I know everyone hears this a lot, but I am at my wits end with gaining and losing the same 5-6 pounds over and over and over. I have a solid 40 pound weight loss but I really can't break the 50 pound lost barrier and keep it off.

The majority of my problem is that I have an injury (sciatic nerve) which has made it impossible for me to exercise/walk. I was walking 2-3 miles daily up until this issue began (about 6 months ago) and now making it through my daily routine is almost impossible and I am usually in tears by the end of the day.

So on one hand I am grateful that I am only going up and down 5 pounds on the other hand I am so tired of going up and down 5 pounds and would like to comfortably break the 50 pound loss and keep it off.

I am not by any means GIVING UP I am just having a frustrating morning!

HEY! good morning
i know how it feels to be frusterated and im sorry you feel this way! but whenever i feel like this i write my self a little note saying how i know that its hard but it will get better the more i do it and those 5lbs you want to lose will happen! i have a idea... how about instead of walking a whole 2-3 miles at one time.. u take a couple trips a day. maybe 1 mile- 3 times a day... so u dont work ur self too hard all at once and u can rest in between those walks. im sorry to hear about your injury! i hope you get better soon so you can continue your progress! which btw i want to say congrats! keep it up!

You have my sympathies on having problems with the sciatic nerve. Last time I had it, I basically lived in my recliner for two weeks because that was the only place I could be without pain. Even slept there.

You should probably check with your doctor about doing any sort of exercise until this goes away. And while the walking does help, the going up and down -- and since I just came off of two weeks of doing the same thing -- is probably from a fluctuation in your calorie intake.

Quite truthfully, if you're staying within that range cut yourself a little slack until the nerve heals. Unless someone has had trouble with this nerve, they can't imagine how crippling it can be and how painful. Hope yours gets better soon.

The plateaus definitely stink!
My only suggestions are:
If you're eating a lot of the same things, switch it up in a BIG way. Sometimes just doing a week of all different veggies, fruits, and proteins can help. Or you can try taking in a little more calories on one day then less on the next day for a couple days and see if it starts up the weight-loss again. When my weight starts to stall a little, I will eat my 8oz protein from one of the fattier cuts of beef (t-bone, rib-eye), then I will notice the weight start to drop again. I only do that once or twice a month though, and it ends up giving me a bit of a calorie boost for one day.

I guess both of those = just try switching some things up for a little bit and see what happens.
Or (lol), you can just keep doin' what you're doin' and know that you will eventually get over the plateau.

Thank you omgsasha! Congratulation on your progress!!

Oh I know all about sleeping in the recliner betsy! I have spent a few night there myself. No one can understand this pain unless they have experienced it themselves.

I will be glad when the water gets warm enough in the pool to start swimming again, I know I can do that and water aerobics without causing myself much pain and discomfort.

Thank for the support and suggestions Tziri! I am just tired of being a yo yo right now!

Sorry SmallSteps. I hope you feel better very soon!

Sorry you're having such a hard time right now. I understand your frustration; I spent about two years struggling to get under 250 (like you, after losing a substantial amount) before things finally "clicked."

It sounds like you need to rest as much as you can because of your injury. And with that in mind, please remember what's often repeated around here . . . eat right for weight loss, exercise for fitness. The good news is that you can still lose weight without exercise by sticking with a good food plan! Since whatever you're currently doing doesn't seem to be working right now, it's not likely to get any better until you actively make some changes. Maybe it's a good time to step back and take a hard, objective look at where you're at with your daily eating to see what you can do to improve it. Set some extra time aside and write yourself a list of short-term NSV-related goals, and do some brainstorming to make it happen! What areas do you have the most difficulties with? Write them down and do some problem solving. What are your favorite foods? Seek out healthy alternatives and make a list. Plan ahead for restaurants. Read labels. Remind yourself what proper portion sizes look like. Focus on the positives.

These are the kinds of things I did that got me out of the dreaded yo-yo. I made a promise to myself last year that I'd keep moving forward no matter what, and I had to change my whole way of thinking to make it happen. The future you is in your hands today. Do what you can to take care of her now.

I was going to recommend aqua exercises in the pool and then you added that you like to do that but it's too cold right now, so you must mean an outdoor pool.

My sister in the Midwest has extreme sciatic pain and also sleeps in a recliner most nights. Her medical plan covers the cost of three times per week therapy at a local sports medicine center with a heated pool. Any chance you can get therapy prescribed for you?

If no exercise is possible, you can be happy with staying level with your weight for the time being. That is an achievement by itself! But I know how you feel--sticking to a diet plan gets frustrating when you don't get the visual reward of the scale number moving down.