Ok , so I know I posted a couple days ago reguarding some stress and stuff, so i hope this doesn't seem like I'm whining....but I got really discouraged today when I stepped on the scale....
My eating habbits are way improving , haven't had a coke in over a month, have been eating no more than 1200 calories a day for 10 weeks now and have been really shoving the protien down. I don't get as much exercize as I know I need but I'm not sedimantairy by any means. And i weighed myself today after a week and had a 4lb gain?? seriously?? Makes that bowl of grass I've been eating daily look even less appealing.....Now I'm no doctor but that seems like allot with what Im consuming for even for exsess water, etc. .... is this normal??

PS, i apologize for spelling errors....it's 5:30am and Ive been here at work for over 19 hours...my brain is fried...

No, it's not normal...you're probably eating too little and sending your body into starvation mode. A person your weight and height should be able to lose weight eating a couple hundred more calories a day than what you are. 1200 cals a day is pretty much the bare minimum that you can eat and not risk serious health problems, not a recommended amount, unless you're skinny and very sedentary. Talk to your doctor, you should be able to get some good advice from him/her. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice, I'm def gonna talk to my doctor this week, and I'm gonna up it to 1500 calories which my stomach won't mind haha.

Is it hormonal? (As in, is TOM due soon.) Stress can make us retain water too and it sounds like you are stressed about your hubby. How is your fat intake? And your water intake?

I would try upping cals for a little while and see what happens.

If you don't weight and measure all your portions, you are eating more than you think and exercise is a big component in weight loss and maintenance.

I'm not weighing everything, but I'm mainly eating veggies (raw or steamed, carrots, tomatoes,broc., lettuce, onions, mushrooms) and fruits(apples,oranges,strawberries,mangos),which I'm measuring the amounts of. I'am eating salad dressing but it's fat free/ low calorie Italian and I'm only using a table spoon full at a time. I have had some sort of meat about every other day but very small amounts, and I've been drinking a pre made protien shake everyday (110 calories/20g protien). As for the exercise, I've only been getting about 2 days a week of cardio, other than riding my horses which I do daily , and working 12hr shifts in a trauma center 4-6 nights a week.

If you or anyone has any exercise plans that are good to work into a hectic schedule I'd love to give them a try.....

ok-- theres most of your propblem.. you really DONT have any idea how many calories you are consuming.... veggies have calories too! and it IS possible to get fat off of broccoli The body will find the feed, so to speak. When you are in a deficit, even if your MIND doesnt think you are consuming calories, your body will know... do you use a lot of PAM, cooking spray, i cant belive its not butter spray, artifical sweeteners? those can add up to HUNDREDS of cals a day, on what you thought were "calories free foods"... my point is, you MUST MUST MUST weigh your food on a scale if you are calorie counting.

And i agree about hormonal water retention... i can go up EASILY over 5 pounds overnight in water retention..

I agree that it sounds like too few calories. You can do a google search and find a calculator that will let you know how many calories you need to eat to lose weight effectively. In order for me to lose 1-2 lbs a week I can have 1773 calories a day and weigh 192 and am 5'5." you might also want to add in a few more strength training days. Many times I actually burn more calories on a strength day then I do on cardio days, and even more on circuit days. (circuit training also increases your metabolism for a full day and muscle burns more fat as well) your body will hold onto fat and water if it feels it's being starved so try to up your intake! I also find if I journal everything I eat when I get stuck and don't know why, then I can pin-point where I went wrong.

1. If you are actually eating 1200 cals a day you should be losing weight. "Starvation mode" in how it's commonly used is a myth... YES it's true that if you've been on reduced calories for months on end you will EVENTUALLY see a tapering of weight loss as your body becomes more efficient at only intaking 1200 cals a day. HOWEVER, the first 10 weeks you should be losing SOMETHING. It is physically impossible to eat WAY less than your body burns each day and not lose.

That said, it couldn't hurt to play around with your calories a bit. Increasing them for a few weeks could confuse the body and help jump-start a loss. But ultimately, if you are actually eating 1200 cals, you should be losing weight.

2 If you aren't weighing your food and you are losing, it is very likely you are eating more than 1200 cals. Like mrkoyer said. The way I see it, if I can get by without weighing or measuring my food and still lose, then why go to the trouble of weighing/measuring? But when I start gaining, I instantly start to weigh/measure. It's the easiest area to fix. Try this first before you assume something is wrong with your body.

Only AFTER you weigh/measure food precisely, and are still on a reduced calorie diet, and are NOT losing, should you get things checked out. It's possible there's an underlying hormonal issue. But try these other steps first before seeing your doctor. Good luck!!

Ok so tomrorow I'm getting a scale :-) I have just beein using measuring cups. I do not however use sweetners, PAM or I can't believe it's not butter, so I guess thats a plus :-) I've let myself have just good healthy foods, I will admit there has been a day here and there I've eaten a meal that wasn't in the Healthy food Bible lol, but I have had super portion control and have cut something else that day to try and compensate the calories. Thanks again for the tip :-)

In my case I really have to watch fruit intake. Too much fructose in any form causes weight gain.
Pat

Ditto!! I like to mainly weigh my food. It was eye-opening for me when I started doing that. Even when measuring, I think I had a tendency to be lax (e.g., rounded "tablespoons" and "cups"). Weighing my food keeps me honest.

I am SO glad you made that point about "starvation" mode.