I'm kinda bummed out because I've been strictly watching my calories and exercising strenuously at least 3x/week (usually more), and I've only lost 1/2 pound in the last nine days. I actually weighed a pound less two days ago than I do today. It really, really sux to see yourself gaining weight when you're being so good. I don't think it's water weight, from what I can tell and from watching my intake.

I sure wish I knew why the body does the things it does *sigh*.

How much water do you drink daily? I find that drinking water helps a lot with my weight loss.

I am in the same boat! Being very diligent and watching everything. I "lost" a pound, and then "gained" a pound over the past 2 weeks. It makes no sense. I have been using my roommate's scale and it keeps flashing "battery low" so I am going to assume it's malfunctioning and I'll purchase a new one. Other than that, I have no idea what to tell you. However, my pant are getting looser and looser. I am trying to focus on that and just assume the scale hasn't caught up yet. I will also try calorie zigzagging next week. If your clothes are fitting better or people are noticing, I would also use that to measure your success. Ultimately, we have to just keep on trucking and we will get to where we want to go! Good luck.

Well, I've had stalls for up to 11 days before with no weight lost. If I haven't lost any more by then, I'll have to modify my diet/exercise. Probably cut back on what little sugar I do eat and start eating less carbs during the day - see if that does the trick. I'll have to start doing some kind of daily exercise, too, instead of just several times a week.

Water makes it extremely difficult to determine fat loss.

This is why relying on the scale as a measure of progress is a bad idea.

Measurements and photos are far more reliable.

It would suck to see yourself gaining weight! So it's a good thing then that you aren't gaining weight. You've lost half a pound over the last nine days. That isn't gaining weight.

You don't think what is water weight? The 1/2 pound you lost?

It does this because it's a body like everyone's with a huge number of variables that are not all within your control. This is part of life and part of the weight loss process. Please try not to let it get you down - and especially please try not to turn an actual loss into a gain in your mind, as you seem to have done here.

Can I ask how long you have been at this - especially how long you have been doing this exercise routine?

It's pretty normal to lose weight in fits and starts, even if you stick to your plan perfectly. Most of us do not lose a few ounces day after day like clockwork - bodies just don't work that way. Myself, if I stick to my plan like glue, will typically have a whoosh (3-4 pounds loss over several days), followed by a small bounce back up, followed by a week or two of no change at all, or of +/-1 pound fluctuations. That is my pattern, and it averages out to about 4-5 pounds loss a month.

What's your pattern? Get to know it, embrace it as part of the process, and please don't let it frustrate you because it is largely outside of your control. Remember: You have lost weight over the last 9 days. Look at how well you are doing and for heaven's sake, stop fretting about weight gains that aren't even there!

John, if I could 'like' your post, I totally would. It's true-the scale isn't always the best way to determine success! Keep on keeping on! It's not weight gain, I would bet-your body needs time to adjust and sometimes that means that water is masking your fat loss. Measure yourself, please. That measuring tape is your friend. I haven't lost but maybe 2 pounds so far this month but I look a million times better than the last time I was in the 230s and not doing any exercise or weight training.

I see people talking about measuring as a way to avoid scale-oriented disappointment but I am not a huge fan of that recommendation myself. I'm not against measurements, of course, but I find them a bit of non-sequitur when offered as comfort to someone who is frustrated with the scale.

I worry that someone who is so impatient as to turn a half-pound loss into a gain in their mind is not going to be satisfied with the pace of change observable in measurements.

I don't think I can take my own measurements with a repeatability of better than +/- half an inch. And it probably takes me a month or so to lose a half an inch, if not more, depending upon what part of my body we're talking about and how far along in the process I am. That means I don't see changes in my measurements on a time scale shorter than several months.

So take measurements - it's a good idea of course - but don't let them discourage you any more than the scale does.

I totally agree. It's hard to take measurements accurately, and mine have moved slowly. And while my measurements haven't changed much, I've dropped a size, so clearly things are chaning. I'm just not catching them with the tape measure. I agree that measurements are less variable than the scale, so that's sound advice (as John's advice invariably is). But it's sound, long-term advice. She wouldn't have been very likely to see much of a change in those 9 days that she was upset about.

