Aren't you supposed to lose more weight in your first couple of weeks? It will depress me too much to change my ticker, but that big fat three pound loss was a false alarm. I'm a fan of daily weighings, and when I saw one day that I was down to 209, I was stoked, but now I've been pretty consistently at 211 each morning, which counts for exactly one pound of weight loss.

What gives? I've been sticking to plan (missed one day of gym and *gasp!* had a slice of pizza last night), but other than that it's been oatmeal and subway and vegetables for the past two weeks. My cals fall in the 1500-1800 range every day (which should be making me lose 2 lbs./week), I'm drinking enough water to drown myself, and I don't let myself leave the gym until I'm drenched in sweat. My friends are all saying I'm acting like a crazed fitness guru, but the weight is just not dropping! I haven't measured inches, but my clothes aren't any looser, either.

Someone please explain this to me before I give up and spend the whole day at Dunkin' Donuts.

I wish I could explain everything that everyone's bodies do. That way when people gain, or stay the same, or lose a brick they would feel confident about what they're doing or know how they need to change. Unfortunately, I'm as clueless as everyone else.

The scale is, also, only one measurement. Sure, it's useful to know our weight, but it isn't the whole body story.

I do know that if you continue with your new healthy lifestyle that the scale WILL catch up. Hang in there! We're here for you!

It sounds like you may be eating too many carbs (oatmeal, subway) to see the rapid weight loss posted by many here. However, if you choose to not go low-carb, and keep exercising 5 days per week, the scale will catch up because you may be gaining muscle while losing fat. Try reading the Atkins book. I think if your watching the scale that close, you will be more happy with the results if you go on the induction phase of Atkins. However, you decide, keep drinking your water and exercise, that in itself will help your overall health and inevitably weight. Hang in there! Joyce

I've changed just about everything in my life. I've been doing this for 4 months and have gained and lost the same few over and over. I'm back to 198 this morning. I Cut out 95% of sugar, pasta potatoes etc. Switched to soy and whole grain items.
1 month of weights every other day and this week I've started treadmill. I'm doing 3 miles a day. And the scale gods still hate me. I have no answers except it's taking me WAY longer than I would have expected. I wish atleast I'd see some progress with inches, but that is not happening either.

Your not alone.

I agree with bambifox, maybe there's too many carbs and/or calories in your diet. Keep exercising and eating healthy and drink lots of water, you can never go wrong with water. Good luck,

If you are working out that often, you may be gaining muscle as well. Why not try taking your measurements and comparing them once a week? The scale is not the be-all, end-all!

Those that lose a lot of weight initially are typically losing primarily water weight in the beginning. If you haven't been retaining water because you've been getting enough fluids before starting your new plan, they you don't have that water to lose, so you may not see the big drops others see right away. Or maybe you're still retaining that water (things like Subway and pizza are VERY high in sodium).

In any case, at least you're losing. Whether it's 10 pounds or .10 pounds, going down means you're doing something right, and every lit bit adds up over time. It's that "over time" part people seem to forget sometimes

Weight loss certainly isn't linear. I can go for weeks with losing nothing and then woosh, I will lose quite a few pounds.

Do you happen to know how many calories you were eating before you put in place your 1500-1800 calorie plan?

How sure are you about your calorie range?

I also agree that places like Subway and things like pizza will make you retain water.

Two weeks is really a short time in terms of weight loss so my advice is stick to what you are doing and see how you fare in a couple weeks. If you still aren't losing as much as you like, maybe double check how many calories you are consuming and lower if need be.

BLACKBETTY - don't go to DUNKIN' DONUTS.....it's gonna' come off - maybe your body is gripping onto every fat cell and organ in sight because it's rearranging everything internally - it's busy!! I bet in another week or 2 you'll wake up and start noticing that everything is falling off you.....my son was doing some really really hard martial arts training getting ready for competition. He was going nuts because his weight would not budge and he was training like a maniac and eating like a dream to fit into this particular weight class. He mentioned one night very dramatically how *&%%$# frustrated he was because "nothing" was happening. Then one night soon after he sat beside me and I almost screamed - his face was VERY slender as was his body and we both started to laugh because it was almost overnight!!!!

Lostchick - I've been working out since September 19th and your post could easily be mine......but I FEEL different - that's what I know after screaming!!!!

Ray xo

Don't give up. We don't have enough information to determine if you are eating too many calories, too many carbs etc. I personally stay around 55% and have been successful.

Are you calorie counting or following a specific plan. You may want to post under one of those threads to get specific feedback on the your plan.

The diet gods have a mind of their own and sometimes the scale does not move when you expect it even when you are doing everything right.

If you are confident in your plan and know that you have been faithfully sticking to it then the scale will move. Hang in there.

Lori

Hey! What a drag, huh? How about listing what you have eaten in a typical day on plan. Maybe we can see what's going on there. One possibility is that you're closer to the 1800 end than the 1500 end. For me personally, I would gain at 1600 cals, let alone 1800--I mention this just to show that we have to find out on our own what works.

So, give us a list!

Jay

Your diet sounds alot like mine was when I was doing WW. But then I read Volumetrics. Didn't get much out of it so I researched it on 3FC site. Someone posted a shortcut - if the calories of an item per serving is more than the number of grams (or ml if liquid) then DO NOT EAT!!! Seems almost everything I was putting in my mouth fell into the bad category even though it was low GL, WW friendly, low carb, etc. So now I'm on my 17th day and I'm down 6 lbs. I know that's not great but I'm never hungry, never count calories, never weigh a darn thing....just look at the nutrition label. Best of all it keeps me full - which is pretty near impossible - I'm one of those people who is trying to figure out what they're going to have for dinner while they're eating lunch. And it's way more than I've lost on any other diet.
Here's a sample of my daily meal plan:
B: cherry tomatoes/ff hummus or eggwhite/veggie omlet (no oil or butter)
L: can of progresso soup (lots of them to choose from!)poured over about 2-3 cups of frozen veggies
D: ww smart ones (not all are okay so check labels) over top of another 2-3 cups of frozen veggies
S: jello ff/sf pudding cup
Sometimes if I feel a little hungry throughout the day I have an apple or a few nuts.
Its simple 'cause I work alot and don't have time to plan and am always on the run.
Don't give up though!!! You'll be mad at yourself if you do. Dunkin Donuts is usually my crash site too - those darn coolata's - why do they have to be so good!!!

i think you may be gaining muscle...take measurements. Also, make sure you are religiously recording all your food. I thought i was eating about 1700 cals but once i started recording accurately i found i was eating too mcuh. Also on that note..if you are exercising hard..you may actually need more cals...i know it sounds weird...but you may not be eating enough. give it some time...two weeks is just two weeks. You did loose and not gain...so relax some

I did Atkins and low carb diets in the past. I got sick from Atkins literally- way too much protein, not enough carbs. Not everyone can do those diets unfortunately.

Perhaps you are gaining muscle? If you're working out as much as you say you are, it could be water weight in the muscles. They will release the water eventually. Don't be surprised if you have a big loss one of these days- I did a couple of times, after two or three frustrating weeks of a 1 pound or no loss weeks in a row. Be patient, it will happen.