In the beginning I dropped 12-14 pounds a month. Then it was like 8. Then 5. Then I gained over the holidays. It took me TWO MONTHS to lose those 4 pounds of fat and then I had a loss last month of 2.5 pounds and this month it's looking like I won't have a loss at all or if I do, it will be a few ounces. (I'm talking menstrual month as I have a STRONG hormonal influence on weight loss and gain).

In December, it seemed like no sweat to get to 160 when I was at 171. Now for 155???? I'm still over 168!

I count all my calories. I'm exercising an average of 5 times a week for an hour. Even my little gizmo I wear (bodymedia fit) says I should have dropped 4.5 pounds these past 28 days (26 days of this past menstrual cycle). But the scale is stuck - bouncing the same numbers all month.

Measure you say? I didn't lose ANYWHERE this month - usually I see measurements change and then the weight loss. Nothing this month.

I know we can expect times of slow loss and times of plateau, but I haven't experienced it yet. If I haven't lost in the past, I knew why- I was eating too much and moving too little. But I had THREE DAYS this cycle of eating around maintenance calories (around 2000) whereas every other day was averaging 1500. And with 5 days of exercise each week of 2 days of strength training and 3 days of hard cardio (step or c25k).

While I don't like to set date goals. I would REALLLLLY like to get to goal by our vacation which is mid July - ideally July 4th when we host a party. But how am I going to lose 13 pounds in 2.5-3 months when this past month I lost NOTHING. How can I expect next month will be any better? or the month after that?

I'm not at risk of giving up - no way, but I'm puzzled and a bit disappointed. Anyone else ever experience this? (I'm sure I'm not the only one). When you KNOW you've been on plan? I've even weighed more foods the past week to be sure I was getting my counts right - and I am.

THIS is why I gave up on the "X number of lbs" by the "X date" a long time ago. I just can't dictate how much my body loses. I would really love to have <13 off of me by June 1. But seeing as how it's taken me TWO DADGUM YEARS to lose the 39 lb I have lost, I just don't see it as possible.

Meh.

YES. Its frusterating. I want to reach goal by sometime in June-mid/end June.
I'm still keeping my deadline. I don't care if I don't make it, but I want to know that I at least gave it my all, and I'll keep on giving it my all till I get there. But then again, I am someone who needs deadlines for anything or else I just twiddle my thumbs.

This is going to be me. Its taken me almost 8 months so far to lose 23 pounds. I've given up on setting dates to be at a certain weight, too. I'd like to hit onederland this month but so far its not going so great and if I don't make that goal, oh well. It happens all the time.

You're so close to your goal! Be proud of how far you've come. I keep seeing on here and many other websites that as you get closer and closer to your goal it gets harder and harder to get there. I plateaud for over a month and really was meeting my calorie goals and working out. I think sometimes our bodies are just stubborn. Hang in there!

So besides the whole "don't worry about a date" thing...

Can you think of anything you haven't tried yet? Upping your water, changing your exercise to something different (something your body isn't used to, like a kickboxing class), cycling your calories up and down? Have you examined your macronutrients and your sodium intake to see if anything can be tweaked there?

Do you think the body bug is accurate? If so why?

It wasn't even close for me.

Having said that I would guess you're probably going to see the scale drop soon.

Another thing - have you ever done a depletion workout? You mention you're doing strength training. Maybe you should subsitute in a couple days of depletion workouts.

berry, you have come SO far. no matter if you reach your ultimate goal, i know you'll look great for your party/vacation. i can't really offer any advice for you..maybe take some of what john and debig said and fiddle around with your plan if you think you're on a plateau. good luck!

This is the point where I find tuning in the macro nutrient ratios and my body's response to food is so helpful - going semi-low carb and focusing on not raising insulin can help shed additional fat very well (the body doesn't store fat without the presence of insulin, thus keeping insulin levels low is a really handy tool to getting into lower body fat percentages, especially for women). Another tool is using calorie cycling or restriction via fasting or a method like JUDDD - these avoid the issues with chronic, long term calorie restriction and can sometimes act on the body's cortisol in such a way that more stubborn fat deposits are affected and lost. It is something to look into, anyway!

I set a similar goal to be at 165 by, oh, last week? And I went through a crazy and inexplicable stall that defied the laws of nutrition. I am positive it was because I challenged the law that date- dependent goals must always be thwarted and it came back to bite me

Beyond this point in my journey weight loss has to be permanent and sustainable for me, without putting me in a permanent state of calorie restriction/hunger. I can't do that without changing up my weight loss strategies, as what worked at 200 pounds isn't working as well at 160. It's just a continual journey for progress, I suppose!

