I'm so discouraged. After 9 days on P1 I have lost one half of a pound. I know poeple lose at different rate and all that, but... 1/2 a pound??!!?? I am excercising, not cheating. I have a veggie quiche cup for breakfast, a string cheese for snack, usually leftovers for lunch, like chicken breast and broccolli, lean dinners (chicken breast, turket breast, a lean steak, veggies, salads...). I'm not going to quit, but I feel horrible today. Is it worth it? I think I'm destined to be overweight. What else can you do other than excercise and eat right?

This sucks.

Sometimes I think SB sets us up to expect quick and substantial results, but I have found it to be a 'hurry up and wait' program. The weight holds and holds and then will suddenly shift. Phase 1 is usually faster, but it depends on how you were eating before Phase 1.

I've also found that cheese and a sudden reduction in grains can cause one's ... ah... system .... to be backed up. Often a bowl of chili or going to a hybrid between Phase 1 and Phase 2 (ie adding a bowl of high fiber cereal) will get things moving again and the weight will drop.

Don't quit. Try not to be discouraged. Eat lots of veggies and drink water or herbal teas. The scale will move. In the meantime, search for threads on "Non-Scale Victories" and see if you can identify with any of them.

Best of luck!!

that does suck esp b/c it sounds like you're doing very well with your exercise and eating. Are you eating enough? tyr going to fitday and enter in your food for the day and see if you're actually getting enough calories. Are your clothes fitting better or are you having no change at all?

No change at all. I'm going to keep on it - I won't quit just yet. I'm just feeling so down, I thought you chicks could help!

Most of what you lose on ph1 I have heard is water weight. If you did not have like a ton of water weight you may not see a big reduction. Normal healthy weight loss (of non water weight) is usually 1-2 lbs a week. At 9 days you are just a little over a week in. Weight loss just like most things in life worth acheiving takes time. Celebrate your half pound loss and use it as motivation to lose the rest of them. By dwelling on weight you havent lost you are only hurting your motivation to stick with it...that is what can break you and doom you to being overweight for life. CONGRATULATIONS on your half pound loss, I know you will be losing many more, stay on track and remember we are always here for you to vent to

sfgiant, I'm so sorry you're feeling so down! I know how hard this can feel, but know that you are doing the right thing!

Here are some things to think about (keeping in mind that you might be doing everything right and that a big WOOSH! of weight falling off may be in your near future!!! ):

• Are you getting enough water? At least 64 oz. a day?
• Are you getting a lot of sleep? The less sleep you get, the harder it is to get that scale to move!
• Are you measuring yourself too? Checking to see how your clothes fit? You just might be gaining muscle through your exercise at the same rate as you are losing water and fat!
• Are you getting at LEAST four servings of veggies a day? Try to have veggies with Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, and at LEAST one snack a day. Instead of just the cheese stick, have a cheese stick with pepper strips, grape tomatoes or cucumber slices. Have celery spread with Laughing Cow. Have a serving of homemade 3 Bean salad (no sugar).
• Are you including both cardio and weight lifting in your exercise regimine? You need both.... (see Ladies Who Lift and the Exercise Forum for more on this)

I know that there is a wonderful weight loss in your future...keep at it, girl!

You guys are great - Thanks for the support. I'll keep at it - I promise! I'll check out some of the snack recipes - that's definitely been one of my least inventive meals!

Do you keep a journal? I like to use one at fitday, to watch what I eat. I have been on so many diets, that I kind of know what my body needs to lose weight now. I used to be very strict with myself, and I found that lowfat and very low calories actually makes me hold my weight. I don't gain, but I don't lose much either. My body thinks it is starving itself. You may actually want to allow yourself a little extra fat if you are doing something really lowfat. If you journal somewhere and want to put a link in here, it would help us look at what you are eating and let you know where you may need to eat more or less of something to help out.

Like stephie said, it's mostly water weight that you lose in phase 1. If you are doing everything right (and it sounds like you probably are) and still don't lose much, it may just mean that you didn't have a lot of stuff to flush out of your system - which is actually really great! That means you started off healthier than many of us did! So don't be discouraged - slow and steady wins the race! You are on the right track, so keep up the good work!

sfgiantsjo: I'm wondering did you exercise prior to starting P1? If Not, I remember from my WW days that everyone and I MEAN EVERYONE who started exercising, did NOT lose weight for at least 2 weeks, then BAM, it fell off like a ton of bricks! They would start ww, lose a few lbs, then start exercising and then all of a sudden, the weight loss would stop for 2 weeks, then it would kick in again. So if you didn't exercise prior to P1, your body is in CULTURE SHOCK! LOL Give it time to catch up to your mind, don't give up, keep on going!!! You can do this!!!!! Just keep doing what your doing, or as Dory would say in "Finding Nemo", Just Keep Swimming!!! (Sorry, my daughter is into reading that book now! ) LOL

Hey there - don't give up yet - I personally discovered that some folks are just different in how and when they lose their weight. I also had a tough time the first three weeks, and then, with a lot of suggestions, advice and support from this website, I changed a few things that I thought were minor, and BAM! the pounds started shedding. The journal is a very good idea - you may be eating more (or less) than you thought. Also, if you've been more or less sedentary - as someone said above, all this exercise could be helping you gain muscle - which is a good thing! Muscle helps burn fat - yay!

Dont give up! I surpassed my weight loss goal on SBD. I think the secret for me was water water water ( I drink more than 2 liters of water everyday). P1 its really for weight loss anyway. Its for the cravings. P2 is where the real weight loss is supposed to begin. If you gain a little after going to P2 dont panic. It will drop off. I had tried starving myself to lose 10 kilos but I only lost a little. When I did SBD it dropped off so quickly I was worried. Every person loses at a different rate but doing it in a healthy way is whats important. Hang in there. It works

Good tips, ladies! After filling out what I am eating on fitday.com, I am only getting around 1000-1100 calories a day - which sounds like it may be too little, right? I'm not really hungry, but I'll try to eat more! I'm also hoping it's the excercise thing - I did just start the more intense excercising around the time I started SBD. It's just so nice to have the validation of that scale going down! From now on I'll just come here for my validation! Hee, Hee!

If you get used to eating too little, you won't necessarily feel hungry - but you still won't be getting enough to eat. I'd hesitate before dropping below around 1400 calories on a regular basis (one day now and then won't hurt you) - give or take depending on metabolism, size, etc. A 6' woman will need more calories than a 5' woman, natch. Even if you are teensy-weensy, though, I'd still be reluctant to go below 1200. But to be sure, ask your doctor or nutritionist or someone who is more knowledgeable and who is familiar with your physique and lifestyle.