At the End of My Rope
 

Okay, I really don't know what's going on at this point. I am this close to giving up, which sucks because I've been working so hard only to fail every single day.

When I first started recording my calorie intake and output, I ate about 2500, and the next day dropped 2.5 water weight pounds. The next day, I stupidly ate about 3300 (I was using Daily Plate and thought I could "eat back" my exercise calories), and obviously went back up those 2.5 pounds.

The past 2 days, I've kept it under 2000 calories and I've worked out hard, and the result? I've gone up another pound. I really don't get it at this point. How can I be eating less, exercising more, and gaining?

I drink 8 glasses of water a day, I don't eat a ton of pre-packaged foods... I'm just really, really fed up. I don't know why I bother exercising and logging what I eat when I gain more than what I started with when I wasn't doing anything.

Everyone's experience is different, but for me, I can't eat that many calories and still lose. Even at my highest weight, I had to go down to between 1400-1600 to see any results.

Another thing to look at is the fact that you're working out harder. That can make your muscles retain water while they repair themselves. And even if you're not losing weight, the exercise is great for you. Don't give up! Maybe post a typical menu and typical workout so some of the experts around here can suggest more specific tweaks.

Weight loss takes time. Your weight will fluctuate on a daily basis based on fluids, the actual weight of the food you consume, sodium, glycogen stores, etc. Don't weigh yourself everyday, otherwise you will go nuts.

Please read this article "Why the scale lies"

It's very enlightening.

You need a deep breath!!! (Don't forget to let it out!)

If all of this has happened in the last few days, I know what's going on -- scale fluctuations!

Seriously, your weight fluctuates, often quite a bit! Remember that the scale doesn't just measure FAT, but all of you: fat, muscle, hair, bone and WATER. Much of our weight is water, so as we retain it (for multiple reasons) or lose it (for multiple reasons), we see these changes in the scale.

See this thread for more: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115826

Also, if you ate 3300 calories one day, there is no way you could have gained 2.5 pounds from that. It takes 3500 calories (above and beyond what you use) to gain ONE pound of fat. And then, food you eat one day is not converted to fat overnight. It takes a while.

Most likely, you ate a lot and the weight of the food itself, as well as water retention, brought the scale up the next day.

My advice is to keep plugging along with your plan and give it time! Patience is a necessity with weight loss and maintenance!

Thanks, guys. Ultimately I know what I'm doing is supposed to work, and I do physically feel better, it's just hard to see the scale go up day after day when I'm not binging or lying around.

My experience has always been that weight gain from one day to another is usually water weight, rather than actual fat. The psychological implications could be the same, but in reality, those "pounds" you regained is probably water weight.

Try not to weigh yourself everyday -- track your calories/carbs/sugar/protein/sodium and fat and work out regularly for a month or two weeks or so and THEN take your weight. Weighing any more than that will just drive you crazy.

Also, (totally unprofessional opinion here): try REALLY hard not to eat above 2000 calories. The number of calories you burned during exercise are probably not as high as the machine/website is saying. Personally, for me, eating around 1200 cals a day halts my weightloss (too few), eating at or about 1800 halts it too.

It is normal to see fluctuations with frequent weighing. If the scale has bopped up a pound over 2 days, that doesn't mean you have gained a pound of fat.

Are you still down from your high weight? That is something to be happy about!

I started at 204 and I am now 159. We are the same height. I'll tell you what, it is SO worth it. You are worth it! Don't give up. Persist. I agree with Caroline that 2000 calories might be a bit much.

Also, I have heard other people talk about eating exercise calories back. It makes me scratch my head. First, it is hard to get an accurate sense of how many calories one exercise session burns. There is too much variation.

In my opinion, exercise and food are separate, but both are important. I don't eat more or less just because I exercise or not on a particular day. I eat very much the same on my exercise days and my nonexercise days (which are rare, actually). I picture exercise as a way to rev up my metabolism and I know that in the long term, exercise enhances weight loss. But I never say. "I ran 4 miles, so that is 400 calories, so now I will eat 400 more calories today." I look at it as a long term metabolism enhancer.

Exercise often.
Eat with care.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.

I promise it will work. Your body is governed by biology.

When I first started trying to get fit and lose weight I nearly threw in the towel too because the "getting fit" part was building new muscle and making the "losing weight" part impossible. I gained about seven pounds over a month or two, plateaued for a couple weeks, and then one shiny day started losing about a pound a week.

Have you been sore from your workouts? If so (and probably even if not) you're putting on muscle which will bring your weight up in the short term but way down in the long term. Have patience, trust your body to do the right thing with a healthy caloric intake and more exercise, and you'll get there.

I'm definitely not eating back the calories anymore, nor am I going to eat above 2000, which was crazy. Mostly I didn't notice it was happening because the site I use likes to talk about "net" calories, but there is a section that says how many actual calories you've consumed, so I'll stick to that and about 1600 cal overall.

Thank you again, everyone.

Fail every single day? No! Every single day that you make conscious efforts to eat healthily, log food and exercise is a victory!

Just keep going. You've only just begun. When I started I did not lose weight for the first 3 weeks. I was so disappointed in myself (although I was doing everything right) and the numbers.

This is more than the numbers. This is changing your habits. This is becoming healthier. This is a long road!

Eventually after those frustrating 3 weeks I started to lose, and lose and lose. In the past I would have let the discouragement dissuade me from continuing - this time is different and that's the real victory.

Keep going, keep trucking - because you ARE doing it!

I understand your frustration. I've lost 1 lb in 3 weeks, despite sticking to plan and getting in a lot of exercise.

However, what are our options? Continue to work toward our goals, or surrender to a life of being less than we want to be?

You may want to try what I do: weigh yourself everyday, but at the end of the week average it out and count that weight as your official weight. I find that it is much more accurate and that way, the fluctuations don't drive me nuts. Good luck and hang in there.