Oh BB you have done so great! You look great and I am so proud of you.
I just want to let you know this totally has happened to me. I met my initial goal, decided I wanted to lose 10 more pounds; lost 4 of those fairly easily and then everything stopped. From December through March my scale stayed between the same couple of pounds. I even added in extra bootcamp classes to my regular exercise and nothing. The thing that I did notice is that I went down another pant size and I actually can see and feel muscles developing. So I know I am gaining muscle. Finally, finally after 4 months, the scale has gone down a couple of pounds. Hang in there, you are developing muscle from your exercise and it does weigh more than fat which may be why you are not seeing the loss.

I reread your post and have to emphasize my advice - I think your best bet is going ketogenic for these two months and employing a cycling or fasting method to boot. That will get the weight off and is a flexible enough way of eating that it can be maintained on the road without too much hardship. I don't think any other conventional method will get you to your goal in a timely manner, besides going lower-carb.

I'm not convinced it is healthy long term (I am a moderate carb kind of gal - enough to nourish the body's glucose needs [400-600 calories per day of starch] and then no excess that circulates in the bloodstream and starts kicking in regulatory mechanisms that favor fat storage or inflammation) but there are major benefits to times of ketosis and fasting punctuating a weight journey. Put simply, it really melts fat off. The thing is, you cannot then re-trigger fat storage mechanisms by eating high carb/insulin spiking for maintenance - it is healthier to try and limit that physiological response as much as possible. So if maintaining on moderate or lower carb (50-100 starchy vegetable/grain grams per day) is not something you think you can manage, you'll probably just see bounce back after ending a ketogenic diet. So I really only recommend it if you're amenable to the whole foods, low sugar/starch approach already.

That's my .02

I think were twins, our bodies.

I don't have anything to offer, lol, only that I can relate to what youre going through.

I have it down to weighing all my food, even counting the 1/4 teaspoon of buttercream I'll taste when I'm making cupcakes for my business... EVERYTHING that passes my lips gets counted. I watch my carbs, I watch my sodium, I look at macro nutrients... I'm looking at everything... UGH. I'm burning 2800+ calories a day, zumba days are 3200... I started doing IF to keep my calories lower... And for days and days I'll be at the same weight, and then I'll bounce around... and.. sigh... I'll lose 4 ounces. Gee, thanks. LOL.

Sigh.

I hope you figure it out, because if you do, you should totally share.

I actually did just start something new - running. Not enough to account for the water gain as I've only tried to run three times (today will be my fourth). And I do calorie cycle all the time. One thing though that has happened is that I have upped my carbs intake recently. Kept the calories reined in, but less protein and fats than before and I am more sensitive to carbs and water weight gain. I could lower those again and see what that does.

I don't believe in any gizmos, but by looking at what I'm eating (quantity) and what I'm doing for exercise - power aerobics, resistance training and walking and some running, I should be losing something. I find it hard to believe that averaging (even with high days counted in) 1600 a day calories with exercising 5 hours a week is getting me nowhere.

I haven't done a depletion workout as I hate doing things solo. I have YET to go to the weights/machines part of the gym as I know me - I won't do them. However, in bodypump I push myself to my limit and as soon as something feels even remotely 'doable' I up the weights. I do that 2-3 times a week (just recently started 3 times a week). Right now I lift the most weight of any female in class including, sometimes, the instructor and I know I'll just continue to build up on that.

Thanks - I'm senstive to carbs - eat sugar - instant gain on the scale. That's how I gained 14 pounds in 17 days over the holidays and it all went to my gut. It was visible!!!

I try to keep my carbs to below 100, but the past couple months they have been higher - calories are about the same, just more treats - a cookie here and there, a kid's easter chocolate. I account for it in calories, but it's probably not helping me with shedding weight.

But then, am I really lose "fat" by dropping carbs? or just shedding water that my body thinks it needs? It's all so confusing. I have blood work taken next week and I'm really curious what upping my carbs has meant on my blood sugar readings. They were high 16 months ago, but I got them completely normal with diet and exercise immediately - but that was with 100 net carbs a day. Not it's higher - haven't kept track how much higher, but about 130 overall probably.

Thanks! I wish I could say I felt like I was getting smaller, but I can't. I think I'm truly stuck! (temporarily)