The fact of the matter is, there's no fool proof method of not getting discouraged, short-term. This needs to be looked with a much longer view. How have things changed since last month? Are they going in the right direction? Good. That's all that counts.

I lost 3.8 lbs in the month of May. It's the right direction, but certainly nothing stellar. For the month of June, it's looking likely I'll have a 7 or 8 lb. loss. What did I do different? Nothing really. The truth is, some of my June lbs "belong" to May, they just didn't happen to move until June.

So, to the OP, if you're following a sound plan, the scale will eventually drop. Just don't pin much significance on daily or even weekly changes.

A week ago you confessed to an evening mini-binge from your over-weight wife's goodies, (bacon and biscuits laying around the kitchen)...remember? If I remember correctly you estimated up to an extra 800 calorie binge in Junk food that night. That was 6 days ago. How many other times did you do that? I'm pretty sure that is why the scale isn't moving very fast.

People are simply suggesting that there's more than one way to skin a cat.

Sometimes MULTIPLE sources are needed to measure progress. Scale can be good. Tape measure can be good. Pictures can be good. Clothing (and how it fits!) can be good. All together? EVEN BETTER!

Not to mention, there are victories we need to think about that have nothing to do with any of those things!

Do you realize you've been eating healthier and exercising? Do you REALIZE the good you're doing for your body JUST because of that?! You should be proud of the work you've done! Not because of a scale, but because YOU know that you have done the work!

The scale regularly has fluctuations. Losing isn't linear. Some weeks it's more. Some weeks it's less. Sometimes the only thing we have to hold onto is the fact that we know we're doing better for our bodies and we just have to go with it until the scale decides to drop more weight.

It's out of our control. So, we focus on what is IN our control. Eating, moving more, and sustainability.

Keep at it! You can do it

If you are a data geek like me (or even if you're not), it might be helpful to start charting your daily weight (or however often you are weighing). I use fitday, but you could use anything. I like fitday because (it's free!) you can log your food as well and it will track your calorie balance so if there are days that you forgot about that weren't on plan, you'll see the affects of it. This way, you can see the changes, when they happen, what was happening at that time and start to notice trends.

I know that I tend to lose in stalls and wooshes and that when I have an off plan meal, the next day I tend to weigh less and then it catches up with me a few days later when I've been "good" which might be what's happening to you here.

I think for me that the scale reflects an average over the last 3 days or so not taking into account water weight fluctuations, TOM, food volume, etc. Small changes on any given day are really irrelevant. That's why I like the chart. I can see my overall trend over the long term.

When I get frustrated, I remind myself that eating well and exercising is going to get me where I want to be eventually. It has to. It's basic science. Deciding not to because I'm frustrated with the scale will definitely not get me where I want to go. So, even if you have a plateau, just keep on keepin' on. It'll give way eventually.

haha, this would be it.

I think Lori Bell is on to something.

It hasn't happened since then. Several days ago I was one pound less than I am right now, and only .5 lbs. lighter than I was nine days ago. I'm chalking it up to a stall, so I'm not overly concerned about it. I think if I bump up my exercise to daily and maintain my 1600 calories/day diet, I can't help but eventually lose (I hope). I guess I can rest assured that the calorie-burning fast metabolism that I had as a young adult is now a cold, dead corpse.

I agree with the other poster that the scales aren't the only way to measure success. I use a tape measure, also (around my waist - the circumference around the bellybutton for me). My actual bottom-line goal isn't to weigh a certain amount (though I do have a weight goal), but to get a flat stomach where I don't have to suck it in.....maybe see some abs again. So in that respect, the tape measure is going to be a more accurate benchmark for progress for me. And I'm slowly but surely losing inches. I just never thought that being on so few calories a day would drop weight so slowly. I have to be very, very careful how I dole out my food during the day, or I"m ready to eat my arm off by bedtime. I could never go below 1600; it's the lowest I can personally go without starving and literally thinking of food all day long.