I don't mean to sound like a whinny baby but the scale has not moved in three days. Not one ounce. I worked out Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday and I have not exceeded my 1300 calories a day limit. Actually, yesterday I only had 1185. What is up with that?

I am starving and pissed that I will miss my 155 goal by Easter. Sorry I just needed to vent.

We all need to vent now and then--that's why we have the support thread!

Three days really isn't all that long to go without a loss. Give it another day or so, stay on plan and I'm sure you'll see a loss! I went the entire month of January without a loss! (And it looks like I won't quite make my Easter goal either.)

Three days is nothing. You have to give it more time. I stay on plan day after day and I sometimes don't see a drop til 6 - 7 days later. Weightloss is most definitely not an instant gratifacation thing. It DOES take time. If you are staying on plan and exercising you most certainly WILL see a drop in the scale. And every week it won't be the same, even if you do the same thing day after day, week after week. Our bodies are just not that precise.

I also see it says that you are starving. I'm not sure what TYPE of calories you are eating. But if you are starving it's kinda hard to stay on plan. I find lean proteins and fiber to be quite filling. And eating every 2 1/2 hours or so also keeps me from being hungry.

Hang in there. It does get easier and your scale will move downward for you.

I know you'll think me totally mad, but try upping your calories to 1500. Your calorie count is pretty low. If you are starving then it's a sure thing that your body thinks it is and is hanging onto every lb. it can 'cause it thinks there's a famine going on. My original Easter goal was 158, I changed it to 159. TOM came and I'll hit 160 but probably no lower. It's ok; the scale is playing w/your mind. Keep up the good work!! You will succeed at this.

Jo

You guys are right. I just need to be patient and stick with it. Perhaps my calorie count is a little low. I have heard that it is unsafe to go below 1200. Last night at dinner I could have eaten more but I just thought every little calorie I don't eat is just one more calorie towards my goal, right?

I'm gonna suggest chuggin' water today and getting some gentle exercise, like a nice long walk.

As you get used to eating on your plan, you will not feel so hungry all the time. This has been my experience.

You can never count on losing X number of pounds in a short period of time, like 3 days. Life's not like that. So, although it's frustrating when you really really want to lose, you shouldn't take it as a "sign" that you can never lose weight or other such myths.

At the risk of being boring, do you track your foods and activity using FitDay? I'm sure you must have answered this, I just can't remember.

So, if you miss your Easter goal, so what? It's not like you're going to get a B in weight loss when you really really wanted and deserve an A. Avoid the cycle of setting up a goal and then being disappointed. The goal is just to get you going in the right direction, not to punish you!

Keep going--don't give up! You can do it, it will work!

Jay

That's actually a pretty dangerous thought. Losing weight is about eating the right amount of calories, not eating as few calories as possible or starving yourself. If you fasted, you'd lose weight mighty quick (when I had the stomach flu, I dropped 6 lbs overnight), but you can't fast forever and you'll gain all the weight back when you start eating again (as was the case for me--lost 6 lbs overnight, gained them back overnight). I've been doing this since Nov 05 and my experience has been that it's very hard to lose weight when I'm not eating enough calories. As my exercise level has increased, my weight loss has stalled until I increased my calories.

Also, you should not be starving. When this has been a problem for me, it has meant either one of two things:

1. I'm not eating the right foods. I'm getting enough calories, but they are junk and are not satisfying me. Not all calories are created equal.
2. I'm not eating enough and need to increase my daily calorie intake.

Finally, I agree with the others that 3 days of no weight loss is nothing to get concerned about. You are probably just retaining water. Did you eat something salty recently (I once gained 3 lbs from one bowl of miso soup--all water retention), is it that time of the month, did you allow yourself to get dehydrated, do more exercise than normal, etc. etc.? All these things can cause you to retain water. You aren't necessarily going to see progress on the scale every day (or even every week). If that is going to be frustrating to you, you might want to only weigh yourself once a week or once a month.

I like that! I'll have to remember that myself!!!

You guys all have good points. Thanks!

I am still a little confused as to how many calories I should be consuming. The truth is, I am always starving. An hour after I eat a big meal, I could eat again. Very annoying (and also the reason why I weigh what I weigh). So, how do I know what is a bad hungry feeling (that means I am starving and holding on to every calorie) or just me being me.

