Five bucks that the answer to my problem is going to be 'retaining water'. But that won't stop me from asking anyways


I'm going frantic here! Although I do weigh myself daily, I compare each weigh in with the previous week's weigh in. (So Sunday to Sunday, Monday to Monday.) Yesterday my weight gained 0.6lbs from Thursday to Thursday. I think "Okay, no biggie." but today, my 'real' weigh in day, I have gained 2lbs from last Friday! Say what?? I've noticed that my weigh was slowly creeping up, but I didn't think anything of it...

I'm sure there's no need to worry or something... But those 2lbs put me back up to a total loss of 1lb in 6 weeks, and that's more than a little disheartening. I'm sure my body is just adjusting to my new diet though, since I'm eating healthy now. But it's still a huge bummer.

What is your calorie target, how closely are you tracking calories, and how often have you been cheating.

The week to week stuff I wouldn't worry about, but 1 lb in six weeks might suggest there is some other issue.

No, I don't think you're retaining water. I think you're taking in more calories then you need instead of creating a calorie deficit that is needed to lose pounds.

I could be avoiding all the sugar, flour, rice, etc and eating strictly healthy foods - but - if I'm not counting my calories and adhering to a calorie budget, well then I can easily OVEREAT THOSE foods (cause heck they add up too).

I strongly suggest you track those calories of yours. You bite it, you write it - every bite, lick, taste, crumb and sip that goes in your mouth. It's pretty likely that that's where your problem lies.

Oh and how's your exercise looking?

How much are you eating- are you tracking calories? How much are you exercising?

It's hard- losing weight is something you have to be diligent about- not necessarily perfect- but really working hard.

Do you have any medical conditions also? I was eating perfectly and exercising and not losing and found that because of my medical condition I needed to follow a lower carb diet- I do South Beach and now the pounds are coming off

I agree with the others who said that the week-to-week one time gain isn't a big issue, but that the only 1 pound loss over the course of 6 weeks may be indicative of an underlying issue. If you're not already try keeping a food and exercise journal. Having to be fully accountable for every bite that goes in your mouth and every day you're not active makes a big difference -- at least it does for me.


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~*~ Will See the 180s by St. Patrick’s Day 2010 ~*~

Mini-Goal 1 :: Under 200
Mini-Goal 2 :: Under 190
Mini-Goal 3 :: Under 180
Mini-Goal 4 :: Under 170
Mini-Goal 5 :: 165 lbs
Mini-Goal 6 :: Under 160
Mini-Goal 7 :: 154 lbs
Mini-Goal 8 :: Under 150
G O A L ! ! ! :: 145 lbs

I guess it could be water...if Aunt Flo is due at your door any time soon, (Oh wait, she can't be coming to your house, she's due at mine any minute. ) I weigh 2 pounds more this morning than I did last Friday, and I've been tracking and eating well... SO yea, it could be water weight...if you haven't been indulging on healthy food.

I'm actually excited to hear that there might be other issues. Maybe something can be done about this demon!

So. I do count the calories of eveeerything I eat. There's nothing to worry about there because I absolutely love doing the math and playing with those numbers (what a nerd!) so I know I didn't go over my set limit. I will admit, I would have a serving size of oreos or something else sweet for desert a couple times, but they were always accounted for.

I'm 5'0", 21 years old, and 156lbs. (Stats are good!) And I eat 1550 cal/day. Sometimes I zigzag them, but my weekly average on my weigh in day must always come out to 1550. However, because of this week's... uh, attempt, I'm going to lower that number to 1450. It only makes a 0.2lb/week difference, but I'll take anything I can get!

And no Aunt Flo for me she visited last week. What a lovely lady.

Here's the part where I hang my head in shame though. Exercise. I know I need to do it!! I have plenty of excuses not to, and I know I need to shove it because there is always a way to work around it. I know. I figured, though, that since I'm apparently not ready to handle the responsibility of exercise, that I'd work on my diet and eat healthier.

Another confession is that, although I did eat very healthy last week, a good portion of it came from brown rice which, although is much better than white rice, isn't as great for you as veggies or extra protein. But... That doesn't explain the 1lb in six weeks issue.

As far as a medical condition, that could be the case, but I have no clue to be honest.

I think that you guys are right in that I DO eat too much (which is why I'm going to lower my limit) and I'm sure that I can go on with 1450, 1300, even 1200 without whining much... but I have nearly 60lbs to go, and I really wanted room to lower my calories for when I plateaued or got closer to my goal.

Arg. What's a girl to do?

Since you are worried about lowering your calories, why don't you try some exercise first. Nothing exciting ... 15 or 20 minutes a day of something you enjoy doing.
Or ... since you like the math and figuring, try fiddling with your percentages. Lower your carbs, eat more protein, clean up your fats ...

There's lots of things you can try before cutting your calories just yet.

Heck...I can go up from 138 to 142 from one day to another and back down. Could be sodium, could be water retention. If I go overboard on roasted broccoli I'll bloat up like a balloon...

When you say "count the calories," what does that actually mean? If you are using measuring spoons, or are eyeballing your foods, or tracking an "average" apple, then you may actually be way off (10 to 25%) on your calorie counts.

If you don't have one already which you are using, I suggest getting a food scale and weighing your food portions rather than eyeballing or using measuring spoons/cups.

Since you're into numbers, you might have fun experimenting with how off the calories actually can be with the measure versus weight method.

If 15 or 20 minutes of exercise seems intimidating or miserable, start with five, and add 2 or 3 minutes whenever that starts to get easy. Exercise is a long-term investment that doesn't begin to pay real dividends until you've remade yourself--physically and mentally--into the sort of person who can really do sustained work.

When I started exercising in August, I could do about 2 miles--less than 5 miles--on the stationary bike. After that, my legs were tired and, even more so, I had this total irrational NEED to get off the bike--I was a bizarre mix of bored out of my mind and terrified. But I kept doing 2 miles at a time morning and night, never missing a day, and my mind (and legs) sort of readjusted, developed a tolerance. Now I go 10 miles every day on the bike and walk/jog 3 miles every night. But it took six months of tiny, incremental increases.

The average human poops two pounds a day! Maybe you just need to go!?

Don't be discouraged yet. 2 pounds could be anything and like you said is most likely water weight!

Just an example...yesterday I weighed 138.6. This morning? 143.8. And I worked out normally yesterday AND ate below my calories a little.

At 153 lbs eating 1550 calories and not exercising means you are eating basically to maintain your weight. Try going down to 1250-1350 and seeing what happens.

Also eat more veggies for fiber.