I'm in my 4th week of getting back to it hard core. The first week I dropped 7 pounds very quickly, weight that I had gained in the preceding weeks, obviously water weight. I started counting my calories again this week because I haven't lost weight since then at all and was thinking that perhaps I was unknowingly eating too much. My calories are good, and my workouts are awesome. I'm doing weight training 3 times a week plus tons of cardio (walking, running, elliptical, stair stepper-different times, different intensities). I'm not dropping inches or pounds and I am beyond frustrated! I'm eating 4 to 6 times a day, drinking at least 3 liters of water and my calories are between 1200 and 1300 on the days I only workout once and about 1500 the days that I workout twice. I am eating good foods, not just 1000 calories worth of fries or anything like that. My heart rate monitor insures that I am working out at a correct intensity, so I know that I am not letting my heart rate get below a rate that is not helping me and also not working so hard as to keep myself in an anaerobic mode the whole time (sure, sometimes I do interval to a high heart rate, but I bring it back down right away). There's no real point to this load of complaining, I just don't know what to do with myself! I got down to 142 in May, so I'm still fighting these pounds that I have gained since then not to mention that my ultimate goal is about 20 pounds away and I'm not getting any closer.

Tell me something....anything! What am I doing wrong, what else can I do, help me for Pete's sake!!! I am willing to do whatever it takes, and I feel like I am, but if I'm missing something I'm all ears!!!

I think if someone was in your shoes, you would tell them to keep up what you're doing and it will eventually show. Maybe there will be another week where you'll just like loose 3 lbs at once! If nothing else, you must feel great with all that exercise and good foods, can you try and focus on that instead? I know its totally frustrating when you're doing everything right and nothing happens, BUT IT HAPPENS TO EVERYONE, once in a while at least! hang in there!

What are you eating? How about some examples? Whats the % of fat you are eating? Keep at it, definitely, you may just need to tweek a couple of things to get that scale to budge!

-Aimee

Maybe you are not getting enough calories. If you eat 1300 calories and exercise to burn 300 calories, that's only 1000 calories for your body.

you definately arent eating enough calories if you currently weight 149 then you should be getting about 1500 calories just for your body to survive at rest. factor in all the working out you are doing, you should add about 50 calories for every half hour you work out. i know it sounds counterproductive, but it works. your body is starving and holding on to anything it can to survive

You have to have faith that by doing the right things eventually you will see a move in the right direction. 3 weeks without a change is not that long in the grand scheme of things, especially when you are so close to your goal weight.

Try looking at your progress in other areas: inches lost, speed, weight lifted, more energy, etc. I know it is beyond frustrating to feel so stuck - I have been plateaued for a couple of months now - but I know it will move again if I am consistent (my biggest struggle).

Good luck!

I have heard that those heart rate things are not helpful... that there is no such thing as a fat burning zone or whatever, meaning that you should workout at higher rates of intensity without worrying about going past where you should be at.

Your calories ARE lower than you could get away with, but I don't think you're going low enough to be in starvation mode-I really think you're okay there.
Keep in mind that the strength training will confuse the scale for a few weeks at least. You seem to have a healthy plan going, and I know it sucks to be there, but it really does sound like this is one of those times where you're just gonna be miserable waiting for the scale to move. But next week or two you'll be right here happily announcing your scale victory, so just try not to stress it, and maybe even put the scale away for a while if you can.
Also, for your height you aren't technically overweight-I know that doesn't bring much comfort when you have a particular goal you are focused on, but it's normal to have a plateau when you're this close. Just keep up what you're doing and it will happen for you.

I've read a lot about how our bodies tend to hold on to water when we first lose weight. I wish I had my books here so I could quote a source to make you feel better, but I'm at work.
ANYWAY, you have two options...you can either keep doing what you know is right (and looking at your plan, it seems that everything seems right to me,) or you can give into behaviors that you know are unhealthy and hurt your progress that you've made already. I know it is incredibly frustrating, but more than likely if you keep at it you will begin to see the numbers start dropping.

Since I'm reading his book, I thought I'd have a look and see what Tom Venuto says about plateaux or stalls ... he recommends calorie cycling.

When I look at these pics http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93260 it looks a lot more like a 16lb difference than a 4lb difference. Is it possible that you weighed more than you thought originally? I know that's some small consolation... but really, if that's only 4lbs then the difference is amazing.

Thank you everyone for your help, support and words of encouragement!

Denice81 - You're right, it does happen to everyone! Sometimes I lose sight.

Aimee - I don't know my percentages, but maybe I'll start using Fitday again so I can make sure that's all on the right track.

Dollypie - You may very well be right. Perhaps I will try eating a little higher.

Princesspuffypants - (love your name by the way). I have never heard that before, about the 50 cals per half hour worked out, totally makes sense to me. Maybe I will stop doing 3 hour workouts, haha. I will definitely have to take that into consideration.

Lifeguard - You're right! What's the point in focusing on the negative. And you're right about 3 weeks not really being that long too!

Futuresurferchick - I agree with you about the so called fat burning zone (being 45 to 65% of max heart rate)! More what I mentioned about going over was that I will interval past 85% of my max heart rate, which is not necessarily good to stay at for a long amount of time. I usually try to stay on the upper end of that range. I don't worry about it too much, but the main reason I wear it is to make sure that I do not go to LOW with my heart rate when I workout!

Rebeleagle1965 - Are you saying that maybe I shouldn't weigh myself everyday, AHHHHHH, hahaha. I know, that would be a very good idea. I also do know that my Body Mass Index indicates that I am in the "normal" range for my height and body weight. I am thankful for that! By body fat is still in the overweight range, so once I hit normal BMI I started going by body fat.

Lizzie - Well when you put it like that, I guess I grin and bear it until I get there!!!

SusanB - I already eat a different amount of calories everyday. How much of a difference does he suggest? For example this week: Mon-1530, Tues-1270, Wed-1505, Thurs-1400. Does he want more of a difference for day to day?

Amanda - I'm really sorry to hear that! That must have really frustrated you. I had always hear that the closer you get to goal weight the harder it is. I never believed it, but now I think it should be in the bible or something, because it IS true!

Thanks girls, I know I can always count on you to help me put things in perspective!!!

I'm not really sure what the deal is! I might have lost that, and then gained alot of it back, because my eating was bad there for awhile, so that now it's only 4 Lb's that I've lost...it's still really confusing to me. I'm going to weigh myself at my Mom's again, and see what that scale says, see what the difference is between that and the doc's scale, now that I know what his says. Argh! Maybe not all doc's scales are right in the first place!

A quick peek tells me to cycling 3 days low and one day high ... and he's talking about making the difference carbs. Keep your carbs extra low for three days and then add them back in for one day. I'm not finding a specific number of calories.