Hi, I'm new, and have some questions. I'm 42 year old female, and have been struggling with weight for about 15 years. On January 20th, I weight 266 lbs. My doctor prescribed Wellbutrin for an antidepressent, because most of my antidepressents had made me gain weight. She also prescribed topomax, which is supposed to make things taste bad, and yes it does. Since then I've lost 16 lbs. I also have a fit bit and have been keeping track of my calories, and my steps, and exercise/walking. I've been doing good at keeping my intake of calories lower than my expended, by a LOT. I always meet my step goal, and usually (weather related) meet my exercise goal. However over the past week or 2 ive been struggling to lose anything. I keep losing and gaining the same pound. The doctor said just be patient, my body was in shock from losing 16 pounds so fast and that it would eventually kick in and the weight would start dropping off again, but im not sure. Im very frustrated as if I'm doing something wrong now or not. Could someone help me?

You might be losing too fast, and your body thinks it's starving. So, it holds on to every calorie. Don't be afraid to eat your allowance of calories. Up the exercise if you can.

Thing is I don't specifically have a calorie allowance. I'm going by the fitbit program that says what i need to eat based on what i expend during the day. and the whole time ive used it i've been "under"....and lost weight.

Hi, You've gotten off to a great start. Sometimes wt loss slows down for no reason at all, then picks back up. But it's not as fast as the first week or two, when a lot of water leaves the body along with fat burning.

There are so many things that go into weight loss. It just isn't linear--there will be pauses and whooshes. The common definition of a plateau is one month with no wt loss. So you are not there, and probably don't need to do anything at all. If your calories go too low, your metabolism will slow down to conserve calories like nanahoney mentioned. It's counterintuitive but eating a little more calories can help the weight loss--everyone is different so you might need to tweak this to find you ideal zone. But even without upping the calories, your weight should start to drop again.

Btw it is not necessary to exercise to lose weight, though exercise is key in maintenance. It's a wonderfully healthy habit. But it just isn't necessary for weight loss.

Just keep ding what you're doing, maybe add in a little food. If you increase exercise too much while eating at a deficit, your body will turn to burning muscle for energy. Fitbit is based on averages, and we are all unique, so don't be afraid to veer from your Fitbit guidelines to find what works best for you.

Congratulations on your progress so far!

Great answer Sundove.
Since you are new at this, I recommend arming yourself with a little more information. It could help you to tweak your calorie guidelines and bring some peace of mind: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto is very illuminating. There are several other good books out there, too!
Best wishes with your weight loss journey!