i have been on this diet for two weeks and can't seem to lose very much. i'm watching my calories and working out. i am frustrated b/c i keep going up and down! argh, i am soooo frustrated!!! why did i let myself gain this weight?!!! help!
gabrielbeth

okay, i know i am nit picking way too much! so....
nevermind
i guess i am expecting instant weight loss and i just need to give it time.
gabrielbeth

What diet are you doing?

I definitely think you need to give it a little more time. When I started limiting my calorie consumption, I think it took about 4 weeks for me to see any real progress on the scale. But now I'm down 25 pounds. You'll get there, too.

Also, a gain of a pound could easily be water. My weight easily fluctuates by three pounds throughout the day (I know this because I weigh myself far more than I want to admit). My morning weight is almost always 2-3 pounds lighter than the night before, my weight after I eat is higher, my weight after I work out is lower, and on and on.

There are all sorts of reasons why you might be retaining enough water for it to show up on the scale: that TOM, just before that TOM, you got a little dehydrated because the weather is getting hotter or because you exercised or because you drank alcohol, you ate something with high salt content, etc. etc. I recently allowed myself to get overly dehydrated playing tennis and my weight was definitely up by a couple of pounds for a few days while my body re-hydrated itself. (And don't think I took it calmly either--I was very freaked out about it. There was definitely a lot of swearing and moping.)

- Barbara