Well...

I set out on a weight loss and fitness journey 3 weeks ago, with the scale showing 148 lbs. About a week later, I was at 141 lbs or so. And since then, it's been 143 or 144... no matter what I do!

So, what am I doing wrong? Nothing is changing - the numbers on the scale, body shape, size and feeling are all the same... And I've been really good - hardly any day without exercise and eating reasonably.

Any ideas, suggestions, hint? Please help... I'm getting worried that I won't reach my September goal...

To give more details:

EXERCISE: pretty much every day, aiming for high intensity and variety
At the gym, I work out a kind of a "gazelle" and on the bikes (hate the treadmill...), attend fitness classes - aerobics, step, aquafit. I also swim and ice skate about 2 times/week each, walk a lot and always use the stairs. If I don't make it to the gym, I skip rope at home and/or play badminton.
I've also been doing Yoga and Pilates classes this summer, and recently started doing additional stretching exercises at home.

FOOD: trying to stick with light, small, frequent meals; drinking lots of water
breakfast --> cereal with 1% milk, sometimes some fruit
iced latte (no sugar, 1% milk)
lunch --> usually sushi (8 pieces) and an apple or carrots
Later in the day I have fruit and/or veggies, more or less the same amount each day. I've been eating quite a bit of cherries because I absolutely love them, but it can be a veggie salad (little or no dressing), cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, carrots, broccoli, red pepper, cucumber...
Just in case someone says this is too little - I assure you it's not - I get filled very easily and have been eating little all my life

Seems you lost quite abit very quick.
You might have lost a good amount of that weight coming off your period so that could exsplain the big amount you lost quickly.
But if your eating right and eating when you should be and your exersising.
It will happen. Another issue could be if your already at a weight you should be at then it will be hard to lose anymore because you do not need to.
But losing weight is going to take some time. You can not exspect to lose more than 2 pounds per week specially in the begining even if your doing it in a very heathy manner. And thats even if your not going thru a plateau.
If you want to lose it faster than that then its going to come right back on as quick as you lost it.
Are you getting any protein ,eating any kind of meats.
Chicken, turkey,tuna,fish
You should be eating three main meals and snacks.
Some times not eating enough is also a cause for not being able to lose.
So if you feel your eating enough and working out then the only thing I can say is you need to give yourself some time to let your body adjust to the changes you made. Also you could incorporate some weights because muscle burns fat when your at rest so weight lifting is also a good option to incorporate into your workouts.

You need to keep track of your caloric intake for a while-and see how many calories you are actually consuming. You can't really "estimate". You are saying that you are eating a lot of cherries and fruit in the evenings-but I don't have an amount-you could be eating 200 calories worth of fruit, or 2000. You need to keep track of how MUCH you are eating and record your calories. I also recommend that you add some protein to your evening meal.

I agree with what the others are saying. What might be a lot to you may not be to someone else. You need to use www.fitday.com to track your calories. I eat 3-4 cherries with breakfast so if I had 10 today that would be a lot to me. To you that may just be a petty amount. It seems like you are getting most of your calories from carbs too. Everyone is different but perhaps you are carb sensitive and need to cut back on the carbs. Also, incorporate protein. I don't see any meats, lean cheeses, cottage cheese, or the like. Your body needs protein especially if you are working out. The best time to eat that protein is immediately following a workout then if you want your carbs eat them at the same time as the protein and they will get burned rather than stored. Good luck and keep us posted with how youre doing.
Kim

You might be gaining muscle at the same time your losing fat, which is a VERY GOOD THING !!!!

Thank you for the responses

Yes, I might need to adjust my menu a little bit. I don't eat meat, though, maybe chicken sometimes - but rarely. But I've decided that I'm going to come up with a 7 day menu plan and make the following changes:

- more variation with breakfast and less cereal, change it toast with Brie cheese & milk (2 days), muffin & milk (2 days) and maybe scrambled eggs or omelette (1 day) and the other 2 days cereal; make sure I don't skip fruit

- lunches: sushi (4 days), chicken breast with Madras sauce (2 days), and rice & veggies or "cleansing" (1 day)

- I don't have the third later-in-the-day (which does not mean evening, I don't eat after 7 pm) meal worked out... it probably wouldn't hurt to eat less cherries, but I love them so much and they won't be in season much longer... I think I eat 1-2 lbs of them, but not all at once.

