...and I am seriously struggling. I only have a couple more days to go on P1 but I am really not doing well. I haven't had cravings or anything like that, but my weight is NOT moving and I am having an extremely hard time getting up in the morning and making it all the way through my workout. I'm not noticing a change in how my clothes fit, and I am still having constipation problems.

Right now, it all feels not worth it. Maybe this isn't working for me. I mean, I read all these things about people feeling a difference in their jeans or being energized by working out and I am just NOT feeling it. In fact, with regards to my weight, it has actually gone UP over the last couple of days. I was really hoping to get down into the 220s by the end of P1, but that is really feeling unattainable at this point.

I don't know if I need to vary my workout more or what. Or am I eating something wrong? The other day at lunch one of my friends said to me "wow, you're really adapting well to this South Beach thing!" which made me feel proud that I was eating the right things and doing good for my body.

I hate to be Negative Nikki on a Friday... but I just need some good thoughts to get me through these last couple of days...

Is your time of TOM approaching? It usually has an effect on both weight gain and energy levels. I know when my time is approaching I don't want to get out of bed. Sometimes I can put on up to 6lbs in a day or 2. Also, during P1 you are on a very restricted amount of calories this could be effecting your energy level. You could try entering your calorie intake into fitday or dailyplate or something similar to see how many calories you are getting. Try to stay strong though! Here's some . Good luck!

Try not to focus on the weight, because sometimes that scale does weird things. Give it a week or so and then see what it's saying. When you start Ph2 try adding oatmeal first, or an apple a day. These should help with the other problem.

Do you think you're eating enough food? What kind of things do you eat in a day?

I also had a constipation problem and realized I need to get more fiber in my diet plus I had to start taking fiber caplets. Made a world of difference.

Just keep at it, may take a few weeks before much difference. I onluy lost 6 the first week and 0 the second week. Watch your processed foods, be sure to each fresh vegetables, 4.5 cups per day. i also stopped eating as much as my husband was, now I take a 1/3 or so of whatever hes eating and he gets rest. We were splitting all foods in half, then I realize I shouldnt be eating so much. Watch your portions. If i'm hungry 3-4 hours later, eat a healthy snack.

The girls have all given you good advice, Nikki. Are you making sure you're getting enough to eat? Calories aren't really restricted in Phase 1, you should eat enough to feel satisfied, as long as it's all approved for Phase 1. For that pesky constipation problem, try drinking a lot of plain old water and eat some legumes every day. Broccoli, cabbage, and other fiber-filled vegetables will help to keep things moving along, too. Maybe it would help to show us exactly what you've been eating. Then perhaps we could pinpoint exactly what the problem is.
As for weight loss, don't worry about the scale. I only lost 5 lbs on Phase 1 this time around, but my clothes do feel a bit loser and I feel fantastic. My body always has a very hard time giving up the weight anyway, no matter how "perfect" I eat! Try to hang in there, and we'll help you through this, ok?

Thanks to all for support and ideas. I had posted about the constipation problem before, and although I added lots of broccoli and beans, things still didn't get going. Then I started drinking metamucil and that hasn't really worked either. So, I'm not sure what exactly to do about that besides wait through til Monday and have some oatmeal or whole bran cereal

I doubted for a few days that I am eating enough calories. However, I'm not sure exactly where to find/get those calories from. I won't post what I've been eating for the last 12 days, but my typical day is something like this.

B: Eggs w/salsa and veggie sausage, tall glass of V8 (low sodium)
S: 2% colby jack cheese stick
L: Salad with black beans, chicken, tomatoes, salsa, onions, and green pepper... cottage cheese, other veggies, usually broccoli, and a diet soda
S: A few nuts, usually cashews
D: Chicken stir fry with mushrooms and red peppers, green beans, roasted garbanzo beans
S: Fudgesicle or that fab peanut butter cup thing

So, that's that. I always drink at least 4 Nalgene bottles of water per day (so, about 128oz). I tallied it up once on dailyplate and I had eaten around 1200-1500 calories per day for about a week.

In all honesty I've gotten a little out of my funk as this day has gone along. I am excited to make taco bake for supper tonight, and to head to Trader Joes in the morning to pick up some fresh veggies and FRUIT (FINALLY!!!) for next week. My goal for the weekend is not to weigh myself at all. Hopefully by sometime next week though I'll start noticing a difference in my clothes...

Thanks again, and I hope everyone has a spectacular weekend!!

I'm glad you are starting to feel a little better. Your menu looks pretty good, you are certainly eating all the right foods and seem to be getting enough liquids, too. Hopefully your constipation will ease up once you start introducing fruit and grains back. Just remember to add them gradually. Good luck!

Nikki- I was having the same energy and constipation issues. I increased my protein. Instead of 1 egg I have 2. Instead of 4 oz of chicken I have 6 or 7. I remember reading somewhere that the more muscle you have the more protein you need? (don't know if that's true). It seemed to help my energy level though. I also ate more in general (I know it sounds counterintuative) but as soon as I did I noticed a loss and a difference in how my clothes felt.I also tried drinking the metamucil It didn't work which really upset me because it took everything I had to drink it in the first place. I took the metamucil capsules and by about the end of the first week on Ph2 (I added back Fiber One cereal first) All was back to normal. Hang in there We're all behind you 100%.