[JohnP]

Some good answers in this thread but my answer would be "Who cares?"

Why are you focused on your weight? Do you really care what it says when you look down at a reading on a device you're standing on?

What are you really trying to acomplish? My guess is since you're at a reasonable weight now your blood pressure and health markers are probably fine. Most likely what you're trying to accomplish is to look better clothed and naked.

If I'm right - you shouldn't be worrying about what the scale says. You should be worried about adopting a diet and exercise routine that is consistant with your goals. If you just diet - you're going to look exactly how you look now, only slightly smaller. Any "problem areas" are still going to be there.

Just something to think about.

[EskaDee]

Originally Posted by joefla70

There is! Its called the stomach flu! I just had it and will probably wind up losing 5 pounds or more this week because of it! Its a dieter's best friend!

Haha! I knew as soon as I said it that someone would have an answer . If only it were a more pleasant option....
I'm glad you're feeling better though, and with the 5 pounds loss at least every stomach flu cloud has a silver lining!

[seagirl]

What you can safely lose and what you will actually lose are vastly different. Spend some time reading threads by people who "mathematically" should be losing weight, but aren't. Bodies aren't math equations. They have hormones, fat cells that love to hold water, bloating depending on where you are in your cycle, muscles that hold water after a hard workout, whooshes of weight gone when there is no sense to it.

You will drive yourself mad trying to control the scale. Come up with a plan you can stick with, give it a week, then another, make small tweaks.

I'm down 4 pounds in about 6 weeks. The first 2 nothing happened. I changed the hours I was eating, which helped me eat less and now I'm losing a little each week. There will be weeks when I'm doing thing exactly the same and I'll lose less or none or gain.

Someone has a picture of their weight loss graph, it's the most jagged line you've ever seen. But it got her the results she wanted because she stuck with it.

[shcirerf]

Honestly, at 5'5", and 153#'s, you would be better off to focus on a healthy eating and workout plan than a loss plan. And I would look at it as a long haul healthy lifestyle.

I am 5'5", medium boned, 137#'s. I can't even imagine being 120! Unless you are very petitely built, 120 is on the bottom end of the range for your body.

For me, 120 would be way to thin.

This is my opinion, if I were you I would focus on a healthy eating plan and a reasonable workout plan that is part strength training and part cardio, and toss in some yoga, yoga is fun and stress relieving and helps us focus, and strive for a healthy lifestyle and body and not focus so much on a number on the scale.