I weigh 158, I am 5' 3" and I want to lose at least 1 pound a week- preferably 2. I work out most days of the week. Right now I am consuming 1300 a day.

You should only weigh once a week and it is totally unreasonable to expect to see immediate results every day. You need to have realistic expectations, then you won't be disappointed. Also, eating less than 1200 calories can hinder your metabolism so be careful!

You are probably eating way too many carbs which will make you hungry in an hour.

Post a day's menu and let us see what you are eating.

It is not reasonaly to expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week at your current weight.

You've only got about 20 lbs to lose, and as much as it sucks to hear this, it's very true that the closer you are to goal, the slower you lose what's left. Someone with 100+ lbs to lose will lose weight a lot faster, on average, than someone with 20 lbs to lose. Don't push too hard, and don't expect too much. 1 lb a week is a reasonable hope, if you stay on-plan, but don't *expect* it, and pushing for 2 at your current closeness to goal is probably kind of unreasonable.

Seriously. It doesn't always happen that fast. You could be plateauing, too. Try kicking your calories up by 100-200 cals, and see what that does for you.

I tend to eat the same things which may be bad.

Here is what I have eaten this week:

Today:
Oatmeal
Strawberries and Cantaloupe

FF Hotdog w/ wheat Bun

Salmon
Whole wheat Bread
Light Mayo

FF Cheese

Turkey Chili

Yesterday:
Oatmeal
Toast with light cream cheese/SF Jelly

Veggie Sushi
Turkey, FF cheese, toast

Chicken sausage
Bun wheat
Cole Slaw (light mayo)
Grilled Peppers and Onions
Strawberries and Cantaloupe

Monday:
Oatmeal
low-carb Toast
Goat cheese
Sugar-free jelly

Whole wheat Pita
Turkey
Light mayo
FF Cheese
All Bran w/ Skim
Salmon
Light mayo
Whole wheat Bread

Chicken breast
Salad w/FF dressing
Red wine (one glass)

I try eating 5-6 small meals a day. Every three hours or so. Basically take the days calories - say 1500 - and divide them up into smaller meals. But I ALWAYS, ALWAYS have a mix of protein and carbs each time. Having a banana? Eat a cheese stick or a few oz. of lean meat w/it. Hard boiled egg or two? Eat some carrots w/it. Handful of nuts? Have them w/a small yogurt. An apple or banana w/some peanut butter and maybe a small glass of skim milk is great. Mix things up too. Your body will get used to the same old thing, day in and day out. Drink LOTS of water. Don't really know that it fills you up but it will flush out the extra sodium and such.

Try zig-zagging your calories too. Maybe have 1350 one day, 1500 the next, 1650 the next, 1300 the next, etc. Keep your body guessing. Same w/the exercise. If you do the exact same strength routine each time you exercise, your body will adapt and spend less energy doing the same thing, which means less calories burned. If you do the exact same cardio each time, the same thing will happen. Try intervals w/your cardio. I started w/the treadmill walking then slow jogging for nearly an hour M-F for like 7 weeks or so. Aside from getting bored out of my mind and mentally having a hard time getting on the machine and not wanting to take all that time just for cardio, I had to work harder and harder to keep the results coming. Now I do the treadmill 3 days a week for 1/2 hour BUT I run at a faster pace and interval the entire time. I used to be really exacting but now I just wing it. I'm doing different speeds and lengths of intervals every single time. Really up the speed for the intervals. I'm sweating like a pig and my heart rate is flying. I get a much better workout in 1/2 the time and because I never do the same thing twice, my body keeps on using up energy. Seems to be working so far! I incorporated weight/strength work w/the rest of my exercise time. Gotta say, I LOVE using weights.

You can do this; just have patience. Did you gain your weight in three days? Nah!! It took time to put it on; it'll take time to get it off. But it will come off. I loved what JayEll said about missing a goal a getting a B. Great advice!!

Jo

Just saw your post on what you eat. You're not eating enough protein in the morning. Try scrambled eggs - 1 whole egg plust 2 egg whites (throw the yolks out; it's ok to do that! ) Eating too many carbs and not enough protein will definitely make you hungrier sooner.

IMO, too much bread and not enough vegetables. For the same calories, you can have 2-3 cups of steamed broccoli and cauliflower and you'll get much fuller. Sure they are both carbs, but I choose those that are most filling. You could probably boost the protein by adding some yogurt or egg whites to your breakfast.