One thing I thought of today - even though I haven't really lost any weight, at least I haven't gained more!
Which doesn't change the fact that I now have less than 2 months to get rid of 20 lbs...

Is there a certain reason why you have to get rid of 20 pounds in two months?

Here:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60899

Sounds like you're really active! You've only been at it 3 weeks though, so give it some time. You have lost some, so you're doing something right. Perhaps the above poster is right, it could be muscle building, which is a good thing. That muscle will eat the fat, but it takes a bit. Are you measuring your waist, thighs, hips, biceps, etc? It's very possible to lose inches but not pounds due to muscle gain/fat loss.

The latest research says to keep your calcium uptake high, and the best way is dairy...and the best of the dairy may be yogurt.

You might try adding more calcium rich food into your diet.

And if you're working out too hard, your body will take that food and hold onto it. When the body gets to feeling it's in starvation mode, you need to break routine, mixing up lighter days of workouts with lesser days, interval training, and eating that follows interval patterns, too...some days, eat at the higher end of your acceptable range.

And track your calories! Measure!

Measure what you eat, and what size you are. You can be several pounds heavier in weight if you are putting on muscle than a person who is not doing the same level of workout who is the same size.

There are some other tricks that are handy:

Time your carb rich meals to follow your workouts. Your body can utilize the food best then, especially about half an hour after a cardio workout. Then follow that up with some protein.

Be sure you eat a good breakfast with enough protein. This kickstarts the metabolism into higher gear.

Add some walnuts into your diet. Good protein boost, and they add some of the good oils you need.

It is nice that you want to lose the 20 pounds before September, but you also have to work with goals that are attainable, so that you are not disappointed. A healthy rate of weight loss is about 1-2 pounds per week, so if you are leaving in approximately 8 weeks-if you are exercising and staying 100% on plan your weight loss will most likely be in the 8-16 pound range.

Yes, I know. Which is why it's 20 pounds, and not all the way down to 110 lbs.
Keep in mind that I started on June 11th - so almost a month ago. At that point I had 2.5 months to lose the 20 pounds, now it's less than 2 months, and no results.

I had a blood test done, just got the results today, my thyroids are ok... the doctor told me to come back in 2 weeks and we'll talk about food and exercise (she asked me to write down all I eat, drink and do for a few days prior to the appointment - which I've been doing since starting).
But then it turned out she was all booked until almost the end of the month. I'm terrified of going to see her in 3 weeks and still having no results... I am going to change my menu and do my workouts, but I'm so scared now. I don't think I can really explain how important this is to me - unless those 20 pounds go by the end of August, I'll have to stay...

OKay...I am still unsure though why you would have to stay if you don't hit the 20 pound marker by that date.

I just wanted to say that I think you may want to give yourself more time. I'm hoping to take the rest of my weight off within a little less than a year but I don't even know if that will happen. I hope it will, but as long as it comes off eventually that's what I really want. I can understand wanting to be able to start over brand-new when you move, with not only a new home and lifestyle but a new body to match. The thing is, you can't just put off your life until you're thinner. You have to live your life in whatever body you're in. Work on improving the health and appearance of that body, absolutely. But you can't just put off your life until you're happy with how your body looks. It's possible that you could lose the weight in 2 months but it's much more likely that it'll take longer. You really shouldn't let that keep you from living your life. I'm concerned that you may be setting yourself up for disappointment, and that's not a good thing for anyone.

SP, are you a gymnast or on a sports team where weight is the determining factor as to whether you can compete or not? Sorry, I don't mean to be nosey, but you kinda put it out there. Maybe if we know the circumstances, we can help you see things in a different light, if that's possible.