Hey guys, I don't post here much however I do lurk and read all the time. I'm hoping that you guys might be able to help me out for this week. I have lost 28lbs since January which is great (although I have like 70lbs more to go!) and this past week I didn't lose any weight. I ate no differently and if anything did more cardio than normal so I don't understand that. I am wondering if it is to do with my food because I eat pretty much the same thing each day - smoothie for breakfast, soup for lunch and then chicken or fish with veggies for dinner. Do you think that eating the same thing everyday is making my body get used to things a little too much?

If you think this could be the cause then what do you think I could have for my lunch instead of soup? The downer is that I don't actually like salad at all and i'm trying to not have many carbs.... I know it is silly to get so hung up over this but I just can't help it!

First of all, you can help it. You do not have control over the scale (or what your body does on a daily or weekly basis), but you do have control over your thoughts and emotions, but they're like muscles - you've got to exercise them to develop them. You need to know that you're jumping to unwarranted conclusions, and you need to talk yourself "down" from them.

First you need to know that it's entirely normal to have no-loss and even gain weeks, even when you do everything right. In fact, if this is the first no-loss week since Janurary, you've been extraordinarily lucky.

One week is not enough time to decide that you need to change anything. There are a billion reasons for no-loss (and even) gains.

I learned in my TOPS group that very few people even make it a whole month without a gain week. Our group gives a $10 prize every month to be split by those folks who had no gains for the month. Out of nearly 30 people, the prize usually only gets split by two or three people (I finally won it for the first time after two years in the club. It didn't hurt that February was a short month, and as luck would have it we had a record number of winners - 5 so I got $2, but I'm still very excited about the "win.")

Your body doesn't work on a weekly schedule, and so just because you don't lose (or even gain) one week, it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. A lot of people lose in whooshes (they'll lose nothing for several weeks and then drop several pounds).

You've got to be prepared for no-loss weeks, or you'll get discouraged and want to quit.

It's not unusual when trying to lose weight to have weeks where you maintain or even gain. You can't get this upset each time. It has been nothing you have done. You've had a big loss since January, and your body is probably still adjusting.

thank you so much for your comment. I had no idea that it is normal - call me silly but i just assumed that everybody lost most weeks - doh! in no way do i want to give up - i have never been so determined with my eating habits as i have been this time. Equally I have never lost as much weight either so it's all quite new to me. I have a bit of a schedule so to think that I have fallen behind by staying the same one week kinda threw me I guess.

thank you sweetie - i guess the lesson is this is normal - don't stress over it and just carry on going! Heres hoping that next week I can loose a couple of lbs again!

Yep, it's entirely normal. Which is why I reallly hate shows like "The Biggest Loser," because they make it seem huge losses are normal and that gains and stalls are always due to laziness or doing something wrong.

Be wary of deadline dieting. Having a schedule or time-table can make you feel like you're failing when you're not. Instead of focusing on the success, you end up focusing on the failure. When you "fall behind" it can become very tempting to use unhealthy and even dangerous methods to try to catch up (and often it can cause such incredible rebound hunger that you end up bingeing and then getting further and further "behind.")

I know it's hard to avoid time tables, but most of us set unrealistic ones. We expect at least 2 lbs per week (because we've been led to believe that it's the norm or the "average" and it really isn't. The average weight loss is actually zero, because most people give up. So anything above zero is extraordinary progress).

When you get frustrated at the speed, you've got to remember how extraordinary maintaining ANY weight loss really is. Give yourself credit for that.

kaplods- I have to say, I absolutely love reading your posts around this site.

That said, losing 28 pounds in two months is AWESOME. Your body is just adjusting and going through normal fluctuations. One week of no loss is nothing to worry about. I've gone over a month plenty of times without a single loss. Know that if your sticking to your plan the weight will come off.

Most likely just water weight going up a little offsetting what you've lost on your deficit. Also, congratulations on the 28lbs. so far. That's a fast clip after only two months.

Oh dear! You knwo what I do actually watch the Biggest Loser and it was amazing me just how much weight these guys were dropping each week. I know that they do crazy work outs which I don't (and don't want to!!) but equally it did make me feel odd not being able to pull out a big number each week. So I have now done some research on it and it seems like they do some rather naughty things to trick you into thinking people have loads loads in just one week.

And you are right - i think the best thing is just sticking with it and knowing that sometimes i'm not going to lose weight - but i shouldn't give up either.

Thankfully though this week already I have lost 1lb so I am hoping to lose another by the end of the week My numbers are going down again! Yay!!

Thank you I was pretty pleased at the 28lb loss so far - I can now fit in clothing that was too tight again and in some cases the clothing is actually loose now! But sticking with my plan is the key - I have switched it up slightly this week though - I have been trying out some meat free dishes to see how that goes - still low calorie and healthy - but something more exciting

Thank you so much Many more lbs to go though! I dream of being in the 175 range!! I know that's still heavy but for me it really would be amazing!

Think about it this way-this is what separates the "always regaining dieters" and the "people who keep it off" because if you can continue eating at a deficit despite not seeing results, it will result in weight loss unless you have a thyroid issue or some other medical issue. When you see the scale budge youre gonna thank yourself for trudging on!