and I haven't seen the scale budge in almost a month. Stubborn, stubborn bodies Don't give up - we just have to find ways to outsmart them!