I am so disappointed and so discouraged. I've been low carbing a little over 2 weeks now. The weight was falling off. I weighed Monday and I weighed 237.5. That's a ten pound weight loss from what I started two weeks ago. My mini goal was two more pounds by Friday. I snuck and weighed this morning because my boyfriend weighed and he had lost two more pounds. He is just dieting...no program. He eats all the time. He eats foods you shouldn't eat on a diet.I didn't cheat on my diet. He's lost 12 pounds.I weighed and have gained 3 pounds...3 awful pounds. My heart just dropped to my feet. I am so sad:-( I skipped my water a few days this week because I was going places that wouldn't allow me to go to the bathroom every fifteen minutes. I got a root canal yesterday and there was no way for me to keep getting up to go to the bathroom. I came home and went to bed. They had given me a valium before the work and I was sleepy. I haven't eaten as much as I did when I started. I'm just not hungry. My boyfriend takes fluid pills for high blood pressure so he doesn't have to worry about retaining fluids. He also eats that diet cabbage soup all day so he doesn't have to worry about constipation. He eats a lot of fiber in the form of cereals and whole wheat bread. I don't get that on this diet and I stay constipated. With this weight gain I'm wondering if I really can lose weight on this plan. Is there any way to get the weight loss going again? Do any of y'all ever gain weight? Please tell me this is normal. When I start losing again am I going to have to lose to get back to 237.5 or will I drop lower than that that when I start losing again? I am just so totally discouraged. If I ate what my boyfriend eats in the run of a day I would gain weight. It just makes me sick!! If anyone ever needed support, I do. My heart is just broken. I was so proud of myself. Now I'm scared to put a bite of food in my mouth.

Please tell me this is normal or what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks,
Gail

I gain and lose within a 5 lb range all the time. I think most of it has to do with being women and our cycles. This month I gained a full 6 lbs due to water retention and my TOM. When it's over so is the weight. Men also lose quicker than women. It's discouraging when you see your other half losing quicker, but I also see him gain quicker if he's not careful.

My lessons:

1. ignore men. no comparison. no how, no way.

2. yes, constipation weighs something. have you tried a little unflavored metamucil mixed into Crystal Lite. I usually can get that down OK>

3. don't weigh when you're sick.

4. your initial 10 lbs was some water being released from the cells...it happens in all diets. Then you may need a couple of weeks for your body to settle, fluid-wise. drink your water, eat your veggies and relax.

5. Are you doing a plan? Have you read any of the LC books. Much of this stuff is explained in the books..

6. think about something else.


really, relax, do your plan, and ignore the boyfriend.

And by the way, why can't you have some of that cabbage soup? No potatoes or peas, but you could have some celery, a little onion, tomato, cabbage, grate a little bit of carrot into chicken stock. Why not? Filling, fiberous.

hold on,
dottie

(I have only lost 4 lbs in the past month. But I was gaining one pound a month every month before that!. So I'm grateful for down, even a little bit)

Weight fluctuates from day to day and even during different times during the day, that is why you always hear people say "don't weigh every day". If you weigh every week, around the same time, then over time, you can see the loss.

One example of this that is very visible is before and after exercising. I've weighed myself before exercising and after, and I can show up to a 5lb change between those times.

Don't lose hope, you are doing something for your health and you should be proud of yourself.

I always start the week out higher and then by my weight in day, Thursdays I'm either the same as the week before or lower. I haven't figured out why, but just accept it now that I see the trend. My Monday weigh is lower each week, but it's still higher than my Thursday, sometimes by as much as 5 lbs.

Don't sweat it. I mark it on my personal calendar in code so no one will see it and realize it's weight. But that way I can see the trend.

Don't give up now!

Gail I sware the exact thing happened to me, boy did I cry. What I didn't realize was I was eating 2200 - 2400 calories and gaining, once I cut down to about 1600 I started dropping again.

Its a shocker for sure. Hang in there. Hugs !!!

Leenie, my calories never exceed 1500. I am always amazed at how much I ate and maintained a decent calorie count as well. I drank twice as much water today as before and will continue to do so until I flush out my system. I can tell by my trips to the bathroom that I haven't been drinking enough water. I'm off for a 10 day vacation starting tomorrow. I hope and pray I don't gain anything. I have the right frame of mind right now. I just hope I can keep it. I'm not looking for a loss while I am gone, but I sure don't want to gain any.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I ain't gonna give into this thing. I've gone too far. I broke the habit of eating just to eat...don't wanna go there again.

Y'all be good. See you in 10 days.

Gail

Just wanted to say have a good time on your vacation - and DON'T WEIGH YOURSELF!!

I don't know about anyone else, but I retain water terribly when I travel - and most of the women I know do as well. Wait a few days after your return to weigh in, and don't get discouraged! If you've been exercising you could have actually lost a pound of fat and gained a pound of muscle and two pounds of fluid, you never know. Don't concentrate so much on the scale, it's not that important. Of course, it took me forever to realize that too

Keep your chin up!

-Vanessa

aww, hun dont worry its only water weight. There is no scientific or mathematical way that you can gain 5 pounds of fat just like that, you can't even lose more than 1 pound of pure fat a week--the math proves it. Women have to deal with that time of the month too, which can make you retain water like crazy. Don't give up, youre doing great!

Dewy

that is precisely why I drink over 100 oz of water a day!! I keep a journal, and one day I weighed I had gained 4 lbs OVERNIGHT!! I was sooo discouraged and then I went to my journal and I was looking through it, I noticed that the previous 3 days I had only drank 64 oz, 64 oz, and 32 oz on those days respectively. I also noticed that when I was losing the best, I was drinking at least 96 oz of water. So I started the water again and have kept with it, and I havent seen a gain since But that is just me We're all different
Don't give up, hang in there and keep up the great work!!
Michelle

Have a wonderful vacation !!